How architects can unlock ‘difficult’ sites across the UK

To meet the UK’s target of 1.5 million new homes and support national growth ambitions, we must look beyond the obvious. Developable greenfield land is limited and often disconnected from the infrastructure needed to support new communities.

The real opportunity lies in rethinking “difficult” sites – those fragmented by ownership, bounded by rail lines or roads, or currently offering a less contributive use. These sites are common across the UK, often in areas with excellent connectivity and untapped potential.

We welcome the recent announcement of Platform4, a brilliant, joined-up initiative that will unlock railway land across the UK to deliver up to 40,000 new homes over the next decade. These locations offer enormous potential to deliver high-quality homes in sustainable locations.

But success will not be measured by numbers alone. We need places that are socially inclusive, economically resilient and environmentally sustainable: the true markers of regeneration that works.

WW+P’s work at Ebbsfleet Garden City, Arden Cross, Meridian Water and Chapter Lewisham demonstrates how constrained and underused land can be transformed into catalysts for sustainable, connected urban growth.

Unlocking land around transport hubs

Developing land around transport infrastructure is one of the most sustainable ways to build new communities. Yet, too often, these prime locations are left underused, occupied by extensive surface car parking or dismissed as too constrained for meaningful development.

At Ebbsfleet Station, which is surrounded by more than 5,000 surface parking spaces, we secured outline planning consent for a transformative, placemaking-led masterplan for the Development Corporation in 2023. Yet our involvement began before this, in 2018, working with HS1 to demonstrate how consolidating surface parking into multi-storey car parks could unlock significant development potential.

We optimised car park locations for access and proximity to the station, while prioritising the release of plots with the greatest placemaking value. Our vision included proposals to better connect the separate national and international stations, creating a more cohesive “one station” experience.

These early-stage studies unlocked investment from the Department for Transport and formed the basis for our comprehensive mixed-use masterplan.

At Arden Cross, the site of the new HS2 Interchange Station near Birmingham, we faced similar challenges. Originally dominated by surface car parks, we developed a strategic vision for the consortium of landowners, proposing a 128ha masterplan with commercial space, housing, leisure, education and healthcare, all integrated through high-quality public realm.

Our vision ensured that the site’s exceptional connectivity translated into long-term economic and social value.

Balancing quality with flexibility in masterplanning

Long-term regeneration requires both vision and adaptability. Sites like Ebbsfleet and Arden Cross will evolve over decades. A successful masterplan must offer strong spatial and design principles while remaining flexible enough to adapt to shifting market conditions, policy changes and societal needs.

Our outline planning consent for Ebbsfleet Central strikes this balance. It sets clear design parameters while allowing for changes in phasing, land use and the needs of future delivery partners.

At Arden Cross, the 30-year development plan required a phased framework that can adapt over time. We created area-specific masterplans that can be brought forward as required, guided by a site-wide strategy rooted in integration with road and rail infrastructure.

We also explored multiple land-use scenarios to futureproof the framework against political and economic uncertainty.

Our approach included running future-thinking workshops with stakeholders, drawing on insights from WW+P’s own innovation group. These sessions explored emerging trends, from autonomous transport to net-zero mobility, and helped to shape plans for flexible road layouts, adaptable parking and long-term resilience.

Placemaking as a catalyst for regeneration

A flexible plan is only as effective as the quality of place it delivers. Transforming a forgotten site into a thriving destination requires early investment in identity and public realm. Getting the tone right at the outset sets a benchmark that future phases can follow.

We developed a residential-led scheme for plot M13 at Meridian Water for LB Enfield. Our phasing approach included the new station square and surrounding buildings with active ground-floor community uses within the first phase of the wider development.

This will ensure that this gateway site establishes a welcoming arrival experience from the first phase, creating a sense of civic pride and setting the standard for later phases of development.

Designing for delivery on constrained sites

No masterplan is worth pursuing if it cannot be delivered. Many of the UK’s most challenging sites are constrained by proximity to infrastructure or restricted access. Our experience designing and delivering railways, stations and bridges gives us a practical, technical perspective that helps to remove these barriers.

Early and meaningful engagement with stakeholders such as Network Rail is essential. Our understanding of the technical, regulatory and safety requirements of railways gives us confidence to challenge overly conservative constraints and propose alternative layouts or construction techniques to protect delivery potential without compromising compliance.

Our Chapter Lewisham site is constrained by a rail line on one side and a busy road on the other, with minimal space for construction logistics. Off-site construction was key to unlocking the site’s potential.

Working with Tide, we developed a volumetric modular system using prefabricated facades, reducing the need for site storage and removing the need for scaffolding. This allowed the building to sit closer to the railway while addressing Network Rail’s safety concerns, enabling us to optimise the use of the site.

The benefits of this construction methodology extended beyond spatial efficiency: the volumetric system shortened the construction programme, reduced disruption to neighbours, improved build quality and minimised waste. For constrained urban sites, this kind of pragmatic, design-led thinking is often what makes development possible.

Conclusion: a new mindset for urban growth

In a country where easy sites are increasingly rare, well-connected sites constrained by infrastructure, such as those being unlocked by Platform4, will play a central role in meeting our housing targets. Architects have a critical role to play, not just as designers, but as strategic thinkers who can explore the full potential of complex sites.

We must lead on reimagining how sites are used, identifying opportunities where others see only barriers, and shaping frameworks that balance vision with flexibility. Above all, we must prioritise placemaking, creating places that resonate with people and generate long-term value.

Regeneration should start with a sense of place, not a unit count. Our plans must be resilient and responsive, able to evolve with the communities they serve. And they must be grounded in delivery, backed by robust engagement with engineers, transport bodies and contractors.