St William, a Berkeley Group company, has been granted detailed planning permission for Phase 4 of the King’s Road Park masterplan, including 357 homes and 1.9 acres of new parkland and public open space.
Designed by Foster + Partners, the approved plans include a pair of slender residential towers of 28 and 38 storeys, and a seven-storey podium building.
The development will feature a commercial space at ground floor level, complementing the shops and cafes included within other phases of the development.
The new open landscape, designed by Gillespies, evolved in collaborative design with Foster + Partners and includes a new community park, public square, children’s play areas, walking routes, and welcoming natural habitats for both people and wildlife to enjoy. This will form a key part of the ambitious six-acre network of open landscape being created at King’s Road Park, which is expected to create a biodiversity net gain of approximately 112%.
The design and placemaking strategy for Phase 4 was developed through engagement with Hammersmith & Fulham Council’s planning team and local stakeholders. This included a pre-submission design review panel and a series of detailed pre-application meetings with LBHF officers.
The wider King’s Road Park neighbourhood is being created by St Willliam from a redundant 16-acre gasworks within the Fulham Riverside Regeneration Area. Once all phases are complete, this new community will include around 1,800 homes, more than 600 of which will be affordable homes, six acres of public parks and open space, and around 100,000 sq.ft. of new commercial uses which will support more than 400 permanent jobs.
The site is also home to a Grade II* Listed gasholder, thought to be the oldest surviving in the world, which is being carefully restored to become the historic centrepiece of a new community park.
Dean Summers, Managing Director of St William, said:
“The vision for King’s Road Park is to transform a redundant gasworks into a sustainable and welcoming neighbourhood – including a beautiful park and around 1,800 private and affordable homes. This is brownfield regeneration at its best and we’re delighted to have been granted planning consent for this important part of the masterplan.
“I want to thank Foster + Partners, Gillespies, the London Borough of Hammersmith & Fulham and local stakeholders for evolving the exceptional designs for Phase 4. This will be a very special part of King’s Road Park and a place the whole community can enjoy for generations to come.”
Giles Robinson, Senior Partner of Foster + Partners, said:
“We are delighted to get the green light for this phase of the King’s Road Park development, which will provide high-quality homes that overlook one of London’s most spectacular new public parks.
“The towers will have a slender, vertical language and a terracotta-clad middle section that will provide additional depth while responding to the local vernacular in the local area.
“Working closely with the landscape designers, Gillespies, our design complements the historic urban surroundings and enhances connections with nature, by significantly increasing the amount of green space at the base of the towers and extending the experience of the park onto the podium’s rooftop.”
Foster + Partners’ Phase 4 design reworks a previously submitted outline scheme, removing one tower and increasing the size of the floorplates in the two remaining buildings. The design has increased the size of the public park by almost 5,000 sq.ft. and improves connectivity between King’s Road and Imperial Wharf Station.
The development includes a range of communal spaces for the residents – including a ground level amenity space within the podium that integrates seamlessly with the surrounding landscape. The podium block will also include a roof garden with a variety of planting and rain-protected seating.
Featured Picture by Berkeley Group.