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The proposals

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The proposals

Above: View looking east along the broadway

Our proposals are for a mixed-use scheme providing the following:

  • A new YMCA facility with 120 en-suite hostel bedrooms and 14 shared kitchens.
  • Community facilities such as a café, children’s area and gym with benefits for local residents.
  • 136 new homes for private sale to pay for the reprovision of the YMCA.
  • Well-managed public open space, including a piazza area on The Broadway.
  • 396 sqm of ground floor commercial space suitable for restaurants, cafés and shops.

    • The revised proposals will deliver a new building with different tones of brick to distinguish each block, rather than three separate blocks as proposed in July; this has been designed to create one continuous active frontage along The Broadway, with space made available to the front and centre of the building for the public to enjoy.

    The building will be 9 storeys at its highest – the same number of storeys as YMCA Wimbledon today – and will step down in height towards South Park Road to the north.

    Design evolution

    The design of the proposed redevelopment has evolved through consultation with Merton Council officers, Merton’s Design Review Panel and the local community. Below we set out how we have sought to consult with local people and incorporate your feedback.

    Above: Previous 15 storey scheme presented in July 2019

    Above: Current 9 storey scheme

    Consulting with the community

    The project team held a public consultation on proposals to redevelop YMCA Wimbledon in July last year. We were pleased that over 250 of you attended, including residents of YMCA Wimbledon, residents living in close proximity to the site, elected representatives, local businesses and community groups.

    Highlighting the value of YMCA Wimbledon as a community asset, the majority of people who left feedback at the event said that they use or had previously used YMCA Wimbledon’s facilities. 72% of people who left feedback said that the current YMCA Wimbledon building is not aesthetically pleasing, and 68% indicated they would like to see it redeveloped.

    However, some concerns were raised about the previous proposals; in particular, the height of the tallest building (15 storeys), the use of terracotta cladding across the site, and that the location of the public open space could attract anti-social behaviour.

    You said, we listened

    Over the past 6 months, we have taken the time to carefully consider and incorporate feedback from local residents, to ensure that the scheme is high-quality, deliverable and that it becomes a community asset Wimbledon can be proud of. The evolution of our proposals has involved the following:

  • Reduction in height: The proposed height of the tallest building on-site was previously 15 storeys; residents expressed concerns that this would set a precedent for increased heights along The Broadway. Feedback also indicated that a building of up to 10 storeys would be considered more appropriate. In response, we are now proposing a 9 storey building – the same number of storeys as the current YMCA Wimbledon – stepped down in height towards South Park Road to the rear.
  • Design materials: We have responded to comments related to the terracotta façade proposed in our earlier design; some respondents felt that this looked too dark and was not in keeping with the area. Our revised proposals would see brick used across the development, varying in tone to distinguish different elements of the building.
  • Public open space: Whilst our initial consultation indicated a desire to see public realm improvements, some were concerned that the public open space proposed could attract anti-social behaviour. The design of the current proposals seeks to address this by relocating the open space to an area that benefits from both CCTV and natural surveillance. This is achieved by setting the central element of the building back from The Broadway, creating a piazza-style space adjacent to the YMCA café and retail/restaurants at ground floor.
  • Sustainability: Discussions with key stakeholders have emphasised the importance of sustainable development to the Wimbledon community. Our plans have evolved in response to introduce a number of sustainability and ecology enhancements, such as heat pumps, SUDS, green roofs, and swift and bat boxes (more details are on the ‘Sustainability and Ecology’ page ).

    • Additional materials

    The proposals - exhibition board PDF
    The proposals - exhibition board PDF
    pdf
    Design evolution - exhibition board PDF
    Design evolution - exhibition board PDF
    pdf
    Materials and design - exhibition board PDF
    Materials and design - exhibition board PDF
    pdf

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