Conservation advice was provided for the redevelopment of 1-6 Camberwell Green/ 307-311 Camberwell New Road in the London Borough of Southwark. The site, located within the Camberwell Green Conservation Area, was designed to be sensitive to the surrounding townscape and architectural quality. The proposed high-density mix of residential and commercial uses was inspired by the angularity of the historic green and the scale of surrounding buildings. Historically, the site’s character is defined through its growth from a village to an inner suburb, attracted by new buildings for businesses like the London and County Bank in 1899.
The proposed enhancements include reinstating the building line at Camberwell Green and Camberwell New Road, building on the local heritage and style and bringing a disused building and site forward for re-use.
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.
This city block was regenerated on the basis that the impacts on historic buildings were not harmful and were balanced against the overall benefit of the redevelopment. The recommendations included continuing the traditional appearance of shopfronts at ground level, subdividing ground floor frontage to reflect the width of individual plots, and incorporating surrounding materials, form, and palette.
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 also complied with the UDP in terms of a suitable height in an “urban zone”.
The design respected the surrounding townscape and architectural quality, highlighting the use of materials, building heights, and visual impact assessments. The proposed was seen to be an enhancement to the conservation area through reinstating the building line, drawing inspiration from the area’s heritage, and creating an improved relationship with the surroundings.
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.