Role of Site 63P

See also

• Visions for Peckham
• Cross-River Tram
• Peckham Rye Station

Role of Site 63P in organic growth of Peckham Town Centre

Adaptable varied buildings

Peckham is an expanding and flourishing south London community, and ‘site 63P’ is an active and interesting contributor to the economic, social and cultural life of Peckham. This positive change has been occurring organically and naturally over the last decade. It is made possible because the site is characterised by a mixture of commercial and industrial buildings.

• The buildings provide numerous varied and flexible spaces capable of adapting and being converted to a variety of economic, trading, creative, social and community use, including housing, office and studio spaces or retail.
• the current diverse uses of this site show that these old buildings have been nurturing some of Peckham’s emergent businesses producing a variety of products and services.
• The site provides a secure base for new & emerging trading and creative enterprises, contributing significantly to the local economy, including hundreds of jobs.

Historical Industrial Architecture

One of London’s architectural success stories has been the re-use of its industrial buildings. Southwark in particular has some excellent examples: re-use of warehouses and mills in Bermondsey and Shad Thames, the re-inhabiting of factories around Southwark Street amongst others.

• Site 63p has two noteworthy industrial buildings in good shape, The Bussey building and the former Holdron’s stores on Bournemouth Road.

• The Bussey building is one of the most significant examples of historic industrial architecture in this part of Southwark. George Bussey was an innovative and leading British manufacturer on this site of Sporting goods equipment in the 19th and 20th centuries, and a contributor to the British war effort.
• The present building is a good example of early steel and ‘ferro-concrete’ industrial architecture dating from the turn of the 19th century.
• This and several other buildings on the site form an important part of Peckham’s industrial archaeology.

Creative industries and enterprises

Artists helped lead the regeneration of Southwark’s riverside industrial buildings, finding cheap, flexible spaces suited to their diverse work.

• The Bussey building on site 63p in Peckham currently has more than 60 artists’ studios. A successful series of exhibitions over the past two years have brought artists and interested members of the public to Peckham from all over London.
• The studios and gallery at the Bussey Building have become a popular outlet for new work alongside the South London Art Gallery and Area 10 at the old canal head.
• This is all part of the wider creative economy which has been naturally evolving and emerging in Peckham for the last few decades. Many aspects of the performance arts and related parts of the leisure economy have put down roots in Peckham.
• Site 63P is already playing a role in this, and has potential to make an even more significant contribution.

Community & social uses

The rejection of the original depot plan has saved the new and planned housing on the Rye Lane frontage. There is much scope for more attractive housing, complementary to the industrial buildings.

• Meanwhile, the views over Peckham & central London from the roof of the Bussey building are worth the trip alone, and could become a feature of further organic development.
• there are 9 church congregations meeting in spaces on this site.
• There is scope for other community uses including voluntary & community sector accommodation and facilities.

Strategic Vision

• The designation of a major part of site 63P for a single high security use, closed off from the rest of the town, is a loss of its significant potential for organic growth, and will reverse the regeneration which is underway. It is counter to the basic principles of good urban design.
• Site 63 is a place for Peckham to expand into and develop for mixed uses, building on the commercial and cultural presence on the site, as part of the strategic vision to open up the space in front of the magnificent Station buildings, and transform that central part of Rye Lane.

Download this information Download as a PDF Document

See also

Images

Bussey Building - potential for rehabilitation

Bussey Building - view from courtyard square

Bussey Building - viewed from the south

Bussey Building - fabulous view of London from Bussey Building roof

Downloadable PDFs

• Bussey Building - view from courtyard square, from south and of London from roof
• Bussey Building - history and role
• Bussey Building - looking north from the roof
• George Bussey brief history
• Holdron's shopping arcade - a remnant of London's 'Golden Mile'