Plans for rooftop garden on office approved despite neighbours fear people could peep into bedrooms
By Adrian Zorzut, Local Democracy Reporter
Plans to build a rooftop garden on an historic London building will go ahead despite neighbours claiming people will be able to peep into their bedrooms.
Westminster City councillors overwhelmingly backed a proposal to refurbish Ryder Court in St James’s, which contains offices for a recruitment company, during a meeting on Tuesday night.
The unlisted building will be fitted with a new disabled access at ground floor and a plush green rooftop with a pergola and a seating area for workers based in the building.
Only staff will be able to access the area between 8am and 7pm on weekdays, according to council documents, and it won’t be open to the public.
The development has infuriated residents on Jermyn Street and Ryder Street, who claimed they’ll be subjected to constant noise and worry people will peer into their homes.
Pictures shown during Tuesday’s planning committee meeting showed the windows of flats on both sides of Ryder Court being easily visible from the rooftop area, even after solar panels are installed to block the sight of properties on Jermyn Street.
In a letter to the council, one resident wrote: “The loss of privacy is dramatic, the terrace backs on to at least two private, residential bedrooms and at least one family/living room.
“With proposed hours of 8am – 8pm (sic), the possibility of having privacy disturbed for the majority of the work week becomes real.”
Residents are also worried about the noise created from building works and people using the terrace, as well as the upkeep of the solar panels.
But council officers claimed the noise and disturbance to privacy would be minimal and confined to office hours and that patrons would be no less than 13metres away from the nearest residential flats. They also said lighting and the rooftop would be shut at weekends.
Representing the development, Michelle Anthony, from Oxygen Asset Management said: “The proposed rooftop terrace provides health and well-being benefits and a significant increase in biodiversity. The planting provides pollination to benefit bees, with bee impact boxes integrated to the scheme.
“On the roof terrace, we have located a fully-planted pergola to provide privacy and improve the outlook. This is 13m from the nearest residents’ windows, with the central area of the terrace 25m metres from the windows, removing any overlooking concerns.”
She said the company engaged with residents through webinars and submitted thousands of newsletters last year.
She added: “We are in an age defined by climate change and evolving working practices. Every building must decrease environmental impact, while enhancing the experience, health and well-being of those who interact with it.”
Ryder Court is located at the corner of Bury Street and Ryder Street and has been in operation as an office from the 1900s. The building was recently refurbished by its previous owners in 2016.
Pictured top: A CGI layout of the rooftop garden at Ryder Court (Picture: M&G Real Estate & Oxygen Asset Management)