When an important site becomes vacant, it creates a rare opportunity to think differently about its future and the role it could play within the community.

The Precinct is the latest social initiative project from Teddington architects, Architecture:WK, exploring how the former Teddington Police Station could become a place that supports local people through affordable homes, healthcare, culture, and flexible workspace.

Developed independently and without a client, the proposal has been created to encourage discussion about the future of this prominent brownfield site and explore how it could deliver lasting value for Teddington.

Importance of Social Initiative Projects

Every architectural practice responds to client briefs. Architecture:WK believes there is also value in exploring ideas independently.

Our social initiative projects are self-generated, pro bono proposals that investigate how architecture can respond to local challenges, unlock the potential of underused sites, and encourage meaningful discussion before decisions have been made. Rather than presenting finished solutions, they invite conversation, challenge assumptions, and explore what could be possible when community benefit becomes the starting point for design.

The Teddington Cinema proposal, unveiled in 2021, demonstrated the value of that approach. It generated widespread support from residents, attracted national attention, and showed how architecture can help shape conversations about the future of places that matter.

Why Brownfield Sites Matter

Brownfield sites are finite community assets. Once they have been redeveloped, the opportunity to shape them for public benefit rarely comes again.

Too often, discussions focus on housing numbers alone. While new homes are essential, well-located brownfield sites can contribute far more. They can improve access to healthcare, support independent businesses, create cultural destinations, and provide spaces that strengthen everyday life.

That thinking sits behind The Precinct.

Rather than considering the former Teddington Police Station solely as a residential development, we asked a broader question: what could this site contribute to Teddington? The result is a proposal that combines affordable homes with healthcare, leisure, and flexible workspace, demonstrating how one site can serve many different needs.

Building on the Success of the Teddington Cinema Proposal

The Precinct builds on the conversations started by our Teddington Cinema proposal in 2021.

The positive response demonstrated how strongly local people care about the future of their town and their willingness to engage with new ideas for significant sites. It reinforced our belief that independent design proposals have an important role to play, not because they provide all the answers, but because they encourage discussion before opportunities are lost.

What’s Included in The Precinct Proposal?

The proposal has been designed as a mixed-use development, with each element supporting the others and responding to an identified local need.

• The scheme includes 21 new homes, combining affordable apartments for younger professionals with courtyard homes designed for local downsizers.
• A two-screen independent cinema and bar would create a new cultural destination, building on the enthusiasm generated by our earlier cinema proposal.
• An outdoor cinema and performance space would provide a flexible venue for film screenings, spoken word, music, and community events.
• A co-working café would offer flexible workspace during the day, before becoming a welcoming place for local residents to meet in the evening.
• A new GP clinic with five consultation rooms would help expand local healthcare provision, supporting both future residents and the wider community.

Together, these uses create a proposal that encourages activity throughout the day and evening, making the site a destination rather than a single-purpose development.

Designing a Place That Encourages Community

The design has been shaped around the experience of the people who would use the site every day. Key design principles include:

• A new pedestrian street that creates opportunities for neighbours to meet naturally, helping to establish a genuine sense of place.
• Biophilic planting integrated throughout the development, from private terraces and balconies to shared landscaped spaces.
• The retention of the site’s northern open space, preserving valuable greenery while creating a focal point for the development.
• A restrained palette of warm brick and weathered steel, giving the proposal a distinctive character that feels robust and enduring.
• An outdoor cinema that also functions as a community stage, accommodating film screenings, performances, and local events.

Each element has been considered as part of a wider neighbourhood, creating a place that feels connected to the surrounding town rather than separate from it.

Affordable Homes Designed for Local People

Housing is a key part of the proposal, but affordability is equally important.

The Precinct explores how Community Land Trust principles, alongside Self-Build and Self-Finish opportunities, could make home ownership more accessible while protecting affordability over the long term.

The proposal also responds to changing demographics in Teddington by providing homes for younger professionals alongside properties suited to local downsizers. This approach encourages a more balanced community and helps people remain in the area at different stages of life.

Community Consultation: Help Shape The Precinct

The Precinct remains an evolving proposal, and community feedback will help inform its next stage of development.

Architecture:WK is undertaking an independent community consultation to understand local priorities, answer questions, and gather views on both the proposal and the future of the site. Nothing has been decided, and local residents are encouraged to contribute before any future steps are considered.

Whether you support the proposal, have concerns, or simply have ideas about what this site could become, we’d like to hear your views. You can attend one of the community drop-in sessions or share your feedback through the online consultation.

Back to articles