River Mill Park

bptw partnership was the masterplanners and architects for the regeneration of the former Sundermead Estate, including the naturalisation of the River Ravensbourne, which runs through the centre of the scheme.

River Mill Park provides over 200 new mixed tenure homes, five of which have been designed specifically for wheelchair use. Homes have picturesque views over the newly naturalised and landscaped river.

Part of Lewisham Council's Urban Renaissance Initiative, the masterplan provided for a new urban park to encourage access to the river, extend the local cycle network and create a setting for new development adjacent to the town centre and transport interchange.

The detailed design has been developed in consultation with the Environment Agency. The project has involved the decant and demolition of the 1960s buildings over the course of three years. Residents of the former Sundermead Estate were involved from feasibility stage, through early strategic proposals, and in the finalisation of the design proposals.

Short streets and mews designed to Home Zone principles are a key feature of the new neighbourhood, which also incorporates a new cycle path. The houses are arranged in terraces, punctuated by gateway medium-rise apartment blocks, and draw on Georgian proportions in their design. The scale and density of the scheme, as well as the use of London stock brick, render and galvanised features, ensures that the new development assimilates with the local architectural context.

Innovative construction methods, including the off-site manufacture of bathroom modules, have been used throughout the site. The project has also involved the design of Water Mill Court - an assisted self-build scheme that has provided residents with the opportunity to fit out their new homes and enhance their employment opportunities through training initiatives.

Fact file

Location: Lewisham, London

Client: London & Quadrant Housing Group and Tower Homes