2010

When OKA, the home furnishings and accessories retailer, opened in 2010 we were delighted to see these retail premises come back to life after lying empty since Jerry’s Home Store closed in 2002 (after closure, its windows were covered in brown paper, and it quickly became an eyesore).

We and residents were active for eight years, and through numerous planning applications, dealing with the redevelopment the basement, ground, and first floors of this five storey residential block as well as two of the three small shops in Pond Place. We all worked to achieve a design that was appropriate for the building and to ensure the quality of life for residents was not compromised by the loading bays at the rear or the two new and two enlarged flats on the first floor.

An acceptable design was eventually reached, but it required a number of planning applications (in which we succeeded in improving some aspects of the design and in preventing roof terraces being built) and much effort by us and our members in the flats above.