Local youth take centre stage in designing a new community garden near Euston Station
Fitzrovia Youth in Action (FYA), a Camden-based youth charity, is working with LDA Design and social enterprise Matt+Fiona to develop a new garden and performance space on an unused site on Hampstead Road in central London. The project, involving the creation of meanwhile uses for sites made available by HS2 around Euston Station, comes in response to extensive community engagement that revealed a pressing need for more recreational spaces and activities for young people in the area.
The project began with extensive community consultations, revealing a strong desire among local residents for more recreational spaces and activities for young people. In response, LDA Design and Matt+Fiona collaborated with FYA to reimagine the Hampstead Road site. Their efforts included a series of design workshops, open events, and family sessions on the Regent’s Park Estate, where ideas were gathered through large-scale, ink-based drawings.
LDA Director Dafydd Warburton expressed enthusiasm for the project, highlighting the collaborative nature of the endeavour. “It has been fantastic working with Matt + Fiona, FYA, and the local community to ensure the gardens are sustainable, recycling and reusing where possible, and that they feature the elements most desired by local residents,” he said.
At least 48 young people have actively participated in the design process, with a core group of 12 taking on significant roles as young designers. The emerging design reflects a collective vision for a safe, green, and multi-purpose space, intended for both play and performance.
Matthew Springett of Matt+Fiona echoed this sentiment, commending the young designers from FYA for their commitment to the project. “They have taken real ownership of the design, rising to the brief set by the local community to explore ideas for play in original and open-ended ways,” he said. Springett noted the group’s focus on inclusion, with the theme of ‘performance’ addressing the needs of all potential users of the space.
A pavilion will serve as the focal point of the gardens, with its design influenced by a proto-build session led by FYA, where young participants explored various materials, ultimately favouring reflective surfaces. The garden design also seeks to reuse materials from the site’s previous use as a construction compound, including concrete strip footings, which will help define a new maze of long grasses and formal gardens leading to the pavilion.
Ellie Rudd, Youth Leadership and Community Lead for FYA, described the project as a remarkable opportunity for local young people. “It has been such a fantastic project, watching our local young people grow their ideas, becoming young designers and placemakers,” she said.
“All of the group live in Regent’s Park or Somers Town wards and came together specifically for this work, whether aspiring designers, architects or engineers, or whether they are just motivated to do something for their own community. We can’t wait for build week and to see the design become reality when it is installed in the green space!”
Nick Jones, Interim Project Client for Euston at HS2 Ltd, acknowledged the significance of the project amid ongoing government reviews of Euston’s development plans. “We are pleased that we have been able to open plots of land to be temporarily used by the local community,” he said. Jones highlighted the project’s emphasis on sustainability and its roots in local community involvement.
The new gardens, to be constructed by HS2’s station construction partner Mace Dragados joint venture, are expected to open to the community later this year.
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