A £100m plan to regenerate Swiss Cottage town centre has been given the go-ahead by the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government.
Essential Living, a developer and operator of homes for rent, will deliver and manage the mixed-use scheme under a single brand. As well as an array of communal facilities and amenity spaces, the plans will include 54 new affordable homes and purpose-built space for community use.
Camden councillors refused the proposals for 184 flats in September 2014, despite a recommendation by the council’s planning officers that the scheme should be approved.
The scheme, designed by GRID architects, also received backing from the Design Council and the Mayor of London.
Last week, the Department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG) supported the recommendation of an independent planning inspector that the council’s refusal should be overturned, noting the significant social benefits the development would bring.
Theatre Square, designed by GRID architects, will see an old 1980’s office building demolished to make way for a 24-storey residential tower containing 130 apartments specifically designed for renting.
The tower will be joined with a part five-storey, part seven-storey lower podium block hosting 54 affordable homes, as well as flexible retail space to animate street level and a new community centre.
The government has previously stated the importance of delivering purpose-built, professionally managed private rented homes funded by institutional investment – known increasingly as build to rent.
There is some £90bn worth of potential investment according to the Better Renting Campaign, which represents the emerging sector, and they say that there needs to be wider appreciation of how the model works for it to be fully unlocked.
Another of the Essential Living’s schemes received unanimous outline planning permission earlier this month from Ealing Council. The Perfume Factory in Acton, the largest build to rent project in London, will see over 500 flats for rent built.
Scott Hammond, managing director at Essential Living, said: “This has been a lengthy process but we are very pleased the Secretary of State has backed the independent planning inspector’s recommendation that this important proposal for the regeneration of Swiss Cottage should proceed. This is entirely consistent with the original positive recommendation of Camden Council planning officers and the support received from both the Greater London Authority and Design Council.
“As we always believed it would, the extensive scrutiny of the scheme during the public inquiry has revealed the significant social benefits of the scheme in terms of new homes for rent and community space, enhancements to the street level frontages and the recognized attractive quality of the design. This is the right decision for the revitalisation of Swiss Cottage and we will now commence the work to deliver our proposals which we will be calling Theatre Square."
Craig Casci, director at GRID Architects said: ‘’We are pleased that the design has been recognised for it’s positive benefits including a dedicated and purpose designed local community use, active retail and all tenures of housing. In particular to provide rented housing with built in open air and roof top amenities makes a big step forward for London housing. Our focus now turns to delivery of this very important building on a very important site.’’
Michael Lowndes, executive director at Turley Associates, the planning consultancy that worked on this scheme, said: “This is the kind of scheme that drives forward progress in London, delivering strategic and local priorities. It is an allocated busy town centre site in highly accessible area, exactly where optimum density and tall building developments should be located. We are delighted for Essential Living that the Secretary of State has approved plans for this site. The decision acknowledges the significance of the range and substance of the benefits that it will bring to Swiss Cottage and Camden.”