A developer has applied to build flats with a green roof above the premises of a former snooker club in Hornchurch which operated for 90 years.
Applicant Parkhall Estates submitted a proposal, P0895.24, to build a new floor accommodating the four homes with a green roof, including planting and railings, at 127-133 High Street.
Havering Council received the application on June 25 this year and validated it on July 8. A decision will be made by September 2.
Parkhall Estates submitted plans in 2022 to turn Knights Snooker and Pool Club into flats, which were refused, but this year renewed a bid for a development at the site.
The plans, which also include replacing existing windows, are supported by a design and access statement from architect Stephen Alderdice Studio.
“The development would, if approved, offer a modest contribution to housing supply and delivery,” the statement from the Royal Institute of British Architects-endorsed studio read.
The ground floor of the building is comprised of shops, the first floor is the disused snooker club and the second floor is residential.
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“The applicant seeks to create an additional storey of four self-contained apartments at the third floor level,” the studio went on.
In July 2022, the snooker club shut after 90 years operating when its lease ran out.
If this proposal goes ahead, a planning document said "safe and secure" internal access to the flats would be provided via the former snooker hall entrance.
The apartments would have balconies and a “green roof”, the statement revealed, and a CGI from the plans shows a green lawn atop the building.
“The proposed green roof would therefore [...] provide invaluable biodiversity benefits by introducing greening into this urban environment,” a cover letter stated from consultant SM Planning stated.
A small height increase planned to the elevations in High Street and North Street was also outlined in the cover letter.
“As part of the redesign of the third floor, private outdoor amenity space has been provided for each new apartment,” SM Planning stated.
“These are open above to the sky but inset behind the existing parapet wall," it added.
You can follow the progress of the application via www. development.havering.gov.uk/OcellaWeb/planningSearch.
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