The Metro ran this advertorial on Tuesday about one of the studios in Barons Court that features here. A feature that goes unmentioned in the Metro is the outstanding views of a building site that it may enjoy until the middle of the next decade, when its light will be blocked by a new development.
As you know, because you read it here, West London College has ambitious redevelopment plans.Yesterday afternoon was the first chance to see these plans in slightly more detail and discuss them with Your Shout and representatives of West London College. Ever fair, I will let Your Shout speak for themselves.
Your Shout undertakes professional community consultation for the built environment. We work for developers, local authorities and other clients who wish to contact, consult and listen to people in a specific community, neighbourhood or area. We are committed to strengthening relationships between land owners, communities and local councillors.
The team from Your Shout are keen to engage local residents in the project details. They invited votes, using coloured dots, on a number of issues including landscaping, bicycle racks and benches.
Could Your Shout be more patronising? There are two main issues in this development: its scale (that really means height) and financing. As all the surrounding residents are on top of the former like a ton of bricks (not the mot juste) I concentrated on the latter.
At this time the BB drone is out of action so I cannot show you the view as it is today. Above is a model of the proposed development, looking west. The white rectangle in the foreground is the new West London College. The Perspex boxes behind are the blocks of flats that will pay for the project. The tower at the top centre is social housing or what I’d call a council block.
Your Shout were unable to provide any information on the contractual risks of the development but a director of West London College was interested and admitted it was something that hadn’t hitherto been raised with him. The whole plan depends on those Perspex flats financing that white rectangle. If the project goes ahead and just after the existing college buildings are demolished the developer has a change of heart there will be a big hole in the ground. Financial projections based on low interest rates and stable (not even rising) London property prices seem to me unrealistically optimistic.
An interesting compromise would be for the council block (the white tower, top centre) to be demolished and replaced by another Perspex box allowing all the Perspex boxes to be a bit lower but some of them taking the council tenants. I’m sure there will be plenty more to report on these plans. Meanwhile, have Your Shout with The Foundations.