18/01269/OUT
Outline application for demolition of existing youth club and erection
of a new specialist youth club along with 7 residential flats with
associated landscaping, green roofs, cycle parking and refuse/recycling
units.
The proposed residential block is higher than the current buildings,
taking its lead from the height of Empress Mews. The height will enclose
and dominate Kenbury Street properties. The Daylight assessment has been
carried out by the applicant/developer ‘Pooch Ltd’ rather than an
independent specialist, so validity w
Whilst the overall appearance and layout is much improved compared to
the previous “outline” applications, it still appears that too much is
being crammed into this sensitive backlands site.
As before, this has led to a compromised design, with apartments facing
onto the walls of narrow alleys or wall of neighbouring youth facility
or onto an overlooked courtyard both by its own functions and by
neighbouring properties.
How a specialist youth facility and residential flats for sale or to
rent can coexist on the same site is difficult to see. The way that this
has been addressed with barriers and screening makes you think there is
something wrong in the concept of this mixed use. As one objector puts
it:
The fact that design includes lots of control measures such as fences
and obscured glazing suggest that two functions, residential and a youth
facility, is too much. Good design tends not to have to resort to
barriers and blocked views.
The residential block and youth facility are intended to operate in
close proximity. The narrow alley to access the site is not accessible
by cars which seems odd for a care facility that may need access by
emergency vehicle or drop off/collection vehicles for service users.
There is no mention as to how this facility will operate.
The flats are, no doubt, intended to fund the development and provision
of the care facility, but whether it is acceptable to mix these uses
which would normally be kept separate, for good reason, is doubtful.
The Camberwell Society objects to this split use application.