AHMM’s proposal for the site of the former Holloway Prison will create an integrated and reconnected residential masterplan with 985 new homes. 60% of these will be affordable, including 415 for social rent, together with a 1.4-acre public park, a Women's Building, and new commercial spaces.
The 4.16-hectare site has been used as a prison since the middle of the 19th century and is currently occupied by a number of contemporary prison buildings arranged around an existing central garden built in the 1980s. Peabody, in collaboration with their construction partner London Square, purchased the site from the Ministry of Justice in 2019 with the support of the GLA.
The primary vision for the site is to provide high quality homes and spaces that are connected to the surrounding area and retain the green heart of the existing landscape, opening up the historic site to the public for the first time. The AHMM masterplan retains many of the best existing trees on the site, some of which pre-date the contemporary prison and are a living memory of the site's history. In addition 364 new trees will be planted alongside the existing mature trees.
To meet local housing need, most of the social homes will be two- and three-bedroom homes for families, and there will be 60 Extra Care homes alongside other support services.
The masterplan is divided into five different plots (Plots A–E), creating 15 buildings with distinct characters and a variety of public spaces and play space for all ages.
Each building arranges units around a central core, reducing lengthy corridors, in an efficient and organised plan. The introduction of additional facade shaping improves aspect, views and natural ventilation. The homes benefit from excellent internal light for all tenures. The articulated corners have the benefit of separating balconies, while allowing the prime window for each living space to have an unshaded view. Each of the five plots employs a distinct material palette that responds directly to the existing context, and the selection of materials has been carefully influenced by the existing neighbourhood with the aim of complementing the existing adjacent properties.
The proposed Women’s Building has been designed as four self-contained ‘quadrants’, each with optional separate entrances, dedicated WCs and tea-points. This strategy ensures that each part of the building can work independently and securely from the others, allowing for long term flexibility and adaptability to meet changing needs and to serve multiple and different groups of users. On completion, the Women’s Building will provide a large multi-purpose hall suitable for large-scale functions, a range of multi-purpose smaller rooms, café, WCs, showers, changing rooms, laundry and a creche.