Fuller Long worked alongside Waugh Thistleton Architects and Lewisham Homes to attain planning permission for the redevelopment of a vacant care home at Kenton Court in Lewisham, providing 25 new purpose-built affordable dwellings for local residents. The three-storey property was previously utilised as an extra care facility, providing accommodation for people over the age of 65, which no longer met the appropriate standards and was not fit for purpose. The approved scheme, which provides 100% social rented homes, is part of the local authority’s and Lewisham Homes’ borough-wide New Homes, Better Places programme, which aims to see the development of 500 new homes designated for people who are in need of social rented accommodation.
The new dwellings comfortably exceed the required space standards and provide good quality private and communal amenity space for the new residents with balconies, gardens and a shared landscaped courtyard space. The approval of this scheme enables the positive redevelopment of this previously developed brownfield site, replacing the former, substandard extra care facility for which more suitable and better quality accommodation is now available elsewhere in the borough.
The proposed development is vital in addressing the mounting pressure on the Council’s housing waiting list, providing a high-quality residential development that will make an important contribution toward meeting the Council’s housing targets, with affordable housing in short supply across the borough and London as a whole.
Fuller Long provided advice and guidance during the pre-application stages, assisting our client and larger design team in resolving initial concerns that the Council raised with the proposed development. Some changes were taken on board to the original design, including the design and location of the new entrances, siting of the proposed building and height of the scheme to ensure the full potential of this site was achieved, careful balancing of the need to maximise the accommodation, with the established character and patterns of development nearby whilst protecting neighbouring amenity.
A full energy strategy was proposed as part of the scheme, which informed the design, ensuring that sustainable principles would be adopted.
The development at Kenton court is particularly prevalent in the current climate, reflecting the current demand for affordable housing in the UK. The lack of affordable housing in London has sparked various debates over the current state of the property market and solutions. Should you work for a house builder or local authority housing association, Fuller Long are interested in working with you to deliver your housing scheme.
Please reach out to our team at hello@fullerlong.com to speak with one of our Consultants.
Image accredited to https://lewisham.gov.uk/organizations/kenton-court
