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Croydon
£1m to £1.99M
Alteration to existing property, New Build, Within a Conservation Area
A redundant Park Keeper's Lodge in a south London park is much loved by the local community but has remained empty for some years. This proposal refurbishes and extends the Lodge to create supported living accommodation for people with autism alongside a new community use of the ground floor of the Lodge. It is intended that the community space will include a social enterprise, such as a cafe, that would offer employment to the residents. The residential accommodation is arranged around a new courtyard to the north side of the Lodge, screened by trees and planting from the main road and the Park whilst the community spaces are entered from the southern, more public, elevation. The supported accommodation consists of a mix of individual rooms with ensuite bathrooms and small studio flats together with shared kitchen/dining/living rooms. The courtyard and the circulation around it encourage communal activities whereas the individual rooms face out over the surrounding garden and the park and give each resident plenty of privacy.