LONDON BOROUGH OF CAMDEN Planning Brief For St Giles Court ADOPTED July 2004 Contents Part 1 Introduction Part 2 The Site, its Setting and Location • Site Boundary • Ownership and Occupancy • Setting • Conservation Areas, Listed Buildings and Views • Transport and Local Circulation • Covent Garden Neighbourhood Renewal Area • Other Site Constraints Part 3 Planning Background • The Unitary Development Plan • The Draft London Plan • Tottenham Court Road Station and St Giles High Street Area Planning Framework • Planning History Part 4 Development Objectives • The Strengths and Weaknesses of the Site • Key Objectives • Sustainable Development • Community Safety Part 5 Land Use Guidance • Mixed-Use Development • Housing • Employment and Regeneration • Retail, Food and Drink • Other Uses • Public Space Part 6 Permeability And The Public Realm • Public Spaces • Pedestrian Routes Part 7 Urban Design Guidance • General Principles of Design • Planning the Site • Relationship with Existing Buildings • Building Heights • Materials and Detailing • Designing Out Crime St Giles Court Planning Brief Adopted July 2004 www.camden.gov.uk/spg Part 8 Circulation, Access and Servicing • Public Transport Connections • Transport Impact Statement and Green Travel Plan • Access • Parking Part 9 Implementation • Phased Development • Checklist of Requirements for Submission of a Planning Application • Management of Construction • Planning Obligations Appendix 1 Relevant UDP policies Appendix 2 Characteristics of sustainable building St Giles Court Planning Brief Adopted July 2004 Part 1 Introduction 1.1 This brief has been prepared to ensure a comprehensive approach to the development of the site known as St Giles Court. Its purpose is to secure development which accords with the Council’s planning objectives, and maximises the benefits of developing this very prominent site. 1.2 This brief accords with the statutory planning framework established by Camden’s Unitary Development Plan adopted in March 2000 and subsequent alterations and it reflects relevant Government advice and circulars. It does not take account of any covenants or similar restrictions that may affect the site. 1.3 Having been subjected to public consultation and endorsed by the Executive of the Council this brief carries the status of Supplementary Planning Guidance. This means that it will be a material consideration in determining planning applications affecting the site. 1.4 Concurrently with drafting this brief, the Council has prepared an Area Planning Framework for the wider Tottenham Court Road Station and St Giles High Street Area in which this site lies and this brief has been written to be conform with this framework. Having been adopted by the Council, this framework also has Supplementary Planning Guidance Status, and any development proposals affecting the site should also be consistent with the framework. 1.5 While in most cases the brief reflects the Council’s planning policies in its UDP adopted in March 2000, in some cases it also refers to emerging policies set down in the replacement UDP, for which the second deposit draft was published in May 2004. The Council has begun to apply some policies from this draft for development control purposes consistent with its status. 1.6 The brief also takes account of three recent studies of the St Giles Area: • In 1998 Land Use Consultants was commissioned by English Heritage working in partnership with Camden and Westminster Councils, GoL, LPAC, London Transport and MEPC who at that time owned Centre Point, to examine opportunities to improve the environment around St Giles Circus and Princes Circus. Land Use Consultants published their recommendations in a two volume study entitled – ‘St Giles and Princes Circus Urban Quality Project. • In 2000 Camden Council commissioned Intelligent Space to report on Pedestrian Movements in St Giles Circus. • A March 2000 Report by Space Syntax, entitled ‘Princes Circus: Report on the Strategic Redesign Study’. This study was commissioned by the London Borough of Camden to develop new public space designs for Princes Circus. St Giles Court Planning Brief Adopted July 2004 1 Part 2 The Site, its Setting and Location Site Boundary 2.1 St Giles Court is an interlinked complex of 6 to 8 storey office buildings providing some 33,500m2 (361,000 sq ft) floorspace. St Giles Court occupies the 7000m2 island site bounded by St. Giles High Street, Earnshaw Street, Bucknall Street and Dyott Street. The building was constructed in the early 1950’s and contributes little to the public realm. The current plot ratio on the site is 4.8:1. 2.2 St Giles Court lies in the Holborn and Covent Garden Ward. The extent of the site and its boundary roads is shown in Map 1. Map 1: The St Giles Court Site Ownership and Occupancy 2.3 St Giles Court is owned by Legal and General’s investment management company. Legal & General have appointed Stanhope as developers for the site. Stanhope are working on the development with the internationally renowned architect, Renzo Piano. St Giles Court Planning Brief Adopted July 2004 2 2.4 The Ministry of Defence occupies the property on a lease which is due to expire in December 2011, although it is subject to a break clause with effect from April 2004. One consequence of the MoD’s occupation is substantial and highly prominent and intrusive security around the perimeter. Setting 2.5 Bucknall Street, a relatively quiet road mainly used for servicing by adjoining occupiers, lies immediately to the north of the site. Bucknall Street is separated from New Oxford Street by Castlewood House, a development of similar style and vintage to St Giles Court. St Giles High Street, an historic route into the City of London and still dominated by the 18th century Church of St Giles, marks the boundary to the south. To the west the Centre Point Tower stands between St Giles Court and Charing Cross Road. To the east the site is bounded by the narrow Dyott Street which, at the south east corner, runs into Princes Circus an unpleasant traffic junction that may have potential to be transformed into a useful public space. Several interesting and attractive buildings front onto Princes Circus including Bloomsbury Centre Baptist Church which lies between Princes Circus and the site of this brief, and Shaftesbury Theatre on the south east corner facing the site. Map 2: St Giles Court Location St Giles Court Planning Brief Adopted July 2004 3 2.6 Map 2 shows that in its wider setting St Giles Court lies amidst many of the capital’s most popular visitor attractions at the very heart of London. Immediately to the north is the Bloomsbury area in which are located internationally prominent university colleges and the British Museum, which attracts some 4 million visitors annually. To the east is Holborn, which has recently seen an increase in office floorspace, and new hotels. Further developments of this kind are expected in Holborn following its identification in the Draft London Plan as an area of intensification. Covent Garden with its market, restaurants, Opera House and historic streets lies to the South West and London’s theatreland, centred around Shaftesbury Avenue is to the South. These two areas are huge international attractions, drawing in large numbers of visitors throughout the year. South West of St Giles, across Charing Cross Road is Soho, popular as a home for media and film companies and for its large numbers of restaurants, bars and clubs. Oxford Street, Britain’s largest shopping centre with a massive annual footfall lies to the west and Tottenham Court Road the UK’s leading electronic retail centre to the north west. Map 3: Conservation Areas, Views, Listed Buildings 2.7 With such attractions on all sides the site has the potential to link as well as develop its own attractions as a place to live, work and visit. And yet the congested road network, poor street legibility, paucity of public space and a high proportion of dead frontages all discourage them from doing so. The very large site block with no through routes and the high security around the site are other more psychological barriers to pedestrian movement. St Giles Court Planning Brief Adopted July 2004 4 2.8 Immediately west of the site is the rear block of the Centre Point tower which accommodates 36 maisonettes. There are additional residential uses on the upper floors of buildings within the Denmark Street site to the south west of St Giles Court and south of the site around the corner of St Giles High Street and New Compton Street. Conservation Areas, Listed Buildings and Views 2.9 While not actually within a Box 1: Listed Buildings Conservation Area (CA), the site is bounded on all sides 1 St Giles Church by three CAs (see Map 3). A Grade 1 listed church, set back behind railings from To the north is the the road frontage by a green churchyard. A Vestry Bloomsbury Conservation attached to the Church, a west facing Lych Gate and a Area. Characterized by its K2 telephone box outside the church are all separately listed (Grade II). rectangular street pattern, open squares and 3 to 4 2 Centre Point storey Georgian terrace Grade II Listed 1960s reinforced concrete 35 storey houses, Bloomsbury is office tower designed by Richard Seifert and Partners. recognized as an example The complex also includes a rear block with shops at of urban development of ground and 36 maisonettes above that overlook the site international significance. across Earnshaw Street. As home to the British Museum and its eponymous 3 St Mungos Housing, 83 Endell St intellectual tradition the Gothic Revival style school built in 1860 and designed by EM Barry. Now used as a hostel for the homeless. Bloomsbury area enjoys equal repute as a centre of 4 Bloomsbury Central Baptist Church cultural and historic 235 Shaftesbury Avenue, Completed 1844, early Italian importance.