Tustin Estate, London Borough of Southwark for Bouygues UK and Southwark Council with dRMM, Adam Khan Architects, JA Projects, McCloy + Muchemwa and Exterior Architecture and Urban Symbiotics

Tustin Estate, London Borough of Southwark for Bouygues UK and Southwark Council with dRMM, Adam Khan Architects, JA Projects, McCloy + Muchemwa and Exterior Architecture and Urban Symbiotics

 

The regeneration of the 1969 Tustin Estate forms part of Southwark Council’s Great Estates programme. It will deliver 690 new homes (68% affordable) on completion, as well as enhancing central Tustin common and re-providing an existing primary school. dRMM’s masterplan and detailed design has been developed with dialogue and co-design with the community at its heart. Ongoing engagement ensures residents are actively involved in decisions, with feedback remaining integral to design choices throughout.

 

 

Describe the context of the community engagement. Why did the engagement take place?

 

The Tustin Estate engagement strategy unfolded within the context of a major regeneration initiative in Southwark, addressing deteriorating post-war housing and responding to London’s housing demand. In 2019, the 1950s estate - which comprised 468 homes - was identified for redevelopment due to poor state of repair. Following the Greater London Authority’s 2018 mandate requiring resident ballots for publicly funded estate regeneration, Southwark Council initiated a ten-month, community-led feasibility study. 
 
Southwark Council has a longstanding, genuine commitment to real engagement, mirrored by dRMM’s own ethos. Tustin residents already had a strong, well-organised community group, highly involved in decision-making from the outset. Uniquely, the community was part of the architect and the development partner selection process, participating in the interview panel and consultation during the tender process and helping to choose the appointed team. 
 
The 2021 resident ballot - where 87% voted in favour of regeneration - affirmed broad community support for partial demolition and redevelopment. Engagement was embedded in the project as a shared value, underpinning the “Great Estates” and “Southwark Stands Together” programmes spearheaded by the Council, prioritising equality, inclusivity, and resident empowerment. dRMM and Bouygues helped the process to move beyond consultation toward authentic co-design, ensuring new homes, landscapes, and amenities reflected residents’ lived experiences and aspirations.

Who did you engage with and how?

 

Engagement was carried out collaboratively between Southwark Council, the design teams (dRMM, Adam Khan Architects, JA Projects, Exterior Architecture), community consultants Urban Symbiotics, and the project development partner Bouygues during the planning and delivery. 
 
Participants included residents, the local school (headteacher and pupils), local shops and businesses and the Tustin Residents’ Association, as well as the wider community residing in and around Tustin. Structured resident groups such as the Resident Project Group and Design Subgroup ensured continuity and representation and were supported by a dedicated Resident Advisor. Activities were inclusive, iterative, and varied: co-design workshops, weekly drop-in coffee mornings, newsletters, exhibitions, and themed sessions (e.g., on materials, services, or planning). Events catered to diverse demographics - youth, elders, and families - to maintain engagement energy and inclusivity. “Designers and Makers’ Week” empowered young residents to co-design community spaces, while older residents joined study visits to senior living schemes. 
 
A key feature was the continuity of engagement through the project’s shift from being led by Southwark Council to being delivered by Bouygues. Engagement persisted through the transition, with Southwark continuing to shepherd the process, ensuring consistency, transparency, and community trust throughout design, construction and development of the later phases.

 

Have you continued the conversation? Will the community stay involved? 

 

Tustin Estate’s engagement process was designed as a continuous, adaptive dialogue that remains active through all project stages. The Resident Project Group, Design Subgroup, and Resident Advisor continue to guide decision-making across planning, construction, and is envisioned to also input on post-occupancy in future. Past initial project engagement – during the construction stages of Phase 01, and the design development of Phase 02 – community dialogue continues through regular themed sessions. These might focus on topics of safety, colour palette, and signage, bringing to light design themes as they develop. Discussions build directly on the masterplan and Phase 01 outcomes, ensuring resident involvement across successive phases. Southwark Council continues to play an oversight and stewardship role, maintaining consistency as the project transitions through delivery phases, steered by Bouygues. Together with both Council and developer, dRMM has fought for Tustin’s emphasis on longevity to embed continuous community ownership and environmental care. Regular newsletters, community websites, and drop-ins ensure transparency is maintained. While recognising challenges of time and cost, the project has positioned sustained engagement as an investment in resilience. As regeneration progresses, the Tustin community remains a co-author of its environment, ensuring dialogue, inclusivity, and stewardship endure as defining features of the Estate’s transformation.