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Town Hall Team

We were all taken off on a coach tour last saturday to see other developments in London that might influence design choices for Acton regeneration. I'm still trying to put my thoughts together about what we saw so decided to share it with you and see what you think.1) Swiss Cottage Central Library & Leisure Centre. Basil Spence library now joined to a vast glass box with interior features in bright primary colours. This style of public design is like being in a gigantic nursery and I'd thought it had already had its day but architects tell me its still hugely popular. Wealthy area and a much larger site than anything we have - contains all facilities including community centre, 30 affordables (on top of box) and outside space the size of a small park. Funded by a massive block of luxury flats next to tube station.2) Regent's Quarter. Back of King's Cross Station undergoing Islingtonisation. Preservation of some historic buildings with affordable housing and some more glass boxes interspersed. Backs opened up into alleys and small squares. Area much improved but mostly an enclave for posh offices and restaurants. It was a very rainy saturday but even so it was totally empty of people.3) Massive Victorian Gothic church at the edge of an estate near Roman Road in Bow. A vast wooden 'boat' suspended in the nave providing a large but lightless room within. Offices and small gym above. Just struck me as wierd, incongruous and rather creepy. Must admit that by this time I was tired, wet, cold and aware that there was a ton of work waiting for me at home so please excuse growing negativity. Sara Nathan was also on the tour - she may be able to provide some more positives.The one thing that LBE has certainly achieved with this group is acceptance of the concept of private funding. I still have reservations. Public ownership is part of our pride and pleasure in our local area and should give us some measure of control over our surroundings but we're about to lose it. Acton isn't Swiss Cottage - we have what we have - a small cluster of Victorian & Edwardian heritage buildings that we like and want to use and keep in good condition. Doesn't seem much to ask. Seems to me the library and community centre don't require enormous expenditure but the baths will need investment.Apparently. there's some hope of seeing actual figures at this wednesday's meeting, although we're not holding our breath...Must get back to work now so over to you.....

Nina Thomas ● 6150d17 Comments

Thanks for the update Nina.  Much appreciated.

Julia Hunt ● 6150d

thanks indeed.  We know know where the Council are proposing to take Acton.

Dee Cook ● 6150d

HiTonight we played a game. We all had a go at putting squares representing  various uses ('community','leisure','retail' etc) on to a map of Acton regeneration sites. However we placed them, we had to find enough room for 24 red 'private housing' cards. These are to provide funding.I was a party-pooper, in that I didn't think it was a game but if they were actually consulting me, I didn't want to see that density of private housing. One red square = 500 square metres of space. 24 cards = 12,000 sq m = about 1,000 houses.The Council are doing their budgets. Cllr. Millican assures us LBE will be putting in 'multi millions'. Urban Initiatives try to be reassuring about possibility of retaining facades etc.Town Hall Team feel they don't represent enough interests. We've asked for a web site to be put up so that everyone in Acton can see what's happening and be able to make informed decisions when next consultation happens. There really isn't much point in 28,000 expensive brochures going out for a return of 784 as was the case last time.Please don't lose interest - it's going to change the face of Acton.

Nina Thomas ● 6148d

Hi Nina, I think we got our figures confused between square feet and square metres, a factor of 10 difference, I do it all the time!Average 1 bed flat is around 45 sqm and average 2 bed flat around 65sqm.Each square represents 500 square metres for argument sake 10 flats so across the 4 development sites thats 240 flats (mixture of one and two bedroom) a house is around 120 sqm so approx 100 houses but most of the developments will be flats by necessity (building above other uses) but will include a proportion of social housing.  This amount of housing assumed a increase in sports/leisure space by 25% an increase in library space by 50% and an increase in community space by 33% over and above the existing space.It was an interesting exercise in balancing the need to deliver improved leisure and community space and what needs to be done to fund it, the more we enhanced and improved the community and leisure space the more housing was needed to fund it.I'm looking forward to next time.

Ben Ffoulkes-Jones ● 6148d

I thought it an interesting and innovative way of involving us - better than being talked at all the time.And the groups came up with interesting ideas.But it was to make us think and balance and consider - no-one said this is a blueprint for what will actually happen.What is interesting is how the mood music from the council has changed - partly us I think and partly Urban Initiatives. Officers and councillors seem to accept that we take the community uses seriously, that no-one wants the Priory users to be split up or decanted somewhere else until the building is finished or any of the other daft early proposals.There have also been constructive discussions around combining old and new, the use of innovative architecture, the importance of local buy-in. All things that you would never have guessed from the early consultation stages.I don't think Acton is going to get a 50 metre swimming pool though.

Sara Nathan ● 6148d

We were given an opportunity to put forward 3x blocks of 500 sq m which could comprise virtually anything, within reason. We didn't really talk about these much, but would be interested to hear peoples views. Here are my "top 3" for starters:1. A Small Cinema (e.g. Watermans Centre in Brentford)2. A Climbing Wall (e.g. Swiss Cottage)3. Large, bright public entrance foyer (e.g. Swiss Cottage)Anyone else?

Luke Gyulai-Lancaster ● 6148d

A reminder on 'innovative' architecture.  The infamous car park near to the Bingo Hall in the High Street and the Oaks Centre, no doubt when they were built were though to the 'innovative'.  Beware of so called 'modern' architecture, some of it does not last, and ends up being demolished ... as on the South Acton Estate.

Dee Cook ● 6148d

"Combining old and new" sounds dire, too. A glass block with the old chimney poking out of it?Just type "curtilege" into Google. The Council couldn't be thinking of riding roughshod over listed building rules, now could they?

John Theodore Clark ● 6148d

Hi BenSo glad the maths was wrong - I just couldn't get my head round that figure. Best leave it at 24 x 500 sq metres of flats/houses. However - to get a few extra services on the board (some choices were: council services, arts centre, dance studio, extra community space etc) we had to fill in the house squares on:every inch of the Priory Centre + some which means added heightthe whole of Salisbury Road car parksome in/on Town Hallone on library& some on top of baths. I'm in the Town Hall Team because I love the buildings, the generosity of the architecture, the way they stand in relation to one another, the skyline and the atmosphere they create, the way they tell the story of our town. But with everyone wanting what they saw at Swiss Cottage I feel like a dinosaur.

Nina Thomas ● 6147d

This from the Front Page article on the budget agreed yesterday:• £12million for the Acton Town Hall regeneration project to create new community and leisure facilities, including library and swimming poolAt the last meeting of the THT, all the main parties said they wuld be supporting this.

Sara Nathan ● 6036d

Whatever scheme is chosen the key is in the maintenance budgets.  If the Council do not allocated appropriate monies for keeping the new building up to scratch disaster will follow.What life expectancy are they putting on the new build?

Dee Cook ● 6036d

Too right, Dee. That's why we can't keep our historic buildings. They need special care and ongoing maintenence.What happens in practice is that is that they're allowed to become dilapidated over time so that the final repair bill is enormous and we have to sell or demolish.

Nina Thomas ● 6036d

That's why getting all excited about new build is not a good idea, better to focus on how well any new build will stand up to the test of time.All the developer will want to do it take the money and run.... same with most architects, who couldn't care a less after the building is up and running.

Dee Cook ● 6036d

When will we know what they are planning to demolish?They seem to be keeping it completely under wraps.

John Theodore Clark ● 6036d

I don't think it has got as far as what's to be demolished yet.On maintenance - one of the interesting things we have seen is to what extent a really large and successful gym can cross-subsidise other provision. The new Northolt one has 3,500 members paying between £32 and £40 per month. All that money is used to run the facility....including the swimming pools and the library. The maths is quite interesting.Same at Swiss Cottage.

Sara Nathan ● 6036d

so why doesn't the existing gym subsidise the exising swimming pool?

Dee Cook ● 6035d

-- because the gym at the Acton Baths is tiny. I should think they barely make enough to cover running costs, and the swimming baths need a great deal of money spent on them by way of improvements.

Lorna Dodd ● 6035d