25-storey Arsenal student tower to go ahead after appeal

Ashburton will demolish existing buildings on the site in Hornsey Road and build a 78 metre 25-storey building to comprise 450 student bedrooms split between 88 five-bed flats and ten studio flats.

The planning inspector approved (17-page / 176KB PDF) plans for the development after the local planning authority, Islington Council, had refused Ashburton's application in August 2011. The Council said that the scheme's height, bulk, scale and appearance conflicted with local policies for tall buildings.

The Council's Core Strategy states that buildings over 30 metres high are "generally inappropriate to Islington's predominantly medium to low character". The inspector said in his report that "the inclusion of the word 'generally' in the policy provides for the possibility that there may be parts of the Borough, not of medium to low level character, where a building more than 30 metres high would not be inappropriate". He said that, in this area, such a building would not be "out of scale with its surroundings" and would not be in conflict with the Core Strategy.

The inspector said that the development would not adversely affect the character and appearance of the area.

"The 25 storey tower would be architecture of high quality, would be a successful addition to the built environment of the Borough, and would not harm the character and appearance of the area surrounding the appeal site," he said.

The inspector said that the planned type and colour of materials to be used for the building would complement the nearby stadium and that the "curvaceous moulding" of the building and the "weave of the windows" was "attractive".

The inspector also said that as the scheme included refurbishment and re-use of nearby railway arches and the creation of a new pedestrian route, it would comply with the National Planning Policy Framework, a core principle of which is to "promote mixed use developments".

"The refurbishment of the railway arches and the creation of the pedestrian route are elements of the scheme that are likely to be financially unviable on their own," he said.

In the same hearing the inspector upheld the Council's refusal of another application by Ashburton for a 16-storey student tower, planned to be built next to the 25-storey tower, saying the design of the building lacked "conviction" and that its one metre proximity to the London Metropolitan University building was "awkward and unattractive".

 “The council is very disappointed with the inspector’s decision, which we do not believe gives sufficient weight to the council’s policies," said a spokesman for Islington Council, according to reports. “We are considering the implications of the inspector’s decision.”