Aerial view of the existing site Welcome to the second public exhibition on our ideas for the future of the Haslemere Industrial Estate. We held our first public exhibition in June where we set out our aspirations for the site and invited views from the local community. Since then, we have also been talking to local businesses, groups, councillors and other elected representatives. The main issues that were frequently raised during the first round of consultation included: The existing site Support for the creation of new homes on the site People wanted a design that fits in with the local area Questions about how traffic and parking will be managed both during the construction and once the site is complete Ideas to improve access to the River Wandle were welcomed Support for the improvement to public open The existing site spaces and the local landscape. This exhibition is an opportunity for you to see our early designs and tell us your views before we come back to show you our final scheme. Our project team is on hand to answer any questions you may have. When you have finished looking around we would be grateful if you could fill out one of our feedback forms. The existing site
THE TEAM FIRST BASE Kate Ives Development Director David Rothwell Development Manager Steve Newman Head of Design First Base is an established developer and investor delivering high-quality buildings and places. Working with some of the world s leading investors and architects, we are committed to the sustained success of our developments, from construction through Parkhurst Gardens, Islington to management of a finished development. We stay involved for the long term. Our projects range from residential developments through to retail and workspace schemes. Our approach is to work closely with local communities as we develop our plans and to design projects that respond to the local environment and context. Highbury Gardens, Islington STITCH: ARCHITECTURE & URBAN DESIGN Sally Lewis Director Stitch is a London based design studio of architects and urban designers, established by Sally Lewis in January 2012. The practice specialises in housing and regeneration, combining urban design strategy with architectural Marlowe Road, Walthamstow detail, and always engaging with the wider physical and community context of our projects. We believe that the seamless integration of architecture and urban design makes the best places stitched together through design that bridges all scales and disciplines.
THE SITE SITE HISTORY There have been buildings on the site since the early 1900s. All the units within our part of the industrial estate date back to the 1970s and are reaching the end of their life. Since being built several of the units have undergone small cosmetic changes, with the additions of offices spaces, internal reconfigurations and refurbishments. THE CURRENT SITE The 1.92-acre site consists of four industrial buildings and a yard. The buildings on the site were built in c.1970 and are now reaching the end of their useful life. The site is bounded by the railway line and river to the east, residential properties to the north and west, and the Rufus Business Centre to the south, which we do not own. The Rufus Business Centre to the rear of the site, and not part of our development, is relatively new and comprises small office and industrial units. Map of the site and surrounding area 1916 Map of the site and surrounding area 1938 Map of the site and surrounding area 1977
UNDERSTANDING THE SITE CREATING NEW HOMES There is an opportunity to provide much needed new homes on the site, with a mix of sizes and both private and affordable housing. DAYLIGHT, SUNLIGHT AND OVERSHADOWING We need to ensure that any development here respects our neighbours. REDUCING TRAFFIC Changing the site from an industrial estate to a mixed-use development, with new homes and some commercial spaces, will reduce the amount of traffic, in particular heavy goods vehicles, on residential streets around the site. RIVER WANDLE, ECOLOGY AND BIODIVERSITY The site sits alongside the River Wandle, which provides important habitats. We want to protect and improve these as part of the project. NEIGHBOURING BUILDINGS We want to make sure that our proposals fit in well with the existing buildings in the area. The existing warehouses on the site are single FLOODING We are working with the Environment Agency to design all new buildings in accordance with their parameters and regulations. storey commercial buildings but in terms of height they are about two residential storeys tall. The neighbouring buildings range from two storey terraced homes to five storey commercial buildings. EMPLOYMENT The site currently provides a number of jobs. It is important that whatever we do with the site we create new jobs and employment for local people within Merton. Large vehicles currently accessing the site Neighbouring residential streets
YOUR IDEAS & COMMENTS Image from our first exhibition The feedback we received from our first public exhibition, in addition to the various meetings we have held with local businesses, groups, councillors and other elected representatives has been very useful. The feedback has allowed us to get a sense of what people would like to see on the site and we have, as much as possible, tried to make sure our scheme addresses the key issues. Creating new homes. There was support for the idea of changing the site from its current industrial use into new homes. This would be more in-keeping with the character of the area and will help reduce traffic problems. A design that would fit in with the local area. Any new buildings should respect the heights of buildings already in the area and not be too close to existing homes. Traffic and parking. There was concern about the impact of traffic on the area, particularly the impact of lorries coming to the site during the construction phase. Local residents have had problems with heavy goods vehicles associated with nearby construction sites and are keen that this is not repeated. Furthermore, any new development should also not put parking pressure on nearby streets. Access to the Wandle. Opening up access to the River Wandle was seen as a good idea. Improvements to landscape and public space. The creation of a new park within the development was welcomed, however, the possibility of creating a link through to the Durnsford Recreation Ground generally received mixed views.
OUR APPROACH View looking south west through the site 1. respond to local townscape 2. carve out gateway space 3. create a street 4. articulate the frontage 5. maximise aspect and light 6. protect privacy Principles of our approach There was good local support for the principle of a mixed use development with new houses and some commercial space. Our approach to the design of the scheme reflects the local context, the planning rules and the feedback we have had from Merton Council and local people. It includes: EXCAVATION & CONSTRUCTION TECHNIQUES We realise how this could be potentially disruptive for the local community and we are looking to design and construct our scheme with a view to keeping excavation, vehicle movements, noise and disruption to a minimum. NEW STREET Our proposals include the creation of an exciting and vibrant new street with commercial units on the ground floor of the apartment building, creating an active and vibrant street frontage. POSITION OF HOUSES Our proposed scheme does include family houses and apartments, we felt that it made sense to have the new houses in our scheme backing onto the current houses of Dawlish Avenue. This will fit in better with the COMMUNITY INFRASTRUCTURE existing neighbourhood. We know that new homes will bring in new residents using local services. As part of the scheme First Base will make a significant financial contribution to the local Council, known as the Community Infrastructure Levy, which will make sure that local services are supported. This contribution will be in excess of 1 million. PARKING Due to the excellent transport links, this scheme will be mostly car-free. There will be some resident, visitor and disabled bays onsite, mostly for the family homes. Other residents will not be able to apply to Merton for car parking permits in the local area. This will be enforced by the local council.
OUR PROPOSALS View from Haslemere Avenue looking towards the river Proposed site plan Section of the proposed development Our proposals for the redevelopment of the Haslemere Industrial Estate includes: LANDSCAPE A new vibrant street New landscaped public park Improved access to the River Wandle COMMERCIAL SPACE Space for local independent businesses, bringing in new jobs for local people Affordable and flexible workspace Helps contribute to vibrant new street NEW HOMES Creation of 120 high-quality new homes A mix of townhouses and apartments ranging from 3 7 storeys in height
Welcome Views of the scheme View of proposed townhouses Proposed view from the new park
Welcome Views of the scheme Proposed view from the entrance of the site Proposed view looking south west Proposed view looking north east Indicative public realm
LANDSCAPE Aerial view of the proposed park Our landscaping proposals for this site have been designed with its location, and for support for improved access to the River Wandle, in mind. Our landscaping proposals include: PUBLIC URBAN PARK Our proposals include the creation of a new urban park, which is open to the whole community to enjoy. The park includes: Safe and improved access to the River Wandle Seating and walkways Tree and shrub planting providing an exciting and changing landscape throughout the year Improved biodiversity and habitat creation NEW STREET The new street will be lined with trees and outside of the townhouses there will be small areas of greenery. ROOF GARDENS New roof gardens will be created within the apartment blocks to provide further amenity space for residents. These spaces will be passive areas for residents to enjoy and relax, within a secure environment and will include seating areas and shrub planting.
TRAFFIC enham Road Merton Road Bodmin Street Strathville Road Strathville Road Penwith Road Thornsett Road Garratt Lane treet urnsford Avenue Revelstoke Road shen Grove Durnsford Road Havana Road Wellington Road Mount Road Haslemere Avenue Gordondale Road Lucien Road Acuba Road Brooklands Avenue Ravensbury Road Dawlish Avenue SITE Summerley Street Skelbrook Stree Steerforth Street Garratt Lane Garratt Lane Weybourne St t Trewint Street Thorndean St tuart Road Wellington Road Weir Road We are aware of the possible impact that the development could have on the local road network, both in terms of vehicle numbers and parking availability. We are confident that through careful management and intelligent scheme design many of these potential issues can be overcome and the scheme can result in an improvement over the existing situation, particularly in relation to reducing the number of larger service vehicles on the local residential streets. PARKING Car parking will be provided for the larger family homes, as it is accepted that these type of units benefit from the ability to accommodate a car. However the majority of the development will have minimal parking, with additional parking being provided for visitors and drivers requiring accessible parking spaces. The site is located close to Earlsfield Station TRAFFIC IMPROVEMENTS Although further analysis is still being undertaken the expected reduction in both parking provision and trip generation will lead to reduced traffic and congestion on the highway network. The closure of the existing industrial uses on site will also result in a significant reduction in the number of HGVs legitimately using the local highway network, especially during the night and very early morning. This will result in less noise, pollution and increased safety. CONSTRUCTION TRAFFIC We are aware that the careful management of construction vehicles is very important to local residents and are working with the local community to look at ways to reduce disruption and inconvenience. We are currently undertaking research and will submit a robust Construction Management Plan in order to minimise disruption. and has good access to other forms of public transport. This means that the majority of trips can easily be made by non-car modes encouraging a more sustainable lifestyle and therefore minimal parking. This is a normal arrangement for developments of this type and location, with residents aware of the parking arrangements prior to purchasing the property, ensuring that the lack of car ownership is in-keeping with the potential buyer s lifestyle. The inability of new residents to apply for car parking permits in the local area further enforces the reduced car ownership.
CONSTRUCTION A robust Construction Management Plan will be drawn up to minimise disruption. We are aware that careful management of construction issues is very important to local residents. We are familiar with some issues that residents have been experiencing with other construction sites in Earlsfield. At First Base we are committed to working with local residents to avoid disruption and inconvenience. We want to be a good neighbour and are therefore undertaking substantial research and preparation to keep disruption to a minimum. In particular we are looking at the following issues: Managing construction vehicles. There will be a concerted effort to make sure that construction vehicles will not park in neighbouring streets and will arrive only when they are needed. We are working with the Council and residents to establish the appropriate route for construction vehicles. We are investigating prefabricated construction technologies to speed up construction times and significantly reduce the number of truck movements to and from the site and also the number of construction personnel. Safety. Health and safety both on and off our site is the single largest priority for First CONSTRUCTION Our contractors will be part of the Considerate Constructors Scheme. This means that the following factors will be considered: Materials and methods. We will be using high-quality materials and will be using the latest technology to make sure that our construction methods cause as little disruption as possible. Working hours. We will have set working hours. We will not be working at weekends and work will not be carried out early in the Base and is taken very seriously. When construction is underway, we will have banksman, appropriate signage and other adequate safety measures to ensure that construction and traffic does not conflict with the school run and other busy periods. Noise and dust. We take a proactive approach to noise and dust on our sites during the construction phase; we will monitor this on a daily basis but will ensure we use the latest sound and dust reducing measures at all times. morning or late at night. We will also look to limit the hours of noisy works on site.
SUSTAINABILITY & WELCOME BIODIVERSITY First Base takes sustainability very seriously and is at the heart of every new development we create. We approach energy efficiency from a fabric first approach which means insulating buildings properly to actively reduce the energy requirements. The site wide energy strategy includes: Dual aspect homes which provide good passive ventilation Mechanical ventilation and heat recovery systems within each home Combined heat and power systems Photovoltaics Brown roofs Re-use material from the demolition of the existing buildings where possible Improve biodiversity in the new park and along the River Wandle Integrated sustainable urban drainage systems.
THANK YOU Thank you for visiting our second exhibition for the Haslemere Industrial Estate. We want to hear your views on our design proposals on display today so please do not hesitate to fill in a feedback form. We have sought to address the issues that the local community have highlighted and we feel that our scheme responds intelligently to local surroundings and will make a positive contribution to the local area. In summary, our scheme will include: NEXT STEPS We are committed to involving local residents in the development of our plans and after this exhibition we will be taking some more time to meet with local businesses, groups, councillors and MPs. We are also meeting with the Council and will incorporate any feedback into our proposals where possible. We will then review all the comments before coming back later in the year for a third and final exhibition on our proposals for the redevelopment of the Haslemere Industrial Estate. A new vibrant street New landscaped public park Improved access to the river Increased employment opportunities Mix of apartments and townhouses Commercial space for local independent business Range between 3-7 storeys Creation of up to 120 high quality residential units TIMELINE September 2015 Further consultation with community Autumn 2015 Detailed design work and third public consultation on detailed designs Late 2015 Submission of a planning application Early 2016 Earliest date for a planning decision Summer 2016 Work to start on site