The Pint of Milk Test

NEO

2010-03-19T16:11:35Z

You can usually tell quite a bit about a development from the marketing suite. This is the one for NEO Bankside, on the site of the old Dave Musset building, slap bang opposite the Tate Modern and 5 minutes walk to the Globe.

All go at the Elephant

2010-03-19T11:42:06Z

Quite a few stories circulatting at the moment regarding the Elephant and Castle, all positive too, which is something that hasn't been said too often in the past.

Firstly an article in todays Times titled 'The High Life in Elephant & Castle'. In it it asks whether the newly built Strata will be a symbol of hope and says it could be the making of one of the capital's most deprived areas.

The Strata building which some apparently now are calling 'The Razor', really? do we have to? is now very nearly complete. The Guardian has an interesting story (link) on the buildings green credentials, which states that the wind turbines blades are due on site next week and will be winched into place in early April. When that does happen it will become the world's first building with wind turbines built into it's fabric, the fact that they will provide just 8% of the buildings electricty needs, is a little bit less fantastic. They also have some really good photos of the scheme here, some of them shown below.

In other news, the redevelopment of the tatty and outdated (still a huge understatement) shopping centre could take place earlier than planned. Southwark, St Modwen and Lend Lease are currently discussing how to bring it forward after it got pushed back to phase 6 in last years revised regeneration programme. The operative word here though is 'could', these three have been talking for years... (the story in full)

I've saved the best till last however, with the news that the Heygate Estate is finally going under the wrecking ball, with demolition works recently getting underway. According to 24dash.com the Rodney Road and Wingrave blocks are now vacant and will form phase one of the demolition. They say the removal and salvage of flat contents, vermin baiting and a hygiene sweep is already in progress. Banners have also been erected on empty blocks to advise the very last staggling residents that demolition is now underway.

I'll leave you with this photo taken from the 19th floor of Strata, looking out onto the Heygate Estate. The average price for residential units is £500,000 with just a few out of the 310 private units still left to go. One of those though is the the top floor penthouse still on the market for £2,500,000. I think the price tag merits a better view than this, although hopefully the view won't hang around for too long now.

Temporarily Entertaining

2010-03-19T11:01:32Z

Last month I blogged about LandSec's Park House development on Oxford Street. Works are yet to start, but that does not mean that there's nothing happening on site, far from it.

Go there today and you'll see this:

It's all part of the Dinosaurs Unleashed Exhibition, a temporary attraction with about a month still left to run. The key word here is temporary.

Back in the heady pre-Lehman days, it was all so easy; buy land - build on land - sell the stuff that you built - make profit - repeat process. Things are a bit more complicated now.

When do you build? Will the market have improved by the time your development's finished? Will there be anyone out there with the money to buy? It's all a question of timing, and in this game of musical chairs, you stand to loose a lot more than your seat if you get it wrong. But just because you haven't started building on a site doesn't mean you can't still make a profit from it, on the contrary.

If you've got a large, cleared open space in a decent location you could do a lot worse than appliying for the temporary use of the site for "large entertainment uses" as Land Sec did. And they're not the only ones. This summer Chelsea Barraks will become an antiques fair, although how successfull the new water feature at Potters Field (below) will be is anyone's guess.

Power to the pedestrians

2010-03-16T15:28:47Z

The concept of empowerment of pedestrians over the use of the car is an idea which planners and urban designers have pursued for quite a while now but has recently come to the fore (especially in central London) and is highlighted in these 3 stories below. Firstly, the new Oxford Circus Crossing. Recent research by consultants Atkins over the Christmas shopping period showed that the new crossing had improved safety 20% and made pedestrians feel less stressed. They also claimed it has generated £6.5m in benefits from pedestrian and vehicle journey time savings, recouping its costs inside a year.

Piccadilly Circus is also set for a transformation as part of a £14m revamp, which will rid the busy central London junction of guard railings. Westminster Council recently approved plans that will remove more than 1km of railings, build a central island along Piccadilly and Pall Mall and reintroduce two-way traffic. Work is expected to begin in November and take 12 months to complete.

Work has also recently begun (yesterday) on removing the southern roundabout of Elephant and Castle, 4 years after it was first promised. In its place will be a three-way junction with surface-level pedestrain crossings, with the horrible underground subways filled in. Work is expected to be finished early next year and will form the heart of the Elephant and Castle regeneration area, fronting the nearing completion Strata.

Boris's Island Airport 'pie in the sky'

2010-03-15T16:48:31Z

Medway Council have criticised Boris Johnson's ideas for an airport to be situated in the Thames Estuary, calling them 'pie in the sky'!

Johnson has set up a Thames Estuary steering group to look into the £40 billion scheme, but it has been dismissed as unworkable by environmentalists not least that by situating an airport in the Thames would mean that aircraft would be 12 times more likely to suffer a birdstrike than other airports that are situated inland. Medway Council joined with Kent County Council and the RSPB last year to launch a campaign against the Thames Estuary airport plan.

Further environmental concerns have risen in the report from the fact that the proposed airport would be situated to close to the major liquid natural gas port at Thamesport and the probababilty of the need of a new railway station has been over-looked.

London Buildings With Hidden Secrets

2010-03-15T15:15:47Z

Numerous buildings across London have come to light for being former locations where both foreign and domestic spies have hung out. The information has been published in a new book, 'The Insider's Guide to 150 Spy Sites in London' written by Mark Birdsall and Deborah Plisko.

Although Londoner's are familiar with the home of MI5 on Millbank and MI6 at Vauxhall Cross, other more inconspicuos buildings have been uncovered. Some of which can be linked to the Sixties Cambridge spy ring as well as those involved in the more recent death by polonium poisioning of former Russian agent Alexander Litvinenko who is believed to have been killed by disgruntled ex-KGB members.

Other buildings include the Cafe Daquise in South Kensington which held secret meetings between Christine Keeler the call girl at the centre of the Profumo scandal and Eugene Ivanor, a Soviet embassy civil servant.

The book also uncovers details of locations of supposed dead letter drops, front companies, safe houses, garages and underground sites all which have been associated with the work of the intelligence services.

CABE flexes muscle and Tesco's back down

2010-03-11T14:12:47Z

Influential architectural review panel CABE have savaged Tesco's plan for their major regeneration development in Bromley-by-Bow. They raised concerns that the project lacks a clear masterplan and is "incoherent" in its layout, is disjointed and divides the scheme into distinct quarters that conflict with one another. They also pointed out that most future residents will have a view either over grid-locked traffic or the roof of a huge new Tesco store. There wasn't a lot CABE did like on the scheme which was masterplanned by Callado Collins. In summing up the scheme they also stated that they were disappointed that CABE were not consulted at an earlier stage when they could have contributed more constructively to the design development process.

The government's advisor on architecture, urban design and public space published their review of this scheme on the 3rd of March, less than a week later Tesco's have sent their architects back to the drawing board. The supermarket giant said it had taken the criticism on board and, following this and further community consultation, was revising the scheme. A spokesman said: "We want the scheme to deliver the best result for the area and are grateful for the feedback we have received."

The scheme proposes a new district centre including a replacement Tesco store of nearly 12,000sqm, other retail and community uses, a hotel, a primary school and 403 residential units as well as a new public riverside park. CABE's review of the scheme can be found here.

With this recent CABE review and subsequent quick response from Tesco's its good to see that the Commission for Architecture and the Built Environment is doing exactly what it set out to achieve when it started back in 1999; improve design. You just wonder why if Tesco's give CABE's view in such high remark, why didn't they consult with them first? They may well do next time.

Brick Lane

2010-03-04T13:41:15Z

This next blog isn't strictly a residential one but it's interesting none the less, well I think so anyway. As a regular visitor to the Brick Lane area for site visit purposes, what I call 'the proper East End' and Jack the Ripper's old stomping ground, I came across this; the new Minaret outside the Brick Lane Mosque. The controversial structure actually gained consent back in January 2006 but has only now just been built. The idea gained prominence in the media around the mayoral election time last year as Ken Livingstone promised to help raise funds for it to gain the Muslim vote.

Other locals are not so fond of it however. Here are the reasons: The Brick Lane mosque is grade 2 listed and in a conservation area, the new Minaret as seen in the picture is quite large and obtrusive. Also intriguingly the mosque today as it stands lies comparable to when it was first built as a French Protestant Church in 1743. After this it was turned into a Methodist Chapel in 1819 and then again to a Jewish Synagogue in 1898. Now obviously it serves its purpose as a Mosque.

This building then has often been remarked as representing the history of successive communities of immigrants into London; from this point of view it may be called one of the most remarkable and evocative buildings in the area and one of London's architectural and historic treasures. As new influxes of people have come in to the area and taken over the building for their own religious purpose, they have given the building very slight changes. Now the argument persists that "what happens when another religion moves in to and dominates the local landscape?" It would be a lot harder to knock down a minaret instead of applying a lick of paint which is what has happened in the past.

Continuing the theme, Tower Hamlets also look set to approve two structures which represent veil head scarves worn by Muslim women at the entrances to Brick Lane, at the north and to the south. This has again proved hugely unpopular and is being paid for by S106 money from the Spitalfields refurbishment and the Broadgate Tower. Local protesters including artist Tracey Emin called the design "bulky, ungainly and unnecessary" and risked inflaming racial tension. The 'hijab gates' as they will be called will cost nearly £2m and has received 158 objections, but planners recommended granting permission at committee (tonight 04/03/2010). Below is the Brick Lane entrance on Bethnal Green Road with the proposed structure.

Going back to the Mosque, can you think of a building that better shows the influx of different social and religious groups through time to a particular place like the Brick Lane Mosque does? I can't.

Battersea Pumping Station

2010-03-03T16:56:31Z

After the long awaited submission of a planning application for Battersea Power Station in October 2009, as well as the support of the designs by the government, it looked as though progress was being made in rejuvenating the landmark site. However, it has emerged today that a little-known Victorian pumping station, pictured below, could further delay the development of the site.

The Victorian Society is opposing the plans for the power station as it would mean the demolition of the "historically important and rare" water pumping station. Treasury Holdings do not feel that they can make use of the pumping station, and believe that if it is not removed then it will damage the potential for recouping the cost of restoring the larger and more famous power station. However, previous planning permission to demolish the Grade II listed building expired in 2007 and nothing has been submitted since, so Treasury Holdings may have a long battle on their hands.

London Skyline

2010-02-26T09:38:20Z

Here's an entertaining interactive website from Hayes Davidson where you can build your very own London skyline. It has 3 views, past, present and future to all of which you can add a selection of actual and proposed buildings as well as ones from around the globe. So if you think you know the London skyline, go to the past view and start adding buildings. Once you're done click on the present or future tabs to see how well you did. Here's mine:

..not bad but the Doon Street development is way out. Once you get bored of that (how could you possibly) start adding buildings from around the world:

The Eiffel Tower and the Burj Khalifa, the oldest and newest in the selection sit well on the skyline, bit difficult to get through customs though.

Squabbling between Ministry of Sound and Oakmayne

2010-02-23T15:52:55Z

The Ministry of Sound nightclub is objecting to the redevelopment by Oakmayne of Eileen House in Elephant and Castle. The scheme pictured below has already been revised twice to make it shorter after both London Mayor Boris Johnson and government quango English Heritage expressed concerns about its height. In March 2009, after already reducing the height of the scheme Boris Johnson said it would ruin views from Hyde Park in the winter when the trees had shed their leaves.

Now the Ministry of Sound nightclub which lies directly across the road from the site has got in on the act voicing their objections to Southwark Council. They are worried that with 1,000 new residents moving in next door, just 1 has to complain, which could lead to a challenge of their license.

Oakmayne have offered to soundproof the club and pay the £400,000 towards it. Ministry of Sound say they will have to close up for up to a year and aren't prepared to compromise.

BBC 6 music even has a petition going to 'save it from the developers'. Ministry were there first way before the gentrifiers, 19 years it's been running with 300,000 people annually passing through its doors. With big London clubs closing in recent years like Turnmills and more recently The Astoria due to Crossrail London clubbers will hope another one is not wiped off the map.

Let's hope the two parties can come to a compromise though, becasue Elephant and Castle desperately needs the continued regeneration efforts that hopefully Strata will bring. £20m of S106 planning benefits is also at stake with £16m of that going towards affordable housing.

Click on this link to view the Eileen House wiki page on estatesgazette.com

The Shoal

2010-02-22T10:37:13Z

This is The Shoal, a Studio Egret sculpture that has just been granted planning permission from Newham council as an innovative way to brighten up the 2012 Olympic Games. The structure is 450m long and around 16m tall and will feature 180 polished titanium "leaves" which will sway gently in the breeze, running all the way around the Stratford gyratory.

This all may sound lovely, but the project is going to cost £3 million and the whole idea behind it is just to hide the "shabby" looking Stratford shops from the 2012 Olympic visitors and future Westfield shoppers.

Big new application for Skylines

2010-02-12T12:40:33Z

A new application has been submitted for the Skylines site on the Isle of Dogs. Development over the past few years has typically been to the south and west of Canary Wharf but it now seems to be shifting a bit to the south east. The Skylines site situated abutting both Limehouse and Marsh Wall will sit just to the south of Angel House, (due back to Tower Hamlets committee soon with recommendation to grant after recently getting deferred). Designed by Farrells it will house 806 residential units in total, 635 of them private. This has been reduced slightly from the scoping opinion which was for 903 residential units, the tallest building being 52 storeys. The full application has also dropped to 50 storeys, after consultation with the council. It will still be taller than nearby Pan Peninsula however. The scheme will also house a 123 bedroom hotel, 2,020sqm of retail and 6,900sqm of office space. The developer is ZVB Skylines with Rolfe Judd as agent.

Below are a couple of pictures I've taken from the design and access statement showing the Skylines site against other consented schemes on the Isle of Dogs and Canary Wharf.

The Grand Deptford Canal

2010-02-12T10:59:18Z

The news this week that City & Provencial Properties has lodged an application for a 1million sq ft waterside mixed-use redevelopment in Deptford came as a surprise, as almost all of Deptford's limited riverside space is already taken up by schemes in the pipeline or under construction, such as Convoy's Wharf and Greenwich Creekside.

Further research led me to discover that this new proposal, designed by Hawkins Brown, will not neighbour any existing waterway, but will be creating its own by going back to its roots. Back in the 19th and early 20th Centuries the Grand Surrey Canal flowed from Surrey Quays all the way down to Camberwell, running straight through the middle of the site in question in Deptford. The canal was the first to have 'canal police' to keep order along the waterways, but after concerns about the number of children falling in it was eventually drained in the 1960s and 70s.

The new plans propose to reinstate the old canal through the new residential development, acting as a 'heart' for the development and a 'sustainable urban drainage system'. However the new waterway will only pass through the extent of the site owned by City & Provencial and not the surrounding areas, meaning it may become more of a pond rather than a flowing waterway. The site in question currently looks like this:

The new plans hope to rejuvenate the site and the developers visualise something along the lines of this for the future residents:

It looks like the canal police will be back though, this time disguised as giant rubber ducks.

Olympic views

2010-02-11T13:46:57Z

Continuing on the theme of the Olympic Park and the views of it, I was thinking which development could claim to have the best?

If like me you intend on being an armchair supporter, for the Olympics in two summers time, then the best place to be will of course be in your own living room.

But if you would like to actually saviour the build up and atmosphere to the whole event at first hand with the feeling of actually being there what better way to do this then by watching from your very own window just a stones throw away.

If so, then probably the best place to do this will be from Fish Island in E3, like the post below would suggest. However, Telford Homes may well have a claim to this statement as their Icona development on Warton Road (below, left) in E15 also has great views as well as a higher panoramic elevation, but is set slightly further back from the stadium, and will have views from a different angle.

However, Fish Island will sit just across the River Lee Navigation which is literally a stones throw. It consists of a small selection of developments, already built, running the length of the Olympic park. The newest of these to complete was Riverside Works at 419 Wick Lane (above right).

Earlier this week an e-mail popped into the LRR inbox advertising over 100 apartments for sale at this development. It was reportedly sold to a bulk investor back in 2008 but now appeares to be coming back to the market, probably just at the right time.

According to the company dealing with the sales, the flats were historically priced at £326,000 but they claim to be able to offer them for £250,000. The flats were built and ready for occupation from late 2008.

Here is another aerial shot of the Olympic site, this one showing both of the above mentioned schemes.

What development do you think will have the best views of the Olympics? Any suggestions? I'm sure there will be a few more too that will come to the fore in the next decade.