TwelveTrees Park, Newham – Berkeley Homes South East London with HTA Design

Twelve Trees Park is a 26 acre site which brings 3,800 new homes to West Ham along with 13 acres of landscape and public realm. Two new footbridges and a new station entrance to West Ham station will connect the existing communities to the wider area and to the River Lee.

Who is on the project team? 

Masterplanner: Patel Taylor 

Planning Consultant: Savills 

Architects: Patel Taylor, Hawkins Brown, Atkins, Rolfe Judd & BGY 

Landscape Architect: HTA Design LLP 

Structural Engineer: PTA/ Sweco /Walsh 

MEP Engineer: MTT/ ME Engineers/WSP 

Civil Engineer: Atkins Engineers 

Transport Consultant: Arup

Describe the context of this project?

TwelveTrees Park is a 26 hectares site adjacent to West Ham Station in the London Borough of Newham. The site is bound by railway lines to the north and east, Bromley by Bow gas works to the west and industrial buildings to the south. The site has a rich industrial heritage and was most recently a Parcelforce depot. The project draws its name from Harper Twelvetrees, an industrialist who owned and managed a former soap powder factory on the site and was one of the leading figures to abolish slavery in the UK. 

Deprivation in many parts of Newham is relatively high; half of the borough’s households live in poverty compared to 37% in the typical London borough. Green space covers just 13.1% of Newham compared with a 39% London average and Newham has only 16% tree cover; the second lowest in London. The communities to the east of the site are segregated from the Lea Valley by railway lines, road infrastructure and industrial land, limiting access to the developing chain of greenspaces along the Lea and the benefits to health and wellbeing that access to these spaces offer. 

The proposals will create 13 acres of landscape and public realm in the form of a wide range of open spaces. Two new footbridges and a new station entrance will be delivered allowing the existing local community to access and enjoy the new public realm and facilitate a future connection to the River Lea through the adjacent Gasholder site.

How are you seeking to foster community, welcome visitors and attract tenants? 

The emerging development will open-up access to the site and connect it to the existing communities to the east, through two new footbridges over Manor Road and a new entrance from West Ham Station. The new connections being delivered as part of the first phase, will knit the future public realm into the wider area, encourage active modes of transport and improve West Ham’s access to the Lea Valley.

The future public realm will be designed and programmed to support activity, the growth of a local economy, and become a local and city-wide destination. A Central square with spill-out spaces associated with shops and seasonal markets will form the gateway to the development from the Station. The Community Hub will be a space for new and existing residents to meet. An Amphitheatre will link the Hub to the Piazza at a key intersection with the Park and Science Gardens, programmed to host a range of community activities and events.

A new 4.5 acres linear park will make space for nature to return to the site and provide a destination where the wider community can exercise, play, and enjoy the outdoors. Interpreting Cedric Price’s Fun Palace, envisioned for the area, the park will include a “People’s playground” with imaginative playspaces for people all ages. The park is designed as a ‘habitat mosaic’ starting with ample lawns and meadows next to the busy Piazza, transitioning to a naturalistic landscape to the west with woodland and spaces for people to reconnect with nature.

What is your sustainability strategy and how are you mitigating carbon use and construction pollution? 

Nearly 50% of the TwelveTrees Park masterplan is open space. This generous provision of open space delivers significant ecosystem service benefits through sustainable water management, tree planting to manage microclimate, enhanced biodiversity as well as contributing to the circular economy through recycling and repurposing site material.

There are over 1000 trees proposed across the masterplan which promote shade for cooling and provide wind mitigation, creating a comfortable public realm. The tree cover emulates a closed canopy woodland, reducing the urban heat island effect and supporting a climate resilient landscape. 

The sustainable water management incorporates swales and seasonal attenuation areas within the park, rain gardens in streets, blue roof attenuation across podiums and permeable paving in the public realm, providing valuable habitat and comfortably achieving the range of target greenfield runoff rates. 

Maximising biodiversity underpins the landscape strategy, with planting becoming more naturalistic from east to west to meet the Lea River habitat. The Biodiversity Net Gain assessment is anticipated to be over 200%. The multi-layered landscape consisting of public realm, podium gardens and 20,000sqm green and brown roofs supports the wider nature recovery network in the Lower Lea Valley. 

Repurposed material is incorporated through the reuse of site concrete, reclaimed timber in the park and play spaces, manufactured soil from waste products and site spoil within mounding in the park. 

The public realm has been designed to promote active travel and facilitate more sustainable travel choices. To support this objective, vehicular routes are kept to a minimum throughout the masterplan.

Describe the social impact of the project: How is this place contributing to the economic, environmental and social wellbeing of its citizens? 

TwelveTrees Park is expected to represent a wide variety of cultures and socio-economic backgrounds due to its scale and tenure. The variety in the public realm has been designed to facilitate a range of activities which support social sustainability. 

The public realm is inclusive and accessible and has been designed to create a place for people of all ages to come together. There is over 11.5 acres of publicly accessible open space and 11,800sqm of play space. 

Key public spaces are provided in the first phase of the development to the benefit of new residents and the existing community. A seasonal and culturally diverse programme of events is being developed for these spaces, including markets, art installations, music and outdoor screenings. In developing the programme, Berkeley will collaborate with local community organisations, such as Cody Dock and the Grassroots Community Centre.

The park is the heart of the development and will create destination play and activity spaces for the wider area. Exercise routes and play areas are integrated throughout to benefit physical and mental wellbeing and create onward connections to Lea Valley and beyond. 

A new East London Science School will be delivered as part of the development, supported by themed gardens along a prominent pedestrian route connecting the school to the station.

To support the local community, Berkeley and HTA are volunteering at Abbey Hub Wood next door to the site, helping a local charity create a wild working garden and outdoor activity centre for local children.