AHMM the latest to redesign plans following London’s single staircase ban | News
Landsec is the latest developer to be caught off guard by London’s new requirement to install second stairways in blocks over 30m.
The company has been forced to submit revised designs for its AHMM-designed redevelopment of the 1,800-flat O2 shopping center in north London after the capital’s Mayor Sadiq Khan ordered the fire safety measure last month.
It comes after the government announced late last year proposals to ban individual staircases in residential buildings higher than 10 floors, a rule which Khan said would come into effect in London with immediate effect and would apply to all planning applications submitted before June 23 December 2022.
AHMM submitted revised plans for the O2 system in February, with Camden City Council adding second stair cores after consultation with the Greater London Authority and the Health and Safety Executive, both of whom have approved the redesign.
The overhaul of the floorplans has resulted in the loss of around 20 apartments, although Camden City Council said the second staircase had been added with “relatively minimal” impact on the floorplans, achieved by removing pressurized stairs and lift systems.
A hybrid application for the program has been recommended for approval by Camden’s Planning Officer and will be presented to the Planning Committee next week.
It consists of 10 development lots spread over a 6 ha site, with the detailed components of the application covering just over 600 houses in blocks ranging from 30m to 60m in height.
Two other components submitted for general approval would provide for the construction of a further 1,200 apartments. Around 35% of the apartments on the site would be affordable.
The construction period is expected to last 10 to 15 years. Also on the project team are Program Advisor Mace, Planning Advisor Gerald Eve, Transportation Advisor Arup, Sustainability Advisor Buro Happold, MEP Advisor Hoare Lea, Structural and Structural Engineer Pell Frischmann, Landscape Advisor East and Accessibility Advisor David Bonnett Associates.
The deal has already sparked controversy as the HOK-designed O2 mall, built in 1998 and bought by Landsec in 2010, is set to be demolished.
Nearly a thousand letters of objection were received for the application, with many locals raising concerns about the sustainability and loss of O2’s retail space, which includes a gym, swimming pool and a large Sainsbury’s.
Local group Combined Residents’ Associations of South Hampstead has criticized the demolition of the “nearly new” shopping center and its replacement with “grotesque Soviet-era towers”, while the West Hampstead Gardens and Residents Association said the new buildings were uninteresting, incoherent and clumsy not blend in with the area’s mostly low-rise Edwardian and Victorian housing stock.
Local MP Tulip Siddiq also said she had “repeatedly” expressed her constituents’ concerns about Landsec, including fears that the buildings were too tall, did not fit in with the surroundings and dismay at the loss of the O2.
Camden City Council’s Planning Officer acknowledged that the demolition of the shopping center was “regrettable in terms of sustainability” but said it may not be suitable for residential use.
The officer’s report added that the building was “of poor quality in terms of design” and not making efficient use of its land, while the replacement buildings would be much better integrated with nearby Finchley Road town centre.
A condition of the application requires Landsec to remove at least 95% of construction waste from landfills for either reuse or recycling.
Other buildings on the site to be leveled as part of the plans include a Homebase store, two car showrooms and a hardware store, while two parking garages totaling 630 spaces will be built over.