2 NEW HOUSES IN LEE, LONDON
In the last couple of years, Lewisham Council has developed a new form of planning guidance looking at utilising small sites across the borough as a method for helping solve part of London's current housing crisis.
As such, we have been on the lookout for redundant underused bits of land across Lewisham and came across a small site within the Lee Manor conservation area in south-east London. A previous planning application for two new detached houses was rejected in 2015 due to design's potentially harmful impact on the heritage character of the area. Since then however, the planning landscape has shifted and there is a real desire to develop these under utilised plots of land. Therefore, we reached out to the client and proposed a more sensitive design for two new houses which would be designed in close collaboration with Lewisham Council planning and conservation officers. The materials, form and position of the houses follow the prevailing pattern of the street and take cues from the Victorian architecture across the conservation area. The front gardens are landscaped with two accessible ramps which enable the structure to follow the excavated levels of the neighbouring properties. The gardens are south facing and will feel secluded and private with their courtyard like appearence, and an abundance of planting will help tie the scheme into the verdant feel of the streetscape. Lastly, a communal amenity space will occupy the rest of the site on the boundary with an established pub on the street corner. Here a number of new London Plane trees will be planted with an emphasis on wildflowers and grasses, which will encourage insects and other wildlife to the area. This project has recently been submitted for planning approval and aims to provide two new 5 bedroom houses for Lewisham. |
©Mistry Wills Design Ltd.