Summary
Plans for the redevelopment of the site of the former Bell Green Gasometers have been submitted to the London Borough of Lewisham.
Proposals registered to Lewisham Council propose over 260 new homes across three new residential lead buildings rising from 5 to 15 floors, on the 0.995-hectare site of the former Bell Green gasometers.
Project team
The developer Barratt London, a subsidiary of one of the country’s volume home builders has appointed architects de Metz Forbes Knight Architect (DMFK) to produce detailed plans for the site.
Macfarlane + Associates have also been appointed as the landscape consultants for the site.
Transport
The site currently has low access to public transport in the immediate area, however, this would dramatically increase if the second phase of the Bakerloo Line extension.
If materialised it would require upgrades at Lower Sydenham or a new station closer to the site at Bell Green.
Affordable housing
Whilst the applicant is willing to deliver the 35% affordable housing (by habitable room), this has only been enabled through a housing grant according to the Financial Viability Assessment (FVA). The minimum profit margin for new housing developments is set at 17.5%.
Of the 81 affordable homes (subject to grant funding availability) is 51 units as London Affordable Rent and 30 units as shared ownership.
The London Affordable Rent flats comprise a combination of two-bedroom units (69%) and three-bedroom (31%) units, whereas the shared ownership flats comprise a combination of one-bedroom units (50%) and two-bedroom units (50%).
Financial viability
Finally, the level of grant required to deliver 35% affordable homes by habitable room on a tenure split of 70% London Affordable Rent and 30% shared ownership is estimated in the Financial Viability Assessment to be £7,800,000.
If the grant is not available, the FVA concludes that the quantum of affordable housing would be 4%.
Broader context
The proposal is situated within the Lower Sydenham Bell Green Vision Study area, which was published by Lewisham Council in the late 2010s.
This assumes both phases of the aforementioned Bakerloo Line extension which would have the benefit of reducing journey times from Oxford Circus from 40 to 25 minutes with a train every 3-5 minutes.
The plan assumes the eventual demolition of the entire Bell Green Retail Park, to be replaced by over 4,000 new homes with either a new station adjacent to the Pool River or a resituated Lower Sydenham station to the south of the site.
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