Quayside Quarter, Ealing, London – Galliard Homes with EPR Architects

Where is the project located
Bridge Road, Southall, London, UB2 4AB
 
Who is the developer/client of the project?
Galliard Homes

 
Describe the context of this project, its neighbourhood and people?

Southall has a unique and highly diverse demographic - residents are generally less wealthy than the London average, with some of the lowest income wards in London and high unemployment rates and low earnings prevalent. 

The former Honey Monster factory was a historically important employer for residents of the area. Forming part of the Southall OAPF, EPR’s innovative proposals of this now redundant brownfield site will be a catalyst for true social and economic regeneration of the surrounding area.

Quayside Quarter, an ‘exemplar-in-design’ mixed-use development, combines much needed new homes and affordable homes with a significant employment intensification. Working in collaboration with the landscape architects, we created a framework of work, residential and recreational spaces - all connected through a legible series of public areas and streets, opening the masterplan to the wider community.

The site’s proximity to Southall’s new Crossrail station, combined with the opportunity to improve local bus services and cycleways, ensures that people living and working in Quayside Quarter will be remarkably well-connected to the employment and business opportunities in west London, central London and beyond.

The public realm, which provides an abundance of pedestrianised green open space and celebrates the presence of the historic canal, is intended to be for the inclusive use and enjoyment of residents, workers and the established communities of the surrounding areas of Quayside Quarter - creating a meaningful and accessible new neighbourhood in the heart of Southall.
 
Please describe your approach to this future place and its mix of uses. How will it function as a vibrant place? How does it knit into, and serve the needs of, the wider area?

EPR’s vision for Quayside Quarter was to create an aspirational mixed-use development with placemaking and landscaping at its heart - creating a place where people and their families would be proud to live, work and play. 

Our approach to the design respects the site’s heritage as the former Honey Monster cereal factory and builds on other creative strands of the area’s rich past. New homes, employment opportunities, retail and community uses are seamlessly blended to form an integrated and inclusive new neighbourhood.

Approximately 800 jobs and 1,997 homes will be provided on-site. The development will be anchored by a 22,311m2 creative film hub and 5,373m2 of light industrial units, providing an increase in the quantity and quality of employment in Southall, as well as opportunities for further education, skills and training. The scheme will also provide 2285m2 of flexible commercial space and a vibrant new public realm for the enjoyment of the residents and local community - at the centre of which is the reinvigorated Grand Union Canal which has been given public access for the first time, celebrating the site’s industrial social memory.

The proposals will deliver direct connectivity to adjoining developments and the surrounding communities. The future provision of a north-south bridge link across the freight railway lines would connect the scheme to the Great West Industrial Estate and new east-west connections across the masterplan make the local amenity, Glade Lane Canalside Park and the public spaces beyond more accessible to new and established local communities.
 
What is the environmental impact of the project? How will the carbon use and material impact of the development be mitigated? What is the sustainability strategy? Please provide any evidence or data.

Using a landscape-led approach, Quayside Quarter is designed with sustainability and community at the forefront. Sustainable design and construction methods such as energy and water-saving measures, waste reduction techniques and methods to enhance the ecological value of the site have been incorporated throughout the scheme. 

The residential buildings will be specified with energy-efficient building fabric and service measures, reducing energy demand through passive design techniques. Space and water heating will be provided by a site-wide air source heat pump and combined heat and power-based district heat network - served from an on-site energy centre. Urban drainage within the scheme includes living roofs, soft landscaping, permeable paving and buried attenuation tanks, helping to reduce development run-off rates to no more than the greenfield equivalent and collecting rainwater to recycle for landscaping irrigation. The sustainability strategy for any non-residential parts of the development has been set in response to the GLA London Plan, therefore achieving a BREEM ’Excellent’ certification. Overall, site-wide regulated CO₂ emissions will be reduced by at least 35% for both residential and non-residential units - compared to the GLA Baseline.

Quayside Quarter will also provide ample amounts of outdoor space, with an extensive landscaped public realm, interactive play areas and additional tree and shrub planting for the wellbeing and enjoyment of the community. The enhanced biodiversity, richly planted terrain, access to the canal and new walkways improve connections throughout the scheme whilst promoting healthy travel habits that are good for the environment - reconnecting Londoners with nature.
 
Describe the social impact of the project: How will this future place contribute to the economic, environmental and social wellbeing of its citizens?

Quayside Quarter is a masterplan that truly provides co-location residential and employment uses that will have a long-term, positive impact on the community of Southall. 

Economically, the site will include 1,997 new homes and provide more than 800 jobs through a 22,311m2 creative hub. Providing significant employment, training and skill development opportunities, the hub comprises sound stages, production workspace, workshops and ancillary commercial facilities - drawing from Southall’s history as one of the birthplaces of British film at Southall Studios.

The site’s location inspired our proposals to focus on placemaking and landscaping. The designs open up the canal to the wider community - making use of the peaceful setting by the water and providing an environment for rest, play and contemplation. This new public access and proposed dock extension enhances space for water wildlife and brings opportunities for enjoying water-based recreation - promoting a healthy lifestyle by spending active time outdoors. New interconnected public trails for pedestrians and cyclists also innovatively connect the community to a wider network of green public spaces. The masterplans intensive planting regime allows a prominence of greenery around and on the building forms, podiums and rooftops - enhancing the wellbeing of residents and visitors.

Quayside Quarter transforms an impermeable brownfield site into a dynamic, mixed-use neighbourhood with benefits that will reach beyond its boundary and engage with the wider community. Modern workspace, shops, restaurants and canalside walks will be there for people’s enjoyment - creating a new thriving destination in west London.