"Sam of A:WK spent time familiarising herself with the surrounding area and the site of our proposed project, before talking with us at length, and listening attentively to get a feel for our hopes and requirements. She was positive and enthusiastic, while pointing out some practical constraints and possibilities that non-professionals would not be aware of. I love my new home and am delighted to have gone through the building process with A:WK by my side. "

The proposed design has the working title of “The Precinct” and envisages fully maximising the potential of this brownfield site to offer a local independent indoor and outdoor cinema & associated bar, a co-working cafe, 21 proposed affordable, Self-Build or Self-Finish units/homes and a new health clinic with 5 consultation rooms. “The Precinct” is the latest proposal of our Social Initiative Projects. These are self-generated projects with no client and aim to positively contribute to the locality and provide socially useful discussion for community decisions. The Teddington Cinema proposal was extremely well received locally and nationally and was featured in the town’s winning write up in The Times’ Best Places To Live In London in 2021. In this Social Initiative, we are also investigating how genuinely affordable homes and a vibrant community to the town could be delivered by local residents. It is known that the nearby Park Road GP Surgery is looking for overspill accommodation and the new clinic with five consultation rooms forms an important part of the proposal. The planned new homes include 12 flats above the Bar and Cafe. Some have balconies and all have access to a retained open space to the north of the site and the new shared ‘street’ between the buildings. A further 9 Courtyard homes are to the west of the site, a mixture of 1 & 2 bedrooms, and include courtyard gardens and roof terraces, all integrating biophilic design and planting throughout the scheme.

The massing of the site has been looked at and the although some of the details are still in development (it takes a while to design such a proposal, even when not fitting it around fee-paying work and have a real client), however, we have a vision for the appearance and materiality that would be developed further if a developer/partner were to come onboard. Externally, the proposal is a vibrant brick and rusted warm steel development with balconies and terraces to most of the flats. The idea is to make greening each terrace a condition of purchase to encourage the development to be as ‘lush’ as possible. The interstitial street, important in creating a sense of place, will enable the building of a community with opportunities to engage with neighbours, and the outdoor cinema accommodates seating as well as a small stage for impromptu spoken word recitals. Our vision is that the site can be added to the Community Land Trust (CLT) - or perhaps, Teddington locals can create a local CLT? - for the residential part and a specialist cinema investor for the boutique cinema. The site could be offered under a Self-Build proposal with a mix of younger and older residents ( 25-45 year olds and over 65 year olds ) having primary access to genuinely affordable homes in the heart of Teddington, allowing for a generational mix with opportunities to interact via the on-site co-working cafe, cinema and bar in addition to the spill-over clinic for Park Road Surgery.  We are excited about the possibilities for this site.  It can offer so much for the locality as well as going towards meeting Richmond Council's  requirement for housing in the area.