Through the work of the sub-committee, the Society has been instrumental in saving many buildings of note including Addington Square, Denmark Hill Station and part of Windsor Walk. The Society has also been instrumental in influencing new development to make a positive contribution to the area, and works with local residents and tenants groups where there are common issues. The current composition of the Planning sub-committee is: Tim Gaymer, Anthony Kyrke-Smith, Elizabeth Borowiecka, Jason Leech, Robert Potz, Jonathan Hunt, Paul Cohoon, Somayya Yaqub, Michael Galt and Tom Harvey. Potential new members are welcome to attend a meeting as an observer initially. The Society is currently under represented by members from the Myatt Fields and Brunswick Park areas.
21/AP/1342 | BURGESS INDUSTRIAL PARK - CAMBERWELL UNION - 386 RESIDENTIAL UNITS
Application Reference & Link: 21/AP/1342
Address: Burgess Industrial Park Parkhouse Street London SE5 7TJ
Proposal: Demolition of the existing buildings and redevelopment of the site to provide 386 residential units (Class C3), up to 4,410sqm of flexible commercial floorspace (Class E) and 112sqm of community floorspace (Class F) within 12 blocks of between 2-12 storeys (max AOD height 48.25m), with car and cycle parking and associated hard and soft landscaping and public realm improvements.
The Camberwell Society has reviewed the new application for the redevelopment of Burgess Industrial Park and objects on the following grounds:
1. Height and Visual Impact
The 12 storey block in the centre of the site is taller than the highest building in the previous application and significantly taller than the existing chimney. It is our opinion that tall buildings are not appropriate for this site as they will have a negative impact on daylight /sunlight and on the nearby Grade II listed former church of St George.
We also feel that the height across the development does not appropriately step down towards the edge of the site. The 10 – 11 storey high building along the park edge will appear overbearing in terms of scale and massing and will contribute to additional overshadowing of the park.
2. Exemplary Design
The proposal is not of exemplary architectural design as needed for tall buildings.
There is no provision for a play area for over 5s. The scheme also does not achieve the minimum Urban Greening Factor for residential developments. Most of the bathrooms do not have natural light or ventilation and almost a quarter of the flats are single aspect.
3. Transport Capacity
The cumulative impact of new developments across Burgess Industrial Park will have a negative impact on public transport.
The site has a poor PTAL rating of 2 with a 20-30 minute walk to the nearest station (Denmark Hill).
Existing bus services are already at capacity and it is questionable if they can accommodate the increase in commuters from the proposed scheme and other emerging developments nearby.
The Camberwell Society welcomes the Local Development Study (LDS) but believes that a study of this type should have been carried out before major schemes were developed.
Although the new application has been improved (e.g. the number of residential units has been reduced, a visual link with the lime kiln in Burgess Park, pedestrian routes through the site and a new public open spaces have been incorporated) the Camberwell Society objects to this application based on the above observations and on the grounds of over-development.