The huge Aylesbury Estate is currently undergoing a major regeneration programme, addressing the problem of poor physical condition and the fact that nearly half of all residents feel unsafe walking through it after dark. By 2010, Southwark had produced an Area Action Plan and in 2012 sought a development partner to help rejuvenate the ailing estate. This was a rare opportunity to revitalise a part of London and to knit it seamlessly back into the surrounding city. Landscape played a pivotal role in reshaping the council’s AAP Masterplan. HTA recognised the importance of the site’s existing trees, mapped them onto the existing masterplan and reconfigured it, using the location of the trees to indicate where new roads and open spaces should go. This was a distinguishing factor in the bid and subsequent planning applications, and has added value to proposals in economic, environmental and cultural terms.