00 - london borough of brent tall buildings in... · tall buildings in wembley 5 00 executive...

TALL BUILDINGS IN WEMBLEY

tall buildings in wembley 3

00contents

01 introduction..................................................602 existing tall buildings..............................203 planned regeneration............................304 views & visual experience......................405 transport infrastructure.....................506 topography.....................................................607 historic context...........................................708 townscape character............................809 a strategy for tall buildings..............9


00executive summary

• much of the scope for tall buildings has already been utilised with a number of major

applications already approved or under construction.

• the focus for tall buildings should be restricted to key nodes and around the pedestrian spine

between wembley high road and wembley park station due to its accessibility, topography and

the location of existing and consented tall buildings.

• areas designated as ‘appropriate’ will still be required to demonstrate how they do not

negatively impact on key views of the stadium.

• areas designated as ‘sensitive’ may have some scope for a tall building, but due to adjacent

properties, site assembly or location of the site (orientation etc.) will require further work to

establish an appropriate form of development.

• protection of views of the stadium should focus on local views and the role of the stadium in

enhancing local identity.

01INTroDUcTIoN

8 tall buildings in wembley

01 background & context

introduction

Brent’s Local Development FrameworkBrent’sadoptedCoreStrategyidentifiesWembleyastheborough’scoreGrowthArea,deliveringthemajorityoftheborough’sdevelopmentandem-ploymentgrowth,includingretail,office,hotels,visi-torattractionsandanestimated11,500newhomesbetween2007and2026.Inordertoaccommodatesuchanincrease,CoreStrategypolicyCP6identifiesWembleyasanacceptablelocationfortallbuild-ings.

InordertobuildontheprinciplessetoutintheCoreStrategythecouncilisundertakingtheproductionoftheWembleyAreaActionPlan(AAP).AspartoftheIssues&Optionsstageconsultation,theproduc-tionofatallbuildingsstrategywasidentifiedasnec-essaryinordertoprovidearobustevidencebasetosupportproposalssetoutwithintheUrbanDesign&Placemakingchapter.

Brent’sUnitaryDevelopmentPlan(2004)TheWembleyAAPwillsupersedetheWembleyRe-generationAreachapteroftheUnitaryDevelop-mentPlan(UDP).PolicyWEM19oftheUDPsoughttoprotectarangeofshort,longandmiddledistanceviewsoftheNationalStadium.TheseestablishedviewswerebasedontheoriginalWembleyStadiumandaredueforreassessmentasacriticalelementoftheproductionoftheWembleyAAP.

AnumberofSPD’shavebeenproducedinrecentyearsthatprovideguidanceonappropriatebuild-ingheightsindifferentlocationsthroughoutWemb-ley,theseinclude: •WembleyLinkSPD(July2011)•WembleyMasterplanSPD(June2009)•WembleyWestEndSPD(November2006) TheproductionoftheWembleyAreaActionPlanprovidesanopportunitytoconsolidatethisguid-anceandcreateacoordinatedstrategyfortallbuildingsacrosstheWembleyarea.

ThescopeofthisdocumentistoprovideastrategyforthelocationoftallbuildingsacrosstheAAParea.Basedonacomprehensiveanalysisofthearea,theStrategywillprovidethelocalauthoritywiththelocationsconsideredtobeacceptable,unaccept-ableandsensitiveforthedevelopmentoftallbuild-ings. Giventheplethoraofguidanceavailableforthephysicaldesignoftallbuildings,thisdocumentwillnotattempttosetsitespecificparametersorbeoverlyprescriptiveabouttheformofdevelopmentonindividualsites.


study area 01introduction


01 what is a tall building in wembley?

introduction

Therearewidelyvaryingopinionsaboutwhatiscon-sideredtobeatallbuilding.Fundamentally,abuild-ingsheightwillbeconsideredrelativetoitscontext.Forexamplea15storeybuildinginManhattanisun-likelytobeconsideredtobetall,whereasthesamebuildinginsuburbanBrentwillraisesignificantlymoreissues. Itisimportanttodefinewhatisconsideredtobeatallbuildingforthepurposesofthisstudy.TheLon-donBoroughofBrentcurrentlydefinestallbuildingswithintheUnitaryDevelopmentPlanas‘morethan25mhigh(82feetor9storeys)orofanyheightwhichsignificantlyexceedsthatofthesurroundingdevel-opment’.

TheLondonPlandefinestallbuildingsas‘thosethataresubstantiallytallerthantheirsurroundings,causeasignificantchangetotheskylineorarelargerthanthethresholdsizessetforthereferralofplanningap-plicationstotheMayor’(30m—statedinMayoroflondon order, 2008). GiventhediversityofbuildingswithintheWembleyAAParea,itisnotviewedasappropriatetoprovideablanketheightabovewhichbuildingswillbere-gardedastall.BuildingsonthesuburbanfringesoftheareaarelikelytohaveagreaterimpactthanthoseinthecomprehensivedevelopmentareaaroundtheStadium.

GiventheWembleycontextandthecommonthreadthatrunsthroughthemajorityofdefinitionsinregionalpolicydocumentation,thedefinitionof‘TallBuildings’forthepurposeofthisstudywillbeasfol-lows:

“Buildings or structures that are more than 30m in height or significantly taller

than surrounding development”.

Inordertoprovidesomecontext,ananalysisofotherLondonborough’sdefinitionswasconducted: lb barnet udp (2006)‘buildingswhichare30metresormoreinheight,orbuildingswhichsignificantlyexceedtheheightofsur-roundingdevelopment’. LBEalingUDP(2004)‘buildingsorstructureswhichexceed20m(65ft)inheightorwhicharesignificantlyhigherthantheirsur-roundings’. LBHackneyTallBuildingsStrategy(2005)“Buildingsorstructuresthataresignificantlytallerthansurroundingdevelopment”.


methodology 01introduction

TheoverarchingmethodologyforthisdocumentbroadlyfollowstheapproachoutlinedintheCABEandEnglishHeritageGuidanceonTallBuildings(2007)

Usingthesethemesasastartingpoint,a’sieve’or’layered’approachtourbananalysiswasunder-taken.Thisapproachhasbeenusedonanumberofstudiesacrossthecountryandisbroadlyrecognisedasprovidingarobustevidencebasefortheappro-priatelocationoftallbuildings. Theprocessinvolvesplottingtheappropriatenessfortallbuildingsagainsteachthemeonaseparatemap‘layer’thencombiningallofthelayersto-gethertoidentifythoseareasthathavethehighestpotentialfortalldevelopmentaswellasaccuratelyplottingthosethatshouldbeseenasareasofexclu-sion. Thekeythemesor‘layers’wereidentifiedthroughaninitialanalysisoftheareaandfromanumberofprecedentstudies.Thelayershavenotbeenpriori-tisedorgivenaquantitativevalueinthedevelop-mentoftheStrategyforTallBuildings.Howeverthelayershavebeengenerallyrankedinorderofrela-tiveimportance.

ExistingTallBuildings

PlannedRegeneration

Views&VisualExperience

TransportInfrastructure

topography

HistoricEnvironment

TownscapeCharacter

AStrategyforTallBuildings

02EXISTING TALL BUILDINGS


02 building survey

existing tall buildings

ThekeydriversfortheincreasingpresenceoftallbuildingsacrossLondonarethescarcityofdevelop-ableland,coupledwithabuoyanthousingmarketinthe1990’sandearly21stCentury.Thiswassup-portedbyapermissivelocal,regionalandnationalpolicycontextwhichsoughttointensifydevelop-mentasameansofrevitalisingcitiesaspartofan’UrbanRenaissance’.

Thefirstlayerintheanalysiswilloutlinetheareasinwhichtallbuildingsalreadyexistinordertounder-standwheretheconditionsexisttosupportsuchdevelopment.


building survey 02existing tall buildings

AlthoughthewidercontextofWembleyispredomi-nantlyasuburbanresidentiallocation,muchoftheAAPareahashistoricallybeendevelopedwithlargerfootprintbuildingswithagreatervarietyofusesandsomeareaswheretallbuildingshavebeenallowed.

Aswellasthetallbuildingsthathavebeeninex-istenceforanumberofyears,therearesomere-centlycompletedbuildingsandthreesignificanttallbuildingscurrentlyunderconstruction.

Giventthegeneralheightsofrecentlycompleteddevelopmentatthatwhichiscurrentlyundercon-structionitisclearthatthereisashiftinthescaleofdevelopmentfromarelativelysuburbanandlowlevelindustrialformattosomethingmoreakintoametropolitanurbancentre.


02 layer 1

existing tall buildings


conclusions 02existing tall buildings

ItisclearthatthecurrentpatternofdevelopmentfortallbuildingsinWembleyisprincipallybasedonthecorridorfromWembleyCentralStationtoWem-bleyParkStation.

Therelativelyrecentcompletionandcurrentcon-structionofanumberoftallbuildingswouldsuggestthatthecorrectconditionsexistinordertomakesuchbuildingsaviableproposition.

Theeconomicconditionsmaybeanimportantfac-torindeterminingtheheightrangewithinthisareaastherehavebeenanumberofapplicationsforsig-nificantlytallerbuildings(approximately28storeys)atCoplandSchoolandChesterfieldHousewhichhavefailedtomaterialiseontheground.Althoughtheremayhavebeenanumberofothercauses(suchasthelackofanofficemarket)forthelackofdevelopment.

ThepolicyframeworkforprotectionofStrategicIn-dustrialLocationstotheeastoftheStadiumappearstohaveprohibitedthedevelopmentoftallbuildingsinthisarea.Thedemandfortallbuildingsisprinci-pallybasedoncommercial(office)andresidentialuses—restrictingdevelopmenttoindustrialusehasremovedanydemandintheseareas.

GiventhatthewesterncorridoroftheAAPAreaisalreadycharacterisedbytallbuildings,thereisanopportunitytofocusonthislocationforfurthertallbuilding.

Thisclusteringofdevelopmenthasthepotentialtocreateastrongerskyline,andtheco-locationofbuildingscouldhelptoconsolidateservicesandre-lievepressureonother,morevisuallysensitiveareas.

tall buildings in wembley 19 03PLANNED rEGENErATIoN


03 wembley masterplan spd

planned regeneration

In2009BrentCounciladoptedamasterplanfor69HaoflandtothenorthandeastoftheStadiumwitharangeofcoreobjectives:

• Thecreationof10,000extrafulltimejobs(notonlyintheretailandhospitalitysectors);

• Trainingforlocalpeopletocompeteforlocallycreatedjobs;

• Toplayaleadingroleintheprovisionofsustain-ablehomesandbusinessesthatenableprogresstowardsalow-carbonfuture;

• ToenableWembleyStadium,WembleyArenaandotherexistingbusinessestocoexistharmoni-ouslywithcurrentandfutureneighbours;

• Newlargescalevisitorattractions,hotelsandconferencingwillbeencouraged;

• Anewshoppingstreetthatdevelopsandcom-plementstheexistingHighRoadoffer;

• Newparks,openspacesandsquareswillprovidevitalamenityforall;

• Excitingnewdevelopmentthatwillmeetcommu-nity,culturalandsportingneeds;

• Providingaffordableandcreativespacesforcre-ativepeople;

• Apedestrianfocussednetworkoflivingstreetsthatgiveprioritytosustainablemodesoftravel;

• Tocreatehighquality,affordablehomes.


wembley masterplan spd 03planned regeneration

TheWembleyMasterplansetoutanumberofkeyprinciplesinrelationtobuildingheightsandthespatialarrangementofdevelopmenttothenorthandeastoftheStadium.Theycanbebroadlysum-marisedasfollows:

• TheprotectionofviewsoftheStadiumontheprocessionalroutefromWembleyParkStationdownOlympicWaybyrestrictingbuildingheightsto70mAOD.

• ADesignCodeforthemassingofdevelopmentflankingOlympicWay.

• Buildingheightsmustreflectthesuburbanscaleandcontextatthewesternsideofthearea(Em-pire way).

• Alimitof20storeys.

• Majorityofdevelopmenttorangefrom4-10sto-reys.

• Inallapplicationsfortallbuildingsthecouncilwillrequireafullthreedimensionalanalysisoftheim-pactofthebuildingonitssiteandneighbours.

• Asunlightanddaylightassessmentwillbere-quiredtoensurethatthelocationandheightoftallbuildingwillnotcreateadverseeffectsonexistingandfutureresidents.


03 wembley link spd


Akeystrandofthisdocumentisfocussedoncre-atingafreshapproachtobuildingheightswithinWembleyTownCentre.TherearetwomajorextantplanningpermissionsintheWembleyLinkarea,fora17storeyofficedevelopmentatChesterfieldHouseandfora28storeymixedusedevelopmentatCoplandSchool.Neitherofthesedevelopmentshasmaterialisedonthegroundand,duringthispe-riod,developmenthasbeencompletedatCentralSquareandElmRoad.

Withagreaterunderstandingoftheeconomicsandurbandesignimpactsoftallerdevelopment,thecouncilhaslookedattheissueofbuildingheightsafreshandproposedadeparturefromtheCopland28storeyapprovalandthelargeofficeblockcon-sentonChesterfieldHouse.

Theseproposalsforveryhighbuildingsdonotsitcomfortablywithinthesuburbancontextoftheareaandschemeswithpermissionforsuchhighbuild-ingsappearevenlesslikelytobebuilt.TheCentralSquare,ElmRoadandElizabethHousedevelop-mentsshowanewmidrangeheightthatappearsbothdevelopableandcomfortableinthecontextoftheHighRoadandthesurroundinghousing.

AkeyconsiderationofthisSPDistheidentificationoftallerbuildingsateitherendoftheWembleyLinkaspartofaco-ordinatedstrategyforWembley.

Anynewbuildingonthesitesidentifiedfortallerde-velopment(ChesterfieldHouse,theTriangle)shouldreflecttheheightsofWembleyCentralSquareandElmRoadratherthansignificantlydepartfromthem.

TheprominenceandheightofthenewCentralSquaredevelopmentshouldbegreaterthanthebuildingswithintheWembleyLinkareatoreflectitslocationnexttoWembleyCentralStationandsquare.


wembley west end spd 03planned regeneration

Thefundamentalaimofthisdocumentwastostimu-latetheregenerationofthewestendofWembleyTownCentrethroughthecomprehensiveredevel-opmentofalargeandcomplicatedsitecoveringanumberofdifferentownerships.

Thedocumentrecommendedaheightof4storeysplusanadditional2storeyssteppedbackfordevel-opmentfrontingtheHighRoadwithpotentialtode-velopupto9storeysatthejunctionofEalingRoadandHighRoad,assumingareasonablesetbackfrompavementedge.

GiventhescaleoftheadjacentLodgeCourt,itwasviewedasacceptabletodeveloptoasimilarscaleasLodgeCourttowardsthissectionofthesiteal-thoughanyhigherelementshouldbesubservienttoLodgeCourtandproposalsmustdemonstratehowtheyfunctionatgroundlevelandshowhowtheymaintainahumanscaleappropriateforthecomfortandwellbeingofusers.

Duetothehighlycomplicatednatureofthissite,developmenthasnotbeenforthcomingandgiventheexperienceofnewdevelopmentsincethepro-ductionofthisSPD,theWembleyAAPrepresentsanopportunitytoreviewtheproposalssetoutinthisdocument.


03 quintain stage 1


In2004theLondonBoroughofBrentgrantedoutlineplanningpermissiontoQuintainEstatesandDe-velopmentplcforamajormixed-useregenerationschemecovering42acresoflandsurroundingthenewWembleyStadium.

Thepermissionrepresentsasignificantchangeinbuildingtypologyfromtheadjacentsuburbanresi-dentialdevelopmentandthecommercialpremisestotheeast.Thegeneralpatternofdevelopmentapprovedinthislocationisbroadlybasedon8-10storeyperimeterblocks,withtwoprimarylocationsfortallerdevelopment—atthesouthernendoftheBoulevard(W10:127mAOD,24-26storeyequiva-lent*andW11:109mAOD,20-21storeyequivalent*)andeithersideofOlympicWayatthegatewaytothestadium(W03&E01:85mAOD,16storeyequiv-alent*).

MuchoftheapprovedschemewithinStage1isstilltobedelivered,includingsomeoftheplanningobligationsattachedtothephaseddeliveryofthedevelopment.


quintain stage 2 03planned regeneration

TheproposedStage2developmentrepresentsadif-ferentapproachtobuildingheightstothattakenintheStage1development.WhereastheStage1pro-posalsrepresentbroadlyconsistentheightsof6-10storeysacrossthesitewithtwolocationsfortallerdevelopmentatkeynodes,theStage2schemehasamuchwiderrangeofbuildingheightswithasignifi-cantincreaseintheamountof‘tall’buildingsinthecontextoftheStage1proposals.

ThebuildingsfrontingOlympicWayrangefrom14to17storeys,consistentwiththetallerStage1buildingsatW03andE01asdiscussedintheprevioussection.

Thereare3‘accent’buildingsintheareathatrangefrom15-20storeysinheight.Althoughtheyappeartobroadlymarkgatewaysintothesiteitself,thera-tionaleforthesitingoftallbuildingsinsuchlocationsislessclearthanintheStage1area.

TheapprovaloftheStage2proposalsrepresentsasignificantdeparturefromtheadoptedWembleyMasterplanSPDwhichsoughttofocustallbuild-ingsinalimitednumberoflocations.TheapprovedbuildingheightsarealsosignificantlyhigherthanthosewithintheSPD,forexampletheSPDproposedbuildingsof7-10storeysfrontingOlympicWay,whereasbuildingheightsofupto17storeyshavebeenapproved.

TheapprovaloftheStage2masterplannecessitatesare-evaluationoftheapproachtobuildingheightswithintheWembleyarea.

Accent Buildings

Buildings fronting Olympic Way


03 layer 2



conclusions 03planned regeneration

TheamountofguidanceandplanningdocumentsproducedforWembleyoverrecentyearshasbeensignificant.Therehavebeenanumberofmaster-plansandsupplementaryplanningdocumentsthatproviderelativelydetailedguidanceonbuildingscale,formandappropriateheights.

Whilsttheprinciplessetoutwithinthesedocumentsareclearandconsidered,theytendtoaddressspe-cificsitesratherthanworkingwithinanoverarchingframework.

MuchoftherecentlyapproveddevelopmentwithintheAAPareawouldbeclassifiedastallbuildings.Thelocationofthemajorityofthesetallbuildingsbroadlyfollowthesamepatternastheexistingtallbuildings–thecorridorfromWembleyHighRoadtoWembleyParkStation.

Giventhescaleandquantumofapproveddevel-opmentandtheprotectionofStrategicIndustrialLo-cationstotheeast,thereisnotasignificantamountofscopeforfurthertallbuildings.

ThecharacterofOlympicWayasawideformalpro-cessionalroutenecessitatesastrongandbalancedbuildingform.

TheCouncilshouldrequirefuturedevelopmentsonOlympicWaytoreflecttheheightsofneworpro-posedbuildingsontheoppositesideofthestreet.

tall buildings in wembley 29 04VIEWS & VISUAL EXPErIENcE


04 protection of stadium views

views & visual experience

TheStadiumisundoubtedlythemostsignificantbuildinginWembley.Itsimultaneouslycreatesastronganddistinctidentityforthearea,whilstalsobeingsomewhatalientoit’ssuburbanresidentialcontextintermsofscaleandfunction.ViewsoftheStadiumcontributeasignificantamounttotheper-ceptionofWembleyasawhole,performingarangeoffunctionsthataddalayerofdepthtothevisualexperienceofthearea.

Thesefunctionsinclude:

• civic pride • A sense of local identity• A prominent local way finding device• Stimulating sporting aspiration • A sense of arrival: event crowds• Aiding legibility across the wider area

Giventhatasignificantamountofdevelopmenthaseitherbeenpermitted,orisunderconstruction,itwillbenecessarytore-assestherelevanceofthepro-tectedUDPviews.

Thefollowingsectionwillexplorethesignificanceofeachoftheseviews,recommendwhetherornottheyshouldberetainedandidentifythepotentialofadditionalviewsforprotection.

Brent’s UDP (2004)PoliciesBE34,WEM18andWEM19oftheUDPseektoprotectarangeofshort,middleandlongdis-tanceviewsoftheNationalStadium.Althoughtheinitialassessmentwasbasedontheoriginalstadium,theprotectionofsuchviewsextendstothenewstadium.


udp strategic views 04views & visual experience

01 Barn Hill, Wembley

02 St Mary’s Church, Harrow-on-the-Hill

03 Elmwood Park, Sudbury

04 Horsenden Hill, Perivale

05 One Tree Hill, Alperton

06 Hanger Hill Park, Ealing

07 Station Road, Hendon

08 Honeypot Lane, Harrow

09 Gladstone Park, NW2


04 IMPACTOFDEVELOPMENT:VIEW01



IMPACTOFDEVELOPMENT:VIEW02 04views & visual experience


STRATEGICVIEWS:RECOMMENDATIONS 04views & visual experience

1 Barn Hill, WembleyProbablythebestviewoftheStadiumoutsidetheAAParea,thisviewcreatesastrongvisualconnec-tionbetweenthispublicopenspaceandtheSta-diumArea.Recommendation:Retain

2 St Mary’s Church, Harrow-on-the-HillAhistoriclandmarkandprominentfeatureofthewiderlandscape.AlthoughitisnotintheBoroughandnotonpublicspace.Recommendation:Remove

3 Elmwood Park, SudburyAwiderangingpanoramafromapublicopenspacewhereWembleycanbeviewedinitsentiretyRecommendation:Retain

4 Horsenden Hill, PerivaleReasonableelevatedviewsfromamunicipalgolfcoursealthoughoftenrestrictedbyvegetation.Recommendation:Retain

5 one Tree Hill, AlpertonGoodopenviewsfromthesouthoftheareaoftherearoftheStadiumandWembleyHighRoad.Recommendation:Retain

6 Hanger Hill Park, EalingLongrangeviewsfromoutsidetheboroughoftenhighlyrestrictedbyvegetation.Recommendation:Remove

7 Station road, HendonAninterestingtownscapeviewwheretheStadiumformsabackdropattheterminationoftheroad.Limitedtoonesideoftheroadduetovegetationandoutsideoftheborough,sodevelopmentmaycomeforwardthatnegatestheview.Recommendation:Remove

8 Honeypot Lane, HarrowStronglinearviewalongalongstraightavenue.Outsidetheboroughthereforelimitedscopeforpro-tection.Recommendation:Remove

9 Gladstone Park, NW2Longdistanceviewfrompublicopenspace,oftenhighlyrestrictedbyvegetation.Recommendation:Remove

AnanalysisoftheprotectedLong/MiddleDistanceViewswithintheUDPhasidentifiedanumberofkeyissues:

• Theabsoluteprotectionofviewsoutsidethebor-oughboundarymaynotbefeasible;

• TheoveralllegibilityofthenewStadiumhasin-creasedsignificantlyincomparisontotheprevi-ousStadiumduetothepresenceoftheiconicarch.

• GiventhenecessityforregenerationaroundtheStadium,protectionofviewsofthemainbodyofthebuilding(asopposedtothearch)maynotbeachievable;

• Thepresenceofsoftlandscaping(trees)inmanyoftheselocationshasmoreofanimpactonviewsthantallbuildingsarelikelytohave.


04 udp local views


01 The Ironbridge, North circular road

02 Wembley Park Station

03 South Way at the River Brent Bridge

04 South Way/Wembley Hill Road

05 Engineers Way/Empire Way

06 Bakerloo Line Stonebridge Station

07 Jubilee/Met Line north of Neasden


04 LOCALVIEWS:RECOMMENDATIONS


1 The Ironbridge, North circular roadArelativelylongdistanceviewfrombesidetheNorthCircularRoad.Lowimpactduetolownum-bersofpedestriansandpoorvisibilityfromtheroad.Recommendation:Remove

2 Wembley Park StationProbablythemostimportantviewduetothechar-acterofOlympicWayasaprocessionalandtherolethatthisplaysasthemainarrivalpointtotheStadiumArea..Recommendation:Retain

3 South Way at the River Brent BridgeAnotherkeyviewduetoitsnatureasagatewayintothearea.TheStadiumsitsattheterminationofalongvista—SouthWay/StadiumAccessCorridor.Recommendation:Retain

4 Junction of South Way and Wembley Hill RoadThiskeyareamarksanotherlocalgatewayintotheStadiumarea,butthecurrentdescriptiondoesnotmatchthepreferredlocationoftheview.Recommendation:Retain—Reviseto‘WhiteHorsebridge’

5 Engineers Way at the junction with Empire WayNewdevelopmenthasobscuredallbuttheStadiumarch,whichsitscomfortablywithinacohesiveurbanexperienceandisunlikelytochange.Recommendation:Remove

6 Bakerloo Line and Railtrack Railway line north of Stonebridge StationAlinearviewthatunfoldsaspartoftheexperienceofenteringWembleybytrain.Whilstthisisanex-tremelyvaluedpartoftheurbanexperienceitisdifficulttopinpointaspecificlocationthatisprefer-able.GiventhesuburbanresidentialcharacterofdevelopmentbetweenthetrainlineandtheSta-diumitisunlikelythatasignificanttallbuildingwouldimpactonthisexperience.Recommendation:Remove

7 Jubilee Line and Metropolitan Line north of Neas-den Station AlinearviewthatunfoldsaspartoftheexperienceofenteringWembleybyUnderground.Giventhesenseofarrivalfromthisrouteitisconsideredtobeanimportantpartofthe’Wembley’experiencealthoughindustrialsitesadjacenttothetrackshavethepotentialtoobscuresuchviewswithequipment/storageetc..Recommendation:Retain


POTENTIALADDITIONALVIEW:BOBByMOOREBRIDGE 04views & visual experience

TheviewoftheStadiumfromthepavementontheEasternsideofBridgeRoadoffersperhapsthebestlinearviewoftheprocessionalrouteofOlympicWaywiththeStadiumterminatingthevista.AlthoughitdoesnotfulfilthesamefunctionastheviewfromWembleyParkStationasasenseofarrival,itsele-vatedandunobstructedpositionisconsideredtobeextremelyvaluabletothevisualexperienceofthearea.


04 POTENTIALADDITIONALVIEW:OLyMPICWAy


GiventheimportanceofOlympicWayanditsroleinthevisualexperienceofWembley(particularlyoneventdays)theprotectionofkeyviewsoftheStadi-umisconsideredvital.ThisviewtakenfromjustnorthofFultonRoadisakeypointatwhichtheStadiumwillbeframedbynewdevelopmentandthetreescreateabalancedcomposition.


POTENTIALADDITIONALVIEW:BRENTTOWNHALL 04views & visual experience

TheviewfromBrentTownHall(aGradeIIListedBuilding)providesafantasticpanoramaoftheSta-diumanditsimmediateenvirons.Althoughthismayprovideaninterestingview,particularlyconsideringthecivicnatureofthebuilding,theCounciliscur-rentlyintheprocessofsellingthebuildingthereforeprotectingaviewfromaprivatebuildingisunlikelytobesupported.


04 POTENTIALADDITIONALVIEW:WELSHHARP


ThelongrangeviewoftheStadiumfromtheWelshHarpReservoirjustwithintheboroughboundaryprovidesaninterestingadditiontothenaturalland-scape.Ithelpstobuildasenseoflocalidentityinoneoftheboroughskeyopenspaces.


POTENTIALADDITIONALVIEW:CHALkHILLPARk 04views & visual experience

ThisareaiscurrentlyunderconstructionasanewpublicparkwithintheWembleyarea.ThecurrentviewoftheStadiumisparticularlygoodduetotheproximity,locationandtopography.Oncecom-pleteitwillbeaspaceregularlyusedbythelocalcommunityanditisconsideredthatthestrongvisualconnectionhasthepotentialtofosterlocaliden-tityandaspirationamongstoneofthelessaffluentcommunitiesinthearea.


04 POTENTIALADDITIONALVIEW:EASTERNGATEWAy


Althoughthereisalreadyaprotectedviewfromfur-therdownthisroad,forthosearrivinginWembleybymotorvehiclefromtheeast,thisisthefirstclearandcloseupviewoftheStadiumdownalonglinearroute.Ithasbeenreferredtoasthe‘EasternGate-way’asitmarksacleararrivalpointintotheWemb-leyarea.


POTENTIALADDITIONALVIEW:HANNAHCLOSE/BRENTRIVERPARk 04views & visual experience

ThisviewjuxtaposestheindustrialcharacteroftheestateseastofthestadiumwithagreatviewoftheStadium.ItispositionedattheentrancetotheBrentRiverPark—oneoftheonlygreenspacesintheareasohasthepotentialtoaddinterestandvarietytoaplacecurrentlylackingadegreeoflegibilityandcohesion.


04 layer 3



conclusions 04views & visual experience

AnanalysisofStadiumviewshasidentifiedanumberofkeyissues:

• ProtectionofviewsoftheStadiumshouldfocusonlocalviews(withintheborough)andtheroleoftheStadiuminenhancinglocalidentity.Theabsoluteprotectionofviewsoutsidetheboroughboundarymaynotbefeasible;

• Thepresenceofsoftlandscaping(trees)inmanyoftheselocationshasmoreofanimpactonviewsthantallbuildingsarelikelytohave;

• TheoveralllegibilityofthenewStadiumhasin-creasedsignificantlyincomparisontotheprevi-ousStadiumduetothepresenceoftheiconicarch;

• GiventhenecessityforregenerationaroundtheStadium,protectionofviewsofthemainbodyofthebuilding(asopposedtothearch)maynotbeachievable.

tall buildings in wembley 61 05TrANSPorT INFrASTrUcTUrE


05 public transport in wembley

transport infrastructure

ThecapacityofWembley’smovementinfrastructurewillplayasignificantroleindeterminingappropri-atelocationsfortallbuildings.Tallbuildingsarelikelytoincreasetheurbandensitywhilstalsoplacingsignificantadditionalpressureonthelocaltransportsystem.Giventhesustainabilityagendaandtheshiftingovernmentpolicyawayfromtherelianceonprivatemotorvehicles,itwillbeessentialforsuchdevelopmenttobefullyintegratedwithavarietyofmodesoftransport.

OneofthemostpositiveattributesoftheWembleyareaisitspublictransportaccessibility.WembleyisconnectedtoCentralLondonviatheMetropolitan,JubileeandBakerlooUndergroundlinesrunningfromWembleyParkandWembleyCentralstationsandNationalrailservicesfromWembleyCentralandWembleyStadiumstationsrunintocentralLon-doninaslittleas13minutes.


public transport in wembley 05transport infrastructure

Theadjacentmapdepictsthe2010PublicTrans-portAccessibilityLevelsproducedbyTransportforLondon.ThisisusedinconjunctionwithLondonPlanstandards(setoutinTable3.2oftheLP2011)asameansofassessingtheappropriatedensitylevelfordevelopmentsthroughoutLondon.

ItisclearfromthePTALmapthatareastothewestandnorthoftheAAPareawouldbeconsideredmoreappropriateforhigherdensitylevels(4-6inthislocationwouldimplyarangeof200-700habitableroomsperhectare(hr/ha)orbetween45and260unitsperhectare(u/ha)dependentontheformatofthedevelopment.

Whilstthewestandnorthoftheareaarerelativelywellservedbypublictransport,converselythema-jorityoftheareatotheeastofthestadiumhasalowaccessibilitylevel.Unlesssignificantimprove-mentstothepublictransportinfrastructurearemade,itisunlikelythattallbuildingswillbeconsid-eredappropriateintheselocations.

Althoughatallbuildingmaynotnecessarilyhaveahigherdensitythanamediumrisedevelopmentonceanentiresiteareaistakenintoconsideration(proposalsforatallbuildingcouldincludealargeopenspacewithinasiteboundary),giventhecon-strainednatureoflandinWembleyitislikelythattallbuildingswillfallintotheupperdensityrange.

ThePTAL’sacrossWembleygiveaclearindicationofthelocationsthatarelikelytobeconsideredmoreappropriatefortallbuildingsinpolicyterms.Thishoweverdoesnotautomaticallymeanthattallerbuildingsareappropriateintheseareas,itmerelyprovidesfurtherjustificationaspartofthewideranalysis.


05 layer 4

transport infrastructure


conclusions 05transport infrastructure

Locatingtallbuildingsaroundkeypublictransportnodeswillhelptoconcentratepeopleinthelocali-tieswhereaccessibilityishighest.Aswellasreduc-ingsocialexclusionforthosewithoutaccesstocars,theincreasedchoicesfortransportationshouldcon-tributetoreducingtrafficcongestion,airpollutionandenergyconsumption.

Anadditionalbenefitoffocusingtallbuildingsclosetorailstationsisthatthefinancialcontributionsstem-mingfromdevelopmentcanbeputtowardsotherimprovementstothelocalitysuchasenhancingthepublicrealm,ratherthancostlyroadwideningschemes.

Giventhehighlevelofpredictedfuturedevelop-ment(11,500newhomesupto2026)andthepo-tentialtransportationimplicationsoftallbuildings,thecaseforlocatingsuchdevelopmentclosetotheexistingpublictransporthubsisevenstronger.

AlthoughNeasdenUndergroundlieswithincloseproximityoftheeasternpartoftheAAParea,thepedestrianconnectionsaresuchthatitisnotcon-sideredtoprovidethesamebenefitsastheother,moreaccessiblestations.

tall buildings in wembley 67 06ToPoGrAPHY


06 layer 5

topography


conclusions 06topography

ThetopographyoftheWembleyarearaisessomeimportantconsiderationsforthelocationoftallbuildings.ThelevelswithintheAAPareahavearangeof38m-from28mAODintheeast,upto66mAODattheChilternCutting.SuchariseinlevelsfromtheRiverBrenttowardstheStadiumandcen-tralpartoftheHighRoadmeansthatthevisualim-pactofdevelopmentwillbemoreprominentwhenapproachingfromtheeast.

ThelandfallsawaytothesouthoftheAAPareawhichmeansthatthevisualpresenceoftallerbuild-ingsontheHighRoadandtothesouthandwestoftheStadiumwillbemorepronouncedwhenviewedfromareastothesouth.

TherearetwosignificanthighpointsborderingtheAAPareawhichraisesomefurtherconsiderationsforthelocationoftallbuildings.BarnHilltothenorthoftheAAPprovidesanelevatedpositionforviewsacrosstheAAParea,suchasthosefromBrentTownHallandBarnHillOpenSpace.Theimpactoftallbuildingsislikelytobelesspronouncedduetothiselevatedposition.

Risingtoapproximately70mAOD,WembleyHillisanimportantfeatureofthelocallandscape.Aswellasprovidingelevatedviewsintothearea,italsoservestoscreenwiderviewsfromthewestandnorth-westandprovideabackdropforviewsfromthesouthand east.

Therearesomeuniqueopportunitiesandpotentialconstraintspresentedbythetopographyofthelo-calarea.WhenconsideringtheimpactonviewsoftheStadium,tallerbuildingslocatedtothenorthoftheAAPareaandtothewestoftheStadiumarelesslikelytocausemajorimpactsduetotheelevat-ednatureoftheadjacentareas.

Thefactthatmuchofthearea,particularlyaroundtheHighRoadandtheStadiumishigherthan

surroundinglocalitiesprovidesanopportunitytocre-ateauniqueskylinethatwouldstrengthentheiden-tityandpresenceoftheWembleythroughoutthewiderarea.

Giventhatthevisualpresenceintheselocationswillbehigh,thepotentialnegativeimpactsofapoorqualitytallbuildingwillbeheightened.Thereforethequalityoftallbuildingsintheselocationswillneedtobescrutinisedmorerigorouslythaninotherlesssen-sitivelocations.

tall buildings in wembley 71 07HISTorIc ENVIroNMENT


07 listed buildings

historic environment

Historicbuildingsprovideadepthofcharactertotheurbanexperiencethatcannotbeunderestimat-ed.Thecontinuityandconnectionwithanarea’spastprovidesthebuildingblocksfordevelopinglocalidentityandestablishingauniquecharacterinan area.

Wembleyhasatraditionofmasterplanninganddesign.The1924EmpireExhibitionlayoutintroducedastrongformalcharactertothearea.Abroadav-enuewasestablishedonanorth-southaxisfromWembleyParkRailwayStationtotheEmpireSta-dium.Cuttingacrossthisroutewasalargerectan-gularlakeandgarden/parkrunninginaneast-westaxis.

TheEmpireExhibitionclosedin1925andsubsequentdevelopmenthasslowlymovedawayfromtheEx-hibitionlayout.Thehistoriceast-westgrainisstillinevidence,particularlyalongEngineersWayandFultonRoadbuttheparkhasbeenlostandthefor-malceremonialroutetotheStadium–OlympicWay–hasnosenseofenclosure.

TheAAPareadoesnothaveasignificantamountofhistoricbuildingsorbuildingsthatareconsideredtobeofanexemplaryarchitecturalquality.TherearethreeStatutorilyListedbuildingswithinthearea:StAndrew’sPresbyterianChurch-GradeII

ChurchofStJohn-GradeII

TheEmpirePool(WembleyArena)-GradeII

BrentTownHall-GradeII

AlthoughthereareonlythreeListedbuildingsinthearea,itisthesignificanceofthesebuildingsandtheirroleinthetownscape,thathasarealimpactonthecharacterandfuturedevelopmentofWem-bley.

ThereisalsooneLocallyListedbuilding,theGrey-houndPublicHouse,withintheAAParea.Althoughnotstatutorilyprotected,thisbuildingisconsideredtobeofsufficientmerittowarrantadegreeofpro-tectionwithintheboroughsUDP.


conservation areas 07historic environment

Althoughtherearefewlistedbuildingsinthearea,thereareanumberoflocationswhereabuildingoracollectionofbuildingsareconsideredtoaddtotherichnessoftheurbanfabric,andanyredevelop-mentproposalswillneedtofullyjustifytheremovalorreplacementofsuchbuildings.

TherearetwoConservationAreasontheimmediatefringesoftheAAParea:

• BarnHillConservationArea

• WembleyHighStreetConservationArea

AndthreeotherConservationAreaswithinrelativelycloseproximity:

• LawnsCourtConservationArea

• StAndrewsConservationArea

• NeasdenConservationArea

AswellastheConservationAreasinthevicinity,directlytothenorthoftheAAParealiesthekeswickGardens/PrincesCourtAreaofDistinctiveResiden-tialCharacter(designatedintheUDP2004).


07 layer 6

historic environment

AAP Boundary

Conservation Area

ADRC

Listed Building (Statutory)

Listed Building (Local List)


conclusions 07historic environment

TheonlysignificanthistoricbuildingthatislikelytobedirectlyimpacteduponbythedevelopmentoftallbuildingsisWembleyArena.Developmenthaseithertakenplace,isunderconstruction,orhaspermissiononallsitessurroundingtheArena,thereforeitiscon-sideredthattheimpactsofsuchdevelopmenthavebeenfullyconsidered.

ThetwoothersignificantListedbuildings(BrentTownHallandChurchofStJohn)aresituatedonthesub-urbanfringesofthearea,wherethelocationoftallbuildingsisunlikelytobesupported,thereforethereisconsideredtobelittledirectriskonthehistoriccharacterofthesebuildings.

WithregardstotheimpactoftallbuildingsonCon-servationAreas,againthereislikelytobelittledi-rectimpactduetothelocationoftheareasontheedgesoftheAAParea.Aswellaspossibledevelop-mentwithincloseproximitytotheseConservationAreas,considerationshouldalsobegiventotheimpactonviewsintoandoutoftheseareas.

ViewsoftheStadiumfromBarnHillConservationAreaarelikelytobeimpacteduponbytallbuildingsintheAAPareaduetoitspositionandorientation.

DuetotheaspectofmostofthepropertiesWemb-leyHighStreetConservationAreaisunlikelytobesignificantlyimpactedupon.

ConservationAreastothenortheast(StAndrew’s&Neasden)areconsideredtobesufficientdistancefromtheareathattherearelikelytobenoimpactsfromthedevelopmentoftallbuildings.

tall buildings in wembley 77 08ToWNScAPE cHArAcTEr


08 introduction

townscape character

Itisessentialtohaveafirmunderstandingofthecomponentelementsofurbanformthatmakeupthedefiningcharacterofalocalityinordertoassessthesuitabilityoftallbuildingsinsuchalocation.

Byidentifyingcharacteristicssuchasthebuildingtypologies,keynodesandurbangrainitispossibletoobtainadeeperunderstandingofthevisualandphysicalexperienceofanarea,whichwillinturnprovideclarityonappropriatelocationsfortallbuild-ings.

ForthispartofthestudytheAAPareahasbeendividedinto5localitieswithbroadlydistinctivechar-acteristics.Thefollowingsectionwillprovideananal-ysisoftheexistingtownscapeineachareaandtheopportunitiesthatmayarisefortallbuildings.


wembley high road (whr) 08townscape character

TheWembleyHighRoadlocalitycomprisestheex-istingtowncentreandit’simmediatecontext.Al-thoughtheareadevelopedincrementallysincethe1920’s,themajorityoftheHighRoadfrontagede-velopmenthappenedpost-war.

Thepatternofdevelopmentisbroadlyfocussedontheeast-westspineofWembleyHighRoadwiththreekeyjunctions(EalingRoad,ParkLaneandWembleyHillRoad)whichmarkoutthebeginning,middleandendofthetowncentreandprovideavisualnarrativetotheexperienceofthearea.

Althoughthepredominantcharacteristhatofasuburbantowncentre,therearearangeofbuildingtypologiesacrosstheareawhichdisplaydifferentcharacteristicsandaddtoamultifacetedexperi-enceoftheurbanrealm.

PerhapsthemostobviousdevelopmentinthetowncentreisthenewlycreatedCentralSquaredevel-opmentbasedaroundWembleyCentralStation.Aswellastherefurbishmentoftheexisting1960’sblocks,anew13storeymixedusetowerprovidesafocustothetowncentreanddominatestheHighRoadstreetscape.Thepresenceofalargepub-licsquaremitigatestheimpactofthescaleofthebuildingtothewest,butthedifferenceinformandscaleisratherapparentwhenviewedfromtheeastandsurroundingresidentialstreets.

ThecoreoftheHighRoadareaismadeupof3-4storeybuildingswithgroundfloorretailandstorageorresidentialusesonupperfloors.Therearealsoanumberoflargerformatretailbuildingswithwideranddeeperplots.

Theareaknownasthe‘WembleyLink’(duetoit’spotentialroleinlinkingtheexistingtowncentrewiththeStadiumregenerationarea)hasaslightlydiffer-enturbangrainandcharactertootherpartsofthehigh road.

ThestrongretailfrontagebreaksdownduetothepresenceofCoplandSchoolandBrentHousetothesouthandthereareanumberoflargerscale(5-9storeys)officebuildings.

AteitherendoftheHighRoadthescaleandform(brick,pitchedroofshoppingparades)ofbuildingstendtomarkthetransitionfromthetowncentreintothesuburbanresidentialhinterland.


08 WHR:OPPORTUNITIES

townscape character

Ealing Road Junction/Wembley West EndGiventheroleofthisjunctionasanarrivalpointtotheHighRoad,thereisscopeforasignaturebuild-ing,howeverthenatureofthelandownership,thetrafficdominatedjunctionandnarrowfootwaysallmeanthatthescopeforatallbuildingisextremelylimited.Anyproposalsfortallbuildings,particularlyontheSouthsidewillnecessitateasignificantsetback,whichislikelytomakedevelopmentunviableunlessacomprehensiveapproachisundertakentoincludeCurtisLaneCarPark.GiventhechangeinlevelsbetweenCurtisLaneandtheHighRoadandthescaleofadjacentbuildingsatCentralSquare,thereisscopefortallerdevelopmentatCurtisLaneCarPark.

Aerial View of Junction from west of Ealing Road Eye level view of Junction from west of Ealing Road

View from Ealing Road (south) View of Curtis Lane Car Park


WHR:OPPORTUNITIES 08townscape character

Park Lane Junction/Chesterfield HouseTheexistingChesterfieldHouseplaysanimportantroleontheHighRoad.ItroughlymarksthecentrepointofthetowncentreanddelineatestheCaféQuarter/WembleyLinkarea,withitswiderpave-mentsandmoreopencharacter,fromthewesternendoftheHighRoad.Giventhisimportanttown-scapefunctionandthefactthatitsitsonthenorth-ernsideoftheHighRoad,thissiteisconsideredap-propriateforatallbuilding.Thescaleofanybuildingonthissiteneedstobecarefullydesignedtore-spondtheadjacentresidentialtoweratElmRoadandwouldstillnecessitateareasonablesetbackfromtheexistingbackofpavement.

Aerial View of Junction from west Eye level view of Chesterfield House from west

View from Park Lane (north) View form High Road (east)


08 WHR:OPPORTUNITIES

townscape character

Triangle Junction/Wembley LinkDevelopmentaroundtheTriangle(HighRoad/Wem-bleyHillRoad/HarrowRoad)junctionispivotaltothesuccessofWembleyasawhole.ThevisualandphysicalconnectionbetweentheHighRoadandtheStadiumareaalongtheaxisoftheWhiteHorseBridgeisalongstandingaspirationoftheCouncilwhichwouldenablethecreationofacohesiveur-banexperience.

AnewtallbuildingatElizabethHouseatthetermi-nationofthisvistaiscurrentlyunderconstruction.Theremaybepotentialforaclusteroftallerbuild-ingsaroundthis,giventhescaleofBrentHouseandthekeyroleofthejunctionasanarrivalpointintothetowncentre.However,thescaleofthenewbuilding,itsproximitytothepavementedge,andtheproximityofthesuburbaninterfacemeansthatthescopeforfurthertallbuildingsissomewhatlim-ited.

ThescopeforatallbuildingonthenorthwestsideoftheTriangleisseverelylimitedbythenumberofownershipsandthepresenceofaterraceoftwostoreyhousesatEcclestonePlacetotherear.Thereispotentialforatallerbuildinginthislocation,butitwouldonlybepossibleaspartofacomprehensivedevelopment.ItisrecommendedthatthenewlydevelopedElizabethHouseremainstheprinciplefocusandanytallerelementinthislocationshouldbelowerthanthis.

GiventhelargerroadandpavementwidthsintheWembleyLinkareaitisclearlymoreappropriateforalargerscaleofdevelopmentthansiteswestofParkLane.However,itisrecommendedthatthebuiltfrontageremainsrelativelyconsistentinheight

inordertoprovideacomfortableandsuitablelevelofenclosure,whilsttallerelementsarefocussedonsitesthatcanbeoffsetbyopenspacesatgroundfloortoprovideanappropriatesetting.


comprehensive development area (cda) 08townscape character

TheareadirectlysurroundingtheNationalStadiumcontainscomparativelyfewbuildings.TheStadiumitselfisclearlythedominantfeatureinthetown-scapeduetoitsscale,sizeandcivicfunction.

Thegeneralpatternofdevelopmentiscomprisedofbuildingswithlargefootprintssurroundedbyasignificantamountofsurfaceparkingandvehicularservicingspace.

Theareacontainsarangeofbuildingformsthatgenerallyappeartooperateincompleteisolationtooneanother.Thisisprimarilyduetothedisparateusesandthatmuchofthebuildingsareinwardfac-ing,resultinginpoordefinitionofstreetsandalowqualitypublicrealm.

Thereisasmallclusteroftallbuildings(yorkHouse,WembleyPlazaHotel,IbisHotelandMGHouse)tothesouthwestoftheareawhichfaceoutwardtoWembleyHillRoadandSouthWay

Themajorityofthisareaalreadyhaspermissionforasignificantamountoftallbuildings.Giventhatsuchpermissionsarerelativelyrecentitisviewedthatsuchproposalsareconsideredtobeacceptableintownscapeterms.Anysignificantdeparturefromtheseparameterswillneedreconsideration.

TheQuintainStages1&2willdramaticallyaltertheoverallcharacterandurbanformofthislocalityintoamuchmorerigorouslyplanned,denseurbantownscapeasdiscussedearlierinthisreport.

Aswellasthoserecentlycompleted(Quintain’snewHiltonhotelandstudentaccommodation)thereareanumberoftallbuildingsunderconstruction—thenewoutletcentreinQuintainStage1,BrentCivicCentreand5OlympicWay(ShubetteHouse).


08 CDA:OPPORTUNITIEStownscape character

Olympic Way (South of Fulton Road)TheimportanceofOlympicWayasakeyrouteandmajorpublicspacecannotbeunderestimated.InlightoftheapprovaloftheQuintainNWLandsde-velopmentitwasconsiderednecessarytoassessthepotentialimpactofdevelopmentontheadja-centsideofOlympicWay(Invistasight).

GiventheformaluseandcharacterofOlympicWayasastrong,linear,processionalroute,itisviewedthatthescaleofanynewdevelopmentontheeasternsideshouldreflectthatwhichhasalreadybeenpermitted.Thisisacommontechniqueusedinurbandesigntostrengthentheformalcharacterofthestreetandcreateabalancedenclosuretothespace.AlthoughlessoftheStadiumitselfwillbevisible,thisapproachwillenablethecreationofabalancedcomposition,wheretheStadiumformsthefocusofthevistadownthestronglinearaxisofOlympicWay

GiventhescaleofdevelopmentpermittedonOlym-picWayanditsimplicationsfortheeasternside,thiswillhaveknockoneffectsonthescaleofdevelop-mentappropriateonplotsfurthereast.Havingrep-licatedthescaleandformofQuintain’sproposeddevelopment,itisclearthatanydevelopmentfront-ingRutherfordWaywillneedtobeadequatelysetback.

AlthoughthereiscertainlypotentialfortallbuildingstotheeastofOlympicWay,itisrecommendedthatthegeneralpatternofdevelopmenteastofRuth-erfordWayshouldbelowerinheightthanOlympicway.

Agradualreductioninscaleeastwardswillhavetheduelbenefitsofintegratingnewdevelopmentwiththelowerlevelindustrialdevelopment,whilstin-creasingtheemphasisonOlympicWayasanimpor-tanttownscapefeature.

Olympic Way—Quintain approved Olympic Way— Quintain Replicated on East

View from Engineers Way (east) Aerial View from the North East


CDA:OPPORTUNITIES 08townscape character

Olympic Way (North of Fulton Road)ForsitesnorthofFultonRoadandeastofOlym-picWay(3-5OlympicWay,ApexHouse&karmaHouse)thescopefortallbuildingsisalsolimitedbyanextantpermissiononkarmaHouseandanewdevelopmentat5OlympicWay.

TheremaybesomescopeforatallbuildingonthesiteoftheStadiumRetailParkincoordinationwiththenewlyplannedshoppingstreet—perhapsasaterminationtothestreet.Thesitewillneedtobecarefullydesignedtoensurethatanytallerele-mentsissufficientlysetbackfromOlympicWaysoasnottoaffecttheviewoftheStadium.Itisrecom-mendedthatthecurrentbuildinglinetoOlympicWayismaintained,thiswillbroadlyreplicatetheset-backofbuildingsontheoppositesideofthestreetandshouldenablethecreationofabalancedstreetscape.Giventhesuburbanscaleofdevelop-mentoftheadjacentshoppingparade,anytallerelementwouldalsoneedtobesetbackfromWem-bleyParkDrive. Stadium Retail Park from Wembley Park Drive Stadium Retail Park from Olympic Way


08 wembley park corridor (wpc)

townscape character

TheareadesignatedasWembleyParkCorridorcon-tainsawidevarietyofbuildingtypologiesgenerallyorganisedaroundthenorth/southspineofWembleyHillRoad/EmpireWay/WembleyParkDrive.

Althoughthereareanumberofkeybuildingsinthislocality,WembleyParkStationisthemainactivitygeneratorandprinciplefocusforthearea-BrentTownHallisspatiallydisconnectedfromtheheartoftheareawhilstAsdaisgearedtowardsvehicularaccessandFountainStudioscontributeslittletothepublicrealm.

ThebuildingtypologiesonWembleyHillRd/EmpireWayvarybetweenlowqualityofficedevelopmentandresidentialmansionblockswithalandscapesetting,.Bothtypologiesserveasimilarpurposeasatransitioninscalefromthelargeformatdevelop-mentintheStadiumareaandthewiderresidentialsuburbia.

TallbuildingsinthislocalityaregenerallyclusteredaroundWembleyParkStation,althoughDexionHouseandQualityHotelrepresentanincreaseinscalefrombuildingstothewestofEmpireWay.

DirectlytothenorthandsouthofWembleyParkSta-tionarethelocalshoppingfacilitieswhicharesub-urbaninscaleandcharacter.

TheresidentialenclaveofmansionblocksatEmpire/DanesCourthasalsobeenincludedinthisareabe-causeitismorefunctionallyconnectedtoWemb-leyParkthantheindustrialdevelopmenttotheeastandsouth.


WPC:OPPORTUNITIES 08townscape character

St Joseph’s Social centreAsthislocalityisprimarilyonthefringesoftheregen-erationarea,anynewdevelopmentwillneedtobefullyconsiderateoftheimmediatesuburbancon-text.

OnepotentialopportunityforatallbuildingisthesiteoftheCommunityCentreontheapexofWem-bleyHillRoadandEmpireWay.Giventhescaleofnewdevelopment,theprominentcornersiteandtheproximityofanewlylandscapedopenspace,thereisscopeforthecreationofatallbuilding.Theproximityofresidentialdwellingstotherearofthesitewillnecessitateacarefuldesignsolution.


08 WPC:OPPORTUNITIES

townscape character

crescent HouseTheroleofWembleyParkStationasthekeygate-wayandactivityhuboftheareaandthelocationofexistingtallbuildingsaroundthishub(1OlympicWay,VictoriaHalls,PremierInn)meanthatthereisaclearopportunitytobuildonthisrolebytheincorpo-rationofadditionaltallbuildings.

Theformalboulevard/processionalcharacterofOlympicWaynecessitatesastrongandrelativelyconsistentheightanditisrecommendedthatde-velopmentoftheCrescentHousesiterespondstothescaleof(shouldbenotallerthan)theadjacentbuildingon1OlympicWay.MaintenanceoftheexistingbuildinglineonOlympicWay(asetbackfromtheedgeofOlympicWayof11-12metres)willensureastrongformalcharacterisdeveloped.

Plan of Crescent House Existing View from Wembley Park Station

View from Wembley Park Station with proposed development View from Wembley Park Station with consistent built form


WPC:OPPORTUNITIES 08townscape character

Arena HouseTheArenaHousesitealsooffersasignificantoppor-tunityforatallbuildinggivenitsproximitytoWemb-leyParkStationanditspositionawayfromOlympicWay.ItishoweverinaraisedpositioninrelationtothebuildingsintheComprehensiveDevelopmentArea,whichmeansthatitwillbemoreprominentinthetownscapeparticularlywhenviewedfromareastothenorth,includingBarnHillConservationArea.Givenit’sproximitytothestreetedge,thesurround-ingsuburbancharacterandthescaleofWembleyParkStationitisrecommendedthatatallbuildinginthislocationshouldstepdownfromtheheightoftheadjacentVictoriaHallsbuilding.


08 wembley eastern lands (wel)

townscape character

TheWembleyEasternLandslocalityliesontheeast-ernfringeoftheComprehensiveDevelopmentArea.TothenorthoftheareaisWatkinRoad–atightgrained,smallscaleindustrialestate,whilsttheremainderoftheareaispredominantlymadeupoflargerscaleindustrialuseswithsomestorageandcashandcarry.Thequalityofbuildingsisgenerallylowwithpoorpublicrealm.

Althoughthequalityofexistingdevelopmentisgenerallylow,manyofthesebuildingsarelikelytochangeinthemedium-longterm.Thenorthernpartofthislocality(WatkinRoad&AmexHouse)doesnotprovidesignificantscopefortallbuildingsduetotheproximityandlocationoftheresidentialdevel-opment(Empire/DaneCourt)tothenorth.


WEL:OPPORTUNITIES 08townscape character

Access Storage/ Popin CentreThesetwokeysitesatthesouthoftheEasternLandsareaarelocatedattheendoftheStadiumAccessCorridor,atthekeyjunctionbetweenSouthWayandFirstWay.Thereisaclearopportunityforasig-naturebuildingtomarkthetransitionfromthepro-tectedindustrialareaintothehigherdensity,mixeduseareaaroundtheStadium.Thecurrentroadlay-outalsomeansthattheAccessStoragesiteispar-ticularlyprominentfromFirstWayinthenorth.Giventhelong,linearnatureoftheStadiumAccessCorri-dorandit’sroleasapointofarrivaltothosecomingtoStadiumevents,itisrecommendedthatdevelop-mentinthislocationdoesnotexceedtheheightofthebaseoftheStadium(Approx78.5mA.O.D.).


08 WEL:OPPORTUNITIES

townscape character

Kelaty HouseTheothersitewithinthisareathatofferssomepo-tentialforthelocationofatallbuildingiskelatyHouse.ThesiteliesattheterminationpointofEngi-neersWay,whichactsasalongstraighteast-westspineconnectingthecoredevelopmentareawiththewiderindustrialarea.TheproposalforanewparkrunningalongthenorthofEngineersWaywillmaketheimportanceofthissiteevenmoreappar-ent.Therearealsoemergingproposalstoupgradetheroleoftheroadsaroundthissitebyintroducingtwo-wayfunctioningwhichislikelytogivethissiteanevenmorepivotalroleintownscapeterms.


wembley industrial estates (wie) 08townscape character

Thebuildingsinthisarearangeintypologyandscale,includinglargescaleretailunitsneartheNorthCircularRoad,butarepredominantlylargefootprintindustrialunits.Thepublicrealmistrafficdominatedwithanextremelypoorpedestrianex-perience.BrentRiverParkrunsthroughtheareabutisdifficulttofindandisthusunderutilisedasavalu-ableresourceforthearea.

GivenitscurrentdesignationasaStrategicIndustrialLocationthisareawillremainprincipallyfocussedontheprovisionofarangeofrelativelylowrisecom-mercialactivities.Thescopefortallbuildingsacrosstheareaisthereforerelativelylimited.


08 layer 7

townscape character


conclusions 08townscape character

TheWembleyareaismadeupofseveraldifferentlocalities,eachwiththeirowncharacter.Thereisclearlysomescopeforadditionaltallbuildingsinthearea,althoughmanyoftheopportunitieshaveal-readybeenundertaken.

ThemainopportunitiesfortallbuildingsliesatkeynodeswithinthetownscapesuchasmajorjunctionsandaroundWembleyParkStationasamajortrans-porthubandkeygatewayintothearea.

GiventhesignificantchangeincharacterandscaleofbuildingswithintheComprehensiveDevelopmentArea,muchofthescopefortallbuildingswillbeinthislocality,principallyaroundOlympicWay.

GiventheexistingsuburbancharacteroftheHighRoadandtheimpactofnewtallbuildingsonthestreetscape,itisrecommendedthatamoreconser-vativeapproachistakentotheconsiderationoftallbuildingsthansomeofthepreviousschemesthathavebeenapprovedinthepast(CoplandSchool&ChesterfieldHouse).

tall buildings in wembley 97 09A STrATEGY For TALL BUILDINGS


09 summary

a strategy for tall buildings

Thissectionrepresentstheculminationoftheanaly-sisofthelocalconditionsthatexistwithintheWem-bleyareathatwillimpactonthelocationoftallbuildings.BasedonalloftheevidencegatheredtheAreaActionPlanareahasbeendividedintositesthatareappropriate,sensitiveandinappropri-ateforthedevelopmentoftallbuildings.

Thescopeofthisdocumentisnottoprovideade-taileddesignguidefortheformandexactscaleoftallbuildings,butsimplytoidentifyareasinWemb-leywherethereispotentialforthem.Forsitedesig-natedasappropriatefortallbuildings,thisdoesnotprecludeadetailedanalysisofanindividualsites’constraints(includingkeyStadiumviews)andthecreationofinnovativedesignsolutions.

Areasdesignatedas‘sensitive’totallbuildingsareconsideredtohavesomescopeforthedevelop-mentoftallbuildings,butthereareclearconstraintssuchascomplicatedlandownershiparrangements,proximitytoexistingresidentialbuildingsorgeneralorientationofplots.


strategy plan 09a strategy for tall buildings


09 conclusions

a strategy for tall buildings

Theevidencegatheredthroughoutthisstudyhasledtoaclearpatternforthelocationoftallbuild-ingsthroughouttheWembleyAAParea.

Thelocationofexistingandproposedtallbuildingsisimportantforthelocationofnewdevelopmentasthepotentialnegativeimpactsarereducedwhentallbuildingsareclusteredtogether.

Giventhatasignificantamountofdevelopmenthaseitheralreadybeenpermittedoriscurrentlyunderconstruction,thereareonlyalimitednumberofsitesthatofferscopefornewtallbuildingsinthearea.

TheaxisofthethreestationsandtheexistingandproposedpedestrianspinethatrunsthroughthecoreoftheregenerationareashouldberegardedastheprincipallocationfortallbuildingsinWemb-ley.

Aswellasreducingpotentiallynegativeimpacts,thisshouldbeseenasauniqueopportunitytode-velopastrongskylinewhichenhancesandcomple-mentstheprominentNationalStadium.

MuchofthesitesonthefringesoftheAAPareaareconsideredtobeinappropriatefortallbuildingsduetothesuburbanresidentialcharacterofthesur-roundingcontext.

AreastotheeastoftheStadiumarealsoconsideredinappropriateduetotheprotectednatureoftheindustriallandandthepredominanceoflowlevelbuildings.

JULY 2012

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