Regents Park, London

In November 2013, the government announced plans to build High Speed 2 (HS2) to create a link between London and the West Midlands. This required the demolition of housing and businesses throughout Camden to facilitate the railway.

Project

Regents Park

Location

London

Dates

2013 - 2019

Partners 

Camden Council

Value

£72 million

• Contracting to Camden Council

• HS2 replacement homes for Council tenants and resident leaseholders

• New affordable homes for Londoners

• 116 new homes and community facilities over eight infill sites within the existing estate

• Constrained inner city location

• Considerate Constructors Scheme National Site Awards in both gold and silver categories

As a result, replacement homes have been built at the Regents Park Estate for those residents at Silverdale, Eskdale and Ainsdale who have lost their homes as a consequence of HS2.

In March 2016, Lovell was appointed by Camden Council as the preferred contractor for the HS2 replacement homes project which is delivering 116 new homes and community facilities over eight infill sites within the existing estate. The eight sites consist of a selection of one, two, three, four and five-bedroom apartments, with buildings ranging from three storeys to eleven storeys.

As part of the regeneration programme, a replacement community centre has been built in a central location, designed to offer local people a wider range of activities. Public realm improvements include enhanced public open spaces with new communal gardens and play areas, car parking facilities and improved access to local shops.

The project required the demolition of existing buildings which included the Cape of Good Hope in Phase 1 and Dick Collins Hall and The Victory Pub within Phase 2. Careful programming ensured the new community centre was completed as part of Phase 1 so continuous access to this key community facility could be maintained throughout the four-year build.

In 2019, the team won Considerate Constructors Scheme National Site Awards in both gold and silver categories for the achievement Lovell has made towards improving the image of construction and showing thought and care for local neighbourhoods, the public and the workforce.

Our resident liaison officer worked closely with residents to ensure communication was maintained throughout the construction progress, dealing timely with any matters raised. At the start of the project we held a 'Meet the Contractor' event, this provided residents with the opportunity to discuss the project in detail with our team and ask any questions to allay any concerns they might have had.

As members of the Considerate Contractors Scheme we have worked collaboratively with all stakeholders to achieve an outstanding score of 43 (out of 50) on two of the eight sites and 41 (out of 50) on the other six.