Avenue Road Estate

A Garden of Delights

Location: Waltham Forest, London

Client: Hill Group

Year: 2021

Site Area: 1.6 hectares

The landscape vision for the Avenue Road Estate Regeneration competition is to create an inspiring, resilient, and sustainable model of living for the 21st century: A Garden of Delights. The project will be a place where people are the focus, and where the community is engaged and interconnected through a well-designed network of spaces, creative play, delightful and wildlife rich gardens, and integrated water management. Moreover, it will act as a catalyst and model for regeneration in the wider area.

The landscape proposal is firmly rooted in the place, and is keenly aware of the importance of public realm and landscape especially in light of the health and well-being crisis highlighted by the Covid-19 situation. More than ever, a landscape-led approach is required to meet the challenges of our time, not only health and well-being, but also to support inclusivity, diversity, climate resilience and restoring ecology and biodiversity.

The landscape principles are in line with Waltham Forest place-making objectives, and encourage permeability, legibility and wayfinding, inclusivity, community engagement, living and green places, loads of play opportunities, prioritisation of pedestrians and cyclists, and integrated water management.

The landscape and public realm will provide a rich location for urban living, connecting people with each other, and to their environment in fresh ways. Showing care and compassion to all of life will allow people and nature to thrive at Avenue Road Estate.

The landscape scheme will work with the intelligence of nature to create a place that is integrated, contextual, and that is capable of mitigating stormwater, adapting to climate change, enhancing biodiversity and providing beauty and delight throughout all seasons.