Project Skylines | Canary Wharf | 50fl | 40fl

[hifive605]

vast improvement - mainly simply by toning down the color palette

[DarJoLe]

Originally Posted by flare

Over a thousand bike parking spaces is ridiculous, and TfL will still ask for more!

TfL will ask try to reduce the parking I'd imagine, even though the site has a low PTAL I think there are aspirations for future IoD developments to be car-free.

Good.

[mogwai83]

Originally Posted by annamaria4711

...why can't they knock down and start again on the big fat ugly black glass building opposite the SkyLines...its UrrrrGLY they've tried to spruss it up, but its like proposing mutton for lamb.....

It's a Tier 4 datacenter, critical to national infrastructure. It cannot be demolished, remodelled or redeveloped in any way. This also places huge restrictions on roadworks and nearby constructions as any cable damage could cause a loss of redundancy to the facilities. They have recently added new data suites into the old office space and re-equipped some of the plant rooms though.

Originally Posted by DarJoLe

Good.

+1

[ill tonkso]

Originally Posted by DarJoLe

Good.

Good and Bad. Particularly for the Resi Developments. People still want to own a car, even if they dont use it everyday. You can't force people out of cars, this is a democratic country, you can only give them a more attractive alternative.

[DarJoLe]

You don't need a car on the Isle Of Dogs.

A more attractive alternative? Would that be, oh, less cars, less pollution, a more attractive urban realm, a better, sustainable way of living? Oh yes that would be it.

[ill tonkso]

You don't need a car to commute from the Isle of Dogs no, but why can't people own one for a trip to the country or what not? Helping someone move? Delivering a Cake to a friends party? Perhaps you may have a hobby where you cannot carry your kit on the bus/train, like Archery or Model Airplane flying?

Owning a Car does not necessarily mean you will use it every day.

[DarJoLe]

It's a completely unsustainable way of living and an outdated model that one 'should' own a car, especially in such a dense place as the Isle of Dogs, or even Central London itself.

If everyone owned a car in London there would be no room for living.

[ill tonkso]

I'm not saying everyone should own a car, but we cannot force people otherwise. Plus, the technology is improving, one day most cars will be electric/hydrogen fuel cell powered anyway. You CANNOT force people out of cars. It wouldn't work like that. Especially out of the cities.

What London should do is invest in more underground parking space, especially in areas blighted by streets full of cars. It works on the continent, why can't it work here?

For example, I live in Portsmouth. We have the highest population density in the country. My Mum would not be able to visit my family in the Westcountry without a Car as the only place they live that has a station or a decent bus service is Frome. The rest of them live elsewhere with poor bus services (these places cannot sustain a frequent service) or are farms. However, my mother WAS willing to switch to the Portsmouth Metro before Alistair Darling killed it off. Her everyday commute was to be on Public Transport, but the car was to be kept for when it was needed.

The same applies to the IoD. There are plentiful Public Transport options for the everyday, but what about the other times when Public Transport doesnt cut it?

Appendix: I'll just add here, I do not drive. I use public transport and my bike.

Appendix 2: One of the main Pubby Nightlife Streets in Portsmouth is currently being converted to shared space ala Exhibition Road. I'll take a photo for you when I am down there next. I know you like that sort of thing. I think we can both agree that Shared Space is a concept that should be rolled out across more of the UK.

[Bob]

I'd push the car club idea. With a development that size you could have a whole raft of cars and vans for people to choose.

[Trances]

I noticed the number of spaces for bikes as well. 1060, Thats a massive ammount!

[mogwai83]

Their product marketing is suggesting a reserved bike space for ever apartment. Hopefully this will become the norm before too long.

[potto]

yes it should be a standard, balconies and stairways in apartments clogged with bikes is pretty poor design. Same analogy with on-street car parking. Waste of valuable space.

[ill tonkso]

Originally Posted by potto

yes it should be a standard, balconies and stairways in apartments clogged with bikes is pretty poor design. Same analogy with on-street car parking. Waste of valuable space.

Agreed. My old Flat (though it was built in the 60's) didn't have Cycle provision and it was a pain in the arse. I used to leave it in the Stairwell, nobody minded (I fixed a post-it note to it for the first week or so saying to knock my door if there was any problem).

[mogwai83]

That's brave, since the recent tower block fires insurers are much more insistent on keeping stairwells clear of flammables and obstacles.

[ill tonkso]

Private block, only 4 floors.

[DarJoLe]

This has been rejected by Tower Hamlets for all manner of odd reasons, the biggest surprise being EH stating it ruins the panorama of Canary Wharf from UNESCO protected Greeneich Park.

[Maxakoff]

Absolutely incredible. In this day and age, with growing shortage of housing in London, with economy on the brink of collapse, with the government stating they will support construction sector in this country, somebody comes with a proposal to build a nice housing in CW and they reject it. Do LCA planes even fly through there?! As to the Greenwich views, I just give up, lets demolish Pan Paninsula as it also blocks the views. No wonder London is one of ugliest cities on Earth when guys like these decide on what gets built and not.

[potto]

who the hell put Tower Hamlets planning department, one of the poorest boroughs in the county, in charge of what is meant to be the area for Londons future growth!

Mind Boggling. Hopefully the Mayor will tell them where to go.

[jake-potato]

This is part of a bigger UK-wide problem in the UK where we only seem capable of acting on a local and national scale. We rarely seem capable of acting on a city or regional basis.

In my view, a lot of these councils - with their duplicate activities, inefficient processes to pool resources, and ability to absorb copious amounts of cash - could be culled or axed altogether. London doesn't need all these borough councils conflicting progress and development at a time when we need to both reduce expenditure on non-economically productive activities and boost the economy; the same is true across other cities and regions of the UK.

[woodgnome]

Isle of Dogs' Skylines scheme deferred by council

-- Link To Wharf.co.uk article --

Proposals for a development in the Isle of Dogs reaching 50 storeys, which received objections from groups including London City Airport and English Heritage, has been deferred.

Planning officers at Tower Hamlets Council had recommended approval of the 764 apartment Skylines scheme but decided to withdraw it during members questions on Thursday. Tower Hamlets Council said the scheme would return to the Strategic Development Committee once a more detailed report is produced.

The proposal had drawn criticism from a number of parties in the consultation. London City objected over the height of the building on safety grounds, while National Grid said the works would "adversely impact the safety and integrity" of its apparatus. Thames Water said there was "not sufficient capacity" for waste water infrastructure.

Meanwhile, English Heritage said the construction of Skylines would spoil the view from the World Heritage Site in Greenwich including having an "impact on the panorama from Greenwich Park towards Canary Wharf".

The council's environmental health team complained on air quality and contaminated land grounds, where it said not enough studies had been carried out. It also said many homes would be uninhabitable due to the noise caused from being so close to the DLR. Twenty residents also complained about the development on issues ranging from its size to the detrimental impact on local services.

The Limeharbour scheme, put together ZBV (Skylines) Ltd and Skylines (Isle of Dogs) Ltd proposed demolishing 59 small business units and replacing them with seven blocks from two to 50 floors. The previous application, heard in December 2010, was rejected by the same committee.