Meridian Water homes approved despite single stair tower

Enfield Council has approved HawkinsBrown and HTA Design’s 676-home scheme at Meridian Water, north London – despite the application including a 30-storey tower with a single staircaseThe practices worked with Urban Projects Bureau and Fisher Cheng Architects on the plans for Phase 1b of Meridian Water, a 25-year, 10,000-home regeneration programme being overseen by Enfield Council on 82ha of former industrial land in the borough.The Phase 1b plans were submitted as a full planning application as they included an uplift of 251 homes on the consented outline scheme for the site. The application covers three plots across a 4ha site.The plans include a 30-storey, 283-home tower designed by HawkinsBrown, which features only a single stair core, despite other schemes, including a HawkinsBrown block in Camden, being redesigned to incorporate a second staircase.Debate about the safety of tall single-stair towers was sparked earlier this year, after the London Fire Brigade criticised the single-stair approach taken in a Morris+Company-designed 52-storey residential tower. The tower, in in Canary Wharf , was later redesigned to include a second stair core.In March, the Building Regulations Advisory Committee said that it was ‘unclear’ how the single stair high-rise design proposals at Meridian Water would demonstrate compliance with the functional requirements of the Building Regulations, particularly relating to means of escape’.However, the plans garnered the approval of the Health & Safety Executive, which was made a statutory consultee on fire safety for buildings over 18m or seven storeys following the Grenfell Tower fire.The HSE had raised concerns about some of the Meridian Water buildings, including the 30-storey tower, only having a single escape for residential and ancillary uses such as cycle storage and bin refuge.But it later said this was satisfactorily resolved by redesigned ground-floor plans for three blocks. The updated plans increased circulation routes and introduced new building exits.A fire statement authored by chapmanbdsp said the 30-storey tower would feature protected lobbies, ventilation for smoke and an emergency evacuation alert system.The approved buildings will include 23 studio flats, 313 one-bed flats, 260 two-bed flats and 79 three-bed flats – with 12 per cent being family-sized homes. The homes will be 98 per cent dual-aspect or ‘enhanced’ single-aspect.The plans also feature residential amenity space and 2,581m² of commercial floorspace, including shops, cafés, restaurants and a gym as well as a new public square at Meridian Water train station and a park.Planning officers at Enfield recommended the scheme for approval, citing benefits including the delivery of homes, creation of public space, optimisation of brownfield land and enhancements to the area’s ecology.Phase 1 of Meridian Water was masterplanned by Karakusevic Carson Architects and includes 950 homes, of which 50 per cent will be affordable.Enfield Council had previously sought to appoint a private company to be masterdeveloper of Meridian Water, making a joint venture between Barratt and Segro its preferred bidder. However, it ultimately decided to oversee the project itself, saying the terms offered by Barratt-Segro were ‘unacceptable’.HawkinsBrown and Meridian Water phase one developer Vistry Partnerships were contacted for comment about the single-stair issue.Aerial view of Phase 1 of Meridian Water, with annotated building heights. Phase 1a (already consented) is marked in blue, while Phase 1b (plans just approved) is marked in purple. A drop-in unit is yellow.Architect’s viewGreg Moss, partner and residential sector lead, HawkinsBrownPhase 1b of Meridian Water is a watershed moment for the project, consolidating the first phase of the vision into a key part of a diverse new neighbourhood for London.We worked closely with Vistry Partnerships, Enfield Council and our architectural collaborator, HTA Design, to make sure that the buildings offer not only a significant number of new high-quality homes for Enfield, but also a mix of uses at street level. We included a variety of amenities set within green streets, a new park and play spaces for children. It brings the council’s vision to life by creating a welcoming sense of arrival for anyone stepping out of Meridian Water station.Colin Ainger, partner at HTA DesignThis approval paves the way for the next milestone in the transformation of Meridian Water, creating a cohesive, green neighbourhood for the residents of Enfield. The design for this phase, developed in equal collaboration between HTA and our friends at HawkinsBrown, exemplifies our ethos to deliver landscape-led regeneration at scale to deliver fantastic new homes set within an environmentally sensitive, ecologically enhanced new public realm – bringing nature home.We look forward to seeing the new place come to life to offer a wonderful resource for local people to enjoy.