KINGSTON AND NORTH KINGSTON NEIGHBOURHOOD
Conservation Areas Advisory Committee

PLANNING APPLICATION COMMENT FORM
DATE: 11 April 2018

N/A
 RBK ref:

18/12119/FUL 		Address: 34 Surrey House, Eden Street

Planning Officer: Barry Lomax

Description of proposed works:

Demolition of existing buildings to provide 2,072sqm commercial floorspace (Flexible Use Class A/D1/D2) & 311 residential units, along with associated communal amenity space, public realm improvements, servicing, plant areas & extended car park to provide 4 additional half decks. This application is accompanied by an Environmental Statement.

APPRAISAL

By full committee on …… 11 April 2018 …… with …… 6 …… members present


1. Positive support
2. No objection
3. Objection
X
4. Objection unless revised as below
5. No comment/neutral
6. Lack of detail
7. Decision already issued



Reason for objection:

Although this proposed development is not within a conservation area, the site directly abuts CA1: Kingston Old Town Conservation Area to the West; the Grade 2 listed United Reformed Church to the North and the Grade 2 listed Old Post Office to the East. It is undeniable that it will impact the settings of these two assets, and it will impact the views into and out of the Royal Borough’s most important and first-to-be-designated Conservation Area. A very large and bulky development is being proposed.

The Committee’s conservation concerns are as follows:

  1. The Height and Bulk is excessive. The 9-12 storey frontage on three sides creates closed, passive and monotonous facades which overshadow two listed buildings and create a canyon effect in Eden Street and Brook Street. This is in conflict with RBK’s stated aim for town centre development to; ‘achieve a high standard of design, with appropriate scale, height, massing and materials, which relates well to surrounding buildings and frontage lines’ (AAP, 2008-2020, p67)
  2. The Architectural/ Visual Impact Study in the planning proposal attempts to justify the height and massing by referencing the 16 storey towers in the Eden Walk and Old Post Office developments. Neither of these directly overshadow listed buildings. The 9-12 stories and monotonous facades of the Surrey House proposal directly overshadow The Old Post Office and the United Reformed Church; both Grade 2 listed.
  3. The street scene and public realm are sacrificed to maximising bulk on the site. The EQ SPD requirement for “clear views of The Old Post Office” and creation of a “Square” in the public realm opposite the United Reformed Church have not been met. The building line on Eden St is set back only 50cms, in contrast to 2 metres for the Old Post Office development.