The Hammersmith Society Newsletter Autumn 2018
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
The Hammersmith Society Newsletter Autumn 2018 An unflattering computer-generated view of the proposed Olympia Redevelopment (see page 2) The Hammersmith Society may find itself redundant in the wake of the new commission announced by the Communities’ Secretary. The ‘Building Better, Building Beautiful’ commission is due to ‘…start a debate about the importance of design and style’, and to ‘…find new ways of ensuring new developments reflect what communities want’. Community involvement is of course already provided for in current planning policy, and communities want to be involved because they have lost confidence in a system which allows the sort of developments we see around us. They might campaign against bad developments, and support positive development, but good developments come from good planning, enlightened developers & creative designers. Planning legislation champions good design, but the good intentions are undermined by a presumption that development should be allowed to proceed. As a result, planning control tends to be sidelined by development potential, sites become over-valued by development bravado, and high values lead to viability arguments, then used to justify overdevelopment. Building better and building beautiful is left far behind! Contents Olympia Redevelopment ................................................... 2 Heathrow Third Runway .................................................... 5 Town Hall ........................................................................... 3 Brook House, Shepherds Bush Road .................................. 6 West London College on Gliddon Road ............................. 3 Hammersmith Bridge ......................................................... 7 West 12 Shopping Centre .................................................. 4 On-Street cycle storage ...................................................... 8 Kings Mall Shopping Centre ............................................... 5 Phone boxes, old and new ................................................. 9 Riverside Studios ................................................................ 5 Linford Christie stadium ................................................... 10 Cycle Superhighway CS9 .................................................... 5 OPDC – Old Oak................................................................ 11 http://www.hammersmithsociety.org.uk OLYMPIA REDEVELOPMENT 1 Olympia Way vehicle- free, low level buildings beside the railway provide enclosure and separation. Escalator up to roof-level mall with restaurants, garden spaces etc. 2/3 Grand Hall: refurbished with additional mezzanine decks inside 4 1500 seat theatre with restaurants, and 3000 capacity music venue 5. Office use 6 Hotel and cinema uses 7 Logistics centre managing below ground parking and exhibition servicing access 8 Energy centre Last year the Olympia Exhibition Hall site entrepreneurial support and architectural was bought by Yoo Capital, and their project recovery to accompany and enrich the core company Olympia London declared their exhibition activity. However these bold worthy intention to ‘re-utilize development ideas should take appropriate underperforming areas of the estate, and account of the significant heritage assets in transform Olympia into London’s new the site architecture. The existing buildings creative arts, entertainment and exhibition of Olympia offer a quiet presence on district…’ Since then the Hammersmith Hammersmith Road which is punctuated by Society has attended a number of public the wonderfully distinctive, heroic style of exhibitions of the redevelopment proposals, Olympia Central (listed Grade ll) fronting and we are currently assessing the planning the main road, and the familiar soaring application which was submitted on 11 glazed vault of the Grand Hall (Grade ll*), October (ref 2018/03100/FUL) – for which entered through the neo-classical façade on the public consultation period has been Olympia Way. These dominant external extended until 3 December. features are joined by a host of rich supporting elements including the north- In the development proposals the principal eastern car park (Grade II), the elevations to elements of the existing architecture are Olympia Way – and the potential offered by preserved, but within a programme of very the building site on the Hammersmith significant and radical changes to the corner. overall site. A summary of the scope of the proposals is indicated on the illustration The proposed development would bring a above, which is taken from the planning theatre, a music venue, a roof-level arcade application. of restaurants and display spaces, a cinema – and, rising from the roof of the The development will breathe new life into Hammersmith Road elevations, a multi- a very special piece of Hammersmith, storey office building and a hotel. Olympia introducing a rich spectrum of activities Way is tidied up and freed of vehicles, with bringing a mix of arts, recreation, a terrace of buildings bringing separation Page | 2 Autumn 2018 from the railway line. A high windowless WEST LONDON COLLEGE block houses the stage and flytower of a ON GLIDDON ROAD new theatre on the Hammersmith corner site, offering a gloomy introduction to the site as you approach from the west. This is a cacophony of architectural creativity, and we are concerned that the Grand Hall and Olympia Central will be submerged amongst the jostling mixture of new architectural elements, each bringing its own distinctive style, together jeopardising the cohesive wrap of the existing block. The Hammersmith Society is preparing a letter of comment on the planning application, which will be posted on the Society website. TOWN HALL Over 450 documents described the photo: RIBA image library planning application for the Hammersmith West London College Hammersmith Town Hall development proposals which campus is on the corner of Talgarth Road was submitted to LBHF earlier this year, and Gliddon Road, close to Barons Court together with an application for listed tube station, on a substantial site of over 2.3 building consent for the interior and hectares. The predominantly brick, brutalist exterior alterations proposed to the Grade ll style buildings were designed in the 1980’s listed Town Hall. The application designs by Bob Giles at the GLC architects generally reflected the scheme displayed at department, and are set in a generous the April public exhibition. landscaped site, fitting well in the Since the applications were lodged, we neighbourhood environment. An understand that discussions between application for the listing of the buildings is Historic England (formerly English being considered by some amenity groups. Heritage) and the project team have The College considers the existing buildings required some amendments to the are no longer suitable for their educational application design, and these will be needs, and earlier this year presented their incorporated in revised applications due to redevelopment proposals for public be submitted shortly. The updated scheme consultation: in place of the existing will be published on the LBHF website, and buildings, the site would be divided will also be shown at a public exhibition. We between residential on the west side, sold are advised that despite the planning to a developer to raise funds for new college delays, there is prospect of work starting on facilities on the east side. A substantial new site in early summer 2019. college block is proposed, entered on the The current planning application can be Gliddon / Talgarth Road corner, and rising viewed on the LBHF planning website, some 20 metres high, with frontages of 50 reference 2018/01500/FUL metres to the A4 and 70 metres to Gliddon Road. A new town square would separate Page | 3 the campus from the 6 to 12 storey high from the relentless brick blocks and blocks planned for the residential area. projecting balconies; at this stage further Approval in principle would be sought for design information is needed to assess the the residential element, anticipating further proposals. – and possibly quite different – proposals The development team have held from the selected residential developer. discussions with LBHF planning, and we understand the scheme currently awaits review by the new CEO of the College. WEST 12 SHOPPING CENTRE West London College, as proposed mid 2018 In terms of development concept, it is unfortunate that economic constraints have stifled the creative opportunities of this substantial site, creating a use-boundary between residential and educational: integration of these different uses could have brought the benefits of diversity of mixed use, life and activity to otherwise The West 12 Shopping Centre, located on isolated spaces, and a richer mixture of the south east corner of Shepherds Bush urban fabric. Consideration might be given Green, is owned by Land Securities (in their to identifying developers who have the £14bn property portfolio), while the two insight and creative capacity to undertake residential blocks which rise above the both the residential and educational works. shopping centre are owned by LBHF. In terms of outline design, the scale of the LandSec intend to optimise the value of the college building is alien to its urban context, site by refurbishing the shopping centre and and is incompatible with its proximity to adding residential development above. Gliddon Road. This is part of an unusual Initial discussions have been held with neighbourhood