Bow Garden Square

Bow Garden Square is a place that successfully brings together education, faith, housing and the local community. The scheme provides mixed-tenure homes, a brand new primary school and nursery, a sports hall/community centre and a mosque on a tight 2.4 acre site. 

Further to extensive consultation with local residents, in 2015 we began working in partnership with Poplar HARCA and the London Borough of Tower Hamlets to regenerate part of the Burdett Estate.  The vision was to provide homes and a broad range of facilities that the community really needed.

The new homes and facilities all share the same space. Bow Garden Square is now a place where a broad cross section of people are part of a new community in which they have their own place to be – their home, their school, their community centre or their mosque - while also enjoying being part of the vibrant regeneration of the area. It has been designed by renowned architects Pollard Thomas Edwards.

The main part of the St Paul’s Way Foundation school is located on the ground floor of an eight storey residential building with single storey school buildings ‘cloistered’ to the rear of it, including the sports hall which doubles as a community centre outside of school hours, a multi-use games area (MUGA) and playground space.

The playground and MUGA cover a generous 33,938 sq ft (3,153 sq m) and there is a new pocket park on St Paul's Way. The playground has been designed around a large, mature Wingnut tree that allows for a quiet space, encouraging outdoor reading and shade during the warmer months. A canopy connects all the school buildings creating a safe enclosure and cover from rain or sun.

The St Paul’s Way Foundation School is part of our all-through school and children go on to become members of St Paul’s Way Trust School (a secondary school and sixth form), judged ‘Outstanding’ by Ofsted.

The new mosque was designed in close consultation with the mosque committee. The popularity of the Mosque is clearly evident; the former congregation used to be around 250, it is now circa 600 and welcoming visitors from around the world.

A wide variety of homes have been developed from studios to 4 bedroom family homes for private sale, shared ownership and affordable rent.

All the homes have been built to Lifetime Homes standards and meet the former Code for Sustainable Homes Level 4. 10 per cent are wheelchair adaptable. The school and mosque have a BREEAM Excellent Rating and benefit from 80 photovoltaic panels, sedum roofs, sun tubes, and a breathing building system.

The build challenges were numerous, not just due to the site’s enclosed nature. Existing residents of the two blocks of flats had to be rehoused before any demolition could start. A temporary school had to be set up within the site’s curtilage and the building of the new school had to take place one wing a year to be able to accept the new influx of pupils by the start of the September term.  This was not a development where construction could overrun. The build programme was compromised further as demolition could not take place during school breaks, lunchtimes and PE classes.

Since it's completion in 2019, Bow Garden Square has received multiple awards including:

• ‘Best Regeneration’ at the Evening Standard New Homes Awards 2019
• 'Regeneration Scheme of the Year' and 'Homebuilder of the Year' at the Sunday Times British Homes Awards 2019
• ‘Development of the Year’ at the RESI Awards 2019
• 'Best Regeneration Initiative' at the Housebuilder Awards 2019
• 'Best Development (100+ homes)' at the Inside Housing Development Awards 2019
• 'Innovation in Delivering Value' at the Education Estates Awards 2019
• Shortlisted for a 'Completed Award' at the Housing Design Awards 2019, having received a 'Project Award' in 2017.

Five years ago we had a vision for this school and it is absolutely fantastic to see it realised. What a difference this school will make to the lives of local children for many years to come!

Grahame Price, CEO of the University Schools Trust

It has been very exciting to be a part of such a successful regeneration project bringing together education, housing and the local community.

Clare Mabberley, Head Teacher, Primary Phase, St Pauls Way Foundation School

It has been a vision of our community to have a purpose built Mosque since the establishment of the BBCA in 1982. The Mosque is not just a place of worship, but a beacon for the entire community irrespective of faith and background.

Mohub Ali, Secretary, BBCA & Mosque