The Earls Court Development Company (ECDC) is the team leading London’s foremost development opportunity and one of its most complex and significant pieces of city -making: the transformation of the 40 -acre former Earls Court exhibition site.

ECDC was established by the Earls Court Partnership Limited, a joint venture formed in December 2019 between Delancey, on behalf of its client funds, the Dutch pension fund manager APG, and Transport for London. Its purpose is to lead the long -term transformation of the site into a new urban district for London.

ECDC is a multidisciplinary development company built for stewardship, not simply delivery. The team brings together highly skilled specialists across masterplanning , development, design, planning, public realm, sustainability, culture, community engagement, communications, commercial strategy and delivery. Many of the team have deep pedigrees in large -scale urban development and placemaking, with experience of navigating complex sites, multiple landowners, public -sector partnerships, long planning horizons and high levels of public scrutiny.

Projects that members of the team have worked on in previous roles include Elephant Park, Stratford Cross, King’s Cross, Brent Cross Town, Wembley Park, Canary Wharf, Battersea Power Station and Canada Water.

The team’s role has been to turn an empty site, rich with potential, into a consented, deliverable and investible proposition for London. Earls Court spans two boroughs and holds a significant place in the hearts and minds of surrounding communities, following the loss of the former Exhibition Centres and years of uncertainty over its future. ECDC’s task has therefore gone beyond preparing a planning application. It has had to build relationships, provide clarity, coordinate multiple public and private stakeholders, and create a shared vision for the area’s future.

The team has approached this challenge through a distinctive model of visible, local and collaborative leadership. From the outset, ECDC established a presence on site, with the design team regularly attending workshops and community meetings. Its engagement team was recruited locally, with staff living within walking distance of the site and bringing direct knowledge of the area, its communities and its history. Rather than expecting people to come to the project, ECDC went to where people already were: shops, parks, youth clubs, pubs, community centres and everyday local spaces. A long -empty building on Lillie Road was transformed into Conversation Corner, a public -facing project space open up to six days a week and staffed by ECDC and its consultants. 

This way of working has helped ECDC move beyond conventional consultation. The team has created structures that bring local insight directly into design and decision -making, including the Public Realm Inclusivity Panel, which gives young people, disabled people, carers and older residents a formal role in shaping the public realm. The panel’s role has evolved from consultation to critical friend and advisory partner, helping test design codes, safety, accessibility and public realm proposals.