One of South Harrow’s most notorious housing estates is undergoing a major regeneration.
Phase one of the Grange Farm Estate redevelopment has already received a number of Secured by Design (SBD) Gold Developers Awards for the project and has also been commended for the Large Development Award at ATLAS25.
The award recognises the work of Designing out Crime Officer (DOCO) Danny McPhail, the local authority and the developers.
Originally built in the 1960s as a temporary housing solution to meet rising demand, Grange Farm Estate was one of the last prefab estates still standing in London.
282 homes were constructed quickly in three-storey blocks using a now-outdated building material called Resiform – a type of glass fibre reinforced polyester panelling.
60 years later and the flats had begun to seriously deteriorate.
Roofs and panels were damaged, homes were inefficient to heat and the whole estate had become increasingly difficult to repair and maintain.
Along with the physical decline, Grange Farm Estate had also developed a reputation as a hotspot for crime and disorder.
Gang activity and drugs were rife, and violent crime was not uncommon including serious incidents of acid attacks, stabbings and at least one shooting.
In 2019 the London Borough of Harrow approved a huge four-phase regeneration programme in partnership with developers Higgins Partnerships and Hawkins Brown Architects.
The plan reportedly involves demolishing the old blocks to deliver approximately 500 homes, 40% of which will be social housing.
The new Grange Farm development is also said to include a new community centre, shared public open spaces and new walking routes to transport links and local areas.
DOCO McPhail from the Metropolitan Police has been a key adviser from the outset.
Phase One has already delivered 68 new council homes and 21 shared ownership properties for locals along with a new network of public streets and squares for communal use.
However, recognising that the original pre-approved lighting plan fell very short of SBD crime prevention standards, the Met DOCO created an improved scheme involving extra lighting around the block and communal gardens.
On completion the three blocks of flats reportedly received SBD Gold awards, but the two town houses initially were awarded Silver.
Harrow Council Housing stated that it wanted to aim higher, and following further measures recommended by Officer McPhail – including additional lighting, CCTV and intruder alarms – Phase One of the development achieved five SBD Gold Standard awards. Tenants have already moved in.
As a result of the regeneration up-to-date crime statistics show only one reported theft of a motor vehicle occurred in the two years since completion, no reports of anti-social behaviour by non-residents and no burglary or criminal damage reports.
Harrow Council has now launched Phase Two of the project which aims to deliver two new apartment blocks with secure bike storage and parking spaces, landscaped communal areas, pedestrian friendly streets and a children’s play park.
McPhail commented: “It was a well-designed phase and Higgins understood the Secured by Design requirements.
“They kept in regular contact and ensured that any concerns were fully discussed and actioned upon.
“The only issue related to external lighting, which had been agreed without any prior discussion.
“However once it was identified Higgins addressed all the concerns in a timely manner and rightly obtained five Gold Secured by Design awards for the development.”
Yaseen Parkar, Pre-Construction Director (Technical), Higgins Partnerships stated: “We are privileged to receive the ‘Highly Commended’ Secured by Design award for our Grange Farm Phase One development.
“Not only did the scheme achieve Secured by Design Gold certification, but we were also informed that crime in that part of the estate has been almost non-existent since we handed the project over more than a year ago.
“That’s a clear testament to the effectiveness of these design measures in creating safer, more resilient communities.”
