Over 50 residents attended 2 workshops about the Council’s ambitions to develop a site known as the Parsons North site, currently an empty concrete podium next to Parsons House on the Edgware Road.  The proposals are looking to provide new homes and open space on the site.  Architects working for the Council asked residents what were their concerns and priorities for the site and have developed a number of early design concepts.  Top priorities for the residents were:

Amenity space: More green space and gardens for the enjoyment of all ages and a big safe playground for children with slides and swings. More sports and activity options e.g. for football and outdoor exercise. Create space for the community to come together.

Privacy: Important not to feel enclosed and have views restricted. No access to the wider public through the Parsons House development.

The Podium: The podium is an eyesore and needs improvement. Need to address crime and nuisance, especially on the podium itself and in the car park.  Design building so less anti-social behaviour.

Construction related Issues: Minimize noise and disruption when building – this could affect health and quality of life when at home.  Need to ensure Parsons House is structurally safe to have development around it.

Local services: Don’t overwhelm the area and local services with lots of new people – local services such schools and doctors’ surgeries must be able to cope.

The proposals for the Parsons North site are part of the overall masterplan known as the Futures Plan.

Over 70 residents attended 2 workshops about the Council’s ambitions to develop a site known as the Luton St site, currently home to a number of nurseries and a play centre.  These services would be re-provided elsewhere in the neighbourhood and the proposals are looking to provide new homes and open space on the site which would be raised to ground level and “re-connected” to Salisbury Street.  Architects working for the Council asked residents what were their concerns and priorities for the site and have developed a number of early design concepts.  Top priorities for the residents were:

Play space: re – provide play space locally and make sure there are safe play facilities for children of different ages that are not too disruptive for residents.  Only provide a ball court if it can be well managed and supervised.

Access and links:  having a pedestrian road is more appropriate than one open to traffic.  Access and links need to be carefully thought through – to encourage people to take appropriate routes through the site, not be too restrictive to residents and discourage criminality. 

Open Spaces and gardens – provide peaceful garden space for residents, with benches.  Utilise roof tops for both play or garden/allotment space and incorporate ‘growing walls’. 

Building design – re-provide ‘like for like’ homes to those residents who have their home demolished.  Residents of adjacent blocks to the development should not feel ‘hemmed in’ or lose any sunlight

Underground car park or storage facility: this will need to be carefully controlled. 

The ‘walls’: the historic walls surrounding the site need careful consideration, although there are a range of opinions of what should be done with them.

The proposals for the Luton Street site are part of the overall masterplan known as the Futures Plan.

On the 2^nd of December the Design Team crossed the town on a mission to view the latest trends in property development. They visited 6 new schemes in North, East and West London, some of which proved to be excellent examples and some pretty poor ones which will certainly not be brought back to Church Street. The team has scrutinised each of the properties and diligently recorded all the feedback which will be passed on to the appointed architect and create the baseline of the designing work. 

Westminster City Council has decided to build three “show-homes” on Orchardson Street to demonstrate the kinds of layouts, finishes and quality of the buildings to be expected in the future developments of the masterplan. In order to design those flats an enthusiastic and committed group of residents – the Design Team – have been put together to work alongside architects to input into the designs, using their experience of living in the area. The team aims to ensure the new homes fulfil the needs of local people. The Design Team has attended an introductory meeting and a field trip so far, to get a flavour of current design trends, and is currently awaiting appointment of an architect who will lead the project.