St William, a Berkeley Group company, has been granted detailed planning permission for phase four of the King’s Road Park masterplan, including 357 homes and 1.9 acres of new parkland and public open space.
Foster + Partners’ approved design includes a pair of slender residential towers (28 and 38 storeys), and a podium building (seven-storeys).
The development includes a range of communal spaces for the residents – including a ground level amenity space within the podium that integrates seamlessly with the surrounding landscape.
Giles Robinson, Senior Partner, Foster + Partners, said: “We are delighted that our design for the King’s Road Park development has been given the green light. The scheme will provide the highest quality homes that overlook one of London’s most spectacular new public parks. Responding to St William’s brief and working closely with the landscape designers, Gillespies, our design complements the historic urban surroundings and enhances connections with nature, by significantly increasing the amount of green space at the base of the towers and extending the experience of the park onto the podium’s rooftop.”
Dean Summers, Managing Director, St William, said: “The vision for King’s Road Park is to transform a redundant gasworks into a sustainable and welcoming neighbourhood, including a beautiful park and around 1,800 private and affordable homes. This is brownfield regeneration at its best and we’re delighted to have been granted planning consent for this important part of the masterplan. I want to thank Foster + Partners, Gillespies, the London Borough of Hammersmith & Fulham and local stakeholders for evolving the exceptional designs for phase four. This will be a very special part of King’s Road Park and a place the whole community can enjoy for generations to come.”
The two residential towers and podium are located on the eastern side of the masterplan. New homes face onto the park, which is located at the centre of the wider development and features a restored Grade II* listed gasholder. Apartments are dual aspect – for ample daylight inside every home – with corner balconies that offer unparalleled views across London and the park. An additional residential garden, on the roof of the podium, is covered by a louvred canopy to provide protection from the elements throughout the year.
By removing one of the towers (previously three for the outline scheme) and increasing the size of their floorplates, the practice’s design reduces the development’s embodied carbon, meets future fire safety requirements, improves views of the development, and significantly increases the amount of daylight entering the park by 59 percent. The distance between the two towers is also maximised to expand the park’s area and enhance connectivity between King’s Road and Imperial Wharf station by the river.
The towers have a slender vertical language that complements the urban skyline. Their slenderness is emphasised by extending the façade elements from the ground to the highest levels of the buildings. Terracotta panels clad the middle section of the buildings’ façades, providing additional depth and responding to the local vernacular within the design district.
The new open landscape, designed by Gillespies, evolved in collaborative design with Foster + Partners and includes a new community park, public square, children’s play areas, walking routes and welcoming natural habitats for both people and wildlife to enjoy. This will form a key part of the ambitious six-acre network of open landscape being created at King’s Road Park, which is expected to create a biodiversity net gain of approximately 112 percent.
The design and placemaking strategy for phase four were developed through engagement with Hammersmith & Fulham Council’s planning team and local stakeholders. This included a pre-submission design review panel and a series of detailed pre-application meetings with LBHF officers.
Foster + Partners’ phase four design reworks a previously submitted outline scheme, removing one tower and increasing the size of the floorplates in the two remaining buildings. The design has increased the size of the public park by almost 5,000 square feet and improves connectivity between King’s Road and Imperial Wharf Station.
