Grange Farm Estate awarded prestigious Secured by Design honour


Posted 10/07/2025

Higgins Partnerships is proud to announce that its Grange Farm Estate Phase One development for the London Borough of Harrow has been awarded a prestigious ‘Highly Commended’ Secured by Design Award.

Presented at an event hosted at New Scotland Yard, the awards celebrate outstanding developments across the UK that incorporate proven crime prevention techniques and design principles. Recognised by police forces nationwide, the Secured by Design (SBD) initiative supports safer communities by promoting physical security standards and environmental design that deter crime and antisocial behaviour.

Yaseen Parkar, Pre-Construction Director (Technical) at Higgins Partnerships, commented: “We are privileged to receive the ‘Highly Commended’ Secured by Design award for our Grange Farm Phase One development. Being recognised alongside a small number of peers at New Scotland Yard, with its incredible views across the city, made it a particularly special moment for the team.

“Not only did the scheme achieve Secured by Design Gold certification, but we were also informed that crime in that part of the estate has been almost non-existent since we handed the project over a year ago. That’s a clear testament to the effectiveness of these design measures in creating safer, more resilient communities.”

Yaseen also paid tribute to the project’s design team: “Credit must go to Hawkins\Brown Architects for their original design vision and for collaborating closely with us to deliver a high-quality, secure scheme that local residents can feel proud of.”

Higgins delivered the first phase of the Grange Farm Estate, comprising 68 much-needed new council homes for local tenants through Harrow Council, and 21 shared ownership properties, with priority given to people living or working in the area or those with immediate family in the borough. The scheme forms part of a major regeneration of the 1960s estate.

In addition to delivering new homes, Higgins worked closely with the local community to provide training and employment opportunities, and supported several initiatives in partnership with My Yard, including the Food Club, Food Pantry, and the Young Changemaker programme.

Originally built in the late 1960s, the Grange Farm Estate consisted of 282 prefabricated homes arranged in three-storey clusters. Over time, the homes became increasingly difficult and expensive to maintain, with poor energy efficiency and limited connectivity to the wider area. Working in partnership with the local community, Harrow Council developed a comprehensive masterplan that will eventually deliver 574 new homes, half of which will be affordable.

Designed by Hawkins\Brown Architects, the masterplan includes a new community centre at the heart of the site, surrounded by a network of public streets, open spaces, and pedestrian routes to improve connectivity and support vibrant, inclusive neighbourhoods. At the centre of the scheme, a new civic square and village green will provide a social hub for residents and visitors alike.

The award recognition underlines Higgins’ ongoing commitment to delivering well-designed, sustainable, and secure developments that contribute to safer, healthier, and more connected communities.