Council Announces New Lower Height Plans for King Strret
And admit: "We got it wrong and have learned from it"
Hammersmith and Fulham Council
new proposals to regenerate the area around Hammersmith Town Hall – with a height limit of eight storeys a ‘cast iron guarantee’.
This is the message from Hammersmith & Fulham (H&F) Council’s new leader, Cllr Nicholas Botterill, who today (July 19) signalled a radical rethink in the plans to breathe much needed new life into the west end of King Street.
Announcing that the old proposals – which were worked up with King Street Developments Ltd (KSD) – will now not be pursued, Cllr Botterill said the council and KSD have ‘listened and learned’ from the opposition to the previous scheme.
The historic regeneration proposals had been approved by the council’s planning applications committee, in November 2011, but the referral to the Mayor of London was withdrawn in December when it became clear that the Greater London Authority had concerns over the proposed height of two of the residential blocks and the resulting impact on views from across the river.
Cllr Botterill said the revised scheme would not be higher than the existing Hammersmith town hall extension meaning that eight storeys would be a maximum possible height.
Cllr Botterill said: “We got it wrong with the previous King Street proposals and we have learned from it. We guarantee the tallest buildings in a new scheme will not exceed the height of the existing town hall extension.
“The council’s office space requirements at the time and the impact from the economic downturn on residential values pushed the height of the two tallest blocks too far and we will not repeat this mistake.
”However, the fact remains that we still need to demolish the decrepit, life-expired and ugly 1970’s town hall extension – which is costing taxpayers a fortune to keep running – and regenerate a very run-down part of Hammersmith in the process.
“In conjunction with our development partners we now need to listen to what residents’ groups and amenity societies have told us to find a more acceptable solution. As a council we are committed to working with KSD to find a viable and deliverable scheme by remodelling the design and providing a smaller office building for the council.”
KSD will be reviewing the scheme over the coming months and a further consultation with residents’ and amenity groups will follow later in the year.
Matthew Bonning-Snook from KSD said: “With this pragmatic approach on their accommodation needs being taken by the council we are confident that a revised solution can be found that responds to concerns over height and massing. Meanwhile good progress is being made with a new meeting house being designed for The Friends on a nearby site.”
have withdrawn plans to redevelop King Street due to opposition from local people, according to a message sent to the campaign group Save Our Skyline by the GLA.
The message said: "
Hammersmith & Fulham Council has withdrawn the stage II referral until further notice. It means that the Mayor is not required to take a decision at this time. The application is still live and therefore it may be referred back to the Mayor at a future date. This will be at the Council's discretion."
The council's surprise change of mind has also been reported in the trade publication Estates Gazette.
The report says that Hammersmith & Fulham council has withdrawn a planning application for a
£110m town hall redevelopment by Grainger and Helical, in the face of mass
opposition.
According to Estates Gazette, the council decided to withdraw the application on the same evening as Mayor
of London Boris Johnson was due to announce whether he would let the scheme
go ahead.
Plans for 290 homes, shops, restaurants and a new public square could now be
jeopardised, just 14 days after the council approved them.
Campaign group Save our Skyline fiercely opposed the scheme, and yesterday
around 100 protestors staged a demonstration outside City Hall ahead of
Johnson's decision.
Prior to the council's withdrawal, Grainger development director David
Walters, speaking on behalf of the joint venture vehicle with Helical Bar,
King Street Developments, said: "The opposition is well organised and vocal,
but they do not represent everyone and much of their campaign is based on
the misrepresentation of the proposals.
" Our own consultation with the
community demonstrated a very high level of public support for the scheme."
He added: "After very careful consideration, councillors on Hammersmith and
Fulham's planning committee decided in favour of our plans and their
decision should be respected and upheld."
The news represents a huge victory for Save Our Skyline, a group of local campaigners who have fought a long battle against the scheme, which would see the town hall extension demolished and the construction of a new public square, 290 new flats and a supermarket on the site of the Cineworld Cinema. It would also mean the demolition of buildings owned by the Pocklington Trust, providing homes for visually impaired people
As well as representing 20 local groups and organisations, Save Our Skyline had a number of celebrity supporters including actress Vanessa Redgrave, who attended yesterday's rally at City Hall.
We have asked Hammersmith and Fulham Council to comment on this story, and will bring you their reaction as soon as we receive it.
December 15, 2011
