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.
Champion Hill, Seavington House 22/AP/0174
Demolition of 16 garages and 10 bedsits and redevelopment of the site for the construction of 5 terraced three storey houses and a 19 unit four storey block of flats providing a total 24 new homes at 100% social rent | Seavington House Champion Hill London Southwark
It is disappointing that, having withdrawn its 2018 on this site Southwark has submitted a new application which repeats and emphasises the faults of the original.
The principal technical problem remains the proximity of the 5 x 3 storey houses proposed in the current application to the permitted development at 1A Dog Kennel Hill. They would be between 10.5m and 12.7m from the houses, whereas, according to Southwark’s guidelines, this distance should be 21m.
The result is that 17 of the 27 windows to habitable rooms in the north elevation of the 1A Dog Kennel Hill houses would lose more than 20% of their daylight, which according to the Building Research Establishment would be noticeable and produce an adverse effect.
The proximity of the proposed development to 1A Dog Kennel Hill would also affect the privacy of the future residents of the houses. The Planning Statement attached to the application suggests that the scheme has been designed to avoid direct overlooking, but it is difficult to see how this can be the case where 24 new windows onto habitable rooms in the proposed development face 27 windows onto habitable rooms at 1A Dog Kennel Hill.
The same factors of loss of daylight and privacy would of course also affect the future residents of the houses proposed in this application, with the additional disadvantage that 1A Dog Kennel Hill would cause them loss of sunlight, being on the south side of the new development, as well as loss of daylight and privacy.
The Champion Hill estate is composed of free-standing blocks in a park setting. As the Design and Access Statement points out the estate “has large areas of green open space around the existing buildings, however this seems under-utilised and large areas are fenced off”. Our solution would be to move the development, too big and too close to the road on its current site, to another part of the estate where more dwellings could be happily accommodated.
The Camberwell Society objects to this application.