www.thebrixtonproject.com
Had another read of Brixton Project "Community involvement in the development of Popes road".
Few more comments.
Says the BP were approached by the development team (of Hondo I presume ) to work on the community "benefits" of the scheme. ( Btw does not make clear they were acting as paid consultants)
This document BP say is independent of the Hondo application.
It is and isn't. Find it confusing read on that score.
BP are presenting themselves as the "middle ground" between the what they see as polarised debate for and against.
Against are those who oppose the height of the Tower/ Big business like Hondo. For are those who see this as bringing needed investment to Brixton.
This is to simplistic. I for one opposed the Tower on basis it was not in line with planning guidelines. This is straight forward planning issue. No amount of community benefit is going to change that.
Im not necessarily against change or stopping inward investment. This is private plot of land. Not a publicly owned one. But planning guidelines, which are consulted on with local community , are set in place to guide development. Hondo and planning officers choose to set those guidelines aside. Opposing this applications does not necessarily mean one is against investment in Brixton. It can mean that one wants it done in way that is following the agreed planning principles.
Reading the BP doc and I dont think they understand planning. Which is a bit worrying. As they seem to want to set themselves up as the broker in community for regeneration.
What runs through this document is BP saying it wants to "heal divisions" "increase traction between developers , citizens and elected representatives"
However the way that BP talk about this is as though its a problem in the community. The divisions are in the community that need to be "healed".
There is no analysis in the document of how the planning department operates. More than one person has noticed how closely Council planners work with big developers. There is also no analysis of how the elected representatives operate when faced with big developers. Also what the Labour group think good regeneration is.
The whole of this document imo sees those who opposed the application as a problem. That a new organisation is needed in Brixton to represent the needs of the community. That BP are working on this. Consulting the community now and working towards setting up.
Ive no idea when, where and with whom they are consulting. They say they are in the doc. Ive not heard anything.
BP want to move from a confrontational approach to development to a colloborative one.
This has been tried before by the Council. The Council buzz word was Co Consultation. This was for the Brixton Central Site. ( Brixton Station road / Rec/ Pop site. This was with local business, residents and Network Rail as a major landowner. Council wanted to Co Produce planning guidelines for this sub section of central Brixton. Fair enough except it failed.
It fell apart when NR decided that Co Production did not suit there interests and went ahead with arches evictions.
Above example shows how weak the BP analysis is. Anyone who has been around Brixton for a while nows the cards are stacked against one when it comes to big land owners// developers.
Discussion of power is weak point of the BP doc.
I don't think people want to be confrontational. Its that years of this pro big business New Labour Council and the way big land owners behave forces people to take a confrontational position.
This can verge on getting out of hand. Ive had my criticisms of some of the opposition.
But the BP doc does not really grapple with the fact that there is an imbalance of power here. No amount of "sortation" or "flatpack" democracy is going to change that.
( Did see on FB good comment. If BP are so into Flatpack democracy they should have joined up with the Stop the Tower campaign)
The doc has elaborate plan for an over arching organisation for future regeneration/development in Brixton.
This will produce a charter for future development of Brixton.
The BP doc gives impression that the Brixton community is tearing itself apart over this application.
So divisions have to be "healed" with BP as the broker who occupy the middle ground as they can talk to all sides.
Actually no I dont see this as an equal division that needs healing.
BP are part of the minority who aided this planning application. As paid consultants. The doc they have written comes across as them thinking of how to deal with the public opposition they , BP, have had due to them acting as consultants for Hondo.
The opposition to the Hondo application imo showed the community coming together in positive way.
There is nothing in the doc that they might have made a mistake in being so involved on developer side with a highly contentious planning application. One that even officers said was not in line with locally agreed planning guidelines.
Everyone makes mistakes and hopefully learns from them . This doc by BP shows they haven't.
www.brixtonbuzz.com
going after the powers trying to rip the heart out of Brixton, but it all sounds a bit white priviligey tbh.
