Way back in 2006 the NLA put on an exhibition about the Great Estates of London - the Bedford, Grosvenor, de Walden, Portman and Crown. The catalogue of the show ended with the following words “By their very survival they are examples of sustainable environments; they were developed to include a proportion of affordable housing, to absorb a mix of uses and to provide a high-quality environment. They are able to take a long-term view and to provide a quality of stewardship from which all of London can benefit.”

 

In 2013 we reprised the exhibition but expanded it to look at the lesser estates as well the new estates like Broadgate, Canary Wharf and Kings Cross. Many of the themes were the same but the focus on long termism was amplified. In the intervening period, we had been through the global financial crisis and in its aftermath the Bank of England, pension funds and sovereign funds were all showing greater interest in the idea of patient capital.

 

What are the lessons that the great estates have for us today?  They have a certain level of control over their local environment, they have high quality management, they are able to look at their area holistically and they have a real concern in creating high quality places.

 

These are all elements that are now embedded in a lot of thinking about how we deliver larger scale, mixed use parts of the city. It is thinking that has influenced the way that the Olympic Legacy has been delivered, as well as the TfL property portfolio.

 

When we started thinking about the Great Estates over a decade ago, I recall we saw them as something of an anachronism, of historic interest but not so relevant to the 21st century. As we have studied them more closely, it is clear that they play an important role in the contemporary city, as well as providing an exemplar for new development. 

 

The NLA’s role is to open up the debate about planning in the capital with the aim of improving the outcomes of the built environment community. In this our programme on the Great Estates has done what it set out to do - it has raised the profile of the work of the estates, shared their experience with our wider membership and influenced the way that new pieces of city are design and managed. Job done!