Epsom Railway Station

Epsom and Ewell

A new railway station ticket hall, 124 new homes, a hotel and retail uses. Designed by Rolfe Judd.

We also reviewed this scheme on 20 April 2010.

Summary

We welcome this opportunity to comment on the redevelopment of Epsom Station, and the associated over site development, but regret to say that we think significant further work is needed prior to planning approval. Whilst we do not have any concerns about the scale and massing of the development, we think the current proposals are not of sufficient design quality for this important site. We think further thought is needed in terms of the station design, the quality of apartments, architectural expression, art strategy, public space and sustainability. In our view a fundamental rethink is required, to achieve greater improvements to the station, a great place to live, and an architectural character more responsive to Epsom.

Scale and quantum of development

We understand that the local authority have some concerns about the scale and massing of development. In our view, the height proposed could be appropriate, but we think that more generosity is needed within this towards both the station, and residential units. Given that one of the main drivers for this project is the desire to upgrade Epsom station, we think the amount of space this is given in the new building, and its lack of prominence on the street, is not acceptable. Likewise, we think that single aspect apartments, accessed from long dark corridors, are not acceptable. As a result, we think a reduction in the overall number of apartments will be needed, to create more space for additional circulation cores, allowing shorter corridors, dual aspect apartments, and a more spacious ticket hall.

Station

Within the confines of the building envelope they have been given, we think that Landolt & Brown have achieved a station design with some positive qualities. However, although we accept that rebuilding the station subway may not be viable, there is no reason for the new ticket hall to have similar pinched proportions. Improving the quality of the station is an important aspiration of the local authority for this site, and we would support them in demanding a more radical improvement. A well proportioned, light and spacious station, constructed from high quality materials, could be a delight for commuters to use, and a celebration of travel. However, the station currently accounts for a very small proportion of the development area, and we think the right balance has not been struck between station and commercial development. We think the client and design team should consider how the spatial qualities of the station can be improved, for example through a double height entrance, which would also admit more light. More thought is also needed to increase the prominence of the station on the street, and this is discussed in our comments below on architectural expression.

Apartments

The residential accommodation proposed as part of this development is characterised by narrow entrances, long dark corridors, and single aspect flats, of which half face north over the railway lines. We do not think that good views to the north will compensate for a lack of sunlight and daylight. We also think it is unlikely that openable windows will be possible on the north façade, due to noise from the railway and the screeching of brakes as trains pull into the station. All of these concerns lead us to the view that additional residential entrances, lifts and stairs are essential to reduce the length of corridors, give scope to bring daylight into circulation spaces, and allow the creation of more dual aspect flats. As part of the process of rethinking the design of residential units, we think the design team should consider how more amenity space could be created, for example using the roof to create shared or private terraces.

Architectural expression

Epsom town centre is characterised by development of narrow plot widths, creating varied streetscapes, with regular vertical emphasis. It is clear that the architects for this development have tried to respond to this, by alternating panels of brick and glass across the façade. However, this does not reflect the linear internal organisation of the building, which relies on long internal corridors. Creating clusters of apartments around a number of circulation cores, as described above, could create a genuine terrace of individual buildings. More thought is also needed about the way the station is expressed on the street. Despite the efforts of Rolfe Judd to highlight the station entrance, at street level there is little to distinguish it from the retail units either side. The use of a glazed section of façade to signal its presence seems a rather empty gesture, particularly since it does not align with the circulation route through the ticket hall and subway. This development is an important new element in Epsom town centre and needs to play a part in defining the character of the place at this key point of arrival. One possible solution would be to move the hotel to a location above the station entrance. These are the two civic elements of the project brief, and might combine well as a public focal point of the architecture. As work continues on the external expression of this project, it would be helpful to see street elevations, and sections that show the building in its wider context.

Public art

A welcome aspect of the current scheme is the intention to involve artists in the design of the car park ventilation grilles, and glass cladding above the station entrance. We have two reservations about this public art strategy. Firstly, we wonder whether having two separate commissions for the ventilation grilles and cladding is the best way forward. For this to be successful, it will be essential that the artists selected collaborate in developing their ideas, to achieve a coherent approach. Secondly, we think that bringing art into the station interior would be valuable, particularly if thought of as a three dimensional extension of the artwork highlighting the entrance.

Public space

Little information has been provided about improvements to the public realm outside the station, and it is telling that drawings of the station stop at its threshold. The design of the space directly outside the station will be essential to its success. This needs to function as a meeting place, somewhere people stop to orientate themselves, and as an interchange with buses or taxis. It could also be somewhere that people want to sit and drink a coffee, read a paper, or eat a sandwich whilst they are waiting for their train. We think further thought is needed to achieve a space that fulfils all these requirements.

Sustainablility

The current design locks together different building uses with very different life expectancies, and cycles of redevelopment. A station is likely to have a very long lifespan, as do residential units. This is not true of hotels and retail units, which have a much shorter lifespan. We think this may cause problems for the sustainability of the development as a whole over the long term. For this reason, we think it would be preferable to disengage these different building uses, for example by separating them with party walls. This could also help divide what is currently a very long building into genuinely separate elements that could be expressed as such in their external appearance.

Station developments

CABE is pleased to review this scheme for Epsom Station as the first of a number of station regeneration projects currently being brought forward by Solum Regeneration, a partnership between Network Rail and Kier. We would be pleased to comment on each of these proposals, and would encourage Solum to consult us on these at a pre-application stage. We would also welcome an opportunity to review revised proposals for Epsom station.