Background
Our client sought to redevelop two buildings on Kensington High Street, which were run-down externally and in a poor state of repair internally. The proposals were mixed-use, involving the redevelopment of the interior of the buildings with ground-floor retail, offices and residential apartments, as well as the retention and restoration of the buildings’ facades. The redevelopment would help ensure the survival of these Georgian buildings within the Kensington Conservation Area.
Challenge
Given the site’s location on the frontage of Kensington High Street, there were concerns about the impact on traffic during the construction phase of the redevelopment, as access to the site would be limited and require construction vehicles to use the High Street itself. There were also concerns about how construction works would impact residents.
Solution
- SP Broadway compiled a detailed Political and Community Stakeholder Audit to identify key local stakeholders. Once completed, we arranged a meeting with the site ward councillors to brief them on the proposals and hear their views on the design and on our planned community consultation exercise.
- During our briefing meeting with ward councillors, they expressed concerns about access arrangements for construction vehicles, which would have to use Kensington High Street, and as a result a more detailed approach towards construction management was adopted.
- To alleviate any potential concerns of local residents regarding construction, we drafted and sent out a detailed information letter to residents and businesses in an agreed radius around the site, including images of the current buildings and images of the proposed redevelopment. The letter also explained invited residents and businesses to submit feedback to SP Broadway. Only one response was received.
Result
Following the circulation of our information letter to local residents, we gave a two-week consultation period to allow for feedback before submitting a planning application. The scheme was consented under delegated powers in October 2019.
