Squire & Partners’ Old Vic tower thrown out

Squire & Partners’ proposals to build a nine-storey residential block next to Waterloo station have been rejected by Lambeth council.

Planning officers had recommended the scheme for approval but councillors voted four to one to kill off the proposals last week.

The brick-clad building would have been located on a vacant plot in a mostly low-rise area on The Cut, diagonally opposite the grade II-listed Old Vic theatre.

It would have provided nine apartments topped by a double-height ‘crown’ housing a roof garden and featuring statement arched openings, with one side of the building decorated by a green wall.

But the council said the “excessive height” of the scheme would have impacted the setting of the theatre.

The scale of the plans would mean that “the eye is drawn to that building and away from the Old Vic”, while the block was also said to impact on the “townscape, local character and context” of the area, the council said.

它补充说，它还没有“确定足以超过危害的公共利益”。

The scheme had already been scaled back from proposals for a 12-storey building after councillors said the lobby and roof garden levels, which were both double-height, would amount to a building which was closer to 16 storeys.

它还重新设计了拱门，Squire & Partners说，拱门的灵感来自1871年老维克建筑的砖墙。

The refusal is the latest in a string of setbacks for Squire & Partners.

Last month, housing secretary Michael Goverejected the studio’s plans for a 1,000-home redevelopment of Brighton Marinaafter saying it “lacked exuberance”.

In October, the City of Londonturned down the firm’s proposals to convert the grade I-listed Custom Houseinto a 200-room hotel because councillors said it did not represent a high enough standard of design for the large neo-classical building.

And in July, the mayor of Londonthrew out plans to turn the Budweiser breweryin south-west London into a mixed-use scheme because it did not contain enough affordable housing.