Cllr Lorber has been provided with a little more clarity on the Samovar Space at Wembley Park:
In terms of the planning applications, the relevant masterplan consent for Plot NW04 is 10/3032 (as most recently varied by 18/0968). The outline planning permission permits an office or hotel use on the plot (adjacent to the ‘tower’ element of the Civic Centre), with ancillary retail/food and bar use. It’s worth noting that roughly half of the plot (to its southern side) is required to comprise public open space (predominantly hard landscaped) within the approved parameters, with the building required to be on the northern half of the plot. As such, the ‘Market Square’ would be retained, albeit reduced in size. However, this was always envisaged to be the case, and the part of the existing square that is not yet built on is a ‘meanwhile use’ until the eventual development comes forward.
The above was the approval under 14/3054 (which varied the original 2010 consent).
The above was the approved 2018 consent which provided public open space fronting Engineers Way (hatched).
Existing showing the Samovar Space and Sound Shell (Google Earth)
I have asked Quintain if they have any draft drawings of their current plans that Wembley Matters could publish, as well as an idea of the height of their proposed building. As can be seen from the 2018 image the public space will be smaller and the new building at NW04A will be closer to the Civic Centre at the library entrance. Brent Council's original deal, made as part of the £17.8m gift to Quintain for Olympic Way improvements, sought to leave more breathing space around the Civic Centre.
6 comments:
They still don’t seem to understand that the community would prefer that they enhanced what’s there now. We don’t want yet another building squished in. We like having the open space.
Unfortunately Planning decisions on allowing a building on that site were made long before the other buildings in the area were built. Anyone buying a property in a nearby building should have been advised by their solicitors about this and the fact that a tall building could (and probably would) be built on the site.
The Wembley Masterplan produced in the 1990s as part of the bid to get a new Stadium in Wembley envisaged building of many blocks in the area as a means of delivering a new shopping centre, cinema, hotels and many restaurants and cafes. Allowing ever taller buildings was a policy introduced by Labour Councillors and past Labour Mayors of London and it is these people who need to be challenged on what comes next.
All true but the future development of the area was part of Brent Council's agreement with Quintain when the £17.8m CIL payment for the steps and other Olympic way improvements was paid by Brent Council (basically Quintain's CIL payment returned to them.)
It doesn't preclude a building but the test mus be whether it delivers the space 'a significant square' outside the Civic Centre that Brent Council desired:
Extract from Cabinet Report 24th July 2017:
Cabinet approve a contribution of up to £17.8 million towards the delivery of the Olympic Way Zones B and C.
2.2 That such a contribution would be contingent on Quintain:
a) Not pursuing development of site NW04 adjacent to the Civic Centre to the extent currently permitted in the parameters plans associated with outline planning permission 10/3032
b) Working with the Council to deliver a development that better complements the role and setting of the Civic Centre, in particular creating a significant new square outside the Civic Centre Library
c) Agreeing a business plan and heads of terms, between Quintain and the council, for the future sharing and reinvestment of net income generated through assets on Olympic Way.
Quintain's design choices make no sense. The building that Ramoli is in has almost a complete glass front. Why would you allow a design like that and then build a hotel directly in front of it? So close that hotel guests will basically be given a free live show of everything happening in those apartments? The residents of that building should sue for invasion of privacy, like the people in those flats near the Tate Modern.
How tall is this building they’re going to construct? If it’s any higher than the ones around it, it’ll be an absolute eyesore and totally out-of-proportion to its surroundings…
Sadly Quintain have a monopoly in Wembley park and the labour council in their pockets. They are only interested in one thing. Making money. The last thing on their mind is the community. They dont consult residents at all on anything. Sadly anything in the area will always be in the interest of commercial business first given its proximity to the stadium/arena and the footfall that brings. The community isn't even an afterthought.
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