Housing project at Harrow Road / Elmfield Way
| Public exhibition | Paddington Arts, 32 Woodfield Road, W9 2BE |
| Opening times: | Friday 20th September from 4pm to 8.30pm Saturday 21st September from 11am to 3pm |
Westminster Council is planning to redevelop the site on the corner of Harrow Road and Elmfield Way, combing specialist housing for people with learning disabilities and housing for rent for key workers.
The site currently includes a games area installed by PDT and Network Stadium Housing in 2010. At the time the games area was expected to be temporary because plans were already being drawn up for the longer-term development.
Westminster Council has agreed to provide a new games area as part of the new development. It will be significantly smaller than the current one, and will not be built till the last phase of the developments. We hope it can be designed as creatively as possible to give the best opportunities for games and play from a small area.
The public exhibition is your chance to meet the design team, see the designs, and comment on the plans for housing and for the games area.
More Links: Project – Leaflet pdf.
Ref. Public exhibition to show plans for a housing project for Harrow Road/Elmfield Way
I am against such huge development as it is very disproportionate to the small piece of land it is planned to be built on and it would not be beneficial to the area.
The plan for re-developing the site, in its current layout, is not suitable to the area at all and will only worsen local problems.
As I understand it, the site is to provide for 27 units for people with learning disabilities, physical disabilities, complex needs or autism AND 63 new affordable intermediate homes (discount rent), i.e. you are going to squeeze 90 new units there!
You propose a development that is up to 7 storeys tall.
This will create a negative impact on the amenity of the surrounding residents. It will in particular reduce residential amenity by causing a material loss of daylight, sunlight and causing an increased sense of enclosure in habitable rooms of the adjacent residential buildings (Beech court and Swallow court in Carlton Gate in particular). Value of flats in all blocks of flat directly opposite the new development would be reduced as a result.
As I recall from earlier consultation over a year ago Westminster was planning a SIX storey high building. From the plan I have seen on that Exhibition, the actual proposal in SEVEN storey! The architects were saying that it is five storey but they did NOT count raised ground floor (to be used for parking?) and additional accommodation on the flat roof of the top on the building planned for the corner of Harrow Road and Elmfield Way. It is effectively SEVEN storey high block of flats, which is on the same height as the Swallow Court located DIRECTLY opposite that new block.
The area is lacking open, green space, which could enhance the character and legibility of the neighbourhood. The temporary use of the vacant land for the multi use games area partially address this, but a well kept green area or play facilities area on the vacant lot in addition to the multi use games area (and keeping the existing residences on 291 Harrow Road and 1-2 Elmfield way or build something at the same level) would fit this objective. This would also increase the sense of community, which should prevent further increases in the crime level. This will also be in line with Westminster’s Open Space Strategy.
Positioning that new playground/ball game area in between new blocks of flats is crazy. Kids playing in that area would feel very claustrophobic and people living in the flats overlooking the play area would not be happy at all with the level of noise and disturbance, especially on week ends. That play area must be moved somewhere else,
and must be as open as possible, not enclosed.
Since building this proposed development will include adding a significant number of residents, it will have a negative impact on the existing residential community and surrounding area including the crime rates.
The site is going to be over-developed, and security and well being of local residents is going to suffer as a result. There is high level of crime in the area. Couple of year ago a young man was gunned down in the KFC on the Harrow Road, just round the corner from the Elmfield Way. Having additional housing for ”mix” use built here, would not help to raise the feel of wellbeing of that area.
As you know there is an other large block of flats being constructed nearby, on the Amberley Road – additional 47 flats.
http://media.redrow.co.uk/system/attachments/000/024/379/original/Amberley%20Waterfront%20-%20Brochure%20LR.pdf?1371486046
http://www.redrow.co.uk/developments/amberley-waterfront-little-venice
Plus new high rise block of student accommodation on the Torquay Street/Harrow road corner, next to the petrol station – another 157 units.
http://www.mjparchitects.co.uk/lha-torquay-street-w2-covered-in-e-architect/
The bus routes are already overcrowded. Since nothing has been done with current complaints forwarded to TFL, it is highly likely that a further development will significantly worsen this situation.
Try to imagine how much busier buses Nos. 18 and 36 (the only two routes directly serving the area)are going to be.
Adding additional housing would put further pressure on local GPs. All residents would have to wait much longer for an appointment with their local GP.
This proposed development is likely to increase the noise level, nuisance and access.
Parking of cars along the Elmfield Way is already a HUGE problem as is it ALREADY heavily abused by people parking there illegally. Most of these cars are displaying Disable Blue Badge – but it is clear to every one that these drivers are not disabled, they must have been issued the Badges in the names of their relatives and now keep abusing that road. The problem is known to the Westminster Council, but they can not do much as responsibility for that road is with SIX (!!!) different organisations (as I recall NHS and some housing associations) who do not enforce parking regulation at all! That road must be brought back under the Westminster Council control as soon as possible as with having additional housing built on that land would only worsen the parking problem in the area. I understand that only 40 (!!!) car spaces are planning for all the 90 units of the new development. This is clearly not sufficient.
There is no pay-for-parking facilities in the area, and people visiting the area have no where to park.
Additional parking for the residents of new blocks must be provided and the only option is to have it under ground under the new blocks.
There is no parking facility whatsoever planned for the units to be used to accommodate disabled people either. But they do need room to park special service vehicles too as otherwise these vehicles would have no other choice but to use Elmfield Way. This is NOT acceptable.
The development MUST be SCALED down. That block of flats on the corner of Harrow Road and Elmfied Way must NOT be so high (SEVEN storey!), it should be 4 levels at the maximum, to be in line/same height as the Ascot Court.
Then again all of the new blocks are planned to be very very close to the road. Planners must ensure maximum set-back of the taller blocks from the site boundary to allow more light, etc.
Sufficient parking facilities must be provided, not only for residents but also for people visiting the area. The solution would be to have pay-for-parking alongside the Harrow Road.
I think that new low-rise accommodation for disabled people should be re-positioned alongside the Elmfield Way (pretty much where it is now), with taller housing for key workers to be moved closer to The Medical Centre (which is, in a way an office block, not a housing). Then the area would be feel much more open and welcoming.
Regards,
A. Lavskiy
resident at the Carlton Gate