Enfield Council aims to transform The Green in Edmonton into a secure, vibrant space for residents, featuring repurposed railway arches and a riparian habitat for flood alleviation. A shared community statement of intent was created, anchored by a three-year meanwhile pavilion serving as social infrastructure. Since its launch, the pavilion has hosted over 60 arts, culture and workshop events. Edmonton, with a high youth population and significant deprivation, is set to benefit from this revitalisation effort.

Who is on the project team?

Architect: Fisher Cheng, 

Engagement Collaborators: Doodle Designs, Exodus Youthworx

Structural Engineer: Engineers HRW, 

Cost Consultant: KM Dimensions, 

Main Contractor: Sullivan Brothers Construction,

Shading Fin Fabrication: Netty Erw,

Seating and play structures: BLOQS

Describe the context of this project and its neighbourhood and people?

Edmonton Green is a bustling town centre in the London Borough of Enfield, dominated by its 1960s shopping centre which currently awaits redevelopment. Across the road from the shopping centre adjacent to the overground station and railway line sits an overlooked green space that is underused and avoided by residents due to its reputation as a hotspot for antisocial behaviour. A long-term ambition has been set out by Enfield Council which looks at transforming the green space into a recognised and secure space for Edmonton’s residents, creating a riparian habitat for flood alleviation, and bringing the railway arches into active use. In the meantime, the Council’s Journeys and Places team worked with local architects Fisher to begin a process of meaningful community engagement to involve its residents and stakeholders in the visioning of this future. The project set out to create a shared community ‘Statement of Intent’ for The Green, with the installation of a meanwhile pavilion set to be on site for three years, acting as the catalyst for change.

Tell us what you did and how the project, event or installation enlivened the place in a creative way? 

Through co-design with the local community, the pavilion has transformed a once neglected green space in the heart of Edmonton Green into a joyful place of cultural activity animated by colour and play. The pavilion now serves as a piece of social infrastructure, which played host to a Summer programme of over 60 arts, culture and workshop events following its recent launch. In Summer 2023 we undertook a series of six fortnightly on-site engagement activities in order to listen, observe, discuss and test different ways of inhabiting The Green. Guided by a process of ‘Engaging By Doing’, we delivered participatory workshops which were integral to overall design conversations. From creative workshops, guided nature walks, Tai Chi classes, den building play sessions, live music, poetry, theatre and more, these prototype events tested how the space could be used and what the emerging pavilion design should accommodate. It allowed local people to reclaim the space, while demonstrating to passersby that it is not only safe but even a joy to inhabit, creating a shift in people’s mindsets about what the space is for and who it can be used by.

Did the project make a positive social and environmental contribution? If it was a temporary intervention, is there a legacy plan? What happened to its tenants, users, materials and programming?

The pavilion acts as a stepping stone en route to the ambitious long term vision to transform The Green into a riparian habitat and activate the railway arches. The pavilion has positively transformed the perception of the space from a magnet for antisocial behaviour, to a family friendly space for community, culture and creativity. Working with local groups and organisations from the beginning has ensured that they have been embedded in the process and actively involved in legacy planning. Key to the success of the pavilion has been in its programming which has brought a regular rhythm of activities to the site. The ambition for the legacy is for the community to take ownership over the pavilion, which is currently underway as a collective of five local organisations are establishing a partnership agreement with the council to act as stewards of the pavilion.