.

.
Click above for what became the consented plan, plus Transport page.

2012-07-31

NLA - the centre for London's built environment: "DEVELOPMENT PROJECTS IN BARNET"


Link to NLA web site



Before Brent Cross was "dead in the water":

"Delivering Housing and
Regeneration in London"
Conference subjects include Brent Cross Cricklewood

"As power is transferred from central government to the Mayor of London and the boroughs to deliver housing and regeneration in London, NLA brings together some of the leading players to explore how development can be delivered in the capital in a new political and financial environment.

"What new approaches are coming forward to deliver the housing and regeneration that the capital needs? How is public and private sector engagement with regeneration changing? And what new funding mechanisms are emerging, including the opportunities presented by TIFs?"
AREAS COVERED:
  • Changes to Mayoral powers
  • Local Enterprise Districts
  • Private sector investment in regeneration
  • The role of the boroughs
  • Public / private partnerships
  • TIFs and the Barnet Bond

Christopher Fremantle, Morgan Stanley - you were wrong about Hammerson then, weren't you?

Link to Daily Mail
'This is Money'

22 July: "Christopher Fremantle, an analyst at Morgan Stanley, said Hammerson could use its first-half results to reveal a revamp. 

"He said:
"We think management will be keen to demonstrate a rejuvenated, focused retail business. Of all the group’s schemes, we think movement on Brent Cross represents the group’s best opportunity to signal operational change.*"
* Dropping new housing?
Dropping 'community benefits'?
... ?

Hammerson Half-Year Results, 23 July:
"Following agreement for a phased approach to Brent Cross Cricklewood, we are progressing discussions with stakeholders regarding the potential for a major extension of Brent Cross shopping centre within the existing planning consent. We intend to finalise the development strategy this autumn, and apply for a revision to the existing consent early next year."

Hammerson's Croydon Nemesis, Westfield: "Games boom brings West End gloom"


Link to Evening Standard

"The Westfield shopping centre in Stratford is enjoying a huge Olympic boom — while West End restaurants and shops have been left deserted as tens of thousands of people 'go east'.

"The 1.9 million sq ft Stratford City mall, which only opened last September, has attracted thousands of competitors, volunteers and spectators from all over the world."

2012-07-30

'The Studio Tour': "Stoll Studios, Cricklewood (1920-1938)"


"BBC Four has produced a parody documentary, 'Cricklewood Greats', featuring the history of 'this famous north London film studio' from comic actor Peter Capaldi"

"The real former studio location is now a large Matalan store.
To the north was the former Smiths' clock factory, now Wickes DIY"
Link to 'The Studio Tour' web site

The view nowadays
(The A5 is on the right, and a branch of
the Brent Cross Railway across the top)



See also:
"The Production Village, Cricklewood (1979-2000)"
(100 Cricklewood Lane)

Link to 'The StudioTour' web site

Is Dunnhumby (yes, they ARE called that) or February-London (even stranger) going to update Hammerson's Brent Cross Cricklewood web site? (Probably not)


Hammerson's web site is so old, it's still mentions
Brookfield (Multiplex) - which jumped ship in 2010!
(This project's talent pool is more a dust-bowl)
1, 2

'Croydon Today': "[Brent Cross Hammerson's] Croydon Alliance presents plans for open-air town centre"

Whitgift Centre circa 1970
Link to 'Croydon Today'

"NEW plans for the redevelopment of the town centre would raise the roof of the Whitgift Centre – literally. Plans by Westfield's rivals, the Croydon Alliance, would involve shopping streets and squares, rather than massed covered malls.

"Lawrence Hutchings, Hammerson's managing director of UK retail, told the Advertiser:
"There will be more areas open than enclosed. The centre will feel less severe, as we go for streets and squares, not malls and courts."

2012-07-29

Well, Would you Allies and Morrison it! Olympic Park? No, it's Hammerson's vision for Brent Cross Cricklewood (R.I.P.)



Crazy Facts!

Hammerson's Brent Cross Cricklewood architects:
Allies and Morrison

Croydon architects for Hammerson's bitter rival, Westfield:
Allies and Morrison

2012-07-28

Shopping Centre Wars Video: Plans of Hammerson's rival in Croydon, Westfield






Which is a good enough excuse to show Estate Gazette's 2009 video of
'Barnet Council
and
the Town Hall of Doom'

Arsenal Times: Discussion: "The Arsenal Superstore Brent Cross"


"Arsenal fans can discuss all things Arsenal, and any other football issue
that they feel are [is?] of interest to Gunners. Opposition fans are welcome,
but remember this board is from an Arsenal point of view."
Dribble above to the web site




"Pictures: Club's new Brent Cross store opens"
Link to Arsenal.com

pfm: "Anti-Olympic parking plan at Hammerson's Brent Cross"


Link to pfm web site

"Creative Parking has installed a £500,000 temporary car park management system at Brent Cross Shopping Centre, London, to deter Olympic spectators from parking at the shopping centre over the next two months and hopping on the tube to watch an event.

"Creative’s Managing Director, Gary Wayne, commented:
“We are delighted to be working yet again alongside the Hammerson team at Brent Cross to provide their parking management solution, during the Olympic Games."

2012-07-27

'Not the London Borough of Barnet': How local authorities can consult, if they really want to

Kensington & Chelsea council:
'Kensal Gas Works': development area
and possible Crossrail or light-rail station
Link to Park Royal web site



LB of Hammersmith & Fulham video:
Sir Terry Farrell's proposals for the area:

Hammerson in Croydon: 'bdonline': "Urban Splash unveils first London project"


Link to 'bdonline' web site

"Urban Splash has teamed up with Terry Farrell and RTKL to produce a bid to overhaul the Whitgift Centre in Croydon, south London.

"... The project would bring together Hammerson’s existing Centrale scheme and the redevelopment of the Whitgift Centre, in which Westfield has a stake."


Link to:

NetLettings: "Cricklewood: A new town in the making"

Link to web site

"People may be tempted to check out property to rent in Cricklewood for a number of reasons.

"The location - which is in North London - is well serviced by transport, and is currently part of an extensive regeneration project. There is also plenty to do and see, and so no one should get bored in the district.

Cricklewood Brent Cross
"One of the capital's major regeneration schemes, it will see up to 27,000 jobs created in the area. Some 7,500 new homes are to be developed, alongside three new schools and parks.

"Brent Cross Shopping Centre will also become the heart of a new retail and leisure district, while £400 million is going to be spent improving the transport infrastructure." [Yeh, right!]

Summer of Sport: FANTASTIC INTERNATIONAL SPORTING EVENTS LIVE ON THE BIG SCREEN



"This month do not miss these fantastic sporting events – screened LIVE at Brent Cross!"

Friday 27 July
BBC One 19.00 - 20.00
Saturday 28 July
BBC One 9.00 – 14:00
BBC Three 14.00 – 19:00
Sunday 29 July
BBC One 11.30 – 17.00
BBC Three 14.00 – 19.00
Monday 30 July
BBC Three 9.00 – 14:00
BBC One 14:00 – 16:00
BBC Three 16:00 – 19:00
BBC One 19:00 – 20:00
Tuesday 31 July
BBC One 9:00 – 11:30
BBC Three 11:30 – 14:00
BBC One 14:00 – 18:00
BBC One 19:00 – 20:00
Wednesday 1 August
BBC One 9:00 – 13:00
BBC Two 13:00 – 13:45
BBC One 14:00 – 19:00
BBC Three 19:00 – 20:00
Thursday 2 August
BBC Three 9:00 – 13:00
BBC Two 13:00 – 13:45
BBC One 13:45 – 16:00
BBC Three 16:00 – 19:00
BBC One 19:00 – 20:00
Friday 3 August
BBC Three 9:00 – 20:00

Croydon Guardian: "Hammerson's vision for Croydon revealed"

Link to web site

"Whitgift Quarter will incorporate the Whitgift Centre site, Centrale and North End, creating 5,000 jobs.

"The existing Central Tower on the Whitgift Centre would become a residential housing block surrounded by a three-storey shopping centre.

"A 130 bed hotel could also be included in the proposal."


Link to:

2012-07-26

Evening Standard: "[Brent Cross's] Hammerson set to unveil plans to ‘make Croydon centre great again’"

Link to web site

"The latest round in the battle to build a new shopping centre in Croydon begins tonight, when Hammerson reveals its plans for a 1.6 million square feet shopping mecca.

"The Brent Cross owner follows rival Westfield, which revealed its plans earlier this month. Hammerson wants to create shops, restaurants, homes, a hotel, five public squares and new car park, and around 5,000 jobs.

"Hammerson's £1 billion development, revealed here for the first time, will create a Whitgift Quarter — incorporating North End, the existing Whitgift Centre and Centrale, Hammerson’s other shopping centre in the town."


'Inside Croydon': "Questions Croydon needs answered by Westfield" (Brent Cross Hammerson's rival for Croydon Whitgift site)


Link to 'Inside Croydon'

"So Westfield is claiming 91 per cent of the people of Croydon favour its scheme for the redevelopment of the Whitgift Centre.

"... So what happened to the other 3,000 people that Westfield said had visited them, yet who did not answer the company’s somewhat self-serving survey?

"... But we are delighted that Bell Pottinger, Westfield’s PR firm, has gone to some lengths to engage with the people of Croydon, and we look forward to interviewing John Burton, Westfield’s director of development, [with questions such as]:
"There is a strong rumour that the Mayor of London may accede to Hammerson’s request for planning permission [technically, a variation of existing permission] at Brent Cross, in exchange for their withdrawal from their interest in Croydon. How was this brokered?"

Early Day Motion - Contact your MP to sign!

Link to web site

"ZERO WASTE STRATEGIES, RECYCLING AND INCINERATION"

"That this House
  • notes the European Parliament's adoption by a large majority, on 24 May 2012, of a resolution on a Resource Efficient Europe, which commits to working towards a zero waste strategy and the Parliament's call on the Commission to bring forward legislative proposals, by the end of 2014, to ban both landfill and the incineration of recyclable and compostable waste in Europe, by 2020;
  • further notes growing evidence of incinerator overcapacity in the UK by 2015, which seriously risks harming recycling performance, as has already happened in some European countries;
  • further notes UK figures showing a steady and significant decline in residual waste since the middle of the last decade - even allowing for the economic recession - and rising recycling rates;
  • acknowledges the impact that these developments will have on the economic case for, and environmental sustainability of, mass-burn incinerators in the UK within a decade; and
  • calls on the Secretaries of State for the Environment, Energy and Climate Change, and Communities and Local Government, and the Financial Secretary to the Treasury 
    • to work together to examine how government policy can positively facilitate the pursuit of zero waste strategies, and
    • to report to Parliament on their findings as a matter of urgency, as many local communities across the country are currently opposing their local waste authorities' costly, environmentally damaging and unsustainable plans to build mass-burn incineration plants."


[We would add that 'mass-burn' is no more guilty than 'non-mass burn' incineration. See UKWIN.]

2012-07-25

Evening Standard: "Mayor’s £8m fund has designs on encouraging self-build homes"


Link to Evening Standard

"Londoners with dreams of creating their own 'grand design' home could apply for financial assistance from London Mayor Boris Johnson.

"... It will lend people up to 75 per cent of the cost of a project — helping self-builders who have been hamstrung by difficulties obtaining funding from the high street banks during the recession."

[Reposted] The Observer: "£13-trillion ($21-trillion) hidden from taxman in tax havens" (By the way, Hammerson is involved with a tax haven in developing Brent Cross Cricklewood!)


Link to The Observer

"A global super-rich elite has exploited gaps in cross-border tax rules to hide an extraordinary £13-trillion ($21-trillion) of wealth offshore – as much as the American and Japanese GDPs put together – according to research commissioned by the campaign group Tax Justice Network.

James Henry, former chief economist at consultancy McKinsey and an expert on tax havens, has compiled the most detailed estimates yet of the size of the offshore economy in a new report, The Price of Offshore Revisited, released exclusively to The Observer.

"He shows that at least £13-trillion – perhaps up to £20-trillion – has leaked out of scores of countries into secretive jurisdictions such as Switzerland and the Cayman Islands, with the help of private banks, which vie to attract the assets of so-called high-net-worth individuals."



Link to

Shopping Centre Wars: Hammerson and Westfield square up on Croydon Radio


Link to Croydon Radio

"Hammerson or Westfield?"

With the battle to take over the running of the Whitgift Shopping Centre heating up, it is time for listeners to hear directly from each developer. That is why, during this show, we will feature interviews with John Burton, Westfield's director of development; and Lawrence Hutchings, Hammerson's managing director for retail. We'll be running a poll during the show to find out whether listeners prefer Hammerson or Westfield.

Regenerating Croydon

I'll be joined in the studio by Patrick Reid, founder and director of PJ's Community Service, an award winning social enterprise based in Thornton Heath, specialising in providing services to enhance and transform communities. Patrick will give his personal views on the proposed plans to regenerate Croydon. You will also hear from Gavin Barwell MP and local residents who attended his public meeting to outline plans to regenerate Croydon town centre.

Local business

In the business section of the show, I'll be joined by Saif Bonar, founder of Matthews Yard. Saif will be sharing his experiences of setting up Croydon's first co-working space (and home to Croydon Radio).

Be in the loop

You can get involved during the show by expressing your views via twitter, the shout box or Skype. Don't forget, we'll also be running a poll to find out if your developer of choice to take over the running of the Whitgift Centre is

Westfield?
or
Hammerson?




"Croydon Radio is the first internet community radio station dedicated to the London Borough of Croydon. It's run by enthusiasts with a passion for radio and a heart for the local community.

Hammerson's Lawrence Hutchings, on Life, The Universe, and (towards the end*) What to Do in Croydon


Link to Property Week:
Movers and Shakers Retail Breakfast, 6 July
"Leading retailers discuss the impact of online retail on their businesses"
(need to click on that specific video)

* Of the video, not the Universe.

'Wembley Matters': "Local MPs should back zero waste Early Day Motion"


Link to 'Wembley Matters'

"With air pollution a constant concern in London, and particularly in Brent, readers may wish to ask our local members of parliament to sign Early Day Motion 383, on 'Zero Waste Strategies, Recycling and Incineration'. 

"With possible incinerators at Brent Cross and Park Royal, the quality of our air and its impact on the young, unwell and elderly is a vital local issue.

"... Sixteen MPs including Labour, Liberal Democrat, Conservative, Democratic Unionist and Green have signed so far. Full list is HERE"

2012-07-24

[Reposted] Bloomberg: "U.K. Real Estate Rally ‘Unsustainable’, Societe Generale Says"

Link to web site

"This year’s gains by U.K. real estate companies are 'unsustainable' because of a deteriorating retail industry, Societe Generale said. 

"Hammerson Plc [is one of] the most vulnerable, because more than 10 percent of its store leases are due to expire this year, said the analysts. They added:
"The rapid rise in tenant failures will test the claims all U.K. major REITs make to have 'prime portfolio', and the question now is how viable are their leaseholders. Short of a genuine economic recovery, the U.K. real estate sector’s strong performance looks unsustainable."



Link to Hammerson web site

"Hammerson has been creating and managing some of the most exciting retail destinations and office buildings in Europe for over 60 years.

"Hammerson's vision is to be the best owner - manager and developer of retail property in Europe.

"Our strategy is to outperform through two areas of focus: income growth and high quality property, both of which are underpinned by our capital strength."

The Guardian: "Hammerson backs retail expansion"

Link to The Guardian

"Property developer Hammerson, which owns London's Brent Cross and Birmingham's Bullring, is forging ahead with new shopping centres in the UK and France and has signed up John Lewis as an anchor tenant for its planned mall in Leeds.

"Hammerson has started a string of other retail developments, such as Manor Walks in Cramlington and Monumental Mall in Newcastle, which will both open next year, and is planning a major extension of Brent Cross, adding up to 65,000 sq metres of shops."

Barnet Times: "Martin Keown to open Brent Cross Arsenal store"

Link to web site

"Former Arsenal defender Martin Keown will officially open a Gunners store in Brent Cross Shopping Centre on Friday at 10am.

"Tom Nathan, Brent Cross general manager, said:
"We have many Gunners supporters among our shoppers, so they in particular will be able to combine two of their great passions - shopping and football - in a single visit."

2012-07-23

Interactive Investor: "Hammerson sees buying opportunities in Europe's debt crisis"

Link to web site

"Anglo-French property developer Hammerson Plc spies buying opportunities in a European property market depressed by the debt crisis, as it looks to spend the proceeds of the £518-million ($810-million) sale of its London office properties.

"The company, whose portfolio is now 97 percent retail, following the deal with U.S. group Brookfield Office Properties in June, said today that it had about one-billion-pounds readily at hand to splash out."

Westfield's Twitter staff fail to impress



[Reposted] Mayor Boris Johnson: "A gigantic olympic schmoozathon that’s about to begin - investment for Brent Cross, Croydon,..."


Link to BBC web site and iPlayer

Andrew Marr: "A lot of people are desperately hoping that, out of these games, Britain, not simply London, gets some kind of economic lift – and yet quite a lot of the analysts say that it will be more like a blip than a real lift. What are you doing to ensure that the games leverage some profits, and some extra work, for British companies?"
Boris Johnson: "Well, this is a gigantic schmoozathon that’s about to begin, and after all, you’ve got the heads of most of the world’s great businesses coming to London in the course of the next few weeks. We’re going to be showing what London has to offer. We’re going to make it clear what fantastic opportunities for investment, not just in the olympic park, but across London – at Vauxhall Nine Elms Battersea, in the royal docks, in Brent Cross, in Croydon, in Tottenham. There are amazing opportunities. We’re going to be selling London.

But don’t forget that the olympic games have already been responsible for fantastic investment in this city – pension funds from across the world are investing in the olympic site right now. You’ve got a massive Australian investment in the form of the Westfield shopping centre - 1.5-billion-pounds-worth - to say nothing of all the transport investment that is going in now, and that is transforming London.

So I really defy the critics of the olympics, who say that this is not producing economic benefits to the city. We can leverage those benefits. We can make sure that they continue to produce long-term returns."

"No ant sees the big picture. No ant tells any other ant what to do…But the bottom line, says Iain Couzin, a biologist at Oxford and Princeton Universities, is that no leadership is required." - link


Link to The Observer


The Observer:
"Johnson's Life of London by Boris Johnson - review"

"Ambition is at the core of Boris Johnson's London. Once described as 'the most ambitious man of his generation', Johnson likes to think of the city he now runs as 'fame's echo chamber', a place where rivals clash in 'a cyclotron of talent'.

"... But for all his schoolboy ebullience, the message is pitiless: competition is best, leave bankers alone, and the poor will benefit from the 'trickle-down effect'."

Evening Standard: "Hammerson pours £100m into designer goods outlets" (but it ain't at Brent Cross)

Link to Evening Standard

"... Hammerson, which owns shopping centres including London’s Brent Cross, saw footfall across its UK shopping centres fall 2% in the first half of the year in a tough retail climate. But Hammerson still managed to raise its net rental income 2.4% and the landlord is signing up new UK tenants on leases 4.6% above estimated rental values. Occupancy remains above target at 97.5%.

"Investec analyst Alan Carter said:
“Given a very tough backdrop, it is doing pretty well in our view.”



Link to Hammerson's Half Year Results
"... The majority leaseholders of the Whitgift centre, Croydon, selected Hammerson as their preferred development partner. This important scheme is adjacent to our existing Centrale shopping centre where we have received consent for its reconfiguration and the introduction of London’s first Showcase Cinema de Lux. We will shortly unveil our 140,000m2 (1.5 million ft2) masterplan for the rejuvenation of Croydon’s entire retail core.

"Following agreement for a phased approach to Brent Cross Cricklewood, we are progressing discussions with stakeholders regarding the potential for a major extension of Brent Cross shopping centre within the existing planning consent. We intend to finalise the development strategy this autumn, and apply for a revision to the existing consent early next year."

The Guardian: "Hammerson gains ground after update but FTSE 100 slumps 1.5% on Spanish and Greek fears"


"As leading shares slump more than 1.5% on growing fears about Spain and Greece, the one exception is property group Hammerson.

"The company, which is transforming itself into a focused retail business with the sale of its office portfolio, said its net rental income rose 2.4% in the first half to £14.16m, and its net asset value a share increased 0.9% to 535p.

"It has sold 75% of its London office assets for £518m in one deal, and is making an additional £100m investment in designer outlets. Chief executive David Atkins said:
"We have created a focused retail business by accelerating our plans to sell the London office assets through a single transformational deal. We expect to deliver further growth to shareholders by building scale in our chosen retail sectors through extensions, developments and acquisitions."

Bloomberg: "Hammerson Proposes $1.4 Billion London Mall to Rival Westfield"

Link to Bloomberg web site

"Hammerson plc, the U.K. and France retail property specialist, announced a plan to develop a shopping mall at the Whitgift centre in south London, a site that Australia’s Westfield Group also plans to build on.

"Hammerson is proposing a 1.4 million square-feet (130,000 sqm) project for the Croydon site that would cost as much as much as 900 million pounds ($1.4 billion), the company said today in a statement [to favoured press contacts only].

"Britain’s third-largest real-estate company by market value was appointed in April by leasehold owners Royal London Asset Management Ltd. and Irish Bank Resolution Corp.’s IBRC Assurance unit to manage and redevelop the Croydon centre. Sydney-based Westfield is planning a development on the same site, after signing a deal in November with the Whitgift Foundation, which owns the site’s freehold."

[Reposted] Barnet Bloggers report on, well, Barnet

(Picture: Barnet Times)

"Helen Michael interviewed under caution by Scotland Yard detectives for parking poster"

"Broken Barnet: an interview with the thought police"
"Mrs Angry has seen a transcript of some of the questions asked at this interview, and frankly, the nature of these questions is just incredible: not technical questions, but in a deeply worrying line of exploration, actually probing the thought processes behind the production of the poster.
  • "What were the reasons behind the poster?"
  • "Were these her own ideas?"
  • "Was it just the local traders who were involved in the production of the poster?"
  • "Was there any political input or intention in production of the poster?"
Helen believes that the official instigator of the complaint is the council. If so, then this is simply outrageous: another example of the dysfunctional, Orwellian mind set ..."

"The Rotten State of Barnet" 



"Budget cuts 'will affect' Metropolitan Police's service"

2012-07-22

Property Week: "Hammerson alliance speaks out as battle for Croydon heats up"

Link to web site, and registration

"Hammerson and its partners have sent a bullish letter to the freeholder of the Whitgift Centre in Croydon,
urging it to drop their rival Westfield, and to join forces,
but warning that legally they believe the freeholder
would struggle to stop their plans."

2012-07-21

Thu 20 Sep: North London Chamber of Commerce: Networking Lunch @ Holiday Inn London - Brent Cross

Link to web site

"Holiday Inn London - Brent Cross
Thursday 20 September 2012 @ 12:00

"Join us for friendly and focussed business networking and a delicious buffet lunch at Holiday Inn London - Brent Cross.

"Don’t worry if you don’t get to speak to everyone. You will be provided with a list of delegates, and all the contact details you need. You will also receive a list electronically after the event, with any extras added on! - 99% of guests pick up contacts at our events!"

"The Arsenal Brent Cross to open its doors"


"Arsenal Football Club will officially unveil its first flagship store in a major retail location, when The Arsenal Brent Cross is opened to the public on Friday, July 27.

"Located in a traditional heartland of Arsenal support, the new store will be situated on the upper mall of Brent Cross Shopping Centre, adjacent to Fenwicks Department Store, and will stock the Club’s new Nike replica home and away kits for 2012/13, as well as a range of Arsenal training and leisure wear and traditional merchandise."

Barnet Times: "Brent Cross Shopping Centre challenges customers to cycle for Barnet & District Athletics Club


"Brent Cross Shopping Centre is encouraging customers to jump on a bike to help them raise money for charity.

"From July 28 until August 11, the centre will give shoppers the opportunity to get active for one minute to raise money for the Barnet & District Athletics Club.

"It will donate 60p to the charity for every shopper that spends 60 seconds on an exercise bike."

Link to Barnet Times
 

"Barnet & District Athletics Club is a friendly, family-orientated club, with a large number of active athletes, coaches and officials, of all standards and ages. We hope that you will come along and find a group that suits you. 

"The club has its base at a Clubhouse in Victoria Road, East Barnet.

"If you are new to the club you should find all you need to know at this link, or if you just want to come down and see what we are up to, then have a look at the training link here, to find the times that our sessions start. There is certainly plenty going on, both in the club, and though our involvement in the local community."