Revealed: the new 'villages' replacing Earl's Court

Homes & Property has been given exclusive details of the new villages that will replace Earls Court Exhibition Centre when it is demolished after the Olympics.

The first phase, which will be called West Brompton Village, will have 808 homes (including 200 affordable units), spread across eight new buildings in a series of “modern mansion blocks” and terraces of town houses. They will be linked by new streets and garden squares, while a five-acre “lost river park” will be re-established.

With 77 acres earmarked for development, the construction project is one of the biggest London has seen, aiming to bring 7,500 homes, two million sq ft of commercial and retail space and add 23 acres to the city’s open spaces by reclaiming land underused by the present complex.

The masterplan by architect Farrell & Partners envisages four new villages and a new high street. The four areas comprise the upmarket Earl’s Court Village (“smart, elegant and genteel”), the family-focused West Brompton Village (“leafy and tranquil”), the more urban North End Village (“vibrant and multicultural”) and West Kensington Village (“a dynamic commercial hub”).

The new mansion blocks will rise up to 10 storeys and apartments will be bigger than average, complying with Mayor Boris Johnson’s new space standards. The development site includes land owned by Transport for London and Hammersmith and Fulham council, which supports the project. Construction has to wait until after the 2012 Olympics because the exhibition centre hosts the volleyball tournament.

Demolition of the exhibition centre has been condemned by the events industry but council leader, Stephen Greenhaugh, insists redevelopment of the vast site is “a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to build new homes for estate residents who will be able to buy a property without having to leave the borough”.