Web Document Design and access statement - Southwark Council ...

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Existing buildings on site The redundant swimming pool (which has been closed due to structural problems for many years) and current leisure centre are both very introverted buildings with few windows to provide any street animation or natural surveillance. The external elevations are extremely uniform and blank and rely solely on signage to advertise the internal building use and entrance position (which is hard to locate). Fig. 9: Strata Tower by BFLS Fig. 10: Elephant and Castle shopping centre - Existing Fig. 11: St Modwen Shopping centre redevelopment - concept image Immediate Surroundings The immediate surroundings of the Site are extremely diverse and mixed. The former churchyard to the south (now a park) is the only visible public green space and a well used community meeting point with playgrounds for different ages, outdoor seating and a small skate boarder community. The green space stands in stark contrast to the adjacent busy Southern Junction. The Metropolitan Tabernacle to the north of the Site is the only pre-war development along Elephant and Castle. Together with the adjacent London College of Communication it creates a clear boundary between the commercial character of Elephant and Castle and the residential areas to the west known as Elliots Row. Opposite the site the Elephant and Castle shopping centre, which was the first covered shopping mall in Europe, awaits redevelopment. Fig. 12: 360 London by Rogers Stirk Harbour & Partners Adjoining tall buildings The existing buildings along Elephant and Castle are generally higher than those on the surrounding side streets though most fall within the mid rise bracket. However recent developments show a shift towards greater height. The recently completed Strata tower on Walworth Road to the south of the site designed by BFLS (formerly Hamiltons) houses 408 apartments in 43 storeys (147.9m above AOD). It is flanked by the 25 storey Draper House, a brutalist towerblock from 1965 which was at the time of its completion the highest residential building in London. To the south west of the site, planning consent has been obtained for the ‘360’ (also known as the former London Park Hotel) development designed by Rogers Stirk Harbour and Partners, which is to house 470 apartments in a tower rising to 44 storeys (146.6m above AOD) and some associated mid rise buildings. In addition Oakmayne Plaza designed by Tate Hindle to the north east of the site (which is currently under construction) will consist of three blocks up to 26 storeys high (87.5m above AOD). A further planning application for a tall building nearby (Eileen House designed by Allies and Morrison, a 44 storey high tower (134m above AOD) to the North of the tube station) is currently awaiting determination by the Mayor of London. An outline planning application for the Heygate Masterplan designed by Make also identifies a number of locations for future high rise buildings. Fig 13: Oakmayne Plaza by Tate Hindle Fig 14: Existing and proposed high rise buildings around the site Background paper: Urban design Revision 1, March 2012 St Mary’s Residential Detailed Planning Application June 2012 7
2.1.4 Elephant and Castle Regeneration The Elephant and Castle Opportunity Area has been identified in the Southwark Plan as an area with potential for substantial change to transform the wider area. Key components of the Opportunity Area include the redevelopment of the following areas: nn The existing leisure centre site nn The housing estates on Phase 1 of the Heygate Regeneration and the Heygate Masterplan nn The Elephant and Castle shopping centre The Site lies within the central area of the Elephant and Castle Opportunity Area in a zone that has been identified in the background paper on urban design for the Elephant and Castle Opportunity Area, the Draft Supplementary Planning Document (SPD) and Opportunity Area Planning Framework (OAPF), to support intense development (subject to compliance with Southwark’s Plan Policy 3.20 which sets out criteria regarding the specific location of tall buildings, including that tall buildings should be located at a point of landmark significance and contribute positively to the skyline as a whole while consolidating in clusters within a skyline, or providing key focus within views). In fact one of the options of the OAPF for tall buildings in the opportunity area tested in the background paper (option 3) indicates a tall building on the site (see Figure 18). Fig. 15: The E&C Opportunity Area Fig. 16: Character areas in the E&C Opportunity Area KEY: Lend Lease: 1 Heygate (outline) 2. Phase One (Rodney Road) Fig. 17: Planned developments in Elephant and Castle The main items listed for consideration in the character assessment of the central area in the OAPF are nn Impact on the local context (such as adjacent conservation areas and heritage assets in the local and wider area); nn Impact on the strategic view from Serpentine Bridge towards Palace of Westminster World Heritage Site, especially for any tall buildings proposals; 3.St Mary’s Residential Southwark Council: 4. Leisure Centre 5. E&C Opportunity Area SPD St Modwen 6. Shopping Centre Both of these items have been considered from the early stages of the design as outlined in the following chapters. Fig. 18: Testing Option 3 - Urban Design Background Paper Fig. 19: Planning application programmes Fig. 20: Model - Heygate Masterplan designed by Make Fig. 21: Heygate Masterplan by Make - March 2012 St Mary’s Residential Detailed Planning Application June 2012 8
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