Peabody has announced the appointment of Proctor and Matthews Architects as project leader and design team co-ordinator to develop a strategic masterplan for the regeneration of South Thamesmead in south east London. London-based Proctor and Matthews Architects will work in partnership with Dutch practice Mecanoo to develop the masterplan, which will focus on the delivery of thousands of new homes and jobs over the next ten years – making this one of the largest regeneration projects in the capital in an area that will benefit from Crossrail in 2018.
Proctor and Matthews Architects and Mecanoo have also been commissioned by Peabody to develop plans for 1,900 new homes on sites within the London Borough of Bexley’s and Royal Borough of Greenwich’s Thamesmead Housing Zones – the first step in the delivery of the masterplan.
It is expected that an outline planning application will be submitted during winter 2015, alongside a detailed application for around 500 homes at Southmere Village as the first stage in this development. Detailed design work will be undertaken by an international design team comprising Proctor and Matthews Architects and Mecanoo, with contributions from Pitman Tozer Architects, Bell Phillips Architects and Project Orange.
The design team also includes Turkington Martin (landscape architecture), CBRE (planning and residential development consultancy), Max Fordham (utilities, services, energy) and Peter Brett Associates (structural, civil & highways, engineering).
Jeremy Stibbe, Executive Director Development and Sales at Peabody said:
“We are pleased to have appointed a strong multi-disciplinary team, led by Proctor and Matthews Architects, to design the Housing Zone sites at Abbey Wood and develop a masterplan for the wider area. They bring a wealth and depth of experience in housing-led regeneration, and we look forward to working with them to deliver beautiful homes, fantastic public realm and shared spaces, and a thriving local economy in Thamesmead. We’ll be appointing the teams on the remaining housing zone sites before the summer.
“Both Thamesmead’s housing zones will be about more than simply new homes. With others we want to innovate and build on Thamesmead’s unique history and character. There is an opportunity for the area to become synonymous with exemplar urban design; with extensive public realm assets, leisure and cultural opportunities, a dynamic local economy, and thriving and aspirational communities.”
Andrew Matthews, Director at Proctor and Matthews Architects said:
“We are delighted to have been appointed by Peabody to lead a masterplan for South Thamesmead and Abbey Wood and lead on the redevelopment of the first Housing Zone sites at Thamesmead with Mecanoo. This is our largest and most ambitious project as a practice, and we are looking forward to working with a talented international design team to deliver one of the most important new housing projects in the UK for decades.”
Francine Houben, Creative Director at Mecanoo said:
“We are looking forward to working on this very exciting project for Peabody together with Proctor and Matthews Architects. Mecanoo has gained extensive experience designing housing in the Netherlands, combining architecture, urban planning, landscape, mobility and public outreach. We are eager to bring our experience to Thamesmead, making it a good and pleasant place to live and preparing it for the future.”
