Peckham Rye Station Square
Codesign Workshop 02
WORKSHOP 02 - SYNOPSIS
CoDesign Peckham Rye Station Square Workshop 02 was held on
Thursday 16th April 2015.
The workshop included a presentation by Adam Brown, which
summarised the team’s progress and key findings so far - particularly
in relation to feedback from the first workshop as well as the team’s
emerging understanding of structural issues surrounding structures
beneath station platforms 3 and 4.
Following the presentation, CoDesigners were asked to participate in
a table-top exercise based on a series of key questions, which were
used in conjunction with a map of the site. The aim of the exercise
was to refine key elements of the project brief by thinking about
the disposition and character of uses around station square, whilst
choosing a preferred location for public WCs from a selection of
potential options.
WORKSHOP 02 - QUESTIONS ASKED DURING WORKSHOP
•Think about how the square should feel when you arrive during the
day and at night
•Identify potential use locations for the arches and Blenheim Grove
•Think about what uses could improve diversity / safety - explain why
if you can
•Try and explain why things should go in a particular place
•If you think the ‘character’ of the viaduct or Blenheim Grove building
suits particular uses, explain why and how this could be enhanced.
•Identify your preference for the location of WC’s and explain why
•Make comments on any particular use-related management issues
•What things get left out but are considered important?
WORKSHOP 02 - TABLETOP MAP USED DURING WORKSHOP
Bank
Access to
space above
Blenheim Grove
0m
10m
20m
- Think about how the square should feel when you arrive during the
Rye Lane
To Be Confirmed
WORKSHOP 02 - PUBLIC WC OPTIONS USED DURING WORKSHOP
Provision for: Male / Female / Disabled Access / Baby Change
Reliant on access
either via local tenant
or through Network Rail
controlled Unit.
TBC
TBC
Access from
Station Square &
Blenheim Grove
Location of
New Toilets
OPTION 01
OPTION 02
WORKSHOP 02 - PUBLIC WC OPTIONS USED DURING WORKSHOP
Provision for: Male / Female / Disabled Access / Baby Change
TBC
Access from
Station Square
Aside Local
Business
Location of
New Toilets
OPTION 03
WORKSHOP 02 - IN PROGRESS
WORKSHOP 02 - IN PROGRESS
WORKSHOP 02 COMMENTS & RESPONSES:
TABLE 01
Card 1 – Things going in particular place
• Businesses zone according to need retail / catering – high traffic
ground level
• Services - ie. Dentist 1st floor
• Co working / Artist 1st / 2nd floor
Card 2 – Safety + Hygiene
• Lay a tariff on local traders so that traders pay collectively for it
to be cleared away
• Toilets – the position must be in high traffic area + facing inwards
into the Square to prevent / discourage undesirable activities +
encourage use
• Portable urinals!! Especially at weekends nearish to Bussey Building
Card 3 – How should the Square feel in the day – What does it need?
• Newsagents where you can top up your oyster
• More diversity of hairdressers – a barber alongside a weave shop
• Makers + Artist studios / output visible so people can see that Peckham
supports creatives
• Pedestrianising the hairdressers end of Blenheim Grove would give kids
safe place to play
• Cheap cafes alongside the more exotic / aspirational ones (Jenny’s
plus PRR!!)
• Rent + Rates supportive of local + Independent businesses!! A ceiling
on increases – no more than 10% rise
• Good + fast rubbish clearance
Card 4 – At night – What makes places feel safe +vibrant + welcoming
• Shops that stay open – Like Khan’s or late night food / fruit + veg
shop (we like the way the village grocer animates Bellenden Road).
Very important that people who have been to clubs + bars can get
some food inside them easily.
• Taxi ranks / Offices – so you know you can get safely home really
quickly
• Lighting!!
• Easy access to transport to move crowds through smoothly
Card 5 – Logical / Desirable Adjacencies
• Adding benches / seating near cafes + food stalls gives people
somewhere to sit / in sun / waiting for their pal in hairdressers
• Co working / Artist 1st / 2nd floor
TABLE 02
Card 1 –
• Consider whether the two alleys from Blenheim + Holly Groves should
be maintained as through routes – safety + security risks particularly
at night – would also reinforce use of Square
• Have you mapped all the ownership / leases? The position of long
leases will inhibit development options?
• Simple landscaping throughout that can be used for different purposes
eg. change of level encouraging child play and sitting. Present photos
of similar spaces treated in different ways
• Like the idea of building on top of Blenheim Grove building for some
community / social use – but large numbers of people will require at
least 2 stairs?
• Frontages on to the ‘square’ would bring life ideally for evening as
well as day eg. Café
• Exact position of WCs should be considered later when the structural
issues on the north side are clearer and all the potential positions
can be considered may end up for example as free standing structures
at the end of Holly Grove rather than in ‘Square’
Card 2 – How the square should feel (Debbie Allen)
• Open space, clear of obstacles but landscaped to allow sitting / waiting /
play spaces for children
• Some greenery or natural farms (eg. Kings Cross boulders to sit on)
• Businesses under the arches facing the station square to include some that are
open very late to offer some lighting and security to travellers and be part
of the night economy
• Could the arches running north and south of the square be blocked as
pathways (feel insecure) but used for bike park, children’s play area (to allow
square to be less cluttered / dangerous for children).
• Interesting idea was suggested to extend station square across Rye Lane by
demolishing shops / building on east of station so that lines of arches would
continue binding the bigger public square area.
• Loos to be option 1 because it has dual entry and can be accessed from Holly
Grove + Station Square.
Card 3 – (Debbie Allen)
• I don’t think there should be exactly the same shops side-by-side so
not an avenue of hairdressers but a mix of food, beauty, leisure and
services in one row
• But small traders under the arches, not a betting shop or poundland
taking up a row of arches.
Card 4 – (Debbie Allen)
• Diversity means the many and varied trading / businesses, the
permanent and temporary, the national (banks) and local
(hairdressers), for young (play area) and old (seating, community), for
able bodied and disabled, rich (upmarket café / restaurant) and poor
(places to hang out without feeling unsafe or making others feel
unsafe).
• Rents need to be carefully managed so the diversity is not lost.
• Cleanliness needs to be upheld so that all diverse community feels
ownership and comfortable.
Card 5 – extra note – (Some rents need to be capped)
• Community pop up business-space the upstairs geared to local resident
shops near (the bank)
• (Late food – drink business) just outside the station a square built
up) green space seating.
• Very bright
• The café can be community driven, and the business can be pop up
workspaces eg. cap-price 1 year lease start ups
• Mentor – of new business with old business skill-set sharing on the
new designers. Creaters help their neighbours with kerb appeal – store
structure
Card 6 –
• On Blenheim Grove we need shops like hair shop, groceries, restaurant,
bar but the best thing we need the business being like it is and the
idea of Square is good.
• We are happy with a new design
• On the front of station we need restaurant, café, bar. But in Blenheim
Grove we need groceries and hair shops.
• The hair shop in Blenheim Grove they open late and they are very good
with the area.
Card 7 –
• High usage area – can’t be too cluttered
• Possibly a nice round fountain in the middle – cobbled square like
Madeira
• It is predominantly a meeting space so it is good if the arches are
cafes where people can arrange to meet or bar space – Peckham
Refreshment rooms have been an example of that.
Card 8 –
• Open space should be multi use – seating tables, play area for children,
•
•
•
•
water feature possibly a little like area outside Central St. Martins – not
on that scale, but features that can be use by all ages.
Toilets should be to the left (near Iceland side). Also metal urinals that
could be used at night after the toilet closes similar to the type next to
Soho Square.
Community based shop. A place where different local businesses could share
skills.
I would not want to see any of the current business disappear. They
should be at the core of any design.
I feel the kids who currently play in the walkways should have a safe
place to play in the new design
Card 9 – (Lois Perkins) 1. How the square should feel when you arrive at day or
night?
• Open, bright, welcoming and safe. Currently when you arrive in
Peckham Rye, the first impression you get is of an unsafe, rundown and
dirty area. I avoid using the train at night for these reasons. This area
should be a welcoming place for those who live and visit.
2. Identify potential use locations for the arches and Blenheim Grove
• Street food pop ups, small cafes (see my answer 3!)
3. What uses could improve diversity / safety and explain why
• Spaces that could be used in the day + night. So cafes in the day,
which turn into a bar or creative space at night, like a restaurant or
a creative space for artwork or maybe a record shop, which turns into
a space for drinks. The bar in the Bussey Building is a perfect example
of many businesses using one space interchangeably – barber,
Vietnamese food, bar + record shop in one space. This would:
 Make best use of the space – day + night
 Makes it more affordable because people are sharing rents
 Safer because businesses are open at night so it does not feel
like such an abandoned + unsafe place at night
 Increase usage of the space for locals or other people who have
a wide variety of interests
Card 10 – (Lois Perkins) 4. Try + explain what should go where
• Agree with the idea of the Bank + dentist move
• Really like the idea of the coffee shop in middle arch also serving as
an entrance to the top two new floors
• The two new floors could be used for new social enterprises for
local people for a year – so after this, new people can come in and
use the space – and it rotates. This would help get the buy-in of the
local community – and encourage small businesses which is part of
Peckham’s vision.
• The top floor apparently has a great view of Rye Lane. Could change
this into a rooftop area with food stalls. This means that everyone
can take advantage of this space!
• Only some benches in the station square which should be kept clear,
so much overcrowding on Rye Lane – this will really help congestion
and make it feel so much safer!
5. If you think the ‘character’ of the viaduct or Blenheim Grove building
suits particular uses, explain why + how this could be enhanced?
• Visibly seeing the arches when you are inside the buildings + the
exposed brickwork – anything original!
6. Identify your preference for the location of WCs + explain why?
• If being central means the likelihood of them being used increases, put
them in the arch. If not, my preference is on the right or left under
the arches when you come out of the station.
TABLE 03
Card 1 –
• barber shop should stay. It’s only the one on the ALL area that make
all type of hair. So we don’t need to go to East Dulwich.
TABLE 04
Card 1 – 1. Think about how the square should feel when you arrive during the day
and at night
• Bright, airy, welcoming, vibrant
2. Identify potential use locations for the arches and Blenheim Grove
• Bars, café, toilets, restaurants
3. Think about what uses could improve diversity / safety – explain why
if you can
• Night economy + active businesses
4. Try and explain why things should go in a particular place
• Lower levels support local trade. Businesses such as banks etc.
5. If you think the ‘character’ of the viaduct or Blenheim Grove building
suits particular uses, explain why and how this could be enhanced
• Bars, café, restaurants
6. Identify your preference for the location of WC’s and explain why
• A minimum of 2 locations needed + encourage businesses to set up that
use of toilets eg. bars + cafes
TABLE 05
Card 1 – Daytime
• Not cramped – spacious as possible use of station / access for
commuters
• Day trippers / holiday commuters
• Corridor area to get to station also like to sit for rest
Night Time
• Safe + Light
• Being used business eg. that are open in evenings
(OTHER NOTES)
• Not creating litter / debris for morning rush hour cleaning
• Unisex toilets/ self-cleaning like ‘More London’
Card 2 – Diversity Improvements
•
•
•
•
•
Mixture of tenants
Waste control bins for businesses to use accessible
Florist
Crèche
Food takeaway
Card 3 – Hairdressers
• It means that there are activities at night making the area feel more
safe. We need to be aware that the hairdressers are not just
businesses. They are also community spaces so while we are discussing
community use of this new area, it is very important to remember that
there are already people doing this and it is important to try different
methods to hear their opinions. When people feel like they have been
ignored, it creates hostility. Also if methods to consult that have
already been used are not working, then we should try others (and
maybe think about who is consulting)
Card 4 –
• To retain the character of the station by users of shops in same style
Card 5 –
• The square should always be open through the station for commuters
to catch a train
TABLE 06
Card 1 •
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•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Suggestions for freestanding urinals
Need toilet attendants
Trafalgar Square as a reference for toilets in your eye line
Option 1 or Option 3 for WC location
Mixed use, inspirational roof top area – pop up stalls, community
gardens
Skills exchange
Quality of light, to make it feel safe
Piezo technology capturing football and trains to generate light
Discussion about use – retaining Jennys Café, mixed opinion – problem
with the size of the units.
Some people wanted to retain all the hairdressers.
Card 2 –
• Football pitch on the top – or any other play space on the roof –
activity space for children!
• Could have perimeter of hairdressers – great example of female
entrepreneurs in small density!
• Bringing life cycle of 150 year old building up to date with new
technology – keep it sustainable : rain harvesting / SUDS / PVs
• How will it work for future generations
o The young people
o The risk of flooding
Card 3 –
• WC Option 3
• Rooftop of Blenheim Grove building – used as ‘Pop-Up’ stalls, movable
and supporting local entrepreneurs who can’t get an entire shop.
• Lighting – To create safety and welcoming. Use footfall of
pedestrians to create lighting style.
• Children’s area – so no playing on Blenheim Grove. Perhaps on rooftop
too? …with garden – growing hydrophonics, bee hives. Solar on roof,
water harvesting.
Card 4 –
Toilets option 1 or 3
Quality of lighting is important – pizo technology?
Retain Jenny’s
Use rooftops for gardens with potential to become biodiverse and for
produce.
• Rooftop garden / playfield
o Fish shops on Rye Lane – add aquaporin “farm / lab / venue”
o A closed loop ‘garden/farm’
• Link into green network
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•
•
•
TABLE 07
Card 1 • Could the new toilets be designed in the same style / retain the
features of the old toilets?
• I think that commercial spaces should be given to whatever companies
are suitable for the spot – should be varied. Keeping veg stall, keep
hairdressers, a butchers. They are what makes Peckham what it is.
• Every business should be visited.
Card 2 –
• Improved cycle storage
• Consider restoration of the façade rather than demolition
• Consider taking off roof for better view/space/light
Card 3 –
• My main concern is to retain the character, soul and community of
Peckham. Not to make it another gentrified, bland, white middle class
area of London.
• Peckham is great because of the people and its diversity and its sense
of community – all different sorts of people living together.
Toilets – Option 1 preferred
TABLE 08
Card 1 –
1. Spacious, vibrant, relaxed. No tall buildings bearing down on you. Bright area since
a lot of Rye Lane tends to be closed in and dark.
2. Cafes, Bars, creativity hubs, some retail.
3. These businesses help to create a vibrant environment, allow people to congregate.
Helps to reach out to the community regardless of background. Helps to maintain life
at various times of the day for…
4. .. a sense of security, I can understand the need for hairdressers as they also add life
and colour but are they essential when space is at a premium?
5. No preference on the location of toilets
6. Allow things to develop in an organic way
7. Young people and the night time economy. It’s a glaring omission when you consider
how the area has become popular with them
8. More technology shops as we are meant to be in the 21st century. Boutique clothes
shops
9. No estate agents
Card 2 –
• Toilets – I think option 3 is best as it is Secure, accessible, visible, the unit in
the side alley in option 2 could be another small unit or access to the dentists
• Use of Blenheim Grove – and replacement of existing shop uses – this will
entirely be decided by rent charged and depending on what rent the shops are
being charged now. If rent for ‘new’ shops is greater than existing, then there
will be a different set of uses.
• Open square idea is good!
• Safety – good lighting, can enhance a feeling of safety, cleanliness of
common areas, pop up events to make people feel safe
• Extra floors – not sure about this on Blenheim Grove block – too much
massing? Maybe 1 extra floor to use the rooftop
• Better management of whole space – clearly identify this to users, visitors,
shop keepers – who manages it? Network Rail? Southwark? The tenants?
Card 3 Julie Brinkworth –
• I love the bank / dentist combo idea and the proposal to put the loos in the back of an
arch on the south side (perhaps with a small café in front?) The sort where you get
your snack or coffee as you get on the train rather than a sit down one).
• I am concerned at hoe a further 1 or 2 storey building on top would feel – I would be
keen to see massing studies.
• Will there be somewhere for the fruit and veg shop in the new scheme? I hope so.
• Generally I like the existing retail mix!
• The points made about having to go out and talk to people (the mums in the hairdressers
I thought were well made. Thursday and Friday afternoons are your best bet – surely
hairdressers and their clients are the same the world over and will be keen to talk.
(Especially if you have gone in beforehand and spoken to the hairdressers to let them
know that you are coming).
• PS. I do hope you will be able to keep the shop fronts under platform 3 (ie the north
edge of the new square) back in line with the arches.
Toilet Options –
• Option 3 Circled
o Three people on this table agree with this option
SKETCHES & NOTES
TABLE 01
The table-top map was left blank by the
group, but comment cards were filled out.
SKETCHES & NOTES
TABLE 02
SKETCHES & NOTES
TABLE 03
SKETCHES & NOTES
TABLE 04
SKETCHES & NOTES
TABLE 05
The table-top map was left blank by the
group, but comment cards were filled out.
SKETCHES & NOTES
TABLE 06
SKETCHES & NOTES
TABLE 07
SKETCHES & NOTES
TABLE 08