The project would see the 22.5ha Crowlands golf course built over and all existing buildings demolished, with the site’s lakes, some trees and open landscape retained. The development will include homes ringfenced for key workers.

An initial vision for the Barking & Dagenham Council-owned site was first created by RCKa in 2023. Assael was brought in last year by developer Homes4Life to deliver the project.

RCKa has carried out in-depth research on the opportunities for housebuilding offered by repurposing golf courses across London which ‘paved the way for this latest proposal’, according to director Russell Curtis.

Curtis told the AJ: ‘Ahead of the London Plan being published [this] week – which is likely to indicate a strong preference for land-hungry urban golf courses to be relinquished for housing – it’s encouraging to see the first of what we hope will be many affordable housing schemes coming forward on this surplus land.’

The development aims to provide all new homes at affordable rent levels. These include 443 three and four bed family homes. Sixty per cent of the homes would be allocated to key workers.

Homes4Life presented its initial proposals to Havering Council in January.  However, the ‘grey belt’ plans met with some criticism from councillors concerned at the scale of the development and the pressure on local infrastructure such as parking spaces, roads and healthcare services.

As well as homes, the Assael scheme offers outdoor sporting facilities such as padel courts and a multi-use games area, a community hub, a small supermarket and a new highway junction connecting to Wood Lane.

The edges of the site would be connected by a ‘continuous green route’ featuring leisure spaces and dedicated cycle paths. Existing wildlife corridors would be retained and strengthened ‘to protect and enhance current biodiversity assets’.

Previously private areas would be opened up to the public through new parks and walking routes in the masterplan, while homes have been designed to sit in and around natural features such as lakes and groups of trees.

Assael director Tim Chaman-Cavanagh said: ‘The masterplan seeks to create a neighbourhood that delivers lasting public benefit while responding to London’s urgent housing needs.’

Assael Architecture’s Crowlands vision diagram

Source: Assael Architecture