Ms Amanda Peck                                                                     Direct Dial: 020 7973 3774        

London Borough of Camden                                                   Direct Fax: 020 7973 3792        

Town Hall                                                                                                                                         

Argyle Street                                                                              Our ref: P00237157                     

London                                                                                                                                             

WC1H 8ND                                                                                                                                     

                                                                                                    8 May 2013                                   

 

Dear Ms Peck

 

Notifications under Circular 01/2001, Circular 08/2009 &

T&CP (Development Management Procedure) Order 2010

CENTRE POINT TOWER, CENTRE POINT LINK AND CENTRE POINT HOUSE, 101-103 NEW OXFORD STREET AND 5-34 ST GILES HIGH STREET, LONDON, WC1A 1DD

Application No 2013/1957/P

 

Thank you for your letter of 19 April 2013 notifying English Heritage of the above application. We have considered the proposals and can set out English Heritage's position as follows.

 

Summary

Centre Point is a highly significant modern complex built around the familiar 35-storey tower. Since completion in 1966, its relationship to the road system at its base has never been successful, and the area around the complex remains blighted.

 

The conversion of the tower to residential use is welcome, and the associated alterations to the façade and access arrangements at ground floor do not, in our view, harm the significance of the grade II listed building. In addition, we consider the proposals to the Bridge Link and Centre Point House to be acceptable in principle, and respond to the changed context resulting from the closure of the road and the creation of a new square.

 

The redevelopment of the Intrepid Fox pub site will cause some harm to the listed building and surrounding conservation area. In accordance with national planning policy, the economic, social and heritage benefits that the proposals deliver overall will need to be balanced against that harm.

 

English Heritage Advice

Our statutory remit is the impact of the proposals on the significance of the historic environment. Our advice below is based on an understanding of the historic environment affected by the proposals, and an assessment within the context of national planning policy as to whether the proposals harm, retain or enhance this significance, and whether there are public benefits that may outweigh any harm.

 

Significance of the Historic Environment

The grade II listed Centre Point complex consists of three principal elements: Centre Point Tower; the Bridge Link; and Centre Point House. The site is situated within Denmark Street Conservation Area.

 

The significance of Centre Point is well known, but in summary it lies principally in the distinctive architecture of the buildings and the historic context in which they were constructed. Centre Point’s architect Richard Seifert was one of Britain’s most prolific post-war architects, and the slender 35-storey tower, with its heavily modelled façade, is emblematic of 1960s op art in architecture. The other elements of the complex, whilst not as obviously significant as the tower, are integral to the whole and have some significance in their own right. The Bridge Link, for example, is significant for its early and innovative use of frameless glass, while Centre Point House is of some significance for its contribution to the layout of the complex, and for its brise-soleil facades. The pub at the southern end of the complex, although designed as a late addition,  is of some interest in its own right for its design and its role in resolving the Earnshaw Street elevation.

 

Impact of the proposals on the historic environment

The proposals seek to repair and restore the existing buildings, and provide them with new uses around a newly created public open space. This will entail a number of changes to the listed buildings. At Centre Point Tower, the principal changes relate to the introduction of new glazing, and an increase in the height of the glazing through the removal of the existing lower spandrels that currently hides the interior heating system. At ground floor, the existing exterior concrete entrance staircase will be relocated to the interior lobby, where it will be reused to form the access to the first floor. At the Bridge Link, the innovative exterior glazing will be restored, with the removal of the existing tinted film. At ground floor level, with the closure of the road, a fully glazed retail unit will be inserted beneath the soffit of the bridge. Centre Point House will be substantially restored, including the removal of inserted mezzanine floors within the commercial units. The existing curtain wall system, which is in poor condition and falls far short of contemporary thermal standards, will be replaced with a new system that broadly matches the lines of the original. The brise-soleil façade will be restored and the later spandrel bars removed.

 

The most significant change is at the southern end of the site, where the existing ‘Intrepid Fox’ pub is located. The proposals are for the demolition of the pub and the erection of a new seven storey extension containing affordable housing units. The design of the new extension is clearly contemporary, but is intended to tie in visually with Centre Point House.

 

Policy

Section 72 of the Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) Act 1990 (as amended) sets out the obligation on local planning authorities to pay special regard to safeguarding the special interest of listed buildings, preserving their settings and preserving or enhancing the character or appearance of conservation areas.

 

The National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) sets out the Government's policies for decision making on development proposals. At the heart of the framework is a presumption in favour of 'sustainable development'. Conserving heritage assets in a manner appropriate to their significance forms one of the 12 core principles that define sustainable development.

 

NPPF policy advises that for new development to be sustainable it needs to encompass an economic, social and environmental role, with the latter including the protection and enhancement of the built and historic environment. Paragraph 8 notes that these roles are mutually dependent and should not be taken in isolation; and that to achieve sustainable development, economic, social and environmental gains should be sought jointly and simultaneously through the planning system.

 

Paragraph 7 of the NPPF states that the environmental role of a development includes protection and enhancement of the historic environment, while section 12 sets out how the historic environment should be conserved and enhanced.

 

Paragraph 131 states that, in determining planning applications, account should be taken of: the desirability of sustaining and enhancing the significance of heritage assets and putting them to viable uses consistent with their conservation; their potential to positively contribute to sustainable communities including economic vitality; and the desirability of new development making a positive contribution to the historic environment's local distinctiveness.

Paragraph 132 gives great weight to conserving heritage assets in a manner appropriate to their significance, noting that significance can be harmed by development within the setting of a heritage asset.

Paragraph 133 advises that, where a development would lead to substantial harm to or total loss of significance of a heritage asset, consent should be refused unless it can be demonstrated that the substantial harm or loss is necessary to achieve substantial public benefits that outweigh that harm or loss, or that all of the following apply: that the nature of the heritage asset prevents all reasonable uses of the site; no viable use of the asset can be found in the medium term through appropriate marketing; conservation through grant funding or charitable or public ownership is not possible; the harm or loss is outweighed by the benefit of bring the site back into use.

Paragraph 134 sets out that, where a development proposal will lead to less than substantial harm to the significance of a heritage asset, the harm should be weighed against the public benefits of the proposal, including securing its optimum viable use.

Paragraph 137 states that local authorities should look for opportunities for new development within conservation areas and within the setting of heritage assets to enhance or better reveal their significance.

 

The London Plan sets out the Mayor’s commitment to protect and enhance London’s historic built environment, to promote conservation-led regeneration, and the re-use of redundant or under used buildings. It also sets out policies with aim to support culture and tourism and economic and social regeneration

 

Camden's Core Strategy sets out an overarching commitment to safeguard the borough's heritage in CS14. Detailed policies for conservation areas and listed buildings are set out in DP25 of Camden's Local Development Framework. Camden's Denmark Street Conservation Area Appraisal describes the character of Denmark Street Conservation Area in detail, and helps inform decisions on proposals that affect the conservation area.

 

English Heritage Position

We welcome the principle of the proposals, which seek to resolve the problems with the urban realm that have blighted the site since its construction in the 1960s. We accept that the conversion from office to residential will result in changes to some elements of the original design of the tower, for example the removal of external staircases.

 

Whilst we acknowledge that the Bridge Link was never designed for ground floor accommodation (as it was a bridge), the proposed development for a retail unit would, in our view, preserve the significance of the Bridge Link and respond to the proposed public square and closure of the road.

 

The loss of the Intrepid Fox pub element, and the introduction of a new seven storey building on the site, will introduce significant visual change to this part of the Centre Point complex. In our view, despite its comparitively modest significance, the pub site ties in visually with the complex as a whole, in particular the long elevation to Earnshaw Street which it terminates. The loss of this element will interrupt the consistency and clarity of Seifert's design. The proposed new development adds substantial bulk to this part of the site, and has an impact on some local views. In particular, we note that the impact on 'view 3' in the accompanying visual assessment documents demonstrates the nature of the harm described above.

 

Overall, it is our opinion that the harm described above is 'less than substantial' and therefore needs to be assessed in accordance with NPPF paragraph 124, which states that where proposals cause less than substantial harm to designated heritage assets, this harm should be weighed against the public benefits of the proposal, including securing its optimum viable use.

 

In our view, there are very clear public benefits arising from the proposals, not least the creation of a new public space and the removal of vehicle traffic through the site. There are heritage benefits as well, including the restoration of the original brise-soleil elevations at Centre Point House.

 

Recommendation

In our view, the proposals offer a range of public benefits that could outweigh the less than substantial harm to the listed building and surrounding conservation area set out above. Should your Council agree and be minded to support the proposals, we would urge you to ensure that these benefits are securely tied into the consents given.

 

 

Please note that this response relates to historic building and historic area matters only. If there are any archaeological implications to the proposals it is recommended that you contact the Greater London Archaeological Advisory Service for further advice (Tel: 020 7973 3712).

 

Yours sincerely

 

Michael Dunn

Principal Inspector of Historic Buildings and Areas

E-mail: michael.dunn@english-heritage.org.uk