I dropped by yesterday to the CLS public exhibition of their plans for Vauxhall Square (see this previous post if this development is news to you).In case you missed it the SE11 lurker has published pictures of all the information boards for you.
As well as getting some previously unseen views of the area, I had a long chat with the very patient people there about the plans.
I came away with two points of clarification:
- Yes, the proposed walkway would replace the existing bus station roof and ski jump. Fine by me.
- Yes, the little early 19th Century terrace (below) would be demolished to allow for the walkway to link up with the linear park from the VNEB redevelopment. Some of those houses are modern but others are Grade II listed. They could be incorporated into the design if necessary but at the expense of a walkway over the Wandsworth Road. It would be a shame if they had to go as we have so few old buildings left in the area.
Other than that, it remains a rather imaginative development with a welcome focus on the needs of the people who actually live here and work here.
Thanks very much for this and your Photos.
ReplyDeleteYou are doing a fantastic job of local alert and information.
I went along too.
I was impressed by
a) the number of senior and therefore knowledgable people that CLS threw at the event. Sainsburys sent hired hands uttering platitudes. These guys were top dogs prepared to discuss the more painful points of development.
b) The fact that they held it on the 19th floor of Market Towers. The height was impressive and overwhelming. One could see the South Downs. CLS are proposing DOUBLE the height of Market Towers. It took some confidence to clearly demonstrate the enormity of the height of tall building that they aspire to.
The Vauxhall Tall Building cluster is incredibly tall.
CLS Plans
They really seem intent on providing a (relatively) fantastic public realm. Cinemas, retail shops and a market under the arches are being mooted + Large public Square. TWO massive tall towers. Intrusive inevitably but slim unlike Bondway.
They are also out to 5 ( ?) architectural practices for ideas for the walkway going over Vauxhall Gyratory. Hopefully the best of design in 2011 would be able to offer something rather special and useful.
I touched only briefly on the possibility of including a bike cycle way within the walkway. I think that the answer was that because the walkway was going to have to be at 6 metres in height it would need to be accessed by lift stairs or escalator. This surely is a lost opportunity and might be necessitated because of the size of their site? We need gradual bike ramp access - and if it cannot be provided by CLS I think Lambeth should think about creating the space to do this.
Summary
A great and postive improvement both to what is existing on that development area but also it would be marvellous to think that this could be indicative of what is to come more generally throughout the 300 odd acres of Nine ELms?
Thanks for your feedback and your input Rosemary. I hadn't appreciated quite how tall those towers were to be. As you say, the people there were very knowledgeable and happy to have grown-up conversations about the thornier issues. Quite refreshing.
ReplyDeleteWell the exhibition was on the 19th floor and it was impressively high.
ReplyDeleteThey are proposing 2 thin towers of over 40 floors- so at least double.
While obviously floors are not always an exact measure of height they must give an approximate idea? Here are some comparitives I found.
The shard - is 50 floors
1. Canada Square 50
Nat West Tower is 42
Gherkin is 40
Strata at Elephant and castle 43
Centre Point 35.
Sky Gardens at the bottom of Wyvil Road and opposite Sainsburys ( I thought that it had permission granted ? is 36 stories. Imagine a block there will be taller than Centre Point!
CABE incidentally did not seem to think that the proposal wwas a credible high quality tall building.
Great to read positive comments. I have one strong objection: please avoid demolition of the nineteenth-century terrace. It is the only remaining link with the location's industrial past - a huge railway engineering works across the road on the site of the 1830s/40s Nine Elms railway Station; the first Vauxhall car plant on the Sainsburys site. The plan offers real regeneration, but a token acknowledgement of the past would help it.
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