Hammerson's Centrale, Croydon: Turley Associates and Consultation

"Hammerson, the owner of Centrale is holding a two-day public exhibition offering visitors the opportunity to learn more about the scheme and provide feedback on the plans while they are still being developed."

See previous: "Dobbo makes impeccable efforts to consult (no hapless PR outfit in sight, as with Brent Cross)"

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Well, there IS a PR company involved, but there's no evidence that it is hapless:

"Turley Associates is a leading planning and urban design consultancy working in key development sectors across Britain. 

"We act across private and public sectors, bringing skills of spatial planning, regeneration, development promotion, place-making, and community involvement. 

Partnership, quality, and successful outcomes are our hallmarks:

• Respecting the past 
• Enhancing the present 
• Securing the future." [Bit cheesy, though]

Link to PDF on Turley Associates web site

Picture: WATERMARK WESTQUAY, SOUTHAMPTON,
HAMMERSON UK PROPERTIES LTD

"These are challenging times for our towns and cities. Many have shared in a renaissance that followed a tightening of retail planning policy, and have benefitted from a surge of investment in major mixed-use projects which have breathed life into our centres.

"Others have been less fortunate, with funding now at a premium and developments scaled back, prompted by a rapidly-changing retail climate.

"... The government is committed to protecting existing investment in our towns and cities by safeguarding centres which are the 'bedrock of our economic future'.

"The vitality and viability of town and city centres is key to sustaining them as attractive places at the heart of our communities. [Hopefully they are better at PR than they are at grammar.]

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Link to Turley Associates fact sheet on the Localism Act

"The legislation sets out clear statutory requirements for pre-application consultation to be carried out on certain development types and scales. Those promoting development must:

• publicise the proposed application to bring it to the attention of the people who live in, or have an interest in the affected area 
• consult with those people to gain their feedback 
• acknowledge and incorporate the response to the consultation within the resulting proposals and provide feedback. [Well, it's 'pas de point' for Hammerson at Brent Cross, then!]

"There is likely to be a role for those promoting development in the production of neighbourhood plans, given the likely resource requirements associated with their preparation. ... The development you promote could become part of the principal plan for that neighbourhood." [Hammerson is ten years ahead of you there, in the London Borough of (Broken) Barnet.]

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Evening Standard (2007 article):

"Croydon is the new ... Barcelona" 

"It is a place that gives concrete jungles a bad name, an urban nightmare famed for its tram system, and some of the ugliest architecture outside the old Soviet bloc.

"Now Croydon wants to turn itself into Barcelona, one of the coolest cities on the planet."

CROYDON 

History: Busy market town in the Middle Ages. The Germans bombed it, and they built lots of skyscrapers. 

Population: 430,000 people. Kate Moss is a native. 

Quote: "From London to Croydon is as ugly a bit of country as any in England." William Cobbett in 1830.

Famous for: Trams, tower blocks and the Croydon facelift (a tight ponytail). 

Attractions: Fairfield Halls, host to Seventies disco bands.

BARCELONA 

History: Founded by Hercules 400 years before Rome. 

Population: 1.6 million. Architect Antoni Gaudi and artist Joan Miro. 

Quote: "The creation continues incessantly through the media of man." Antoni Gaudi. 

Famous for: Stunning architecture and culture. 

Attractions: Gaudi's cathedral La Sagrada Familia and a host of world class museum and galleries, including the Picasso Museum and Miro Museum. Seven beaches and FC Barcelona.

Barnet Times: "Brent Cross shoppers say no to TfL fare increase"

Link to Barnet Times

"Christmas shoppers in Brent Cross spoke out today against TfL’s plans to increase bus and tube fares in 2012. Fares will increase by an average of 5.6 per cent next year, which is just above inflation.

"The price rise is lower than expected, with Mayor of London, Boris Johnson, securing £136m of Government funding to prevent higher increases."

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"Vandalised toilet leaves bus drivers urinating in bushes in Brent Cross" 

Link to Barnet Times

"Bus drivers are urinating in bushes after their toilet in Brent Cross was vandalised. 

"Transport provider TfL closed the bus drivers' toilet, outside Brent Cross Shopping Centre in Hendon, on Monday, due to ‘misuse’ of the facility. 

"Metrolink drivers, who can use facilities at the shopping centre during the day, say they are not allowed to use the toilets outside of its 10am-8pm opening hours for health and safety reasons."

The Independent: "Hammerson offers a safe haven "

Link to web site

"Hammerson was the company which called the turn in the West End of London property market last year, and it was doing something similar for the City yesterday.

Hardly a ringing endorsement, but its chief executive John Richards said he saw 'room for recovery' in the UK's financial capital."

Barnet's Planning 'Core Strategy' is up for 'Examination in Public' next week: This is what happens if it is thrown out...

Link above to the Planning Advisory Service

"The Government is making some significant changes to the planning system that will affect the responsibilities of all local planning authorities. 

"The intention is to make the planning system one that better supports sustainable economic growth and jobs, underpinned with the principles of localism, with less ‘top-down’ prescription and more ‘bottom up’ involvement.

"The National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) will set out the Government’s priorities for planning in England. It will replace the current raft of planning policy guidance notes and statements with one document of less than 60 pages. The final version will be published around the end of 2011 or early 2012.

"The regional tier of planning is to be abolished, including Regional Spatial Strategies and their associated housing targets. This will give you more freedom and flexibility to work with your neighbours [that might mean Brent and Camden!] and other bodies (as covered by the ‘duty to co-operate’) to do the strategic planning for your area.

(In London, the Mayor’s London Plan will continue to provide the strategic context for local plans produced by the Boroughs. However both the Mayor and individual London Boroughs will be required to co-operate with surrounding councils to address issues of common concern. [Like Brent Cross!])

"Your authority will need to have a plan in place to guide development to the right place, and against which to make planning decisions. Without an up-to-date local plan, development decisions will be made on the basis of national policy, with the presumption being ‘yes’. [Crikey!] Some predict an increase in ‘planning by appeal’ where there is no up-to-date local plan.

"Neighbourhoods and parishes will increasingly be able to take on planning in their areas. You will need to work with them – managing their expectations and helping them to understand what they can and can’t do." [Is that us? It is, isn't it! It is! It is!]

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Link to details of Barnet's 'Core Strategy' Examination in Public,

in Hendon Town Hall, from Tuesday 6 December.

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Link to Brent Cross pre-approval 'Estates Gazette'
video at Hendon Town Hall

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Link to HOME (see all posts).

Tuesday 17 January: Boris in Barnet! (updated)

Talk London in Barnet

When: Tuesday 17 January, 7pm - 8.30pm (doors open at 6pm)
Where: Peel Centre, Aerodrome Road , Barnet , NW9 5JE
The panel includes Boris Johnson, Mayor of London. 
Other panellists are to be confirmed.
Follow us on Twitter @talklondon
Talk London in Barnet is a free event. It is part of the Talk London series -

Your chance to meet and question the Mayor on what he does for London.

"Boris Johnson, the Mayor of London, holds four public consultation meetings a year, which move across London boroughs, and change topics accordingly.

Their next event will be held on January 17th 2012, from 7pm to 8.30pm, in The Peel Centre, Hendon, NW9 5JE. [By the way, Barnet wants to concrete over the neighbouring sports field!]

The topic is: "Investing in Outer London"

The Mayor, The Leader of Barnet Council, and Deputy Mayor on Transport Isabel Derring, will be on the panel for the evening, along with a local business representative.

The Chair for this event will be Brian Coleman."

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Meeting details.

Registrations will open soon, and in the meantime, you can register for updates.

Merthyr Tydfil and Croydon: Hammerson's Rustle and Dobbo make impeccable efforts to consult (no hapless PR outfit in sight, as with Brent Cross)

Link to BBC South East Wales

"Shoppers in Merthyr are to be consulted on a proposed £30m development at the town's retail park. London-based company Hammerson will hold a series of public events at Cyfarthfa Retail Park and in the town centre.

The company will explain the plans, which go before the council in January, and ask the public what they think. If given the go-ahead, the expansion could create 550 jobs [300 construction, 250 permanent] and attract big names, like Marks and Spencer.

Consultation is on Thursday at the park's Costa Coffee from 2pm to 8pm [today or next week?] and in Market Place in the town centre on Monday 9 January from 10am to 4pm. Hammerson development executive Russell Beresford encouraged shoppers to find out more about the development.

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Residents and businesses of Croydon are invited to an exhibition to view the emerging proposals for Centrale Shopping Centre.

Hammerson, the owner of Centrale is holding a two-day public exhibition offering visitors the opportunity to learn more about the scheme and provide feedback on the plans while they are still being developed.

Hammerson is investing in the region of £40million, as part of the first phase of repositioning the scheme. [Can't it stay where it is? Ho, ho.] The proposals include redesigning a significant section of the internal retail space, creating a family-friendly leisure and restaurant area with a cinema, and improving the car parking.

The creation of improved retail and leisure space will also provide permanent retail and leisure jobs for local people.

Robin Dobson, Hammerson Director for Retail Development said:

"There is strong retailer demand for well designed, modern retail space, and our scheme offers a unique opportunity to bring new names to the town and create a vibrant restaurant hub.

Croydon has slipped down the retail rankings in recent years, and our investment and delivery of new retail space will reverse that decline.  We have a long-term vision for retail in the town, and this is the first step in putting Croydon firmly back on the retail map. [You didn't write this yourself, did you, Dobbo?]

We very much hope that as many people as possible will be able to come and see the emerging plans next week."

Representatives from the project team will be on hand to explain the scheme, talk to members of the public, and answer any questions they may have. [More than they ever were, pre-app., at Brent Cross.]

The public exhibition for is being held [why don't you proof-read, Hammerson? - we do! (Well, usually.)] in the store adjacent to Debenhams and TK Maxx in the North End Mall, Centrale Shopping Centre on Friday 2 December: 12.30 to 6pm, and Saturday 3 December: 09.30am to 2.30pm.

£5-Billion London Redevelopment Plan in Tatters! (But no, it's not Brent Cross. Well, THAT is in tatters, but not in THIS story)

Link to the Daily Telegraph

"Lloyds Banking Group has lined up administrators to take control of Battersea Power Station, after rejecting proposals to buy its debt from Malaysian property company SP Setia and the Irish developer backing the landmark site.

"The site potentially being thrown into administration is an embarrassment for the Chancellor George Osborne because the developer of the power station will fund roughly a third of the £600m Northern Line project, which he identified in the Autumn Statement as a key infrastructure project.

"Irish group REO [had] been searching for months for a new investor in the power station, to repay the bank debt and fund the £5.5bn redevelopment of Battersea Power Station, for which it has secured planning permission."

European Public Real Estate Association: Hammerson's David Atkins is Guest Editor!

Nov/Dec 2011 edition
(but be warned: the animated display
takes no prisoners)

"We live in an age of uncertainty and volatility. 

"Equity, debt and currency markets have again been experiencing the kind of 'once-in-a-lifetime' events [singular and plural mismatch, surely?] which in 2008 we thought were over. [Yep.]

"It would therefore be easy against such a backdrop to throw in the towel and say:

"How can we possibly make any ground against such strong headwinds?"

[Well David, there's always Brent Cross! 
Can we count on Hammerson to do the right thing, after you've exhausted all the other possibilities?]

We have! We have!

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Link to HOME (see all posts).

Northern Line video: Tottenham Court Road

(Click to enlarge)

Bloomberg: "Office Builders’ City of London Bets Sour, as Banks Cut Jobs" (Hammerson affected?)

Link to web site

"Property companies including British Land Plc and Land Securities Group Plc restarted City of London office projects this year and last, betting that the increase in 2010 rents would continue into this year as the financial industry bounced back. The prospects have dimmed over the last few months, as Europe’s sovereign debt crisis and a stalling U.K. economy prompted companies to cut jobs and delay office moves.

"Hammerson Plc Chief Executive Officer David Atkins on Nov. 9 dismissed the idea that the company might delay the Principal Place development, calling it 'pure speculation'. The company is in talks with law firm CMS Cameron McKenna to lease part of the 16-story [sic] office building, and expects development to start in April or May next year."

Audit Commission's "Tough Times"

Link to Audit Commission

"Local authority planning, development and environmental services face major spending cuts during 2011/12, according to a detailed analysis of council budgeting compiled by the Audit Commission.

"The watchdog’s report, 'Tough Times', noted that councils are having to cope with both a reduction in central Government grant-aid, as well as a fall in income from fees and charges of five per cent in real terms. The report highlighted that local authorities are not targeting cuts in a uniform fashion, and that planning is one area where cuts will be disproportionate.

Page 30 says: "Planning represents 4 per cent of council spend, but will provide 22 per cent of the required savings."

"The commission concluded that spending on planning and development will fall by 28 per cent in single tier and county councils (STCCs) and 16 per cent in district councils, on average.

"Almost half of the savings needed in STCCs will come from planning, housing and cultural services, the report found.

"It found that STCCs facing the biggest cuts were most likely to target smaller services. 'Planning and development budgets will fall 50 per cent on average in these councils in 2011/12,' it warned. The report also made it clear that many district councils were increasing fees and charges. Some 40 per cent are targeting planning fees. Few planned changes in service standards or eligibility criteria, the commission noted.

"The commission stressed that services like planning and development could not deliver similar savings every year. 'Many councils will face difficult decisions about how to meet their funding shortfall in the next few years'."

The Guardian: "Retailers leaving 'wrong' locations"

Link to Guardian

"MANY SHOPS on the high streets have closed during the recession. Sir Philip Green set off alarm bells this week when he warned that up to 260 shops in his Topshop-to-BHS fashion empire Arcadia could close.

It was further bleak news for the UK's high streets, where one in seven shops already lies empty, and a spate of retail collapses from Habitat to TJ Hughes has left fresh scars.

Like other chains such as Marks & Spencer, Dixons and Mothercare, Arcadia has too many Dorothy Perkins, Evans and Miss Selfridge outlets on the 'wrong' high streets as the internet and huge malls redraw the shopping landscape."

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The Guardian: 

"McDonald's quits Rochdale's ailing town centre"

LInk to The Guardian

"In Rochdale, the restaurant's windows are boarded and its familiar red and yellow sign, a visible landmark in the Lancashire town for 28 years, has been removed.

"Last week McDonald's shut up shop, joining a growing number of key businesses deserting the town centre, and in so doing, according to shoppers and some retailers, banging another nail in the coffin of its struggling high street.

"... Rochdale council knows it has a battle on its hands given the economic climate, but believes plans to build new council offices and a library, and convert the old council buildings into retail units to be open within two years will encourage rejuvenation and add diversity to the 200 retailers currently in the town centre."

It's December soon, and the 'Examination in Public' of Barnet's 'Core Strategy'...

"A statement of common ground is a written statement, prepared jointly by the Local Planning Authority and a consultee who objects to the Core Strategy Submission document. The purpose of the statement of common ground is to set out the agreed factual information, leading to shorter proofs of evidence and saving time at the Examination in Public.

"The statement should contain basic information on which the parties have agreed, such as the precise nature of the objection and proposed changes, a description of the policy/site, its planning history and the relevant planning policies in the Development Plan. The statement should not include opinion or comment. Matters which remain in dispute will be dealt with by the Inspector. The statement should complement the proofs of evidence and not duplicate them."

(Summary from Mid Suffolk Council) 

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Brent Cross 'Statement of Common Ground' document (not all of which is accepted by Barnet) - two excerpts...

"It is anticipated that the BXC Development Partners are committed to progressing the project as quickly as reasonably practicable towards commencement of the development  delete here: "under the permission"  subject to securing the necessary planning approvals, highways orders, and site assembly. On the basis of these indicators, we expect that comprehensive re-development will commence in relation to Phase One at some time between 2015 and 2017." 

[We say: This neglects the current tax-haven planning application, on Phase Seven land, which incidentally, will block all possible access by light-rail, past Phase One, for twenty years. Nice one, Hammerson!]

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"The [BXC development] phasing is consistent with the Indicative Phasing Parameter Plan approved as part of the BXC planning permission. Condition 4.2 of the planning permission permits variations to this phasing, subject to satisfactorily addressing a number of tests. Hence the exact composition of each phase may change to that summarised. 

"Status of Brent Cross – Cricklewood Proposal:

In the event that the development envisaged does not proceed, the Core Strategy... the saved UDP policies (Chapter 12) and the Development Framework..."  

[This is if Hammerson walks away.]

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Click either nose below, to read the Common Ground 'Fully Monty':

Barnet Local Development Framework: Core Strategy:

"Statement of Common Ground between

London Borough of (Broken?) Barnet

and the

Brent Cross Cricklewood Development Partners" (Boo! Hiss!)

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The Examination in Public will take place from

Tuesday 6 December

to

Wednesday 14 December

in Committee Room 2 at Hendon Town Hall.

And what can go wrong, and even worse.

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Link to HOME (see all posts).

Hammerson and Standard Life: Coopy and Jenky do well

Peter Cooper, Hammerson Portfolio Director said:

"It is vital for retail destinations to attract new brands and retail formats which continually evolve the retail mix. Brent Cross's continued strength of retail sales and consumer appeal is based on this. After 35 years of trading, Brent Cross continues to be on the top of retailers' list for launching new formats and delivering retail innovation."

Ed Jenkins, Head of UK Retail at Standard Life Investments:

"Given the UK's tough trading environment, attracting the launch of a totally new brand from an established international retailer is a ringing endorsement for Brent Cross." 

 
Brent Cross retail 'firsts'

• Massimo Dutti, Brent Cross - First UK store (2002)
• Baby Gap, Brent Cross - First new worldwide concept store (2002)
• Hugo Boss, Brent Cross - First UK store (2003)
• Wagamama, Brent Cross - First UK shopping centre location (2004)
• Gap, Brent Cross - First new concept store in Europe (2007)
• Rigby & Peller, Brent Cross - First UK shopping centre store (2007)
• Hollister, Brent Cross - First UK store (2008)

For further information contact:
Catrin Morgan, [Morgy] Hammerson PR Manager.

MESSAGE ENDS. CARRY ON.

Hammerson's Atky (fresh from Euro-Trash) appears on LBC

Posted by James Max on November 26, 2011 at 11:18AM

"... We also looked at the retail market. David Atkins CEO of Hammerson joined us to look at the retail market. As owners of many shopping centres including a big chunk of Brent Cross the messages are clear. We are looking at a more polarised market. 

"The very local shop may survive and so will large shopping centres. In between? That’s where the squeeze will take place. 

Theo Paphitis the Chairman of Ryman, owner of Boux Avenue and Dragon warned that we are facing difficult times, and are probably already in recession again. However, what he did say is that good shopping locations and great service were the keys to success."

The Church of England: "A Christian presence in every community"

Link to Planning Jobs

"This is an exciting opportunity to work for one of the largest deliverers of community regeneration in London. The Church of England is taking a proactive approach to establishing its place in the future shape of London. The Strategic Development team requires an officer to support it in the delivery and development of future plans.

"You will support the Head of Strategic Development to facilitate the Christian mission of the Diocese of London, through appropriate response to, and involvement in major urban regeneration projects. This is twinned with work to provide additional and new resources to parishes engaged in community ministry/regeneration.

"London is seeing significant change as a result of the redevelopment and regeneration of areas such as Tottenham Hale, Brent Cross/Cricklewood, Kings Cross, Meridian Water, Earls Court and the Olympic legacy sites, amongst many."

Everything you wanted to know about Hammerson but were afraid to ask

Link to web site

"WMI's 'Hammerson plc - Company Capsule' is a crucial resource for industry executives, and anyone looking to access key information about 'Hammerson plc'.

[That's us! That's us!]

WMI's 'Hammerson plc - Company Capsule' report utilizes a wide range of primary and secondary sources, which are analyzed and presented in a consistent and easily accessible format. WMI strictly follows a standardized research methodology to ensure high levels of data quality, and these characteristics guarantee a unique report.

Planning Portal: "Government to back larger-scale projects to meet local housing needs"

"The Government has signalled it wants to encourage new, larger scale housing developments which could involve expansions of a few hundred dwellings, urban extensions or new ‘market towns’ with up to 10,000 new homes.

"Ministers plan to publish a prospectus shortly inviting councils and communities to identify opportunities for “locally planned large scale development, which will take advantage of streamlined planning processes, giving communities a stronger say and developers greater certainty”.

"This initiative was highlighted in the Government’s housing strategy, just published. This promised that viable schemes that were sustainable and had strong local support would be given financial assistance to get the work going, and would be prioritised for future infrastructure spending. The administration has announced there will be a competition to encourage new thinking in this area.

The document said:

"We are keen to see innovative approaches and a wide range of models and partnerships come forward, responding to local challenges. We will publish a prospectus setting out more detail of our proposed approach – what the Government is looking for from developers and local communities, and what we can offer in return – in 2012."

"The strategy also made it clear that the administration is keen to promote the use of tools such as Local Development Orders to help to streamline planning and reduce the risks and delay in securing planning approval for new residential development.

"The Government has reiterated that it wants to encourage action on stalled development by allowing developers to require local authorities to reconsider those S106 agreements agreed in more prosperous market conditions prior to April 2010.

"The Government said it would consult on this proposal shortly. “We will ensure that any resulting appeals are dealt with promptly by the Planning Inspectorate, to give certainty to both developers and local communities. The Government will also encourage a flexible approach to planning obligations, to safeguard against substantial and unexpected change in market conditions.”

"Housing Minister Grant Shapps said the Government’s strategy was designed to see the provision of 200,000 new homes a year.

Access ‘Laying the Foundations: A Housing Strategy for England’

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Daily Telegraph: "Grant Shapps in on-air spat over housing figures" 

Link to Daily Telegraph, and audio file

"Listeners heard Mr Shapps enter into an extended on-air row with John Humphrys, presenter of the Radio 4 Today programme, over the suggestion that he avoided an earlier pre-booked interview about the issue.

"Mr Shapps was asked by Mr Humphrys about figures showing that the number of social homes being built in England had slowed to a trickle - which were published the day after the Government made a major house-building announcement."

Brent Cross: snooping or harmless monitoring?

Link to 'Mobiledia' web site

"Two malls in California and Virginia will be tracking shoppers by cell phones, as merchants seek to understand changing consumer behavior through technology.

"Large mall owners like London-based Hammerson [at Brent Cross], Indianapolis, Ind.-based Simon Property Group, and Australia-based Westfield group have all been experimenting with digital technology, to encourage shoppers to visit stores and reverse recent revenue losses.

"... Customers at the two U.S. malls will be alerted to the program by signs hung throughout the stores, and they can opt out by turning off their phones. Still, since there is no personal data beyond the signal that is being collected, managers believe few will chose to do so. Besides, there are often incentives for shoppers to keep their phones on while they browse." [The Brent Cross phone monitoring developers say there are signs at Brent Cross, but that this is not standard across their industry in the UK.]

[Reposted from August] Boris's Transport Strategy: Old Oak Common-to-Brent Cross (and beyond?) is on the radar (let Hammerson contribute)

Click to enlarge (source is here)

Evening Standard: "Topshop tycoon Sir Philip Green to axe 260 high street stores"

Link to the Evening Standard

"One of Britain's biggest retailers today unveiled plans to shut 10 per cent of its high street stores in a shattering new blow to the economy.

"Sir Philip Green, the retail tycoon behind Topshop, BhS and Miss Selfridge, said shoppers are so 'spooked' that he is being forced to close up to 260 shops - raising fears other chains will follow."

The Guardian: "National road charging is inevitable, warns head of UK motoring group"

Link to The Guardian

"A national system of charging people to drive on the roads is inevitable as part of a package of measures to cut congestion and pollution, Professor Stephen Glaister, head of the RAC Foundation, the UK's leading motoring lobby group, warned on Tuesday.

"Other areas [the Foundation] advocates are:

• more electrified railway lines
• a network of electric vehicle charging points 
• more energy recovery from sewage sludge 
• expansion of composting 
• anaerobic digestion for food waste, and 
• incineration, and longer term gasification or pyrolosis technology, to turn waste into transport fuel for lorries, which are harder to electrify.

Estates Gazette: "Hopes for Hammerson after Westfield wades into Whitgift, Croydon?"

Link to Estates Gazette

"Should we be feeling slightly sorry for Hammerson?
[Yes - we do all the time!]

"Yesterday's 'Develop Croydon' conference was all about Westfield. London Mayor Boris Johnson bounded on stage to tell everyone he was 'delighted' that Westfield had chosen Croydon to build their third London mega mall.

"...  And Hammerson's director of UK retail development Robin Dobson [Dobbo], was barely off stage, when Schroders' Ian Mason was busy telling everyone how Westfield was the best thing to ever happen to Croydon."

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Estates Gazette:

"Croydon mulls land acquisition fund to tackle mountain of redundant office stock" 

"We need to rebalance the office offer."
Link to audio recording

"About a third of Croydon's office stock is old and redundant. That's a quite a lot.

"Jon Rouse, the council's well-respected chief executive, reckons that anywhere between 20% and a third of the town's offices need to be razed or refurbished."

BBC: "Will the government back a £50bn airport for London?"

Link to BBC London

"London Mayor Boris Johnson has set out the economic reasons why he believes a £50bn airport needs to be built in the south-east of England.

"Simon Walker, from the Institute of Directors, said the transport network was a 'complete disaster' and the country was falling behind European competitors.

"BBC London's Tom Edwards questioned Boris Johnson on whether the government was likely to back such an expensive project."

Wall Street Journal: "U.K. Retailers Feeling Less Than Festive"

Link to Wall Street Journal (registration required)

"The U.K.'s High Street is bracing for a frosty Christmas this year, and has already kicked off a round of discounting to encourage customers to splash out their hard-earned cash.

"Lawrence Hutchings [who he?], managing director of UK retail at commercial-property developer Hammerson [oh, him!], said stores with strong online presences were best placed to deliver better results."

[After Hammerson's Lord-Mayor-of-London-Gate] "More allegations emerge over links between senior elected representatives and major property firms"

"The Guardian reported last week that the corporation has invested at least £100m of public money in land purchases that opponents claim will enhance the value of neighbouring developments by Hammerson, the property company that has employed [Hammerson's and Finchley's Michael] Bear since [2003]."

Link to The Guardian

"The City of London Corporation is facing fresh conflict of interest questions over links between senior elected representatives and property developers involved in major projects in and around the Square Mile.

"The latest case involves a member of the corporation's planning committee with an alleged conflict of interest over his links to a property company given permission to go ahead with a disputed development.

"British Land, one of the UK's largest property development companies, was given a green light in April for the construction of a huge £340m headquarters for the Swiss bank UBS .

Evening Standard: "Brent Cross attacked for 'selfish' end to free parking"

Actually the story doesn't seem to justify all of the headline. AND it is from 2009. Whatever.

Link to web site

"Brent Cross shopping centre has offered to scrap its free parking, to counter fears that a major redevelopment will cause traffic jams.

"David Howard, chairman of the Federation of Residents' Associations of Barnet, said: 

"We think it's an arrogant, selfish, money-centred scheme." [Other than that, ...]

Hammerson's still at the Lord Mayor of London's Top Table (but his bike's chained up outside)

Link to 'The Fall and Fall of Michael Bear'
(photo: The Guardian)

Evening Standard: "British Land today went one better than rival Hammerson"

Er, well, that's it really.

Link to Evening Standard

Daily Telegraph: "A short-term planning fix is a long-term blight" (Could have been written about Hammerson!)

Link to Daily Telegraph

"As politicians desperately search for escape routes out of the current economic crisis, the lure of the quick fix becomes ever more attractive than the need for sustainable long-term solutions. This threatens long-held achievements, such as the protection of our countryside. How easy it would be for the Government to publish the final version of its draft National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) more or less unaltered, using the current crisis as a smokescreen.

"... Take Freiburg, in Germany, too – famous for how it is organised around the needs of its densely accommodated population, for energy, transport and jobs. Trams and bikeways take people to work, while half of the city’s energy is generated from solar panels and waste processors. Surely, this offers us a model for the future of our own towns and cities."

Hammerson and Westfield: It ain't over till the Fat Developer sings

Tram stop paid for by Centrale shopping centre.
Link to 'The Independent on Sunday'

Croydon is set to become a battle ground for two retail developer titans, as Hammerson vies with Westfield to be the developer of a giant shopping scheme in the town.

Hammerson, whose share price stood at 399.8p on Friday, went on a buying spree at the start of the year, scooping up a £400m portfolio from Kuwaiti property company St Martins. The haul included the Centrale shopping centre in Croydon. It is keen to be involved in any new development in Croydon, as it would not want Centrale to be overshadowed.

One expert said:

"Westfield has the expertise and the balance sheet, and with the success of their two centres in the east and west of London, they would be good for Croydon. They have proved they can deal with complex land ownership rights and get a scheme developed." [Whereas Hammerson ...]

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Taken up by NASDAQ and CITYWIRE.

The 'public' private land of Brent Cross?

The Observer: "The London River Park: place for the people or a private playground?"

"The London River Park is a proposed floating green space on the Thames that could be ready in time for the Olympics. But is it really a 'public' amenity? Our architecture critic charts the stealthy rise of pseudo-public spaces" 

"[This is] the latest example of a widespread type of the 21st century, the pseudo-public space, in which the City of London and its satellites are world leaders. The Broadgate development of the 1980s was a pioneer, followed by Canary Wharf, Paternoster Square next to St Paul's, and the More London development where City Hall, the headquarters of the Mayor of London, stands. In each, the shapes and attributes of town squares are imitated – an oblong or round shape, outdoor art, cafe tables, fountains – and sometimes real public assets are created, but ultimate control is in the hands of private landowners.

"As Anna Minton pointed out in her book Ground Control, they control security, access, and rules of entry. Activities and people deemed undesirable, such as photography with a tripod, public displays of affection, picnics, or chaining up a bicycle, are banned. Or public protest, and you don't have to wish to protest yourself to sense the oppressive feeling that things are prohibited."

[Reposted from September] 'Building' (building.co.uk): "Westfield Stratford City - Maxing out"

Link to 'building.co.uk'
(limited access without registering)

"It also contains 1.1 million sqft of office space, the UK’s largest casino, three hotels, over 50 restaurants, 5,000 parking spaces, its own bus station and a 17-screen 3D cinema capable of screening films on request. Westfield has also forensically identified a catchment area of 4.1 million residents stretching as far as Hertfordshire and Sussex.

"The 100-acre wider Stratford City masterplan also envisages an additional 1 million sqft of retail, 5 million sqft of offices and 16,000 homes. So Westfield Stratford City is not just a shopping centre; it is city-engineering on a monumental scale, and the starting pistol for the creation of a brand new London neighbourhood." 

Link to 'building.co.uk'

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[Whereas, Brent Cross, in the London Borough of Barnet, is an imposed,
car-based, dated and unwanted scheme, of dubious merit.

Other than that, ...]

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Overground to Stratford

Click above to enlarge
(graphic: David Bleicher)

BBC: "Thousands parade for City of London Lord Mayor's Show" (Michael Bear's on his bike back to Finchley)

Link to BBC web site

"More than 6,000 people have paraded on the streets of central London as part of the Lord Mayor's Show.

"Minor alterations were made to the route because of the ongoing anti-capitalist Occupy London Stock Exchange (OLSX) protest outside St Paul's Cathedral. The new Lord Mayor was blessed in a different area of the central London cathedral's grounds, away from the OLSX protesters.

"An alternative event, billed as the Festival for the People, was organised by OLSX protesters with speakers including Professor David Harvey of City University New York and John McDonnell MP. As part of the event, the Rt Rev Michael Colclough, canon in residence at St Paul's Cathedral, joined the protesters in prayer after blessing new Lord Mayor Alderman David Wootton." 

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Link to "Has Hammerson's and Finchley's Michael Bear blown his knighthood?"