The Collective, a global pioneer of co-living, has received a resolution to grant planning permission from Westminster City Council to transform the former headquarters of the Licensed Taxi Drivers Association in Westbourne Park into a new waterside cultural destination on Grand Union canal.
The project, set to complete in 2022, will be centred around a new performing arts space which will be available to use for free by local community groups including Paddington Arts; affordable creative workspace; and events space. The project will secure public access to the site for the first time, and will include a new public piazza at the heart of the scheme adjacent to Grand Union Canal that will form a new dining and community-focused destination with events and programming focused upon arts and culture to bring the space to life.
Designed by RIBA Stirling Prize-winning architects Allford Hall Monaghan Morris (AHMM), The Collective Westbourne Park will also offer 286 short stay co-living rooms. Members will have access to a broad range of shared spaces, including a state-of-the-art gym, wellness zone, a cinema screening room and large ‘MasterChef’-style communal kitchen.
The Collective Westbourne Park will include 25,000 sq ft of workspace designed for SMEs, small start-up businesses and craftspeople, with 20% of the space at affordable levels dedicated to creative industries and community-led projects.
The Collective’s pioneering approach to meaningful community engagement has already featured heavily in the planning stages for the project and will continue to be integral to The Collective Westbourne Park once open. The Collective has worked with local residents, charities and social enterprises for the past 18 months to ensure the project has a meaningful and positive social and environmental impact on the local neighbourhood. The Collective Westbourne Park will create 295 jobs through the new co-living offer and employment spaces that will be marketed to local people first.
The Collective’s trademark Community Investment Programme (CIP) initiative has formed a core part of discussions with the local community and includes the creation of a diverse range of initiatives, programmes and seed funding opportunities to support the local community, start-ups and SMEs, and deliver tangible local, social, environmental, business and cultural benefits. To date The Collective’s CIP partners in Westminster include Pursuing Independent Paths (PIP), Maida Hill Café, Open Age and Al Hasaniya Women’s Centre, to name a few.
The Collective is also committed to establishing a new Enterprise, Innovation & Community Fund which will support local people and organisations through a grants process over the next 10 years. The fund will be in excess of £400,000 and is targeted at helping community groups develop and local entrepreneurs access workspace.
James Penfold, Global Planning and Communications Director at The Collective, said: “We love Westbourne Park as a neighbourhood — it has an incredible history built upon culture, music and the arts. We’ve really enjoyed working with local people and enterprises, and together we have created a project that embeds the cultural identity of the area and will form a destination that will become the heart of the community. Our vision for The Collective Westbourne Park is to act as a catalyst for the regeneration of the area and — through a ground-up collaborative approach to design and hyperlocal programming — ensure that Westbourne Park retains its unique and distinct sense of place into the future.”
Founding Director of AHMM, Paul Monaghan, said: “Together with The Collective, AHMM has developed a unique scheme for The Collective Westbourne Park which responds to this fascinating site. A family of buildings wraps the boundaries of the site creating new public space on Grand Union Canal. The new public space is framed by dynamic ground floor community uses, aiming to positively contribute to the animation of this piece of city. Woodfield Road hosts a rich mix of buildings, and the new insertions draw inspiration from their diverse and handsome neighbours to conserve the character of this unique and sensitive street. Following extensive engagement in the development of the brief and scheme for the site, we are extremely proud that it has now achieved planning approval.”
The Collective Westbourne Park is a 50/50 joint venture partnership with Java (Westminster) Limited.