ROLE: Concept to Completion
LOCATIONS: Edward Woods Estate and White City estate in Hammersmith & Fulham
CLIENT: London Borough Hammersmith and Fulham
Background & Objectives:
Nourish is a transformational housing regeneration project that combines green infrastructure, community food growing and place making to improve two large estates in Hammersmith and Fulham.
Our partnership approach has been at the heart of this project, working with the London Borough Hammersmith and Fulham, The Greater London Authority, Thames Water, Tenants and Resident’s Associations and community food charity, UK Harvest to develop both the project vision and fundraising strategy. Collectively the project has secured £1 million from Thames Water, £450,000 from the GLA and £650,000.00 from Section 106. The partnership are also working with local residents and businesses to create a community kitchen and provide affordable and flexible co-working spaces.
Our over-arching objective was to improve and create better access to green space and other public open space where feasible, promoting physical, social and visual connections within the estates and to the surrounding environs. These included, improved links to community hubs, schools and wider green infrastructure including Hammersmith Park.
Design Solution
Integrating SuDS (sustainable drainage systems) and food growing sites was central to the scheme. An ambitious SuDS scheme saw over 1.5 hectares of impermeable surface being removed across the two estates. These SuDS measures will result in significantly less pressure being put on the drainage/sewer network (up to a 1 in 30year critical duration storm event), reducing the risk of localised flooding and pollution while making for a more attractive environment for residents. This project demonstrates the enormous potential of retrofitting multi-functional open space, in the efforts to adapt to and mitigate the impacts of climate change.
Extensive online consultation continued throughout 2020 resulting in final designs endorsed by the client and residents. The majority of works have now been completed (April 2021) with remaining works being carried out in 2021.
Impact
In addition to SuDS, the improvements include:
- The Nourish Hub, a community space and kitchen
- Informal, natural play elements along main pedestrian routes
- New food growing sites
- Community ‘gable end gardens’ creating sociable and productive spaces
- A concept highway design to secure additional funding, which will result in more tree planting and flood resilience
- Planting schemes to shield and buffer roads and increase biodiversity across the sites
Training, Job Creation and Maintenance
The scheme was designed with input from the maintenance framework contractor and London Borough of Hammersmith & Fulham, to make sure that proposals were understood and that maintenance proposals were realistic and achievable.
Groundwork London’s Green Team will be involved in the landscaping and maintenance of the scheme. The Green Team is a waged employment and skills training model for unemployed local residents from the two estates.
