Published: Wednesday 16 June 2021
Plans for new homes on the Silchester Arches site in north Kensington have been updated to take on board residents’ feedback from the second round of consultation.
In response to feedback from the previous rounds of consultation, the proposed scheme has been amended in a number of ways. We have now:
- Amended the design to a smaller building of six-storeys in height
- Reduced the height and footprint of the building to minimise daylight/sunlight impacts
- Amended the landscaping scheme to:
- Ensure that no bins or bike stores are located in the garden space
- Ensure direct and safe access to the garden for residents
- Retain the existing London Plane tree at the front of the site
- Provide the wheelchair accessible home on the ground floor with its own front garden and rear patio.
- Ensured that all homes have access to a balcony or winter garden
Additionally, following concerns raised regarding the potential impact of incorporating access to ACAVA studios outdoor areas, we will be considering works to these areas separately to this application to enable further involvement with relevant parties.
The second round of consultation was held from 18 March to 29 April to look at the emerging proposals from the first round. We held two online chat sessions which were attended by 31 residents and local stakeholders. These gave us the opportunity to show the design for the site and for residents to ask questions and provide feedback. We also ran an online survey which received 51 responses.
Thank you to everyone who has helped to influence the design of the new homes to ensure they are more in keeping with the local community’s wishes.
Your feedback at a glance:
- 24 objected to the principle of the scheme while 19 supported it. The main reason for objection was the height of the development and the impact on light of surrounding residents
- Over half of respondents indicated five storeys was their preference
- The majority (38) indicated they supported the retention of the tree on site
- Attendees at the online chat sessions were clear in their support of social housing but not if the level proposed would negatively impact their existing surroundings
You can read the full report of the round 2 consultation findings on our Consultation Portal.
We will now be holding two “You said, We did” resident engagement events to show residents how we have adapted the plans to take on board their feedback. The first will be an outdoor in-person event on Saturday 26 June from 10am to 12pm at Whitstable House car park, 21 Silchester Road, W10 6SH and the second an online chat session on Wednesday 30 June from 5.30pm to 7pm. More details will be made available on the Council’s website later this week.
Councillor Kim Taylor-Smith, Lead Member for Grenfell, Housing and Social Investment said: “One of the guiding principles of these consultations is to hear from our residents and react accordingly, whilst also building new homes for those people on our housing waiting list. By reducing the floor size and retaining the tree, I believe that we have and that this represents a scheme that the Council and residents can be proud of.”
Following these events, we will finalise the scheme and submit a planning application. Residents will have a further opportunity to comment during the planning process.