EPR plan for mixed-use Fulham wharf scheme set for green light

Plans by EPR Architects for a mixed-use scheme next to Wandsworth bridge in Fulham are set to be approved next week after a second staircase redesign.

The Albert and Swedish Wharf development would see several industrial buildings on the riverside site demolished and replaced by six new blocks up to 17 storeys in height.

Designed for developer Henley Fusion, it will contain 276 apartments, 35% of which will be affordable, a cafe and around 4,900sq m of industrial and wharf space.

The wharf, which has been designed with the Port of London authority, would consist of a box at the base of the scheme’s two tallest towers which extends to the river’s edge and includes a jetty for handling waterborne cargo.

The original plans, submitted in December 2021, have been revised twice and undergone four major changes including the reduction in height of the tallest blocks from 20 and 15 storeys to 17 and 13 storeys.

Second staircases have been added and layouts revised following talks with the Health and Safety Executive. 

This has included connecting existing stair cores in blocks with new corridors, a common solution to the issue of staircase design which has disrupted many schemes across London since the government’s announcement of the fire safety rules at the end of 2022.

The buildings have also been set back from the front of the Thames by 10m to comply with the Environment Agency’s flood defence constraints, and one block on Townmead Road has been chopped down by two storeys to address daylight impacts on nearby properties.

Cement supplier Cemex, which operates an adjacent cement works, has objected to the application on the grounds of the potential navigational and environmental impacts of the proposed jetty, and noise from the works disturbing residents.

Local MP Greg Hands has also lodged two objections due to concerns over the height of the buildings and whether a site neighbouring a cement works is appropriate for housing.

To counter the noise from the Cemex site, EPR has raised the residential units by 20m, placed the scheme’s courtyard behind a building to shield it from the works, and proposed a dense green buffer of vegetation between the two sites.

In recommending the scheme for approval, Hammersmith and Fulham council’s planning officer said the proposals would “contribute beneficially to the local area and the borough by creating a high-quality built environment, delivering a good sustainability rating, and would see a car-free development with policy compliant cycle spaces and adapting to climate change.”

The project team includes cost consultant Alinea, structural and civil engineer WSP, landscape architect Gillespies, project manager Buro Four, planning consultant DP9 and environmental consultant Trium Environmental Consulting.

Construction of the single-phase scheme is expected to take around two and a half years.