Brentford Works_rosa_barba

KLA’s ‘making the connection’ project remakes Brentford High Street as a successful, liveable town centre and reasserts its historic market, sense of place and canal identity as well as making a shift from cars to bikes.

KLA’s urban curation is flexible and collaborative bringing in community and facilitators to work with space as the project unfolds. The results are innovative urban interventions that truly address the complex contextual challenges of a place.

A team of local collaborators developed social enterprise ‘Brentford Works’ and ‘Brentford Bikes’ located in a vacant shop on the high street. Cycle culture is supported through a café, cycle maintenance and cargo bikes and is a visible presence on the high street.

Amplifying the shift in transport, the car park that was previously central to the market square has been removed and replaced with a flexible public space that can accommodate market stalls and events whilst also providing a living room in the town centre with a variety of opportunities for meeting and playing across all generations. Public water play features and a new willow tree reconnect Brentford High Street to its waterside heritage.