St James’s Road, Croydon

This six-storey building will provide 23 dwellings, a ground floor Class E(b) café, and landscaped play and amenity space on a street near the city centre of Croydon. The two-tone brickwork anchors the base to the scale of neighbouring buildings, while elegant corner balconies lighten the composition, modulate the massing and create a distinctive silhouette.

The scheme replaces a ruinous former pub, long without a roof and attracting anti-social behaviour, much to the consternation of local residents. Unsurprisingly, its loss prompted no local objections. In spite of this, and in addition to no small amount of local support for the proposals during public consultation, the application was refused on the grounds of community asset loss and concerns over height and massing. Both arguments were comprehensively overturned at appeal, with planning consent granted in November 2024.