Policy information sourced from the Finsbury Local Plan

BC7 Historic Clerkenwell

The special character of this historic part of London will be protected and enhanced through heritage-led development that reinforces its uniqueness, integrity and socio-cultural value; and provides for limited expansion in floorspace, including:

  • A range of employment uses, including business workspaces suitable for SMEs, affordable workspaces for specialist industries, and small-scale retail and leisure uses, with complementary residential uses provided where appropriate.
  • An enhanced public realm that respects and enhances the historic environment and its setting.

The following should be provided by development proposals:

A) The provision of a mix of employment uses, consistent with Policy BC8, and which:

  • Positively reinforce the character of the street or space,
  • Provide active uses at ground level fronting major roads and key streets,
  • Where appropriate, incorporate a proportion of residential uses where it can be demonstrated that a high standard of amenity can be achieved.

B) New buildings of high architectural quality and local distinctiveness, of a height, scale and massing that respects and enhances the immediate and wider context, consistent with the predominant building height. New development should reflect long established building lines, street frontages and plot widths. Roof extensions, plant rooms and lift overruns should conform to prevailing building heights and should not harm the character and appearance of the existing building as seen from streets and public open spaces.

C) The conservation and enhancement of heritage assets and townscape attributes, including Conservation Areas, Scheduled Ancient Monuments, listed buildings, buildings and features of local importance, historic shopfronts, strategic and local views to St. Paul’s Cathedral, and street-level views of landmarks (refer to Appendix 3 for details of specific heritage assets). New development should respect historic building footprints, and should not result in the demolition or amalgamation of buildings with existing character value. Buildings that frame strategic and local views of landmarks should enhance the quality of the view, in particular components within the view that are of heritage value.

D) Public space and street improvements that enhance the area’s historic character, promote pedestrian and cyclist movement and safety, create outdoor amenity, entertainment and leisure space, and increase biodiversity and green coverage, alongside measures to improve public appreciation of historic sites (e.g. through plaques, markers and public art). Public space enhancements should improve the quality of spaces and local views, by transferring underused road and car parking spaces to pedestrian use and removing unnecessary visual clutter (e.g. posts, walls and railings). The provision of permanent or temporary public toilet facilities will be supported where these are well integrated into the public realm, do not inhibit pedestrian movement and do not result in unacceptable visual impacts.

E) The use of vernacular and other high quality, complementary materials within new or refurbished buildings, and the retention of existing yorkstone paving, granite and wooden setts and kerbstones, traditional cast-iron bollards, cast-iron coal hole covers, old street signs, parish boundary plaques, railings and drinking troughs.

F) The protection of existing alleyways, pedestrian routes and yards, and, where appropriate, the creation of complementary new pedestrian routes to link key destinations, open spaces and public transport nodes, consistent with the existing character of the area.

G) Design measures to mitigate local environmental and health impacts, and which protect and enhance biodiverse areas (particularly St. John’s Gardens, which is a Site of Importance for Nature Conservation). Measures may include green roofs and walls where appropriate, sustainable drainage techniques, and connection to or creation of Decentralised Energy network(s), where viable.

For more information please see the Local Plan