Design & Access Statement Childs Hill Baptist Church Issue 01 20 May 2021 Design and Access Statement incorporating the Planning Statement for Childs Hill Baptist Church 2 Mortimer Close, London NW2 2JY Paul Scott ARB RIBA 1 of 23 Design & Access Statement Childs Hill Baptist Church Contents 1. Client Brief 2. History of the Church 3. Planning Context 4. Site Analysis 5. The Proposal 6. Building Regulations 7. Sustainability 8. Materials 9. Energy Assessment 10. Water Supply 11. Drainage 12. Refuse and Recycling 13. Cycle Storage 14. Landscaping and Biodiversity (UGF) 15. Travel Plan 16. Car Parking 17. Security 18. Daylight Impact Assessment, Overlooking and Privacy 19. Accessible and Adaptable Housing (Part M) 20. Flood Risk 21. Community Facilities 22. Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL) 23. Summary 24. Reference Documents 25. Planning Application Documentation APPENDICES Appendix 1 - Accessible Public Transport Routes and Shops Appendix 2 - List of Schools near to Mortimer Close NW2 2JY Appendix 3 - London Seminary letter dated 5 February 2021 Appendix 4 - CHBC letter dated 10 May 2021 Paul Scott ARB RIBA 2 of 23 Design & Access Statement Childs Hill Baptist Church 1. Client Brief One of the client’s aspirations from the outset has been to retain and enhance the existing building, as a building of character, which has been an integral part of the Childs Hill community for over 150 years. Over the years the church has experienced people having to leave the area because they could not afford to stay due to high accommodation costs. The church includes people who are key workers and who work in the Borough of Barnet. The client’s brief has therefore been created and developed in response to the need for congregants of the church (both younger single people and families as well as older and disabled persons) to have affordable accommodation to rent. Additionally, the church has strong links with a college, the London Seminary, which is a bus ride away in Hendon Lane, N3. Students of the Seminary are often faced with the difficulty of finding suitable and affordable accommodation and this proposal is also designed to respond to that need. Desiring a sustainable approach, the adaptive re-use and renovation of part of the existing building was evaluated and deemed appropriate to provide this much-needed affordable housing accommodation. Through mindful design that respects the existing fabric of the building it was felt that such a project would have a positive effect in revitalising the building and enhancing the public realm around the building. A presently unused part of the existing premises at lower ground level was identified as being suitable for residential accommodation which could co-exist and yet function separately from the church. Each residential unit would have its own access arrangements and amenity space. The church already has one residential flat on the premises which has been occupied consecutively by various occupants over several decades, and is located at (upper) ground level to the rear of the building between the main church building and Granville Hall. Over the many years that this flat has been in use it has in practice proven that a residential component can comfortably co-exist with the regular activities and functions of the church. Understanding the social value of inclusive and accessible housing, the client has included a requirement in the brief that adaptable and accessible housing for elderly and disabled persons should be incorporated, as far as is practically possible. Initial discussions with the client established the following key principles that should be adopted in designing the proposal: • Adaptive re-use of the lower ground floor level for residential accommodation, • Provide a mix of sizes of residential accommodation ranging from 1 bed to 3 bed units, each with separate entrances as well as incorporating barrier-free access for elderly or disabled persons where possible, • Include accommodation for students, • Create an environment which will be conducive to sustainably supporting a cohesive community from a variety of demographic groups, Paul Scott ARB RIBA 3 of 23 Design & Access Statement Childs Hill Baptist Church • Prepare a mindful design that respects the fabric of the existing host building and enhances the public realm, • Design a proposal that will enable the church’s activities to continue with a minimum of interference during construction activities. • The proposal should be classified as “Affordable Housing” to benefit lower income households and align with the church’s charitable mission. 2. History of the Church Since before the Childs Hill Chapel was built, the Baptist church has been a central feature of life in the Childs Hill community. The existing chapel building was constructed in 1870 where there has been a continuously active presence for over 150 years. The famous London preacher Charles Haddon Spurgeon (1834-1892) is known to have preached in the church building. The adjoining Granville Hall (probably named after the Liberal politician Earl Granville 1815-1891) was built just after the chapel in 1873 and functioned as a Day School which was responsible for educating over 300 children in the Childs Hill area at its peak. Granville Hall ceased from being a day school when the Childs Hill School was formed in circa 1905. The first Headteacher of the new school, Mr Joshua Heath, was a member of the church. The triangular accommodation at the rear was completed in 1890. The building was extended above this in 1925 and was subsequently fitted out as a residential 2-bedroom flat in the 1980s and has been in occupation by various residents ever since. The building was damaged during bomb raids in World War 2 and in the 1970s the main chapel fell into a state of disrepair and was subsequently repaired in the 1980s. During the chapel’s refurbishment the church met in the adjoining Granville Hall. The lower ground floor accommodation (which forms the basis of this proposal) was used as a Youth Club for young people in the community during the 1980s. This was a joint-venture project by the Church and Barnet Council who provided Youth Workers to help oversee the activities in the building. The toilet accommodation in the lower ground floor was built at this time to support the youth club which projects as a block from the rear of the main building towards the alleyway. Other internal structural alterations within the Lower Ground Floor which were made to create an open plan space for the Youth Club also date from this period. The original window openings on the garden facing facade were bricked up at this same time. The church continues to have a significant role in the life of the community with social events as well as church ones and other activities such as mother and toddler groups, children's meetings and activities for the elderly. It is always seeking to reach out to the immediate community and be more active in such things. These activities will no doubt increase particularly with completion of the New Granville Estate, an adjacent housing development which is currently under construction. The church believes that in the future it will have even more significance in the area for the immediate community with an increased residential population. Paul Scott ARB RIBA 4 of 23 Design & Access Statement Childs Hill Baptist Church This proposal is part of the church’s vision to respond to the need for affordable housing to rent for some of its congregants and to maintain its charitable legacy in the community. 3. Planning Context There is no recorded history of planning applications for building work attached to the grouping of church buildings since they were originally constructed. The site is not in a Conservation Area and the buildings are not Listed. There are no Listed Buildings in close proximity to the site. The group of buildings which comprise Childs Hill Baptist Church have historically had a number of Planning Uses and so could be described as “Mixed Use”. The main chapel building is an active church building. The adjoining Granville Hall was originally built to function as a Day School for young children and has been used as the church hall since circa 1905. The caretakers flat at the rear is Planning Use C3 and the lower ground floor component was previously used as a Church Youth Club. The general planning context is that the current demand for housing in Barnet is more diversified than ever and that there is a shortfall in the provision of affordable housing. The shortage of affordable homes in and close to the most productive urban centres is a major issue. In this regard the three Pillars of the Government White Paper, “Planning for the Future” (August 2020), have been taken into account. The NPPF states that sustainable development housing should meet the needs of present and future generations, with accessible local services that reflect the community’s needs and support its health, social and cultural well-being. It states that new housing development should also seek to enhance the quality of local places and that the development of sites with good public transport accessibility (ie a PTAL of 3 and above) should be encouraged. The supporting text to DMDPD Policy DM07, which echoes wording in the Council’s Affordable Housing SPD, notes that the loss from the current dwelling stock of residential units of a type which are in short supply or serving a special housing need, including affordable housing, will normally be resisted. This proposal helps therefore, in a small way, to redress the loss of 16 social rented units in the Granville Estate as a result of the New Granville Estate development.