PROPOSED BOUNDARY CHANGES TO BROCKWELL PARK CONSERVATION AREA

Friends of Brockwell Park join other local groups to call for the inclusion of Cressingham Gardens Estate in the Brockwell Park Conservation Area.
Here is our submission that was sent to Lambeth planning in early January with the joint declaration as an appendix:

To whomever it may concern,
We, the Friends of Brockwell Park, and other major local organisations argued in July 2015 that “For the future protection of Brockwell Park, we ask that consideration be given to the recommendation by English Heritage […] that the boundaries of the Brockwell Park Conservation Area should be extended to include the Cressingham Gardens Estate.” (See Appendix 1, below.) We reiterate this position even more forcefully today. We hold strongly that there is an unanswerable case that the Conservation Area must be extended to include the estate and we are extremely disappointed that the appraisal document does not include any consideration of this possibility.

The appraisal document notes in section 2.33 that Cressingham Gardens is an “understated brick-built estate […] carefully designed in the 1970s to respond to the setting of the park.” Section 2.34 states that the “main, communal landscaped space [of the estate] adjoins one of the park entrances and is included within the conservation area,” but then affirms without further comment that “the houses themselves are not within the conservation area.” Yet this section (2.34) itself begins with the key point: “As a result of the design the estate is largely invisible in views from within the landscape.”

We, the FoBP, contend that this inspired architecture is what must be protected: the low buildings of the estate are below the tree line when viewed from the park. It is a view which could so easily be constrained by a largescale development. Conservation Area status for the estate would help to mitigate the risk in the future of intrusive over-sized buildings and an unbroken line of large residential blocks. We speak for countless lovers of Brockwell Park who enjoy the park not simply on account of its green spaces but also owing to its inviting surrounding views: the Cressingham Gardens Estate deserves to be recognised officially as being fully part of the Brockwell Park conservation area.

APPENDIX 1
To: David Rose, Democratic Services Officer, London Borough of Lambeth

We understand that a report on options for the redevelopment of the Cressingham Gardens Estate will be presented to Cabinet on 13th July 2015.

As representatives of four local organisations who are committed to protect Brockwell Park and the vital amenity it provides for local communities, we request that the following statement be included with the papers circulated to members in advance of the Cabinet meeting.

Cabinet Meeting 13th July 2015: Agenda item: Building the Homes We Need to House the People of Lambeth – estate regeneration update.

The Cressingham Gardens Estate occupies a sensitive position on the highest point on the western boundary of Brockwell Park. The low rise buildings which comprise the estate and their orientation, at right angles to (rather than facing) the park boundary, ensure that the park’s skyline is not dominated by buildings and the proximity of urban development. Moreover, the green open spaces within the estate allow park users who approach the park from Tulse Hill to enjoy open, safe and inviting access to the park as they approach Cressingham Gate. We are concerned that these features should be preserved in any future development.

Therefore, if Cabinet is minded to agree to further work on any proposal to regenerate the estate, we request that Cabinet requires that work to include a full review of the impact of any proposed development on the amenity of the park and the enjoyment of users, including (but not exclusively) the views from the park towards the estate and access through the estate to the park and that the outcome of that consideration and review form part of the brief given to the project architects.

For the future protection of Brockwell Park, we ask that consideration be given to the recommendation by English Heritage in January 2014 that the boundaries of the Brockwell Park Conservation Area should be extended to include the Cressingham Gardens Estate.
We further request that Cabinet ensures that all future consultations about the regeneration of the estate include park users and local amenity groups, including the signatories to this statement.

This request is submitted by representatives from the following local organisations with an interest in the amenity and protection of Brockwell Park:
The Friends of Brockwell Park
The Brockwell Park Community Partners
The Herne Hill Society
The Brixton Society

POTENTIAL IMPACT ON VIEWS TO AND FROM BROCKWELL PARK BY NEW DEVELOPMENT

FOBP are concerned about the negative impact of the new Ropers Walk development and submitted the following comment to Lambeth planning in early January

 

Trinity Rise Planning Application (Ref: 20/02406/RG3)

We, the Friends of Brockwell Park, urge the Council to reject this application owing to its impact on Brockwell Park: a key visual amenity will suffer, with negative impacts on the views / sightlines from the park.

Brockwell Park is a Conservation Area: one of the greatest risks to the character of this area comes from potential developments around its perimeter. The planned redevelopment of Ropers Walk, with replacement of low-rise properties with taller buildings, would have a negative effect on the view from the park to the South and West. It is important, we feel, to highlight the views from SW to NW as this perspective is defined by low-storey invisible buildings, views of Trinity Rise church, and the direction in which thousands of people enjoy the sunset from within the park all year around.

Although Ropers Walk is not on the boundary with the park the replacement of 2/3 storey blocks with a single block 4 storeys high will dominate the skyline from Brockwell Park. The replacement block would be visible and intrusive when viewed from the park with a larger footprint, being built over a green open space and extending right up to the flank wall of the neighbouring block. Also it is planned to remove the mature English Oak, incorrectly identified in the planning application as a Turkey Oak, which at present helps to screen the existing block. Another significant loss would be the removal of the Lime tree on Trinity Rise. The “soft” boundary of Cressingham Gardens Estate with Brockwell Park with low rise buildings and its own open spaces would be lost. Any redevelopment plans must take into account detrimental effects on Brockwell Park as this is a Conservation Area.

We fear that this application sets a precedent for the “regeneration” of this estate, with taller buildings visible above the treeline and a significant impact on views from the park.