Camden Council has approved plans for the regeneration of the iconic Maiden Lane estate, which will provide an additional 265 new homes for the London Borough of Camden. The new homes have been sensitively designed by PRP Architects to blend with the iconic 1970's estate with high quality facade treatments and detailing.
The scheme reconciles the low rise buildings to the North with the larger emerging buildings of the Kings Cross masterplan, culminating in a 20 storey residential tower to complement the Kings Cross cluster on the other side of York Way. The redevelopment also includes a mixed use development of retail and offices to front York Way, which will revitalise the street frontage.
The scheme provides:
- New commercial spaces to revitalise the York Way frontage
- The reinstatement of St Thomas Place to provide an open space for the surrounding area
- Reinstate routes to open up and knit the new development with the existing estate
- A new energy centre to reduce energy costs and green roofs to support biodiversity
- Bus stop improvements and a cycle hire scheme for residents
Maiden Lane is a flagship project for the London Borough of Camden and forms part of the Council’s innovative Community Investment Programme, a 15 year plan to invest over £400 million in Camden’s housing, schools and other public services. Proposals have been developed for Maiden Lane that will deliver much needed affordable housing and provide investment to revitalise the estate and link into the wider regeneration of this part of Camden.
Brendan Kilpatrick, Partner at PRP adds: "PRP worked closely with the London Borough of Camden to design a scheme which retains the character and scale of the existing estate and then responds to the emerging context of Kings Cross as you move towards York Way. We have used high quality materials and geometric forms to reflect the existing Maiden Lane estate."
The Maiden Lane estate was designed by Benson and Forsyth in the 1970's and is highly regarded for its architecture. It was developed at the end of an incredibly fertile period for public housing development in Camden with many notable schemes. In conjunction with the new development, the estate will be sensitively refurbished.