Rowan Court, London Borough of Haringey for London Borough of Haringey with Satish Jassal Architects, Formation Design and Build, Groundworks and Iceni

Rowan Court: a blueprint for council housing placemaking. It delivers 46 social-rent homes for Haringey Council on a disused garage site, transforming a small edge-of-estate plot into a thriving, healthy neighbourhood. Designed through public consultation, it creates a new public square, mews street and community garden that promotes wellbeing, safety and connection. Exceeding standards and achieving 81% towards net-zero operational carbon, Rowan Court sets a benchmark for council-led, family-focused housing that uplifts the wider estate.

Who is on the project? 

Architects : Satish Jassal Architects
Main Contractor : Formation Design and Build
Project Managers : JJC Advisory Limited
Planning Consultant : MC Planning
Landscape : Groundworks
Sustainability : Iceni
Fire consultant : BB7
Transport : Scott White and Hookins
Ecology : Tom Haley Ecology

Describe the context of this project and its neighbourhood and how the project was informed by health evidence and housing need.

Rowan Court sits on the edge of an existing council estate in Haringey, North London, on a once underused garage site and open space that had become unsafe and prone to antisocial behaviour. The project was conceived by Haringey Council to deliver high-quality, genuinely family-sized social rent homes that promote health, safety, and social value for local residents while uplifting the existing estate and improving access to nearby transport links.
 
The scheme provides 46 social-rent homes, the majority family-sized, arranged around a new public square that re-stitches the estate into the urban fabric. Careful masterplanning creates new overlooked routes to an underpass that connects pedestrians to buses and the Underground. It introduces new planting, lighting, CCTV, refuse and cycle stores for both new and existing residents. A new mews street provides a safe, overlooked connection to public transport, increasing the site’s accessibility and perceived safety. Through co-design with local residents, a new community garden has was provided.
 
Design development was informed by Haringey’s housing-need data and Health and Wellbeing Strategy, prioritising safe, warm, and secure family homes. Each dwelling exceeds the Nationally Described Space Standards and achieves 81% towards net-zero operational carbon, with MVHR, high insulation, air-source heat pumps, solar panels, and passive ventilation and indoor air quality.
 
Rowan Court transforms a small, edge-of-estate brownfield plot into a healthy neighbourhood setting. Delivering secure tenure, daylight-filled homes, shared spaces for play, and tangible improvements in safety and community pride. It provides more than just housing. It lifts the existing estate.      

How does this housing or mixed-use project address the 3 sections of the 12 Healthy Homes Principles with (1) consideration of fire and safety, (2) comfort and inclusion, and (3) how sustainable the design is. 

(1) Safety and Security
 
All homes at Rowan Court are designed to meet Secured by Design principles and Part B fire-safety standards, and include sprinklers above the minimum requirements, 90-minute fire-rated compartmentation. Materials were selected for low flammability and high durability, including full brick façades and non-combustible insulation. The development is 100% social rent, ensuring secure and affordable tenure managed directly by Haringey Council as RP, supporting long-term community stability and wellbeing. Local resident were offered the new homes first, keeping communities and families in the area. A new public square, widened streets, and pockets of landscape spaces enhance the environment for not just the development but he wider neighbourhood. 

(2) Comfort and Inclusion
 
Each home meets or exceeds London Housing Design Guide and NDSS requirements, providing generous private amenity space. All homes are at a minimum true dual-aspect, with generous windows to bring in as much natural light as possible. There is a diverse mix of apartments, wheelchair homes, 3 bedroom townhouses, 4 bedroom townhouses and intergenerational homes. The buildings are inclusive, and adaptable, achieving Part M4(2) compliance with 10% M4(3) wheelchair units. Access to health, play, and public transport was integral. The masterplan provides safe pedestrian links to transportation links, nearby schools, parks, and, with active travel encouraged through secure cycle storage and car-free design. Native planting, seating, and play areas create informal spaces for social interaction and inter-generational play. Thermal comfort is ensured through high-performance fabric, high performance glazing, and MVHR systems, providing consistent air quality, and deep facades reducing overheating risk.

(3) Sustainable Design
 
Rowan Court delivers net-zero operational carbon through air-source heat pumps, photovoltaic panels, and a fabric-first envelope achieving 81% to net zero in operation. Construction utilised low-impact brick and prefabricated elements to reduce embodied carbon and waste. Rainwater attenuation with permeable paving, biodiverse roofs, and new street trees mitigate, planting surface-water run-off and support urban cooling. The project actively prevents air and noise pollution by eliminating fossil-fuel heating, introducing green buffers along traffic edges, and orientating homes for cross-ventilation with true dual aspect. Light pollution is limited by warm-tone LED fittings and carefully modelled luminance levels in the public square.
 
Rowan Court exemplifies how council-led small-site housing can deliver safe, inclusive, low-carbon homes that directly enhance new and existing residents’ physical and mental health. Its design embodies the TCPA Healthy Homes Principles, creating a dignified, sustainable and secure environment that uplifts both residents and the wider estate.

Tell us what you did to help promote, monitor or manage health and how this informed the design, delivery and the ongoing governance of the project. Was the community engaged in the process?

Health and wellbeing were embedded in Rowan Court from the earliest stages through an iterative co-design process with Haringey Council, residents of the adjoining estate, and local stakeholders. Early engagement focused on residents’ lived experiences and concerns about safety — hidden spaces, poor lighting, car racing, overflowing refuse, narrow pavements, and the lack of quality shared spaces. This feedback directly shaped the site layout, overlooking strategy, and public realm design.
 
The scheme promotes active travel and social cohesion through connected pedestrian routes, play spaces, and car-free design, reducing emissions and improving air quality. Natural surveillance and landscape-led placemaking were used to reduce fear of crime and encourage use of public space, while the new mews and routes invite movement through the site from surrounding neighbourhoods. This continuous pedestrian flow animates the estate and enhances the sense of safety.
 
The public square, planting, and play area support mental wellbeing and social interaction, offering spaces for rest, play, and encounter within sight of homes. Design and delivery were guided by Haringey’s Healthy Streets and Health and Wellbeing Strategy, ensuring alignment with local health priorities. The project team monitored daylight, ventilation, and thermal comfort performance through energy modelling and daylight analysis, with post-completion reviews planned through the council’s housing management framework.
 
Ongoing governance is secured through the council’s direct management of all homes, ensuring maintenance, safety checks, and community engagement remain active. Rowan Court demonstrates how good council housing design can deliver measurable health benefits and long-term social value.