Say hello to Barratt Homes' 'Brixton Square' on Coldharbour Lane (old Cooltan site)

[cuppa tee]

First I was a web tycoon, and now I'm running an empire, you say? Things are looking up for me!

Citizen Kaned ?

 

[editor]

Good to see the article is getting a lot of coverage on facebook and a shedload of hits on BBuzz

 

[editor]

This article in the New Statesman about the disgraceful fate of the Heygate Estate has worrying parallels with what is currently happening in Brixton:

The Heygate Estate occupied a large site next to a major transport interchange in an inner London borough, and its residents had the temerity to remain poor while the land they lived on became more valuable. When people talk about the "social cleansing" of London, this is it. The classism and snobbery directed towards brutalism (but only when occupied by certain groups - see: the Barbican) compounded the Heygate Estate's fate. Read through the stories from former residents, archived on Heygate Was Home, for proof that it wasn't always considered a slum, or an eyesore, by the people who mattered.

We're losing London to the forces you can see at work at the Heygate. Regeneration schemes that push the existing community out to neo-banlieues and replacing them with white collar professionals and students living in inferior-quality buildings; councils pleased to turn a blind eye so they have higher rate payers within their boroughs; developers getting given land at a fraction of its true value on the promise of future profits that mysteriously never arrive; a revolving door between local authorities and regeneration consultancy and PR firms. The people affected by these phenomena are the last people to be given a say in, let alone be given control of, their lives. God forbid they should ever be given a way to choose how their city changes, too.

http://www.newstatesman.com/2013/11/heygate-estates-death-represents-l

 

[Strangerdanger]

This article in the New Statesman about the disgraceful fate of the Heygate Estate has worrying parallels with what is currently happening in Brixton:



http://www.newstatesman.com/2013/11/heygate-estates-death-represents-l

This heygate estate issue actually sickens me. How could anyone think this is acceptable? I don't even know what to say.

 

[SarfLondoner]

This article in the New Statesman about the disgraceful fate of the Heygate Estate has worrying parallels with what is currently happening in Brixton:



http://www.newstatesman.com/2013/11/heygate-estates-death-represents-l

I have a friend that lived there for 22 years and refused to move, Southwark offered her 80k to relocate from her 1 bed flat. The price of a 1 bed flat when the heygate is "redeveloped" will 350k plus.

 

[Gramsci]

This article in the New Statesman about the disgraceful fate of the Heygate Estate has worrying parallels with what is currently happening in Brixton:



http://www.newstatesman.com/2013/11/heygate-estates-death-represents-l

I am on the email list of the 35% website.

So have been following what is happening at Heygate.

I think it shows the increasing impotence of democracy in the face of big business.

As the 35% campaign point out lots of promises were made to residents over the years. Most of which have been broken.

I do not think its that the Councils want to get rid of social housing. It is that over the last 30 years , as is the case in other area, so called private enterprise trumps democratic control.

The countless times I have heard Cllrs say that legislation "ties there hands" and they would really prefer to have more truly affordable housing.

London has a minority of people who do well at being part of the "rentier" class. Whether they are small time" buy to let" landlords or big developers. In which case I do not think people will object to seeing developers and the landlord class as the real real enemy of your average Londoner. Landlords- the kind of people who say its all down to the market. The wonderful "invisible hand"

The article is right to say that :

The Heygate Estate occupied a large site next to a major transport interchange in an inner London borough, and its residents had the temerity to remain poor while the land they lived on became more valuable

 

[snowy_again]

LendLease played the council and won, and ex-Southwark regen staff conveniently getting new jobs within private sector developers assisted knowing what was on offer and where. There's a google map of ex LB Southwark employees and their new property development companies somewhere.

I chaired a Surrey Sq TRA when I was a naive nipper and Labour started those regen plans. It was quietly obvious that despite the vocal, well established local community, the area was too close, too central to be left as it was.

The area was badly planned, poorly managed and was failing to serve the community on several indices around employment, health, education, financial confidence etc. In hindsight, it appears their answer was to move that established organised community out, and break up 30 more years of community development through the phased relocation of communities, breaking continuity and connections, whilst the unpopular new builds were made and people moved back in to estates, where their access was managed by private (and not HA owned estates with democratic involvement in their management) agents.

I used to be a bit suspicious about one of the Southwark regen team who developed a council owned asset management strategy and CP'd lots of derelict property for later community use. He sneakily put them under non LA management somehow, which worried me at the time. Now it seems he predicted LendLease & Southwarks intentions.

 

[CH1]

LendLease played the council and won, and ex-Southwark regen staff conveniently getting new jobs within private sector developers assisted knowing what was on offer and where. There's a google map of ex LB Southwark employees and their new property development companies somewhere.

Brixton Green has Lend Lease connections regrettably. The community need to make sure that Heygate does NOT happen in another guise in Somerleyton Road.

 

[snowy_again]

Really? I can't remember their elected role holders off the top of my head, and Lend Lease is just a corporate structure. Besides, it wouldn't surprise me - can you show me where?

i've always found the BG community ownership / share thing a little suspicious - it seems to be manipulating good practice participatory planning with a more controlled approach that takes share ownership as consensus.

 

[CH1]

Really? I can't remember their elected role holders off the top of my head, and Lend Lease is just a corporate structure. Besides, it wouldn't surprise me - can you show me where?

i've always found the BG community ownership / share thing a little suspicious - it seems to be manipulating good practice participatory planning with a more controlled approach that takes share ownership as consensus.

I'll check it out tomorrow - but at least one board member or board member candidate has worked for Lend Lease. I guess under present commercial moral standards they would be operating a "Chinese Wall" in their head and therefore totally community oriented NOT (proven yet).

 

[leanderman]

I just see the word 'lendlease' and, funnily enough, think of a powerful party taking advantage of a weaker one in desperate times

 

[CH1]

Really? I can't remember their elected role holders off the top of my head, and Lend Lease is just a corporate structure. Besides, it wouldn't surprise me - can you show me where?
I've always found the BG community ownership / share thing a little suspicious - it seems to be manipulating good practice participatory planning with a more controlled approach that takes share ownership as consensus.

I was thinking of Will Freeman - who was a candidate but not elected.
A bit like Leanderman, I find seeing the words Lend Lease kind of raises hackles.
Will Freeman was involved in designing the Olympic Village it seems - from an architectural point of view.
I guess in the cold light of the morning it's two steps too far to say Brixton Green "has Lend Lease connections" - or indeed that Mr Freeman endorses the goings on at the Heygate Estate.
What set me off is here: http://www.brixtongreen.org/candidates2013/

 

[CH1]

I love the estate agent con that is the 'Juliette Balcony' it isn't a balcony, you can not walk or stand on it, it is a large window with a glorified baby gate on the front of it.

These Juliette balconies bug me. I don't think I will ever become reconciled to the banal look of Barratts "Brixton Square" (at least from the outside).
Why do I prefer 116-118 Coldharbour Lane to Brixton Square?
Notting Hill Housing obtained planning permission in 2009 for a 100% affordable housing scheme. Two years later that the Barratts scheme, yet Notting Hill had completely finished theirs well over a year ago. Here are my photos:
Embassy Apartments (social housing)
Printworks Apartments (shared ownership)




Notting Hill Housing did a good job here. It might look like St Helier Hospital -but at least it has sleek modern lines - AND PROPER BALCONIES. And SOCIAL housing suitable for local families.

 

[Belushi]

I looked at the website for that place when I was buying my (shared ownership) place, I think they were already all sold by then but also I really hated those small windows. V.glad its all social housing though.

 

[Belushi]

And proper balconies! I have a balcony and its great. Glad they appear to becoming more common in Britain.

 

[leanderman]

And proper balconies! I have a balcony and its great. Glad they appear to becoming more common in Britain.

It's important to have somewhere to shove the bicycles and washing!

 

[Belushi]

I remember on the Ferrier Estate in Kidbrooke loads of people had sheds on theirs

 

[Manter]

LendLease played the council and won, and ex-Southwark regen staff conveniently getting new jobs within private sector developers assisted knowing what was on offer and where. There's a google map of ex LB Southwark employees and their new property development companies somewhere.

I chaired a Surrey Sq TRA when I was a naive nipper and Labour started those regen plans. It was quietly obvious that despite the vocal, well established local community, the area was too close, too central to be left as it was.

The area was badly planned, poorly managed and was failing to serve the community on several indices around employment, health, education, financial confidence etc. In hindsight, it appears their answer was to move that established organised community out, and break up 30 more years of community development through the phased relocation of communities, breaking continuity and connections, whilst the unpopular new builds were made and people moved back in to estates, where their access was managed by private (and not HA owned estates with democratic involvement in their management) agents.

I used to be a bit suspicious about one of the Southwark regen team who developed a council owned asset management strategy and CP'd lots of derelict property for later community use. He sneakily put them under non LA management somehow, which worried me at the time. Now it seems he predicted LendLease & Southwarks intentions.

I'm being a bit dense, sorry.... What is CP-ing?

 

[CH1]

I'm being a bit dense, sorry.... What is CP-ing?

Compulsory Purchase

 

[Manter]

Compulsory Purchase

Ahha. So he CP'ed and put them in non LA ownership to protect them from southwark/lend lease?

 

[CH1]

Ahha. So he CP'ed and put them in non LA ownership to protect them from southwark/lend lease?

It says non local authority management. I'm not au fait with the case - maybe get snowy_again to clarify?

 

[teuchter]

These Juliette balconies bug me. I don't think I will ever become reconciled to the banal look of Barratts "Brixton Square" (at least from the outside).
Why do I prefer 116-118 Coldharbour Lane to Brixton Square?
Notting Hill Housing obtained planning permission in 2009 for a 100% affordable housing scheme. Two years later that the Barratts scheme, yet Notting Hill had completely finished theirs well over a year ago. Here are my photos:
Embassy Apartments (social housing)
View attachment 43282 View attachment 43283Printworks Apartments (shared ownership)
View attachment 43284
View attachment 43285

View attachment 43286
Notting Hill Housing did a good job here. It might look like St Helier Hospital -but at least it has sleek modern lines - AND PROPER BALCONIES. And SOCIAL housing suitable for local families.

It's a fairly awful piece of architecture if you ask me. And I might argue that its spiky galvanised fence is more unfreindly to the street than Brixton Square's gated courtyard.

 

[editor]

It's a fairly awful piece of architecture if you ask me. And I might argue that its spiky galvanised fence is more unfreindly to the street than Brixton Square's gated courtyard.

They look positively welcoming compared to this.

 

[teuchter]

*sigh*

 

[Crispy]

These Juliette balconies bug me. I don't think I will ever become reconciled to the banal look of Barratts "Brixton Square" (at least from the outside).
Why do I prefer 116-118 Coldharbour Lane to Brixton Square?
Notting Hill Housing obtained planning permission in 2009 for a 100% affordable housing scheme. Two years later that the Barratts scheme, yet Notting Hill had completely finished theirs well over a year ago.

Notting Hill Housing did a good job here. It might look like St Helier Hospital -but at least it has sleek modern lines - AND PROPER BALCONIES. And SOCIAL housing suitable for local families.

An urbanite got one of those shared ownership 1-beds and I've been there. Double aspect flat with a decent amount of space and a great view. The balconies clash with the entrances but otherwise it's ok looking. Excellent efficiency rating too.

 

[teuchter]

It's really not ok looking.

 

[ChrisSouth]

They look positively welcoming compared to this.

It's not finished!

 

[editor]

It's not finished!

It's a massive metal gate. How is it suddenly going to become more attractive?

An urbanite got one of those shared ownership 1-beds and I've been there. Double aspect flat with a decent amount of space and a great view. The balconies clash with the entrances but otherwise it's ok looking. Excellent efficiency rating too.

There's lots of interesting detail in that fencing too.

 

[CH1]

It's a fairly awful piece of architecture if you ask me. And I might argue that its spiky galvanised fence is more unfreindly to the street than Brixton Square's gated courtyard.

The fence can be changed when people come round to your point of view - and at very low cost.
I like the clean lines. It was built to a cost - and built very quickly. Time will tell if there are disadvantages - remember the system built blocks on "New Loughborough" with concrete cancer - and the St Matthews Estate quasi Ronan point tower blocks where gas is banned. Meanwhile I'd rather have more social housing and intermediate than Barratt style private gated blocks where the plebs have to be kept out. That reminds me of Tangier - or the old quarter at Cordoba. Except that in Tangier or Cordoba the architecture is more appealing and less prison-like than Barratts house style.

 

[teuchter]

The fence can be changed when people come round to your point of view - and at very low cost.
I like the clean lines. It was built to a cost - and built very quickly. Time will tell if there are disadvantages - remember the system built blocks on "New Loughborough" with concrete cancer - and the St Matthews Estate quasi Ronan point tower blocks where gas is banned. Meanwhile I'd rather have more social housing and intermediate than Barratt style private gated blocks where the plebs have to be kept out. That reminds me of Tangier - or the old quarter at Cordoba. Except that in Tangier or Cordoba the architecture is more appealing and less prison-like than Barratts house style.

I'd like more social and affordable housing too. I'm commenting on the outward appearance of the Coldharbour Lane block; in my view it is lumpen and inelegant (which need not be inevitable for system-built architecture; it simply requires the application of some design skills, little of which seem in evidence in that building, at least outwardy).

The Barratts block is mediocre architecturally, but I would say it takes a less aggressive approach to the streetscape. The gated courtyard is a bit of a red herring as has been discussed in endless circles on this thread already.

By the way I think the new housing blocks (student housing??) either side of the Sainsburys in Herne Hill are actually starting to look quite good. They, I think, are based on prefab modules as well, but a bit more thought has been put into the appearance of the facades.