Two more shops for Brockley Station


I had an email yesterday from one reader, asking whether the reason I'd not yet covered the five storey development on the corner of Mantle Road and Foxwell Street, was because it was on the wrong side of the tracks. The simple answer is no, it's because I do this in my spare time and I hadn't got round to it yet. But the longer answer is that, yes, coverage will tend to be skewed towards those things that I walk past and notice in the course of my daily life and since I do live in the conservation area, I will be quicker to pick up on things on that side. That is not an editorial stance, however, and the "them and us" mentality in Brockley will be the subject of my next post. If anyone has any stories that they'd like this blog to cover, please email me.

Anyway, to the subject of the headline. As far as I can discern, developers Olivanna are currently building a new mixed-use block, a stone's throw from Brockley Station, on the west side of the tracks. The building, which is five storeys high at its zenith, will comprise two shops and thirteen flats and has been designed by Greenwich practice Architecture Limited. The timetable for completion was 60 weeks from February 2006, but completion still looks a long way off - the exterior cladding and interior fit out have not yet begun. The design is described in the planning application to Lewisham Council and sounds alright to me:

"A simple, logical form is proposed for the façade of the building, with the materials to the main Foxwell Street frontage comprising glazed aluminium framed windows to the ground floor commercial element, with glazing to the windows and doors, and infill panels of cedar tongue and groove and galvanised steel balconies to the three floors of residential above. The fifth storey would have a galvanised steel balustrade with an ochre coloured rendered façade and lead flashing to the roof perimeter.

"The commercial units would be located on Mantle Road, with entrances off of Mantle Road only; they would have a modern glazed shopfront with aluminium frames in RAL 9007 which would turn the corner onto Foxwell Street."

If anyone knows any more about it, please let me know. In the mean time, I will continue to make enquiries.