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Community Hub

Shaftesbury Centre 

Welcome to our Community Hub to display an overview of our proposals for the Shaftesbury Centre – 85 Barlby Road, W10 6BN. We look forward to receiving your feedback and sharing further details throughout the process.

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Shaftesbury Centre

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Overview
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Overview

Local Context

The Shaftesbury Centre at 85 Barlby Road, London, W10 6BN, is located in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea. The building is not listed or located within a conservation area, it does, however, lie adjacent to the Grade II Listed Ladbroke Hall and along the boundary of Oxford Gardens Conservation Area. The Paul Mall Deposit opposite the site is a historic industrial building which has been converted into office space leased to a variety of multimedia and service-based businesses.
Several prominent buildings nearby have informed the use, scale and massing of the proposals. Pall Mall Deposit, The Ink Building and Exmoor Street have created a distinctive section of streetscape area around the junction of Barlby Road and Notting Barn Road as a destination and area of different usage.

LADBROKE HALL

MAP SHOWING PROMINENT BUILDINGS ALONG BARLBY ROAD

The site is located within the Inner London Zone in the London Plan. The strategic priorities of this zone are set out in Policy 2.9 of the Inner London Plan:

“The Mayor will, and boroughs and other stakeholders should, work to realise the potential of inner London in ways that sustain and enhance its recent economic and demographic growth while also improving its distinct environment, neighbourhoods and public realm, supporting and sustaining existing and new communities, addressing its unique concentrations of deprivation, ensuring the availability of appropriate workspaces for the area’s changing economy and improving quality of life and health for those living working studying or visiting there.”

THE INK BUILDING

THE PALL MALL DEPOSIT

THE PALL MALL DEPOSIT

Previous planning consent

An application was submitted in 2018 (LPA Ref. 18/00216) for the demolition of the existing building and construction of a new office building providing an increase of 4,202 sqm of office floorspace, landscaping and ancillary works.
The proposed development sought a four-storey plus basement building across much of the site with a main entrance onto Barlby Road and a second, servicing entrance at the rear.
The application was approved on 9th April 2019, with Officers concluding that the proposed development would “…provide additional office floorspace, of which there is a high demand across the Borough and would make a positive contribution to both the local and wider economy”.

EXISTING VIEW LOOKING WEST ALONG BARLBY ROAD

After the applications approval in April 2019, minor material amendments were sought and approved to through a S73 application (LPA Ref. 19/03441). The amendments sought to provide additional office floorspace through the enlargement of the approved fourth floor accommodation.
Since approval, neither scheme has commenced on site because of the Workspace Pall Mall (adjacent to the site) refurbishment and the Covid-19 pandemic.
This revised proposed aims to make design enhancements, inclusive of changes to the floorspace sizes, and increased sustainability measures.

PREVIOUSLY APPROVED SCHEME

Proposed Design

PROPOSED VIEW LOOKING WEST ALONG BARLBY ROAD

PROPOSED VIEW LOOKING EAST ALONG SHREWSBURY STREET

PROPOSED VIEW LOOKING SOUTH ALONG NOTTING BARN ROAD

Proposed Design

Front Elevation

Side Elevation

Rear Elevation

Massing & Materials

The massing heights reflect that of the previously approved applications. The previous applications were deemed appropriate within the surrounding townscape and an enhancement on the existing buildings on the site. The 5-storey Pall Mall Deposit located opposite the site provides the opportunity to increase massing and street presence at the front of the site, provided it is set back from Barlby Road to lessen any impact upon the adjacent Grade II Listed Ladbroke Hall. To the rear of the proposals, the massing steps down to reflect its residential setting. The inclusion of an atrium allows natural light and ventilation to penetrate the deep plan.

The proposed building is formed primarily of handset brickwork in order to reference the prominent use of brick around the site. Subtle changes of brick bond will add richness to the facades whilst remaining traditional in its construction.

Massing Strategy

Streetscape looking East along Barlby Road

Cross-section A-A along Barlby Road

Cross-section B-B across Barlby Road

Whilst remaining in the same colour palette, the building varies in texture for visual richness and constructional honesty.

Landscaping & Public Realm

AXONOMETRIC VIEW

Public Realm

The development proposes using some of the car park space to the front within the site to make a positive contribution to the street life of the area for both local residents and tenants of the building.

Due to mature trees being a key feature of Barlby Road, the proposals seek to preserve all street trees in good health within the site.

The building will be set back from the street to align with both Ladbroke Hall to the west and the residential buildings to the east to form an area of public realm to the front of the building.

The space will be animated by a public café within the building, which will open onto the street encouraging use by both the local community and the commercial businesses located around the site. This area given to the public realm will incorporate seating, benches, paving and soft landscaping so that both workers and the public can enjoy its south facing orientation by day. Brown roofs will be incorporated to improve biodiversity.

OPPORTUNITY AREAS FOR ARTWORK SHOWN BY RED DASHED BOXES

Opportunites for Public Artwork

Both Ladbroke Hall and Pall Mall Deposit feature prominent and decorative signage which help both to identify the building and add intricacy to the facades. This presents the opportunity for similar ornamentation to adorn the exterior of the new proposal. Ben Adams Architects will liaise with RBKC to provide public artwork that is in keeping with the design and materiality of the building and the local context.

SITE PLAN (NTS)

Landscape

The Barlby Road elevation will be activated by both fixed and loose furniture linked with the co-working and café environment that is proposed for the ground floor of the building.

A combination of grass and gravel will create a feeling of openness to the forecourt. Paving will guide visitors to the entrance and provide a path for cyclists through to the cycle gate, passing Sheffield cycle stands along the way for temporary visitors. The western site boundary will feature a hard surface to allow servicing to occur.

The building’s increased presence on Shrewsbury Street is to be coupled with an increase in landscaping, improving the ecological value of the site and softening the boundary between the office and its neighbours.

Proposed Layout

The development is proposed to have a number of key spaces to enhance its aim to deliver a high-quality building aimed at start-ups and small businesses located in Kensington. There will be a ground-floor café linking to the street, as well as co-working space, meeting rooms, office units and cycle storage.

BASEMENT LAYOUT

GROUND FLOOR LAYOUT

FIRST FLOOR LAYOUT

SECOND FLOOR LAYOUT

THIRD FLOOR LAYOUT

FOURTH FLOOR LAYOUT

SECTION SHOWCASING CAFÉ SPACE LINKING TO STREET

Access & Servicing

The development will be car-free to encourage sustainable travel, although Pay and Display parking for visitors will be available on Barlby Road.

Through the listed gateway on Barlby Road, a cycle entrance is being proposed. Short term cycle spaces have been provided within the forecourt of the building in the form of Sheffield stands.

Tenant cyclists will proceed through the cycle gate to the designated cycle entrance on the west elevation. Here they can choose to use either the service lift or the bike gutter on the straight stair to enter the basement, where cycle storage has been provided along with associated changing/washroom facilities. Lockers have also been allocated for folding cycles.

The main access to the Shaftesbury Centre will be through the existing gateway and front entrance off Barlby Road for pedestrians using the public transport options nearby.

Both service vehicle and delivery access will be through the rear of the building within the off-street loading bay.

SERVICING AND ACCESS PLAN

Sustainability

High Level Targets and Sustainability Design Measures

  • Target EPC ‘A’ rating
  • Aim to reduce operational carbon emissions through implementation of energy efficiency measures, within both the building fabric and services design
  • Inclusion of low carbon technologies such as photovoltaic panels and air source heat pumps
  • Aim to reduce embodied carbon through maximisation of recycled content in the building structure where feasible
  • Undertake a Life Cycle Assessment to review and reduce the building’s embodied carbon
  • Target Low Energy Transformation Initiative embodied carbon target of 600 kgCO2/m2
  • Target BREEAM Excellent rating
    Provision of cyclist facilities to encourage sustainable means of commuting
  • Reduction of water consumption from specification of low flow sanitary ware fittings
  • Landscaping design that enhances the site ecology

Passive Ventilation Strategy

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About Us

Workspace is the leading provider of business premises for small companies across London. The business owns and manages a portfolio of 4 million sq. ft. of floor space over 57 business centres hosting 3,000 small and medium-sized companies including fast-growing and more established brands. Workspace offers flexible lease terms to their customers who support businesses as they grow. Workspace acquires, refurbishes and redevelops its properties to adapt to our customers’ changing requirements, including a vibrant front-of-house experience, meeting rooms, breakout areas, gyms, cafés and wellbeing facilities.

WORKSPACE’S LONDON PORTFOLIO

MARE STREET STUDIOS, E8

PILL BOX, E2

THE FRAMES, EC2A

LOCK STUDIOS, E3

Ben Adams Architects designs elegant, contextual and energy efficient architecture that balances function with ingenuity and delight. Ben Adams Architecture has built its reputation on outstanding office design; beautiful, sustainable, flexible and commercially astute. Past projects have included Wells Mews, King William Street and Churchill House.

KING WILLIAM STREET

WELLS MEWS

CHURCHILL HOUSE

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Timeline

DECEMBER 2022:

Target application submission

DECEMBER 2022:
Late Spring 2024:

Target on-site start

Late Spring 2024:
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Have Your Say

Thank you for viewing our proposals for the new development. We appreciate you taking the time to visit our community hub and would be grateful if you could complete this feedback form.