Design, Access and Heritage Statement Extension to 164A Liverpool Road, London Status: PLANNING

3 May 2016

1 Design, Access and Heritage Statement Alterations and Extension to 164A Liverpool Road, Barnsbury AFL E [email protected] W www.architectureforlondon.com A 82 Clerkenwell Road, London, EC1M 5RF T 020 3637 4236 Design, Access and Heritage Statement Extension to 164A Liverpool Road, London Status: PLANNING

Contents

0 Introduction

1 Site Context 1.1 Location 1.2 Current Use and Legal History 1.3 Natural Context 1.4 Built Context 1.5 Boundaries 1.6 Access

2 Proposals in Context 2.1 Overall strategy 2.2 Proposed Use 2.3 Response to Natural Contexts 2.4 Response to Built Contexts 2.5 Boundary Treatments

3 Conclusions

AFL E [email protected] W www.architectureforlondon.com A 82 Clerkenwell Road, London, EC1M 5RF T 020 3637 4236 Design, Access and Heritage Statement Extension to 164A Liverpool Road, London Status: PLANNING

Fig. 1: Existing Liverpool Road elevation 0. Introduction

This Design, Access and Heritage Statement is submitted in support of a planning application for alteration and extension to No. 164A Liverpool Road, London. No. 164 Liverpool Road is a two-storey Victorian building, originally thought to contain a coach station, and later a taxi depot. It has been variously altered and extended in modern times (refer to paragraph 1.2).

In drawing up this proposal we have analysed and responded to relevant national and local planning policy in addition to the site’s unique built and historical context. We feel the resulting design is appropriate for its location and sympathetic to its surroundings.

Fig 2. Context. Clockwise from top left: Liverpool Road street frontage opposite; aerial view 1. Site Context with site outlined in red dashed line; view of 164 looking north along Liverpool Road. 1.1 Location 164A Liverpool Road is located on the 1.3 Natural Context first floor of no. 164 Liverpool Road. This The wider local area is home to many building is located in north London, in the mature trees, garden squares and borough of Islington. The B515 Liverpool private gardens. The site is around half Road is a local high street containing a mile from the commercial centre of shops and commercial premises, as The Angel and approximately one mile well as varying densities of residential from Kings Cross and St Pancras stations. buildings. It is a significant north-south It is urban in its nature. No trees exist on route connecting central London with the site as the property consists entirely Barnsbury and Highbury. of the the first floor and roof of no. 164, while the garden of the building was 1.2 Current Use and Legal History built over during the aforementioned The building is currently split into three conversion works. residential properties over ground and first floors, while the majority of the ground 1.4 Built Context floor is occupied by a car garage. In the Liverpool Road, formerly Back Road, 1990s the current owners of the garage is one of the oldest in London, dating - then of the whole building - carried out from at least medieval times. It was not extensive structural work to extend and until the 1700s however that it began to convert the building to its current form. be heavily developed from its southern The title of the property was then split end, spreading northwards over the 2 and each flat sold individually. years. No. 164 was originally developed

Fig 3. Context. Clockwise from as part of Felix Terrace, a row of houses including no. 162, exists a well-preserved top left: view of the backs of 164, 162 and 160 Liverpool Road from built in 1817. row of shops with flats over them, roof terrace; the backs of 164 and and rising to three storeys - one storey 166-198 Liverpool Road from roof terrace; 166, 164 and 162 Liverpool To comply with NPPF paragraph 128 the higher than no. 164. Several modern Road as they were in 1964; proposal must take account of relevant developments form the context to Liverpool Road looking south down Heritage Assets, their significance and 164 Liverpool Road. The most recent Felix Terrace the contribution of their setting. As is the adjacent building to the north the site lies within Islington’s Barnsbury of the site at 166-198 Liverpool Road. Conservation Area, the design must This building was completed in 2013 take account of the significance of and is 2 storeys higher than no. 164, this asset and the effect it will have and 1 storey higher than the adjacent on it. The Conservation Area Appraisal nineteenth century buildings. It uses a summarizes the nature of the area thus: modern bright yellow brick, juxtaposed against grey zinc cladding, structural “The Barnsbury Conservation Area is the largest in glass balconies and black aluminium Islington and was declared to be of outstanding framed doors and windows. It has a importance. It contains many of the best examples of formal late-Georgian/early-Victorian flat roof covered with light grey PVC residential developments in London. These membrane and the walls are capped include some of the finest sequences of squares with poorly installed aluminium copings. and terraces in London, such as Lonsdale Square, Further down the road, visible from no. Gibson Square and Thornhill Square. Many of the squares contain superb, mature trees and 164 and immediately facing the backs well established planting which enhance the of Milner Square this development magnificent buildings surrounding them. Overall, includes various contemporary the area has a rare quality of consistency and architectural features, including towers completeness which requires careful and sensitive policies to protect and enhance it.” and dramatically curving zinc roofs. Immediately opposite our site exist 3 Immediately to the south of no. 164, similar two-storey nineteenth century

Fig 4. Context. Clockwise from buildings which have been given 1.6 Access top left: Liverpool Road with the 166-198 development on the later mansard roof extensions. Next to Access to no. 164 is direct from Liverpool left; Milner Square; the backs of these is the modern four-storey 231- Road, and Flat A is reached via an Milner square from the roof of 164 Liverpool Road; the back of 235 Liverpool Road and its immediate internal staircase to the side of the no.s 166-198 Liverpool Road. neighbour, a three-storey modern brick building. There is no rear or side access building. To the rear of no. 164 are the to the property. backs of houses (now flats) on Milner The B515 Liverpool Road leads Square, a high quality Victorian garden to Upper Street to the south, and square dating from 1839 and rising to Highbury in the north. It is not on a bus 4/5 storeys. route. The nearest underground/rail station is Highbury and Islington, about 1.5 Boundaries 800 metres to the north, while Angel The property’s boundary to the north underground station is about 900 metres is formed by the new flank wall to no.s to the south. The property’s PTAL rating 166-198 Liverpool Road, to the south is 2. by the flank wall to the first floor and mansard roof extension to no. 162 liverpool road, to the east by the back gardens of Milner Square, and to the west by Liverpool Road itself. No. 164A shares a party wall with flat C to the north and west, and a party floor with the garage on the ground floor. There is a shared light well in the centre of the building extending from first floor level to the roof. 4

162 164 Liverpool Rd. 166-198

166-198 164 Liverpool Rd. 162

Fig 5. Elevations of Existing. Top: Back Elevation Existing. Bottom: Front Elevation Existing. Scale: 1:200 at A4

1 2

3 4 5

Fig 6. Examples of contemporary extensions in conservation areas and roof extensions to 2. Proposals in Context period buildings: 1. Moorfields Conservation Area, Islington/FCH Architects; 2. East Canonbury Conservation Area, Islington/ Refer to figures 7, 11 and 12 for drawings marking a change in material. By taking Alison Brookes Architects; 3. showing proposed design. these strategic decisions we aim to Pentonville Road roof extension, Camden/Islington/HUT Architects; preserve the character of the original 4. Barnsbury Conservation Area, 2.1 Overall Strategy building, and by building the roof Islington/Tasou Associates; Barnsbury Conservation Area, As we have seen in the previous section, extension, prevent a less sympathetic Islington/Architecture for London. 164 Liverpool Road is sandwiched future development. between two much taller buildings: The second element to the recent (2013) 166-198 Liverpool our strategy has been to chose Road which is two storeys higher, and an architectural form akin to a 162 Liverpool Road which is one storey mansard roof. This form takes its cue higher. Additionally several buildings from its immediate context being opposite are 3-4 storeys while Milner contemporary in its expression while Square behind is 4-5 storeys. These facts, employing a cladding material that together with the intense pressure for matches no.s 166-198 Liverpool Road. space for family homes in London, have At the same time it references the informed our proposal to extend this traditional mansard roofs of Georgian property upwards. and Victorian properties. Our strategy in achieving this has been to preserve the overall 2.2 Proposed Use appearance of the original nineteenth It is not proposed to change the use of century building, allowing this to be the flat from that of a dwelling. As already read as it is now by stepping back discussed the building was divided in 6 the facade of the roof extension, and the last decades into commercial use

162 164 Liverpool Rd. 166-198

Fig 7. Proposed back elevation at ground floor with residential use at 164A will be replaced with sustainable upper floors. This proposal provides timber construction and fully insulated further valuable residential space in an using natural sustainable insulation area facing an acute shortage. materials, greatly reducing energy use.

2.3 Response to Natural Contexts Hard surfaces & Foundations Construction The provision of additional living space The immediate impact of the over the top of an existing building construction of this project will be involves no new land take-up and thus minimal as the existing site is exclusively does not contribute to surface water comprised of the existing building or problems or reduce valuable amenity hardstanding. Construction traffic will space. For these reasons alone it is a use Liverpool Road. All construction highly sustainable model for providing waste will either be re-used on site or new residential accommodation in an recycled where possible. A construction urban environment. management plan will be implemented to reduce impact on neighbouring 2.4 Response to Built Contexts properties and road infrastructure. Scale and Location The proposal takes precedent from an Energy Efficient Design and Use of established development pattern found Materials in the conservation area, the borough The extension is designed to exceed and London as a whole which is to energy use standards for current building provide additional accommodation regulations, employing sustainable via a stepped back mansard-style roof materials and design for low energy use. storey. Its location is entirely appropriate With the exception of the front facade being in a densely developed area 7 the original solid brick boundary walls of of central London, with a pattern of

Fig 8. Natural zinc Fig 9. Dark zinc Fig 10. Frameless glazing

residential properties over ground floor highlights the architectural form of the commercial premises. lighter grey zinc overhead, and the original architecture below. Windows Appearance and Materials will be constructed using frameless Due to the weight constraints on the or aluminium-framed double glazed construction of the new first and second units built into the walls and roof of the floors of no. 164 Liverpool Road, only extension (fig. 10). lightweight cladding materials can The roof terrace currently be considered. Slate, brick and other features a poorly constructed timber masonry cannot be used as the weight panel fence: this will be removed and of these will overload the existing replaced with a new timber board foundations. We have therefore chosen fence fastened to steel supports. The zinc to complement both the lead timber will be painted, and will form a roofing of nineteenth century buildings visual privacy barrier between the first and the modern natural-coloured zinc floor of the property and properties on of no.s 166-198 Liverpool Road next door. Milner Square and gardens on Liverpool Correct installation of zinc demands a Road. The external floor surface to the level of craftsmanship commensurate roof terrace will be decked with timber with the fine detailing of the original boards. building. The roof and rear external walls of the second floor extension will Visual Impact be clad with natural-coloured zinc (fig. The design takes the existing roof ridge 8). We have proposed a darker zinc of no. 162 Liverpool Road as a datum to vertical walls at the front elevation and connection point for the new roof. at second floor, and to the first floor At the north boundary the new roof rear extension (fig. 9). The dark colour connects to the flank wall of no. 166 8 reduces the visual impact of these and Liverpool Road, and reduces the

9 Fig 11. Artist’s impression of street elevation as seen from buildingAFL E [email protected] opposite. W www.architectureforlondon.com A 82 Clerkenwell Road, London, EC1M 5RF T 020 3637 4236 Design, Access and Heritage Statement Extension to 164A Liverpool Road, London Status: PLANNING difference in height between the two design, which will read as a separate buildings from two to one storey. For but sympathetic adjunct to a carefully these reasons we would argue that the preserved original. overall visual impact of the scheme on the visual amenity of the street and 2.5 Boundary Treatments wider area is overwhelmingly positive No boundary treatments are proposed as it resolves the current mismatch of beyond replacement of the existing building heights. panel fence with a solid timber fence of similar height. In addition to this positive contribution elevationally, the scheme avoids 2.6 Access an overbearing appearance or Access to the building and property will overshadowing through use of a set remain unchanged. back front elevation at second floor, and side and rear elevations at first floor. The rear elevation at second floor is aligned with the existing rear facade of the building and of no.s 166-198, and primarily overlooks the lower levels of 164A itself.

Heritage The proposal is designed to preserve the legibility of the existing nineteenth- century building against the new construction above while at the same time completing a missing part of the roof line of the Liverpool Road street scene. The roof extension at second floor is also conceived of mediating between the Victorian form of the neighbouring terrace and the contemporary form of 166-198 Liverpool Road. It does this by adapting the traditional mansard roof and through this geometry breaking down what would otherwise be a flat, monolithic rear facade. The cladding material - zinc - is very similar in appearance to traditional leadwork found in neighbouring roofs, and the same material as the cladding to no.s 166-198. The proposed dark coloured zinc references the grey-black of neighbouring slate roofs, and is of a similar sheen. The existing rear of the building is currently dominated by a modern plastic conservatory, which serves to degrade the relationship between no. 164A and its neighbours. Our proposal replaces the conservatory with a more architecturally integrated, subtle and appropriate structure, in matching dark zinc.

In terms of paragraph 128 of the National Planning Policy Framework the proposal respects the character of the conservation area through 10 the use of high quality contemporary

Fig 12. Artist’s impression of rear from a Milner Square garden. 3. Conclusions This proposal is designed to complement neighbours to the north and west. and enhance its built environment. It responds to local and national policy It is our belief that this extension is a and conforms with the detail of each. desirable and justifiable expansion of a The extensions have been small flat into a family home in an area designed to achieve minimal visual under severe pressure for new residential impact on their surroundings. The space. Furthermore we believe that second floor extension will be almost this design provides an exemplar for invisible from Liverpool Road due to its sensitive and sustainable development set-back from the facade of the existing in a densely built urban setting. building, and through its employment of mansard-style geometry. It completes For a full assessment of the scheme the street elevation by bridging the in the context of national and local gap between its neighbours and thus planning policy please refer to the improves the otherwise disjointed street Planning Statement attached with this scene. The scheme avoids overlooking application. through distance from its boundaries at both front and back, while the roof terrace will remain screened by a timber fence as it is currently. The fine detail of the design will complement the high quality of the original building stock, while at the same time entering into 11 a conversation with its contemporary

AFL E [email protected] W www.architectureforlondon.com A 82 Clerkenwell Road, London, EC1M 5RF T 020 3637 4236