Brixton news, rumours and general chat

[Gramsci]

The developer paused the work long before the election, it basically didn’t get off the ground after the community consultation.

My read is more that this is the typical developer “we can’t afford that much social housing” line and they are using the part you quoted as a red herring.

But, things certainly are getting tougher for developers, both in some good ways and some bad.

Here is the Pravda Love Lambeth on the great partnership bringing untold benefits to the toiling masses.

The great leap forward for Brixton

Love Lambeth

Lambeth Council’s Cabinet approved the decision for London Square to be its preferred development partner for the Growing Brixton Rec Quarter project to bring new affordable homes, workspace, jobs and public realm improvements to Central Brixton.

love.lambeth.gov.uk

---

---

 

[Gramsci]

The council have made a decision on the Pop Brixton site and International House:

https://moderngov.lambeth.gov.uk/documents/s161303/CMDDR%2049%20Brixton%20Station%20Road6%20Canterbury%20Crescent%20Deed%20of%20Variation%20to%20Contract%20with%20Development.pdf

Unsurprisingly the differences in the deal with the developer, London Square, are:

1. Reduce social housing by 10%
2. Reduce overall amount of commercial floor space
3. Seems like they are keeping the same amount of affordable commercial floor space
4. I think they are selling (leasing) the land for less money overall now
5. Remove the councils right to first refusal on buying affordable homes to then rent out

Seems like a bad deal overall to me.

From the email I got:

BTW welcome as a new member.

And thanks for bringing this to my attention

Sorry I've got so fed up and cynical about Council that stopped following these issues.

Which are important for Brixton

My feeling is that the Council do what they want anyway.

 

[Gramsci]

The council have made a decision on the Pop Brixton site and International House:

https://moderngov.lambeth.gov.uk/documents/s161303/CMDDR%2049%20Brixton%20Station%20Road6%20Canterbury%20Crescent%20Deed%20of%20Variation%20to%20Contract%20with%20Development.pdf

Unsurprisingly the differences in the deal with the developer, London Square, are:

1. Reduce social housing by 10%
2. Reduce overall amount of commercial floor space
3. Seems like they are keeping the same amount of affordable commercial floor space
4. I think they are selling (leasing) the land for less money overall now
5. Remove the councils right to first refusal on buying affordable homes to then rent out

Seems like a bad deal overall to me.

From the email I got:

Yes one of the main reasons the Council went for the partnership model rather than just maximising capital receipt was to get 50 percent affordable housing.

Now its is 40 percent. And imo with ongoing viability assessments it could go lower



The capital receipt is less and appears to me to be used up by cost to Council for clearing the site and more significantly separating shared services of International house and Brixton Rec.

So no gain for community on that score.

On separating services - why?

In Brixton master plan new developments are meant to be able to be hooked up to local energy networks as part of move to Combined Heat and Power networks. I do not see how spending a large amount of the capital receipt goes towards this aim. Separating already existing buildings at great cost does not seem to me a good way to spend money.

Most irritating is that now our officers have decided office space is not required so much due to changes over pandemic. Working fron home.

During the Hondo application they said reports by experts said office space requirements were on the up.

I was telling them this was not so. Based on my own experience of seeing largely empty offices in City. But what do I know. I'm not a professional expert.

The report also to my annoyance says International house was part of the original site up for development as stated in local plan

It was not. Officers decided with no consultation to add International house to the site. Which is really annoying.

I'm starting to wonder what the point of this partnership model is. As the clever clogs in Lambeth were insisting it would bring benefits above what a standard sale of land by Council would garner.

I think the Council should be asked if this 40 percent affordable housing is cast iron guarantee.

Remember asking about this before on the 50 percent and did not get an answer on that.

So its a no then.

Great.

 

[Gramsci]

The council have made a decision on the Pop Brixton site and International House:

https://moderngov.lambeth.gov.uk/documents/s161303/CMDDR%2049%20Brixton%20Station%20Road6%20Canterbury%20Crescent%20Deed%20of%20Variation%20to%20Contract%20with%20Development.pdf

Unsurprisingly the differences in the deal with the developer, London Square, are:

1. Reduce social housing by 10%
2. Reduce overall amount of commercial floor space
3. Seems like they are keeping the same amount of affordable commercial floor space
4. I think they are selling (leasing) the land for less money overall now
5. Remove the councils right to first refusal on buying affordable homes to then rent out

Seems like a bad deal overall to me.

From the email I got:

Reasons given by Council for need to vary the agreement

3.1 The original development agreement needed to be revised as several factors had changed since
the original agreement which made it undeliverable. The most significant of these were;

 Legislation around Building Safety that now requires a second staircase to be included within
buildings of the scale envisaged and would thus reduce the space available for residential
units.

 Significant increases in Construction Cost post pandemic beyond the level that could
reasonably expected to be covered by contingency

 The value of workspace falling significantly post pandemic and post procurement as the shift
to homeworking has become embedded and reduced demand for office and other workspace.

Second staircase cannot be blamed on Labour government. Or any government. This was change that applies to all developers. It came out of Grenfell that two staircases are now needed.

Value of workspace falling. My question in that case is why this leads to making the scheme non viable. Cannot there be less workspace and more housing instead? As I would have thought less demand for office space could mean More space for homes. I don't see this as necessarily making the scheme less viable. Rather a difference of emphasis.

On construction costs. Well I though that a reason to get private development partner is that they took the risk. Now as per usual it appears they don't. What they do Is go back to Council wring their hands and go its not viable so you the Council will have to change agreements to suit us.


On of the things about this private / public partnership model is that if it ends up as a watered down scheme people rightly are going to say the Council has sold this land off and not got the community benefits it told us it would.

 

[Gramsci]

The council have made a decision on the Pop Brixton site and International House:

https://moderngov.lambeth.gov.uk/documents/s161303/CMDDR%2049%20Brixton%20Station%20Road6%20Canterbury%20Crescent%20Deed%20of%20Variation%20to%20Contract%20with%20Development.pdf

Unsurprisingly the differences in the deal with the developer, London Square, are:

1. Reduce social housing by 10%
2. Reduce overall amount of commercial floor space
3. Seems like they are keeping the same amount of affordable commercial floor space
4. I think they are selling (leasing) the land for less money overall now
5. Remove the councils right to first refusal on buying affordable homes to then rent out

Seems like a bad deal overall to me.

From the email I got:

On the affordable workspace. Now I have re read it yes less overall workspace but ( at this time) keeping the original amount of affordable.

: Revise minimum
requirement to deliver 20% of the
workspace on affordable terms with a
discount of at least 35% on market
rents over a 25-year period to a
requirement to deliver a minimum of
1,300sqm GIA of affordable
workspace at the same discount level
and for the same time period or an
affordable workspace on different
terms which amounts to equivalent
value.

 

[Favelado]

Is the footbridge from Hubert Grove closed forever or did it reopen? Last time I was in South London it was fenced off and locked. That would totally change the logistics of the area for a good few thousand people.

 

[Meerkat]

There is a large crime scene on both sides of Brixton Road on the pavement next to The Beehive and outside San Marino plus Ferndale Road next to TK Maxx. Noticed pools of blood and little yellow numbered evidence markers. Anyone know what went on?

 

[GarveyLives]

There is a large crime scene on both sides of Brixton Road on the pavement next to The Beehive and outside San Marino plus Ferndale Road next to TK Maxx. Noticed pools of blood and little yellow numbered evidence markers. Anyone know what went on?

Anyone with information regarding the stabbing of a 17 year-old boy at the junction of Ferndale Road and Brixton Road at around 5.47 a.m. earlier today, leaving him with "life-threatening" injuries, has been asked to call 101, providing the reference 2742/01JAN. Information can also be provided to Crimestoppers, anonymously, on 0800 555 111.

 

[Mr paulee]

There is a large crime scene on both sides of Brixton Road on the pavement next to The Beehive and outside San Marino plus Ferndale Road next to TK Maxx. Noticed pools of blood and little yellow numbered evidence markers. Anyone know what went on?

New Year - same shit happening locally.

 

[thebackrow]

Is the footbridge from Hubert Grove closed forever or did it reopen? Last time I was in South London it was fenced off and locked. That would totally change the logistics of the area for a good few thousand people.

It's structurally unsound. If I'm remembering correctly replacing it formed part of the successful Brixton "Liveable Neighbourhood" bid in about 2018. However, all the funding for the LN programme got pulled when Covid hit. Brixton LN developed into the LTN programme but the large budget that was originally allocated from TfL never returned.

I think there was cost of replacing the bridge of about £1m back then, but but it's probably a lot more than that now.

 

[Favelado]

It's structurally unsound. If I'm remembering correctly replacing it formed part of the successful Brixton "Liveable Neighbourhood" bid in about 2018. However, all the funding for the LN programme got pulled when Covid hit. Brixton LN developed into the LTN programme but the large budget that was originally allocated from TfL never returned.

I think there was cost of replacing the bridge of about £1m back then, but but it's probably a lot more than that now.

Very interesting. I lived on Hubert Grove years and years ago and that bridge closing effectively changes you living in Brixton to Stockwell if you know what I mean. I lived at the bridge end of the street - so just hop over it (in a major hurry after dark!) and you're in Brixton and it felt the most natural place to head to the shops. If it's now closed off it would be quite a trek to get round to Brixton and you wouldn't bother half the time anymore.

Grateful for the reply.

 

[CH1]

I recall some discussion on here - or Buzz - relating to a shop in Brixton Village being sued about using Brixton as a brand for their tee shirts.
This was also reported by the BBC

Brixton shop threatened with legal action over name by US firm

Brixton Street Wear has been told by Californian company Brixton LLC to change its name, its owners say.

www.bbc.co.uk

Now I see one of my most eccentric Facebook "friends" is wearing this, which I assume is a Colombian rip-off of the "Brixton" brand.
Will "Brixton" USA be suing Brxton Co?

 

[Rushy]

I recall some discussion on here - or Buzz - relating to a shop in Brixton Village being sued about using Brixton as a brand for their tee shirts.
This was also reported by the BBC

Brixton shop threatened with legal action over name by US firm

Brixton Street Wear has been told by Californian company Brixton LLC to change its name, its owners say.

www.bbc.co.uk

Now I see one of my most eccentric Facebook "friends" is wearing this, which I assume is a Colombian rip-off of the "Brixton" brand.
Will "Brixton" USA be suing Brxton Co?
View attachment 457775

That's a US brand original (unless the design has been copied exactly). They use a lot of different logos.

 

[GarveyLives]

Anyone with information regarding the stabbing of a 17 year-old boy at the junction of Ferndale Road and Brixton Road at around 5.47 a.m. earlier today, leaving him with "life-threatening" injuries, has been asked to call 101, providing the reference 2742/01JAN. Information can also be provided to Crimestoppers, anonymously, on 0800 555 111.

The 17 year-old boy who was thought to be fighting for his life in hospital after the stabbing is now no longer on the danger list, as his injuries are ‘non life-threatening’ according to an update yesterday afternoon.

Meanwhile, Pastor Lorraine Jones-Burrell MBE arrived on site a few hours afterwards and declared that what she found at the scene was 'triggering':

Grieving mum 'triggered' after blood-filled syringe left at Brixton crime scene in 'genuine mistake'

The appeal for information remains in place.

 

[editor]

Quick Q: is it snowing yet?

 

[Tulster218]

Quick Q: is it snowing yet?

Not south of the South Circular.

 

[colacubes]

Slightly south (SE27) can report it’s having a good go but it’s too warm so not lying. Not happening