Hondo's plans for a huge tower on Pope's Road, Brixton and the Brixton Project

[Gramsci]

Reading the updated planning document for the "reconsultation" Hondo are pushing the Sir Adjaye Starchitect line.

Listing his great achievements ( including the cathedral CH1 told us about ). World renowned architect. Comparing this great design to the Shard as tall building that is now accepted. This design by Sir Adjaye was done after studying local area. So apparently this design is in keeping wiith the area.

I started to wonder if they are thinking of getting the great man himself to attend the next planning committee meeting. Or send a video.

 

[Gramsci]

Brixton Project have got their name all over this application as community representatives.

Provision of 2,000 sqft of community space in a prominent location on the first floor,
collaborating with key local groups on how to run it, including the Brixton Project. This
space will be integrated within, (but additional to) the affordable workspace offer, and
will be managed in conjunction with community representatives (The Brixton Project)
to curate a community led programme of events, activities, and creative initiatives
with significant social value

Brixton Project will ensure that
it is local groups and charities that celebrate and promote Brixton’s culture and
heritage that will have access to this space for activities, training and events. The focus
of this space will be for these groups to build capacity around key areas: Youth and
Education, Employment, Music and the Arts, Food and Health and Wellbeing. In order
to ensure this continues, Brixton Project will help manage the community liaison
group, which will have a clear capacity, management and governance to the collective
of Brixton’s social organisations. The intention is to enable them to shape and deliver
an innovative collaboration with appreciable benefits to the wider community. This
will go beyond the simple community space and will ensure that local people have
better access and input into opportunities within the Market, the central space and
within the affordable space strategy.

This is from the new doc for the re consultation. So they did not have second thoughts after seeing the opposition first time around. If anything they have allowed Hondo to put them as managers of the "community" space. A big role. Brixton Project are helping Hondo get their application through committee. They did not have to join up with Hondo. They could have had second thoughts and pulled out after the last planning committee meeting.

 

[Gramsci]

Got email today:

I refer to my recent letter acknowledging your comments on this proposal and I can now inform you that the application is due to be considered by the PAC on 3 November 2020. The meeting, which will be held virtually via Microsoft Teams in accordance with Paragraph 78 of the Coronavirus Act 2020 and Section 13 of the related Regulations, starts at 7.00pm. Please check the council website and PAC agenda for confirmation on how to access the meeting online.

The recommendation for this application is to Minded to Grant Permission. A summary of your comments and any others received will be reported to the Committee.

 

[editor]

Fuck Lambeth Lambeth Council “Minded to Grant Permission” to Hondo’s hated 20-storey tower at their planning meeting on 3rd Nov 2020

 

[Gramsci]

The Planning Statement Addendum for the "re consultation" has this:

4.7 The development continues to make the most effective and efficient use of the site
possible and will deliver high quality, flexible office floorspace that can act as the
catalyst for greater investment in the local area. Savills report (January 2020)
appended to this document stated that they believe the office will remain a necessity,
whilst the council’s Brixton Economic Action Plan (2017) found that there is six times
less office space in Brixton than the London average. This clearly shows that not only
is there is still a demand for office space, but that Brixton town centre in particular
would benefit from a new high-quality office ecosystem. In Savills opinion, in order to
create a commercial office ecosystem that supports businesses at every stage of their
life cycle(rather than seeing growing businesses migrate to large sub-markets across
central London due to a lack of viable options to stay), it is essential that the scheme
is of sufficient critical mass to accommodate a diverse range of occupiers. If achieved,
Pope’s Road can be the catalyst for a major change to the Brixton office market,
kickstarting the office regeneration, including the potential redevelopment of other
local sites, including Pop Brixton and International House. The provision of large
offices is supported under policy ED2.

The argument Hondo are putting forward is that the tower has to be this size for the "eco system" to work. That low price units would not be feasible if the tower was smaller.

The high lighted bit struck me. This has Regen/ planning officers written all over it.

The senior Regen/ Planning officers see this Hondo application as blue print for how they would like to "regenerate" the Council owned International House and Pop sites.

Pop/ Hondo/ Ecosystem is how they see future development of Brixton. Get in property developers ( the Collective/ Hondo) work with them to get social value and job done.

Not sure I want to live in society run on these lines.

 

[editor]

Nobody wants this fugly tower St. Matthew’s Estate Tenants and Residents Association joins the chorus of opposition to the Hondo 20-storey tower

 

[editor]

So there you have it. Hondo are paying the Brixton Project:

Brixton Project: the ‘community’ group PAID by Hondo to support their unpopular 20-storey development

On Monday, we ran a piece highlighting how the Brixton Project had teamed up with Hondo to lend credibility to the company’s bid to build a massive 20 storey tower block that contravenes Lamb…

www.brixtonbuzz.com

[*threads merged]

 

[Gramsci]

So there you have it. Hondo are paying the Brixton Project:

Brixton Project: the ‘community’ group PAID by Hondo to support their unpopular 20-storey development

On Monday, we ran a piece highlighting how the Brixton Project had teamed up with Hondo to lend credibility to the company’s bid to build a massive 20 storey tower block that contravenes Lamb…

www.brixtonbuzz.com

[*threads merged]

The email declares how the Brixton Project will be “stepping into” this “controversial space” to form a “community co-creation group” and create a “community engine that supports the infrastructure of the town centre” which will be “led and managed by local people.”

Given the secretive nature of this survey, it would appear that those elected to ‘lead and manage’ the space will exclusively come from a specially invited group – the very same small pool of well-connected entrepreneurs, community activators, coach-mentors, creatives and business-minded people who seem to have benefited from their professional connections with Brixton.

Brixton BID/ The Design Trail aka Brixton Project/ Impact Brixton/ senior officers/ senior Cllrs/ Squires/ Pop Brixton

Its a political and business network who run Brixton. These people all know each other. How did Brixton BID get the job as Hondo community consultants? Most likely because they are part of this network.

Its not corruption its just how it works. Been obvious for a while.

If you are not part of this group you don't get invites to the conversation.

Your outside looking in.

Brixton Society btw have managed to keep out of all this. There somewhat old fashioned ways means they have not been drawn into this way of doing things.

One good thing that may come of this is that this network is broken. Here is hoping.

 

[editor]

Nuff respect

 

[wurlycurly]

Nuff respect

Excellent. She pretty much nails it. Hope the Brixton Project see this and hang their heads in shame.

 

[Gramsci]

Notice that Brixton Project are leading lights in 81 acts of exuberant defiance.

Meant to remember 81 uprising and seek to have lasting legacy for it.

How does Brixton Project reconcile this as well as working with Texan multi millionaire? Whose planning application is opposed by many locals.

I would have thought opposing this planning application was more in the spirit of defiance.

 

[editor]

Notice that Brixton Project are leading lights in 81 acts of exuberant defiance.

Meant to remember 81 uprising and seek to have lasting legacy for it.

How does Brixton Project reconcile that with working Texan multi millionaire? Whose planning application is opposed by many locals.

I would have thought opposing this planning application was more in the spirit of defiance.

View attachment 235891

They seem to have quite interchangeable politics, when it suits.
One of the other directors is very active with Extinction Rebellion. Pretty sure their message isn't all about forming underhand allegiances with US investment funds to help push through anti-community projects.

 

[Gramsci]

They seem to have quite interchangeable politics, when it suits.
One of the other directors is very active with Extinction Rebellion. Pretty sure their message isn't all about forming underhand allegiances with US investment funds to help push through anti-community projects.

I regard Brixton Project as part of the New Labour lot who run Brixton/ Lambeth.

Its part of the New Labour ( now termed Progressive project) to triangulate between radical politics and the practical politics of the centre ( as they see it)

From this point of view accepting inward investment from Hondo is the only practical way to get funds for Brixton.

So the only way to go is to work with Hondo on their application and try to get as much community benefit as posssible.

I can see the argument.

However in this case Hondo is trying to over turn planning policies agreed with the local community.

Planning officers/ Hondo are saying the community benefits outweigh the damage to the Conservation area/ reduction of light to nearby residential properties.

In that case imo Brixton Project are going beyod being realistic in the present way economy works and colloborating with a developer to damage Brixton Conservation Area.

From what Ive seen BP just don't get this.

 

[editor]

This comment on the Buzz scoop pretty much nails it:

The objections to the project, aside from the fact it is ugly and out of character for the place, is that clearly there will be no market for office space post Covid so the developer will be making use of the legislation the government is pushing through to convert this into luxury flats.

Also, we don’t like being lied to by “the Brixton project”, a division of hondo AG.

 

[madolesance]

This comment on the Buzz scoop pretty much nails it?

Would be interesting to also find out how much the 'Brixton Bugle' have been involved given all of their issues before March featured a double page spread by 'Brixton Bid'. I know their main man who's images featured heavily in these spreads has moved/ been pushed.

 

[Gramsci]

Im not sure that a developer can just change office space to flats on this site without putting in a new application. This is not existing office building.

Existing office buildings can be converted. But this is no easy task. Usually requires gutting a whole building.

What may happen is that Hondo if they get permission sit on it and wait. See what happens to the office market in London.

What Im interested in is to see if Hondo appeal if turned down by planning committee.

 

[editor]

Im not sure that a developer can just change office space to flats on this site without putting in a new application. This is not existing office building.

Existing office buildings can be converted. But this is no easy task. Usually requires gutting a whole building.

What may happen is that Hondo if they get permission sit on it and wait. See what happens to the office market in London.

What Im interested in is to see if Hondo appeal if turned down by planning committee.

This is the kind of proposed legislation that's getting Hondo all moist:

The UK government's plans to extend permitted development rights will produce tiny "sub-standard homes" warns the Royal Institute of British Architects.

The new laws will allow developers to convert commercial and retail buildings into housing without making a full planning application extending permitted development (PD) rights that already allow office buildings to be converted.

Law allowing developers to convert shops into homes "truly disgraceful" says RIBA

UK government plans to extend permitted development rights will only produce more tiny "sub-standard homes" warns the Royal Institute of British Architects.

www.dezeen.com

 

[Rushy]

Not sure I agree that office space will be obsolete. Yes big firms are looking at reducing the size of their mega central HQs but I suspect that smaller, good quality, flexible offices in locations people want to live will be in demand as we come out the other side of this. I'd support an office development on this site if it wasn't so enormo.

I may be mistaken but wasn't the idea of a no residential conversion condition proposed in response to Helen Hayes?

 

[editor]

Not sure I agree that office space will be obsolete. Yes big firms are looking at reducing the size of their mega central HQs but I suspect that smaller, good quality, flexible offices in locations people want to live will be in demand as we come out the other side of this. I'd support an office development on this site if it wasn't so enormo.

I may be mistaken but wasn't the idea of a no residential conversion condition proposed in response to Helen Hayes?

Office space will never be totally obsolete, but is there really a demand for the vast amount on offer in Hondo's mega tower?

I have very little faith in any promises or pledges made by Lambeth. If this tower of shit gets built and it remains half empty, I'd be astonished if Lambeth doesn't allow a change of use at a later date.

After all, the Tories are ensuring that this kind of conversion can go ahead easily in the future.

 

[Gramsci]

This is the kind of proposed legislation that's getting Hondo all moist:

Law allowing developers to convert shops into homes "truly disgraceful" says RIBA

UK government plans to extend permitted development rights will only produce more tiny "sub-standard homes" warns the Royal Institute of British Architects.

www.dezeen.com

I don't agree. Permitted development is about an already existing office block being turned into flats.

Plans for sites take a lot of time to be brought forward. Hondo will not have seen the pandemic coming. No one did.

It is more likely that Hondo will not go forward with this plan if Council agree the application Given the current economic climate.

Also the boom in expensive housing was based on premise that this was needed as areas like Brixton are near the City/West End. The heart of pre covid Capitalism. Given the growth of WFH due to pandemic this is not the case any more for time being.

( anecdote. I was delivering to a bank in City today. Small one. No one there. Left package with security guard as he was only person in the building. He said someone came in once a week to collect post. This is common across the City now. These finance based companies are working ok with WFH. )

Perhaps Brixton will have a reverse on gentrification in that case.

 

[Gramsci]

The new planning statement includes letter from Savills supporting Hondo/ Planning officers claims of need for office space in Brixton.

Says that office space in Brixton became more fashionable due to Squires redevelopment of the building they own.

With a historic lack of marketing investment, Brixton is not currently considered to be a bona fide London office
market, its stock only rising recently as a result of Squire & Partners’ office launch and the visitors attracted by
it. Notwithstanding the potential redevelopment of Blue Star House, there remains a major opportunity to build
on this recent success with further local office development.

Also interesting to note what Savills say about Pop and International House

4. Affordable Workspace
The scheme design, incorporates an area equivalent to 10% of the office area that can be dedicated to
Affordable Workspace, to meet local demand by SMEs for co-working. It is assumed that the start-up and
incubator type facilities that we understand are likely to come forward on the Pop site and International House,
would benefit from this affordable workspace provision, and as such become a key contributor to the over eco-
system we described earlier.

In fact this emphasis on need for office space comes from senior Regen and Planning officers as much as it comes from Hondo.

However misguided it might seem due to pandemic senior officers and Hondo think this application is part of "regeneration" of the Brixton Quarter as they call it.

It was Planning officers who went on about Savills report on office space post pandemic at the PAC.

The letter that Hondo have got from Savills is to show evidence that a 20 storey office block is needed.

 

[editor]

I don't agree. Permitted development is about an already existing office block being turned into flats.

Plans for sites take a lot of time to be brought forward. Hondo will not have seen the pandemic coming. No one did.

Of course not, but they have the financial clout just to sit on empty buildings for as long as it suits their plans (see: Club 414 - empty since they threw the owners out of their home in business in May 2019).

 

[editor]

The new planning statement includes letter from Savills supporting Hondo/ Planning officers claims of need for office space in Brixton.

Says that office space in Brixton became more fashionable due to Squires redevelopment of the building they own.



Also interesting to note what Savills say about Pop and International House



In fact this emphasis on need for office space comes from senior Regen and Planning officers as much as it comes from Hondo.

However misguided it might seem due to pandemic senior officers and Hondo think this application is part of "regeneration" of the Brixton Quarter as they call it.

It was Planning officers who went on about Savills report on office space post pandemic at the PAC.

The letter that Hondo have got from Savills is to show evidence that a 20 storey office block is needed.

From that document:

The proposed development is a building of outstanding architectural quality designed by one of the UK and world’s leading architects, Sir David Adjaye OBE. His practice (Adjaye Associates) is internationally acclaimed and are involved in a wide number of community driven projects which promote and engage with social change and progression. His designs and inspired use of materials have set him apart as one of the world’s leading architects of his generation. Architecture for Sir David Adjaye is about constructing buildings that understand their histories, whilst creating something entirely new, in order to serve communities into their futures. Understanding Brixton and its history has been an integral part of the proposed design.

Literally every person who I've shown the proposed building design to has either laughed or been shocked by its awful, inappropriate design.

And if the original architectural plans were so amazing, why have they been forced to plonk a load of greenery and foliage all over the interior to soften the '1980s shopping mall' look?

And why did they change the shape of the central support and spend God knows how much on producing a load of laughable blather explaining how sticking a circular seat around the base of the support suddenly produces an interactive fireplace and a work of art that locals will flock to in their droves?

 

[editor]

So I'm hearing from a local charity who were approached by the Brixton Project*. They were offering to help them, publicise them and "use their links with people in Lambeth council etc to help us."

I don't blame them for accepting their offer - after all charities need all the help they can get - but it fucks me off to know that Hondo is only doing this to help them secure their profit-creaming tower, and cynically buying community brownie points for pennies.

It echoes the same MO of the other recently arrived super rich crew, Squire & Partners, who did exactly the same thing. And guess who cosied up with them as soon as they arrived? The Brixton Design Trail (aka The Brixton Project).

*corrected from Hondo

 

[snowy_again]

Whilst that’s not ethical, it may be illegal / against code of fundraising practice under charity commissions’ corporate partnerships guidance.

 

[editor]

Not sleazy at all:

 

[editor]

Fight the Tower!

Eyebrows have been raised around the borough at the unexplained tidal wave of support for the tower that has seemingly come out of nowhere, with over 140 positive comment appearing in a matter of days.

For many months, Lambeth’s planning site only showed a dozen people supporting the 20-storey mega development and around 1,500 registering their opposition – and with a petition against the tower receiving over 6,600 names, this sudden burst of cheerleading for the project is being viewed with great suspicion locally.

Campaigners accuse Hondo of ‘using false information’ to get support for their unpopular Enormo-Tower

With under a week to go before Lambeth council decide the fate of the controversial Hondo Tower, campaigners are accusing the company of employing dirty tricks in the wake of a sudden explosion of …

www.brixtonbuzz.com

 

[editor]

So Savills have worked with both Hondo and Lambeth. Nice.

Bloomberg - Are you a robot?

www.bloomberg.com

 

[editor]

Update



And:

 

[Gramsci]

Update



And:

I think Save Nour/ Fight the Tower are being unfair on Cllr Simpson.

She as well as Cllr Ben Kind were the two Cllrs at the last planning committee who questioned the Hondo application.

Going back on this thread it was looking like Cllr Kind and Cllr Simpson were going to reject the application at the PAC before being cut short by the Chair.

So its out of order to say she was acting as planning consultant.