| 149 Southampton Way | ||||
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This is a website about the development of 149 Southampton Way in Camberwell. Downstairs we will be opening a café/bar and we will be refurbishing the upstairs to a residential flat. More details about this and a chance to comment are on the questionnaire pages of this website. Drawings for the project and a more detailed statement on the plans can be found in the downloads page and some photos and visualisations are available in the gallery. We will be updating this site whenever we have news so please check back regularly or ask to be added to our email list using our contact page. Please navigate using the buttons at the top or scroll down for the latest news. |
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News update: 6th April 2012 - Manager wanted |
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Now that the cafe opening date is approaching rather rapidly this is a call for anyone that might be interested in the role of general manager. If you've read this website (and particularly the consulation comments from the planning application and the planning statement) and like the sound of what we are doing and have experience in the bar, restaurant or cafe industry then please feel free to get in touch to discuss possibilities. Ideally, as well as experience you will have a common vision with us to create a friendly community-based venue. The focus will be on simple, fresh ingredients well prepared and a small but regularly changing menu. A programme of small-scale cultural events will also run in tandem. |
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The general manager will be responsible for the day-to-day running of the venue with financial and staff management responsibilities. They will have a high level of autonomy and be part of the overall strategic planning. I would expect it to be a demanding but highly rewarding role for the right person. You can download a job description from the downloads page or directly by clicking here. If you would like to find out more, or know someone who you think may be interested, then please email me at mail@149SouthamptonWay.com or via the contact page here. |
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News update: 1st April 2012 - it's cool for cats | ||||
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Over the last year or so a lot of people have asked what the cafe will be called. Now I've known for a while what I'd call the place but I always feel the need to give a bit of backstory when I tell people. I've found that if I don't, the look on people's faces says; "really? that's a bit rubbish". However with the backstory people tend to be a bit more polite. So, when I was a kid, my family summer holidays used to be a week or two camping somewhere in England. |
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On one occasion when I was about 8 and my older brother, Hector, about 13, my brother brought a friend along. Now 13 year olds are just about as grown up as you can get to a 8 year old so of course I wanted to hang out with them. I realised a few years later that this feeling was not necessarily reciprocated but back then every morning I'd be wanting to tag along. One day they'd been away all day leaving me by myself to avoid drowning in the nearby river. On their return, I was of course eager to know where they'd been. This was about the time that the Squeeze song 'Cool for Cats' was out and they said they'd been into town. "What did you do in town?"; I demanded and they said they'd been to a cafe. This still wasn't enough - "what was it called?". It was called the Cool Cats' Cafe they said. Well, what 8 year old doesn't want to go to a cafe called the Cool Cats' Cafe that pretty much has its own song about it; "Can I come, can I come?". And Hector and his friend promised I could come with them on the last day of the holiday. So every day passed by and every day they reported hanging out in the Cool Cats' Cafe until finally the last morning of the holiday arrived and I was clamouring for them to take me along. "Toby" my brother said, "there is no Cool Cats' Cafe". And so, the cafe shall be the Cool Cats' Cafe. The photo above of two workmen hiding on the roof is entirely unrelated - I just like it. Please feel free to comment here | ||||
News update: 7th March 2012 - and the roof goes on | ||||
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Despite a slight reorganisation of the build programme, good progress is being made and the new roof is now pretty much complete and the complex steelwork at the rear of the building has been installed. The cafe shopfront steelwork will be installed in early April with windows following shortly after which will allow the front scaffold to come down and reveal the building. the glazing has been rescheduled for the end of May but the fit-out inside the building is already underway with plasterboard being completed A couple of exterior shots of the building have been added here. Please feel free to comment here |
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News update: 16th November 2011 - On a clear day you can see SE15 from here... | ||||
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So the rain has continued but so has the build interrupted only by gas leaks, the wrong paint, tea breaks and other usual hiccoughs that a building site throws up. The demolition is pretty much complete now and the new steel frame is well advanced. At some points it's been possible to enjoy three storeys of uncluttered space to the open sky above while knowing that we have to squeeze three floors into that space. The views from the roof are great (but then there is currently no roof to obscure them). We are still on track for completion by May next year and so we are approaching the halfway stage in the build programme. Keep an eye out around the end of January for the glazing installation which will both make the building watertight and provide the final architectural piece in the jigsaw. I've added a few more photos of site progress here. Please feel free to comment here |
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News update: 18th September 2011 - site progress | ||||
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So the builders have been working through wind, rain, sun and hail on site and progress is good. Although there is not much to actually see yet, the really horrible work of underpinning the basement walls is pretty much complete now and tonnes and tonnes of soil has been carted away. Above ground we have new garden walls for the cafe garden progressing well. Meanwhile inside all the preparatory work is also underway including masonry repair and removing redundnant chimney breasts. Over the next few weeks the new superstructure will start in earnest and the building will really start to take shape. I've added a few more photos of site progress here. Please feel free to comment here |
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News update: 26th July 2011 - work starts on site | ||||
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I'm very pleased to announce that work has now started on site and is progressing well. The first task was to clear the building of the remaining junk and so now it is possible to walk around and see uncluttered spaces for the first time in decades. Even in its derelict state (and it is becoming more derelict by the day as the builder's strip out all the plasterwork) it already gives clues to what its character will be like when complete; the quality of the light that floods in (also denied to the building for decades) is really lovely. We will shortly begin some of the serious construction work as underpinning starts this week so the basement floor can be lowered which will create room for the cafe kitchen and WCs. I've added a gallery of photos so far whch can be found here. Please feel free to comment here |
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News update: 16th June 2011 - second open day (Sunday 19th June) | ||||
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Since I uploaded the junk gallery on Tuesday I had quite a few messages from people who wanted to come and have another look round or are interested in particular pieces they saw in the junk gallery. So, this Sunday 19th June I’ll have another open day (or more accurately, an open couple of hours) between 12pm and 2pm. Quite a few people were interested in the same items (the rather neglected chest of drawers to the right seems to be a particular favourite for some reason - perhaps injured kitten syndrome? - along with some mirrors that don't actually appear in the gallery) so I think the only fair way to organise it is simply to sell on the day (Sunday) to the highest bidder (yes, I’m afraid I have turned a little mercenary since a couple of Sunday’s ago). Some things may have a reserve, some may not. In the meantime feel free to email bids in via the contact page or wait until you can give everything a good going over on Sunday. Please feel free to comment here |
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News update: 14th June 2011 - more junk! | ||||
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So after the very successful clear out last weekend I managed to get back to the house on Sunday and take an inventory of the remaining bits and pieces. I have put photos of more or less everything on the new "junk gallery" page which is currently only accessible by clicking a link in this update. So, if you are interested, please have a look at what is still left and let me know if anything takes your fancy or if you have any questions. Please feel free to comment here |
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News update: 6th June 2011 - open day and filming | ||||
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There was a great atmosphere yesterday at 149 Southampton Way with over 100 people coming along for the open day and whether you took a single thingyamajig or two van loads of stuff thank you very much for coming and it was really good to meet everyone. Things were rather hectic, especially at the start, so apologies if I didn't get a chance to speak with you or if I was rather rushed when I did. I particularly enjoyed seeing the array of footwear that people arrived in from strappy sandals, flip-flops and heels through to slightly more appropriate sturdy boots. |
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The really good news is that we got through the whole day without anyone falling down the hole in the basement or through the rotten floor or between the missing floorboards but it was also really successful in removing about 75% of the remaining junk from the house (if we exclude the basement which I think was a rather intimidating propositon for many and is still looking pretty full). It turns out that it wasn't all junk either and so I hope the few really nice pieces of furniture and fireplaces have found good homes. There are still a few things left, principally doors and some more fireplaces, and when I get a chance I may post some pictures of them on this website in case anyone is interested. All this means that the house is now almost ready for the builders to move in and I hope this will be around the end of this month. The other thing that happened recently was a visit by a TV production company filming a series for Sky Atlantic called Treasure Seekers (the presenters are pictured above "discovering" the house). They had a good look round and failed to find any treasure but did buy a few odds and ends. The episode is due to be broadcast in the Autumn some time. Please feel free to comment here |
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News update: 3rd May 2011 - open day and house clearance (5th June) | ||||
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It's been a while since I last updated this site but there has been plenty going on in the background making arrangements with banks and builders in order to get the construction underway. There are still a few things to finalise but everything is heading in the right direction. So, it's time that 149 Southampton Way was cleared of the remaining bits and pieces that have occupied it for the last 30 years or so. Alot of people I have met have expressed an interest in having a look around at some point and also in seeing if there is anything amongst all the junk, old furniture, old tools and odds and ends that they might be intersted in having so on Sunday 5th June 2011 I'll have an open house day and everyone is invited to come and have a nose around. If you see anything you like, then we can almost certainly come to an arrangement with prices starting at free and going all the way up to cheap. So if you are interested then please come along any time between 11am and 4pm on Sunday 5th June 2011.
Some examples of things you will find:
It'll be good to see lots of people there and please contact me via this site if you have any questions. |
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Please feel free to comment here
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News update: 17th February 2011 - planning permission granted | ||||
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I'm pleased to report that at the Camberwell community council planning meeting yesterday the councillors present unanimously voted to grant planning permission for the proposals, effectively overruling the Southwark planning department. This is really good news as it means we can now concentrate on the next stage of the project which is to select a contractor for the works, develop drawings to the final level of detail and then get started on site. In the immediate future we are awaiting the tender returns (in the next couple of weeks) from the contractors that we tendered the project to with some apprehension but also lots of excitement.
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We were very lucky to have several local residents attend the planning meeting yesterday and I'm sure that all the support that we have received from so many people has proved persuasive with the local councillors. I think it's probably a really good example of the local community being listened to and their opinion being recognised.
So thank you once again if you have supported these plans - I really appreciate every email I've received and I know they've been a massive help. Please feel free to comment here |
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News update: 10th February 2011 - planners' style statement | ||||
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We have some good news today that the planners seem to have met their commitment to have their report on the planning application finished in time for the Camberwell Community Council planning committee meeting on the Wednesday 16th February (7pm at Southwark Town Hall, 31 Peckham Road, SE5 8UB if you fancy coming along). Drinks on me afterwards, win or lose). The slightly bad news, although not entirely unexpected is that the planners are recommending the planning application for refusal. It is up to the committee on the 16th to decide if the planners are correct or not. The planners' report can be found in the downloads section of this website so please have a read. Apart from briefly worrying about the "loss of established office space" at ground floor the planners really concentrate their ire on what they call excessive glazing to the rear (although they acknowledge that it causes no overlooking or loss of privacy so I'm left slightly bewildered about what else is left for it to earn an "excessive" adjective) and what they call a "roof extension harmful to the visual amenities of the building and streetscene". I think this must mean they prefer the building as it is. I hear there are such people who have a predilection for dereliction.
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Anyway - thank you to everyone who has already sent words of support to the planners - I really appreciate it. If anyone else feels the urge to do the same then you can by sending an email to planning.applications@southwark.gov.uk quoting application number 10-AP-3694. If you do feel so inclined it'd be even better if the comments reached the planners by Monday 14th February but any time is great.
And a final reminder that if you feel so inclined, it'd be great to see you at the committee meeting next Wednesday at 7pm on 16th February. I'll be the tall guy if you haven't met me before. Please feel free to comment here |
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News update: 31st January 2011 - Evolution Quarter Residents' Association | ||||
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I was pleased to be invited to talk to the Evolution Quarter Residents' Association AGM on Saturday, not only as a opportunity to let more people know more about my plans for 149 Southampton Way, but also because I saw what efforts they have been making to get pubilc transport improved in the area. You can visit their really informative website for detailed information but I was really impressed with how graphically they've managed to demonstrate the transport blackhole in the area. The image to the right (which I nicked from an EQRA letter to Boris Johnson) shows a big hole around North Peckham which is all more than 1km from a train or tube station - click it for a big version. The other similar holes in the train and tube coverage of central London seem to be parks. Unfortunately, Mr Johnson is of the belief that the area "is not poorly served by public transport" and "there are a number of bus routes" available. Quite so, but that number is one in the case of Southampton Way.
Please feel free to comment here |
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News update: 20th January 2011 - planning application validated | ||||
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The good news yesterday was that it was confirmed the planning application has now been validated (in fact it was on 12th January, 2 days before my last post but the news was slow to reach me). This doesn't mean the planning is approved; just that the application has been accepted by the planning department and now the due process will take its course. This starts with the planners' consulation of neighbours (via letter usually) and posting of notices on the building. We're also informed that the community council have asked for it to be reviewed at their planning committee meeting which will hopefully be on the 16th February if the planners have time to assemble a report by then.
Please feel free to comment here |
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News update: 14th January 2011 - town planners apply spanner to works! |
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We received a letter from the officer assigned to this project at the Southwark planning department last weekend to tell us, now that 3 weeks has elapsed since our application late last year, they didn't think it was valid. This means that the clock stops until they decide they have enough information.
In particular they were very concerned that in the brief description of our proposals on the application form we hadn't mentioned the roof lights in the west elevation. We were a bit surprised to hear that we had roof lights in the west elevation as this is the party wall with 147 Southampton Way. Our neighbour's on that side are very friendly,but I'm not sure they would appreciate windows in their wall, so on balance I think we'll just keep the roof lights we have in the east elevation. They were also very interested in the exact make of ventilation equipment planned for the kitchen of the café/bar and so we have now supplied this (and updated the downloads section of this website accordingly). You'll also find the equally vital "odour abatement statement" on the same page. Someone asked what this all meant; the answer, unfortunately, is a 4 week delay. Although as of today we still haven't heard back from the planners so this could drag on longer. We asked the planners why they had decided not to comply with the guidance issued by the Department of Communities and Local Government in respect of validating planning applications and so far they have not replied. Amongst other things, the guidance says: "Local Planning Authorities should make proportionate requests for information, and should not use invalidation to prevent the start of the determination period" Looking on the bright side we have now had opportunity to explain to a senior planner what a dormer window is so that's good. Please feel free to comment here |
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News update: 21st December 2010 - planning application submitted. | ||||
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I'm very pleased and a little relieved to report that the planning application has now been submitted to Southwark Council. My thanks to the fantastic architects at Move Architecture for getting the plans and documents up to scratch so quickly. You can download the whole application in the downloads section of this website. Some of the documents (eg: appendix D: foul sewage and utilities assessment) may not be so fascinating but do check out the latest elevations (here and here)and the latest 3D views (here and here).
There is also an interesting section in the Planning Statement (see page 29 and appendix B) where you can read the (anonymous-ised) comments of everyone that replied to our questionnaire. The drawings are also now showing the environmental strategy we hope to adopt and for advice on this we are grateful to Studio Nine Environmental Engineers. If you look closely you'll find photovoltaics, solar hot water heaters and an exhaust air heat pump linked to a whole house ventilation system. So if you live nearby you may shortly be receiving a notice from Southwark Planning Department to let you know about our application as part of their consulation process. The application is also published on the Southwark Council Planning website here under application number 10/AP/3694 which explains more about the consultation process and how people can have their views heard. In the meantime, we are continuing to develop the designs for a tender early next year with the continued support of both Move Architecture and Studio Nine. Please feel free to comment here |
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News update: 13th December 2010 - Wells Triangle Residents' Association update. | ||||
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I spent a really interesting couple of hours last Tuesday evening at the
Wells Triangle Residents' Association meeting. There was a great turnout of about 60 people and a very encouraging summary of the various proposals to improve the environs of Southampton Way; my favourites were the guerrilla gardeners (if you read this, I'll be happy to add your contact details) who are greening neglected plots of land and pavements. I also gave a short presentation of my plans and was overwhelmed by the positive response and am now even keener to get finished. On that note, architects are working around the clock to get the planning application in by Christmas and we hope to be tendering to contractors in early 2011. Please feel free to comment here |
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News update: 29th November 2010 - Wells Triangle Residents' Association. | ||||
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I'll be attending the
Wells Triangle Residents' Association meeting
(aka Christmas soiree) at 6.30pm, Tuesday 7th December at the Trinity College Centre on Coleman Road. If you want to ask me any questions or hear what else the Association are up to then please come along. I'm told the theme for the evening is 'Improving Southampton Way'. I'm aware there are plans to remodel the street and pavements on Southampton Way to improve safety and the other day I also met the architect behind a scheme to refit a lot of the shop fronts in the two parades of shops either side of 149 Southampton Way. Please feel free to comment here |
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News update: 15th November 2010 - visualisations uploaded. | ||||
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As well as focussing on the cafe/bar part of 149 Southampton Way, which will be on the ground floor (spilling out into the garden) and basement of the building, we have also been devoting some time to the rest of the building. I have quite a personal interest in this, as it'll be my flat. One question we had to think about was how to treat the fabric of new bits we will add to the building. Although the extensions are quite modest in scale we're interested in the new bits of the building being easily read, or contrasted, from the original building. This is partly because we think the original building is a really handsome example of late Victorian architecture, particularly the use of dental and sawtooth brickwork courses (these are the bands of bricks common to a few buildings in the area - see top photo opposite) and the lion's head details (middle photo opposite). Therefore we don't want any new bits to be in a pastiche of the original and clearly readable as contemporary additions. It is also partly because the traditional brick is quite a heavy, monolithic material and we feel it's important to bring some lightness to the building. Anyway, all this is leading up to the fact that we have added some preliminary visualisations of the refurbished building to the
gallery section of this website (bottom photo). Comments would be welcome. Please feel free to comment here |
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News update: 14th November 2010 - questionnaire responses. | ||||
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Many thanks to every one who has completed the questionnaire so far. We've had some really good and positive feedback. In fact of the 61 people who have kindly taken the time to complete the questionnaire, 56 are in favour of the plans, 2 are against them and 3 are undecided (which represents 92% in favour). Of the 2 against, one would rather have a pharmacy than a cafe/bar and the second gave no feedback at all.
We're really pleased that alot of the repeating themes in the questionnaire responses are exactly the kind of thing we have been thinking of too. Things like good coffee (the overwhelming favourite with about one third of people mentioning it), community spirit and good simple food all featuring highly. Other suggestions include comfy chairs, weekend breakfasts, wifi and generally a place to chill and relax. So far, no one has mentioned anything about the music policy... Some concerns have been expressed about late night noise and parking issues and we share these. We recognise the residential nature of the neighbourhood and intend to respect this. One or two responses favoured a pub over a cafe/bar but we would agree with the majority that this is not quite the right location for a pub. Please feel free to comment here |
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News update: 20th October 2010 - who are we? | ||||
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I was in Australia while alot of the questionnaires responses were coming in (those banners seem to have been quite effective) and so this is a backdated update to a couple of people who wondered who we were. which is a fair question. My name is Toby Maclean (on the left in the photo opposite) and anyone that was around the area in September 2009 may have seen my friends and me clearing out the 15 tonnes of accumulated junk from inside 149 Southampton Way. I bought the building because I saw it looking very sorry for itself but with lots of potential; I think it is a really handsome building and its almost possible to feel sorry for it when you see what its had to put up with over the years. I happen to be a chartered structural engineer, which means that I work closely with architects in the design of new and refurbished buldings so I know what is involved in a project like this. The cafe/bar is something that I'm very enthusiastic about, especially its cultural development. However, despite my background in the industry I'm not a professional property developer and so things will take a little time; please bear with us... Please feel free to comment here |
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News update: 10th October 2010 - banners on building. | ||||
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So having got the website live and the questionnaire up and running we thought it may be a good idea if people actually knew about it. With just a few days to go before I had to fly to Australia for a wedding, I called a company who make banners (Carl at Printed Banners and Signs
) and they went out of their way to get me a pair of banners for the building in time. These are now fixed to the building and will hopefully do the trick... Please feel free to comment here |
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News update: 1st October 2010 - website launched. | ||||
| The 149 Southampton Way website is launched about a year after the building was cleared of 15 tonnes of junk. The photo opposite must have been taken on the morning of the first day; people are still smiling. Heartfelt thanks to every one who mucked in (and I use the word muck advisedly), especially Ecojunk who donated the use of their truck for the whole time and made the whole clearance operation possible. Check out Ecojunk here. Please feel free to comment here |
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| Please have a look at our questionnaire here
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Download drawings and information about the proposals
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