The 2,641m² residential scheme on Forest Road will be housed in a building ranging between three and five storeys. It will include 230m² of commercial space on the ground floor.
An existing petrol station on the site will be demolished to make way for the development.
Waltham Forest Council’s planning committee voted unanimously to approved the project on 7 May.
Source:Picture Plane
Dowen Farmer Architects’ proposed Forest Road housing scheme
A planning officer’s report said the scheme boasted ‘high-quality architecture’, with design and materiality that ‘respond to the urban form of the streetscape’.
Officers added the building would deliver a ‘much-needed improvement to the street scene’ on Forest Road and make better use of an underused brownfield site.
The report described how council planning officers ‘worked closely with the applicant to achieve a scheme of excellent design quality design and accommodation for future residents’.
It was granted subject to a Section 106 agreement requiring a £150,000 contribution for off-site affordable housing provision, as well as carbon offsetting costs and highway works to be funded by the developer.
Architect’s view
The scheme provides 39 dual aspect units overlooking a communal landscaped courtyard in the heart of the development. The proposal will also stitch into the existing grain of active frontage along Forest Road with 230m² of commercial space. Careful consideration was given in order to respond to the neighbouring buildings to address the change in scale, overlooking and daylighting.
A high-quality elegant brick palette has been chosen for this scheme to echo the urban character of the development and respond positively to local buildings of rich architectural and material merit. The proposal is to use two brick tones to highlight the podium which will thread into the contextual datum.
A range of brick detailing is used across the scheme to stitch into the context in the form of soldier course banding that varies in thickness to tie into the surroundings, where relevant. This contrasts with the darker tone brickwork which gives depth to the podium, grounding the building and weaving it into the street-scape.
The tallest part of the massing is on Forest Road which reflects the wider context. The adjacent commercial frontages provide precedent for continuing commercial units at ground in the proposal. The design reflects the existing datums defined on the context by splitting the architectural language into a podium with a taller residential component above.
Access to the residential units is via a communal open deck. The deck enables a linear multi unit scheme to achieve 100 per cent dual-aspect for all of the residential units and the generous communal external spaces offer spaces for residents to meet and interact.
James Dowen, co-founder, Dowen Farmer Architects
Source:DFA
Dowen Farmer Architects’ proposed Forest Road housing scheme – Sustainability Axo
PROJECT DATA
Location Walthamstow, London
Local authority Waltham Forest Council
Type of project Residential
Client Manak Homes
Architect Dowen Farmer Architects
Planning Consultant CMA
Main contractor TBC
Funding Manak Homes
Tender date TBC
Start on site date TBC
Completion date TBC
Contract duration TBC
Gross internal floor area 2,641m²
Form of contract and/or procurement TBC
Annual CO2 emissions Unavailable
Total cost Unavailable
https://www.architectsjournal.co.uk/news/dowen-farmer-gets-the-nod-for-39-high-quality-apartments-in-north-east-london
