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Maintaining public spaces | Alfred Place

London borough of Camden
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London borough of Camden | 2022 | London Borough of Camden

Project Background

Alfred Place is one of London’s first new public parks for over a quarter of a century. Part of the second major scheme in the London Borough of Camden’s West End Project, it has transformed a typical London street into a new, green public open space. The West End Project addresses traffic congestion, road safety, poor air quality and limited access to open space and nature – and the transformation of Alfred Place is part of this master plan.

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Project Aim

Camden Council wanted to transform Alfred Place – a standard vehicle-dominated road that runs parallel to Tottenham Court Road. The aim was to create a horticulturally-rich open space that promoted safe play for children and a relaxing space for local residents and visitors.

idverde’s Role

Following a detailed tender process, idverde were appointed as Principle Contractor to deliver the project. Working to a plan created by LDA Design. The scheme included:
• Removing existing hard surfaces
• Diverting multiple utilities and improvements to the drainage
• Installation of bespoke granite walling with sections of integrated hardwood seating
• Relaying the entire pavement in a mix of granite, resin bound and macadam surfacing
• Soft landscaping works across the site
• Planting trees in hard and soft planting areas
• Installing new urban furniture and structures; including, individual seats, play equipment, litter bins and cycle stands
• Fitting new lighting features throughout
There were some significant challenges with this project. We needed to manage the logistics of delivering materials and components to a central London location (including 38 containers of granite) and make sure we caused as little disruption as possible to local business and residential communities. We also needed to work around UKPN Extra High Voltage cables, which meant excavating the entire length of the street for new ductwork, with minimal disruption to traffic flow.

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The Finished Project

This is a fantastic example of our focus on nature-based solutions, even in the most heavily urban environments. The plant species found at Alfred Place are a brand-new home for biodiversity alongside a lawn and play equipment for children; creating a new destination for people to enjoy while shopping on the bustling Tottenham Court Road or taking a lunch break from the nearby offices.
We were delighted when Alfred Place won a BALI National Landscape Award in 2022 – the largest landscaping awards in Europe. It joins a prestigious list of landscape projects and won high praise from the visiting judges:

“A challenging site which idverde have managed well throughout project delivery including complex utility requirements. Some minor points noted around defects such as resin bound gravel failures, tree heave causing cracks which should be attended to, but these did not detract from the overall finish of the scheme which the client was very pleased with and fully satisfied their brief. The scheme is obviously well used and execution, overall, is to a high standard.”