Author: Cyril Richert
After 1 hour of thirty six minutes of debates at the last meeting of the year a few days ago, Councillor Ravi Govindia, leader of Wandsworth Council, gave his view on planning reforms:
“New approach to planning? My ass!”
One can hear giggles on the Tory bench.
Author: Cyril Richert
Signalling centre – Back of Boots, Flacon Lane SW11 (Google Map)
Removing the Victoria signalling functions at Clapham Junction is underway, which could pave the way for Network Rail to redevelop the plot along with the adjoining Boots’ site that they acquired in 2018. Continue reading
Author: Cyril Richert
Quod | B&Q Smugglers Way, Wandsworth | Environmental Statement Addendum | August 2021
Despite the pandemic (or maybe because of it?) father Xmas seems incredibly busy this year. While we are waiting for the new application for Peabody St John’s Hill (promised for next week apparently), developers for B&Q site have submitted their new proposal this week (p.a. 2021/5004). Continue reading
Author: Cyril Richert
Nearly two years ago the world was learning about Covid. At the end of January 2020 we watched with astonishment people locked inside their own homes in some areas of China. Here, by the end of March 2020, the Prime Minister was ordering British people to stay at home. Over the period, “lockdown” had become one of the most searched word on Google. Students and young professionals were amongst the most affected as many have been confined in their small studio flats for months, without much possibility to go outside and mix with others. Office space, gyms, restaurants, cinemas, community spaces were closed and studies show that the more you depended on that, the more you were affected.
What have we learnt from this? That personal space is critical, that access to private outside amenity is essential? The pandemic does not seem to affect the reasoning of developers in this country. The trending idea, which started before the pandemic, seems to be to allocate only a tiny private space to individuals and mixing as much as possible for everything else. Continue reading
Author: Cyril Richert
Nine Elms typical luxury developments
Nine Elms developers are struggling to find buyers, reported a recent article from The Telegraph. According to the newspaper, the first residential tower (to be completed by 2023) at the centre of the One Thames City development has sold less than 7% of its units (fewer than 90 flats) in its first year of marketing. Even worse, according to the newspaper, more than half of those flats have reportedly been sold to employees or friends of the developers, or other related parties. Continue reading
Author: Cyril Richert
Proposed tower on Battersea Park Road.
Developers are applying for a building of up to 18 storeys high entirely dedicated to co-living space (up to 213 shared-living units with gym, bar, lunge, workspace…etc), just beside the Harris Academy on Battersea Park Road (p.a. 2021/5013). Continue reading
Author: Cyril Richert
Digital display screen on 42 Lavender Hill – Photo montage by CJAG
Planning Application 2021/4548 has been submitted for erection a digital display screen on the side building of 42 Lavender Hill, on Ashley Crescent’s side of block. The proposal for the façade fronting Ashley Crescent will be highly visible and disturbing for the residents with windows directly fronting the digital display. Continue reading
Authors: Cyril Richert & David Curran
Proposed view on St Johns Hill – Image from burridgegardensphase3.commonplace.is
The most interesting part of the discussion we had on the phase 3 plan for Peabody’s development in St Johns Hill was the answer to CJAG simple question: “What will happen if your proposal is refused by Wandsworth Council“? For one long moment it was silent, before Mount Anvil representative eventually responded with embarrassment that everything will have to stop. There is no plan B. It couldn’t have been clearer that the consultation was only seen as a mandatory exercise to fulfil the statutory need and tick the box of “community engagement“, while already considering that it was a done deal. Continue reading
Author: Cyril Richert
Work in progress to make space for tower blocks
The latest Housing Committee (September 2021) has presented a series of community benefits to mitigate the construction delay in the early phase of the Winstanley and York estates regeneration scheme. Continue reading
Author: Cyril Richert
Northern Line extension – Credit: TfL
As it made national news, you won’t have missed that, for the first time since 2008 with Wood Lane and Heathrow Terminal 5 stations and the Jubilee Line extension in 1999, two new underground stations have been unveiled (commentators often forget that the tube map changed also less than 10 years ago with the overground line, part of the Tube network). This is not as extraordinary as many supporters are claiming, but it will definitely help a lot of people living south of the river, and boost the new area of Nine Elms.
However, it stops short of finishing at Clapham Junction and many local residents wonder why the 3km project between Kennington and Battersea Power station did not make the extra distance (another 3km) to reach the heart of Battersea and benefit existing local residents. Continue reading
Clapham Junction Action Group 