May 2010 Archives

Last year is when it all started:

This is the Eco-Village on the site of St George's  proposed Kew HQ development, just by the bridge in Brentford. I visited it a few times, lastly in November 2009 when it looked like this:

 But it was never going to last. Yesterday the bailiffs moved in and the eco-warriors moved out...

...and found a more central location:

...Parliament Square. So does all this mean that Kew HQ if finally kicking off?

I've bloged quite a bit about this site in Norton Folgate, have a look here for the full story. I also bloged about sites where construction is yet to start but which are still generating an income from temporary uses. LandSec's Park House  with it's dinosaur exhibition was one of the most high-profile examples of late. Then a few days ago I passed the Light Bar and saw this rather unque use of development land. A golf driving range, right on the edge of the City.

Saw this slither of a house for sale (Village Estates) on Homerton High Street a couple of days ago. It looks derelict, but why the satellite dish?

Paul's Signs of the Past Disappearing Fast blog looked at 'Ghostsigns', the billboards of yesteryear that were painted directly on to the brickwork. Here's my contribution, Alton Road in Richmond, this morning:

Less than a hundred years ago, on a Sunday morning, you could have wandered down to Sclater Street market, just off Brick Lane and bought youself an elephant.

This is how George Sims describes the market in 1911:

"There was a wonderful assortment of wild beasts. Lions coming from Africa, and elephants on the way from India, a telegram announcing the arrival at Liverpool of a consignment of apes, and letters from clients inquiring the lowest price of various Noah's Ark specialities, from a boa-constrictor to a giraffe, from a zebra to a Polar bear."

Nearly a hundred years later it looks like this:

The market has gone but on it's way is a new Telford Homes development, Avant Garde.

 Permission was granted in early 2008 for the development, ground works have just started and 360 units are on the way.

Of course, the developer and scheme attributed to this floor plan will remain anonymous!

Here's Lesney's toy factory in Homerton, just by the Hackney Cut last year:

...and here it was (or rather wasn't) yesterday:

Telford Homes are developing the site to provide nearly 260 units with roughly a 50% split between private and social. The scheme will be called Matchmakers Wharf in tribute to the toys that were produced at the factory...

Matchbox cars are still being produced today costing a few pounds each. The model above, however, a rare blue VW van with black wheels will set you back around £10,000. Whilst some people are happy to collect others are intent on modifying. Here are some people who made a rocket powered one (do not try this at home)...

This blog hasn't got much to do with London or the residential market, but I just thought I'd  share it. We've all heard of the recent plans of High Speed 2, first announced by Labour back in March and then subsequently given the thumbs up approval by the coalition government. The early plans indicate it will likely run from Euston in central London to New Street in Birmingham and then on to the north and Scotland, but this is obviously still a little way off yet.

Moving back to the high-speed though, lets look east and see what the Chinese are doing. A report in Building magazine last week showed the extent of their rail investment and staggering is the only way I can describe it. By 2020, 25,000km (16,000 miles) of high-speed track will be laid, along with underground metros for 20 cities.

The high-speed network will comprise 8 major corridors, 4 running north-south and 4 running east-west. The Beijing-to-Shanghai line will be 1,318km in length, after starting construction in 2008 it is due to complete next year. The line will feature 244 bridges, including the world's longest bridge, a 164km span between Danyang and Kunshan. Yep, a 164km (one hundred and sixty four kilometer) bridge. I even had to check this on google using the distance measurement tool and it's right, these two cities are roughly this distance apart with a great lake in the way. They haven't left out a decimal point, like I originally thought.

And the distance between Euston station and Birmingham's New Street station as the crow flies you wonder? Well, it's 161kms  

Having sifted through all the entries (2) for this, our most popular ever picture quiz, I am pleased to announce that we have a winner. Sarah your prize, a hand crafted origami elephant (featuring some of the 9,000 site visit photos we take each year) awaits (pictures above and below).

Mark Loveday, a conservative councillor in Hammersmith & Fulham responsible for major development and strategy has stated that London can expect an influx of big planning applications within the next two months.

Speaking at the M&N Communications 'Future of London' last month, where the architects and planners brought together prominent councillors from the three major parties in a seminar led discussion, Loveday suggested "no significant planning applications" had been put forward in the last eight months because developers wanted to avoid getting "caught up in the mess of the election."

"The next 18 months would be prime time for major planning applications, such as the King Street and Earls Court regeneration projects, because of the lack of political uncertainty ahead of the mayoral election in two years".

He gave the King Street and Earls Court regeneration projects as two examples of applications that had been "on hold" in Hammersmith & Fulham because of uncertainty around the election.

Above, an aerial view of the huge Ealrs Court exhibition space along with the extensive area around the site, which is also to be redeveloped. Planning applications on this as well as other major development sites are expected to go into planning soon, now that developers know which party or parties as it now is are running country. 

Came across an interesting story on the Evening Standard site today, you may come across it on your way home from work tonight. It shows research done by Zoopla.co.uk which states there are nearly 1,500 streets in London where the average property costs more than £1 million. Unsurprisingly Kensington has the most expensive postcode, that honour going to W8, with the average home costing nearly £1.6 million. The area is also home to the most expensive street, Kensignton Palace Gardens with the average house costing £18 million. Chelsea is the second most expensive postcode area, with homes averaging £1.3 million, followed by SW7 in Knightsbridge and W11 in Notting Hill, where homes sell for around £1.1 million. London accounts for nine out of the top 10 most expensive postcodes in the country.

Below, a typical house on Kensington Palace Gardens, the most expensive street in the UK.

Incidentally the total number of streets in Britain where the average house price is above seven figures is 1,995. Outside of London Guildford and Richmond have the highest, with 47 and and 44 respectively.

A huge £85 million memorial is planned to be built at the RAF museum in Hendon to commemorate the Battle of Britain. Standing at 350ft it will contain a display of replica aircraft simulating the dogfights of 1940. Named the 'Battle of Britain Beacon', the museum wants work to be completed in the lifetime of Battle of Britain veterans and will begin fund raising this summer. Going from this first render expect massive opposition from residents. Third party right of appeals? Think a few people may object...

In other more residential news but still RAF based, comes from a large planning application on the former RAF base in Uxbridge. Although sitting on the green belt, an application master planned by Sheppard Robson has recently been submitted for 1,303 new homes. VSM Estates are the developer, which is a joint venture between St Modwen Properties and Vinci. This scheme forms part of  'Project MODEL' where the two developers are joining forces to develope a number of 'Ministry of Defence Estates in London'. The extent of the vast area being developed is shown below.

Where was this picture taken...

My colleague Nigel recently blogged (link) about NEO bankside stating you can normally tell a lot about a development by its marketing suite. Well, here's another one...

This is Ballymore's Baltimore Wharf sales and marketing suite currently opposite the site and next to the Pan Peninsula development in Millwall Dock.  

This one tells us the scheme will be extravangant, there looking for pre-sales as the tower element doesn't look like starting any time soon and they're probably not selling many at the moment, going by the fact it was'nt open and there was little activity inside.

The tower element is yet to start although the lower rise has recently completed. 291 units have apparently been sold in the first phase out of 493 with 50% of those having been acquired by investors. Units in the scond phase, the tower element have yet to be launched however. This is what the scheme will look like once completed...

and this is the view your have...

Towards the end of last year I reported on Park Plaza aiming to build one of their Art'otel branded hotels in the heart of Shoreditch/Hoxton. The story is here: Since then though the plans have been redesigned by Squire & Partners to look something like this.

As you can probably guess, the locals arn't happy, many say it's too big and out of context in the local area. 289 objections have been recieved by Hackney council, a lot of them notably referencing the loss of the popular Foundry which is a public house turned art gallery and has done a lot for the local art scene.

The 18-storey hotel has been criticised and compared by some to a flashy waste bin thanks to its drum-like design. English Heritage also appose the desgins who have complained that there is little justification for a tall building in the area.

Interestingly though the ever more in favourable to high-rises Boris Johnson has given it the big thumps up with the GLA planning report stating that "the current proposal includes an innovative and interesting design which responds effectively to the urban context of the Shoreditch area and complies with the London Plan." It also stated that the Mayor was content for Hackney Council to determien the case itself.

Expect this scheme to be going before committee members in the not too distant future.

Here's a topical observation from Neil Young, CEO of property portfolio managers, Young Group:

With no clear winner emerging from the closest fought election in 80 years, should the leaders of the three main parties decide to bunk up together in 10 Downing Street, they'll need a change of use planning application.

Under new rules rushed through the Commons before the dissolution of parliament - and without the usual consultation process - houses occupied by 3 or more unrelated parties now need to be reclassified as House of Multiple Occupancy and require a change of status.  Perhaps more thought should have been given to this ill-conceived change in legislation that many in the industry are lobbying to be overturned.

 

With just a few days left now until the votes are cast for the general election, stories have been circulating about the future role of the London mayor if the conservatives would gain the keys to number 10. Ultimately for Boris Johnson this would mean more power and contol over the capital as well as the introduction of another 12 mayors across other major cities.

Under the new plans for London published on Friday, Johnson would have new powers over four key areas of housing and regeneration, the Port of London Authority, rail franchises, and the Olympics legacy.

One of the main beneficiaries for Boris in terms of the capitals housing would be the responsibility of the £1.1bn budget of the Homes & Communities Agency, at the moment he chairs the HCA but has no control over its budget or day-to-day running.

The Tories stated that "the GLA is not able to play a full and effective role in scrutinising the delivery of housing on behalf of Londoners, the London HCA should therefore be legally incorporated into the GLA Group, being under the mayor's direct influence and subject to scrutiny by the London Assembly."

This all rather makes sense to me with the conservatives having also previously stated that quangos would be reduced under their government. In this instance they are removing its power and handing its reign over to the mayor. Now if those house building targets are not met, we all know who to blame!  

If someone offered you the chance to live in a unique detached house on the seafront with magnificant views, all for £35,000 it would be quite hard to say no. However, what if that house used to be a public toilet?! This is the story of the couple in Scarborough, North Yorkshire who bought the lease of a public convenience on the sea front and turned it into their 'dream home'.

The Victorian building, seen above before and after the conversion, is over a century old and was used as lavatories right up until the 1990s. The couple have spent £35,000 on refurbishment of the building, using a local architect Barry Denton for advice. The work included digging out the drains of the old urinals and cubicles and installing underfloor gas heating, patio doors and windows. The house now includes a bathroom and a double bedroom with a bay view, shared by the lounge and the kitchen. There is still evidence of the building's previous use though, with gates at the front of the house that used to separate the entrances for Gentlemen and Ladies.

The council are in full support of the conversion and have allowed the couple to extend their lease for another 21 years.

A novel use of a derelict building it may be but I can't see the idea of living in an old toilet that appealing to most people.

Advertisements painted by hand directly onto the brickwork of buildings were once a common sight in cities, towns and villages across the country. The rise of printed billboards soon led to their decline but many still survive, often faded, clinging to the walls that host them. These 'Ghostsigns' provide a window into the past and evidence of the craftsmanship that once went into their production. However, they are disappearing fast, often due to weathering but also as a result of property development and demolition. This is an example of a good one near to me in Brixton town centre.

The History of Advertising Trust has now set out to photograph, record and archive the last survivors of this fading advertising medium. Over 600 examples have been documented so far, touting many different products and services, some familiar, some less so. Alongside advertisements for Hovis, Nestle and Boots are others for Bile Beans, Puck Matches and Peterkin's Custard. The archive can be found here with an interesting blog too which is documenting the progress of their work.

Interestingly Stella Artois who always seem to be at the forefront of modern advertising have recently themselves reverted back to the art of 'ghost signs'. Across 3 weeks in New York, they made 14 different signs in all to make it look like from start to finish the pint glass was being poured and served. For the full story visit the site.