Angell Town is an award winning regeneration scheme of a London inner city estate in Brixton. It has come a long way since it was granted estate action funding in the 1990s, when the 1970s design made it susceptible to crime and antisocial behaviour.
Since then, some of the old local authority-owned tower blocks have been knocked down and replaced with new, low-rise houses in a traditional street pattern. The remaining blocks have been radically refurbished, which involved removing bridges and dark stairwells.
Angell Town’s regeneration scheme is resident driven and includes a self-build element. The community was keen to ensure that the regeneration programme was not simply confined to physical redevelopment but included social, economic and community projects to improve the area’s long-term sustainability. Residents fitted their own kitchens, did the tiling and decorating. Some were given training in building skills and others did work placements with the design teams.
Angell Town has been developed to an exceptionally high standard and the design principles include mono pitch metal roofs, large space standards and timber panelling and balconies. It is also an eco-project incorporating solar panels, passivents (natural vents that do not require electricity) and the collection of rainwater. The self-build units include solar panels, underfloor heating and large windows to maximise light and solar heat gain.
Presentation Housing Association and its partners have transformed Angell Town, producing an exemplar regeneration project completing 69 homes of the 190 on the estate over three phases. Presentation is the developer and landlord and the architects are Mode 1, Greenhill Jenner and Burrell Foley Fisher. The contractors were Higgins Construction Ltd. The scheme was awarded an Affordable Development Programme Grant from the Housing Corporation.
