Distillery Tower; Rising High or Falling Flat?

An unusual yellow box is attracting some attention as it reaches up to the sky making its mark on the south east London skyline; it is in fact the construction site for the 80meter tall “old Seager Distillery” residential tower in Deptford.

SE8 and the Deptford bridge area had been earmarked for regeneration and redevelopment around 12 years ago, finally you can start to see the concrete evidence of change. The council’s intention is to turn the area into a cultural hub, an urban quarter of London that people will come to live, work and spend their money.

Recently Deptford had a brief but significant amount of global exposure, when the New York Times urged Americans to visit the Borough in an article entitled “In London, New Cross & Deptford attract the hip”. Much to the confusion of the media and local residents.

Way back in 2001 Galliard homes produced plans to redevelop a piece of land located next to the Deptford Bridge DLR station, the design was granted planning permission and praised for its design and interaction with the community by the then Mayor of London, Ken Livingstone. After a staggering 8 years and a little demolition later it was all systems go.

Galliard have used all the key words we are so used to hearing when it comes to new residential buildings; “stunning development” “luxurious city styled apartments” etc etc... For once I was willing to accept the PR padding and hoped the tower lived up to expectations.

As any Londoner will know tall buildings in London have been on the increase since Ken Livingstone became Mayor back in 2000, the new guide lines in the London Plan have allowed areas such as Canary Wharf and the City to boom and expand upwards.
However the public’s reaction to “tall buildings” or “tower blocks” (as they are so often incorrectly referred to) can still seem pretty negative, which can seem irrational when you consider over the last ten years the London eye and the Gherkin have become much loved iconic symbols of modern London.

I Visited the construction site this afternoon to check out the progress on the distillery, the site was a hive of activity with workmen riding up the side of this concrete skeleton in bright orange lifts. On the ground floor cladding has started being attached.
Obviously no building can be judged or viewed fairly until completion, however on my first observation it doesn’t quite live up to my hopeful expectations which had been promised in the developers brief. It had a slight resemblance to the cladding currently being applied to Pioneer Point in Ilford (unfortunately that isn’t a compliment).

Deptford Bridge has potential written all over it from the empty disused carparks to the worn but beautiful townhouses. Kensington and Chelsea this will never be, and for that I am thankful.
Adding to the cultural credentials of Deptford, the tower will house a “sky gallery” offering residents vistas across the capital and towards Canary Wharf. 26 floors below a cafe, bookshop and art gallery will attempt to entice passersby into the newly landscaped public realm.

Distillery tower is due for completion in phase 2 of 2011, the question is; will this tower become a shining beacon for the future of Deptford? Or yet another lost opportunity?