East London regeneration plans secure sustainable student homes
Planning consent has been granted, subject to Section 106 obligations, for a new development at Grove Crescent Road in Stratford. The mixed-use regeneration scheme will deliver 22,000 square feet of workspace for local artists and creators, 397 purpose-built student homes and improvements to the public realm. The development will be car free, with residents encouraged to walk and cycle when possible.
Motion helped secure approval with detailed analysis of the impact on public transport, the highway network and parking. The company’s advice also covered sustainable and active travel, access, delivery and servicing, travel planning and construction traffic management.
According to Calum McGoff, Senior Transport Planner at Motion, “The team successfully demonstrated that the additional trips generated by the proposals could be adequately accommodated within the existing footway, cycleway and public transport infrastructure and that there would be no significant safety risks.” Motion also worked with the wider project team to ensure safe and suitable access for firefighters due to a central courtyard location.
Matthew Robinson, Associate Director at hgh Consulting explains, “Motion brought to the project a critical alignment between local authority requirements and commercial reality. This was essential in striking the right balance between policy and practice and ensured a positive outcome for all parties.”
Management of car-free student accommodation
The brownfield site is a former builders’ merchants and is perfectly positioned to provide new high-quality housing capacity to meet the needs of students attending higher education institutions in Stratford.
The no-parking restriction will be reinforced through tenancy agreements. Vehicles can only be parked on site at the beginning and end of each term when students are moving in or out. Calum McGoff recalls, “London Plan parking standards do not cover the type of uses proposed for student accommodation. To provide an initial steer for our client, extensive background research was undertaken on similar successful student schemes across east London and used to provide guidance on what was acceptable and correct.”
Motion continues to work with the developer to produce and coordinate implementation of the full traffic management plan to ensure safe and efficient construction management and access. Sustainably designed to be rated BREEAM ‘Excellent’, the scheme will provide new outdoor and amenity spaces, with additional planting to create a more attractive environment for the local community.
Image credit: © Glenn Howells Architects
An abridged version of this article first appeared in the Summer 2022 edition of Insight.
