Neighbours horrified at planning application for nine-story block in Peckham
Neighbours of a planned tower block on the site of a 110-year-old community centre say they will be overshadowed by the nine-storey building.
Southwark council will decide on Wednesday March 9 whether to approve demolishing the one-storey Bradfield Youth Club on Commercial Way, Peckham and replacing it with four blocks.
The plans, by the club in partnership with developer Guildmore, will see the current building replaced by a larger centre with a sports hall, recording studio, dance studio, offices for staff, and chill-out spaces for young people.
Of the 65 comments to the council on the project, almost exactly half support it.
Council officers have recommended approval.
Guildmore say the new facilities will secure the club’s future by ensuring that any charitable donations are no longer used to repair the ageing building – and will enable the club to run sustainably with minimal external support.
The project also has 48 new flats, 35 per cent of them affordable, most socially rented family-sized homes, which Southwark needs.
The building will also be sustainable, with no gas boilers and with green and blue roofs to retain water and improve biodiversity.
The club provides dozens of free breakfasts and lunches, for struggling pupils.
Guildmore said in a statement: “Too many youth clubs have closed over recent years. This is the opportunity to protect the future of this facility to ensure it can serve the young people of Peckham for another 100 years. Bradfield Youth Club and Guildmore hope that Southwark Council’s Planning Committee agrees with the advice of Council officers to facilitate this future.”
One centre user said: “I have been coming for over a year-and-a-half to this centre and have thoroughly enjoyed the groups that are held here. I am a stay-at-home mother of two young children and attend the fitness and health group that Daniel holds. I find it absolutely amazing that I can bring my children and they will be looked after whilst I exercise. I would love for the centre to be incorporated into any future plans of development as we do not have many centres in Southwark for our youth and parents.”
But Revd Ian Mobsby, priest in charge St Luke’s Church, in nearby Chandler Way, whose vicarage is in Commercial Way, said: “I want to support the Bradfield Club to develop, but over four stories of residential flats will have a tremendous effect on the local area, after the whole redevelopment of the whole North Peckham Estate.
“It seems to me that that amount of flats above the youth club will make a lot of noise and reduce the quality of life for those living opposite on the existing Commercial Way which are a maximum of three floors. I would want to support the redevelopment but object to having more than four floors on top of the youth club. I hope this can be rethought.”
One member of staff at the neighbouring Ann Bernadt Nursery said: “The development is far too high in relation to the surrounding buildings and it will completely block light from the nursery and our garden.
“My main concerns are around the demolition and construction process and the impact that this is likely to have on the children in our nursery, a large proportion of which have special educational needs.
“Demolition of existing buildings must not happen when children are at the nursery – this will be a loud and dirty process which will be disturbing and potentially harmful for children and adults in the nursery. What plans have been made to ensure that this work can be done during the school holidays?
“There must be consideration made during construction for the extremely close proximity of our garden to the development site. What measures will be taken to ensure that noise and air contamination – building dust – do not adversely effect the children and adults at the nursery? Noise from the building work further along Commercial Way has caused distress to many of our autistic children who find unpredictable and loud noises especially difficult.
“The works on Commercial Way have been extremely badly managed in terms of materials being delivered. On many occasions lorries delivering building materials have parked so as to completely block the pavement outside the construction entrance obliging pedestrians to walk around lorries and into the road. This is extremely unsafe. What arrangements have been made to ensure that deliveries to this development will be managed in a safer way?”
Another member of staff said: “I am extremely worried about the impact of the demolition work and prolonged construction period on my health and well being and that of the children in my care. The existing buildings are locally believed to contain asbestos which would be in keeping with their date of construction.
“Many of our children have special educational needs which mean they find loud noises very scary and distressing.
“I am shocked by the proximity of the proposed development to our site and the height of the proposed building in relation to surrounding development.
“This building will tower over our nursery blocking natural light and completely removing any sense of privacy. The removal of existing mature trees is awful as this is a part of London with very few mature trees.”