EcoWorld's New Ecosystem

Ecoworld and ESG

Matt Townend’s determinedly community-focused ambitions, as Chief Operating Officer for the five year old development company EcoWorld London, are conveyed in his comment, “I look forward to the day when people clap because EcoWorld is coming to town.”

EcoWorld has a refreshing approach to the creation of new communities which aims to put an emphasis on the ‘S’ of ESG (the Environmental, Social and Governance factors that are used to evaluate companies’ non-financial performance), to a greater degree than has been achieved previously. This means a significant, long-term investment - financial and otherwise - in community development. 

“Community development is only really achieved when a developer’s social responsibility extends beyond the new homes themselves,” say Matt. “We know that development has a profound impact on wider communities. Understanding, addressing and measuring this isn’t easy, but it’s necessary to develop a community which is not just cohesive in itself but is accepted and appreciated by its neighbours. Partnerships in the form of joint ventures have been instrumental to our success, and this is another example of a partnership.”

Putting the “Social” in ESG

The approach is clearly demonstrated at Aberfeldy in East London, where EcoWorld is undertaking a 20-year regeneration programme with the housing association Poplar HARCA. Residents of neighbouring housing estates have not only played an important role in steering the design of the new scheme but have also worked with EcoWorld in regenerating the high street. This has included working with local artists to paint the shop fronts on Aberfeldy Street and with the residents' association to enable local people to set up businesses there.

The physical improvements include large-scale, colourful murals. Textiles and patterns were donated and scaled up into different brightly coloured artworks which are unique to each individual unit on the high street. The artworks were inspired by the Bengali kantha craft, which takes scraps of materials to create something new. Patterns were derived from fabrics donated by the local community and retail tenants.

“When the team and I walk down the street now, we feel very proud – especially when we hear Aberfeldy residents talking about how much happier and safer they feel,” says Matt.

All large-scale developments are required to consult on planning applications, but not all communication with local residents is so positive. So how does EcoWorld’s approach differ? “It’s important to be prepared to understand the existing community and get under the skin of it. There are consistencies in what people want in life on a basic level, but beyond that, everywhere is different. If you go into a place with the intention of proactively understanding it you’ve got a fighting chance of being respected and making something better. 

“At Knollys Yard in Lambeth, we are inviting local residents on a series of walking tours. We hope to walk with them around the area and get them to tell us what they like and don’t like to really understand the place. We’ll be using a third party to facilitate workshops between EcoWorld and the local community.”

The importance of listening has been highlighted by the pandemic, as local residents’ priorities have changed, and existing problems have been amplified: “During lockdown it became very obvious how few people in some communities had access to the internet, so we’re looking to include wi-fi throughout developments, to enable people to work or study from home.”

Another example relates to the cost-of-living crisis: “Through our regeneration of Brentford FC stadium, and specifically in providing food boxes to the local community during the lockdowns, we learnt that residents’ diets were lacking fresh foods, and so we’ve opted to include fruit-bearing trees as part of the new community spaces at our scheme at the former home of Brentford FC, Griffin Park.” Both of these initiatives were fairly easy to achieve, but only though genuinely understanding the needs of the local community.

At times of social and economic change, flexibility is paramount: “We all understand how important access to nature and a usable public realm has become. Engaging with the community has meant that we don’t just provide shared spaces, but the right shared spaces. The built environment that we create will be long-lasting so it must be flexible, to enable it to change and grow with the community and changing social needs and trends. You only have to look at how GP practices and libraries have evolved over the last decade to understand how service-based spaces are adapting, and a community centre is no exception. 

“So we design community spaces to adapt for different uses – from kids’ parties to work hubs. This means having flexible room layouts and avoiding fixed furniture. The materials must be extra-robust to adapt to different uses.”

Build to Rent (BTR) and ESG

With an interest in the evolving concept of the ‘third spaces’, EcoWorld is ideally suited to the burgeoning Build to Rent (BTR) sector. 

Verdo at Kew Bridge, The Claves at Mill Hill and Oxbow in East London offer much more than apartments: each is a community in its own right, with a rich variety of shared spaces both inside and out. 

Carter Jonas worked with EcoWorld to achieve planning consent for its proposals to transform Woking town centre. In addition to almost 1,000 new homes, the Goldsworth Road development will deliver more than an acre of vibrant public space, which includes a new pedestrianised ‘green’ street, informal trails and living walls throughout. Existing community projects on the site will receive new and updated facilities, including a brand-new centre for the York Road Project charity and a new home for the Woking Railway Athletic Club. EcoWorld has hosted markets and events within the neighbourhood, including Woking’s first vegan market. 

“Mixed tenure is important to building a sustainable community,” says Matt. “But BTR isn’t just rental units with a new name, it requires a commitment at an early stage in the planning process to the development of services such as a concierge, residents’ lounge, gym, work space, media or games room, landscaped areas, shops, cafes, and in one case a new museum.”

With the BTR sector now expanding into suburban BTR, the opportunities for EcoWorld, which also has developments outside the capital, are considerable. Partnerships with investment companies, local authorities or housing associations, building on EcoWorld’s strengths, would provide infinite opportunities for its community-led approach within this very community-centric new tenure.