Located in an area of cultural and religious diversity, this project explores the re-use and expansion of the disused St John’s Church in Southall. The brief is for a new cultural centre that offers education, counselling and community facilities for Southall, regardless of ethnic or religious background. A major addition to the existing building provides a bespoke entrance, café, education facilities and enterprise units that help fund the building’s social programme. Occupying a key site adjacent to the high street, the church building sits within its own grounds containing mature trees and grave stones. Immediately to the south of the site is a rather underused piece of public space that is poorly maintained and misused. The project re-appropriates this space for the new building, reinforcing the street and pavement edge, whilst a new public space is re-made along the busier high street. This creates a generous public entrance to the new and existing building. The proposals are being progressed in conjunction with Phase 2 of the Southall Great Streets programme designed by DK-CM, delivering improvements to frontages and public spaces throughout Southall and Southall Green. We are also collaborating with DK-CM to develop the detailed landscape proposals for the site itself.