At the end of July, Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities Michael Gove unexpectedly announced that all buildings over 18 metres would need a second means of escape. 

Following this announcement, the applicants for the Stag Brewery redevelopment have decided to make revisions to the planning application to meet this requirement before the application is referred to the GLA for the Stage Two referral process. 

The requirement effectively means an additional core within ten buildings on the site’s east side, inevitably resulting in a considerable loss of residential floor space. To minimise the impact on the viability of the application and, ultimately, the delivery of affordable housing, some of the proposed office space will now be converted to residential.

The Design Code will also be updated to ensure all buildings on the west side of the site, over 18 meters in height, have a second staircase. Once the revisions are drawn up, these will be submitted to Richmond, as the local planning authority, for consideration. 

In response to the nature of the changes, these revisions will be subject to further consultation and referral back to the Richmond Planning Committee at a later date.

 

 

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