Kensington cover 17/3/14 13:36 Page 1 THE KENSINGTON THE KENSINGTON SOCIETY 2013 SOCIETY 2013 Kensington cover 17/3/14 13:36 Page 2 KENSINGTON & CHELSEA The Kensington Society would like to express our gratitude and thanks to: The Royal Borough of Kensington & Chelsea was created in 1965. Kensington, • Richard Birchall Associates for the support of the annual report; the area we watch over on your behalf, is north of Fulham Road and Walton • Peter Rich and Jeroboams for donating the wine at the 2013 AGM; Street, the frontier with Chelsea being marked with a red line on the map • Gordon French, Gallery 19, for the use of his view of Kensington Palace in both the newsletter and the 60th anniversary dinner invitation; • The Mayor, Charles Williams, for his support and use of the Mayor’s Parlour for both the AGM and the 60th anniversary dinner; and • Jim Babbington for his support and invaluable help with the 60th anniversary dinner. For the wonderful and informative people who helped with the lecture series: • Dale Ingram, Planning for Pubs, for the enjoyable tour of Kensington’s historic pubs in July; • Todd Longstaffe-Gowan for his tour of Kensington Palace Gardens; • Sir Peter Bazalgette for his interesting lecture on ‘The Drain Brain … How one man reshaped London in the 1860’s’; • Ian Blatchford for his excellent history of the Science Museum; • John Stewart of Clear Skies and Councillor Daniel Moylan for the discussion on the future of London airports; • David Reynolds of Deloitte LLP for his most enlightening workshop on ‘Party Walls’; and • Julian Harrap, RIBA FRSA, for his thought-provoking speech at the 60th anniversary dinner. And to everyone who has assisted, encouraged and backed the Society throughout the year! Front cover: painting by Anthony Whishaw RA, copyright the artist – for more about him see page 30 Editor: Michael Becket [email protected] Designer: Ian Hughes www.mousematdesign.com Chelsfield Partners Printed by Carrera Litho Ltd Supports preserving and improving the amenities of Kensington kensington booklet 2014 10/3/14 20:10 Page 1 THE KENSINGTON 23 St James’s Gardens, London W11 4RE www.kensingtonsociety.org SOCIETY The objects of the society are to preserve and improve the amenities of Kensington for the public benefit by stimulating interest in its history and records, promoting good architecture and planning in its development, and by protecting, preserving and improving its buildings, open spaces and other features of beauty or historic interest. Registered charity 267778 kensington booklet 2014 10/3/14 20:10 Page 2 PATRON His Royal Highness The Duke of Gloucester, KG, GCVO PRESIDENT Nick Ross VICE-PRESIDENTS The Rt Hon. The Earl of Snowdon, GCVO General The Lord Ramsbotham of Kensington GCB, CBE Sir Ronald Arculus, KCMG, KCVO COUNCIL Barnabus Brunner Peter De Vere Hunt Susan Lockhart George Pole The Hon. Laura Ponsonby Sir Angus Stirling TRUSTEES CHAIRMAN: Amanda Frame SECRETARY: Traci Weaver TREASURER and MEMBERSHIP SECRETARY: Martin Frame ANNUAL REPORT EDITOR: Michael Becket Charles Lutyens Holly Smith PLANNING, ENVIRONMENT & TRANSPORT: Michael Bach: Chair PLANNING COMMITTEE Hilary Bell Henry Peterson OBE Anthony Walker kensington booklet 2014 10/3/14 20:10 Page 3 CONTENTS President’s note 4 Chairman’s report 6 Annual general meeting 2013 8 Richard Fortey 12 Planning reports 14 Kensington in parliament By Sir Malcolm Rifkind KCMG QC MP 26 Anthony Whishaw By Michael Becket 30 The Kensingtons put Saki in khaki By Richard Northedge 34 Artists of Kensington By Michael Becket 37 Princess Alice By Robert Golden 42 Trees in Kensington By Thomas Packenham 44 Street Art 50 The Holland House Ball By Donald Rice 58 Reports form local societies 61 Statement of Financial Activities 74 Membership form 77 kensington booklet 2014 10/3/14 20:10 Page 4 President’s note They say that foreigners are coming over here and taking all our houses … but is it true? Nick Ross explains these are his personal views rather than his official position as president of the society. If you believe the headlines, nearly encouraged us to get things out of three-quarters of new-build homes proportion? in central London have been I did some checking. snapped up by non-UK As far as empty housing is buyers.The world wants to concerned, last year the own property here. Demand number of unused homes is so strong that developers in England fell at an often launch sales unprecedented pace to campaigns in Singapore the lowest rate on or Hong Kong months record1. And the capital before Londoners can get is no exception. a look in. Little wonder According to the Empty prices in the centre of the Homes campaign, of city are up 11% in just one 3,411,821 dwellings in year. It is not just the rich London only 24,226 are who want a slice of London. long term empty2. Just Worried families from fragile under 50,000 more are economies like Argentina, Brazil, unoccupied short-term but India, South Africa,Turkey and according to the charity, “Often Ukraine are looking here as a safe they are rented homes that have fallen haven. into disrepair; sometimes the owner has Perhaps we should be flattered. Perhaps we inherited the property.” should be worried too.The Guardian stoked As for foreign investors, the report that outrage by revealing that a third of homes in triggered so many headlines is not quite as Bishop’s Avenue in Hampstead are standing stark as it has sometimes been made to seem. vacant.The implication is that throughout the Its authors, the estate agents Knight Frank, capital a huge proportion of foreign-owned disclose that while half of top-end properties properties are left unoccupied. Labour’s shadow in central London went to overseas buyers, London minister has called for reforms against only 28% were non-resident in the UK. And these colonising foreigners, and this is not just a most of them have bought to let, not to leave preoccupation of the Left. Civitas the right of homes empty.The rest actually live here. And centre think-tank has also called for more as the researchers ask: is an Indian software controls. worker or a French banker who now decides At first, like many others, I felt a sense of to buy instead of rent a ‘foreigner’ or a indignation when I read the headlines. But the Londoner?3 danger with good stories, as most journalist In any case the less dramatic reality is that will know, is that if you research them too some 80% of central London homes were much you often find they crumble. Could it bought by UK citizens, and 93% of homes in be, heaven forfend, that sub-editors have outer boroughs. For a great international city 4 kensington booklet 2014 10/3/14 20:10 Page 5 maybe that proportion is not particularly And while we Londoners may welcome surprising. the idea of creating more housing, we are And foreigners are not just buying but sometimes less than welcoming in practice. building. Over £16bn was pumped into Boris Johnson is proposing a level of home- London’s economy last year by overseas building not seen since the 1930s with £1 investors4. Property analysts have pointed out billion to create 45,000 new low cost that if wealthy buyers chose New York instead dwellings, over 7,300 of which are planned for (voted second as the world’s best investment Kensington & Chelsea. Before we complain destination after London5) fewer new homes about the housing shortage we in the would be built here in the first place. What is Kensington Society will have to think twice more, even foreigners who only visit their before we seek to block developments. properties in London a few months in the year It won’t be easy.The real challenge is not spend a lot of money here. A survey by from overseas. It is very close to home. Ramidus Consulting totted up the cost of domestic staff, lifestyle managers, lawyers, The society's planning committee has school fees, medical expenses, maintenance, concerns about 'buy to leave' in the Royal decoration and insurance and reckoned Borough. The submission by Kensington & foreign owners of £5m+ homes each spend a Chelsea council to the government last year stunning £2m a year in the UK, while those also raised this issue when seeking exemption with £15m+ homes spend twice that. from relaxation of government policies on Next year the chancellor will close a change of use from office to housing. The loophole so visitors who buy will have to pay council also produced rather different capital gains tax just as we Britons do on statistics: “The housing market Kensington second homes. That should help to cool things and Chelsea contains much of London’s off. And according to the FT, the surge of prime housing market. There is a strong and foreign purchasers may already be over. The seemingly insatiable demand for housing in value of sterling has swollen and London the borough. This is driven in part by prices are so high that their attractiveness has overseas investment in what is perceived as a paled. In any case prices in Kensington have safe haven. It is impossible to meet this already cooled more than in many other areas. demand in full. Other than the two strategic It is always tempting to blame our woes on sites of Earl’s Court and Kensal, the borough foreigners but the lack of affordable homes is fully and densely developed. However, the has only a slight relationship with what council is meeting both its London Plan happens in Millionaire’s Row.