The PR outfit 'London Communications Agency' operates firm discipline, coupled with flair.

"At 5.21pm yesterday I sent an email on behalf of Jonathan Joseph about the Brent Cross Cricklewood consultation and I accidently copied email addresses into the ‘CC’ field instead of blind copying the email to everyone.

"I am emailing now to apologise to you all about this.

"I fully recognise that this was a breach of your personal data which we have promised to respect and I would like to sincerely apologise on behalf of both myself and my company that this has happened.

"This was a genuine mistake – of which Jonathan had no knowledge – which should not have happened and I am truly sorry for this error.

"Please be assured that we shall never repeat this error and we do hugely appreciate you taking the time to contribute to the Brent Cross Cricklewood consultation.

"If anyone would like to discuss this with me I am on 020 7612 8480 and please do accept my humble apologies that this has happened."

Simon Lawrence
Account Manager [for how much longer?]
London Communications Agency

"First of 30,000 Olympic Park residents move in next month"

Link to Evening Standard

"The first of 30,000 permanent residents in the new 'legacy' neighbourhood of Stratford E20 will move into their apartments on the former Olympic Park next month.

"They will be renting newly converted flats in the former athletes’ village where stars such as Jessica Ennis-Hill and Usain Bolt lived during last summer’s event.

"It has taken a year to turn the 'dormitaries' without kitchens for the 11,000 athletes into homes fit for families, although much of the 560-acre park is still a vast building site.

"But the future 'new town' is finally starting to take shape. All the surviving sports arenas and other buildings now have their futures secured."

Daily Telegraph: "The good, the bad or the ugly? How the UK economy stands up"

Link to web site

"The recovery is gathering momentum, with GDP expanding 0.6pc in the second quarter. But is it the right kind of growth, or merely the dying throws of a country condemned to decline? For every optimist, you'll find at least one pessimist. So is the UK economy good, bad, or just plain ugly?

"For the first time in almost three years, and for only the fifth time since 1998, the economy has begun firing on all cylinders. Services, industrial production – including manufacturing, construction, and agriculture all expanded in the second quarter, as the recovery accelerated from 0.3pc growth in the first three months to 0.6pc in the second quarter.

"... For all the relief that the economy is growing solidly again, underlying concerns remain. The long-awaited rebalancing is not happening, and growth is still so weak the economy is dropping further behind its potential. Depending on your perspective, the UK economy is good, bad or just plain ugly."

Evening Standard: "Soaring housing cost in London ‘is damaging business’"

Link to web site

"The spiralling cost of living in London is becoming an increasing worry for companies in the capital, Britain’s biggest business group warned today.

"The CBI called on Boris Johnson to help build more homes, as new research showed housing is now the second-most significant concern for businesses.

"Only overall operating costs is considered a more important issue by companies operating in London, according to a survey by the lobby group and accountancy giant KPMG."

CIHT's response to "Investing in Britain's Future"

Link to web site

"The Chief Secretary to the Treasury, Danny Alexander, announced:

"£28 billion will be invested from 2014-2020, in enhancements and maintenance of national and local roads."

"The Chartered Institution of Highways & Transportation believes that road building must form part of an integrated multi-modal transport strategy, and should not be developed in isolation. 

"Schemes that are developed through the National Roads Programme should be appraised with the full consideration of sustainability principles.

"Sue Percy, Chief Executive, CIHT said:

“Whilst we welcome the investment outlined for the highways sector, CIHT believe that this must form part of a long-term, multi-modal strategy. This and future investment must not only be in large-scale high profile schemes, but also in smaller scale projects that can have a direct positive impact on local communities and economies.’

Everyone relies on or uses transport daily, integrated transport is fundamental to the economic, social and environmental wellbeing of the community. The whole transport network (including rail, buses, walking & cycling) is important to different users in different ways, and must be effective to provide a safe and efficient level of service."

[Reposted from Nov 2012] Sky: "Housing Crisis: New Towns Bid By Clegg"

---

Link to Sky (believe in butter)

"Nick Clegg is calling for the creation of a new generation of towns and garden cities to address Britain's growing housing crisis.

"The Deputy Prime Minister warns that unless radical action is taken to boost house-building, for many young people their dreams of a home of their own will be no more than a "pipe dream".

"... He will say they should draw inspiration from the garden cities of the early 20th century, such as Letchworth and Welwyn, and the new towns of the post-war era like Milton Keynes and Stevenage."

---

Link to HOME (see all posts).

"661 new homes and 36-floor tower to be built at brewery." (After today's Hammerson email debacle, London Communications Agency couldn't organise a p*ss-up in one)

Link to Evening Standard

"A historic brewery is to be brought back to life after being developed into luxury homes — and a new beer-making house.

"The Ram Brewery in Wandsworth, which claimed to be Britain’s oldest brewing site in continuous operation, dating back to the 1500s, stopped production in 2006. This week, planning chiefs gave developers the green light to create 661 new homes while bringing the disused site back to life.

"... The developers will also give Wandsworth £16.5 million in Community Infrastructure Levy, which could go towards a redesign of the notorious Wandsworth one-way traffic system."

"Giant £200m snow dome planned for Stratford" (Brent Cross wants to spend that much on new roads, for its extra congestion)

Link to Evening Standard

"A giant snow dome to rival the largest indoor ski resort in the world is to be built next to the Olympic Park site in Stratford.

"... It is believed the project, which will cost up to £200 million and is being funded by shopping centre developers Westfield, could be ready to open in 2015.

"... Westfield Stratford City will submit a planning application to the London Legacy Development Corporation by the end of the summer.

Central London Northern Line Station: Mrs Angry goes home to Barnet (For greater atmosphere, play both videos at once)

'Link to:
Top hats to Totteridge'

Upper Lee Valley Planning Framework (unlike in Barnet, it's not an official policy of "roads, roads, roads and roads")

Link to Greater London Authority for documents

"The Upper Lee Valley Opportunity Area Planning Framework (ULV OAPF) was adopted by the Mayor in July 2013. It has been produced by the GLA working with TfL and the London Boroughs of Enfield, Haringey, Waltham Forest and Hackney.

"The OAPF sets out an overarching framework for the regeneration of the area which is amplified where necessary by boroughs’ own planning documents for specific areas. It is Supplementary Planning Guidance to the London Plan and will be used as a material consideration in the determination of planning applications.

"The OAPF sets out 8 objectives:

1. Growth at Tottenham Hale, Blackhorse Lane, Meridian Water in Central Leeside and Ponders End.
2. Optimised development and redevelopment opportunities along the A10/A1010 Corridor, in particular the Tottenham High Road Corridor and Northumberland Park.
3. Over 15,000 new jobs by 2031 across a range of industries and a green industrial hub creating greater learning and employment opportunities.
4. Over 20,100 new well designed homes by 2031.
5. Full integration between the existing communities and the new jobs, homes and services provided as part of the new developments.
6. A Lee Valley Heat Network linked to the Edmonton Eco Park.
7. Significant investment and improvements to transport infrastructure, including four trains per hour on the West Anglia Main Line and improvements to help people walk and cycle more easily through the area.
8. A fully accessible network of green and blue spaces which open up the Lee Valley Regional Park. The networks between them will be improved, benefitting both people and wildlife."

---

"In 2012, the Lower Lea Valley played host to the most successful Olympic and Paralympic Games ever. The legacy of that fantastic Summer is now taking shape.

"Just up the road, the Upper Lee Valley has the potential to offer similar change. It is in many ways a hidden gem. Firstly, an illuminating history full of interest. As an example, Sir Jules Thorne, the founder of the Electric Lamp Services Company Limited bought his first lighting company, the Atlas Lamp Works in Edmonton in 1932. This company became known as Thorn and quickly became one of the largest lighting and electrical companies in the World. All from a base in the Upper Lee.

"Secondly, its existing assets such as the wonderful Lee Valley Regional Park. And finally, its bright future which includes major investment in the West Anglia Main Line and the multi-million new stadium to be built by Tottenham Hotspur.

"Of course, the Upper Lee is not without its challenges which includes pockets of deprivation and I am determined to address these issues. This framework will be used as a basis to direct public sector investment in rebuilding and regenerating communities. This is a joint statement of intent between myself and the Upper Lee Valley boroughs to create jobs and housing opportunities.

"I want to see a busy, thriving community of residents and workers in places that are beautiful, that will capitalise on their industrial heritage, that are fully integrated with their surroundings and which create accessible links to the Park.

"I am therefore delighted to introduce this Upper Lee Valley Opportunity Area Planning Framework. I look forward to working in partnership with all those who can help deliver this vision, in particular the London Boroughs of Enfield, Haringey, Waltham Forest and Hackney, Transport for London, the Lee Valley Regional Park Authority and the North London Strategic Alliance."

Boris Johnson

Broken Barnet: "Picnics and such tricks: Barnet Tories approve the Welsh Harp development"

Link to Mrs Angry's 'Broken Barnet

"Stormy weather: an eventful week, and more trouble ahead for Barnet Council after last night's vote to approve the hugely controversial development plans for a monstrous housing development by Barratt Homes, alongside the Welsh Harp reservoir.

"The development is controversial, not just for the evident ugliness and inappropriate design of the proposed housing - including 29-storeyed high-rise flats - but due to the sensitive location, a 'site of special scientific interest', and one of incalculable importance to the ecological well-being of the surrounding heavily-populated and congested area.

"This proposed development - already being marketed - is on the border with Brent, whose opposition to the plans is clearly expressed here."

Daily Telegraph: "If you think Britain is on its way back to prosperity, think again, it's a mirage"

Link to web site

"UK Plc has been patched-up but not cured, and no amount of Royal magic can hide that depressing reality.

"The economy is in remission – drugged up on cheap money, subsidised credit, and rock-bottom interest rates – and out of immediate danger thanks to some limited, emergency surgery by the Coalition. But it would be deeply irresponsible to give it the all-clear, and premature to celebrate any uptick in the official statistics.

"Perhaps the most pressing danger is that posed by the housing market. In an act of astonishing recklessness, the Coalition has responded to an overvalued, broken property market by subsidising credit further, nationalising risk, artificially bolstering the number of housing transactions and pushing up prices, while failing to liberalise the market to allow the increase in the supply of properties that is so badly needed.

"No wonder many existing homeowners are feeling happier – boosting their wealth and allowing them to remortgage and spend is clearly at the heart of Osborne's re-election strategy, but it will only make the inevitable day of reckoning even more traumatic."

'Wembley Matters': "Barnet Council approve ruination of the Welsh Harp"

Link to web site

"Barnet Planning Committee tonight passed the planning application for the West Hendon Development on the banks of the Welsh Harp, by 5 votes to 4, after a sometimes rancorous debate.

"The presentation by a planning officer produced protests from Andrew Dismore, AM for Barnet and Camden, who said that he had never heard such a biased officers' report in 30 years of involvement in politics. He said the officer was acting as a advocate for the developers, rather as someone presenting a balanced view on which the Planning Committee could make a decision.

"... Javaid Ashraf (Liberal Democrat, Dollis Hill) told the committee that he was a former chair of the Welsh Harp JCC. He had three main concerns: density, damage to the SSSI, and traffic congestion. He said he was not against redevelopment. He was supportive of 'a' scheme but not 'this' scheme."

Brent & Kilburn Times: "Barnet Council gives controversial development plans on the Welsh Harp reservoir the green light"

Link to web site

"Barnet Council have given controversial development plans on the Welsh Harp reservoir the go-ahead.

"At a planning meeting held tonight the council voted five to four in favour of the scheme, which will result in more than 2,000 homes being built near the nature reserve on the border of Brent.

"Resident and politicians from both boroughs have campaigned against the plans, submitted by Barratt Metropolitan LLP, claiming the new homes will spoil the landscape of the reservoir."

Daily Telegraph: "George Osborne’s Help to Buy is 'very dangerous’, Institute of Directors warns"

Link to web site

"The Chancellor wants to underwrite £130 billion of mortgage lending with state guarantees, in an attempt to help people struggling to buy a property.

"...Graeme Leach, Chief Economist at the Institute of Directors, has attacked the scheme and said:

"The housing market needs help to supply, not help to buy, and the extension of this scheme is very dangerous. Government guarantees will not increase the supply of homes, but they will drive up prices, at a time when it seems likely that house prices are already over-valued.

=When the scheme is withdrawn, any rise in prices that has taken place will be undermined, with potentially disastrous results. There is a real risk that the housing market will become dependent on the underwriting by government, making it very difficult politically to shut the scheme down."

"London's Olympics legacy faces early disqualification"

"The Olympics were supposed to regenerate London's poorest boroughs. So what have we got to show for our £11bn? Lurid towers and faceless flats"

Link to The Guardian

"On Friday, reports were published declaring the legacy to be a triumph for UK tourism, sports participation, volunteering and business. But what is the physical reality on the ground? One year on, and with £11bn of public money spent on the Olympics, the first part of the park will reopen this weekend. With national cynicism no longer suspended, now that the collective frisson of watching our Lycra-clad heroes has faded, how is the promised bounty shaping up?

"... The plan has [now, thankfully] been reconfigured to take in a mixture of traditional London typologies. Now scaled back to a total of 8,000 homes, the 'legacy communities' will be formed from familiar things: terraces and squares, mansion blocks and mews houses. They will sit among a surreal landscape of Olympic fragments from the elegant swoop of the velodrome to the skeleton of the main stadium and the hulking shed of the media centre – the only one changing its use. Reborn as iCity, it's a place for start-ups, media companies and a satellite of Loughborough University.

"Planner Eleanor Fawcett sums up the ethos: 

"It should be like the surrounding neighbourhoods spilling in. The objective is that no one will ever know where the fence was."

Given that the site is cut off on all sides by canals, railway cuttings and elevated roads – a secure island that made it particularly attractive to Olympic planners – this will be a struggle. Still, Fawcett has spent the last few years co-ordinating projects that try to stitch the severed site back into its hinterland, both physically and socially."

---

London Legacy
Development Corporation

 “To promote and deliver physical, social, economic and environmental regeneration
of the Olympic Park and its surrounding area, in particular by maximising
the legacy of the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games, by securing
high-quality sustainable development and investment, ensuring
the long-term success of the facilities and assets within its direct control
and supporting and promoting the aim of convergence”

[All we get at Brent Cross is the Hammerson idiots]

Good News on House Prices: "First-time buyer house prices will increase by 42% by 2020. Rents forecast to be 44% higher"

Link to The Independent

"The housing crisis and failure to build enough new homes in Britain will make 2020 a bleak period for new homehunters, according to the National Housing Federation.

"Its report 'Housing Britain's Future' suggests that the 22 per cent jump in births between 2001 and 2001 and a decade of insufficient house building  are on target to raise first time buyer house prices by 42 per cent and rents by 44 per cent, leaving 3.7 million young people living with their parents by 2020.

"... The National Housing Federation report argues that, while 2012 house prices are 10 times the average young person's wage, by 2020 this figure will be 16 times the average wage."

BBC: "Six ways 'shrinking' cities try to survive"

Link to web site

... 4. "Build institutions"

Professor Michael Madison from the University of Pittsburgh says:

"Pittsburgh is widely held up as a success story in reinvention, hosting the G20 summit in 2009, but it's cashing cheques that were written 50 years ago."

"The Allegheny Conference on Community Development (the ACCD) was formed in the 1940s, when some leading steel industry players joined with the city of Pittsburgh and Allegheny County to address some of the city's most pressing environmental and infrastructure issues.

For instance, they banned coal-burning furnaces in homes, to clear the air of smoke, and they created the Port Authority.

Madison says:

"There was a collaborative spirit back in the 50s, and they knew that Pittsburgh would have to reinvent itself. They didn't know how, but put in motion something that we are still benefiting from today."

The city's two world-renowned universities, and its $10bn medical centre, also received significant sums of money in the 1950s and 60s.

"Other cities should identify legacy institutions from the industrial era that could provide some skeletal backbone to future prosperity."

Barnet Times

The Observer: "Tesco boss says cheap food era is over"

"Philip Clarke admits prices will rise as poll finds UK shoppers would pay more to back farmers"

Link to web site

"Major food price rises are all but inevitable, the chief executive of Britain's biggest supermarket chain has admitted. Speaking exclusively to the Observer, Philip Clarke of Tesco, which was heavily implicated in the horsemeat scandal, said that rising global demand means the historic low prices to which British consumers have become used are now unsustainable. He said:

"Over the long run I think food prices and the proportion of income spent on food may well be going up. Because of growing demand it is going to change. It is the basic law of supply and demand."

"... The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation forecast last month that global food prices could rise by as much as 40% over the next decade, as a result of a growing middle class in countries such as China and India.

"However, Britain's supermarket bosses have proved extremely resistant to admitting economic pressures would affect the cost of groceries shopping."

---

Interview:
"Cheap food, poor farms, public anger...
so what is Tesco's Philip Clarke going to do about it?"

Sunday Telegraph: "London's 'Medical City' to seal golden triangle of UK research centres" (Brent Cross's Hammerson will specialise in headaches, and 'London Communications' PR in pains in the neck)

Link to web site

"The Mayor’s office will this week put in a bid to the London Enterprise Partnership for £1m seed funding to create a 'golden triangle' in medical and life sciences research, linking the capital with Oxford and Cambridge.

"... The idea is similar to that of 'Tech City' in east London, where more than 15,000 new companies registered last year.Mr Malthouse told The Sunday Telegraph:

“Britain suffers a drain when it comes to science. We make discoveries but often scientists need to go abroad to expand or get the capital to exploit the potential."

---

TechCityNews:
Boris questioned on his "Dead in the Water"
comments about Brent Cross

GLA spins Peel Centre land sale: "Existing London playing fields and running track to be concreted over, in grubby property deal" (we made that up)

7 June 2013:

Greater London Authority press release

"Historic police training centre at Hendon set to be transformed through major regeneration plan"

[No-one has a problem with the new Peel Centre buildings, to be decided by Barnet Planning Committee on Tues 23 July.]

"The Mayor of London, Boris Johnson, has today invited developers to submit plans to regenerate 22 hectares at the site of the historic Metropolitan Police Peel Centre training headquarters at Hendon, creating a thriving new neighbourhood with more than 1,650 new homes and releasing capital to plough back into the development of a brand new training facility fit for modern day policing.

"Owned by the Mayor's Office for Policing And Crime (MOPAC), the site has been home to the renowned Met training centre since 1934, but is now considered outdated, expensive and underused. Proposals outlined today would see it transformed into a new residential quarter with a minimum of 1,650 new homes, cycle routes, retail units and a primary school and nursery, as well as a substantial amount of open green space.

"The site is the first major scheme to be procured through the new London Development Panel, set up by the Mayor to fast track the disposal of public land to boost construction and housing. [Is this lawful rigging of the free market?] The Mayor already has an extensive programme to release public land for development, with recent agreements signed to develop sites including Cane Hill in Croydon and Catford stadium in Lewisham.

"Key to the redevelopment of the site is the requirement that any capital raised through the sale of the land will be ploughed back into funding a new modern and fit-for-purpose operations and training centre at a smaller part of the site. Currently the Met Police only uses around a fifth of the space provided by the 22 hectare Peel Centre site. Estimates suggest that the redevelopment of the site will halve running costs at Hendon, freeing up revenue of up to £6 million each year - the equivalent of more than 120 police officers.

"The Mayor of London Boris Johnson said:

"This regeneration will create much needed jobs and homes to drive growth in a vital area of north London, as well as bringing schools and parks to a thriving new neighbourhood.

The iconic Peel Centre has been at the heart of the Met for almost 80 years, and these proposals will cement Hendon's future as one of the best police training grounds in the world.

What's more, it will drive down costs and cut waste in the Met's estate budget, helping us to maintain officer numbers and keep London's streets safe."

[Boris, of course, didn't say that personally. Even Brian Coleman does not credit him with knowing details.]

"The sale of the site is part of a wider strategy by MOPAC to dispose of underused land and buildings in its vast and expensive estate, which will save £60 million in running costs and help the force protect front-line policing.

"Jane Bond, Director of Property Services for the Metropolitan Police, said:

"The Peel Centre has a proud place in the history of the Met and a world-class reputation for police training.

We are undertaking the most significant transformation of the police estate in order to reduce running costs whilst investing in modern facilities that are fit for our officers, staff and the public."

[Let us hope that 'London Communications Agency' is not involved.]

"The London Borough of Barnet has identified the Peel Centre site as one of the essential sites for the regeneration of Colindale in its action plan for the area, driving jobs and growth in the borough.

"Leader of Barnet Council Richard Cornelius said:

"I am delighted to see MOPAC moving forward with the redevelopment of this site.

The Peel Centre is a key employer in Colindale and this will enhance the effectiveness of a major police asset. It will also see the construction of new homes which both Barnet and London desperately need."

[Richard was notoriously delighted about other things.]

Sun 21 July: Finchley Society Alexandra Palace Walk

"Final reminder for this Sunday's walk - meet outside East Finchley tube station at 11-45am for a 12 noon start. I have attached a poster. Good news on the weather front for walkers - Saturday and Sunday will be more cloudy than during this week and the max temperature will be down from 30 to 24 degrees cent. Nevertheless it's still hot and you are recommended to bring at least 500ml of drinking water. 

"We will stop for lunch along the disused railway line, so a packed lunch is also recommended BUT if you can't manage a packed lunch, we will be just 50 metres from The Royal Oak (I don't know what they serve for lunch). Strictly 30 minutes for lunch though.

"We will walk in shade as far as possible and there are a lot of trees along our route. For anyone who gets tired, we will get/direct you to a 102 bus stop, there are many drop out points along the way. At Muswell Hill Broadway there are many buses. There are toilets at Cherry Tree Wood (near the start), The Clissold Arms(Fortis Green), The Royal Oak, The Grove Cafe and Ally Pally.

"The distance from start to end is 3.9 miles. If anyone would like a map or further information please RING me on 0208 346 5503, I won't be carrying surplus papers unless I can offload them before we start walking. One final point: Harriet Copperman will be coming along at 11-50 to give us a short talk about the work of The N2 Gardeners and show us the station garden. Hope to see you Sunday,"

Mike Gee

A little Obsessed: "MY DAY AT BRENT CROSS"

(Link for more)

"Before I went on holiday I was invited to Brent Cross for a bit of a pamper day... and how could I say no?! Brent Cross is one of my favourite shopping centres as it has just the right shops (wish it had a Primark though), is a decent size and you don't pay parking [sic]!

"... Brent Cross is a great place to head for a full day of pampering! Park your car outside and head inside where you can pick and chose [sic] what treatment you want and from which brand. Great to indulge in some food and shopping too!"

Andrew Dismore's 'Questions to the Mayor', about the Peel Centre, Colindale

(Link to all questions)

Peel Centre #3
Question No: 2016 / 2013
Andrew Dismore

What steps are you taking to upgrade Colindale tube station, in light of the extensive development in the area, including your proposals for the Peel Centre site?

Written response from the Mayor

Please see my response to MQ 2025 /2013.

Peel Centre #12
Question No: 2025 / 2013
Andrew Dismore

In light of the extensive development in Colindale, including your proposals for the Peel Centre, will you support the proposal for the Brent Cross Light Rail/Tram project?

Written response from the Mayor

The Peel Centre development raises a number of issues for the transport network in the Colindale area. TfL is in discussions with the developer and Barnet Council as to how best to address these. This work will focus on potential improvements to Colindale Station, improvements to bus services and changes to the local highway layout.

"Save Our Welsh Harp" (part of Barnet's same 'Development Framework' as Brent Cross)

"Barnet Planning Committee will be considering the planning application for the West Hendon Estate on the Welsh Harp on Tuesday 23 July. [It is also considering the Peel Centre, Colindale.]

"Those opposed to this development which will ruin a much loved and valuable open space and nature reserve will be protesting outside Hendon Town Hall at 5pm on July 23rd. Please join us.

"In order to mobilise support there will be local leafleting this coming weekend and campaigners are urged to join us."

Saturday 20th July

Meet at The George,
Church Lane Kingsbury, at 2pm
Sunday 21st July

Meet at McDonalds,
Neasden Lane North/Blackbird Hill, 2pm

(from 'Save our Welsh Harp')

 

Enhancement to Cricklewood street-scene?

Depot Approach Public Consultation Boards

Depot Approach Public Consultation Questionnaire

Vince Cable asserts Hammerson and Westfield investment in Croydon is due to Olympics

Link to Daily Telegraph

"The Government published figures on Friday that claimed there had been a £9.9 billion boost to the economy from the Games in the last 12 months.

More contracts have been secured for British firms and more foreign investment has been made in Britain as a result of the Olympics, the government said.

If true, this means that the cost of the Games – estimated to be under £9 billion – will be been outweighed by the economic benefits.

However the figures were questioned by presenter and former economist Evan Davis, on the BBC Radio Four Today programme, because it included a new £2.5-billion shopping centre [actually £1-billion, according to the report] 16 miles away from the Olympic Park, in Croydon, south London. Mr Cable replied:

"I can understand a rigorous academic approach that is sceptical of these things, that is entirely justified, but there is more in it than you are giving credit for."

---

Link to Greater London Authority:

"Croydon’s future secured with agreement to redevelop town centre"

---

"Hammerson's major London development
delayed over traffic concerns."

---

---

Boris Johnson, Mayor of London:
"Well, folks, we are doing it again.
We are defying the sceptics and the doom-mongers.
They said we couldn’t run a bath – 
and we delivered the greatest Olympic and
Paralympic Games the world has ever seen."

BBC: "Riba Stirling Prize: '60s concrete estate up for award"

Link to web site and video

"A renovated 1960s concrete housing block in Sheffield, once notorious for crime, drugs and deprivation, is among six buildings vying for the prestigious Stirling Prize.

"Part of one of the UK's most iconic and infamous housing estates and famous for walkways known as 'streets in the sky', Park Hill was built in 1961 and was one of the first Brutalist buildings in the UK. Inspired by Le Corbusier's Unite D'habitation, a famous block of flats in Marseille, France, the building divided opinion between some who loved it and many who loathed it.

"By the 1980s, Park Hill had become dilapidated and was no longer a popular place to live. Poor noise insulation, badly-lit walkways and plenty of passages and alleys made perfect getaways for muggers.

"Architects Hawkins Brown and Studio Egret West have kept the structure of the building in place but changed key features, such as interior layout, windows and security. The 'streets in the sky' remain, but the external brickwork has been replaced with bright coloured aluminium.

"A new window in each flat that faces the street has been described as an improvement to the design by the original architect. Judges said the reinvented building 'stands as a beacon for imaginative regeneration, quality mass housing and the bold reuse of a listed building'."

Good News on House Prices: "London house prices set to soar by six per cent"

Link to Evening Standard

"London house prices are set to surge six per cent this year — adding £30,000 to the value of a £500,000 family home, a top estate agent said today.

"The new projection comes on the day official figures showed mortgage lending at its highest level since the banking crisis, as buyers flood back into the market. Experts at Savills said they had ripped up their 'premature' prediction of 'flat' prices in central London after stamp duty rises in last year’s Budget failed to slow down growth.

"But the move will reignite fears that thousands of young people are being priced off the property ladder. Lucian Cook, director of Savills’ residential research, said 'a clear Bank of London effect' was keeping prices higher, as foreign investors and British home-owners alike choose to tie up their money in London bricks and mortar."

"Baby, you can drive my car: yes, really because the driverless revolution is on its way"

Link to Evening Standard

"You touch your smartphone, and minutes later the electric car glides to a halt outside your door. You step in, take a phone call, catch up on email — as the car drives itself north and over the Thames, on roads packed with other self-guided pods. Passing bigger driverless delivery vans and robot cleaning vehicles, the car brakes automatically to let a pedestrian cross, then stops outside your office.

"It’s science fiction, of course — though perhaps not for much longer. Yesterday ministers gave the go-ahead for Oxford University to test its RobotCar on public roads; other such prototypes will doubtless follow."

Evening Standard: "The only way is up for London: Nick Curtis hears from architect Richard Rogers"

"Taller buildings, a car-free city, and eastwards expansion are all inevitable, Nick Curtis hears from architect Richard Rogers, whose vision is celebrated at the Royal Academy — but on the wish-list is a Thames Estuary airport"

Link to web site

"London continues to fascinate and succeed, Rogers suggests, not just because of its financial clout or its arts, but:

"because of the exchange of cultures with so many people. Because it is made of villages rather than concentric rings we can absorb much more of a mix."

"... One of the factors in London’s renaissance so far has been a massive improvement in public transport:

"New Tube lines, many more buses."

The Paris Métro may still have the slight edge on the older, crankier Tube but London has become immeasurably better for pedestrians and cyclists:

"I cycle, which is a healthy thing for an 80-year-old to do. I rarely go further than five miles, but in those five miles I can get to 80 per cent of the places I want to go.

... Cities are there for the exchange of ideas and goods. The problem with the car is its lack of friendliness. The most brilliant thing is that the City of London hasn’t allowed us for decades to put cars under office buildings and nobody complains."