More than a masterplan: the people power behind Earls Court’s next chapter

With the completion of King’s Cross, attention has shifted to Earls Court, now the largest redevelopment scheme in central London. Spanning 44 acres on the site of the former exhibition centre, the masterplan promises 4,000 new homes – 35% of them affordable – alongside three cultural venues and 20 acres of public realm. But ensuring that these new public spaces are genuinely welcoming and inclusive requires more than just good intentions.

Studio Egret West and Hawkins\Brown are leading the masterplan, with landscape design by SLA, the Copenhagen-based practice founded by Stig Lennart Andersson. The hybrid planning application, submitted in summer 2024, outlines a vision for phase one that includes cultural venues and a 4.5-acre urban park. 

Enter the public realm inclusivity panel (PRIP), an independent group tasked with shaping the development’s open spaces through ongoing consultation. Comprising a diverse mix of local voices, from young people to older residents and those with disabilities, the PRIP is playing a long-term role in ensuring that Earls Court’s public realm serves the needs of all who will use it.

Youth engagement specialists

The PRIP is run and facilitated by Dinah Bornat, director at ZCD Architects, who are specialists in child and youth engagement and child-centred housing design. Bornat has written extensively on the subject, and about play, and recently authored the RIBA’s All to Play For: How to Design Child-Friendly Housing.

At Earls Court, ZCD has been commissioned by the Earls Court Development Company (ECDC) to run the panel to gather input from what they term “lesser-heard voices” – to help inform the design of the public spaces, with a view to making them more inclusive. The public realm at Earls Court is set to include play areas, a large central park, community hub and a promised 1,000 trees. 

Diverse group

Members of the panel were recruited at an early stage in the design process from older-people’s groups, disability groups, and youth clubs. There have been 22 members over two years, with the youngest just 14 when they joined the panel. “Almost half the group are young people, the rest are adults; some are neurodivergent, some are people with disabilities, some are older people,” Bornat explains.

Early on, the panel had limited access to concrete plans due to commercial and planning constraints. But, as Bornat notes, this proved beneficial: “It gave us space and time to build capacity within the group so that, when they did actually get to see the designs, they understood more about the project and about broader issues within the built environment.”

Creative sessions

Unsurprisingly for someone who is a play specialist, there is a playfulness about the way Bornat runs the sessions. Each begins with a talk about some aspect of the development, then a related creative activity acts as a prompt for ideas. Smaller groups take turns to feed back their creations and ideas, then positively critique each others’  contributions. “The way we’ve structured the sessions encourages quiet conversations not just the loudest voices,” Bornat says. 

The group has also gone on visits to look at various parts of the cleared site, and to Elephant Park in south London, to identify what they liked and did not like about that scheme. They meet monthly and, at each session, designers from the development team are invited to present, and get feedback on, a specific aspect of the plan.

Water-feature co-design

The PRIP has played a significant role in shaping key aspects of the Earls Court public realm, including the Cascades, a rainwater and greywater-fed feature. Their input has helped to refine the design to be more inclusive and accessible. They advocated for seating along key routes to create comfortable resting points, as well as a landscape that stimulates all the senses. Safety was another major concern, with suggestions on how to ensure the area feels welcoming at night.

The panel also highlighted the importance of having both direct and meandering routes to accommodate different mobility needs, and they pushed for ramps and lifts to be fully integrated into the design rather than tucked away as an afterthought. Finally, they emphasised the value of fostering a direct connection with nature, ensuring that the space is not just visually appealing but also an immersive, engaging environment for all.

The PRIP’s influence extends beyond individual spaces, with the panel providing formal feedback on a broad range of design and planning issues. They have offered insights on lighting, making sure that it enhances both safety and atmosphere, and on the accessibility of surrounding streets to make movement through the development easier for all.

They have also contributed to shaping visitors’ first impressions of the site, as well as advising on the retail strategy and estate management to ensure these elements support a vibrant and inclusive public realm. Their input has even extended to detailed design-code recommendations, helping to embed inclusivity into the project’s fundamental framework.

Crucially, the designers have taken these contributions seriously – many of the PRIP’s recommendations have been incorporated into the masterplan, design codes and planning applications, demonstrating a commitment to meaningful community engagement.

Design code

The code is something of which the ECDC is particularly proud. Sharon Giffen, head of design at ECDC, says: “We believe our design code represents a new standard for large-scale urban development sites.”

She highlights its emphasis on both inclusivity and sustainability, adding, “It integrates community voices and sustainability principles to ensure we design a development that reflects the values and aspirations of the people who will live, work and visit here, while also delivering a new, cohesive piece of city that people will be proud of.”

Bornat says: “The design-code process is inherently technical, so we approached it very carefully. Over two sessions we did a structured review of 65 separate design-code items.” They focused on street furniture, public signage, lighting, access and movement around the site, as well as the materials used in the public realm.

A key issue of concern that emerged for the PRIP included safety in areas designated for shared use by pedestrians and cyclists. Another issue they took a particular interest in was seating – the amount of seating, and the need for individual seats, and for seats that could be transferred into from a wheelchair. In the end, all except two of 33 suggestions made by PRIP were incorporated into the design code.

Over the course of its work, personal safety has emerged as a priority for the group. Bornat has gathered their ideas and learning on the topic to form a Safety Toolkit, which will help designers working on the development centre public safety as they take forward their designs.

Paying participants

One controversial aspect of the PRIP scheme has been the fact that those taking part have been paid for the two-hour meetings and for another hour’s “homework”. There was a concern that this might bias participants in favour of the development. However, from what BD observed during a visit to the panel, members had no problem speaking up about things they didn’t like and voiced their concerns independently and with confidence.

Bornat defends the payments on the grounds that they were asking for a lot of people’s time, adding: “Why shouldn’t people be paid for their time and contribution?”

She also believes the payments have been an important factor in establishing a stable team of panel participants.

Positive experience

It has been about much more than the money, however. It is clear that being part of the group has been a hugely positive experience for those involved.

One young member, Lizzie, told BD: “I’ve enjoyed being treated like an equal and respected for my personal experience. This was the first job I had after I became ill, so it’s been really nice to know I can still be valuable.”

Bridget, an older panel member, said: “We’re using our lived experience to add value to professionals’ work. They hear us and make the changes to make a real-life difference. And, for all the people who’ve got similar disabilities, this will improve the quality of life for us.”

She went on to reflect on the wider impact of their contributions, adding: “And for all the future people. It feels like this is the beginning of a new thing. We’re inputting into something new, and it’s going to make a huge difference in the future.”

Her new PRIP buddy Natasha adds: “We’re ambassadors for this process. We’ve proved it works. And there’s a tangible, articulated output.”

Strong relationships

Bornat says: “What’s been incredible is the relationships that have been built within what is a very diverse group. The way they respect, and talk to, each other, allows the conversation to be really rich.”

She emphasises how these discussions have fostered a deeper understanding between different generations and experiences. “They have open and honest conversations about what it’s like to be a young teenager or an elderly person. We’ve been able to talk about gender safety… We’ve been able to talk about mobility.”

Reflecting on the scale of engagement, she continues, “I’ve done 41 sessions now – including the initial recruitment sessions I did with local youth clubs and other groups – which is amazing. Unheard of, really, in terms of getting such a wonderful opportunity to work with people for that length of time. But that’s just as it should be, this being the biggest development in London.”

She also highlights the impact of regular interaction between PRIP members and the development team. “Members of the development team come and meet us regularly, so the folks from the PRIP are real, three-dimensional human beings who they know now – and have in their minds. And that’s a very powerful thing.”

This, she explains, has changed the way the designers think about inclusivity. “It’s no longer just their own lived experience the designers are drawing on as they work. Or that of their own teenagers. Or some theoretical idea about being inclusive.

“They have these guys in mind, too, and what would work for them. And that creates something very different from just thinking, ‘Oh we’ve got to cover part M’.”

Many different needs

Tommy Clark, associate director at Studio Egret West, which is working on both master-planning and landscape architecture at Earls Court, told BD how valuable it had been to get the PRIP’s input at an early stage – even before there was a full brief. “It’s been super interesting for me as a designer. You like to think that you consider the needs of lots of different people.

“But it’s very different actually sitting down with a wide range of people and asking them: ‘What do you like in a park?’ or ‘What do you think of in a street?’

“You can never predict the answers. And that has been very illuminating and surprising. You would think you might have been able to guess what people would say. But it has not been like that at all.”

What made the process particularly effective, Clark added, was the way PRIP members debated these ideas among themselves before presenting their views. “The PRIP members discussing it between themselves is almost like them doing the figuring out for you – they’re finding the middle ground. Then you can use that to inform the design.”

Building trust

Beyond the insights they offered, Clark was struck by the way trust had developed within the group. “The whole panel have got relationships with each other and with us, and that has led to a different type of discussion. “Because, when people feel comfortable and confident, they are honest.”

Bornat observes: “These guys work their magic on everyone who comes in to visit them. We’ve had lots of consultants come to present. And each of them has told us that it has been such a good experience – such a good discipline.

“Firstly, they’ve had to really think about their presentations – to make them clear. Then, afterwards, they always come away going, ‘This has been so valuable for us! We’re going to do things differently now’.”

Rebekah Paczek, director of public affairs, social impact and community relations for ECDC, states: “The value of the PRIP to us has been profound. By integrating diverse voices, from ages 15 to 80+, and with a range of lived experiences, the panel has enriched our stakeholder engagement and challenged conventional design and planning assumptions.”

Memories

In its prime, C Howard Crane’s 1937 art deco exhibition centre hosted concerts by big-name acts from Bowie to Pink Floyd, and exhibitions such as the Earls Court Motor Show, Ideal Home Show, Crufts dog show, and the Royal Tournament. A distinctive feature of the centre was the 60x30m internal pool hidden under a hydraulic retractable floor.

Locals recall fondly the days when the centre was in its prime, as local pubs and cafés would be filled with goths one week, heading to see their favourite band, then maritime types the next, off to ogle yachts.

As the redevelopment moves forward, part of the challenge will be to bridge these memories of old Earls Court with the new, ensuring that a sense of community continuity remains woven into the fabric of the emerging neighbourhood.

Charm offensive

The work of the PRIP is part of a wider community-engagement programme that ECDC has embarked upon to win local hearts and minds. This includes running a community hub with free classes and events; offering a range of training schemes for young people; and a community fund that gives grants to local organisations.

It is perhaps not surprising that they are falling over themselves to engage with the community. The Earls Court redevelopment has a troubled backstory, with lack of local support cited as a key issue in the failure of previous developer Capco’s scheme.

That promised 7,500 new homes, (but involved knocking down 760 homes in two council estates adjacent to the current site) including 11% new affordable homes. The controversial plans were scrapped in 2015, and the West Kensington and Gibbs Green estates were eventually sold back to Hammersmith and Fulham council at cost.

Bringing the wonder back

Now the site is being developed as a joint venture between Delancey and Transport for London through the ECDC, which has been at great pains to win over locals. Its vision is to “bring the wonder back to Earls Court”; there is a comprehensive community charter; and the firm says it has amended its initial plans in response to feedback from locals, adding 20% more open space and reducing development density by 10%.

The site itself is tricky, straddling as it does two boroughs – the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea and Hammersmith and Fulham – with a slope, and train lines and tunnels bisecting it. Jamie Hodge, ECDC head of engagement and consultation, explains that the communities on either side of the site have historically had little to do with each other. To the east are upmarket terraces, to the west, the saved council estates. The exhibition halls – and Brompton cemetery – have divided the two for decades.

Much needed green space

He says: “One aim of the new public realm is to bring these communities together, as well as to serve the residents of the new homes. There’s a real need for the new green space too, because there’s so little of it in the immediate vicinity.”

So, even if members of the panel don’t end up living in the development, they are determined that they and their friends will use its public spaces – and are deadly serious about their role in helping to shape them.

Lessons for elsewhere

One could be forgiven for wondering aloud whether this type of inclusive consultation panel might be pragmatically useful to other developers fighting the eternal battle with the forces of nimby. Young people are likely to be “on message” when it comes to issues like sustainability and inclusivity, after all… And it’s a weakness of the current planning system that the voices of younger people – who will occupy proposed new homes – often go unheard heard, while the strident voices of naysayers invested in the status quo have, as things stand, a channel that amplifies their objections all too loudly and clearly.

Supporting the “lesser-heard” voices to speak up could be a strategically useful investment, not to mention a great way to achieve more inclusive placemaking – as well, of course, as being the right thing to do.

A better place

At Earls Court, a core group of diverse participants has shown up to the panel consistently, and listened, learnt and generously shared ideas and the widsom of its  experience, with the goal of making the new development a better, more liveable place. And it seems certain that the new development will be a more generous, welcoming and useable place because of their generosity of spirit.

The hybrid planning applications for Earls Court were submitted in July 2024, marking a key milestone for the project. However, the work of the PRIP continues, ensuring that community voices remain central as the development progresses.