Colosseum Retail ParkColosseum Retail ParkThe transformation of the Colosseum Retail Park, an underused retail park in north Enfield, into a new truly mixed-use neighbourhood, will create a new residential and commercial quarter supporting links between east and west Enfield. The proposals will bring up to 1,800 homes and other uses set within a well-defined framework of accessible public space featuring a reinterpretation of London streets and park spaces, designed to provide amenity for residents and the local community alike.The detailed application for Phase 1 of the development will realise 444 homes, workhub, crèche and small retail units set around The Heart, a generous landscaped plaza which features areas for play and relaxation, and will become the focus of the new community. The Heart will also become the focal point for connections to the surrounding area, establishing thorough fares and links between the site and existing communities to the east and west.Later phases of the development have been organised as a series of building blocks, creating east-west and north-south permeability through the proposal, many with landscaped podium courtyards envisaged as quiet, introspective retreats away from the public realm. The elevation lines along these blocks are broken up into smaller facades. The individual facades that make up each block are pulled up and pushed down creating further variety in scale and mass and reinforcing the idea that each block is a townscape in miniature.Evolving over 700 years, Enfield Town has established a rich vernacular of architectural depth and a layering of styles, seldom found in many other established areas within London. Buildings of different ages and styles frequently appear to overlap and intersect creating a rich interplay of shapes and volumes.The proposal has been inspired by these principles and seeks to emulate this character through this layered approach and a rich, variable architectural character. Four distinct typologies, with varying heights, roof types and window modulation, have been developed by the architectural team which give a broad reflection of the wide variety of shapes and forms which have come to shape Enfield Town. When layered using a condensed palette of brickwork and shiplap timber, found in many of the more historic buildings in the Town Centre, it achieves a character of a place that has grown slowly over time, layer upon layer.Contact: Guy Harris Charles GrahamClient: NEAT Developments, BlackRock Real AssetsSectors: Mixed-Use Residential Urban Design