Springfield Village, London Borough of Wandsworth, for South West London and St George’s Mental Health NHS Trust and STEP (Joint venture between Sir Robert McAlpine, Capital Ventures and Kajima Partnerships)

Premised on integrating mental healthcare and community, Springfield Village develops land and formerly used buildings from the Springfield University Hospital campus. Funded by S​​outh-West London and St George’s Mental Health NHS Trust £150m project provides for 800 homes, a 12.9ha public park, mental health facilities, an elder home, shops and cafes, and space to develop a school.

Who is on the project team? (designer, consultants, etc)

Springfield Village, South-West London - STEP a 50:50 joint venture between Sir Robert McAlpine Capital Ventures and Kajima Partnerships, For South-West London and St George’s Mental Health NHS Trust, with Sir Robert McAlpine Construction, Barratt, City & Country, London Square and Hemiko.

Delivery Partners: Sir Robert McAlpine Construction, Barratt, City & Country, London Square, Hemiko (formerly Pinnacle Power) 

Designers: Mental health building design by C. F. Møller Architects; public realm and parkland detailed design by Stantec (formerly Barton Willmore). Based on the original 2010 masterplan by Patel Taylor Architects.

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

South-West London and St George’s Mental Health (SWGLSTG) NHS Trust took the bold decision to self-fund new mental health facilities through the sale of development land on its 82-acre Springfield University Hospital site to create a mixed-use, multi-faceted place for a new community. The previous inpatient/outpatient accommodation and former asylum buildings, dating from the 1840s, were underutilised and inefficient. Following decades of planning, community engagement and development, the Estates Modernisation Programme has opened up and woven together previously disconnected parts of Tooting, Wandsworth, Wandsworth Common, and Earlsfield. The Springfield masterplan (outline planning granted on appeal in 2012) is as ambitious as it is complex, locating new mental health facilities at the heart of the development, forming two sides of a new public square. SWLSTG and STEP sought to create next-generation mental health facilities that provided a place of healing for patients and pride for staff while also de-stigmatizing and integrating mental healthcare within a community. Surrounding the healthcare facilities, Springfield Village includes over 800 new homes, a 64-bed care home, a new 32-acre public park (the largest new park in London since the 2012 Olympics), new transport links, and site-wide sustainable energy infrastructure. The healthcare buildings also provide retail shops, parking and community spaces for the emerging neighbourhood. It’s a place for everyone in the community: hospital service users, staff, residents and visitors to feel safe and enjoy.

How has this place adapted, and how does it continue to adapt, to changing demographics, behaviors, market context, policy, transport habits and the climate crisis? What makes it resilient?

The modernisation of the mental healthcare provision is at the forefront of the redevelopment programme. Mental healthcare has been a part of the site for over 150 years, with the original buildings opening in 1840 as the Surrey County Pauper Lunatic Asylum. Over the years, the hospital adapted its approach to mental healthcare, reflecting shifts in attitudes towards mental health as research and care developed. Most of the existing inpatient facilities were not designed with today’s needs in mind, plus the surrounding land left the hospital feeling isolated from neighbouring communities. The design approach of the therapeutic environments in the hospitals is informed by principles obtained through 12 years of research and over 600 workshops with the Trust and hospital architect CF Møller. These include: free access for every ward to a usable garden/courtyard space; providing a choice of routes to get from A to B to minimise harassment and violent incidents. The residential aspects of Springfield Village have been considered to cater to a diverse tenure mix, with 20 percent of the housing designated as affordable, suitable for everyone from families to downsizers. A 64-bed care home has been developed by STEP, catering to the increasing need of specialised later living accommodation in our cities. Springfield Village has been designed to promote sustainable behaviours using low/zero carbon energy technologies. Key elements include a centralised efficient district heating network; BREEAM Excellent new hospital buildings and care home including PV panels; and high levels of demolition recycling, diverting >99% from landfill.

Please share any data or evidence about the social, economic and environmental performance of this place, or any relevant figures such as footfall, visitors, engagement metrics, residents, etc

STEP and the Trust have contracted with housing developers to build out all residential parcels at Springfield; over 200 new homes are now occupied. Both mental health buildings have been handed over to the trust and opened. The first part of Springfield Park opened to the public in the summer of 2023, with the remaining due to open in October 2024. STEP and SRM actively work with the Trust to make a positive social contribution, which fits with the Trust’s role as an Anchor Institution and its long-term plan of promoting mental wellbeing. The team’s social value achievements include: • A STEP-hosted development website (www.springfieldvillage.info) which provides regular information to over 900 local subscribers • A regular community forum and community newsletter • Space allocated by heritage developer City & Country for an onsite artefact room to preserve the site’s history • Menu of activities for schools, including a design competition for ’The Hangout’, a new youth shelter to be built in Springfield Park • Employment benefits to enhance the local economy, including 20 apprenticeships through SRM, with more being provided through the residential partners. • Co-funding of a social value prospectus for Springfield Park to identify benefits to be delivered beyond construction and into operations • Community events e.g. the Springfield Litter Pick and sponsoring the Trust’s annual Street Party.