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Brady's, Brixton (Railway Hotel): history, chat and plans

The same builders were back in there this afternoon working in the rear part of the ground floor. They didn't look very happy with me peering in through the open door. Looks like they were installing steel beams to reinforce the walls, floor and ceilings (some of which are missing :eek: ). But I can't quite work out why they be doing this work now, before they have got any planning permission....? :confused:

:hmm:
 
Brixton Hatter said:
The same builders were back in there this afternoon working in the rear part of the ground floor. They didn't look very happy with me peering in through the open door. Looks like they were installing steel beams to reinforce the walls, floor and ceilings (some of which are missing :eek: ). But I can't quite work out why they be doing this work now, before they have got any planning permission....? :confused:

:hmm:
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Because they obviously reckon they are likely enough to get permission for it to be worth starting work at slight risk rather than wasting time hanging about waiting for the cogs to turn in the planning dept. Not unusual.
 
Crispy said:
Yes.

Planning law covers external appearance and uses of buildings. You can repair and prop the internals to your hear'ts content without planning consent.
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Unless it's a listed building and the listing mentions internal features.
 
It's only locally listed, isn't it? So doesn't have the same level of protection as a fully listed building.
 
teuchter said:
It's only locally listed, isn't it? So doesn't have the same level of protection as a fully listed building.
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I don't know if it's locally listed or not. Even if it is, it doesn't afford much protection.
Local listing does not affect the requirements for planning permission. Some buildings can be demolished without planning permission and local listing does not affect that, although an article 4 direction issued by the local planning authority can reinstate the requirement for planning permission for demolition of a locally listed building.

http://www.english-heritage.org.uk/professional/advice/hpg/has/locallylistedhas/
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ah, didn't even know this "local listing" thing existed. doesn't seem worth much!
 
Crispy said:
ah, didn't even know this "local listing" thing existed. doesn't seem worth much!
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It's pretty meaningless really, although I'd say that there's a reasonable case for the clock tower to be properly listed (even if it's unlikely to ever work again given that all the workings have long vanished).
 
Interesting...but not really any new info other than the sale proceeds the council got. It's a real shame Lambeth cashed in, because this could have been a great community-owned place.
 
Brixton Hatter said:
Interesting...but not really any new info other than the sale proceeds the council got. It's a real shame Lambeth cashed in, because this could have been a great community-owned place.
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Would have been nice but I am not convinced high maintenance buildings like this are best for such ventures as it makes the ventures way more expensive. Of course it is a gorgeous building, but a more sensible building would allow community cash should go into community projects rather than constant building maintenance - the Railway building will always be a money pit.

I'd say the same re BCA taking over Raleigh Hall. It's a sexy landmark building and I can see why anyone would have wanted it. But they could have developed a far more practical site for a quarter of the money as well as lower ongoing maintenance. At the time, the building now occupied by Electric Social was available. It would be much bigger, much more practical, cheaper to develop and and far cheaper to maintain. Of course, the connection with the square is nice but just not essential and they could have been up and running years ago.
 
The article says the Council CPO Bradys for £770 000 in 2005 and sold it last December for £780 000.

Can this be correct? Means that Council only made £10 000 profit after buying it 2005 and selling it in 2011. Must have increased more than that in worth?

If that is all they made out of it how can Council go on about sale providing new homes and money for schools? Take off all the cost of security and I reckon the Council made a small loss on this.
 
Back to the Brixton Masterplan ( approved by Cabinet) Page 100 says:

Brady’s
The Brady’s site provides a key desire line and link from the existing
rear doors of the tube station north to the overland rail station. The
masterplan protects this key route and the potential development of
a new right-of-way through the rear plot of the Brady’s Railway Hotel
site.
The historic portion of the Railway Hotel (Brady’s) will be restored
and reopened as a public access building, potentially an evening
venue or community facility.
The masterplan proposes that the 1950s rear extension to the
existing building is reconfigured and redeveloped to create a new
community resource, opening a sight line and pathway from the
tube’s rear entrance on Electric Lane through to Atlantic Road, and
hence onto the station. This new public access link will be paved,
lit and enclosed with an active frontage, potentially providing new
retailing or food and beverage uses at ground level.
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Page 158 says

Brady’s community facility

Define a delivery methodology for Brady’s building to include community/cultural/leisure use and remodelled rear addition to provide active frontage and overlook to new public space.

Lead/ Responsibility LBL
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Which means Council officers were supposed to work on methodology to deliver the above.

What are the "alernative proposals" the Council say they looked at?

If officers produced a plan to deliver this objective of the Brixton Masterplan I never saw it. Nor did Future Brixton ask anyone on its email list there opinion.

So this was all ditched to sell this asset. As usual the so called "Cooperative Council" and consultation of residents on this asset never happened.
 
Gramsci said:
The article says the Council CPO Bradys for £770 000 in 2005 and sold it last December for £780 000.

Can this be correct? Means that Council only made £10 000 profit after buying it 2005 and selling it in 2011. Must have increased more than that in worth?

If that is all they made out of it how can Council go on about sale providing new homes and money for schools? Take off all the cost of security and I reckon the Council made a small loss on this.
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Typical Lambeth inefficiency. They also had 24-hour security in the building for a number of years. That must have cost a few bob.
 
Wa
Gramsci said:
The article says the Council CPO Bradys for £770 000 in 2005 and sold it last December for £780 000.

Can this be correct? Means that Council only made £10 000 profit after buying it 2005 and selling it in 2011. Must have increased more than that in worth?

If that is all they made out of it how can Council go on about sale providing new homes and money for schools? Take off all the cost of security and I reckon the Council made a small loss on this.
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Was it operating when it was CPOd? If so, the price would have had to reflect the business value. It has also deteriorated over the past few years.
 
OK. I don't think it was worth much more than what was paid for it recently. Guess they overpaid in 2005. Not sure how CPOs work. Maybe it makes sense to offer a price which cannot realistically be challenged as unfair.
 
Rushy said:
OK. I don't think it was worth much more than what was paid for it recently. Guess they overpaid in 2005. Not sure how CPOs work. Maybe it makes sense to offer a price which cannot realistically be challenged as unfair.
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The business value would have gone up but so would have the refurb costs so I can see why the price between five years ago and now for that particular structure would be pretty much the same.
 
They should have let the squatters stay. They took good care of the building when they were there - and even took on the grim task of clearing the blocked drains.
 
editor said:
They should have let the squatters stay. They took good care of the building when they were there - and even took on the grim task of clearing the blocked drains.
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Not sure that's entirely true. Loads of evidence of squatter 'care' such as hardwood parquet in main hall lifted and burned in fireplace.
 
Rushy said:
Not sure that's entirely true. Loads of evidence of squatter 'care' such as hardwood parquet in main hall lifted and burned in fireplace.
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At the time they documented the work they'd put in, and I remember seeing some pics of the fearsome muck they had to excavate. It would seem odd if they then started ripping the place up as you say.

You sure that wasn't the workmen after?
 
editor said:
At the time they documented the work they'd put in, and I remember seeing some pics of the fearsome muck they had to excavate. It would seem odd if they then started ripping the place up as you say.

You sure that wasn't the workmen after?
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Not sure what builders as there has only been very minor building work such as boarding up windows carried out until recently. But I don't know of any documented evidence of builders not having burned the parquet floor block by block in a fireplace so I guess it could have been them. Either them or those pesky kids who broke the window which the squatters opportunely climbed in through.
 
Rushy said:
Not sure that's entirely true. Loads of evidence of squatter 'care' such as hardwood parquet in main hall lifted and burned in fireplace.
Click to expand...

There are two types of squatters. The ones that look after a building and the ones ( small minority) who see buildings as £s. Strip them of copper , lead and "architectural salvage".
 
I could be wrong but I do think it improbable that the original squatters would have created such damage. They loved the building and put in a huge amount of time and energy into making it usable as a community resource.
 
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