Former pub site in central Stratford to be turned into flats

IT’S TAKEN four years but developers finally have the green light to turn the former Green Dragon site on the corner of Arden and Greenhill Streets into a mixed residential and commercial-use block.

Despite strong and long-running objections that the four-storey development is ‘overbearing’, ‘dwarfs’ other buildings and is ‘not appropriate for an historic town’, the scheme at 1 Arden Street was granted planning permission by Stratford District Council, subject to conditions.

The first, second and third floors will be transformed into 16 apartments - 14 one-bedroom and two two-bedroom.

Six apartments are on the first floor, six on the second and four on the third.

The application 21/02447/FUL, approved in the spring, dates back to July 2021 and was originally for 18 flats.

The ground floor, given over to commercial use, is configured for two units that can be converted into one.

There is also an electric smart car pool and bicycle storage area.

On top of the building are two communal terraces and roof gardens.

The applicant is Mr A Singh of Arden Developments and the agent is Elliot Goodall of Stratford-based Studio Spicer Architects.

The site, once the home to the Green Dragon pub and before that Maison nightclub, is widely criticised as an eyesore and has been the subject of intense debate.

Another central objection to the new mixed-use development was that there are only four parking spaces, despite there being four times as many apartments.

Objections logged as recently as March this year include one from K Lapworth of John Street who objected on the grounds that the proposed development is “completely overbearing and does not fit in with the surrounding area”.

They also highlighted the mis-fit with parking standards.

A J Cox of Payton Street also objected in March saying: “Four parking spaces for 16 apartments is woefully inadequate and does not meet the requirements from SDC for developments within this area.”

Describing it as an “overdevelopment of this site” they called for residents of the development to be banned from applying for on-street parking permits.

They also criticised the design, saying “…the height of this building is still overbearing considering its surroundings, as it would dwarf those building on Greenhill Street, and its design not appropriate for the ‘gateway’ into the historic town of Stratford”.

Former county Councillor Tim Sinclair was another who lodged an objection in November last year, on grounds it doesn’t meet the parking objectives and he pointed out parking zones in the area “are already oversubscribed and cannot take any further volume”.

Back in February 2023, objections included one from P Phipps of Woodstock House who stated: “Any development on this site should be in keeping with the character and appearance of the surrounding area, and no higher than the building it replaces.

“This modernistic design is utterly out of scale, and place for this part of our historic town.”

Others who opposed it included the Stratford Society, who expressed concern “no account is taken of the Greenhill and Arden Streets environment improvement plan… to provide high-quality pedestrian and cycle links at this junction, recognising that it is an important gateway to the town”.

And in an earlier objection, logged in April 2022, the society warned: “The height of the building would dominate the Arden Street/Greenhill Street junction, being out of proportion to surrounding buildings and visible above the roofline from various directions.”

They acknowledged: “There can be no doubt that Greenhill Street is in need of regeneration, and this vacant site provides a valuable opportunity to begin that process and to provide more residential accommodation in the heart of the town.

“The junction is also an important gateway to the town, requiring improvement in terms of access for residents and visitors alike.

“But, coming right up against the existing narrow pavement, the plans take no account of the agreed Neighbourhood Development Plan.

“Under this, the Greenhill and Arden Street Environment Improvement Plan aims to provide high quality pedestrian and cycle links at this junction.”

The CPRE also objected to the development.