Folk at The Palm House receives SBD commendation

Located in the heart of Harrow, Folk at the Palm House is a pioneering communal living project that offers private rental studios on flexible 3 to 12-month contracts. The impressive development encompasses 220 units and boasts a wide array of amenities, including a large co-working area, coffee shop, gym, library, shared laundry facilities, communal kitchens, cinema room and roof terraces. It also includes six parking spaces and two 110-capacity cycle stores.

The journey to securing an SBD Silver Award was not without its challenges; however, through Designing Out Crime Officer Danny McPhail’s proactive collaboration with architects Hawkins and Brown and developers Claritas, the necessary adjustments were made. Key changes included the addition of extra doors for compartmentation and a revision of external features to meet SBD guidelines.

The biggest change to the original plans arose due to the inclusion of a link between the development and an adjoining site that lacked planning permission at that time. This posed potential security risks, which were mitigated by the installation of a solid two-metre wall separating the two developments. Furthermore, the cycle storage facilities underwent significant redesign to comply with the SBD Homes guide, enhancing security with access control systems.

Despite some late-stage disruptions which compromised security measures, the development team, with dedicated involvement from SBD, rectified these issues. This included reinstating gates, upgrading entrance doors, relocating seating to areas with sufficient natural surveillance, and ensuring comprehensive access control for shared spaces.

The Folk at The Palm House exemplifies strength and innovation in a high-crime area, achieving a remarkably low crime rate since its opening in October 2022. The development's success in such a challenging environment serves as a model for future communal living projects, demonstrating the importance of robust security measures and thoughtful design in fostering safe, inclusive communities.

Daniel Collins, the Community and Operations Manager for the scheme, reported in December 2023 that residents frequently commend the development's security and safety features. This positive reception highlights the project's success in creating a secure, attractive living environment that meets the needs of its community.

Metropolitan Police Designing Out Crime Officer, Danny McPhail, said: “Communal living developments of this size offer a real challenge for Secured by Design, due to the multi-faceted requirements of communal living buildings with transient residents and shared facilities.

“Following the Secured by Design requirements being installed and the management company realising the benefits for themselves and the residents, they are now looking to install similar security to all their existing and future venues because of their success. There has not been a single reported crime at this venue in the past 12 months.”

Danny was presented with the award at Secured by Design’s ATLAS national training event by Police Crime Prevention Initiatives CEO Guy Ferguson and South Yorkshire Police’s Chief Constable Lauren Poultney, the head of profession for police Designing Out Crime Officers.

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Find out more about the development

What is Secured by Design?

Secured by Design (SBD) is the official police security initiative that works to improve the security of buildings and their immediate surroundings to provide safe places to live, work, shop and visit.

SBD’s product based accreditation scheme – the Police Preferred Specification - provides a recognised standard for all security products that can deter and reduce crime.

There are currently many hundreds of companies producing thousands of attack resistant crime prevention products, across 30 different crime categories, which have achieved Police Preferred Specification.

Improved security

Developers around the UK can achieve SBD awards for incorporating crime prevention measures and techniques into their developments in all kinds of building sectors, such as residential, education, health, transport, commercial, retail, sport and leisure. Indeed, SBD can be used as evidence to discharge third-party obligations under Part Q of Schedule 1 (Security) to the English Building Regulations, the Scottish Building Standard 4.13 (Security) and Welsh Building Regulations Part Q (Security – Dwellings). These awards are gained by working with police Designing Out Crime Officers (DOCOs), who advise architects, developers and local authority planners long before construction begins – and continue to provide advice and guidance until the development is complete.

Academic and other research shows that improving standards of security in brand new and refurbished properties, helps deter and reduce crime. Reducing crime and the fear of crime has direct links to better physical and mental well-being, such as with regard to high volume crimes like domestic abuse.   

The built environment influences the behaviour of people who work, live, socialise or simply pass through. SBD seeks to create environments where the law-abiding feel safe and secure whilst at the same time causing the criminal or anti-social to feel vulnerable to detection and thereby influence behaviour in a positive way. This continues to be a key objective for SBD.

Find out more about SBD Developers Awards here.

SBD Design Guides

SBD has produced a series of authoritative Design Guides to assist the building, design and construction industry to incorporate security into developments to comply with the Building Regulations in England, Scotland and Wales and meet the requirements of SBD.

These Design Guides, available to download for free at the SBD website, have been updated over the years to keep pace with changing patterns of criminal behaviour and advances in building design and new technology.

They are a valuable source of reference to architects, developers, self-builders, local authority planners and police officers and cover a range of building sectors, including residential, education, health, transport and commercial. 

Police Designing Out Crime Officers (DOCOs)

DOCOs provide specialist crime reduction advice to the public, businesses and colleagues about premises or property security. They also work with building developers, architects, and council planning departments regarding new developments and refurbishments, to 'design out' crimes like burglary and anti-social behaviour (ASB) by providing advice on street lighting, building and street layout, entrances and exits - as well as preferred standards and specifications for doors, windows, and locks, under the Secured by Design initiative. 

DOCOs are able to deliver site specific interventions required to help design out crime in areas that suffer disproportionately from acquisitive crime, based on local crime pattern analysis, police, local authority and community engagement and the collective knowledge and experience of how criminals behave.

DOCOs are specialist problem solvers, working every day to make a positive difference, changing lives for the better and helping people to be safe and secure in their homes.

Contact details for local DOCOs can be found here.