Archive

Qualia House, Sanderstead

Sep

The Oakwood Group negotiated the purchase of this former car dealership off Sanderstead Road, on a subject to planning permission basis.

The former use of the site as a car showroom with ancillary vehicle servicing was not appropriate in this location and did not sit comfortably with the predominantly residential uses surrounding it.

We saw an opportunity to visually enhance the street scene and dramatically improve the existing built environment and worked in conjunction with the local planning authority and urban design team to come up with a proposal for 20 residential apartments with emphasis on providing high quality homes to meet the local needs.

Through introduction of a landscaped podium deck and semibasement car park the proposal eliminates the domination of car parking from the street scene and provides a healthy sense of semi public open space, providing substantial on site amenity and creating a focal point for the development.

Located just a few minutes walk from both Sanderstead and Purley Oaks Stations, Qualia benefits from excellent local facilities yet is conveniently located to benefit from infrastructure links to the capital’s transport network, with journey times into London as little as 25 minutes and trains departing approximately every 11 minutes at peak times. By road you couldn’t be better connected to the area’s major arterial routes, including the M23 and M25, with Gatwick Airport just 18 miles away.

Qualia is the ideal location for young professionals, families and downsizers offering secluded privacy with all the facilities of a modern town centre at your fingertips. In our view, a perfect combination.

Construction commenced in February 2012 and was completed in May 2013. The development has been funded in part by National Westminster Bank Plc. All of the apartments were sold ‘off plan’.

Martins Yard, Brockley

Sep

The Oakwood Group negotiated this mixed use scheme with commercial premises at ground and first floors within Use Class B1 and residential uppers.

The scheme is comprised 38,000 square feet of ‘incubator’ business units for small to medium sized enterprises along with 47 residential ‘sky lofts’. Thirty eight of the residential units were delivered to meet Gallions Housing Association brief with the balance being delivered for open market sale.

We worked extensively with the developer and the local authority to tweak the permitted scheme to meet conditions precedent to HCA funding and to overcome some incredibly challenging site constraints and ‘buildability’ issues flowing from the scheme approved by the planners.

The commercial shell was constructed to shell and core specification using a steel frame and PCC upper floors.

Residential accommodation was constructed using timber frame with a cementitious board cladding to the elevations to create a scheme inspired by traditional timber beach huts.

The construction was procured via a design and build contract and completed on site April 2013.

Former Eltron Works Site, Croydon

Sep

The Oakwood Group purchased this former warehouse and office building with the benefit of detailed planning permission for 16 houses and 43 apartments. The adjoining site was purchased on a conditional basis and planning permission was then secured for a further 21 apartments.

The Oakwood Group entered into a lump sum design and build contract with AmicusHorizon to deliver the construction under a package deal arrangement.

Seventeen of the residential apartments were delivered for shared ownership, with the balance delivered for affordable rent.

Three of the apartments were provided to a bespoke wheelchair design brief in conjunction with LB Croydon’s Occupational Therapist and Housing Enabling team.

All of the homes were designed to meet the Building Research Establishment’s Code for Sustainable Homes Level 4 Rating and twenty per-cent of the predicted annual energy consumption of the dwellings is generated from on-site renewable energy sources, principally photovoltaic panels.

The construction was being procured via a design and build contract, managed under a JCT Standard Form of Building Contract.

Construction commenced in Quarter 3 2012 with completed in Quarter 2 2014.

Blairderry Road, Streatham

Sep

The Oakwood Group negotiated the purchase of this former warehouse site located in Streatham Town Centre on a subject to planning permission basis.

Planning history on the site saw two applications refused by the Council on grounds of bulk, height, scale and massing as well as car parking provision.

The site forms part of an urban block defined by four local roads. To the east character is of mixed use built form including residential, local retail, offices and shops and services located along the length of Streatham Hill. The area has excellent transport connections.

The previous use of the site as warehousing was not appropriate in this location. The buildings were of poor quality and did not sit comfortably, particularly with the residential buildings to the west.

We worked tirelessly in the spirit of the coalition Government’s localism agenda to engage with the local community, business leaders and the planning authority during the pre-application stages to ensure the scheme submitted was acceptable.

Extensive stakeholder involvement derived a proposal comprised of 66 apartments with commercial accommodation at ground floor. A resolution to grant Planning Permission was secured in October 2012 for a scheme of 51 apartments to be provided for market sale, with 13 apartments and 2 houses being provided for affordable rent. The market sale element was funded in part by National Westminster Bank Plc.

This was an important regeneration site identified in the council’s Masterplan and we took the opportunity to provide an outward looking and visually attractive development to enhance this part of Streatham and created a high quality environment which fosters solid community benefits. The design provides substantial usable and attractive amenity space through the introduction of a landscaped podium deck and basement car parking, eliminating the domination of car parking on the street scene.

Demolitions commenced March 2013 and construction was completed in January 2015.

A further planning application was then granted in September 2015 to convert the vacant ground floor commercial accommodation into a further six apartments. These conversion works were completed in August 2016, taking the total residential units on site to 72.

Trinity Square, Coulsdon

Sep

The Oakwood Group agreed to purchase this motor dealership in London Borough of Croydon on a subject to planning permission basis.

The site comprised a large plot of land to the south of Coulsdon Town Station which was identified as an opportunity site in Croydon’s Masterplan and benefited from an extant planning permission for a food retail store comprising 5,446m2 Gross Floor Area of Class A1 retail floorspace and with a net sales area of 2,837m2, with residential units on the uppermost levels.

We worked in conjunction with the local authority and their Masterplanning team as a stakeholder in promoting a residential bias for the site.

Our findings underpinned a proposal to provide a mix of retail and residential uses with provision of a new public space to Brighton Road and enhanced pedestrian routes to the station.

Permission was granted in September 2012 for a two to seven storey structure comprised of 350m2 Class A1/A2/A3 retail space and 184m2 of A1/A2/B1/D1/D2 space and 94 residential units.

The scheme was delivered in conjunction with one of our strategic housing association partners, with the market sale elements being funded in part by National Westminster Bank Plc.