The Cundy Street Quarter is set to transform an underutilized site, currently dominated by parking and outdated affordable housing, into an attractive, low-carbon neighborhood within Belgravia.
The project will introduce 88 affordable homes, including new social rent options for residents of Walden House in the first phase, allowing for a seamless transition into larger, modern homes. These residences will be surrounded by enhanced green spaces and feature a community hub, grocery store, and cinema.
A new, welcoming entrance from Orange Square into Elizabeth Place Gardens will be created, transforming it into a lush urban garden. For security, gates will close at night. Additionally, Orange Square will undergo minor improvements to become more accessible and greener.
The current Coleshill car park will be converted into a vibrant urban garden with a water feature and diverse plant life to boost biodiversity. The new building overlooking the Gardens will offer socially rented housing and a flexible community space on the ground floor, open to all Cundy Street Quarter residents, including those from Coleshill Flats.
Vehicle restrictions on Avery Farm Row will make it more pedestrian and cyclist-friendly, with a relocated water fountain marking a prominent entrance to this part of Belgravia.
Access to the new residential building will be across from the rejuvenated Ebury Square, enhancing the area's vibrancy and reducing anti-social behavior. Ebury Square Gardens' design has been updated to integrate play spaces more thoughtfully.
A £10 million investment will enhance new and existing public spaces, including Ebury Square, creating essential play areas for children.
To the right of the new pedestrian entrance to Elizabeth Place, there will be specialist senior living accommodation with ground-floor shops. On the left, a mix of shops, restaurants, and cafés with outdoor seating will be featured, along with new homes above. A resident’s garden with fresh landscaping and views towards the Grade I Listed St Barnabas Church spire will be visible in the distance.
The senior living building on the corner and the adjacent new residential building will restore the historic street layout towards the Coleshill Flats. Ebury Street's pavement will almost double in width, with new street trees, ground-floor hedging, and building greening. A vehicular drop-off point will be relocated to Cundy Street, while a new pedestrian entrance, Five Fields Row, will lead to Elizabeth Place.
The project's design is guided by key principles:
