What were the outcomes?
The development was completed in 1981. The CGCA further triumphed by reversing the trend set by the latest legislation that could have seen the allocation of the housing to people from the wider London area. Instead the bulk of nominations to the new dwellings were for the local people the development was aimed at.
The commercial premises were occupied by thriving and useful businesses, today including a dentist, optician, tanning house and an Age Concern day centre, which caters to the older residents of Covent Garden and Soho many of whom have lived and worked in the area all of their lives.
However, not everyone thought the estate would live up to expectations; Christopher Woodward launched a virulent attack on the complex nature of the development as ‘indefensible space’, predicting vandalism and assaults. He called for a return to the straight streets of the old Covent Garden. Woodward attacked the terraced patios and upper walkway as leading to loss of privacy and doubted whether they would provide scope for individual treatment by tenants. He criticised the seductive renderings of the scheme by Gordon Cullen as misleading and unlikely to be realised.
The patios allow for personalisation and the enjoyment of outdoor space.
In reality, this is one of a few housing developments where the original artist’s impressions are not only matched but surpassed by the reality. The planting has matured magnificently, providing much-needed greenery for the area. The tenants’ patios and planters display every possible variation in treatment, from minimalist austerity through a vegetable garden to glorious bedding plant displays. There is no vandalism and no graffiti. The overlooking patios and upper walkway have proved an invaluable security feature in stark contrast to the deprivation of privacy predicted. Surveillance is enhanced by a significant proportion of retired people -many original residents- and is strengthened with CCTV at the two accesses to the scheme for non-residents using the commercial tenants’ services. Access is closed during out of business hours.
What makes this project special?
CGCA’s commitment to this project over many years has ensured that the original apsirations for the development have not been superseded by more fashionable ideas, nor eroded by bureaucratic machinations. Their allocation policy has proved its worth, ensuring that the people from Covent Garden get to live there all their lives if they so choose, engendering a commitment to their community that fosters respect for one’s neighbours and environment. This is shown by such organisations as the Odhams Walk Gardening Committee, which maintains the communal gardens.
In 2001, the residents’ association started the Tenant Management Organisation to run the estate by employing an on-site manager whilst maintaining the CGCA’s criteria for tenant selection.
The Odhams Walk community continues to determinedly counter the threats to their lifestyle presented by the shortcomings of the building (now nearly thirty years old), a multiplicity of stakeholders and the changes seen at Council level. Westminster Council, which now retains overall control, applies its overarching housing policy where, in this different estate, normal rules may not apply. The future will hold further challenges, but the people of Odhams Walk have provided themselves with the mechanisms to maintain their quiet, leafy corner of London’s West End.
Topics associated with this project
Community-led, Housing, London, Private sector