We welcome Westminster Council’s plans to provide upgraded accommodation for the current vulnerable residents of Darwin House but we do not agree that in order to provide this Darwin House has to be demolished.

Darwin House is home to older residents who require a degree of care through warden assistance.  These residents are an important part of the Churchill Gardens community and the building and site is integral for future communities.  The site was sold to Westminster Council by the Church Commissioners in the 1970s.  

Newspaper coverage at the time reported that a council officer stated that the site would be “earmarked for social services use” and a loan sanction was sought from central government at the time on this understanding.

We believe that Darwin House is part of our architecturally admired council estate and sits in the conservation area of Churchill Gardens.  The council are proposing  to build a 100% "affordable" scheme on the current Darwin House location overlooking the river, meaning that only those who can afford it will now have a river view. 

We are calling for:

• Darwin House to be saved, extended and refurbished to provide appropriate social council rented accommodation for existing older residents, thus providing increased space for the growing older population on Churchill Gardens who wish to downsize to smaller accommodation which will release family homes for those on the waiting list
• The existing public land to be used for social rented council housing to benefit local residents of Churchill Gardens which will provide more facilities for older residents within a safe, designated local area
• A new extension to Darwin House to be built to standard for current residents of Darwin House 

This will:

• Deliver much needed additional council rented accommodation for families in council homes vacated by those who wish to downsize who are currently over-housed
• Retain the current aspect of the waterfront and integrity of the Churchill Gardens conservation area
• Ensure that Westminster Council abides by their recent commitment to Climate Emergency status, to save on high environmental cost of demolition and reconstruction by choosing to refurbish instead of demolition

PLEASE SIGN OUR PETITION NOW

Friends of Churchill Gardens Conservation Area