Cities are a right old puzzle, aren't they? Always such a "curate's egg". Take the area Lisson Grove in central London as a case in point. When I was involved at Paddington, we were always acutely conscious of the conundrum of Lisson Grove, and its relative deprivation. Really very strange, given its "posh" postcodes of NW1 and NW8. In spite of its seemingly auspicious location between up-market Regents Park, St John's Wood and Marylebone (as well as the ever rising Paddington and Little Venice of course) the area has always had an uncertain character.
It was once a farm naturally (hence the name) but by the 19th century the district was documented as one of London's worst slums. The area was notorious for drinking and prostitution, as well as the extreme poverty of the people and the squalor and deprivation of their surrounds. After the second world war numerous local authority buildings were thrown up to cater for the area's burgeoning population. But, as with so much council-funded, post-war architecture, many of the new estates were cheaply constructed and drab, destined to suffer from urban blight within a few decades. Today, Lisson Grove remains resolutely ungentrified, despite being in the heart of central London. And, as a result of poorly considered urban planning, there is little in the way of community fabric.
Now one of my trusted correspondents (thank you Anna) has kindly alerted me to a new project to help revitalise the community of Lisson Grove. Architects Mae will deliver a split-site "Lifetime Neighbourhood", consisting of two new flagship buildings. Lead architect Alex Ely says: "The development will deliver a diverse and vibrant mix of uses for the fragmented local community. The mix of housing, healthcare facilities, offices, enterprise spaces, cafes and gardens will help harness social capital and create a place to sustain the local community."
It was once a farm naturally (hence the name) but by the 19th century the district was documented as one of London's worst slums. The area was notorious for drinking and prostitution, as well as the extreme poverty of the people and the squalor and deprivation of their surrounds. After the second world war numerous local authority buildings were thrown up to cater for the area's burgeoning population. But, as with so much council-funded, post-war architecture, many of the new estates were cheaply constructed and drab, destined to suffer from urban blight within a few decades. Today, Lisson Grove remains resolutely ungentrified, despite being in the heart of central London. And, as a result of poorly considered urban planning, there is little in the way of community fabric.
Now one of my trusted correspondents (thank you Anna) has kindly alerted me to a new project to help revitalise the community of Lisson Grove. Architects Mae will deliver a split-site "Lifetime Neighbourhood", consisting of two new flagship buildings. Lead architect Alex Ely says: "The development will deliver a diverse and vibrant mix of uses for the fragmented local community. The mix of housing, healthcare facilities, offices, enterprise spaces, cafes and gardens will help harness social capital and create a place to sustain the local community."
The housing within the scheme will be designed to HAPPI recommendations
(that's "Housing for an Ageing Population Panel for Innovation" for
those of you acronym junkies out there; no, I'd never heard of it
either) and will accommodate existing residents of the run down Penn
House on Lisson Grove. One of the new buildings will cleverly utilise a
strip of dead land currently designated as a SLOAP ("space left over
after planning". Sigh. Yes, I know) between Lisson Grove and Bernhardt
Crescent.
The area around Church Street NW8 was designated as a priority neighbourhood in the Westminster Housing Renewal Strategy in 2010. The Mae scheme will comprehensively address a number of the main regeneration issues that the area faces. The mixed-use scheme is part of Westminster council's broader initiative to create over 1,000 new affordable homes across the most run down areas of Westminster Borough.
This is to be hugely applauded. The supply of affordable housing in Westminster, particularly for the elderly, is perilously low. For many older citizens who have lived their whole lives in Lisson Grove, but who cannot afford alternative properties in London's second most expensive borough, it is to be hoped that this new development will help re-energise the local community (the fictional home of Eliza Doolittle, no less). And it will offer a convivial, affordable future for folk who deserve it. In this era of social disconnection, I am always greatly encouraged to hear of schemes where the long-term residents are able to live out the twilight of their years among friends and family. Love and laughter is the key. And it is in short supply.
The area around Church Street NW8 was designated as a priority neighbourhood in the Westminster Housing Renewal Strategy in 2010. The Mae scheme will comprehensively address a number of the main regeneration issues that the area faces. The mixed-use scheme is part of Westminster council's broader initiative to create over 1,000 new affordable homes across the most run down areas of Westminster Borough.
This is to be hugely applauded. The supply of affordable housing in Westminster, particularly for the elderly, is perilously low. For many older citizens who have lived their whole lives in Lisson Grove, but who cannot afford alternative properties in London's second most expensive borough, it is to be hoped that this new development will help re-energise the local community (the fictional home of Eliza Doolittle, no less). And it will offer a convivial, affordable future for folk who deserve it. In this era of social disconnection, I am always greatly encouraged to hear of schemes where the long-term residents are able to live out the twilight of their years among friends and family. Love and laughter is the key. And it is in short supply.
Lisson Grove is populated largely by relatively recently arrive refugees and economic migrants. It is not a traditional community of working class Londoners. Generally speaking, it is not as bad as South Kilburn or further west but it can be dangerous and is not safe for women at night. Gangs are largely aligned to the ethnic origin of the member and it is often middle-eastern here. It is crime and threat of violence that stops young professional people moving in here and this is basically because Councils keep filling and refilling these areas with people with low chances for economic progress and not taking action against criminals living is state housing. It is not more "affordable housing" we need here but, proportionally less! Thank goodness, this idea seems to be taking hold.
I completely agree Jackie. That part of London reminds me of New York - walking from wealthy splendour to real deprivation within a road or two. Before the RICS I used to work in St John's Wood doing Leasehold Reform Act stuff for landlords and it was a continual surprise how these completely disparate areas coexisted in such close proximity.
Great blog by the way!