No 358, June 2013
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The Clapham Society Newsletter Issue 358 June 2013 Our regular monthly meetings are held at Clapham Manor Primary School, Belmont Road, SW4 0BZ. The entrance to Plaque for the Old Fire Station the school in Stonhouse Street, through the new building, is NOT open for our evening meetings. Use the Belmont Road entrance, cross the playground and enter the building on the right. The hall is open from 7.30 pm when coffee and tea are normally available. The talk begins promptly at 8 pm and most meetings finish by 9.30 pm. Meetings are free and non- members are very welcome. Wednesday 19 June Emily Wilding Davison and the Suffragette Campaign in 1913. In this centenary year of the death of Emily Davison, who made the ultimate sacrifice of her life in support of the suffragette campaign, Beverley Cook, Social and Working History Curator at the Museum of London will talk to us about this and other The fourth of the Society’s green plaques, recording the former campaigning activities of the suffragettes, such as arson and use of historic buildings, will be erected on The Lodge, 33 The attacks on art works and the response by the government of the Pavement. (This is the building immediately opposite The Frog day to these activities. pub) The Lodge was built in 1868 as Clapham Fire Station, and it remained in use as such until 1902, when a new station was Wednesday 3 July built on the present site in Old Town. Summer Party. To celebrate the 50th anniversary of the The plaque will be unveiled on Wednesday 5 June at 5 pm, Clapham Society this year’s party will be held in the garden by Professor Andrew Saint, General Editor of the Survey of of our President, Martin Drury, and his wife, in Victoria Rise. London. Do come along and join the celebration! Tickets, which include drinks and canapés, are £12 each. The ticket application form is on the back page of this newsletter. Order your tickets as soon as possible, since numbers will be Lambeth Local Plan strictly limited. Lambeth has recently published its draft local plan for consulta- July and August meetings are replaced by the following guided tion. It contains planning policies which will set the pattern for walks: change in the borough for the next fifteen years. We have urged that the section on Clapham places greater em- Wednesday 17 July. Clapham Common West Side led by phasis on the need to keep the night-time economy in Clapham Derrick Johnson. Meet at Clapham South Underground Station at High Street under control, and to improve public transport to 6.30 pm. relieve congestion on the Northern Line. We were encouraged to see policies which aim to retain what is left of the retail role of Wednesday 14 August. Clapham North led by Peter Jefferson the High Street and local centres like Abbeville Road by limiting Smith. Meet at Clapham North Underground Station at 6.30 pm. the number of premises that can change from shops to restaurants and bars. We also have an additional walk, entitled ‘The Good, the Bad, Otherwise there are no new large scale development sites left and the Beautiful’ – Revisited, in conjunction with Wandsworth in Clapham; all are either built, on site, or already have planning Heritage Festival on Tuesday 11 June starting at 6.30 pm at permission. So pressure for extra housing space will take the Clapham South Underground Station. Derrick Johnson will form of proposals to extend buildings and for small new develop- identify the former residences of some of the more interesting ments where sites can be found. The draft plan contains policies and ‘exotic’ people who have lived on the Wandsworth side of to ensure that such changes maintain Clapham’s character and are Clapham. This is a follow-up to Peter Jefferson Smith’s talk with well designed, and we had made recommendations to beef them that title on Tuesday 4 June at Battersea Library at 6.30 pm. The up where we think necessary. talk and all walks are free. Come along with your friends. Secretary: Jill Cramphorn Published by The Clapham Society, a registered charity No 279595 552 Wandsworth Road, London SW8 3JX Member Society of the London Forum claphamsociety.com Printed by Embassy Press 020 7622 4522 Battersea Power Station – the end of a tortuous Local issues history? Our meeting on 17 April brought local councillors and officers face to face with Members of the Society a good many Clapham Society members went to a meeting on 8 May who took full advantage of the chance organised by the Battersea to make their views known on some Society to find out about the contentious local issues. future of the Battersea Power The first topic was the Common: Station site. Attempts to matters discussed included the problems secure the future of this iconic of noise at, and reinstatement following, but derelict building have large events; the annoyance caused by been long and complicated – the activities of groups such as British and until now questionable. Military Fitness; and the poor state of Speakers described many paths. It seemed that some of the the intentions of the latest problems were likely to diminish, but this developer consortium for the Model of Battersea Power Station, c 1935 was largely because fewer organisations comprehensive development of were in a position to put on big events in what has been called the ‘new city at Nine Elms’. The key sites are the existing Covent the current economic climate. Garden Market, the Royal Mail Delivery Office and the Power Station.The whole site The latest proposals for the extends from Vauxhall Bridge to the railway parallel to Queenstown Road and from the regeneration of Old Town, Clapham Thames almost to Wandsworth Road. We were told a massive mixed development is Cross and the High Street – in particular proposed in order to secure the future of the Power Station. the changes to parking arrangements Battersea Power Station was built in two stages, the western half in 1929-35 and introduction of a contra-flow cycle designed by engineers SL Pearce and HN Allot and architect JT Halliday. The eastern lane – gave rise to animated exchanges: half was built in 1944-55. Sir Giles Gilbert Scott was responsible for the exterior detail it was clear that many of those attending and it is one of the first designs for the new industrial age buildings.The Power Station believed that further consultation on some partly closed in 1973 and completely in the early 1980s. Although a listed building, it aspects was needed. There was general has been derelict ever since. agreement that Clapham’s so-called The whole meeting was developer led with a high degree of speculation involved. ‘vibrant night-time economy’ had got out The ‘master plan’ does not appear to have any Local Authority planning input, except of hand, and that steps to reduce both the for the presence of the leaders of Lambeth and Wandsworth Councils on the Board. number and the opening hours of licensed Politics rather than sound planning could be the order of the day. The Power Station is premises were overdue. hemmed in by new blocks of flats as high as or higher than the building itself and there Members were critical of Lambeth’s is high density development elsewhere, including at Vauxhall. current policy of selling off – at very high On display at the meeting was a model of the original Power Station and evocative prices – listed buildings in Lillieshall photos of the interior as well as models and drawings of the present proposals. We were Road and North Street which had been told that a large proportion of advertised flats had been sold ‘off plan’, because of their occupied by Lambeth tenants and licensed proximity to the centre of London. The model showed a new pedestrian and cycle bridge squatters since the 1970s. Not only did linking Pimlico with the south bank and Wandsworth Road, a beautified Nine Elms this reduce the amount of affordable Lane with wider pavements, planting within a central reservation, new bus and cycle housing in the area; it also created lanes along the line of the existing dual carriage way – all welcome improvements. the risk that the buildings would be However, no one talked about the future of the Power Station itself and this inappropriately altered. could easily be ignored Discussion only ended because time as too intractable and ran out, and all those present agreed pricey a problem. The that it would be good to make such easier and more profitable meetings an annual fixture. We are most developments are happening grateful to Councillors Barrett, Cosgrave, first, rather than securing Haselden and O’Malley and Town Centre the restoration of the Power manager Jeremy Keats for their frank and Station which should thoughtful responses to the issues raised, have been a priority. What and look forward to another chance to air happens if developers go our concerns next year. bust, change their mind or Jill Cramphorn sell the site on? The worst Model of proposed development of the Power Station site scenario is that the most iconic building in Nine Elms City ends up as a conserved ruin with its four chimneys Bandstand events but with no use other than a monument to failed intentions. We await developments. The following events are planned on For information about the Nine Elms development go to: nineelmslondon.com. Clapham Common bandstand in June: Peter Cobley Sunday 2 June Incredible Sax Band Saturday 15 June Becontree Brass Band Magnolia Walk On Sunday 30 June you can choose the 2k, 5k or 10k walk Sunday 30 June In-Spiral Saxes around our local Commons in this annual fundraiser for Trinity Hospice.