Council consults on vision for future of Brixton

[Crispy]

High-density housing is required if London wants to cope with its rising population and ancient transport infrastructure.

 

[Greebo]

High-density housing is required if London wants to cope with its rising population and ancient transport infrastructure.

High density, yes. If it's as badly built, maintained and managed as it has often been before (compared with the Barbican complex, or the better run blocks in France & Germany, where you'll have a caretaker/concierge/Hausmeister to see to maintenance as well as taking in parcels and deterring troublemakers), no.

 

[Crispy]

Absolutely.

 

[CH1]

If by "rise up" you mean collectively take what empty housing there is and use it whether the existing owners like it or not, I concur.
If you mean tower blocks all over the place, inevitably done on the cheap, badly maintained, and inadequately managed, would you be happy to live in one of those flats?

There is an empty house at 316 Coldharbour Lane owned by a demented Gnome from Gauden Road Clapham.
He was berating my "neighbour" or at least the owner of the house next to me over something or other.
I must have told you about my neighbour Peter's unending supply of illegal Columbian immigrants. He's got one of them working on the front of the house at moment. Actually he just returned from a "refuelling trip" to Italy two weeks ago.
Anyway I said to Peter: The quality of your workers is improving!
Oh, why?
Chunkier! - Peter's eyes move to his "gangmaster" Carlos
Not not him! I say
Oh says Peter swivelling round to Mr Super Hunk up the ladder
Yes!!! I said - at which Pierre crack up.
The poisoned dwarf is outraged.
"What's it like being a gay batchelor?" Peter asks the dwarf
"WHAT?" shouts dwarf.
"Well you're not married, are you?" Peter to dwarf.
Alberic (for it was he) rushes off muttering curses.
Much merriment all round!
I attach a photo of a shot pointed out to me from the other side of the road later on. (look though the frosted glass! - I did complain to Lambeth Planning - but the reference somehow got deleted from their system!)
Here is a tasteful shot of Mr Superhunk at work.
Would any of you be prepared to live next door to that lot!
And would you pay £750,000 for the house? - that is what Pierre is asking!

 

[Gramsci]

http://www.lambeth.gov.uk/Services/Environment/Regeneration/FutureLambeth/FutureBrixton.htm

During the next few weeks we want to talk with local residents and visitors about the Brixton SPD. To do this we will be setting up 'market stalls' in the town centre so come along to find out more and have your say. The dates, locations and times are as follows:

• Thursday 19 July 2012 - Tunstall Road, 2pm-8pm,
• Saturday 21 July 2012 - Windrush Square, 11am-3pm,
• Tuesday 24 July 2012 - Electric Avenue, 12pm-4pm.

 

[Gramsci]

After recent discussion about consulation and co-production the Council have started an online consultation about the SPDs also they have put up dates for more meetings.
See here

Phase 2

Two workshops will be held in September 2012 to draft the Brixton SPD. These will be held on Tuesday 11 September, 6pm to 8pm, and Tuesday 18 September, 4pm to 6pm. Details to be confirmed but if you want to attend a workshop please confirm your place by emailing futurebrixton@lambeth.gov.uk.
In addition, the latest version of the draft Brixton SPD will be available online for your comments. If you would like to help us draft the Brixton SPD online you can do so using Google Docs. Visit Draft Brixton SPD - work in progress to find out more.
Drafting workshops for the Brixton SPD

We will be holding two workshops in September 2012 to co-produce the draft of the Brixton SPD. All are welcome though please do email us atfuturebrixton@lambeth.gov.uk to let us know if you plan to attend. Locations within Brixton are still to be confirmed but will be updated here shortly. Dates and times will be as follows:

• Tuesday 11 September 2012, 6-8pm
• Tuesday 18 September 2012, 4-6pm.

 

[Crispy]

I will try and make the 11th

 

[Gramsci]

Here is more info on online comments. Follow up from my post #66 which gives dates of next meetings.

Draft Brixton SPD - work in progress​

Online drafting of the Brixton SPD will use a computer program called Google Docs. A work in progress document will be uploaded as a Google Doc with comments enabled so that you can leave comments and respond to comments left by other people.​

The current document provides a structure for the SPD. If you comment on this we will flesh out content and upload a revised version at least one week before the first workshop.​

​

Before you access the document please read our guidance below. ​

1. To access Google Docs you will need to set up a free Google account ataccounts.google.com.
2. The draft Brixton SPD document is currently a work in progress and therefore not approved by Lambeth Council.
3. Please bear in mind that this is an ongoing conversation and treat views that may differ from your own with respect.
4. All comments in the document represent an individual's own views and not those of Lambeth Council.
5. Offensive, disruptive or abusive comments will be deleted without prior warning. If you see anything offensive, disruptive or abusive then please do let us know at futurebrixton@lambeth.gov.uk.
6. This document will be monitored during the working week as frequently as possible but this may only be possible once every 24 hours.
7. All comments will be logged and further actions recorded. Where necessary we will provide responses within five working days but we may need to allow themes to develop.
8. Please remember that this is an ongoing process and chapters and themes could move and evolve as the document is drafted: you might not find your comments in the same part of the document as you left them.

Draft Brixton SPD - work in progress​

Once you have read the guidance and have created a Google account you can access the draft Brixton SPD document itself at the link below:​

• draft Brixton SPD - work in progress

If you encounter any problems please email us at: futurebrixton@lambeth.gov.uk.​

 

[Gramsci]

Got this from Future Brixton today. Seems the online SPD comment (google doc) is , apparently , up and running. The idea is that it a basic structure of themes related to SPD to which u can add suggestions and comments.

Dear Future Brixton mailing list

Help us to draft the Brixton SPD
Over the next few weeks we’d like you to help us draft the Brixton supplementary planning document (SPD).

Workshops
We’ll be holding two workshop sessions at the Karibu Centre on Tuesday 11 September (6pm - 8pm) and Tuesday 18 September (4pm - 6pm).

These will be led by urban designers, AMUP, and are open to all. If you’d like to attend please emailfuturebrixton@lambeth.gov.uk to confirm your place.

Online drafting - a work in progress
We’ll publish the drafting of the SPD as a work in progress document. The link is on our websitewww.lambeth.gov.uk/Services/Environment/Regeneration/FutureLambeth/OnlineDraftingOfTheBrixtonSPD.

Initially we have published a proposed structure. If you comment on the structure we will flesh out content and upload a revised version at least one week before the first workshop. Comments are enabled on the document so that local people can not only comment on the draft Brixton SPD but also comment on other people’s comments. To get involved all you need to do is have a free Google account and read the guidance on our website (same link as above).

Previous feedback
Thank you to the community and business organisations that attended workshops in June and the local people who stopped by our market stalls in July. The feedback from these workshops and market stalls can be found on our website atwww.lambeth.gov.uk/Services/Environment/Regeneration/FutureLambeth/DraftingTheBrixtonSPD.

Next steps
The next stage of the process is a statutory consultation phase which is scheduled for early 2013.

You can find out information about the Future Brixton programme and the SPD atwww.lambeth.gov.uk/futurebrixton.

Best wishes

The Future Brixton team

 

[Gramsci]

I went to the Future Brixton meeting on the SPDs on the 18th September.

There still is time to put comments on the Council "Draft Brixton SPD- work in progress". This document has been added to by the Council giving it more detail.

There is only until next Monday to add comments to the Google Doc.

That however is not the end of the consultation. The timetable is:

Draft SPD to be agreed by Cabinet in December
Formal Statutory consultation starts January 2013
Responses to statutory consultation considered February
Cabinet approves and adopts SPD in spring 2013

The main issues that came up at meeting:

The Rec--- The Cllr and officers present were discussing knocking down the Rec and replacing it somewhere else. This was also in the Draft SPD (see above). So the Council is seriously thinking about this. There are two issues. Whether the replacement of Rec should be stated in the finished SPD or not. And should the Rec should be kept and maintained/ refurbished.

I am very wary of agreeing to knocking down of Rec. The Council view is that it is very expensive to maintain and is not a feasible building to retain in the long term . The idea is that the land could be sold to developer and part of the agreement is that the developer builds new Rec. Bit like the Streatham Ice Rink scheme.

The Rec is large. I do not believe a replacement would be as big and have the same range of facilities. The Rec is not that old.


The green space in front of Barrier Block. I did say that people in Barrier Block would now like to retain it. There is a lot of new high density residential ( Brixton Square and the block next to it.) So some amenity space is needed. The trees have now fully grown on the green space. Without that that whole area of CHL will be concreted over.

Also I raised issue of Barrier Block. That the residents there would like to retain it. That the residents had done a lot recently to make it better place to live. They were concerned that the Council might want to knock it down. That they wanted to remain as Council tenants.

There was discussion of how to make Brixton more easy to get around. So back to talking about opening up some of the arches.

So the 2 main (controversial )areas discussed were the site around the Rec. Which is large. It includes Ice Rink , Rec , International House and the Council estate behind.

The other big area is the "Somerleyton Road" site- Barrier Block, green space in front, Moorlands estate and the strip beside railway line.

A point was raised at meeting that the SPD should be specific. So if the Council want to replace Rec this should be clear. If SPD is vague or gives different options it could be weakened. The SPD is a legal planning document. Developers, not for profit groups and Council will all refer to it to justify what they do in the area. If its vague, the argument went, developers will use it to wriggle out of any commitments.

As the "draft SPD" online has been added to I would recommend people put there comments and what they agree or disagree with in this draft.

 

[lang rabbie]

There are some very odd lines on maps included in the SPD. The "primary shopping area" includes Lambeth Town Hall.

 

[Gramsci]

There are some very odd lines on maps included in the SPD. The "primary shopping area" includes Lambeth Town Hall.

Not called Town Hall anymore its the SW2Enterprise Centre . Could be because to get a developer interested there will be some retail in the new SW2 Centre?

Also the area of the SPD seems to have been extended. Forgot to ask why.

 

[nagapie]

Sorry, can you just clarify where I make my objection to them knocking down the rec. I will chain myself to it first, fuck them, EVERYONE uses the Rec.

 

[gaijingirl]

They came up with that knocking down the Rec thing a few years ago and it was overturned - I seem to remember they were wanting to relocate it somewhere down Coldharbour Lane - although I might be remembering that wrong.... bet they're ITCHING to sell it to developers - right next to Brixton Village. It would drastically change the nature of central Brixton. NO WAY!! I'm with nagapie. LOVE the Rec.

 

[lang rabbie]

Also the area of the SPD seems to have been extended. Forgot to ask why.

Do you mean including the whole of the Barrier Block, Moorlands Estate and Guinness Trust Estate as well as the "Brixton Green" sites on Somerleyton Road within the SPD area?

I wasn't sure if that was new, or if I had missed something in the final knockings of the Local Development Framework? The published version of the LDF proposals map only appears to include the open spaces along Coldharbour Lane and the Somerleyton Rd site as "Major Development Opportunities".

I said to the planning guy with the big map of the SPD area at the Country Show that I thought it was appalling that an area of social housing appeared to have been designated for regeneration/redevelopment on the basis of such hazy notions as "permeability".

 

[Gramsci]

Sorry, can you just clarify where I make my objection to them knocking down the rec. I will chain myself to it first, fuck them, EVERYONE uses the Rec.

Here by Monday. You will have to log into google to do this. See post #70

As I said this will come up again at the Statutory Consultation.

 

[Gramsci]

Do you mean including the whole of the Barrier Block, Moorlands Estate and Guinness Trust Estate as well as the "Brixton Green" sites on Somerleyton Road within the SPD area?

I wasn't sure if that was new, or if I had missed something in the final knockings of the Local Development Framework? The published version of the LDF proposals map only appears to include the open spaces along Coldharbour Lane and the Somerleyton Rd site as "Major Development Opportunities".

I said to the planning guy with the big map of the SPD area at the Country Show that I thought it was appalling that an area of social housing appeared to have been designated for regeneration/redevelopment on the basis of such hazy notions as "permeability".

Yes I do mean that. From your link to Lambeth Local Plan the boundary in the draft SPD does extend to cover the Barrier Block , Moorlands and Somerleyton road site. So the boundary is different. Thanks for pointing that out. See below map from draft "work in progress" of SPD.

The permeability was also shown by suggesting two new tunnels in the railway embankment linking Railton road estate to Somerleyton road. On Tuesday this was the first time that I had seen this. A lot of this stuff has been shown to people to comment on quite late in the day. This consultation should have been done over a longer time span. Residents have been getting info in dribs and drabs.

 

[nagapie]

Here by Monday. You will have to log into google to do this. See post #70

As I said this will come up again at the Statutory Consultation.

That's how I read it, but how do I blast somebody for even suggesting that?

 

[Gramsci]

They came up with that knocking down the Rec thing a few years ago and it was overturned - I seem to remember they were wanting to relocate it somewhere down Coldharbour Lane - although I might be remembering that wrong.... bet they're ITCHING to sell it to developers - right next to Brixton Village. It would drastically change the nature of central Brixton. NO WAY!! I'm with nagapie. LOVE the Rec.

Yes they were thinking of relocating it onto Somerleyton Road. This was during a Tory/ LD Council. The Labour group opposed it.

See here old Urban thread

post by Memespring (post #27) on the various election material of the time. This took place during an election I think

Labour local manifesto:

"[Lib Dems & Tories] Threaten to demolish all Lambeth’s indoor swimming pools and leisure centres so they can sell off the land to private developers."

 

[Gramsci]

That's how I read it, but how do I blast somebody for even suggesting that?

Stick it on as a comment on the Google doc. Its interactive. You can directly comment on the document if you log into google.

Or quote the draft doc in an email to your ward Cllrs.

The relevent section of the draft SPD "work in progress" is

 

[gaijingirl]

Stick it on as a comment on the Google doc. Its interactive. You can directly comment on the document if you log into google.

Or quote the draft doc in an email to your ward Cllrs.

The relevent section of the draft SPD "work in progress" is

The relevant bit seems to be on page 27 of that document. I looked but no one has added any comments (apart from a "test" comment).. am I looking in the right place?

 

[Gramsci]

The relevant bit seems to be on page 27 of that document. I looked but no one has added any comments (apart from a "test" comment).. am I looking in the right place?

Yes it is on page 27. No no comments added. I did have comments up before the document was updated.

The full draft was only put up recently.

 

[gaijingirl]

Yes it is on page 27. No no comments added. I did have comments up before the document was updated.

The full draft was only put up recently.

ok.. thanks

 

[Gramsci]

ok.. thanks

Its to little notice imo. Be good if people put comments up saying they do not want the Rec to be demolished. If thats what they think. At the meeting the Council officers said at the stalls they had in market people were critical of Rec. I got the feeling the Councils preferred option is to demolish it.

These meetings are not that well attended. Planning is not sexy. It is the detail that counts a lot. The trouble with a lot of consultation is that it can be used in different ways. If u ask people about Rec in way that encourages them to see the poor aspects of it then u could use that to argue for demolition.


full doc here from page 27 ( as last link did not seem to work)

• Brixton Recreation Centre: The current facility is much loved,
enormously popular and serves the entire Borough and beyond. However,
many residents think it is inaccessible because current access arrangements
require the use of an exterior flight of stairs or a long ramp which is dark
and not particularly welcoming. The building is large although much of the
interior space is not efficiently used.
The building is in need of significant levels of ongoing investment and
running costs are forecast to continue to rise significantly. If a decision is
taken to work towards securing a new replacement facility, the temporary
ice rink site may be an appropriate location. If this was the case, the
release of the existing site would present an opportunity to attract new retail-
led investment to this prominent town centre location. The ground floor
provides flexibility for a range of retail uses, with the most appropriate mix
likely to involve a limited amount of new food retail floorspace together with
comparison floorspace to complement the existing pattern of high street and
independent trading in the town. The site presents a major opportunity for
high density mixed residential development on upper floors which takes
account of the exceptional public transport accessibility of the site. Should
a suitable user come forward, the site would also be appropriate for other
town centre/community/education uses. If the site is redeveloped,
advantage should be taken of the existing basement accommodation as this
provides potential for the incorporation of basement parking.

 

[Brixton Hatter]

Today is the last day for comments on the SPD:

http://www.lambeth.gov.uk/Services/...tureLambeth/OnlineDraftingOfTheBrixtonSPD.htm

 

[Brixton Hatter]

Having read through the documents again, it worries me more and more that this is simply an exercise to rubber-stamp the councils desire for a MASSIVE redevelopment of the centre of Brixton, with huge new buildings replacing the Rec, the carpark/ice rink site & Somerleyton Road with expensive flats & new retail units for large chain stores; knocking down many of the existing blocks of flats (deemed 'unsuitable') and replacing with 'Brixton Square'-type developments affordable only to the most wealthy and buy-to-let landlords. Lambeth own a lot of land and want to cash in on these public assets. A 'positive' side effect of all this (in the eyes of LBL) will be the accelerated gentrification of the area, with more wealthy people moving in - the sort of people who are less likely to need to use council services, thereby further improving the council's financial position.

IMO The fact that the SPD consultation is being carried out for LBL by an "urban design" company shows that the council really wants a financially-driven redevelopment of Brixton rather than a plan which might be sustainable and protect the existing community and services (housing, leisure etc).

 

[Brixton Hatter]

A few further points worth considering:
- It's interesting that "Land between the railway viaducts east of Pope’s Road – privately owned and with active leases but considered under-used and a major opportunity" - actually a very small bit of land - has been singled out in the draft SPD as ripe for redevelopment. What would this be for? What do the existing retail tenants think of this? There is mention of potential for "tall buildings" here and the expansion of the "Brixton Village Experience". (!)

The other sites identified as potential for redevelopment are:
- The Town Hall
- The Rec [which is suggested could be replaced/rebuilt with additional retail and private housing on the upper floors]
- The ice rink
- International House [touted to be replaced by a "mixed housing scheme"]
- Somerleyton Road (the bit Brixton Green have their greedy eye on)
- Southwyck House estate
- Canterbury Gardens estate
- they also mention the footlocker site, the overground station and site of the potential Holiday Inn/former Woolies


- There is also reference to "Retaining the long term objective of securing a new station in Brixton as part of the East London Line and ensuring the planning decisions taken in the short to medium term do not undermine this long term objective."

- Lots of talk of bringing the upper floors of retail buildings back into use

- residents of Southwyck House and Moorlands and surrounding area may be interested in section 4.3 which talks about some positive things (improved streetscape, potential for a "new cultural facility" etc) but also some questionable things (high density developments, "widening the housing mix type" - code for more private housing.)

 

[Brixton Hatter]

Don't get me wrong, there's a lot of good stuff in the SPD - including better provision for cycling/pedestrians, better lighting, protection of the covered markets, low carbon development etc.

But there's also a lot of guff-speak about things like "building sustainable communities" and "protecting diversity" which IME are public sector sticking plaster phrasology which brush over a range of complicated issues. E.g. how do you "build sustainable communities" and "protect diversity" if you sell off council-owned accomodation and replace it with expensive private rented accom?

I'm also concerned that the SPD seems to set out the council's "shopping list", rather than truly presenting a range of options for residents to be consulted on.

 

[Brixton Hatter]

These meetings are not that well attended. Planning is not sexy.

This is partly because the council promotes them poorly and holds many of the meetings at 4pm when people are still at work. I've repeatedly asked over the past year to be added to mailing lists/contact lists etc to be kept up to date with meeting dates, consultations etc (sometimes in response to articles in the Lambeth newsletter saying "we want to hear your voice - get involved!") but to date they still have not done this.

 

[leanderman]

I do like the Rec a lot. And use it quite a lot.

Yet it is a very oddly laid-out building with lots of wasted internal space.

The walkway at reception level, with its accompanying trough arrangement, is just bizarre.

Still, that does not mean I'd knock it down.