Southern Grove will deliver 90 homes, 56 of which will be social rent homes through the Mayor’s Accelerated Housing Programme. The scheme demonstrates how retaining and adapting existing buildings can support sustainable housing delivery while preserving local heritage and identity.
The starting point is a site whose historic centre piece had gradually lost its prominence. A 1980s office building and temporary classrooms obscured much of the Victorian lodge, weakening its relationship with the street and diminishing its architectural presence. Rather than pursuing wholesale redevelopment, the project recognised the environmental and cultural value of retaining the existing structure. Removing the later additions unlocked the site's potential while allowing the lodge to be restored, adapted and brought back into active use. Once restored, the lodge will accommodate 34 private homes. Retaining the structure will also avoid the material waste and embodied carbon associated with demolition and new construction.
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A defining feature of the scheme will be the creation of a landscaped forecourt in front of the lodge. Replacing parking proposed in earlier schemes, this green space will restore the building’s visibility and strengthen its relationship with the public realm. The forecourt will form part of a wider landscape strategy, while providing opportunities for play, relaxation and movement throughout the development. A network of connected outdoor spaces will link the restored lodge with the new homes, creating opportunities for informal gathering and everyday interaction. Planting, biodiversity enhancements and clear pedestrian routes will ensure that open space is an integral part of residential life.
The new homes will draw on the character of the surrounding streets through paired gable forms and a carefully considered brick palette responding to both the Victorian lodge and the wider neighbourhood. The architectural language will be deliberately restrained, allowing heritage, landscape and community life to shape the development’s identity.
