Artusts impression of the new Town Hall site – showing the tall tower block on Brixton Hill
Lambeth council and Muse Developments Ltd have submitted a document to planners outlining draft plans for central Brixton, including a 14-storey block of flats in the place of Hambrook house and replacing offices at Olive Morris house with another 74 new homes.
The Environmental Impact Assessment application, lodged today, shows specific plans for the redevelopment of council land, including the listed Town Hall, between Brixton Hill and Acre Lane, for the first time.
The plans include most of the buildings within the triangle above, plus Olive Morris House. Pic: Future Brixton
Lambeth council contacted Brixton Blog to insist that the document below is not a planning application, but a “scoping” document for developers to find out what they need to include in the final application, expected to be made in February. They were also keen to point out taht
The plans submitted in the Environmental Impact Assessment include:
Demolition of Hambrook House, Brixton Hill, and erection of a part 14, part 10, part 6 storey mixed use building accommodating up to 98 new homes and commercial property on the ground floor.
Demolition of former council offices in Town Hall Parade, Brixton Hill (next to Electric Brixton) and erection of a six-storey council office block.
Demolition of Olive Morris House, further up Brixton Hill, to make way for a seven-storey block of flats with 74 residential units.
Refurbishment and alterations to Grade II listed Lambeth Town Hall including the demolition of a two storey element at the back, reinstatement of the original atrium with the erection of new roof, installation of new lifts in the rear courtyard, installation of new doors and windows and modifications to provide new office and community uses.
Renovation of current council office space at Ivor House, Acre Lane, to make 26 new homes and business space on the ground floor.
Plans for a 155-space cycle hub and cafe in Press House.
It is not known how many of these 196 new homes will be either for social or affordable rent.
F14/06141/EIAFUL | Site 1: Triangle Site – Demolition of Hambrook House (Council offices Use Class B1) and erection of an up to part 14, part 10, part 6 storey mixed use building accommodating up to 98 residential units, with associated bike and refuse stores plus ground floor commercial units (A1/A2/A3/B1/D1/D2 use classes). Demolition of Town Hall Parade (Council offices Use Class B1) and erection of a 6 storey (plus plant) building, comprising an 11,191 square metre civic office (Use Class B1). Refurbishment and alterations to Grade II listed Lambeth Town Hall including the demolition of a two storey element to the rear, reinstatement of the original atrium with the erection of new roof, installation of new lifts in the rear courtyard, installation of new doors and windows to internal elevations and basement modifications to provide new office and community uses. Change of use of Ivor House (Council offices Use Class B1) to provide 26 residential units (Use Class C3) at upper floor levels, involving the erection of a mansard roof extension and internal and external alterations, with associated bike and refuse stores, and ground floor and basement commercial units (A1/A2/A3/B1/D1/D2 use classes). Internal alterations and change of use of Press Building (Council building Use Class B2) to provide a cycle hub comprising up to 155 spaces along with changing and shower facilities and a café (Use Class A1/A3). Public realm enhancements including the removal of business parking bays on Buckner Road, hard and soft landscaping, the provision of cycle stands and the provision of disabled parking bays. Removal of residential parking bays on Porden Road and the introduction of street trees and landscaping to enable two way traffic and installation of bollards on Buckner Road to restrict vehicular access Site 2: Olive Morris House Demolition of the existing council offices (Use Class B1) and the erection of a part 6 / part 7 storey building comprising 74 residential units (Use Class C3 | Land West Of Brixton Hill, South Of Acre Lane And East Of Porden Rd Encompassing Town Hall Ivor House, Hambrook House, 17 And 24 Porden Rd, Town Hall Parade And Olive Morris House London SW2
Agree with Alastair Scott that Lambeth haven’t justified the demolition of Olive Morris House and need to be challenged on this. OMH is a key part of the jigsaw . If Lambeth kept it as offices, then they would need 40% less space in the new Civic Building. This would reduce the cost of the whole scheme, make it less risky – and mean they wouldn’t need such a tall building on the Hambrook House site to cross subsidise the offices.
I and other locals who’ve been challenging Lambeth and MUSE on their reasons for recommending the demolition of OMH have been given a copy of a report from Cartwright Pickard architects dated 4.11.2014 and were told by Lambeth officers that this would provide the justification.
I’ve read the report, which is just 6 pages long, and it does nothing of the sort.
When I’ve spoken to Lambeth officers in the past they’ve justified abandoning Olive Morris House by referring to high running costs and repair bills. In view of this, I was expecting the report to include figures which would show projected savings in repairs and running costs from moving to a new building. Astonishingly, there are no figures in the report at all. This information can’t be confidential, so why isn’t it in the report.
The only other justification the report offers for abandoning Olive Morris House as office accommodation are that a) the floor plate is unsuitable for modern office accommodation and b) the floor to ceiling heights are inadequate.
Neither of these arguments seem to stack up to me.
The floor plates on the upper levels at Olive Morris house (relatively narrow, windows on both sides, lift shafts near both ends) lend themselves well to use as open plan offices (which is the kind of space Lambeth will need to provide for staff who are hot-desking).
The floor to ceiling height is said to present problems because there isn’t space to allow a raised floor to be installed. Don’t agree with this point – a few years back it was common to install raised floors in older offices to accommodate phone and IT cabling, but this is out of date technology – new offices rely on wi fi, mobiles, tablets, etc
No social housing then – and I mean social not ‘affordable’ – which is actually unaffordable. Lambeth have let developers wriggle out of a the prescribed quota for ‘affordable’ completely anyway. The architecture is looking pretty unimaginative and clumsy on the drawings too. Shameful era.
The council should definitely stop to consider what the people think, I hear there was a protest last night outside the town hall and that if one of the options is implemented a third of the homes in the estate will be bulldozed and re-developed.
Lambeth Council should not be allowed anywhere near a major project like this, they do not have the institutional capability to take it on and they do not even recognise their own deficits. Stop this madness!
Certainly Hambrook House and the nameless (?) offices next to the Fridge are well and truly past it, but I’m surprised that Olive Morris House is being proposed for demolition. It might be Brutalist, but the brick surface makes it look considerably “warmer” than the usual stained concrete in such instances.
I am worried that we will have the Town Hall, the 2 replacement blocks, the replacement for Olive Morris House and the replacement for Lambeth College, together with the various blocks of flats interspersed with those, forming an even bigger riot of clashing styles than there is at the moment … then we get to the broken-down garage, hideous print shop and other shockers on the opposite side of Brixton Hill.
There is a 15 and 20 storey being built, as we speak, on Robsart Street.
Ditto. Mark’s right.
14 FLOORS CONTRAVENES LAMBETH CONCIL’S OWN TALL BUILDINGS POLICY.
So they’re planning on ignoring and breaking their own planning guidelines!
Seems like the Council do what they like when it comes to planning for projects that support their self interest, whilst ignoring views of local residents who want to make minor improvements to theirs! #mansard roofs
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Agree with Alastair Scott that Lambeth haven’t justified the demolition of Olive Morris House and need to be challenged on this. OMH is a key part of the jigsaw . If Lambeth kept it as offices, then they would need 40% less space in the new Civic Building. This would reduce the cost of the whole scheme, make it less risky – and mean they wouldn’t need such a tall building on the Hambrook House site to cross subsidise the offices.
I and other locals who’ve been challenging Lambeth and MUSE on their reasons for recommending the demolition of OMH have been given a copy of a report from Cartwright Pickard architects dated 4.11.2014 and were told by Lambeth officers that this would provide the justification.
I’ve read the report, which is just 6 pages long, and it does nothing of the sort.
When I’ve spoken to Lambeth officers in the past they’ve justified abandoning Olive Morris House by referring to high running costs and repair bills. In view of this, I was expecting the report to include figures which would show projected savings in repairs and running costs from moving to a new building. Astonishingly, there are no figures in the report at all. This information can’t be confidential, so why isn’t it in the report.
The only other justification the report offers for abandoning Olive Morris House as office accommodation are that a) the floor plate is unsuitable for modern office accommodation and b) the floor to ceiling heights are inadequate.
Neither of these arguments seem to stack up to me.
The floor plates on the upper levels at Olive Morris house (relatively narrow, windows on both sides, lift shafts near both ends) lend themselves well to use as open plan offices (which is the kind of space Lambeth will need to provide for staff who are hot-desking).
The floor to ceiling height is said to present problems because there isn’t space to allow a raised floor to be installed. Don’t agree with this point – a few years back it was common to install raised floors in older offices to accommodate phone and IT cabling, but this is out of date technology – new offices rely on wi fi, mobiles, tablets, etc
No social housing then – and I mean social not ‘affordable’ – which is actually unaffordable. Lambeth have let developers wriggle out of a the prescribed quota for ‘affordable’ completely anyway. The architecture is looking pretty unimaginative and clumsy on the drawings too. Shameful era.
The council should definitely stop to consider what the people think, I hear there was a protest last night outside the town hall and that if one of the options is implemented a third of the homes in the estate will be bulldozed and re-developed.
Here’s the petition in case anyone wants to sign it:
https://www.change.org/p/simon-dow-stop-the-social-cleansing-of-brixton-stop-the-evictions-of-tenants-from-loughborough-park-estate
Lambeth Council should not be allowed anywhere near a major project like this, they do not have the institutional capability to take it on and they do not even recognise their own deficits. Stop this madness!
Certainly Hambrook House and the nameless (?) offices next to the Fridge are well and truly past it, but I’m surprised that Olive Morris House is being proposed for demolition. It might be Brutalist, but the brick surface makes it look considerably “warmer” than the usual stained concrete in such instances.
I am worried that we will have the Town Hall, the 2 replacement blocks, the replacement for Olive Morris House and the replacement for Lambeth College, together with the various blocks of flats interspersed with those, forming an even bigger riot of clashing styles than there is at the moment … then we get to the broken-down garage, hideous print shop and other shockers on the opposite side of Brixton Hill.
There is a 15 and 20 storey being built, as we speak, on Robsart Street.
Ditto. Mark’s right.
14 FLOORS CONTRAVENES LAMBETH CONCIL’S OWN TALL BUILDINGS POLICY.
So they’re planning on ignoring and breaking their own planning guidelines!
Seems like the Council do what they like when it comes to planning for projects that support their self interest, whilst ignoring views of local residents who want to make minor improvements to theirs! #mansard roofs