Bursted Woods transforms the locally listed former Bexley Maternity Hospital and its grounds into a new residential neighbourhood of 117 homes. HTA’s design weaves together architecture and landscape to celebrate the site’s history and its rare location beside Bursted Woods Ancient Woodland. A mix of houses and apartment buildings responds to the surrounding streetscape, while new green links connect residents and visitors to the woodland and local wildlife corridors. The project balances heritage conservation with contemporary living, creating a place rooted in its context.
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Bursted Woods
Sensitive renovation of a locally listed landmark into a woodland-connected neighbourhood in Bexleyheath.
One Place, Many Stories
Architecture
HTA’s architectural approach is led by respect for the historic maternity building, which is retained, refurbished, and extended to become the focal point of the neighbourhood. The retained central wing, with its distinctive art deco detailing and symmetry, anchors the layout and informs the proportions of new development. Three mid-rise apartment buildings to the south step in height from four to six storeys, mediating between the scale of the hospital and the broader townscape.
Two terraces of three-storey houses line the western edge, providing a softer interface with the neighbouring residential streets. Materials and detailing draw from the local civic and domestic character, with brickwork and stone elements creating visual continuity. The architecture responds directly to the site’s constraints, including the Ancient Woodland buffer and SINC designation, ensuring a sensitive balance of density, heritage and ecological priorities.
Landscape Design
The landscape strategy creates a series of connected green spaces, tying the development into its unique woodland setting. A new north-south green link draws the Ancient Woodland into the site, extending existing footpath networks and creating informal play spaces that encourage interaction with nature.
Planting is designed to enhance biodiversity, incorporating native species and ecological buffers that protect the woodland edge and railway corridor. Streets are pedestrian-friendly, with carefully considered planting and surface materials that create a welcoming, traffic-calmed environment. The public realm blends larger communal areas with smaller domestic-scale gardens and courtyards, supporting a range of social and recreational uses. The result is a landscape that enriches the daily lives of residents while strengthening the ecological value of this important site.
