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Clitterhouse Playing Fields

London, UK

º£½ÇÊÓƵ is supporting developer Related Argent to transform an underused expanse of playing fields in north London into 44 acres of exceptional new leisure and sporting facilities, alongside a richly varied and biodiverse community park.

The activation of the playing fields into a vibrant new green space will significantly enhance the lives of the residents of Brent Cross Town, a major area of mixed-use redevelopment. Our multidisciplinary teams are playing a key role in supporting the client to deliver the ambitious, £8bn regeneration of Brent Cross.

The transformation of Clitterhouse Playing Fields will be the jewel in the crown of the redevelopment – providing expansive, richly biodiverse green spaces for people to relax, play sports and get closer to nature.

The playing fields will be activated into a nature-rich new public park for sport, outdoor activities, and relaxation.

Our infrastructure and water teams shaped the enabling works for the park’s transformation, with our sustainability and ground engineering teams also delivering carbon accounting assessments.

The improvements to the community’s facilities are also designed to support wildlife and provide more diverse habitats.

The project will provide facilities for a diverse range of clubs, encouraging underrepresented communities to participate in local sports.

Challenge

The wider Brent Cross Town area, which was formerly occupied by light industrial plots, will bring together 6,700 new homes as well as 50+ new retail and food and drink outlets, 50 acres of new green space in total, and provide workspaces for more than 25,000 people – building a community around health and wellness with fantastic new amenities.

Brent Cross Town made four pledges for the north London neighbourhood to be a place where all can flourish; a net-zero carbon town; and the place in London to participate in sport and play. The transformation of the playing fields from an underused expanse of grass into a well-used public park, will be a key enabler in the delivery of these foundational pledges.

º£½ÇÊÓƵ’s infrastructure, ground engineering and water engineering teams were engaged to shape the enabling works for the park’s transformation, working closely with architects Gustafson Porter + Bowman on the initial landscape concept and later with HTA Design on its implementation. Our sustainability team was also involved in delivering carbon accounting assessments for the project.

One of the key challenges for the project relates to the sloping nature of much of the site, and the siting of any sports playing pitches would need to consider the topography, while measures would also need to be put in place to mitigate against the risk of flooding from Clitterhouse Stream.

Solution

To be delivered in three phases, the rejuvenated 44-acre park will be dedicated to a mix of spaces for relaxation, as well as state-of-the-art play areas and sports facilities. Picnic tables and benches will encourage community engagement, while the Clitterhouse Stream will be renaturalised to create new habitats for native water-loving plants and wildlife.

Our experts advised on the incorporation of a large Sustainable Drainage (SuDs) stream, with adjacent detention basins, which is proposed to run through the centre of the playing fields to collect surface water from different areas across the site. The SuDs stream will allow a slow, controlled release of water into Clitterhouse Stream to ensure there is no impact caused by the playing fields on areas downstream.

Our groundwork experts delivered a delicately balanced solution, shaping the new landscape of the park and mitigating against the risk of flooding, while retaining material on site wherever possible to keep down project costs and minimise the project’s carbon footprint.

A range of new pathways will deliver safe, well-lit connections, to ensure the full activation of the space. A new pavilion, designed by DaeWha Kang Design, will be built as a centrepiece for the site. Flanked by a boules court, mini golf course and two new football pitches, the pavilion will provide essential amenities such as public toilets, a café and sports changing rooms.

The northern sections of the playing fields will be developed first and will include a mix of non-traditional sports such as BMX, bouldering and parkour. Team players will be able to come together in two multi-use games areas and a basketball court, while teq-ball tables, an outdoor gym, a swing zone, a new children’s playground and a generous multi-purpose lawn will make sure there’s something for everyone.

The final phase will see the creation of a farm playground, which will be fitted out with repurposed play equipment, currently in use in Exploratory Park. The area is conceived as a playground set among fruit trees and low vegetation with a children’s learner bike trail meandering through for those looking to get confident on two wheels. Clitterhouse Farm (occupied by local social enterprise Our Yard) will continue to offer a café, workspace and events facilities. Finally, the last of the sports facilities will also be developed, offering two new all-weather hockey pitches.

Overall the plans for the new park will provide a net gain in biodiversity of at least 12%. This will be achieved by planting more than 350 new trees and nine acres of shrubs, hedges and meadows that will provide food and habitat for pollinating insects, birds, and other wildlife. Clitterhouse Stream will be improved by removing manmade concrete banks, litter and dense brambles. Existing hedgerows will also be thickened, providing nesting opportunities and food sources for wildlife. Bird and bat boxes will also be introduced to support wildlife.

Value

Our team developed the key infrastructure strategies for reimagining the site and transforming it from underused playing fields to a richly biodiverse and fully activated public park, offering a wealth of community sports facilities and outdoor activities. The SuDs infrastructure in particular, plays a vital enabling role for the entire project by providing a natural solution to mitigate against flood risk.

The 44-acre parkland will be central to the developer’s vision for creating a green and vibrant new neighbourhood in which to live, work and thrive.