69565 GS Newsletter 24Pp 2019 P1-11__31 5 19.Indd 1 31/05/2019 15:50 Exceptional Legal Advice, Whatever the Weather
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Garden Square News SERVING CENTRAL LONDON’S COMMUNAL GARDENS VOL 24 ISSUE 1, SPRING 2019 Government may curb short let properties Having peeled back restrictions on lets – such as making it affordable short-term residential property for more visitors to see London and lettings four years ago, local and creating income for property owners central government officials are now struggling to cope with the high cost scrambling to deal with the problems of living in London – have come that have ballooned under the looser multiple problems, including anti- rules. social behaviour by the renters, illegal Following the 2015 change of rubbish dumping, and a reduction laws governing short lets, popular in the amount of property available locations such as the City of for long-term residents. Westminster and the Royal The law requires that property Borough of Kensington & Chelsea owners can rent out their units for no (RBK&C) have seen a surge in more than 90 days before planning short-term lets. According to the permission is needed. But this is very campaigning website Inside Airbnb, difficult to enforce and many hosts in Westminster there are 6,164 exceed the 90-day limit. entire homes listed on Airbnb, the On April 23 London Mayor Sadiq dominant short let platform. K&C Khan, acting on behalf of six central Map courtesy of Inside Airbnb has 4,439 entire homes available. London boroughs, announced that Many of these are being offered he was calling on the Government to Airbnb accommodation is mapped out across the by a host who advertises multiple require anyone wishing to rent out Royal Borough of Kensington & Chelsea and the City properties. (In addition to these a property for less than 90 days to of Westminster (shown here and on page 19) The red numbers, there are many private register on a central data base so that dots show available short lets for an entire house or apartment, green dots show a private room. The blank rooms offered on Airbnb.) the 90-day limit can be effectively areas are largely public parks. Along with the benefits of short enforced. (continued on page 19) Inside Hotel fight – page 5 Bug count – page 6 Fox logic – page 8 TV crews– page 12 Puck arrives – page 14 Rat traps – page 22 Alfe the cat’s owners say he often takes up this position to keep an eye on Lloyd Baker Street, the link between Lloyd Square and Granville Square, WC1. See page 16 to read about these quiet enclaves. 1 1 69565_GS Newsletter 24Pp_2019_P1-11__31_5_19.indd 1 31/05/2019 15:50 Exceptional legal advice, whatever the weather As primary legal advisers to the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea garden committees, we can advise on all legal matters including sub-committee member’s duties, ownership rights, access rights and more. Call our garden square expert Robert Barham on 020 7591 3386 or email [email protected] www.crippspg.co.uk Capturing the early morning light 2 3 69565_GS Newsletter 24Pp_2019_P1-11__31_5_19.indd 2 31/05/2019 15:50 Capturing the early morning light ictorian builder William Willett was famous for building morning. When I happened on a graceful building in Cornwall high-quality structures and for promoting the adoption Gardens, SW7, I pulled out my iPhone and snapped this photo. Vof daylight savings time. According to his Wikipedia Later, when researching who had built the structure, known entry, he first got the idea for having summer days start earlier as Garden House, I was amused to find it was none other when he was riding his horse in suburban London early one than Willett. summer morning and noticed how many blinds were still down. Willett has another claim to fame – he was the great-great I was familiar with Willett, and had his love of early light in grandfather of Coldplay band singer Chris Martin. – Ed. the back of my mind when I set out on a walk on a bright May 2 3 69565_GS Newsletter 24Pp_2019_P1-11__31_5_19.indd 3 31/05/2019 15:50 Table tennis anyone? photo by Aaron Landeryou You asked for it, you got it. Teenagers living around Connaught Square, W2, asked the garden committee for a table tennis table, pointing out that younger children had play equipment in the garden, but there was nothing for older children. The committee agreed, and the table pictured here was installed this spring. he fashion for having table “The Committee thought that it was a If any garden residents feel ready to tennis tables in communal great idea to install a table tennis table pit their skills against other communal Tgardens is continuing to grow. which would appeal to all. We are garden table tennis teams, feel free to The latest one brought The fashion for fortunate to have the space to do so, contact Garden Square News at having table tennis tables in The The and it's a fun addition to the swings and www.gardensquarenews.com to lay fashion for having table tennis tables in playhouse we have already. A great result down your challenge. – Ed. communal gardens is continuing to grow. for everyone! We want to encourage all of The latest one brought to the attention of our residents to enjoy our little oasis in Garden Square News is the Cornilleau the centre of London.” 510 Static outdoor table (pictured here) Campden House Court Garden, W8, recently installed in Connaught Square, has had a table for many years. Garden W2. According to garden manager committee member Lynda Stubbings, Aaron Landeryou of Westbourne Block said, “We do still have our table tennis Management Ltd., it retails for about table, but it’s looking rather the worse for £700 and comes with a 10-year warranty. wear after several years – like so many bits of equipment it doesn’t get used nearly enough, which is a shame. It tends to Players have to be used more in the summer, and when supply their own families have friends around. It’s definitely worth having. There was a time years ago bats and balls. when we were trying to stop the children playing football, so they all became really Karen Scarborough, a Connaught good at table tennis. Then the enthusiasm Square garden committee member, said, wore off a bit the next year or two.” “We had a request via some of the older Other gardens with table tennis children in the Square if we could provide facilities include Pembridge Square, some activity, like table tennis. We are W2, and Barkston Gardens, SW5. This 2012 photo shows resident Alex Williams and his nanny Marife one of the few gardens that allows ball Cerado-Catolico playing in Campden games up to the age of 10 but this didn't House Court Garden on a table that cater for the older ones. had cost £450. 4 5 69565_GS Newsletter 24Pp_2019_P1-11__31_5_19.indd 4 31/05/2019 15:50 Make it bigger, says London Mayor Khan ondon Mayor Sadiq Khan has The hearing date on the proposal is set for delivered an emphatic rebuke to June 21 at the Greater London Authority Lresidents and local councillors who City Hall. objected to the size of a proposed twin tower complex to replace the existing Kensington Forum Holiday Inn on the Cromwell Road, Warnings of a “toxic” SW7 (GSN Autumn 2018). He wants it to garden square be even larger. The mayor maintains that too few homes, including affordable homes, are being Nearby residents who have formed a large built in the Royal Borough of Kensington and strident protest group are challenging & Chelsea (RBK&C), so his planners the proposed development on numerous have negotiated with owners Queensgate grounds, including the assertion that such Investments and developers Rockwell a massive set of structures would seriously Property to raise the number of housing damage what is currently a low-rise units in the Ashburn Gardens complex neighbourhood characterised by historically from 46 to 62, and make them all qualify important architecture. for “London Affordable Rent”, which Health is a concern too. Dr. Laure de means below market rent. Preux of Imperial College of London, To achieve this, a medium-rise section a specialist in environment and health of the complex adjoining the towers will economics, told the Mayor’s planners at a have two storeys added to its height. The recent meeting that the proposed garden two taller tower sections are 30 stories square next to the towering complex would and 22 storeys high. If the plans are be “toxic” and the areas nearby would be approved, the complex will have 749 hotel compromised too. The tall wall would bedrooms, 340 serviced apartments along trap the pollution created by the heavy red The view of the Holiday Inn from the with the 62 residential apartments and a route traffic on the Cromwell Road, and Natural History Museum, showing how it already impacts the skyline. conference centre. concentrate it. (continued on page 22) On May 15th developers presented this scale model of how the proposed complex would ft into the neighbourhood. 4 5 69565_GS Newsletter 24Pp_2019_P1-11__31_5_19.indd 5 31/05/2019 15:50 Expert bug counters come to Wetherby Gardens Natural History Museum insect expert Max Barclay and student volunteer Sofa Riccomagno examine their umbrella to see what insects have fallen from the branches they shook. esponding to an invitation from collecting baskets then used sticks to bellied Australian ladybird Rhyzobius Garden Square News, insect tap tree and bush branches to make forestieri, which was first found in Rspecialists from the Natural specimens fall into their baskets.