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'Hope in the Square' design competition announced for Peckham Square

Monday 09 June 2025

The NLA and Southwark Council are proud to announce the new design competition ‘Hope in the Square’. As part of the council’s flagship scheme for the redevelopment of Peckham Square, this competition is looking for creatives to design and deliver a garden-like area that celebrates youth.

The key objective of this competition is to create a unique meeting place within the square for young people and local communities to gather and reflect, take a positive look towards the future and honour Peckham’s past to build on Damilola Taylor’s legacy and the work of his family as well as the Hope Collective

The competition invites architects, designers, artists and other creatives to submit design concepts that will reimagine and develop the ‘Gardens’ area of the square into a safe, accessible and inclusive space. Entries should propose a creative design solution for a dynamic and vibrant feature that will not only invite engagement from local communities and contribute visually to Peckham Square but will also celebrate the voices of young people. 

Originally designed in the early 1990s, Peckham Square is a civic space in the borough and continues to be a key part of the local area. As part of the Southwark Stands Together flagship programme, Southwark Council are redeveloping Peckham Square, transforming it into a new civic space that residents can take pride in. The much-loved square is surrounded by key local landmarks, including the Stirling Prize-winning Peckham Library, Peckham Pulse Leisure Centre, and the world-renowned Mountview Academy of Theatre Arts, and will also host the local arts charity, Peckham Platform. 

This £7 million flagship project is well underway. Architects have been appointed to develop designs in collaboration with the community. The final designs will be shared with residents later this month, before a planning application is submitted this summer. 

‘Hope in the Square’ will become a permanent part of the Peckham Square upgrades and is expected to be in place for a minimum of 15 – 20 years. With collaboration expected between the winning team and the local community, this competition gives creatives a real opportunity to leave a legacy in the borough. 

Once submissions are closed, up to six shortlisted practices will then be invited to develop a design and will be awarded an honorarium of £1,500 + VAT each. 
 
The deadline for submissions is Thursday 14th August, with the winner expected to be announced in October 2025. You can find more information on this project and how to apply here. 

London Festival of Architecture Event

If you are interested in forming a team or collaboration for this submission but don’t already have the connections you need, there may be an opportunity to connect with other creatives through our event on site in Peckham Square on Wednesday 25th June, 17:00-19:00. This is also an opportunity to learn more about the site, the competition and meet the commissioning team.

You can find out more here.

In Partnership With

London Borough of Southwark

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