The building is 24 floors in height, which is 82 metres. This is the equivalent to 27 storeys because the ground and top floors are double height, plus the roof plant.

The height and scale of all the buildings has been carefully considered so that we can deliver a scheme which will bring the heritage buildings at risk back into a long term viable use, whilst also meeting London Borough of Islington’s expectation for 50% affordable homes. The height of the student building is at the lower end of the site, closest to the town centre. By building upwards, we can keep the building’s footprint smaller, allowing more ground space to be dedicated to the public realm and landscaping. The student building adopts a design led approach. Situated at a key intersection along a major route, it offers the opportunity to create a structure that serves as an urban focal point, creating a new public square and enabling framed views of the locally listed buildings.

The proposed development would deliver a total of 7,158 sq.m of open space for the community. The landscape and public realm have been designed to create distinct character areas. Further information about each character area is provided below. Clerkenwell Square In the south west, the design includes a variety of public spaces with seating areas, plantings, and new trees. The south eastern square, known as Clerkenwell Square, offers a quieter spot with seating, where students and visitors can relax and socialise under closely planted birch trees. Holborn Avenue Holborn Avenue serves as a central route lined with trees on both sides of the path, framing views of a civic landmark that doubles as a signature play feature at the northern edge of the Site. Holborn Avenue is the main north/south link through the Site and is a pedestrian only route, aside from refuse collection and emergency vehicle access. Charterhouse Way Charterhouse Way serves as the main east-west route, accessible to both pedestrians and delivery vehicles. It includes two loading bays—one located between Holborn and Charterhouse and another adjacent to Block B—as well as two parking bays. Connectivity and Heritage Garden Beneath the existing trees along Highgate Hill, an accessible route is provided with planting beneath the existing trees and play features lining the path. This connects Holborn Terrace and Charterhouse Way. A heritage garden sits between Blocks B and C and focuses the view to the student tower. A winding path aligns with the tower with two play spaces set off this central path. The garden will provide rich seasonal planting, multi-stemmed trees and habitat for bees.

Existing trees will be retained where possible and supplemented by further tree planting. All 16 existing mature London plane trees will be retained, and 90 additional trees will be planted within the development.

The proposed development will provide 91 affordable homes, which is 51% of the overall residential provision. 58 of these homes will be provided as social rent (64%) and 33 (36%) will be provided as intermediate housing.

A variety of house types, ranging from studios to four-bedroom properties.

The alternative scheme was presented to the Council in pre-application form. It was considered following discussions with officers over the past 24 months and would have retained more of the existing buildings on site, but it would not have delivered the same level of affordable housing as the submitted scheme. In terms of policy considerations, it performed less favourably, and its design quality was not as strong as that of the submitted scheme. As a result, the project team decided not to proceed with an alternative scheme and a planning application was not submitted to the council.

A Preliminary Ecological Assessment, comprising a Phase 1 Habitat Survey, Protected Species Assessment and Ecological Evaluation, has been submitted as part of the planning application to ensure that there are no significant impacts on existing habitats. The site does not form part of any statutory or non-statutory nature conservation site and much its existing habitat is the result of the site having been left vacant for an extended period. The Assessment indicates that the habitats on site, such as buildings, scattered trees, hedgerows, and introduced shrubs and scrub, have the potential to support nesting birds. It outlines the necessary measures to take if these habitats are affected by construction activities. Several buildings were identified as having suitable features for roosting bats. A Preliminary Roost Assessment was recommended and has been undertaken. No bats were recorded emerging or re-entering from any of the buildings during the surveys and therefore no further survey or mitigation is required with regards to roosting bats. However, the Report includes recommendations that will be implemented in later stages. The Council may also require additional surveys before any development begins.

A Daylight and Sunlight Assessment was undertaken to consider the impact of the proposal on daylight and sunlight amenity to the surrounding residential properties. The proposals have been designed to ensure that the light levels to surrounding properties remain appropriate for the urban environment and very few properties experience noticeable losses of daylight or sunlight. Of the few properties with noticeable daylight reductions, the majority of alterations are considered minor and in keeping with the urban environment and/ or residual daylight levels remain above the target values appropriate for the area. Overall, the development's impact on local daylight, sunlight, and overshadowing is deemed acceptable from a planning perspective, considering that the site is allocated for redevelopment and is located within a sustainable city centre context.

Generally, it is considered that the proposed development does not present any significant overlooking issues However, it is recognised that immediate neighbours to the north of the site would be the most effected due to their proximity. To address this concern, the project team has engaged closely with residents in the Academy complex and on Lidyard Road. As a result of these discussions, the design was modified to reduce the proposed massing near this boundary and ensure that the proximity between buildings would not encourage overlooking. Given the allocation and requirement to make the most efficient use of the site, this arrangement is considered acceptable in planning terms.

The proposals involve the restoration of the site’s locally listed buildings which have been vacant since 2016. The Conservation Area is noted as being at a high level of risk by Historic England and the buildings are listed on the Heritage at Risk register. The following heritage buildings will be retained: Charterhouse (North Wing), Holborn Union (Main Hospital & Admin Block), Clerkenwell (South Wing). Bringing the buildings back into use by removing the modern additions and reinstating historic features where appropriate to celebrate the original design.

The proposals will create the following number of jobs: · 20 construction jobs during construction · 40 operational on-site jobs · 45 operational on-site and off-site jobs supported in the borough · 13 retail and food/beverage sector jobs supported in the borough following completion The operational phase jobs are expected to generate around £3.9 million per annum to the local economy, in addition to an anticipated boost of approximately £2 million generated from new residents.

SevenCapital is committed to working with Islington Council's Inclusive Economy and Growth team, and other local organisations, to create employment and skills opportunities for local people and will create apprenticeship opportunities in partnership with the Council's Inclusive Economy and Jobs Service.