{"id":96,"date":"2016-12-10T13:26:51","date_gmt":"2016-12-10T13:26:51","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/oldoakneighbourhoodforum.org\/?p=96"},"modified":"2016-12-10T13:31:15","modified_gmt":"2016-12-10T13:31:15","slug":"more-news-on-scrubs-lane","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/oldoakneighbourhoodforum.org\/?p=96","title":{"rendered":"More news on Scrubs Lane"},"content":{"rendered":"

Proposals for new developments at Scrubs Lane are coming forward thick and fast. \u00a0Too fast, in that developers are trying to exploit an assumed level of public transport accessibility that is not there yet (and may never be).<\/p>\n

The two planning applications for North Kensington Gate<\/a> have been ‘under consideration’ by the OPDC since mid September. \u00a0The Hammersmith Society, and St Helens Residents Association, submitted objections several weeks ago pointing out that these schemes involved super-densities of 450 housing units per hectare.<\/p>\n

Such a density is above the maximum in the London Plan Density Matrix for a development in a ‘Central’ area with the highest\u00a0possible level of public transport accessibility (PTAL). \u00a0Scrubs Lane as a location comes nowhere close to meeting this context, having no nearby station, a single bus route, and a PTAL level of 1b on a scale of 1-6.<\/p>\n

\"North<\/a>
North Kensington Gate proposed southern tower<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

This has not stopped Aurora from taking their proposals to planning application stage. \u00a0 More disturbingly, the OPDC \u00a0and TfL planners seem to have closed their eyes to this basic flaw with the Aurora scheme.<\/p>\n

The comments<\/a>\u00a0on the applications from Transport for London notes the current PTAL level of 1b, and fails to mention that ‘extensive planned transport improvements<\/em>‘ will not be in place until 2026 (assuming they happen at all – the new Overground stations remain in doubt).<\/p>\n

We have been pressing the OPDC to release copies of the pre-application planning advice provided to Aurora. \u00a0Copies of four such letters have now been added to the OPDC online planning pages for these applications.<\/p>\n

It is good to see that the OPDC seems now to to be following the example of London Boroughs such as Kensington and Chelsea, and publishing such advice routinely once a planning application has been submitted. \u00a0The Grand Union Alliance has argued for such transparency. \u00a0Many councils continue to treat such letters as ‘commercially confidential’ and refuse to release them.<\/p>\n

You can see copies of the four letters at these links:<\/p>\n

opdc-planning-advice-august-2015<\/a><\/p>\n

opdc-planning-advice-1-dec-2015<\/a><\/p>\n

opdc-planning-advice-18-dec-2015<\/a><\/p>\n

opdc-planning-advice-19-may-2016<\/a><\/p>\n

These letters cover many issues about the detailed design of the proposed buildings. \u00a0But they start from the premise that mixed use development is acceptable with a density of 300 housing units per hectare. \u00a0The developers initial plans were for\u00a03 towers of 29, 22 and 18 storeys, with an averaged density of approximately 820 units per hectare.<\/p>\n

Not the the first time, it appears that such proposals were an opening bid by the developers, who retained plenty of room for negotiation while arguing that any reductions in density would compromise viability.<\/p>\n

Neighbouring landowners and waste operators Powerday and ERM have caught up with the Aurora proposals and have submitted letters of objection. \u00a0Their concerns are that their own operations will be impacted on. \u00a0They point out that the Aurora proposals are premature and present a picture of Scrubs Lane which bears little relation to its daily reality (queues of waste vehicles queuing to get and out of the EMR\/Powerday access road, on one of London’s dirtiest and more congested streets).<\/p>\n

Given this background, we are becoming more optimistic that the Aurora proposals will not be approved in their current from. \u00a0And we hope that the developers of ‘Mitre Yard’ are taking note of the points raised in the\u00a0emr<\/a>\u00a0and powerday<\/a>\u00a0objections, which apply equally to the City & Docklands site at 2 Scrubs Lane.<\/p>\n

Scrubs Lane is a location in need of regeneration and redevelopment, no one would deny. \u00a0 But this needs to be ‘plan-led’ and not ‘developer led’. The first version of the OPDC Local Plan envisaged Scrubs Lane as a ‘high quality street’\u00a0<\/em> on a sensitive edge of the OPDC area and adjacent to two conservation areas.<\/p>\n

The OPDC Planning Committee on 15th December will be considering a Direction of Travel document for Scrubs Lane, incorporating work carried out by East architects. \u00a0The report forms part of a committee agenda too large to publish via this website (12MB) but which can be downloaded from this link <\/a>to the OPDC website.<\/p>\n

This Direction of Travel document is the first stage in preparing a Supplementary Planning Document for Scrubs Lane, to accompany the final Local Plan. \u00a0This draft document will be consulted on in early 2017. It contains a set of ‘principles’ for Scrubs Lane which reflect earlier consultations and most of which local people would probably support.<\/p>\n

But it also includes ‘guidance for four clusters to guide the location of active uses and shape built form’<\/em>\u00a0. \u00a0 The proposed clusters are at Harrow Road, what the OPDC has termed Laundry Lane<\/em>, Hythe Road and at Mitre Bridge. \u00a0The Mitre Bridge cluster is shown below:<\/p>\n

\"The<\/a>
The Mitre Bridge ‘Cluster’ as shown in the Direction of Travel for Scrubs Lane<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

‘Principle 9’ in the draft document reads as below:<\/p>\n

Principle: Delivering a range of heights and massing that responds to sensitive locations\u00a0<\/em>and development opportunities including:<\/em>
\na. generally 6-8 storeys onto Scrubs Lane and Harrow Road;<\/em>
\nb. lower massing opposite the Cumberland Park Factory and adjacent to Mary Seacole\u00a0<\/em>Gardens;<\/em>
\nc. increased heights adjacent to the railway;<\/em>
\nd. a single taller building in each cluster; and<\/em>
\ne. visual permeability between buildings.<\/em><\/p>\n

Two options for the single taller building<\/em> at at each cluster are explored in the document, 10 storeys and 18 storeys. \u00a0Images providing a visual assessment of each option from a range of viewing points are included in an appendix, and are worth looking at.<\/p>\n

It needs to be remembered that buildings of 8 storeys remain a rarity at present in this part of London, let alone 10, 18 or more. \u00a06-8 storeys as the norm is justified by the OPDC as\u00a0providing an appropriate sense of enclosure to the\u00a0<\/em>street in response to the width of Scrubs Lane and\u00a0<\/em>Harrow Road and surrounding context. \u00a0 <\/em><\/p>\n

Cumberland House, currently the tallest building in Scrubs Lane, is in this range. \u00a0Is this building height\u00a0appropriate<\/em>, on both sides of the street, with an extra very tall buildings at each ‘cluster’. \u00a0Will this provide a high quality street, <\/em>of a kind familiar to Londoners, at the edge of the OPDC area?<\/p>\n

As will be the case for the remainder of the Old Oak area, the massing and height of development in Scrubs Lane is being driven by two forces:<\/p>\n