North Row opening

Residents on Peabody’s historic North Row Buildings estate in Westminster now have an exciting new outdoor space.

On Sunday, 5 September, North Row residents celebrated the official opening of new green space on their estate.

A dark and empty yard was transformed into a colourful, bright garden. There is a planting area, a seating area and places for children to play, all using exciting bespoke structures which were built on site.

Jessica Ellis, aged 7, plays in the new North Row garden

This work was carried out through Peabody's IMPROVE programme.

Peabody's IMPROVE Project Manager Sue Forsyth said: "It’s been a real privilege to work on a project that will make such a difference to people’s lives. I am delighted with it … it’s a showstopper, really striking. And the residents are really happy."

She added: "People can play, harvest some herbs, try out a bit of gardening if they wish and enjoy themselves."

More fun and games at North Row

The programme took 12 weeks to implement and work was done between April and June 2010.

The IMPROVE programme is itself part of Green Spaces for People(www.greenspacesforpeople.co.uk).

Work in progress at North Row

This is a partnership between three of the UK's largest housing groups - Places for People, The Riverside Group and Peabody - which is supported by the Big Lottery Fund’s Changing Spaces programme.

IMPROVE will be delivering more environmental and infrastructure improvements to Peabody residents over the coming years, enhancing the biodiversity, security and recreational facilities on its estates. Currently, work is being done on  two other Peabody estates: Barnwell House in Southwark and Clyde Road estate in Haringey.

If you want to find out more about the IMPROVE programme, please contact Sue Forsyth on 020 7021 4441, email: Sue.Forsyth@peabody.org.uk. 

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