More than 200 homes designed by Allies and Morrison within the Old Oak Opportunity Area have received planning permission from the Old Oak and Park Royal Development Corporation (OPDC). The site at North Kensington Gate on Scrubs Lane is an important gateway to the wider 650ha Old Oak area.

Developed by Aurora Developments and set within the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham, the project comprises two new buildings – North Kensington Gate South and North. Together, they will mark the eastern entrance into the revitalised Old Oak masterplan – one of London’s largest areas of regeneration where it is expected that 24,000 new homes will be built over the next twenty years. The context of Scrubs Lane offers an interesting contrast between the industrial character of the Cumberland Park Factory Conservation Area and the cultural landscape of Saint Mary’s Catholic Cemetery, which sits along the site’s eastern edge.

Granted planning approval last week, North Kensington Gate South aims to create a varied street scene with a building broken into three distinctive blocks that range in heights between six and eight storeys, rising then to 22 storeys. It will provide 164 units, a combination of market and affordable homes. At ground level, commercial and retail spaces provide continuous active frontages which will bring new life to the street. The architecture incorporates several elements that respond to its unique heritage surroundings in a contemporary way. The use of white precast stone frame brings together the group of proposed buildings, reflecting the materiality of the nearby Canadian War Memorial and the Anglican Chapel, both of which are made of Portland Stone. Bespoke folded aluminium panels with a variety of bronze colour shades reference the industrial legacy of the site.

Granted planning approval in March, the North building will consist of 47 new homes in a building with a stepped form with a ‘shoulder’ of four storeys that responds to the scale of the area, increasing then up to eleven storeys. It has been designed with a strong brick masonry form, responding to the neighbouring Victorian houses.

Allies and Morrison Partner Miles Leigh said ‘This project is at the vanguard of new residential development in the Old Oak Opportunity Area and sets the standard for design and quality’.

The buildings are anticipated to go on site later this year. Completion is expected by 2019.