Transforming Central Rye Lane
From Peckham Vision
[edit] An Integrated Plan for East & West Central Rye Lane
- East Central Rye Lane
The land and buildings between Rye Lane and Copeland Road are a thriving mixed area of artists' studios, art galleries, a variety of small businesses, retail and creative industry, housing, faith and other community uses. The area has the feel of an emerging Cultural Quarter. A major part of the land (including the Bussey building) is owned and operated by Copeland Industrial Park (CIP), and so the area and its immediate surrounds is becoming known as the Copeland Cultural Quarter (CCQ).
The draft Masterplan below shows the location and extent of the Copeland Cultural Quarter and indicates the kind of mixed organic development there could be on this site:
- the gradual rehabilitation of the historic buildings integrated with new buildings,
- creating linked squares and courtyards,
- the Copeland Cultural Quarter providing a comfortable transition between the town centre in the west and housing to the east.
A number of ideas have already been produced for potential developments. They illustrate the variety of schemes that there may be, and there can be many others with different scales of new developments. Three sketches and outlines from the material are displayed below. Others can be seen on this Peckham Vision website through out the sections of An alternative vision for Rye Lane Central. Others are continuing to be developed.
Over the last three years, there have been interesting developments on the other side of the railway tracks - in the multi storey car park. The top three floors have been used for a very successful 3 month summer large sculpture exhibition by the Hannah Barry Gallery (located on the Copeland Park site). In 2009 & 2010 this has been accompanied by the very successful pop-up Frank's Cafe. The car park & cinema are designated for demolition & redevelopment in the Issues and Options report. This recent highly successful use (see here and here) has illustrated the potential for redesigning for 21st century uses the brutalist structure which has failed as a town centre car park.
- West Central Rye Lane & station
This kind of plan, for the east side of central Rye Lane, complements and strengthens the similar vision for Peckham Rye station and the land behind it and in front, on the west side, and on the east side between the railway lines. This has been developed through the Rye Lane & Station Action Group, a partnership between local residents and the Council's Peckham Programme. Southwark Council has agreed to find ways to push to open up the square in front of the station, and transform the land between the railway lines. An illustration is displayed below of the space available for a new station square after removal of the buildings in front of the station. These more recent poorer quality buildings occupy the land of the original square in front of the mid Victorian station, which was listed in 2008. These ideas are spelt out in the Council's report Peckham Rye Station: The Case for Change See here for the latest on the various aspects of station regeneration. Restoration of the historic Old Billiard Hall in the station, to bring it back into use, is proceeding well. See here for the latest on this, and also Re-using old buildings
- Integration
All these ideas are brought together for illustrative purposes on the draft masterplan, and several pictures, immediately below. These show that the ideas for the station and its surroundings on the west side of Rye Lane, and now endorsed by the Council, and the ideas for the Copeland Cultural Quarter, opposite on the east side of Rye Lane, fit exactly together. Moreover, the organic emergence of cultural enterprises in the Copeland Cultural Quarter, ocurring now, strengthens and enhances the business case set out in the Council's report for the transformation of Peckham Rye Station. All this can be seen to be an integrated plan that could transform Central Rye Lane for the twenty first century. These ideas need to be widely understood for informed discussions in the consultations on the Council's PNAAP (Peckham & Nunhead Area Action Plan). Some of the ideas for the separate sites were incorporated into the Council's Issues & Options report consultation in April & May 2009. Now, the way they all fit together as an integrated plan needs to be reflected in the Preferred Options report which will be published for consultation in late 2011/early 2012.
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