KINGSTON AND NORTH KINGSTON NEIGHBOURHOOD

Conservation Areas Advisory Committee

PLANNING APPLICATION COMMENT FORM UPDATE: 26 Jul 2022

N/A

RBK ref: 21/03939/FUL

Address: Former SCC HQ County Hall Penrhyn Road Kingston Upon Thames KT1 2EA Planning Officer: Barry Lomax

Description of proposed works: Refurbishment, restoration and extension of the County Hall (Grade II*) to provide flexible commercial use (class E) and residential use (class C3), demolition of The Canteen Building and The Computer Wing Building, erection of replacement buildings of between 2 and 8 storeys for residential use (class C3), conversion of both Nos.5 & 7 Milner Road to four 1 bedroom flats (class C3), alterations to the existing boundary, new means of access, associated public realm and landscaping, highway works, car and cycle parking and all ancillary and associated work.This application is accompanied by an Environmental Statement.

APPRAISAL

By full committee on …… 9 February 2022 …… with …… 8 …… members present

Issued on 10 Feb 2022

1. Positive support		2. No objection
3. Objection	X	4. Objection unless revised as below
5. No comment/neutral		6. Lack of detail
7. Decision already issued

Reason for objection:

Objection.

SCH is one of the Town’s most important heritage assets graded 2* and any major development of it must involve utmost sensitivity & exemplary design. While this PA reflects some consideration by the developer for the listed building & its setting, we are concerned about the disproportionate scale of the new blocks to the south & north of the site & their intrusion on views to/ from the surrounding CAs of Riverside South, Kingston Old Town & Grove Crescent. In our view these blocks should be reduced in height by at least one storey each.

In particular:

i) the developer has opted for a 90% residential development comprising ca 340 1-2 bedroom flats, rather than family units and/ or a mixed use scheme that would maintain the community benefit of the site - a missed opportunity;
ii) the disproportionate height & bulk of the new residential blocks within the curtilage of the listed building (eg along Milner Passage) would cause harm to the historic building & its setting.

The proposed development on the site of the former social club & tennis courts (blocks A1-3) would range in height from 4 to 8 storeys, only 11 metres from the listed building & only 1 metre from the southern boundary of the site & its neighbouring 2 storey residences in Woodbines Avenue & Milner Road. In our view, these blocks also have limited architectural merit unlike eg the nearby exemplary Kingston University Town House.

Block A1 would front onto Penrhyn Road at over 36 metres tall & overshadow SCH by almost 10 metres & its 1893 clock tower by ca 17 metres. It would also impinge on views to/ from the Grove Crescent CA opposite.

Block A2 at 6 storeys would be taller than the southern range of the listed building and again exceed the height of the original clocktower.

Block A3 at 4 storeys would be only a couple of metres lower than the southern range of the listed building.

In addition, these new structures would overshadow the 2 storey Reg Bailey building on Penrhyn Road.

At the northern end of the site, the proposed replacement of the former computer building - block B comprising affordable housing - would also be taller than the listed building. Furthermore, in our opinion its design is unsatisfactory with a ‘bloated’ appearance, unduly bland & lacking in definition.

For these reasons, CAAC objects to this PA in its current form.