Thank you for your interest in the potential future of this very important site. We have reflected on the previous refused application, the public consultation feedback in July 2025, and meetings with Merton Council. Using a set of design codes, we are pleased to present the emerging proposals to you.
Our aim is to bring forward a landscape-led development that respects the Town Centre location and provides new crossing routes to connect the town centre and local homes and businesses with Wandle Park to the west of the site.
The site in question relates to the land immediately to the south of Britannia Point. It’s shown in the map below, which is followed by photographs taken around the site in May 2025.
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1. View of Britannia Point from SE corner
2. View of the site from Colwood Garden to the east
3. View of the site from south west
4. View of existing cycle and bin storage to the north of the site
5. View of the site from north east
6. View of the site from the east
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The site sits between Wandle Park and Colliers Wood Recreation Ground, both of which are important public green spaces. At present, the site is being used as a temporary coach park and vehicle storage facility.
The starting place for the journey to deliver the new application is the proposal that was refused by Merton Council in 2024. This proposal consisted of two buildings, given the name Watercress Island. The picture below shows the rejected scheme, consisting of two towers of 26 and 16 storeys.
In looking to bring forward a new proposal, we have gone back to first principles. We feel that the site can fulfil the following aspirations:
Improve pedestrian connections from station to Wandle Park
Improved pedestrian environment to north of Britannia Point
Improvements to microclimate
Improved pedestrian environment to north of Britannia Point
Improvements to microclimate
We are pleased to bring forward our proposals for Colliers Gardens, an underused site that currently contributes very little to this important part of the town centre.
The July 2025 Proposals
Back in July 2025 we introduced three buildings arranged around a central green space with a new diagonal pedestrian route connecting Colliers Wood Station to Wandle Park. The proposals were:
A 16-storey aparthotel (160-190 rooms) with a 24-hour reception and an active ground floor presence.
A 14-storey co-living building (130-150 rooms) with shared amenities, communal spaces and resident facilities.
A 7-storey residential building (56-66 apartments).
A 14-storey co-living building (130-150 rooms) with shared amenities, communal spaces and resident facilities.
A 7-storey residential building (56-66 apartments).
Building heights were not fixed but were intended to be lower than the previously refused scheme (which featured towers of 26 and 16 storeys). At this stage, the proposals were not final and the applicant wanted to consult all relevant stakeholders and the community to help shape and revise the proposals.
Refused Scheme and Proposed Scheme in July
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Design Codes
As the project progressed, the design team applied a clear set of design code principles to guide and refine the layout, scale and character of the development. These codes focused on:
Site & Context
Connecting green spaces, activity and community, historical context, site challenges and site opportunities.
Built Form
Building scale and creating a community.
Homes and Building
High-quality accommodation, daylight, sunlight and well-ventilated accommodation.
Movement
Town centre approach, movement through the site, public transport connections and pedestrian and cycle areas should be priority for designing the site.
Nature
Bringing nature into the town centre, green space, biodiversity and sustainability.
Use
Promoting a mix of uses and creating a vibrant ground floor area.The new proposals
Following the public consultation events in July 2025, multiple meetings with Merton Council and using a set of design codes the team have spent time revising the original proposals.
The updated proposals have improved the design, scale and led to an increase to the height of the proposed residential building. The revised proposals have led to an enhancement to the public realm, created safer and greener routes improving this key location between Colliers Wood Station and Wandle Park.
The new mixed uses on the site — apart-hotel, co-living and residential — will help provide a mixed community, supporting local businesses and create a vibrant town centre.
The image below shows the revised proposals from a birds eye view, which includes three buildings, arranged around a central landscaped space with a new diagonal pedestrian route linking the station (north-east) to Wandle Park (south-west).
The proposed building uses
The image below shows a 3D model of the three proposed buildings, viewed from the west and what their uses will be.
Building A – 16-storey apart-hotel (circa 182 rooms) with a 24-hour reception and an active ground floor presence.
Apart-hotel offers a style of accommodation that combines the services of a hotel with the space and convenience of a self-contained apartment. Guests have their own private room and bathroom facilities, while also benefiting from hotel-style services such as reception support, cleaning and security. This makes aparthotels suitable for both short stays and longer visits, and they are often used by people needing flexible accommodation near good transport links.
Building B – 14-storey co-living building (circa 154 studio flats) with shared amenities, communal spaces and resident facilities.
Co-living offers a modern type of shared accommodation where residents have their own private en-suite rooms but share larger spaces such as kitchens, lounges, work areas and outdoor terraces. The building is professionally managed, with amenities designed to encourage social interaction and create a sense of community. It offers an all-inclusive, convenient and secure living option, particularly suited to people who want flexible and well-located housing.
Building C – 12-storey residential building (circa 74 apartments).
The residential building will provides a range of well-designed apartments for people to live in, with layouts that make good use of daylight, ventilation and outlook. Larger homes include dual-aspect living spaces and generous balconies, while smaller apartments are designed to feel bright and comfortable. The building uses high-quality materials and window design to improve energy efficiency and reduce overheating, creating a modern and attractive place to live.Below are some example images of the proposed uses and what they can look like.
Apart-hotel lobby example
Co-living area example
Residential flat example
The proposed design
The tallest building now sits approximately 5 metres lower than Britannia Point, helping the three buildings form a coherent cluster with clearer height differentiation. Together, these changes create a more refined architectural design, balanced and contextually sensitive addition to the town centre.
The sketch below shows the proposals viewed from Wandle Park. The green/white building (left) is the apart-hotel building and the red building (right) would be the co-living building.
The sketch below shows the proposed residential building, viewed from the west, from the road Colwood Gardens.
The three images below show the three different facades and their design for each of the buildings.
APART-HOTEL
CO-LIVING
RESIDENTIAL
An improved ground floor plan
The updated proposals deliver significant improvements at ground level, creating a safer, greener and more welcoming environment.
A new diagonal pedestrian route provides a clear, car-free connections between the Colliers Wood Underground Station (north-east) and Wandle Park (south-west), supported by active frontages from the aparthotel, co-living and residential buildings.
Please click on this link or the plan below to see more details about the ground floor plan.
Landscape proposals
To create a greener and more welcoming public space for Colliers Wood the proposed landscape areas for Colliers Gardens have been designed using a clear set of priorities, these are highlighted below.
The proposals for Colliers Gardens consist of a number of distinct spaces Each space has a particular character and offers different benefits to the public and to residents. The image below maps out each space location with a different colour.
To view more information about each distinct space, please click one of the image segments below:
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Thank you for your interest in the finished proposals.
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