Assael and Metropolitan Workshop housing approved after PRP plan dropped

Assael Architecture and Metropolitan Workshop have won approval for more than 450 homes and a raft of industrial facilities in Stratford, east London – weeks after a PRP-led application for the site was withdrawnThe London Legacy Development Company’s planning decisions committee voted to grant consent for the Vulcan Wharf development on Cook’s Road in the Pudding Mill area south of Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park.Backed by a joint venture of housing association Peabody and developer London Square, the scheme will feature 457 homes across two blocks rising to 14 storeys. It will also include 9,268m² of commercial space at ground and first floor levels, comprising a ‘last mile’ logistics centre, ‘maker space’ workshops and a restaurant.Approval of the Assael-led scheme comes just weeks after the withdrawal of an application by PRP and Metropolitan Workshop to build three blocks on the site soaring to 33 storeys and providing 640 residential units.The Assael proposals were themselves amended post-submission to address comments from the council’s officers and quality review panel, the height of one of the lower blocks being cut from 11 to nine stories and the overall number of homes reduced from 484.Several ‘poorly maintained’ low-rise industrial sheds on the 1.3ha site will be demolished under the approved plans, with various blocks replacing them to make up two buildings rising to 12m and 14m high.The larger building – Assael’s V2 – was amended post submission to ensure its architectural language was distinct from that used on Metropolitan Workshop’s V1, according to planning officers.More than a third of the residential units will be offered as affordable housing with a split of 60 per cent London Affordable Rent and 40 per cent shared ownership. The scheme will also deliver more than 5,000m² of new public realm and 4,390m² of communal amenity space. A new public space at the confluence of two rivers will enable the public to walk along this stretch of water for the first time, according to Assael.The architects said the proposals embraced sustainable technology through connections to the Olympic Park District Heat Network, extensive use of rooftop photovoltaic cells, and a commitment to assist electric vehicle delivery fleets.A spokesperson for PRP said: ‘The site was subject to two different planning strategies, which required two credible independent masterplans, led by PRP and Assael respectively. The LLDC preferred the Assael approach in this case.’