Erith

Ash Sakula is designing two gateway sites in the Thames riverside town of Erith. Post war damage combined with a radical 1960s remodelling of the town centre has created many areas of ambiguity and disconnection between the station, a mere 30 minutes from London Bridge and town centre. A well crafted public realm, replacing a failed pedestrian subway, responding to pedestrian desire lines and a clear narrative of place will transform the experience of arrival in the town; a key part of a masterplan to repair and revive the town.

The Walnut Tree Depot site is flanked by an urban motorway to the south but also a new college, a beautifully proportioned small listed Carnegie Library and the Old Town Hall. We frame and capture views, create ground level activity through glassy co-working spaces and landscape and 100 #buildtorent homes. The homes each have a generous shared living spaces as well as gardens on the roof with long views over the River Thames.

Across the roundabout heading for the town pier, Pier Road West has the potential to bring forward new homes, a hotel and a shopping area with more independent shops and services reviving the original market place of the town.