Planning approval has been granted for Middle Row – the rebuilding and expansion of the Primary School along with 42 new residential units and 2 commercial units in Kensal Town, for the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea.
The planning committee praised the “excellent design”, citing it as “purposeful, practical and sitting well on the site”.
The development rationalises the current school site to create a new 3-storey school with more play area than it currently enjoys in addition to land sales on 3 residential and mixed use plots that part fund the school redevelopment.
The scheme uses perimeter blocks to restore the urban grain. The collective and community functions of the school are brought to the street frontage, bringing a new civic presence to the school. The learning clusters are set back in the site, looking onto newly landscaped play areas for the lower and upper school. A cross laminated timber structure characterises the interiors.
The scheme provides a mix of 1, 2 and 3 bedroom flats across the 3 new street blocks of 6, 5 and 3 storeys. All units have private amenity space in the form of courtyard gardens or inset balconies and meet the Code for Sustainable Homes level 4 and 5.
The scheme uses a simple primary palatte of brick with perforated brick balcony fronts and metal inset cladding to the housing and coloured high pressure laminate cladding to the school.
The phased scheme is due to start on site in January 2013.