Butter Hill, Carshalton

The Oakwood Group was introduced to this site, following failure by one of our competitors to secure planning consent. The site had been dismissed at a Public Local Inquiry, prior to our involvement, and presented a series of very complicated challenges related to privacy and overlooking of neighbouring residential properties.

The building design demanded a very sensitive solution and we worked very closely in conjunction with the planners and design officers at the Local Planning Authority [LPA] to overcome the Inspector’s concerns in dismissing the previous appeal. After several months of negotiation and following two separate detailed planning applications, the LPA finally recommended the scheme for approval, however it was refused at Committee by Members, rather bizarrely on grounds of insufficient parking, which had never been cited as a reason for refusal.

An Appeal was lodged against the decision of the Planning Committee, and the Planning Inspectorate granted permission for the scheme. Full costs were awarded by the Inspector.

The scheme comprises twenty-one, 1, 2 and 3 bed apartments, together with a terrace of 5 family sized houses. The site was developed in conjunction with one of LB Sutton’s partnering Registered Social Landlords, The Orbit Group, who purchased the freehold of the completed development.

Enabling activities comprised the demolition of a three-storey reinforced concrete framed commercial building and two houses.

The site lies within an area of archaeological interest and we were required to carry out a field Investigations to assess and record the nature and importance of any archaeological remains on the site. These works were carried out in conjunction with the Local Authority and English Heritage.

The buildings have been designed using Modern Methods of Construction and were manufactured ‘off-site’ using timber frame technology.

The homes were designed to meet the Building Research Establishment’s Code for Sustainable Homes Level 3 Rating and twenty per-cent of the predicted annual energy consumption of the dwellings is generated from on-site renewable energy sources, principally photovoltaic panels.

Water saving devices were incorporated into the design, such as low flush cisterns in wc’s, spray taps and low volume baths to reduce water wastage in the buildings.

The project completed in April 2011.