St George, Morrisons, and Camden Council have celebrated ‘topping out’ at Camden Goods Yard – having reached the full height of Primrose House, the first building to be delivered on the major new project.
On completion, Camden Good’s Yard will include 644 homes of which 203 will be affordable, over 214,000 sq ft of commercial space including a flagship 48,000 sq ft Morrison’s urban supermarket, office space and affordable workspace for local start ups and light industrial workshops for makers – all alongside a new urban rooftop farm and restaurant.
This exciting new development will include a community facility, youth space and the Interchange Yard community space which will act as a focal point for the community and includes allotments and fruit trees. CIL funding of £10.1 million to date has delivered substantial investment and outcomes locally in Camden. This includes new shower and changing facilities for Pirate Castle and the delivery of groundbreaking health, wellbeing and horticulture programmes by Castlehaven Community Association.
As is synonymous with all St George developments, Camden Goods Yard is truly mixed-use, with focus on community and exceptional commitment to sustainability. There will be extensive green and brown roofs, rainwater recycling, rain gardens, as well as incorporating low carbon design features such as photovoltaics and all electric air source heat pump system.
The landscape has been designed to provide a tranquil space for relaxation and play, featuring over 200 new trees and planting alongside seating areas across 3 acres of new public space. These spaces will include a mix of natural habitats featuring wild planting and extensive play facilities for children of all ages. The development will deliver a net biodiversity gain as the masterplan creates a far more valuable natural landscape that can support more wildlife and community wellbeing on this former supermarket site.
The development also features over 1,500 cycle spaces to promote sustainable travel to the site.
Piers Clanford, Chairman for St George PLC and Berkeley St Joseph, said:
“Camden Goods Yard is a great example of brownfield redevelopment, and with St Georges amazing ability to place make, creates investment, homes, jobs and benefits to the whole community.
Topping out’ represents a significant milestone in the regeneration of the Camden Goods Yard. Building on the vibrancy of the local area, Camden Goods Yard will not only provide very high-quality new homes, including 203 affordable homes, but also significant commercial space, a Morrisons supermarket, a rooftop urban farm, three acres of new landscaped open space, public squares and allotments for the whole community to enjoy.
We’re committed to delivering new jobs for Camden; with new state-of-the-art offices and affordable workspaces within the development on track to deliver over 1,000 permanent jobs and also provide apprenticeships, work experience placement’s, school visits and community events during construction.
We look forward to building on our strong partnership working with Morrisons, Camden Council, as well as the community and our other partners as we bring our hugely exciting vision for Camden Goods Yard to life.”
Charles McKendrick, Group Property Director for Morrisons, said:
"To actually see our former shop and car park now being transformed into homes, workplaces and a new flagship store for us is testament to the partnership - led approach taken by Morrisons, Camden Council, St George and local community groups.
We continue to serve customers from our store on Chalk Farm Road during the construction period but are really looking forward to opening on Camden Goods Yard with a store that will make us, customers and the community very proud."
The site’s namesake stems from the area’s tremendously rich industrial heritage; it was once the location of the former 19th Century Camden Goods Yard depot, the original terminus for railway goods traffic (trains, boats via the lock and horses). Inspiration has been drawn from the historical industrial warehouses and complemented with contemporary architecture to the surrounding buildings and open landscaped gardens. Primrose Hill and Regent’s Park are both less than a 20-minute walk away. Chalk Farm and Camden Town Station (Northern Line, Zone 2) are less than a 10-minute walk away.