Stroudley Walk, London Borough of Tower Hamlets for Muse and Poplar HARCA with RM_A and Churchman Thornhill Finch

Stroudley Walk, located in the heart of Bromley-by-Bow, spans 2.43 hectares and will provide 274 new homes, ranging from studio apartments to four-bedroom family homes. Half of the development will be affordable housing, including 82 homes for London Affordable Rent and 33 for shared ownership. The project will also feature shops, a community cafe and open spaces, with 33 new trees and additional planting, creating a vibrant, community-focused environment for residents to enjoy.

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

Contractor - McAleer and Rushe

Architect - RM_A

Landscape Architect- Churchman Thornhill Finch 

Contract Administrator- Calford Seadon 

Cost Consultant - Atkins Realis 

Insignis - M&E 

Structures - Mason Navarro Pledge 

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

Stroudley Walk is a transformative regeneration in the East of London in Bromley-by-Bow, Tower Hamlets. Led by Muse, in partnership with Poplar HARCA, it is a vision which will see a new neighbourhood of high-quality homes, flexible retail, commercial, and community space, and vibrant public realm with a new pocket park and part-pedestrianised street. Stroudley Walk has a unique history and heritage, which tells a story of progress, change, and cultural influence. Suffragette Sylvia Pankhurst made her first speech there in 1913 as part of a campaign to improve the conditions of women living in the East End. Mahatma Ghandi also stayed in nearby Kingsley Hall for 12 weeks as he visited England in 1931 to discuss constitutional reform in India with British politicians. Like many parts of Tower Hamlets, the impact of the WW2 on Bromley-by-Bow is still evident with social housing introduced at scale to the area during the post-war reconstruction period. The area’s largest ethnic minority is of Bangladeshi descent (45%), followed by white British. The area’s history and melting pot of cultures and perspectives has been placed at the centre of the vision for the new place. Indeed, over 500 local people gave feedback which helped shaped the design of the plans. 

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? 

In shaping the masterplan for Stroudley Walk engagement with the community has been placed at the heart of the process. It is important to us that the project delivers on the community’s needs and is a place they can be proud of. Drawing on regular conversations with local people, we will deliver on the housing, commercial, environmental and social needs of Stroudley Walk. Over 500 local people gave feedback to influence the final proposals. One key theme which came through as part of the consultation was a need for a safe, welcoming, thoroughfare through the area. Previously, this underutilised brownfield location was blighted by antisocial behaviour. As the main route from the south side of Bromley-by-Bow to Bow Road, this intimidating space actually cut off the southside community from accessing the main high street. As a result, the masterplan focused on creating a safe, thriving, vibrant neighbourhood, which includes a new pocket park and part-pedestrianised street, with ground floor spaces for the wider community. Instead of deterring and intimidating the community, Stroudley Walk will instead invite, welcome, and knit together passersby and residents into this green, open and inclusive neighbourhood.

What is the social and environmental impact of the project? For example, how will the carbon use and material impact of the development be mitigated? What is the sustainability strategy? How will this future place contribute to the economic, environmental and social wellbeing of its citizens?

Within the Stroudley Walk masterplan it was important the social and environmental impact was a main consideration. We wanted to create a new neighbourhood which would serve and benefit the community for generations to come. It aims to provide the foundations for the Bromley-by-Bow community to continue to grow and prosper. To achieve this the proposals have prioritised a a ‘fabric first’ approach. This includes high performance glazing, reduced air permeability and good insulating fabric, together with active and passive measures such as use of high-efficiency LED lighting and Mechanical Ventilation and Heat Recovery. These measures are expected to save 36.2 tonnes of carbon per year, a 14% saving above Building Regulations. Meanwhile, completed works will include a Air Source Heat Pumps which will provide low-carbon heat and hot water to all homes, with the ability to connect to an offsite network in the future. The heat pumps will provide 100% of the heating and domestic hot water to each of the proposed new homes. Photovoltaic (PV) panels are being installed, these renewable technologies will save 155.1 tonnes of carbon per year, equating to a 60% saving above Building Regulations. Alongside energy considerations, rain gardens and green roofs on each block have been incorporated into the proposals. These areas will significantly improve surface water management and contribute meaningfully to the biodiverse-rich neighbourhood also filled with existing and new trees and extensive foliage and planting.