Centenary Development Project, Haig Housing Trust, Morden
68 new affordable homes on Haig Housing Trust’s Morden Estate opened by Her Majesty The Queen.
Location
Merton, London SM4
Status
Completed
Use
Affordable Housing
Client
Planning Consultants
Heritage Consultant
David Lewis Associates
Estate masterplanning to explore development potential
Haines Phillips Architects were appointed by Haig Housing Trust to carry out a Feasibility Study to explore the development potential of their existing estate at Morden.
Based on our detailed Masterplan, Haig Housing engaged us to prepare a planning application for new residential accommodation to maximise the potential of the Grant Funding received from the Ministry of Defence through the Veterans Accommodation Fund.
Planning application to develop an isolated area of the estate
Following pre-application consultation with the London Borough of Merton the client decided to proceed with design development and a planning application for the largest of the sites identified in our masteplan, two isolated areas on the southern part of the estate, Rhodes Moorhouse Court Gardens and Hill Top Court.
Our proposals consisted of 68 contemporary residential units, comprising a mix of flats and houses that respond to the requirements of the various veteran groups in the Haig community and waiting list.
Responding to the surrounding scale and character
The new residential units are arranged in to symmetrical, rectilinear arrangements around landscaped courts that respond to the scale and character of the existing Estate.
The court buildings are designed to be read as a collection of groups in the spirit of the existing formal groups on the Estate and respond to the surrounding buildings both within the Estate and to those in the surrounding streets.
The larger of the building groups is arranged as a three-sided court around a formal landscaped space. The other smaller groups relate to shared and semi-private amenity space and relaxed, shared surface access roads that replicate the pattern of one of the most attractive existing features of the Estate.
Contextual, contemporary design
The buildings are designed as a contemporary interpretation of the Classical Domestic Style typically found on the estate with principal elevations arranged formally and symmetrically and rear and flank elevations addressing the particular conditions of each location, for example neighbouring occupiers and adjacent boundary conditions.
A limited palette of materials was used, comprising brickwork, horizontal metal cladding and concrete interlocking roof tiles.
The new accommodation features large window and door openings and high standards of energy efficiency and fabric performance.
A Royal opening
We were delighted to have Her Majesty The Queen formally open the development, including the main court named Queen Elizabeth Terrace, in October 2019.
Commemorative openings were also held for other parts of the development including one block dedicated to Ghurka Victoria Cross hero Kulbir Thapa and the second in memory of local councilor Maxi Martin.
A long standing relationship with Haig Housing Trust
Haines Phillips Architects have a long standing relationship with the Haig Housing Trust having carried out a number of projects on their Morden estate.
Among these was a development of 8 one bedroom dwellings for single ex-servicemen. Further details of this project can be found on its dedicated project page here.
