Ram Brewery

Wandsworth

Two residential towers up to 32 and 42 storeys and mid-rise blocks containing housing over retail on Wandsworth's Ram Brewery site. Designed by EPR Architects.

We also reviewed this scheme on 8 September 2009.

Summary

We are sceptical about the appropriateness of the proposed tall buildings for the Ram Brewery site. In our view, a borough-wide tall buildings strategy needs to be in place to allow for the proper assessment of the towers. Notwithstanding the production of such a strategy, we think it will be challenging to make a convincing case for tall buildings, particularly of this height, in this location. Whilst we support the principle of opening up the Ram Brewery site to the town centre, we think that this proposal does not make the most of this opportunity. We are not confident that this proposal provides either the form or quality of development that Wandsworth should be aspiring to. As a consequence, we think that planning permission should be refused.

The tall buildings

The test these tall buildings need to pass is particularly challenging, due to the location and nature of the site and the particular height of the towers. The proposed towers would be as high as the tallest existing buildings in central London which tend to be located immediately adjacent to exceptionally good public transport links. This site sits within a suburban town centre and is not located on a significant public transport node; we think this constitutes a difficult starting point for making a case for tall buildings.

We note the justification put forward by the applicants and, in terms of a policy context, we acknowledge the specific references to 'higher buildings' on this site contained in the emerging core strategy. However, we think it is difficult to assess a case for tall buildings in this location without understanding how other tall building developments in the wider area might take place in future. This can only be achieved through a borough-wide tall buildings strategy. Ideally this should be carried out under the auspices of the local authority, but it may be that the applicants could fund an independent and objective study.

In our view, the planning application material has not demonstrated that these towers are appropriate in a Wandsworth-wide context and has not made a convincing case for the towers in townscape terms. The application drawings fail to clearly convey the relationship between the towers and their suburban surroundings. When the tall buildings are shown alongside the existing heritage buildings, there appears to be no response or judgement as to the impact of the significant shift in scale between the two. Furthermore, as stated in the joint CABE and English Heritage Guidance on tall buildings, tall buildings must be of excellent design quality in all respects, with high quality materials and detailing. This is especially important given that these buildings will be seen from long distances. The level of detail provided on the buildings proposed is wholly insufficient to guarantee such quality. We consider the sweeping gestures at the tops of the towers to be inappropriate. We also think that the alternate grouping of floors in the buildings' elevations hinders the clear reading of the towers and produces confused and inelegant looking buildings when viewed from afar.

The enclosure of the bases of the towers marks a small improvement on the original scheme. However, the local authority should be wary of the impact that the additional retail units proposed would have on pedestrian movement around their bases. The public realm is severely pinched between the towers and blocks B and C to the south. It seems to us that the implications of this move have not been fully considered.

In line with the CABE and English Heritage Guidance on tall buildings, we would expect the towers to set exemplary standards in terms of sustainability, and they should exceed the latest regulations and planning policies for minimising energy use and reducing carbon emissions over the lifetime of the development. From the information provided, we are not satisfied that they will achieve this.

Site planning and built form - Ram Brewery site

We welcome the principle of opening up the Ram Brewery site to the town centre. However, the proposals disappoint in their efforts to make meaningful connections to the wider street network, to create attractive and usable public spaces, and bring forward buildings of a strong identity and character. The development fails to make the most of its context, including the River Wandle, and does not seem cohesive as a place.

Firstly, connectivity across the river will be a key element in making the site more accessible as well as a providing an opportunity to shape Ram Brewery into a real place. Yet, the absence of a convincing strategy for river crossings and the lack of detail on the bridges themselves does not give us the confidence that they are realistic propositions. Secondly, it is hard to envisage how of the public spaces being created will help to shape a coherent place out of the Ram Brewery site. The challenge of keeping such large spaces animated and safe outside shopping hours will be considerable. The absence of residential entrances onto the central plaza suggests to us that not enough thought has gone into this aspect of the scheme.

Thirdly, whilst we think that the regular form of linear blocks B and C has potential, in our view, there is an inadequate level of detail provided on their design and they have not evolved into convincing pieces of architecture in their own right. In their detailed development the adjacencies of the slabs appears worryingly close. We are also concerned about the quality of the podium courtyards above the retail accommodation and the entry sequence to the residential units within these blocks, which we feel are poorly resolved and will not make for pleasant places to live.

Capital Studios site

We think that in re-examining the approach to the buildings, the opportunity should be taken to more fully distinguish the buildings proposed for the Capital Studios site from the Ram Brewery site. They address different site conditions, and this could lead to a more specific and individual architectural response in terms of their scale, geometry and character. We think this would also be of benefit in ensuring that the scheme is not a homogenous, self-contained development but feels like an integral part of Wandsworth town centre. Notwithstanding the above, we welcome the high number of dual aspect apartments proposed.

Conclusion

In our view, the case for tall buildings on this site is far from self-evident and a compelling case still needs to be made for them. We think it will be difficult to make such a case due to the nature and location of the site, and we continue to believe that this can only properly be assessed in the context of a borough-wide tall buildings strategy. The lack of quality presented in the architectural approach is of particular concern to us. Consequently, we think that planning permission should be refused for this proposal in its current form.