The estate was built by the William Sutton Trust, established in 1901 following the death of Victorian philanthropist William Sutton. Sutton bequeathed the equivalent of £80m in today’s money to house the poor, much to the annoyance of his family, who disputed the will for several years.

Built in Edwardian Baroque style with decorative motifs the Sutton Estate covers an area of 1.5 hectares and lies within the Chelsea Estates Conservation Area. Completed in 1913 it comprises 15 five-storey buildings providing 462 homes, all of which are for social rent.

Clarion Housing secured planning permission in January 2021 to undertake a £37m refurbishment of the estate. This included bringing four mothballed blocks back into use, creating 81 much needed homes (all for social rent); new public realm through the whole estate, including new green space and community facilities; and upgrades to all the existing homes. Clarion Housing's aim is to secure the legacy of the estate, ensuring the history, stories and beauty of these historic buildings can be enjoyed for generations to come, fitting new to the old in a sympathetic way.

The proposals include an extensive landscape transformation of the entire estate, creating green spaces where currently there are none.

The four currently mothballed blocks do not meet modern standards and will be completely refurbished, bringing 81 homes back to life for social housing tenants. This will include a mix of one, two, three and four-bedroom flats designed to match the needs of local residents. In the process, Clarion Housing will be making the homes larger and better designed for families to enjoy.

Residents in the remaining 303 flats on the estate will benefit from an extensive programme of upgrades including new kitchens and bathrooms, as well as improvements to communal areas, door entry systems and lifts.

An integrated play trail will weave through the estate, and areas between building entrances will become people-friendly shared spaces with 23 new trees and attractive planting, as well as improved bin and bike storage.

The extensive enhancement programme includes sustainability features which will include:
• a Ground Source Heat Pump system using electricity rather than gas
• a fabric first approach generating a 38% carbon reduction and 46% energy saving
• an overall reduction of at least 45% carbon and 72% energy savings, with a SAP 10 carbon reduction of 70%
• First stage of Building with Nature accreditation achieved