Godman Road, sketch scheme
A former vehicle workshop appraised for seven new homes. A case study in how we test a site before committing to it.
Godman Road, sketch scheme
Godman Road is a residential street in Peckham. Number 26 was a two-storey former MOT and motorcycle repair workshop, with homes on both sides: housing association terraces, and a converted warehouse to the east. Small light-industrial sites like this are exactly the kind of overlooked location we look for. They are often passed over because the ground, the title or the context takes work to understand.
We designed a sketch scheme of seven one- and two-bedroom flats. The building is a compact brick volume that steps back as it rises. The set-backs create private terraces, and green roofs sit on each step. Its height responds to the taller towers in front of the site and the emerging tall buildings in the area, while stepping down towards its lower neighbours. A generously glazed ground floor gives back to the street. Layouts were tested against London Plan space standards and refuse and cycle storage requirements.
Alongside the design, we ran a detailed financial appraisal, so that every design decision could be tested against cost, value and programme before committing to the site.
The scheme worked on paper, but due diligence turned up a restrictive covenant on the title, which brought legal and programme risk that could not be resolved within the time available. Together with the funding position, this led us not to proceed.
Walking away is part of the process. A rigorous appraisal is as much about knowing when not to buy as when to commit, and the design work carries forward into how we assess the next site.
