We are delighted to announce the approval of this planning application and are thankful to those involved for all their hard work.
Edridge Rd is a 230 unit tower placed at the heart of an emerging high rise district in Croydon, London. The now approved planning application will grant much needed affordable and market housing for the borough helping to contribute to housing targets. ECA's involvement in the project started in 2015, where first iterations of the design were entered into a Planning Performance Agreement which in later years was put through varying Place Review Panels and critiqued by the GLA.
Like with many large schemes being considered in the planning process an amendment was submitted to overcome concerns to elements of the design. One of these concerns was the height of the building and its potentially harmful impact on Croydon Minster. The original submission for this planning application included 242 units within 34 storeys, this was reduced to provide the now approved 230 units within 32 storeys. With the 34 storey proposal just eclipsing the top of the pinnacles on the Minister when seen from certain points in the city, the applicant agreed to reduce the scheme by 2 storeys to avoid any potential impact the Minster. This reduced scheme worked in harmony with this asset and heritage concerns were overcome.
The scheme was changed from its original design submitted for planning to improve the detailing of the facade treatments by introducing an increased sense of depth and visual interest to the building as a whole. The elevational layout of the brick piers and bronze sub-grid facade elements were rationalised to create equidistant spacing between the brick piers making the facade appear more uniform and simplistic. A set back to the top 2 storeys of the lower element and the top of the tower provided depth to the facade. This change in treatment finished the building with a distinctive elegance that added that visual interest and depth sort. The arrangement of the infill bronze panels, referred to as gills, were enlarged and ordered to provide more depth, becoming a central feature motif to the North and South elevations.
These minor changes to the design within the planning process have created a building that ECA are really proud of and are delighted that it has been granted permission. The planning committee and planning officers heavily supported the application and ultimately enjoyed the design of the building recognising its worth in providing high quality housing for the future residents of Croydon. This planning application was granted permission at committee in May 2020.
