{"id":509232,"date":"2026-04-02T16:32:11","date_gmt":"2026-04-02T16:32:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/509232\/"},"modified":"2026-04-02T16:32:11","modified_gmt":"2026-04-02T16:32:11","slug":"mae-wins-planning-consent-for-old-kent-road-almshouse-scheme","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/509232\/","title":{"rendered":"Mae wins planning consent for Old Kent Road almshouse scheme"},"content":{"rendered":"

The scheme, for later living accommodation provider Southwark Charities<\/a>, is a 71-unit almshouse north of Burgess Park. It would replace St Mary Newington Close, a 1960s 41-unit almshouse.<\/p>\n

Southwark Council\u2019s planning committee gave its consent to the scheme at a meeting last month, with councillors voting unanimously in support of the project. Planning officers had earlier recommended approval for the plans designed by the practice behind the 2023 RIBA Stirling Prize-winning<\/a> John Morden Centre for the elderly in Blackheath.<\/p>\n

Mae\u2019s proposal comprises 55m\u00b2 affordable later-living units arranged in a courtyard format, ising from four to six storeys and matching nearby Georgian terraces and residential buildings.<\/p>\n

About 10 per cent of the flats are wheelchair-accessible, while the rest are accessible and adaptable.<\/p>\n

All homes will be designed to Passivhaus standard. The arrangement is deck access and 100 per cent dual-aspect, which planning documents say \u2018prioritises natural light and ventilation, and a connection to street and garden\u2019.<\/p>\n

The plans also feature shared amenity spaces. including kitchen facilities, a communal lounge, a roof terrace and a landscaped garden at the centre.<\/p>\n

Describing the project as a \u2018wonderful commission\u2019 following its submission last year<\/a>, Mae director Alex Ely said: \u2018It builds on our interest in designing great places to live for those in their later life, as previously explored at our nearby Harriet Hardy House and our projects Noele Gordon House and Daventry House.<\/p>\n

Following the approval, he said: \u2018It has been a pleasure working with Southwark Charities to design this scheme. And great to see their commitment to socially purposefully, high-quality almshousing receiving unanimous support from the committee. With sound advice and guidance from Southwark Council throughout the design development we\u2019ve designed a scheme that will offer an exemplary environment for older, vulnerable people in financial hardship. <\/p>\n

\u2018It will enable a sense of community and help residents live a good live in their later years. Designed to Passivhaus standard, it also builds on our work advancing low-carbon housing. We look forward to taking this through to completion.\u2019<\/p>\n

The project is the second almshouse development proposed by Southwark Charities, which was formed in 2010 from multiple local charitable organisations.<\/p>\n

Residents of the St Mary Newington Close almshouse will move to the Fathom-designed 220 Blackfriars Road<\/a> upon its completion, allowing the Mae scheme to start on site, Southwark Charities has told the AJ.<\/p>\n

Residents of Witherford Watson Mann\u2019s Stirling Prize-winning Appleby Blue almshouse<\/a> for United St Saviour\u2019s Charity, also in Southwark, previously lived at 220 Blackfriars Road before relocating under an agreement between Southwark Council, Southwark Charities and United St Saviour\u2019s Charity.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The scheme, for later living accommodation provider Southwark Charities, is a 71-unit almshouse north of Burgess Park. It…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":509233,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[31],"tags":[21128,178364,6225,6485,6486,1120,96,178365,178366,18454,56,54,55],"class_list":["post-509232","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-arts-and-design","tag-affordable-housing","tag-almshouses","tag-arts","tag-arts-and-design","tag-artsanddesign","tag-design","tag-entertainment","tag-later-living","tag-mae","tag-southwark","tag-uk","tag-united-kingdom","tag-unitedkingdom"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/509232","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=509232"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/509232\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/509233"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=509232"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=509232"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=509232"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}