Woodhouse Urban Park: A new public park designed as a catalyst for neighbourhood regeneration

Woodhouse Urban Park is the first public open space to emerge from the South Kilburn Regeneration programme and was conceived as a precedent-setting project for future green infrastructure in the area. The park was developed through an intensive, multi-layered community engagement process that included field trips, model-making, collaborative design workshops and public exhibitions. Tailored engagement formats were used to reach a wide range of community members across age, background and language, fostering a strong sense of ownership and pride in the final outcome. The project catalysed the creation of a Friends group, with local residents directly contributing to the park’s long-term stewardship and programming. The emphasis on co-creation ensured that the park would reflect local values, function inclusively, and remain adaptable to evolving needs over time.

The design takes inspiration from the now-demolished Wood House tower, reimagining its domesticity in an open-air ‘living room’ composed of custom concrete surfaces and playful furniture. These elements offer spaces to gather, relax, or play, while allowing for visual connectivity across the park. The landscape is carefully zoned to balance multiple user groups, with quiet and active areas arranged around generous lawns, mounded planting, and tree-lined perimeters. A timber-topped events stage supports seasonal programming and community performances, while a series of bespoke timber play structures - including the ‘Beanpole’ and the more challenging ‘Giant Tree’ - offer varied levels of accessibility and physical engagement. Together, these elements create a layered and legible environment that supports play, sociability and flexible public use, embedding community and ecology into the framework of neighbourhood renewal.