Redevelopment of two sites on the Bancroft Estate providing 33 new affordable homes, offices and a new community space. It demonstrates high-quality, community-driven placemaking.

The Bancroft and Wickford Street project, delivered in partnership with the London Borough of Tower Hamlets, demonstrates how high-quality, community-driven placemaking can be achieved at density within a constrained urban environment.

Set across two small infill sites previously occupied by underused garages and community buildings, the development delivers 33 much-needed 100% affordable rented homes alongside new purpose-built facilities for the Bancroft Tenants’ Management Cooperative (TMC) and the Women’s Inclusive Team (WIT)—an organisation supporting Black and ethnic minority women in the borough.

Through design-led site optimisation, the scheme provides a mix of one- to four-bedroom units, including large, family-sized duplexes and wheelchair-accessible homes, within buildings rising to five and six storeys—sensitively scaled to their context and integrated with active frontages and generous communal and private amenity spaces.

Despite its urban density, the scheme delivers a strong sense of place rooted in nature, community, and cultural identity. A formerly neglected rear service route and garages has been transformed into a vibrant new public neighbourhood park, creating a safe, green heart for the development and surrounding estate.

The landscape design incorporates informal play for under-5s, robust seating, natural landscaping, biodiverse green roofs, and over 1,000 sqm of urban greening, contributing significantly to local biodiversity and residents’ access to nature. The planting strategy prioritises native, low-maintenance species and grassland with bulbs, supporting pollinators and seasonal change.

The project’s design optimises internal living environments with 94% of homes being double aspect and 36% triple aspect, promoting natural ventilation, daylight, and privacy. Recessed balconies provide passive shading to the full-heigh glazing behind, contributing to thermal comfort. Being recessed or semi-recessed means that residents can use them regardless of the weather.

The scheme achieves a 47% reduction in carbon emissions through the use of air source heat pumps, highly insulated fabric, mechanical ventilation with heat recovery (MVHR), and rooftop photovoltaics—setting a new precedent for low-carbon living within council-led housing.

A thorough, multi-event community consultation process, including estate walkarounds, public exhibitions, and one-on-one sessions with TMC and WIT, ensured the homes and community spaces were shaped around local needs and values. As a result, the design includes culturally responsive elements such as separate kitchens for larger family units and flexible internal layouts that allow homes to adapt over time.

In its ability to densify sensitively while enhancing sustainability, liveability, and local character, Bancroft and Wickford Street stands as a compelling model for good placemaking at density in London.