In this week’s paper, we reported how the ‘Borough Triangle’ development, in Elephant and Castle, could be forced back to the drawing board thanks to Sadiq Khan’s new fire safety announcement. It appears that one of south east London’s biggest residential developments may have hit an even bigger stumbling block.
Developer Berkeley declined to comment on whether it would be submitting revised plans, but it’s difficult to see what other options are open to them. Khan has been clear that every residential block over 30 metres must have two staircases and their current plans simply don’t tick that box.
The announcement undoubtedly will have come as a blow to developers across the capital as the change is expected to cost them £1.6bn over the next decade. However, given that the London Fire Brigade has been advocating for the second staircase rule for some time, it has to be a worthwhile change.
It will also be interesting to see what implications this has for other tall developments across the borough. Will the Aylesham Centre 27 and 20-storey blocks, also proposed by Berkeley, meet the new standards? This is something the News will investigate.
Overall, many local residents will be pleased to find out Berkeley may have to reconsider its plans. Many feel blocks of 46 and 42-storeys would be too tall and will be reassured by a Southwark planning officer’s admittance that they feel so too.
It’s rare that we get to hear planning officers’ opinions on planning applications before the publication of their final, polished report. But hearing their thought process at a public meeting last week was a good exercise in transparency.
The future of Mercato Metropolitano, the hub of bars and small businesses on the site, still teeters on the brink. Berkeley has sought to reassure people that it is in talks with the operator about keeping them on-site. But it’s hard to see how Mercato Metropolitano can ever be the same. It has a vast footprint, where all the different businesses merge together to create an indoor-outdoor collective of food, drink and arts businesses. The place has a unique, organic feel and if it was portioned off into conventional, geographically disparate retail units, its entire essence would be lost.
We sincerely hope that Mercato and Berkeley can come to an agreement that bears in mind the interests of the vendors and local community. Since it was established, Mercato Metropolitano has become a community hub and losing it would be a great shame.
Two staircases provides escape routes for residents and additional access routes for firefighters. They can’t get to the fire when everyone is exiting. Makes sense. Send out clear comms for planned sites to review and incorporate. That there will be an insurance premium penalty on existing builds with a single staircase.