Planning permission granted for Stratford Waterfront
LLDC and Ballymore partnership given green light in Stratford London Legacy Development Corporation (LLDC) and Ballymore have this week been awarded detailed planning consent for 700 new homes neighbouring East Bank, the new cultural quarter for innovation, creativity and learning in Stratford. Stratford Waterfront, designed by Howells alongside O’Donnell+Tuomey and LDA Design, comprises a family of four residential-led buildings of up to 27 storeys, to be set within Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park. The plans also include circa 1,750 sq m of commercial space at ground level, as well as over 4,000 sq m of public open space that will prioritise biodiversity and play. 35% of the homes will be affordable, with a total of 50% affordable homes planned when combined with Bridgewater Triangle, a second site to be delivered by the partnership, together with Pudding Mill Lane and Rick Roberts Way. At the most northern part of the site, a marker building known as the ‘Prow’ has been designed by O’Donnell+Tuomey, who have also designed the neighbouring V&A East and Sadler’s Wells East. The three mid-block buildings of Stratford Waterfront, designed by Howells, feature strong textured masonry bands that connect them to their East Bank neighbours. The buildings make the most of its setting within the centre of the Park, with each staggered to maximise the long range views of the City and to the north. Sustainability has informed their design, and will ensure each home will receive good quality sunlight and daylight, while minimising overheating. In addition, residents can enjoy amenities such as a gym, concierge, co-working spaces, and podium play areas, all next to Waterworks River. The palette of all four residential buildings complements the materiality of prestigious neighbours: the V&A East Museum, London College of Fashion: UAL, BBC Music Studios, and Sadler’s Wells East. The four buildings share characteristics of strong vertical and horizontal lines, which harmonise with East Bank’s distinctive identity of earthen tones and cast materials, reflecting the making heritage of east London. At ground level, the scheme will offer future residents, workers, or visitors to East Bank multiple café and restaurant options alongside a south-facing waterfront promenade with views and connections into Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park. Landscape designed by LDA Design features play space, seating, and diverse tree planting, all contributing to a green and walkable neighbourhood. Simon Ryan, Development Director at Ballymore “East Bank is transforming Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park with the most ambitious cultural project in a generation. With the London College of Fashion, UAL and UCL East already open, Sadler’s Wells East will follow later this year with V&A East, and BBC Music Studios soon after. So, this site demanded new homes of design excellence – in keeping with the bar that has already been set by our cultural and academic partners and neighbours and the site’s most incredible setting by the water and on the park. We’re so proud of what has been achieved by our partnership with LLDC, and with the support of a brilliant design team. It’s fantastic to have the green light so detailed design work can commence with a view to beginning construction in early 2026.” Rosanna Lawes, Executive Director of Development at LLDC, said: “As East Bank, one of the country’s largest cultural and education districts, nears completion it is exciting to move onto the next phase of development. The joint venture partnership with Ballymore means that we can rapidly build on the Park’s successful legacy to create another thriving and sustainable community of well-designed and sustainable homes.” Areta Soare, Director at Howells, added: “We’re excited to share the plans for Stratford Waterfront with its unique offering that will complement the cultural hub at East Bank. Situated on a constrained site, we have worked closely with clients and collaborators throughout to ensure this scheme represents high-quality designed and crafted homes for this prominent location.” Construction is anticipated to be underway in spring 2026, with completion anticipated for late 2029. Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals
Major student accommodation scheme granted planning within the City Edge Masterplan, Dublin
An Bord Pleanála has granted planning for a major student accommodation scheme on the Naas Road, Dublin 12, which will bring much needed student housing to the city. Designed by London based, leading International Architecture and Urban Design practice, HKR Architects for Hollybrook Homes, the Gowan House development will provide 899 purpose-built student rooms (including 44 accessible units and 24 studios) across buildings varying in height from thirteen storeys to ten storeys. The masterplan includes shared community and cultural space, retail space and an attractive public realm positioned on the River Camac. An Bord Pleanála overturned a previous refusal by Dublin City Council at Gowan House on the grounds that student residential was not an appropriate use on the site and the mass of the proposal was inappropriately large. Joao Ornelas, Associate Director for HKR Architects comments: “We welcome An Bord Pleanála’s decision to overturn a previous ruling by the Dublin City Council for this development, which brings 900 student beds to the city. The decision addresses the considerable pressure to supply student housing and creates a great opportunity for future regeneration within the City Edge masterplan. “Our extensive PSBA experience together with our client’s long knowledge of the student sector has empowered the team to create a very viable and efficient scheme, achieving optimum site value in line with HKR’s well established ‘Value by Design’ ethos. This is something we pride ourselves on and bring to all our projects. “This development is unique as it is one of the first to address the daylighting a culverted River in this case the Camac within the City Edge Strategic Framework. Opening a river running nine metres below ground level is challenging but will bring several benefits to the site and ultimately add value. “This is a complex initiative required expert input from the dedicated specialist team. The creation of a low intervention Riparian Zone will encourage biodiversity, increasing plant diversity, food resources and higher quality shelter to the benefit of wildlife inhabiting and commuting through the area. It also proves the overall flood resilience along the River Camac.” Several innovative design measures were adopted to meet the project brief as well as address DCC’s policy aspirations. River daylighting was maximised, which in turn optimises the ecological benefit while providing a wonderful visual amenity to all the spaces overlooking the river. The scheme includes extensive roof gardens as external amenities. This move in the landscape strategy allows the quantum of public realm to be increased, offering an interesting experience for the public with a treetop walk ‘floating’ over the river, providing an attractive visual and ecological feature to this new urban quarter. A pedestrian bridge connects the residential blocks, enabling the communal amenities to be shared between all blocks. This design has the operational benefit of a single entrance point from which residents are distributed across the dissected site. The façade composition utilises complementary and contrasting colours to modulate the general mass of the scheme adding variety and interest to the overall composition. Pre-cast concrete components are proposed in the façade design, providing a high-quality finish with a considered of colour textures and patterns. This robust low maintenance material ensures the continued appearance of the façade through a full life cycle. The use of prefabricated elements brings all the benefits of offsite construction to the project and aligns with HKR’s decades long expertise in industrialised Construction. Internally the standard rooms are arranged in clusters, each featuring three to eight bed spaces with shared living, kitchen and dining areas. HKR have maximised the number of dual aspect clusters, creating 67% dual aspect sitewide avoiding single aspect north-facing clusters. 5% of the rooms are accessible and located near circulation cores for ease of access. Excellent provision is made for disabled users in all circulation spaces and communal areas. All landscaping, public and private has been designed to be fully accessible and inclusive. Prioritizing sustainable transportation, car parking provision is at an absolute minimum of nine spaces, including accessible parking. The development will improve the cycle network and offer extensive bicycle storage including cargo/adapted bike spaces and electric bike charging. The development is accessed via a public south-facing plaza, leading to the central landscape, which includes the daylit segment of the river. The retail, cultural and community spaces, located on the western side of the site off Naas Road directly overlook the new square and public realm, activating and enhancing these spaces while providing new facilities for the surrounding neighbourhood. Jerry Ryan, HKR Executive Chairman comments, “HKR Architects have a long tradition of challenging consensus and optimising mixed use urban regeneration. Smithfield Square constructed in 2003 represented a step change in the density of urban redevelopment in Dublin with a plot ratio of 5.5. Recently it was voted the second ‘coolest neighbourhood’ in the world by TimeOut, second only to Medellin in Columbia. “ Later HKR achieved a grant of permission at Ballsbridge One with a plot ratio of 4.6 which kickstarted the regeneration of Ballsbridge Central. This grant of permission on the Naas Road represents a landmark decision in the city’s ongoing redevelopment. It addresses a very real housing need. Dublin’s housing shortfall should be addressed via multiple residential typologies including student accommodation and co-living as is demonstrably the case in all European cities. The idea of one size fits all does not address the reality of the diverse demography that is a city.” Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals
Planning granted for Resident Farringdon
Planning permission has been granted by the City of London to Mactaggart Family & Partners for The Resident Farringdon. The 128-room hotel, which is due to open in 2027, will be the fifth London site for the brand, taking it to a total portfolio of seven properties across the UK. The hotel has been designed by EPR Architects, with a focus on creating a highly sustainable building. Situated at 1-8 Long Lane, it will be at the heart of the Culture Mile, with easy access to the Barbican, Smithfield and Farringdon neighbourhoods. From 2026 the area will also be home to the London Museum, as part of the Smithfield General Market regeneration. William Laxton, CEO, Mactaggart Family & Partners, said: “We are thrilled with the consent for The Resident Farringdon and with the opportunity to contribute to this growing and thriving location. It is so important to us to be able to maximise this site’s potential with a modern, high-quality hotel, which is also as sustainable as possible and we are thrilled that the City of London planning committee has vindicated our approach to the scheme. “The Resident Farringdon will offer guests a home-from-home experience, from which they can explore this thriving neighbourhood, with bars, restaurants, galleries, museums and performance venues only steps away, all activated by some of the best infrastructure in Europe in the form of the Elizabeth Line at Farringdon East.” The Resident Farringdon will feature third party operated restaurant, cafe and retail spaces at ground level and a pocket garden for guests and the public to enjoy. In keeping with the rest of The Resident portfolio, the Brand purposely forgoes its own formal bar or restaurant, but has a library lounge. From here the knowledgeable team will encourage guests to enjoy the highlights and hidden gems that abound in the surrounding area. Adam Jones, director, EPR Architects, said: “Sustainability is at the core of the scheme and we and Mactaggart Family & Partners, advised by ARUP, have sought to reduce the hotel’s carbon footprint through a series of thoughtful design solutions, including optimising the façade’s design to minimise energy consumption and solar gain, using a low embodied carbon ventilation system and improving on-site biodiversity.” Additional features of the build will include over 95% of demolition, excavation and construction waste being diverted from landfill. In addition to the pocket garden, enhanced greening at upper floor terrace levels will be introduced, along with a new green roof space helping to achieve a significant uplift in biodiversity. With vast experience that has involved defining some of the world’s leading hotels, EPR’s previous projects in London have included The Ned, The OWO and NoMad. David Orr, CEO of Resident Hotels Ltd as Operator of The Resident, said: “The Resident has established itself with guests as one of the best regarded hotel brands, particularly in London, the most global of cities. The Resident Farringdon opens up a prime destination within the ‘Culture Mile’ BID, where community, culinary and commercial innovation cohabit in abundance. The prospect of partnering with local, yet world-renowned Arts institutions, engaging with our culturally affluent guests, and leading local connectivity with our Resident Insiders teams is very exciting.” Resident Hotels is due to open its sixth location, in The Resident Edinburgh, in August under the leadership of GM Gillian Mylles. She is assembling a great team, ready to delight guests from the final weeks of the International Festival. Heartfelt hospitality fuels The Resident brand’s reputation with exceptional NPS scores, and review rankings. This ethos has ensured that this year saw The Resident Covent Garden confirmed by TripAdvisor Travelers’’Choice “Best of the Best” as the no. #1 Hotel in the UK 2024 and #15 in Europe 2024. Current The Resident Covent Garden is at #1, The Resident Soho is at #18 in London and The Resident Victoria is at #20, which means that we have three Top 20 hotels in the current Tripadvisor Traveler ranked places in London. The Resident Liverpool is consistently at #1 in that great cultural destination, host city to the exceptional Biennial. The brand has plans to add rooms of a total target of 1,500 to 2,000 rooms over the next five years. Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals
Planning granted for £36m, 170,000 sq ft sustainable urban logistics development in Cheshire
Planning has been granted to speculatively build 170,000 sq ft of Grade A sustainable urban logistics space in Adlington, Cheshire potentially creating up to 250 jobs. A joint venture (JV) between Chancerygate and specialist sustainable and impact investor, Bridges Fund Management will deliver the scheme, which has a projected gross development value of around £36m. Called Avro Business Park, the scheme is located on a 7.8-acre site off London Road, south of Poynton town centre, and will adjoin Adlington Business Park and Adlington Industrial Estate. It will comprise 11 units ranging from 7,000 sq ft to 29,000 sq ft, available on a leasehold or freehold basis. Construction is scheduled to commence in October, with practical completion expected October 2025. Neighbouring occupiers to the development include confectionery manufacturer Swizzels, tray sealing and packaging line specialist Proseal, and transport company William Kirk. All properties at the development will target an EPC rating of A+ and a BREEAM Excellent rating. They will feature electric vehicle charging points along with solar photovoltaic cells which provide occupiers with affordable green energy. In addition, the units will be constructed from high-performance building materials to reduce CO2 emissions. Chancerygate development director, Chris Brown, who is based in the company’s Warrington office, said: “Avro Business Park is in an excellent location, with fantastic connections to the airport and the M56 via the new Poynton Relief Road. “The area is witnessing an increasing shift to ESG-led developments, from both the occupational and investor market. “Our development will help satisfy this strong demand for sustainable, high specification urban logistics accommodation within the south Manchester and Cheshire markets.” Founded in 1995, Chancerygate is the UK’s largest urban logistics property developer and asset manager and the only one operating nationwide. The company currently has around 1.16m sq ft of urban logistics space under construction or ready for development across ten sites ranging from Edinburgh to Croydon. Bridges is a specialist sustainable and impact investor. Its property funds focus on sectors that are well-placed to benefit from the transition to a more sustainable and inclusive economy, including lower-cost living, healthcare and sustainable logistics. Guy Bowden, partner at Bridges Fund Management, said: “We’re delighted that we can begin construction on this great site in Adlington. We plan to deliver Grade A logistics space with best-in-class sustainability credentials – meeting the strong local demand and supporting local job creation.” Agents for Avro Business Park are Savills and Williams Sillitoe Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals
Peabody and Crest Nicholson join forces to provide much-needed new homes in Brackley
Peabody and Crest Nicholson have formed a new joint venture to deliver hundreds of much-needed new homes in Brackley, Northamptonshire. The partnership between not-for-profit housing association Peabody and housebuilder Crest Nicholson will provide circa 405 high quality, energy efficient homes off Turweston Road. The 34-acre site will include one- and two- bedroom apartments and two-, three- and four-bedroom houses across a range of tenures, including affordable rent, shared ownership and open market homes. The development will be sustainable, with each of the homes benefitting from an air source heat pump and an electric vehicle charging point. Proposed open spaces will include three new play areas and more than seven acres of green spaces for the community to enjoy, including a wildflower meadow, plus new ponds. Peabody and Crest Nicholson are expecting to submit a detailed planning application later this year. The homes will be delivered in phases, with construction due to begin in 2025. Simon Barry, Regional Managing Director at Peabody, said: “Our partnership with Crest Nicholson is great news for Brackley and the community. Our organisations share a commitment to deliver high quality, energy efficient homes for local people, and a desire to add long-term value to communities. “These much-needed new homes, a sizeable proportion of which will be affordable, will be located in the heart of our north counties region, giving residents the benefits of market town living but with easy access to the countryside, Northampton and the M40 motorway. “We look forward to welcoming new residents to the neighbourhood from next year.” Adrian Sims, Managing Director at Crest Nicholson Chiltern, added: “We are pleased to be partnering with Peabody to build this new community on the edge of Brackley. The partnership enables us to capitalise on the expertise of both organisations to provide a collection of high quality, energy efficient new homes and a selection of amenities that residents and the wider community will be able to benefit from in years to come. “We look forward to working hand in hand with Peabody to deliver a thriving, quality community that meets growing local demand for private market and affordable housing.” For more information, please call 0800 029 7171 or email TurwestonRoad@connectpa.co.uk. Or visit TurwestonRoad.com Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals
Story Homes secures permission to deliver 112 new homes on land in Scotby, Carlisle
New development to bring over £358k in community improvements to benefit local people Local housebuilder Story Homes has been granted permission from Cumberland Council to build 112 much-needed new homes on land south of the A69 in Scotby, Carlisle. Cumberland Council’s Planning Committee met on Wednesday 5 June to consider Story Homes’ proposals for a new residential development, subsequently approving the scheme, which includes a range of high-quality two to five-bedroom properties that suit the needs of a variety of prospective buyers. 33 of the new homes will be classed as affordable and will address the different requirements of eligible occupants with a connection to the Scotby area. The new development will complement the local area and include biodiversity enhancements and the delivery of new public open space which can be enjoyed by new and existing residents. As part of this new development in Scotby, Story Homes will make a number of significant community contributions totalling over £358k in line with the Section 106 Agreement requirements for the scheme. This includes contributions towards open space, sports and recreation, new primary school places, highways and travel improvements. David Hayward, Land Manager for Story Homes in Cumbria & Scotland, said: “We are delighted to have been granted planning permission to deliver 112 new homes in Scotby. Our scheme has been carefully designed to provide an appropriate extension to the village of Scotby and will deliver a range of two to five-bedroom modern, family homes centred around flexible living. “The scheme will also provide a number of benefits to the local community, such as the provision of 33 much needed new affordable homes for local people with differing requirements, attractive street scenes, biodiversity gains and areas of new open space. We look forward to works beginning on site for this exciting new development.” Due to significant delays within the planning system, including Nutrient Neutrality mitigation, Story Homes has been unable to bring forward any new residential developments in the Carlisle area since permission was granted for its Oakleigh Fields development at Orton Road in 2021. This approval was therefore welcomed by the local housebuilder, with the new scheme creating benefits for the local economy during the construction phase as a result of direct and indirect employment opportunities through the sub-contractor and supply chains. Works on site at the new development are set to begin in early 2025, following completion of the S106 agreement which will secure the various contributions as well as the Nutrient Neutrality mitigation scheme. For more information, please visit www.storyhomes.co.uk Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals