2 Maresfield Gardens

Development planning

AZ Urban Studio has secured planning permission to add a full new floor of residential accommodation to a large detached property in the Fitzjohns and Netherall Conservation Area in Camden’s grand and leafy NW3 area.

The new owners of the building at 2 Maresfield Gardens contacted our planning team for advice having reviewed the permissions we gained for neighbouring properties at 4 Maresfield Gardens and 9 Fitzjohns Avenue in recent years.

With a huge basement already constructed under no.2 and much of the rear garden, adding height to the building was the only real option for maximising value at the site.

Working with William Smalley RIBA, we prepared a detailed Heritage Assessment setting out the established character of the street, and how the existing building at no.2 – which appears underscaled for its prominent position in the streetscape – could accept a full additional floor without causing harm to the building or the conservation area. The Heritage Assessment formed a key component of the broader Design & Access / Planning Statement we prepared for the project, alongside other documentation we prepared including a Construction Method Statement.

The approved scheme ‘inserts’ a floor into the building at second-floor level by removing the roof storey and rebuilding it a level higher above the new inserted storey. The additional floor area allows for a much-improved arrangement to the six residential units within and will deliver high-quality residential accommodation in this highly desirable location.

Our planning team worked closely with officers of Camden council to resolve minor issues arising during the determination of the application, and we are delighted to have gained another valuable permission for clients in NW3, and what will be another great addition to the Fitzjohns and Netherall Conservation Area.