The first homes at Friary Park regeneration scheme complete in Acton
Phase 1a of Friary Park estate in Acton, West London, now renamed The Verdean, has completed and welcomed the first residents to their new homes. Phase 1a delivers 295 homes, of the wider six-acre regeneration plan which will see over 1,000 homes, of which 50% are affordable, delivered across three phases. The scheme is a JV partnership between Peabody and Mount Anvil.
In addition to our design delivery services for Phases 1 and 2, Chapman Taylor was appointed to revisit the consented masterplan with a focus on placemaking and integrating the scheme more successfully into the local neighbourhood. The architectural design evolved in response to the masterplan enhancements whilst retaining the core design principles of the original scheme.
The proposals were developed through a comprehensive consultation process with the residents, local community and the local authority, London Borough of Ealing, and the GLA. A new hybrid planning application was submitted for the whole development, which secured approval in late 2022.
The landscape design, led by Exterior Architecture, now includes a variety of new spaces that can be enjoyed by the residents and the wider community, integrating it more successfully into the neighbourhood, including improved pedestrian and cycle routes, a new public square, external play space, and communal gardens.
The design introduces a more active, mix of uses on the ground floor, and enhanced resident and community amenities including a gym, co-working spaces, cinema, and residents lounge, all arranged around a new central public square that creates a focal point at the heart of the scheme and promotes legibility and a sense of community. Affordable workspace (40% of the commercial floor area) provides a permanent, affordable home for Ealing’s creative community.
Phase 2 is now under construction
The new design provides flexibility to accommodate home working and the provision of larger private amenity spaces in response to the changes in our live/work patterns post-pandemic. The scheme is tenure-blind and includes social rent, London affordable rent, intermediate tenure, and private for-sale homes.
With decades of experience in the Residential sector in the UK, Chapman Taylor creates high-quality, attractive, and well-considered designs that develop into positive and sustainable places for people to live in.