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Edenham Estate and Trellick Tower Appendix 1 - SWOT Analysis Report March 2013
Edenham Estate and Trellick Tower Appendix 1 - SWOT Analysis Report
March 2013
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Contents
Introduction 2
The wider area and context 3
The site 5
Listed buildings & structures 7
Key Planning Issues 9
Strengths 11
Weaknesses 13
Opportunities 15
Threats 17
Summary of Key issues 19
• List of references used in this Analysis
• John McAslan & Partners (2004), Trellick Tower Conservation Study - Major Works, Phase 1
• John McAslan & Partners (2004), Trellick Masterplan Redevelopment Feasibility Study
• Urban Initiatives (2009), Edenham Estate Regeneration Proposals Summary
• LBMV Architects (2009) A Vision For Edenham
• Trellick Tower and the Edenham Estate: an appraisal of heritage significance (2012) Kevin Murphy
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IntroductionThis report is a short summary statement providing analysis of the site and its wider local context. This report was initially prepared for Royal Borough of Kensington & Chelsea as part of the first consultation process. It highlights the key spatial strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and constraints which helped our team to progress into the next stage of this design process; to develop three strategic options for future development of the site. The scope for new development has looked at infill and redevelopment opportunities along the southern and eastern boundaries of the Trellick Tower Estate, incorporating the central ball court and recreational grounds and the parking and loading bay interface of the lower Trellick Tower. The new development will be well connected to the Cheltenham Estate in the east.
As part of this first stage of site analysis and gathering of background information and data, we have referred to the previous analyses documents and design proposals for the redevelopment of the Trellick Tower and Cheltenham Estate sites. Evidence gathered from this and site observation has given us a better understanding of the area, its setting and some of the previous design thinking and rationales for site development, as they have changed and developed over the past decade. A list of these documents is referenced within the appendices to this report.
In addition to the information deemed from these past documents, we have run a parallel study on the heritage significance of the Grade II* listed Trellick Tower and its many features and assets. This study has, again, informed some of the thinking and aspirations highlighted in this study and had been, in part, included within the body of this document.
We have also recorded key issues and information provided by participants at the workshop sessions held in November and December 2012. Detailed feedback from local residents and the shop-keepers has strongly influenced this and subsequent work, providing a realistic steer to the options that we developed in the next stages of work.
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The site
Diagram 1: The Supplementary Planning Document boundary
Diagram 2: Site boundary for purposes of this SWOT analysis
Site Overview
The primary development site is the temporary coach park on Elkstone Road. Behind this, at the foot of Trellick Tower, is a large sunken garden.
This space is predominantly hard landscaped with a fenced off area for a ball court. This ball court dominates the space It was relocated from its original position at the eastern end of the gardens as this area now floods.
Access into this area is via the service road behind Block B, or by a stepped route down from the end of Block A. The retained ramped access from the centralpedestrian route (Edenham Way) has been closed.
The perimeter insitu concrete walls are now used for graffiti, something which has been permitted by the HMO and resident groups.
It is these two main areas, located between Trellick Tower and the houses at Edenham Way, that will be explored in this study.
Wider Site Analysis
The Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea is working to prepare a Supplementary Planning Document for the site. This will cover the immediate areas around the Trellick Tower site and Golborne Road as the extended area (diagram 1). It will be useful to include all of this background analysis and the design thinking that follows in the future stages of this process into the SPD, helping to strengthen its purpose and role for future stages of design and development on the site.
For the purpose of this analysis, we have chosen a wider area which extends beyond the SPD boundary line (diagram 2). As part of the SWOT analysis, we have considered connections and linkages into the adjoining Cheltenham Estate housing and the influence that the site and its redevelopment could have on the retail component along Golborne Road. Public realm improvements, gateways and entrances and crucially the nature of routes and linkages, have all been considered within the analysis. This will help us at later design stages, in defining the three options for development appropriate to the immediate and wider urban context.
Area for possible new residential development
Ball court , recreation ground, parking and loading bay area
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Historical sequence and development of the site:
During the last quarter of the 19th Century the field land and small plots lying between the then established canal (1801) and railway line (1838) were developed as mainly 3 - 4 storey housing, and thereafter appear to have remained largely unchanged until the Cheltenham Estate was realised approximately 100 years later.
Clearance and subsequent redevelopment took place in the 20th century, largely as a result of the mass social housing programmes of the post war period and evidence of severe over-crowding and deterioration of the housing stock in the area, noted by the Kensington Borough Council. Plans for redevelopment by the council across the wider area of Kensal New Town, which included the site began in 1930.
After the 1960-1970’s redevelopment, Southam Street was stopped at Golborne Road and the Elkstone Road was established running beside the railway. The site of those canal-side blocks is now parkland (Meanwhile Gardens, fully developed in 1976). As a result of losing the Edenham Street, which ran diagonally across the site, the Estate has become deep, and in its current guise, poorly accessed from the south to the north.
Changes after the completion of the Erno Goldfinger designed Trellick tower estate in 1972 have also seen the original estate modified. The podium and garages on the ground floor area partly destroyed as a result of unfulfilled plans to create more terraced housing, in 1989. It is largely agreed that this has been detrimental in terms of heritage value and has arguably led to problems of access and amenity within the estate, having destroyed the open landscape at first floor level and service yard below.
The area to the south of the Estate, included in the study area, was host to an Elderly peoples’ home in the 1970s which has been destroyed in more recent years. The coach park which now exists in its place is cut off from the Estate and acts as a barrier between the Estate and Elkstone Rd to the south.
Despite a history of social issues and changes in and around the Estate, the tower and other elements of Goldfinger’s original design have been formally recognised as a significant example of modern architecture. The towers and elements which make up the surrounding public space, including the walls, ramps, stairs and elevated walkways and were listed as a grade II* in 1998 and after a long campaign to include the rest of the Edenham Estate in the listing, the remaining buildings were Grade II listed in November 2012.
1870 1896 1951
1956 1976 Today
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The wider area and contextTransport linkages and accessibility:
The site is located along the Grand Union Canal, approximately 400-500m from the Westbourne Park Station (Circle and Hammersmith lines) on the busy Great Western Road (A4207). The Meanwhile Gardens with its host of play and recreation areas provides a pleasant route to the canal and the Great Western Road in the east. Elkstone Road runs along the southern boundary of the site and is the bus route for bus no. 23. Despite its importance as a key route to the station, Elkstone Rd isn’t very pedestrian friendly, with a railway line running along its southern edge and blank flank walls of the Cheltenham housing facing it on its northern edge, creating a rather inhospitable environment along the street.
A large number of buses also run along Harrow Road in the north-east and Ladbroke Grove in the south-west. These are within 500 - 600m walk from the site. The site is well located in relation to these transport facilities, giving it a Public Transport Accessibility Level of 3-4. The eastern boundary of the site is shown to be the most accessible part of the site by public transport, classed at a level 4. Based on the London Plan (June 2011) an area with this PTAL could potentially be developed at a relatively higher density. This said, other factors such as the urban grain of the surrounding context and heritage significance of the listed Trellick Tower will be highly influential on the massing and density of the new proposed development.
The diagram below also shows the location of the site in relation to other nodes and high street areas within the wider context. Routes lead out from Harrow Road to Maida Vale, Kilburn High Street and Queen’s Park in the north. The Golborne Road crosses over the bridge to join the popular and busy Portobello Road in the south. Paddington Station is approximately 2 km east of the site.
Queen’s Park
Maida Vale
Hyde Park
Regent’s Park
Ladbroke Grove
Kilburn High Road
Paddington Recreation Park
Marylebone Road
Maida Vale
Cham
berlayne Road
Ladbroke Grove
Site
Wider network of public transport and activity nodes
Mapping of the transport facilities and access to site
Golborne Road: Westbourne Park:
Great Western Road:
A busy bus route leading to Harrow Road in the north and Westbourne Grove in the south
Grand Union Canal:The pedestrian and cycle pathway along the canal runs alongside Meanwhile Gardens at the base of the Tower
The retail strip at the base of the tower, connects across the bridge, leading into Portobello Road in the south
The Circle and Hammersmith Underground lines run from this station
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Access to local facilities within the wider area:
The area in general is well provided with local primary and secondary schools, all within the 500 m radius of the site. To understand the capacity and intake for each of these schools would require a more detailed study of the catchment area and category and type of each of these institutions.
Local community facilities and centres are more scattered around the wider area. There are a few well defined community groups, such as the Al - Hasaniya - Moroccan Women’s Centre and Oremi Centre. Both these centres operate at the base of the Trellick Tower (in the space vacated by the nursery) and are well used by the local residents of the estate and beyond. The MCWG - Making Communities Work and Grow, has only recently located to the area and occupies the building that was formerly Goldfinger’s Office.
In terms of well used and well resourced public open spaces, there are 2 major public parks within a 5 minutes walk of the site. The Meanwhile Gardens and Emslie Horniman Pleasance Park provide for a range of play and recreation facilities for the community.
Harrow Road and Golborne Road are the 2 main retail nodes of the area. A range of local high street shops, local supermarkets and street market spaces operate on these streets. Golborne Road links into Portobello Road in the south - extending the retail and market offer along this busy and popular street.
Golborne Road:The southern section of the street is a well defined, thriving retail street. It is also used as a multifunctional space for major festivals and street events, including the Nottinghill Carnival.
Meanwhile Gardens:The linear park is a major green resource, right on the doorstep of the site, providing for a range of play and recreation facilities for all age groups. It’s also a popular pedestrian route for residents of the area.
Harrow Road:The range of high street shops and local supermarkets are located along this busy stretch of the road. The Maida Hill Market is a busy, well used, vibrant place, operational on all days of the week except Sundays.
Community Facility:Several different facilities are currently located in the Ground Floor accommodation of the existing buildings. Those in the base of Trellick Tower are accessed from the north with some under-utilised external space to the south.
Mapping the access to local facilities within the area
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Listed buildings & structures
Since its construction, the Trellick Tower has attracted comment and discussion whether that has focussed on its architectural distinctiveness, its place in the history of high-rise housing or on the less positive aspects of severe social problems and crime. The building has always been provocative and while criticised over the years since its opening and debate continues around various listed elements in the Estate, it has now become a landmark and icon for London and for English modernist architecture.
The tower is often considered in isolation as a listed building, but it is important to emphasise that Trellick Tower forms part of a wider estate and part of a much larger area of which redevelopment began in the 1920s. The tower obviously has an immediate setting and context provided by the remainder of the Edenham Estate. To the east of the estate, the blocks are relatively low to medium rise, providing a balance to the far higher and strikingly different form of the tower.
The key observation of the KM Report are:
It is usually the case that the special architectural and historic interest of the building will consist of a hierachy of elements that make a greater or lesser contribution to the overall special interest. The heritage significance of Trellick Tower and the Edenham Estate has been harmed by the loss of key elements at the base of Trellick Tower – this has affected not just the tower but the estate as well. The present situation can be considered as simply harmful, but it also powerfully suggests the priorities for recovering heritage significance. These could be summarised as follows:
• There is a need to re-provide a suitable setting for Trellick Tower immediately at the base of Blocks A (33 storey block) and B (7 storey block). The nature of the original design suggests that this should be a mix of new built form and open space.
• This mix of new built form and open space should possess the clarity and definition that the original completed work had, with clear enclosure of space and clearly marked routes.
• The work in this area needs to link the area of the former residential home to the south and help re-establish the link with the Edenham Estate to the east. Routes created should relate to the estate and to Trellick Tower such that a new, integrated whole is create which reinforces the significance of each part – both the tower and the estate.
• While perhaps providing built form, this area should be largely open in character – Goldfinger created a podium by means of the garage structures, but this did not rise above ground level of Blocks A and B.
• One approach would be for a new podium could provide useful new community space or commercial units, as well as reinstating proper amenity space above, as originally intended. There are various practical considerations with reinstating a podium, and though desirable from a heritage significance point of view, these need to be assessed against other objectives for the site.
• The area of the former residential home could provide new housing as part of this exercise of drawing Trellick Tower, the Edenham Estate and the car park site together. This new housing should be broadly consistent in scale with that of the Edenham Estate, and should certainly be clearly subservient in scale to Block B.
• The surviving ramps and bridges are of heritage significance because they were part of the original design. A new scheme should consider their retention and incorporation where this is possible – access from the south to a new podium (if that is what is proposed) will require a means of changing level. However, while important, their significance is not such that it should dominate a successful scheme to achieve the objectives set out above.
Please also refer to the KM Heritage Report
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Curved wall at Elkstone Rd entrance
5 Bridge across Elkstone EntranceWall around ball court area
Loading Bays below Block B
Stairs along podium base
Concrete ventsWalkway at Elkstone Rd Entrance
Block BBlock A and Service Tower 41 2 3
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9 Ramp at base of Block A10
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Key - Listed Buildings & Structures
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Key Planning Issues
London Plan Spatial Development Strategy for Greater London (July 2011)
National Planning Policy Framework (2012)
Density: 200 - 450 habitable rooms per hectare is required in areas of Public Transport Accessibility Level (PTAL) of 3 such as the site, which has a PTAL of 3/4.
Housing Mix: A range of housing types, tenures and sizes of homes are required. These should respond to current housing need in the area.
Accessible Housing: 100% of homes to be Lifetimes Homes compliant and 10% to be wheelchair accessible
Affordable Housing: Regional and local requirements apply, subject to the size of development, viability and other considerations. Up to 50% affordable by floor area may be required. Of this, a split of 85% affordable rented and 15 % intermediate housing may be expected (note: a minimum od 15% intermediate as this is a particular Golborne Ward requirement).
Affordable family housing should be prioritised.
Floor Areas & Layouts and Design Standards: Minimum regional and local standards apply on areas, layouts, internal dimensions, refuse, noise and right to light.
Basements: Subterranean development under listed buildings, or directly attached to existing basements, cellars or vaults of listed buildings will be resisted.
Light wells that are visible from the street and in conservation areas will be resisted.
Open, Private & Play Space: Trees will be protected where within the curtilage of a listed building.
New planting should be an integral part of any new development from the outset and should be purposefully designed to complement any new or existing built works.
Standards for private gardens, family gardens, balconies and shared outdoor spaces, including play spaces, apply.
Energy & Sustainability: Regional and national standards apply.
Parking: Minimum car parking and cycle storage standards apply. Loss of on-street parking should be avoided.
Community Infrastructure Levy: London standard CIL applies.
Uses: Existing social and community uses will be preserved and new ones encouraged.
Improvement, expansion and addition of small local businesses will be encouraged.
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Heritage
Development should take into account the views into an out of conservation sites and views identified in the
council’s conservation area proposals.
London Plan Housing SPG (December 2011)
RBKC Supplementary Planning Guidance and Documents
‘Saved’ policies of the RBKC UDP (2007)
RBKC Core Strategy (2010)
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Key Planning Issues
AreaSpecific:
The area falls within an area of development within which the borough council has a clear vision. Policies are in place which are designed to ensure that the area
develops in a way which maintains and enhances its function of a neighbourhood centre whilst preserving and enhancing the setting of the Grade II* listed Trellick
Tower and the surrounding Grade II listed Edenhame Estate. The following applies:RBKC Core Strategy (2010)
‘saved’ policies of the RBKC UDP (2007)
RBKC Supplementary Planning Guidance and Documents
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- Trellick Tower (Grade II* listed)
to remain icon for the area.
- Golborne market retailers will be thriving, serving local people and other Londoners.
- New housing will be a mix of size and tenures.
- Introduction of measures to enhance Golborne Road, including introduction of
electricity points for use by market traders, street lighting, speciality markets or the
use of the blank wall opposite the Spanish School as an ever changing ‘Art Wall’ or
outdoor exhibition space.
- Council will support improvements to social and community uses as a result of any
new development, particularly in making facilities inclusive for all.
- Kensal Employment Zone to the west of Trellick tower provides small flexible
workspaces. This employment use will be protected and consolidated as part of the
Core Strategy.
- Grand Union Canal to be a destination rather than a barrier. Better access to be
created to the Canal to open and integrate it into the network of local routes.
- A new footbridge link linking Golborne Road to Harrow Road, north of the
Grand Union Canal to assist in creating a pleasant walking route through
Golborne Road.
- Protect existing biodeiversity and attract new biodiversity, especially through opportunities to extend or link existing Green Corridors with the Grand Union
Canal.
- Council will support maintenance and enhancement of Meanwhile Gardens and the canal side environment.
- Bridge over the Paddington main line is visually unattractive and acts as a break in Golborne Road. This will be cosmetically improved.
Policy CA3: Land adjacent to Trellick Tower, encompassing
the former Edenham Care Home and land adjoining Trellick
Tower is allocated for a minimum of 60 residential units to fund
regeneration and improvements to social and community facilities
(NHS Kensington & Chelsea – the PCT is in need of a new facility
in the area, to replace some existing doctors surgeries that no
longer meet modern standards. The site is seen as ideal to locate
this facility.
It is also considered that a ‘destination use’ could improve the
vitality of the neighbourhood shopping facility at Golborne Road
(North) (Preferable BUT not a requirement of the development).
Employment uses in the form of studio workshops would also
be appropriate on the site, as part of a mixed-use development
(up to 100sqm) (Preferable BUT not a requirement of the
development).
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Strengths Corner Pub Site:This is an attractive building on the corner of the retail strip at the base of the tower. It acts as a focal point and gives a degree of enclosure to western side of the strip.
Pedestrian Routes:The site is well connected to transport and other facilities through a series of well-used pedestrian pathways running through the Meanwhile Gardens and along the Grand Union Canal.
The Earl of Portobello:
The Earl of Portobello forms a focal point at the gateway into Golborne Road. It is an existing element in what could become a well defined gateway space into the retail street. It also connects the strip across the bridge and into Portobello Road to the south.
Trellick Tower Medical Centre:This particular facade of the centre has been restored to its original design and detail - as per Erno Goldfinger’s original concepts. The heritage aspects and features could form a key element within the refurbishment of this street.
• The site is well connected to the wider area through public transport and within walking distance from a number of key destinations and transport nodes. Proximity to Harrow Rd and Golborne Rd retail districts ensures that residents are within walking distance of a range of essential facilities and to two vibrant retail districts.
• Trellick Tower and the Cheltenham Estate are a unique and significant example of modern architecture and are, respectively, Grade II* and Grade II listed. This lends status and character to Estate and fulfils an important role in the wider context of heritage. The building itself possesses a number inherent qualities which are enjoyed and appreciated by residents.
• Golborne retail strip possesses a number of ‘gems’ and key anchors which add character and provide an important function for the local community. These are the bare bones of a potentially successful local retail zone and public space, connected to the Estate.
• Pedestrian routes are well-used and pleasant to the north of the site, with potential to improve in the south of the site.
• Immediate connection to Meanwhile Gardens and the Grand Union canal and close proximity to a number of other open green spaces and leisure facilities provide an excellent level of access to open outdoor space, leisure/play facilities and nature.
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Harrow Road:A thriving High Street, with a host of local shops, convenience stores and supermarkets. It is also a major bus route and links this area to Wembley in the west and Paddington and Maida Vale in the east. It is within a 5-6 minutes walk from the estate.
Meanwhile Gardens:The linear park stretches from the western boundary of the Great Western Road, linking people all the way up to Kensal Road. The adjoining pedestrian pathway links into Ladbroke Grove in the west. The park was established in 1976 but only redeveloped in 2000. It is a vital resource for the local community. Gateways, pathways, play spaces and recreational areas are all very well integrated and designed to create a well used open space.
Golborne Road:The street and its mixed uses, comprising of a few local convenience stores, pubs, community facilities and health facilities has potential to become a better defined mixed-use retail area for the local residents of Trellick Tower, Cheltenham Estate and beyond. Through relatively minor public realm improvements and gateway/ entrance definitions, this could well be a pleasant and thriving section of the Golborne Rd retail district, forming the front door to the Tower and its grand entrance way.
Elkstone Road:Although, most residents use the Meanwhile Gardens as the popular route to the Great Western Road, this road is still the main access route to the Westbourne Park Station in the south and has one bus route operating along it which connects people to the city and Liverpool St. Residents of Cheltenham Estate have better access to it than to the Meanwhile Gardens. It has the potential to be improved - especially along its edge which interfaces the Trellick Tower site and at its junction with Golborne Road in the west.
Trellick Tower:This 31 storey structure designed Erno Goldfinger and completed in 1972 (Grade II* listed together with other areas on the estate) is not only an iconic piece of architecture, but it’s also loved by its many present day residents. The building forms a strong focal point along the canal and surrounding streets. This landmark is a visual marker and recognisable feature within its urban context of finer grain streets and places.
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Strengths
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Weaknesses
• Walkways and entrances, though an important aspect of the heritage value of the Estate can in places feel unsafe and limit choice and permeability though the site. Blank walls are a particular problem in limiting site lines and creating barriers at entrances.
• Connection to one of the site’s biggest assets, Meanwhile Gardens, is undermined by changes in level, physical barriers and general lack of continuity in landscape and uses between the Estate and the Gardens.
• Spaces that were previously covered by the podium have now become left over ‘sunken spaces’ with little natural surveillance and poor environmental quality.
• The southern part of the site is currently under-utilised as a coach park and offers little to the street environment of Elkstone Rd or to the central courtyard of the Estate. It also cuts of the northern part of the Estate from the key route of Elkstone Rd.
• Several spaces throughout the estate are poorly over-looked and feel unsafe.
• The attached retail zone of Golborne Rd is dominated by the road and suffers from a lack of enclosure or clear public space strategy.
Base of Entrance Tower:
The ramped edges of the listed walls cut the sunken area from the raised main entrance of the tower. This area also feels poorly overlooked due to the dead ends at either edge of the base.
Poor connections to Meanwhile Gardens:
The central sunken courtyard of the estate is poorly
connected with Meanwhile Gardens in the north. It is 3
storeys lower than the Gardens, creating a visual and physical
barrier between the two.
Entrance along Elkstone Road:The sunken parking, loading and rubbish collection area is accessed from under the pedestrian raised pathway. Blank ramp walls make this an unpleasant and poorly defined entrance way.
The parking and loading bay area:
The parking and loading bay area to the rear of the shops was previously covered by the raised podium. Since its removal, the space left behind is surrounded by raised walkways and 3 storey high blank walls creating issues of surveillance and reducing amenity.
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Southern edge of Estate:The southern section of the site is now a privately used coach park. The site is fenced off on all sides and cuts the connection between Trellick Tower and Elkstone Road and creates an unattractive and poorly defined front onto Elkstone Rd. It also further limits the potential for natural surveillance to the central courtyard and raised walkways in the southern half of the site.
Elkstone Road:Elkstone Road is lined along the south side by the fenced walls of the railway to the south and by the blank flank gable walls of the terraces of 3 storey houses of the Cheltenham Estate to the north. There are no active frontages or over-looking windows and as such, this road has no natural surveillance which is made worse by the poor lighting at night.
Golborne Road:As vehicular traffic takes priority on this route, Golborne Road physically splits the Trellick site from the shops and housing across the road to the west, reinforcing the perception that the tower is an isolated object, disconnected from the wider community. Parking on the western side of the road creates a further barrier between the two sides. The public space is also of limited value, being poorly defined and dominated by the road.
Meanwhile Gardens Interface: Recreational facilities:The existing ball court is located in an area that was formerly part of the podium car parking block, and as such it is surrounded on three sides by stark inactive walls. Along the southern edge a truncated walkway sits over looking (but still disparate from) the play area. The lack of accessibility and visibility into and out of the area makes it inhospitable
and a focus for antisocial behaviour.
The tower is located perfectly in relation to the Meanwhile Gardens along its northern edge. However, due to the lack of active frontage and excessive number barriers along the interface between the two, the tower has a poor relationship to the Gardens. This lack of integration under utilises the benefits of being in such close proximity to the Gardens.
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Weaknesses
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Opportunities
• The opportunity for development provides a way of eradicating ‘dead spaces’, creating secure enclosed parking and increasing the natural surveillance of the whole courtyard by placing the main leisure and pedestrian activities at the level of tower’s ground floor level.
• Gateways could be redesigned to create a sense of arrival and increase legibility of the whole site.
• New development in the southern part of the site could add to the housing density of the site whilst creating a much needed active frontage to Elkstone Rd and to the southern part of the central courtyard, increasing the natural surveillance and activity to both areas.
• Improvements to the central core could make this a much safer, more attractive and useful space for play and other leisure uses for residents. Raising the level of this area would increase the opportunities for natural surveillance and allow for secure covered parking below.
• Integration of the Estate space with the neighbouring Meanwhile Gardens landscape would create a more flexible and accessible interface between the two. Introduction of non-residential uses at the ground floor of the tower could be complementary to the environment of the park.
• Walkways and routes in and around the site could be improved and expanded, encouraging permeability through the site and improving walkability in the area generally.
• Development offers the opportunity to improve the surrounding public streets of Golborne Rd and Elkstone Rd, making these much more pedestrian friendly and responsive to a strong public life.
The parking area and loading bays:
The area presents the opportunity to reinstate the raised podium level along the rear of the shops, with this section becoming an improved covered parking area with landscaped amenity space above.
Connecting Trellick Tower to Elkstone Road:The proposed new development could help to connect the tower to Elkstone Road in the south by bringing the activity of the site much closer to the street.
Ramped entrance into site:The ramped access-ways into the site are listed elements of and should therefore be fully integrated with new links onto and around the site (primarily from the south). They could become key features in a wider network of entrances and gateways.
Potential new gateways:
Gateways and entrances into the site offer an opportunity to create focal points, aiding pedestrian way finding through the area.
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Southern edge of Estate:This site, if developed sensitively, could help to recreate a safer and better central courtyard, and a much needed active street edge to Elkstone Road in the south. It presents an opportunity for housing development and increased density which would be more appropriate to the site’s location and context.
Central core of the Estate:This space could benefit from being redeveloped to create a well overlooked central courtyard for the residents. Sensitive redevelopment along these lines would increase safety and attractiveness for a wider range of users and create a much more inclusive public space for residents.
Entrance to the Central core:The ramps and walls along its edges are listed elements of the Grade II* listed structure and these will have to be sensitively dealt with when designing this gateway into the core. However, there is an opportunity to create an active edge to the proposed development along Elkstone Road, which wraps around the corner to create a well defined gateway into this space.
Interface of the Tower with Meanwhile Gardens:Both the tower and the park would benefit from opening up the base of the tower and bringing the park landscape right to the edge of the tower, to create a stronger relationship with the park edge. By re-thinking the public realm and landscape design along this boundary and introducing appropriate non-residential uses at the ground floor level the tower a more complementary relationship between the Estate and the Gardens would be established.
Access to Golborne Road:The central elevated access route that runs through the site provides an opportunity to create a central pedestrian friendly access way, linking into Cheltenham Estate along Edenham Way and running further east into Elkstone Road. This central route will be well overlooked and could help connect the new development in the south to the proposed central raised-courtyard area. It could be a route that changes character in its width and role as it traverses through the centre of the site and should consider the heritage value of the listed elements (ramps, stairs and walls) and incorporate them as positive features of the new route.
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Opportunities
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Threats
• Sensitivity to listed elements and the main towers are a key concern in any proposal for the site. New designs must incorporate several disparate listed elements in a way that enhances their qualities.
• Existing uses and facilities also have an influence in the future development of the site and should be incorporated into future plans.
• The central core and surrounding sunken spaces are clearly in need of redevelopment and improvement. However, proposals should take care not to worsen problems of surveillance and safety inadvertently.
• Development should take care not to be too inward looking and should relate strongly with Elkstone Rd, Golborne Rd and Meanwhile Gardens, maximising opportunities to improve the wider area as well as the environment on site.
• Impact of the development to the recently listied 1-100 of Edenham Way.
Poor relation with base of tower:
This semi-enclosed sunken area is a potential threat if not detailed sensitively and designed properly. Currently, the blank walls and dead edges make it unsafe.
The Community Facility:
The interface of the tower with the Gardens is crucial to creating a positive relationship between the two. The facility, its entrance and its built interface with the space is key to this.
Raised walkways:
Walkways and stairs around the site are potentially threatening with limited sight lines, lack of choice in movement and lack of refuge. This could result in reducing the inclusivity and accessibility of the public spaces around the site. They are also part of the listed elements of the site and therefore need to be dealt with sensitively.
The central core:
The sunken central core is potentially a dangerous space being poorly over-looked and difficult to access. It should be redeveloped to create a positive space as an accessible and safe central courtyard.
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Built interface along Elkstone Road:The Edenham Estate housing has its side blank flank walls facing onto this route and it already suffers from being along a sunken railway line, acting as a barrier along its southern edge. Lack of activity along this route has potential to further isolate this route from Golborne Rd and the Estate to discourage its use by pedestrians. The proposed new development must provide for an active built interface along this Road. The edge will also need sensitive design detailing in terms of the massing and scale of the blocks in order not to over power or compete with the iconic Trellick Tower in the background.
Listed features and heritage elements:Alongside the Tower buildings, there are several listed features and elements like walls, ramps and stairways that run through the site. These formed part of a greater plan for the site when the scheme was first realised. All new development proposed in the eastern and southern sections of the site will need to sensitively integrate these features into any new contemporary design, adding to their value and enhancing their status on site.
Interface of the Tower and the central podium:Currently, only the community facility located on the ground floor of the Trellick Tower has access to the podium at the rear. There are no other active edges that open onto this space. This was partly due to concerns relating to objects falling from balconies above and was therefore discouraged as an active space. As part of the new development, it will be vital to rethink the purpose and role of this space, as well as how it connects to the new development, the existing base of Trellick Tower and Block B.
The central core:
This is the most complicated element of the site. We’ve seen the issues relating to this space. Determining a viable use and designing active interfaces that open onto a shared central space will need to be developed in the later design stages. However, if the new development and its buildings do not address this podium level properly, it could potentially worsen issues around safety and natural surveillance. The new development will also have to be massed and detailed appropriately in relation to the iconic Trellick Tower and its internal refurbished interfaces into this courtyard.
Elkstone Rd Entrance:
The entrance gateway into the site ramps down to a storey and a half along the lower tower and to 3 storeys under the podium of the main Trellick Tower. We have explained the issues with these level changes and how it creates an enclosed area which is not well overlooked. The new development in the southern and eastern edges of the site will have to incorporate these level changes, within the central core, with parking facilities below. This will need to be detailed carefully, such that factors such as overlooking, active interfaces, sensitivity to listed heritage elements and such other aspects are taken into design considerations from the start.
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Threats
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Summary Of Issues
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The strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats identified show a range of over-lapping issues and provide a strong basis for design proposals.
This is a summary of the areas of focus identified via this analysis, which have been consulted upon as part of the design process (described in the next section). The implications for design proposals are briefly discussed.
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DEVELOPMENT OPPORTUNITIES
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Key Strengths: Key Opportunities:
Key Threats:Key Weaknesses:
• At present the Estate does not make the most of its surrounding assets. By opening up key routes and maintaining visibility, strengths such as the Golborne Rd and Harrow Rd retail strips, Meanwhile gardens and transport nodes could be highlighted and made more accessible. New links could also connect back to the existing pedestrian network around the Estate, another major strength of the surrounding area.
• Physical improvements to Golborne Rd shopping could also make this a more welcoming retail hub and focal point at the face of the tower, again reconnecting the Estate to its surroundings.
• The iconic nature of the tower and the heritage value of the whole Estate is something that should be celebrated and drawn attention to as an important aspect of the Estate’s identity.
• Opportunities for new housing have been identified and would improve the definition of the street edge along Elkstone Rd, introducing natural surveillance and active edges to key public spaces and providing potential new investment into the rest of the Estate.
• The improvement of existing routes and development of new routes through the site and across the canal would increase connectivity to the area’s local assets and help to improve the Estate’s accessibility, helping to redefine it as part of a thriving local neighbourhood.
• Opportunities to reinstate heritage elements should be looked at carefully. Done well, this approach could address many of the existing permeability and safety issues whilst enhancing the heritage value of the entire Estate.
• Whilst the Estate’s listed status and heritage value is a major asset for the Estate, it is also a potential threat to any proposals that propose dramatic change. Individual heritage elements will have be considered separately and decisions will have to be balanced between their heritage status and other considerations such as safety and permeability. As such proposals should aim to work with as much of the existing listed elements, as they are, as much as possible.
• Other threats identified point to further degradation of the Estate environment through vandalism, crime or simple lack of maintenance. These issues are closely related to the identified weaknesses of the Estate and it is therefore vital that they be addressed fully by the proposals.
• The Estate faces a number of urban design challenges which should be addressed if the Estate is to feel safe and welcoming to people from all walks of life. Poor connectivity through the Estate, barriers to movement, poorly defined gateways and lack of legibility are all issues that could be addressed through new designs.
• The existing ball court is a major source of problems and should be improved both in terms of accessibility and safety. This is a space that would benefit greatly from the introduction of natural surveillance or possible relocation to a more accessible area.
• The coach park site at Elkstone Rd is another major weakness of the Estate, impacting both on the environment of the Estate and of the street along Elkstone Rd. However it provides an opportunity to introduce new development onto the Estate whilst addressing the issues that the currently cut-off site creates.
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Levitt Bernstein1 Kingsland Passage London E8 2BBT 020 7275 7676F 020 7275 9348E [email protected]
