Central Somers Town, London Borough of Camden for London Borough of Camden with DSDHA, Adam Khan Architects, Hayhurst & Co, Morris+Company and dRMM

Located between Euston and St Pancras stations, the Central Somers Town regeneration masterplan spans 3 hectares and is valued at £89 million. Part of Camden’s Community Investment Programme (CIP), the project began in 2017, seeking completion by 2028. It includes 117 new homes across various sites, accommodating approximately 450 residents. The first three of five phases have already been delivered.

Who is on the project team?

Masterplan architect: DSDHA

 Structural engineer: AKT II

 Quantity Surveyor: Currie & Brown

 Project Manager: Urban Logik

 Main contractor: Neilcott Construction (plots 1 and 4); Morgan Sindall (plots 5 and 6); Maylim (Purchese Street open space)

 Landscape Architect: DSDHA

 Sustainability Consultant: Atelier Ten

 Planning Consultant: Turley

 Lighting Consultant: Studio Dekka

 Transport Consultant: Civic

 Co-design on Purchese Street open space: Edit Collective

Describe the context of this project and the point it has reached in its development. Who was there in this place before development, where have they gone, who is there now and who will be there in future? When is the project expected to be complete?

Central Somers Town is situated right between Euston and St Pancras stations. Historically the arrival of the railways severed the area from its surroundings, but in the process forged a strong and diverse community and sense of identity, housed in a mixture of predominantly socially rented homes. Somers Town has approximately 5,000 residents, with nearly 70% living in Camden-owned homes. The masterplan commenced on site late 2017 and is due to be fully completed by 2028. The framework of the design champions the existing community. The population of Central Somers Town is expected to grow by an estimated 47% by 2028, and our framework considers the existing population whilst including plans to accommodate its future generations. With approximately 3 hectares of land and a value of £89 million, the Central Somers Town regeneration masterplan is an example of Camden’s Community Investment Programme (CIP). The CIP is a self-funding scheme, with the receipts from the private sale housing used to cross-subsidise the delivery of the public space, Edith Neville Primary School, a nursery, community play facilities and a community hall, in line with the wider vision for the Somers Town area. The masterplan has unlocked employment through new mixed-use blocks and community hubs whilst providing additional, social and affordable housing to the surrounding area. 

How are you seeking to foster community, welcome visitors and attract tenants? How are you responding to changing demographics, behaviour, market context, policy, transport habits and the climate crisis since winning planning?

The proposal includes a diverse range of play and social spaces, suited to the needs of different user groups which were communicated through our engagement process. The detailed design of the activity and social space in the south-west of Purchese Street Open Space, on the site of the former enclosed multi-use games area, was developed through a co-design process in collaboration with EDIT and a group of young people from Somers Town Community Association (STCA)Youth Club. Resulting from this collaboration between the architect teams and community, the initial proposal for the placement of the plots moved: the community play facility shifted from east to west and a residential tower was added to allow for the creation of one unified park. The park includes characteristics that local people requested through consultation– improved permeability, from new buildings defining the edges of the open space, along new direct routes which creates more interactive and inclusive open and green public spaces. The priorities of young people consulted included informal lounging areas, located in quieter parts of the site, and basketball hoops located in more sociable busy entrance areas. The sloped surfaces of the new curved seating allow for incidental play by younger children visiting the social space, ensuring a mix of alternative play spaces are provided for all ages and abilities.

Please explain the governance of the project, such as its viability, purpose, motivation and any consultation and community engagement undertaken. 

This is a landscape-led masterplan, with immense social value that comes from putting the well-being of the environment and residents at the centre of the project, and the scheme has: no loss of total greenspace despite the new developments. Routes across Somers Town were opened to encourage people to move through the area by bike and on foot, with the increased uptake of walking, cycling and public transport minimising congestion. With its central location next to the transport hub of Kings Cross and St. Pancras, the focus on active travel serves to reduce pollution and improve air quality to ensure that no one experiences poor health because of the air they breathe. To complement the environmental objectives within the landscape and ensure climate impacts are reduced, each building targets BREAAM Excellent and each plot targets a minimum 35% CO2 reduction beyond Part L 2013, with all plots connected to a local heating network.