The Aylesbury Estate, in Walworth, half a mile south east of Elephant & Castle in central London, is one of the capital’s notorious estates. Designed by architect Hans Peter ‘Felix’ Trenton in 1963 it was part of the boom in monolithic concrete high-rises which time and reputation have not been kind to. The place is a daunting series of horizontal slabs of concrete of up to 14 stories, and expanses of landscaping which now include many mature trees.
Being led by a firm of architects with strong experience in mixed tenure regeneration schemes, HTA Design, the project’s First Development Site (FDS) is a collection of six separate plots designed by three architects – HTA, Mae and Hawkins/Brown – adjacent to Burgess Park at the plan’s south west corner.