A not-for-profit partnership between national education charity Ark and Hammersmith & Fulham Council.

This £150m investment will bring an education hub, new affordable homes, a modern office building, and improved community facilities to White City. Together, we are building a place that will make a difference to local people.

Education & Youth Facilities

The development will create a new education hub designed to bring social, educational and economic benefits to the local community through a new school, Ark White City Primary Academy, Harmony Nursery and the Adult Community Education Centre, as well as building a new OnSide youth zone.

Ark White City Primary Academy has state-of-the-art facilities including a roof terrace with growing gardens for each year group, a space for outside lessons, and a high-quality playground area. It also has a multi-purpose cooking, DT, science and art room, and a sensory room. The school has been designed with extra wide learning corridors which can be used as flexible breakout spaces from the classrooms. Co-located with the school is an OnSide Youth Zone – with amazing facilities which the students will have access to during the school day.

Ark White City Primary brings together the former Ark Swift and Ark Burlington Danes Primary Academies to create one, two-form entry school, in the heart of White City.

Harmony Nursery is rated ‘Outstanding’ by Ofsted. The development will provide the nursery with bright and spacious, state-of-the-art new facilities and increase its capacity will increase from 45 to 75 places.

A transformed Adult Community Education Centre will offer an extended service to adults taking their first steps back into education, training and/or employment. The centre will provide training and offers life-long learning opportunities for local residents, with the main aim of supporting people back into employment.

The OnSide Youth Zone, named WEST by local young people, will offer an array of after-school, weekend and evening activities and opportunities for the local community aged between 8 and 19, including those aged up to 25 with a disability. Facilities and activities will include a climbing wall, 3G pitch, boxing room, a fully equipped gym, music, art, dance, mentoring, a training kitchen, a four-court Sports Hall, a multimedia suite and much more. Young people will pay just £5 annual membership and 50p per visit. The Youth Zone’s model is based on a sustainable partnership involving the public sector, private sector, volunteers and young people.

Affordable Housing for Local People and New Community Space

The development will provide 132 affordable homes for local people and key workers, including teachers. This will include 55 one bed apartments and 77 two bed apartments. 33 of these apartments will be London Affordable Rent Units and 61 will be Shared Ownership Units.

All the homes will be managed by the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham.

Office Space

The 95,000sqft net office building fronting South Africa Road is a ten-storey ‘Grade A’ building, which will include the new national headquarters of Ark and partner organisations over two floors of the building.

Featuring a ‘Town Hall’ reception area including informal meeting space, the building is designed to a BREEAM Excellent rating and has four outdoor terraces together with a ‘penthouse’ top floor.    

Ultimately, Ark will receive rent from the building to reinvest in its charitable educational aims. It is seeking a range of future tenants for the office and is keen to attract like-minded charities and social enterprises focused on social and educational work to enhance collaboration and exchange.

Public Realm

There will be a new public square and a pedestrian and cycle route, linking the existing Australia Road and the residential areas in the west, to Dorando Close and the redeveloped White City business district and transport hub in the east. This will dramatically improve transport and accessibility for the community, halving the time it currently takes to walk from the White City Estate to the nearest underground station.

The public areas will include a linear rain garden and areas of seating, and the provision of café space to serve the development and broader community.

Project Timeline

2021 – Initial works started in July with demolition works throughout the summer and autumn.

2022 – Ongoing construction of phase one: the new primary school, residential, Youth Zone and office building.

2023 – Ark White City Primary opened in the autumn, with pupils will move from the existing buildings into their brand-new classrooms. Completion of 24 affordable homes.

Phase two began on 28 July 2023, with the construction of the perimeter hoarding – part of which bounds the north of the site and south of Hastings House. These works will be carried out from the school playground. On completion of the hoarding, demolition of the existing Ark Swift Primary Academy building will begin.

2024 – The Youth Zone and office will be ready at the beginning of the year. Construction of phase two: consisting of the new Harmony nursery, adult education centre and café with 108 affordable homes.

2025 – EdCity is complete.