New Student Accomodation at King's College Wins Approval

CB Richard Ellis is the Planning Adviser for the project.

Much of the existing accommodation at the Champion Hill site in Southwark, South London, will be demolished to make way for 740 new or refurbished eco-friendly rooms. The magnificent Victorian ‘Platanes’ building on site will be retained and refurbished.

This new accommodation will reduce energy consumption and ensure substantial CO2 savings. The scheme, which received a unanimous resolution to grant permission and consent from Southwark Council’s Planning Committee, will deliver significant improvements to the environmental performance of the site, as well as an increase in green amenity space. Photovoltaic panels on the roofs, a combined heat and power installation, low energy fittings, and heat recovery systems will cut energy consumption levels and help to reduce CO2 emissions by up to 77 percent per student.

Rainwater recycling and a sustainable urban drainage system linked to a series of swales and an ornamental pond will reduce surface water run off twenty fold and, combined with some 30 extra trees that will be planted and additional green spaces, will increase opportunities for wildlife. In addition, construction materials will be chosen on the basis of their sustainability. Timber frames, for example, will be sourced from sustainable and managed forests, which will reduce the carbon footprint of the scheme and effectively ensure that the development is zero carbon for 10 years.

The Grade II Listed ‘Platanes’ building on the site will be sympathetically restored and upgraded but left substantially unchanged and King’s College London has worked closely with local groups, Southwark Council, and independent architectural advisers to make sure that the scheme complements its surroundings. The bricks that will be used will be of similar colour to those on Platanes and white render, which matches the treatment of many features of the 19th Century building’s elevation, will also be utilised.

The new development will bring a much needed increase in capacity for King’s College London, which has over 20,000 students but only 2,653 bedspaces, meaning it can currently provide accommodation for less than 20 percent of its student body.

King’s College London is ranked as one of the world’s top 25 universities. It is heavily involved in the Borough of Southwark through its connection with King’s College Hospital, the Institute of Psychiatry and Guy’s Hospital. The scheme will bring considerable benefit for the local area in terms of investment, including a refurbishment of the local Camberwell Baths and upgrades to local public transport infrastructure, including Denmark Hill railway station.

source : CB Richard Ellis