Evening Standard on Victory for Local Campaign
07 Thursday Jun 2012
Posted Press Updates
in07 Thursday Jun 2012
Posted Press Updates
in01 Friday Jun 2012
Posted Planning Updates, Press Updates
inTags
City of London Corporation, Dorset Street, Exemplar, LBTH Planning, London Fruit and Wool Exchange, Spitalfields, Spitalfields Historic Buildings Trust, Tower Hamlets
Last night at the Town Hall, Tower Hamlets councillors voted across party lines to strike down Exemplar’s plans for the demolition of the Fruit & Wool Exchange, Gun Pub and Dorset Street and reject the advice of their own planning – and conservation – officers who argued strenuously that the demolition should go ahead.
A sole dissenting voice was Councillors Helal Abbas who praised Exemplar’s scheme, but in the end abstained in the vote.
Councillors agreed with us that;
– The Fruit and Wool, Barclays, and the Gun Pub are fine old buildings worthy of saving
– 16th Century Dorset Street should be saved and re-opened
– housing should be re-introduced on site
– a mixed use development with ground floor shops would provide jobs for local people.
This is an extraordinary victory for local opinion against a big
developer, and saves a huge chunk of Spitalfields from being absorbed
as bland City office space.
A huge thank you to all of you who campaigned with us on this
issue, and who recruited friends and colleagues. Without your letters,
texts, and e mails this battle would never have been won.
Thank you too to our friends in the Spitalfields Trust who stood
shoulder to shoulder with us in the campaign.
Additional information and history on the Fruit and Wool Exchange can be found here:
Save the London Fruit and Wool Exchange Facebook Page
Spitalfields Life Blog – At The Fruit and Wool Exchange 1937
04 Wednesday Apr 2012
Posted Press Updates
inTags
baroque, Brushfield St, Christ Church, City of London Corporation, Dan Cruikshank, Evening Standard, Exemplar, London Fruit and Wool Exchange, Nicholas Hawksmoor, Rome, Shepherds Place Arch, Spitalfields, Spitalfields Community Group, Spitalfields Historic Buildings Trust, Tower Hamlets
Today, the alternative plans developed by the Spitalfields Community Group and the Spitalfields Historic Trust for the London Fruit & Wool Exchange site were revealed in the Evening Standard.
“Campaigners battling to save a historic part of Spitalfields from developers have drawn up ambitious rival proposals for the site – inspired by the “baroque plan of Rome”.
The design boasts aerial walkways, spectacular views of Nicholas Hawksmoor’s Christ Church and an arcade for independent shops sheltered by classical colonnades.
Under the plans the site will be pedestrianised but retain something of the “network” of narrow streets that Spitalfields is famous for.
The 18th century Shepherd’s Place Arch, which was bombed in the Blitz, will be reinstated as a grand entrance.
TV presenter and art historian Dan Cruickshank is one of the key figures spearheading the new scheme by the Spitalfields Community Group, details of which are unveiled for the first time today.
It is aimed at halting the planned demolition of a 9,000-square metre area of Spitalfields by developer Exemplar.
Although Tower Hamlets planners rejected their initial proposals last month, Exemplar — contracted by site freeholders the City of London Corporation — is to try again”
10 Saturday Mar 2012
Posted Press Updates
inTags
Exemplar, LBTH Planning, London Fruit & Wool Exchange, Spitalfields, Spitalfields Community Group, Spitalfields Historic Buildings Trust
PRESS RELEASE
8th March 2012.
Local community groups in Spitalfields, London, win first round in battle to save the heart and soul of one of London’s most evocative historic quarters.
Today the groups – the Spitalfields Community Group and the Spitalfields Historic Building Trust – announce their intention to commission an alternative scheme for the 9,000 square metre site of the London Fruit and Wool Exchange, Dorset Street and the White’s Row multi-storey car park – roughly the size of the pitch at Wembley Stadium.
All structures are within the Fournier St Conservation Area, none are individually listed (although the Exchange on Brushfield Street and the flanking Gun Public house and a bank are all fine 1920s structures) and all are owned by the City of London Corporation, which is working in collaboration with developers Exemplar – best known recently for their association with the large area of derelict land in Fitzrovia formed by the demolition of the Middlesex Hospital.
The developers proposal, primarily for offices and shops on the site but with no housing, and designed by architects, Bennetts Associates – was unanimously rejected last Tuesday by all five members of Tower Hamlets planning committee. The rejection was in the face of recommendation for approval from Tower Hamlets own planning department.
The councillors are to be highly commended for the wisdom and courage – and for heeding the voices of more than 500 local objectors and petitioners to the proposed scheme.
This rejection presents local groups with the opportunity to demonstrate how the site should be developed to respect the diverse architectural character of the area and to reinforce the rich mix of uses that give Spitalfields such distinction.
A visionary scheme is needed that builds on history to create a new development in the heart of Spitalfields – that will continue the social and commercial renaissance of the area and enhance the established architectural and social character of the conservation area.
The rejected scheme retained only the Brushfield Strret façade of the Fruit Exchange – the Gun pub, the bank, and Dorset Street – which originated in the late 1670s as a street of weavers’ houses – were obliterated. Significantly the developers proposed no housing element on site and doubts surrounded the amount of long-term and sustainable local employment the scheme would create wile removing a considerable number of existing jobs in the area.
Tower Hamlets refused the scheme planning permission specifically because of the loss of current employment on the site and the failure to provide specific details of future employment opportunities; the failure of the scheme to include residential accommodation as part of the range of uses; and because of the proposed demolition of the Gun Public House. In addition Cllr. Denise Jones stated that in any revised scheme the developers must consult in a meaningful and fruitful manner with the local community groups. This means no just going through the motions of listening but listening and responding. She also made it clear that the views of English Heritage must be responded to. Notably EH as urged the retention of historic Dorset Street, which the proposed scheme obliterates. Significantly Tower Hamlets conservation department’s analysis of earlier proposal for the site stressed the importance of retaining Dorset Street. Developments in conservation are meant to reflect, retain and enhance the established architectural and planning character. Naturally this means street pattern. It is incredible and virtually unprecedented for an historic street – albeit it now reduced to a service road – to be eradicated in a development in such an important conservation area.
In addition points raised by the three objectors who spoke at the meeting also need to be addressed.
Dan Cruickshank, who spoke on behalf of the Spitalfields Trust, condemned the bland and placeless nature of the rejected scheme that, he argued, does not respond to or enhance the special character of Spitalfields.. “A very significant fault is the failure to realise the opportunity – or even respect – the setting of Christ Church on Commercial Street – one of the most important 18th century Baroque buildings in Britain.’ What is NOT required ‘is the sort of dated, dead-hand architecture that the current scheme represents.”
John Nicolson, of the Spitalfields Community Group says: “The fact is that Exemplar has always refused to talk to us or the Trust about saving Dorset Street, preserving the old street pattern and breaking up the monolithic nature of the development.”
Peter Boisseau, a local resident speaking for SCG said: “Every day I step outside my front door in Spitalfields my spiritual batteries are recharged. Walking round corners with their odd views and old charm – the nooks and crannies – all makes Spitalfields very special. And all to be lost if we face developer blight and the Fruit and Wool Exchange is pulled down. Exemplar, the developers, say they want to enhance the area. We say they want to remove everything that makes Spitalfields unique. They want to replace these useful and sound buildings with a mammoth, soul-sucking office block with a lifeless personality. We look to our local politicians and town planners to see sense.”
The community group scheme – to be unveiled in outline next week (and designed for the group by local architects, Johnston Architecture & Design, retains the Brushfield Street façade of the Fruit and Wool Exchange, the Gun Pub and bank, retains Dorset Street from which diagonal views of Christ Church will be gained (in the spirit of the Baroque plan of Rome. Arcades will be introduced along Brushfield Street and Commercial Street. Housing, studios and apartments will line Dorset Street and White’s Row with commercial elements at upper levels on each side of Dorset Street connected by elegant high level bridges and gantries of the type that service Wapping High Street and Shad Thames.
The alternative scheme doe not follow the developers brief because we believe that brief is wrong and will bring deadly gloom, not life, to the centre of Spitalfields. Our brief respects a reasonable balance of uses – housing, office and commercial – that will help in the remarkable social transformation that has taken place in Spitalfields to make it one of the most pleasant and most visited and vibrant places in London. The dominant office use proposed in the rejected scheme is wrong. There must be a significant housing element on site. Even Tower Hamlets planners – who supported the rejected proposal, admit that a scheme with such a high office content in an area ‘outside the agreed office zone’ is unusual.
Spitalfields is now characterised by its rich mix of uses and architecture, by people living and working in the area, and by diverse communities coexisting in productive and mutually beneficial harmony. We believe our scheme would reinforce these characteristics and – in its uses – generally benefit local employment.