At the Heart of Hackney since 1967 2015 THE HACKNEY SOCIETY SPACENews and views about Hackney’s builtS environment Issue 47 Winter 2015 // ISSN 2047-7465 Clonbrock Road By Edward Lipton* Photos ©Charles Hosea Thirty-three Clonbrock Road is they were sanded, and received a white and the ‘bird’s nest’, an over-sized landing and a semi-detached house built in clear oil finish. The skirtings and architraves ‘den’ perched over the street overlooking an 1957. The site, which is wedge- have been ‘designed out’ and replaced with ornamental silver birch. Continuing up, one shaped, was occupied by a two- flush frames and clear silicone bead. comes to a flat roof with a black zinc ‘box’ that forms the enclosure to the ‘bird’s nest’ storey house and garage. Works The bespoke kitchen is in light pink with a below. comprised full reconfiguration and white oiled pine work top. The sink drainer is a two-storey front cantilevered uniquely set in. Kitchen features hover above * Edward Lipton is Creative Director of Lipton extension. the ground, thereby adding to the sense Plant Architects, the firm responsible for of space and openness. A tall unit cleverly the work on the house. As you enter the building through the large, designed to incorporate the white goods glass, sliding front door, the diagonal floor and conceal the oven allows the kitchen to immediately orientates you in the hall to- contents be ‘closed off’. wards the full-height timber doors to the rear 01 Clonbrock Road sun lounge. With the aid of leather pulls, the The stair is formed from white oiled pine and 02 Building Watch: Saving Dalston Lane double doors open to reveal the rear space painted treads, hung from above. The soffit 03 Building Watch: Wilmer Place and the full-width expanse of glass in thin is faceted to wind around the underside and yellow frames. reflects the shape of the building and the 03 Building Watch: 195 Mare Street cantilever to the front. 03 Hackney Design Awards Internally, the building is a combination of white oiled pine, and white walls and ceil- Heading up the building, past the four 03 Strictly for the Birds? ings. The original floors have been reused; bedrooms and generous hall, one arrives at 04 Noticeboard 04 Publications Help support our work by joining the Hackney Society. 04 Hackney Society Events Call on 020 7175 1967 or email membership@ 04 Hackney Society News hackneysociety.org or visit www.hackneysociety.org 04 Book Review Building Watch Last Hope for Dalston Lane Terrace By OPEN Dalston campaigner Lisa Shell On the day of the Spitalfields Trust’s long awaited meeting with Hackney Property Services, Murphy commenced the destruction of the 1807 villa at 66 Dalston Lane which had housed the Sound and Music shop for some 30 years: lopping the chimney pots, smashing the roof coverings and removing all windows. Representatives from the Trust, Circle 33 Housing and conservation architects, The Regeneration Practice, accompanied Councillor Snell to hear Hackney set out the reasons behind its approach to the regeneration of Dalston Lane Terrace: commercial profit and urban ‘sustainability’ had been identified as primary objectives of the development brief… whilst the Trust were just relying on ‘assumptions’ that the buildings could be restored. We have learned that wholesale demolition 48-52 and 54-56. Hackney Council was of number 66, along with numbers 68-76, also advised that the bricks and mortar were is to commence early in the new year, as ‘not in any way unusually weak per se’. part of phase 1 of the ‘conservation-led But despite this, Hackney’s engineer regeneration’ project. The other significant concluded that none of the façades would buildings at numbers 48-58 form part It is easy to see how adhering to correct of phase 2 which it is understood will survive the process of removing the ground floor brickwork to create open plan shops, process does not always cough up the best commence on completion of phase 1. or right outcomes. Without time or technical which was a key part of Hackney Property expertise the High Court were unable to In June 2013 Murphy’s engineer, contrary to Service’s commercially driven project brief. their previous advice, notified Hackney that question the applicant’s interpretation of the façades of the 16 Georgian properties Murphy’s own engineer quickly sidestepped expert technical reports nor interrogate the could not be saved in the implementation this fundamental and shocking conflict and definition of planning policy. saved Hackney Property Services from of the approved ‘conservation-led’ And with such clear conflicts remaining an expensive U-turn with the killer blow: façade-retention redevelopment. Further unexplored OPEN have applied to appeal investigation and tests on the masonry apparently cleaning the paint and graffiti the court’s decision, in the meantime indicated that years of neglect as well as would destroy the weathering surfaces making an injunction application to halt the defects in the original construction were to of the bricks and render them unusable! progress of the destruction at number 66 blame. Despite having previously carried out Without tests or samples anyone might before all is lost. brick-strength testing, it was decided that think that Murphy didn’t want to save this the bricks were too soft to be fixed back brickwork! Such legal procedures are only made to the new steel frame that was necessary possible through continued donations: the At the Hackney Planning Committee to support the proposed flats behind the Dalston public clearly still have energy for meeting of 5 March 2014, the case officer façade. So the whole terrace would need this fight. A petition to Mayor Jules Pipe recommended approval of demolition and to be demolished and rebuilt to modern asking that he allow the Spitalfields Trust the Committee, equally divided, passed the standards in ‘heritage likeness’. to restore Dalston Lane Terrace has over resolution by use of the Chair’s casting vote. the last weeks attracted 845 signatures, Such appalling news went against providing a welcome outlet for increasing On 24 November the High Court of Justice Hackney’s own adopted conservation public outrage: https://www.change.org/p/ dismissed OPEN’s challenge of Hackney’s policy and so in due diligence the mayor-jules-pipe-allow-the-spitalfields-trust- Council appointed a conservation- decision to approve demolition stating that to-restore-dalston-lane-terrace accredited engineer to check this Hackney’s Planning Committee acted within To conclude with Dan Cruickshank’s simple structural assessment. Their independent their legal powers to approve the demolition words on the Trust’s proposals, delivered engineer acknowledged that some of the on the basis of the evidence in front of them. at the Saving Dalston Lane fundraising properties were ‘near collapse’ and others Mr Justice Collins, who was ‘not without Soiree on 23 November: ‘There should be ‘very poor’. But at number 66 the walls considerable sympathy for the approach of something for everyone in Dalston in saving generally appeared plumb; there was the objectors’, found that it was not for him and developing this scheme in a sensitive some degradation of timber but the overall to judge whether the decision was right or and thoughtful way that preserves history’. condition of the building was ‘average to wrong but that there was no procedural or poor’. Similar positive assessments were legal defect in Hackney’s decision which The future of the terrace ultimately rests with made of the other properties at numbers could justify his intervention. Mayor Jules Pipe. 02 Building Watch Wilmer Place support the legal action. See stokeylocal.org conservation accredited architect for more information. or engineer. By Nick Perry for Stokey Local • The works of repair need to be Since the summer (Spaces 45), the Planning Progress at 195 Mare Street implemented without delay and prior to the completion and occupation of an Court has heard three days of evidence in By Lisa Shell* a judicial review challenging the granting enabling development. of two identical planning permissions to In 1951 Pevsner described the Grade II* • The selection of a tenant should be redevelop the site at Wilmer Place, N16. listed number 195 Mare Street as ‘the made and consultation carried out prior th In a lengthy judgment, produced just days best 18 century house in Hackney’. The to the commencement of construction after the hearing, Mrs Justice Patterson Elizabeth Fry Refuge adapted the building work to minimise the risk of uncontrolled dismissed all the legal claims, giving the for its use between 1860 and 1911 and subsequent alterations. developer a green light to proceed to build the subsequent New Lansdowne Club was • It should be demonstrated that the the 44,000 sq ft supermarket with 53 flats in residence from 1913 until 2004, since premises fulfil essential fire escape above it, hard by Abney Park cemetery. when the Hackney Society has expressed building regulations to accommodate a grave concern about ongoing neglect and commercial use. The legal claim had become about more than vandalism. It is heartening to report that a • It is felt that access provisions have not a single development as it sought to establish new owner has submitted plans to Hackney been sufficiently investigated to meet the what rights the decision-makers – the elected (ref 2014/3594) for listed building consent requirements of the Equality Act. Councillors – had to see crucial information for a careful restoration and refurbishment • Conditions requiring approval of brick from the developer and the Council’s th of the property, removing 20 century cleaning and repair samples should be consultants. Confidential viability reports additions and reinstating details and were written to justify building just nine included in any approval.