As part of a team of three architectural practices Proctor and Matthews are collaborating with Levitt Bernstein Associates and Cullinan Studio on the regeneration of the Eastfield Estate to the North East of Mitcham Town Centre in the London Borough of Merton. The project aims to deliver a masterplan for a mixed tenure residential neighbourhood that retains the positive physical qualities of the existing estate while improving the quality of homes, the public realm and the relationship with the surrounding neighbourhoods.

The existing estate was built in the early 1970s and has suffered from neglect and poor system built construction techniques. The new proposals will provide up to 850 new contemporary homes.

The design concept for the masterplan consists of three distinct character areas; firstly, a series of small scale mews streets which are suburban in scale and character provide the majority of the family homes. Building heights increase to 8 storeys towards the ‘green heart’ at the centre of the development (which has been retained along with many of the existing trees) allowing for it to be better used and more secure. Finally, larger scale, more robust buildings are located to the northern edge forming a distinctive skyline.

A range of social uses, public squares, and shared surface streets are introduced to the public realm to encourage pedestrians and cyclists, while smaller neighbourhood courtyards are created to reduce the visual impact of parking on the principle streets.