St Peter's Church Battersea by Howard Allen

After 4 years on site the new St Peter’s Church, Battersea was completed in October 2018.

This significant brown field regeneration project is about perseverance and determination over a period of 18 years by many local stakeholders. The original St Peter’s Church on Plough Road Battersea was consecrated in 1876 but was destroyed by fire in 1970.

The church has been designed to accommodate up to 420 people. 120 in the Ground Floor Community Space and 300 people in the worship space at First Floor level. The seminar rooms are divided by acoustic movable walls that can be folded back to provide a larger space for events.  There is a full catering kitchen serving the community hall and the courtyard space. Storage has been provided to store fold-away tables and stackable chairs

 There is a courtyard to the north of the church that separates it from the housing block.  The courtyard is a space for use by all of the community and is intended to provide a pedestrian link from Plough Road to the Winstanley Estate that forms the core of the parish. There are designated supplies for community barbeques that are held throughout the summer months. The community hall opens out onto the courtyard via sliding folding doors.

The church, as part of its mission provides counselling on sensitive matters to parishioners requiring a welcoming but private environment.

The building has been designed to be fully accessible on all levels. There is a 21-person lift connecting all floors.

Good daylighting is a key design feature of the building. Public areas, seminar rooms and offices with fenestration offering natural light.

The ground floor offices have views onto the street and include flush glazed openable louvre windows. There is passive ventilation in the main worship space.

 The building incorporates the work of 3 artists. Ptolemy Mann designed the coloured glass, Charlie Mackesy the bronze sculpture and Richard Kindersley carved stone work that can be viewed inside and out of the building.

New Fire Station Opens in South London by Howard Allen

Our new West Norwood fire station on Knight’s Hill was officially opened 25 November 2014 by Fire Minister Penny Mordaunt MP. It replaces the old fire station on Norwood Road.

Community Engagement

The new £5 million state-of-the-art building provides a modern working environment for crews, room for three fire engines and training facilities including a drill yard and training tower. These facilities have been located away from the residential area to minimise noise. The fire station has a dedicated community engagement room that will be used to create greater access for the public to understand the operation of a modern fire service.

London Fire Brigade Commissioner Ron Dobson said:

“This brand new fire station is good news for the community. The old West Norwood  fire station has served residents well for 100  years but it no longer meets the demands of a modern fire and rescue service. The new station on Knight’s Hill will provide us with facilities fit for the 21st century. It  reinforces our commitment to providing the best possible service  to Londoners.”

Fire Minister Penny Mordaunt  added, “This new station is a great achievement, not just for London Fire Brigade, but the community it serves. What I have seen here today has been immensely impressive. I am particularly pleased to see how this new building will not only house and train firefighters, but also provides facilities for the local community to benefit from, and shows just how important prevention has become in the work of the modern fire service.”

Our new West Norwood fire station on Knight’s Hill was officially opened 25 November) by Fire Minister Penny Mordaunt MP. It replaces the old fire station on Norwood Road.

A new £5 million state-of-the-art building provides a modern working environment for crews, room for three fire engines and training facilities including a drill yard and training tower. Training facilities have been located away from the residential area to minimise noise.

 BREEAM Green Credentials

The new station’s design means the building has achieved a BREEAM “Very Good” Rating and :

• Uses passive ventilation to naturally regulate its temperature using as little energy as possible

• Provides for the maximum amount of natural light into all spaces

• Draws energy from a Combined Heat & Power plant from renewable sources including solar panels

• Reduces  energy and water demands, cutting running costs and contributing to our overall environmental performance.

 Works commenced on site in August 2013 and was completed in October 2014.