The former site of the Imperial Gas Company has
undergone a dramatic transformation. It is now
Imperial Wharf, a mixed-use scheme with continentalstyle
tree-lined boulevards and a new area of parkland
twice the size of Berkeley Square.
The 32-acre brownfield site next to the River Thames
at Chelsea Harbour comprises more than 1,800
homes plus amenities and a total of 10 acres of
newly landscaped parkland and gardens. Developer St George worked closely with the Environment
Agency, community liaison officers and local residents
to create the urban village and its new amenities. A
new 385 metre walkway has created public access to
this part of the riverside for the first time in decades.
Architect Broadway Malyan arranged apartments
across a series of buildings set back from the river.
The green spaces of the development and the
smooth line of its buildings are in sharp contrast to
the site's previous industrial life. The public realm gives
a sense of space and openness that is appropriate to
the scale of the buildings and ensures that the
landscape has a seamless relationship to the
architecture. Landscaping includes contemporarystyled
courtyards, sensory gardens and the park with
its play area and pond.
The Boulevard runs from the road to the waterside
and is the heart of the new community. Towers, water
features and glass fronted elevations run along either
side, and the building's host of streetside restaurants,
cafes and retail outlets give The Boulevard a distinctly
continental aspect.
