Conservation advice was provided in respect of a revised proposal for the proposed redevelopment of 1-6 Camberwell Green/ 307-311 Camberwell New Road. The site lies within the London Borough of Southwark, approximately 2 kilometres south of Elephant and Castle and is located within the Camberwell Green Conservation Area.
A visual impact of the proposals within their townscape context was necessary to assist towards a design solution that was sensitive to the surrounding townscape and of an architectural quality to justify the level of demolition and degree of development.
The proposed high-density’ mix of residential and commercial uses arranged adjacent to a public space, was inspired by the angularity of the historic green and the evolved scale of surrounding buildings.
Until about 1800, Camberwell was a farming village surrounded by woods and fields. The subsequent evolution of Camberwell revolved around the increased accessibility of the area (first trains, 1862) and the junction of several routes into and out of the City of London. As such Camberwell Green itself evolved as more a junction of routeways than a destination.
Improved access, the Conservation area appraisal notes, led to a “further change in the character of Camberwell from a semi-rural village to an inner suburb”, which attracted new business such as the London and County bank in 1899 (now Grade II listed, sited at the corner of Camberwell New Road and Camberwell Green).
The Second World War damaged many buildings beyond repair and much of the Georgian and Victorian architecture has been replaced or supplemented by large 20th-century developments.
Among the opportunities for the site, the following were identified and bringing enhancements to the conservation area:
- Reinstatement of the building line at Camberwell Green and Camberwell New Road to provide a strong street frontage;
- Building on the vibrant and evolving heritage and style around Camberwell Green;
- Bringing a disused building and site forward for re-use.
The Redstar Pub, Peabody Estate, Greek Orthodox Church, the former London and County Bank and Camberwell Green were buildings/areas identified as being important elements of the wider context to the site.
The site masterplan was underlined by a purpose for regenerating this city block. Our services were called upon to ensure the impacts on historic buildings would be balanced against the overall benefit of the redevelopment.
Our input included;
- An evaluation of the contribution made by Listed Building’s to the scale of townscape, historic character;
- The preparation of a design critique of the proposals and results of the impact assessments;
- The drafting of a commentary of townscape and visual effects of proposed massing/ elevation.
We recommended that the traditional appearance of shopfronts at ground level should be continued. So, where the new buildings would occupy more than one plot, the ground floor frontage should be subdivided to reflect the width of the individual plots seen in historic shops.
Influence was drawn from the surrounding materials, form and palette brought forward by the townscape appraisal. This gave precedence for the use of materials such as Yellow London stock brick and Portland stone found in the earlier buildings of the area, as well as reference to the brickwork decorated with coloured banding in blue and red engineering bricks, found in later work.
It was important to continue the existing fenestration rhythm that is created by terrace properties and striking corner building whilst at the same time expressing the overall vertical character of the buildings in the area.
In addition to forming an improved relationship with Camberwell Passage, the massing and scale (6 storeys) of the new building would complement the existing townscape. \it complied with the UDP in terms of a suitable height in an “urban zone”.
The heritage appraisal concluded that although the height of the building exceeds the prevailing heights of the surrounding area, it maintains the building heights on the appropriate frontages and increases the height of the building away from the public realm. It would therefore, fit in with the established townscape whilst making effective use of the land and creating additional visual interest to the area.
The vision for the new (open to market in 2017) was inspired by our appraisal of the mix given by Victorian buildings, townhouses and open spaces. By clarifying the likely townscape and visual effects of the development, our indication of how new design would mitigate these effects was welcomed by the London Borough of Southwark.