City Island - Waterside Apts | Comp | 61m | 20fl

[livefrom]

Dig the pictures.

Hey, guys, I lived in City Island for a year, apologies if I already mentioned this, and it was dead awful. I could hear the elevator announcements in my flat, as well as any ambient sound from the hallway. The place is falling apart. It's a perfect and dreadful example of venal developers' greed -- no already existed community to draw from, no commitment to anything but money, no bridge, no nothing. IMHO, but lived experience, CI is nothing but a social disaster and anything good that comes from it is in spite of the architecture not because of it. Actually, I've written about this in a forthcoming volume of Parallax....

[mark*ie]

Originally Posted by livefrom

Dig the pictures.

Hey, guys, I lived in City Island for a year, apologies if I already mentioned this, and it was dead awful. I could hear the elevator announcements in my flat, as well as any ambient sound from the hallway. The place is falling apart. It's a perfect and dreadful example of venal developers' greed -- no already existed community to draw from, no commitment to anything but money, no bridge, no nothing. IMHO, but lived experience, CI is nothing but a social disaster and anything good that comes from it is in spite of the architecture not because of it. Actually, I've written about this in a forthcoming volume of Parallax....

Hi livefrom,
I'm realy not suprised to hear about that.. think the residents have been ripped off in the 1st place as far as the bridge goes.How long did it take you to walk to the city centre ? Where do you live now is it any better ?

[Fred2]

Originally Posted by mark*ie

Hi livefrom,
I'm realy not suprised to hear about that.. think the residents have been ripped off in the 1st place as far as the bridge goes.How long did it take you to walk to the city centre ? Where do you live now is it any better ?

If there are still any original purchasers in residence there surely they could sue the developers on the issue of the bridge. Sales of Goods Act or something similar. Any lawyers here to advise ?

[mark*ie]

Originally Posted by Fred2

If there are still any original purchasers in residence there surely they could sue the developers on the issue of the bridge. Sales of Goods Act or something similar. Any lawyers here to advise ?

Well I can certainly see the value of the apartments start to tumble !

[mark*ie]

From yesterdays YEP Rod Mcphee....

This is hilarious but as prevoiusly stated sadly now true !

The New Asbo Kids

WHAT image do you conjure up when you think of the recipient of an antisocial behaviour order?


Someone called Daz, one hand making a V-sign, the other restraining a pitbull called Rocky?

You certainly wouldn't envisage your urbane Leeds metropolite trotting out of a court with an Asbo. But this unlikely scene is one which you could soon witness on a regular basis – and it's all because of city living.

One side effect of the mad dash to live in the close quarters of apartment blocks is the fact that not everyone seems to be getting along. Over on City Island, the Alcatraz-esque fortress of city living, everyone wants to party – unfortunately not everyone wants to party at the same time.

Disruptive

The problem of noise pollution has reached such a head that it's been a big factor in the formation of a residents association which is now talking about using Asbos to tackle disruptive neighbours.

This is hilarious, though not for the people who have to endure endless sleepless nights, of course.

But it is amusing to think we've always associated these orders with the pitbull-restraining Darrens from your local estate, not the fake-tanned, Westwood-clad party kids of central Leeds. Well, not anymore.

Now, rather than showcasing their JESUS LOVES YOU All Saints belts in Fibre, the city-living fashionistas may be forced to spend an afternoon down the magistrates with Daz, whose elasticated waistbands ingeniously negate the need for a £60 belt.

But once the initial shame has subsided will the Asbo simply become a party kid's badge of honour, some milestone in their bid to become Amy Winehouse? If that's the case, what other steps could be taken? Maybe an electronic ankle tag made out of part of their All Saints Belt, preferably the section of JESUS LOVES YOU which just reads S LO.

That could be combined with a reverse curfew order which ensures they are always out of the house during the hours of darkness in a bid to ensure everyone else gets a peaceful night's sleep.

And if that doesn't work perhaps the only other non-custodial sanction could be the impounding of their most prized possessions in order of importance in their lives.

This would naturally start with their iPods, then their laptops and after that the Peugeot 205 and then, if they really won't tow the line, the hair straighteners and All Saints belt.

If they do receive an Asbo though it could be a perilous state of being for a party kid because, even with the best intentions, when they stagger home wasted in the middle of the night you just know they'll slap some tunes on at full blast.

All it takes is one phone call and the badge of honour becomes a source of intense shame as they're led out of City Island in handcuffs, bleary-eyed neighbours clapping and cheering from the windows like a New York ticker tape parade.

Democratic

There's something delightfully democratic about this threat, particularly for those occasional city living party kids who, the majority of the time, covet a quiet night's sleep and respect their neighbours' right to enjoy the same.

Laughing at the situation may seem glib, but I know from personal experience the misery of being kept awake by unruly neighbours.

So I find the use of these orders amusing precisely because I know the torture of sleep deprivation really isn't funny.

The party kids may think they're a million socio-economic miles from your average Asbo oik, but it doesn't matter if they're playing the coolest club tracks or launching fireworks through letterboxes, making people's lives a misery at 5am makes them no better than Daz.

[Rob]

That report is so full of stereotypical bullshit soundbites I don't see how anyone can take it seriously. They certainly aren't the first people to suffer from noise polution from inconsiderate nighbours and they won't be the last, and because of this all councils have policies to deal with this most common of neighbourhood problems (apart from ASBOS).

I know a family living in Whitehall II block and they love it there, I don't know anyone from City Island, but it always seems to have a nice friendly atmosphere when I've been around there.

[Rob]

It's definately at least 19 stories ... the columns for the next floor went up today

[Talisker]

Yes that's the full height, although the council only listed it at about 16 or 17. You can always add a floor or two to the descriptions on the council planning lists becuase they often don't include the ground floor/atrium. The top floor may be a duplex.

[Stefan88]

There didn't appear to be any concrete columns in place today. Everything goin into the top was being lifted into place by the larger crane. Maybe the base will be used to house steel frame work with glass to create more space for penthouse apartments.

[Liam]

Markie - regarding that article, it IS utter nonsense, I say this as I am captain ASBO by trade. Besides, you wouldn't get one for noise nuisance .....

[livefrom]

Originally Posted by mark*ie

Hi livefrom,
I'm realy not suprised to hear about that.. think the residents have been ripped off in the 1st place as far as the bridge goes.How long did it take you to walk to the city centre ? Where do you live now is it any better ?

It took about 10-15 minutes, depending on where exactly I was heading. And after a lifetime commitment to urban living (New York, Los Angeles, Paris, Rome, Chicago), I got so fed up with Leeds's shabby city planning and development that I fled to, of all places in the world, Pudsey! I figured if I'm not going to get a true urban experience (pluralism, art scene, diversity, medical facilities, more than three cinemas), I opt for a village...

There are good people in City Island, but there's also a lot of trouble -- how could it be otherwise in such an artificial community with a ratio of 5% owners to 95% tenants? I'm really happy to be out.

Sorry for the delay in responding....

[di Livio]

Originally Posted by livefrom

if I'm not going to get a true urban experience (pluralism, art scene, diversity, medical facilities, more than three cinemas), I opt for a village...

Sorry for the delay in responding....

And a rather churlish reponse if i may say so.

[Fred2]

Originally Posted by di Livio

And a rather churlish reponse if i may say so.

Why? He seems to tell it as he finds it - not as you and I might imagine it to be.

[livefrom]

Originally Posted by di Livio

And a rather churlish reponse if i may say so.

Yes.... thought about it, but why pussyfoot around? Do you have a problem with that?

[Fred2]

This forum deals with skyscrapers and new buildings in Leeds and presumably we all love them. But there ARE problems living in them - most coming from the lack of amenities (which is gradually being tackled) and being occupied by short term tenants who have no stake in the properties or the goodwill of and good relationships with their neighbours. Livefrom is not the first to air these complaints and won't be the last. Skyscrapers and high rise buildings are not just to look at - they are to be lived in, and if there are these problems we should be made aware of them from the people who have actually experienced them. I don't see what is churlish about that - even if it does shatter the dreams of some of the posters here.

[Rob]

Originally Posted by livefrom

And after a lifetime commitment to urban living (New York, Los Angeles, Paris, Rome, Chicago)

If you're comparing with those places, I suppose we've got a bit of a way to go, but most residents in Leeds don't have that scope.

Originally Posted by livefrom

There are good people in City Island, but there's also a lot of trouble

Depends what you mean by trouble, I can't believe people in that kind of private property paying those kind of rents cause much trouble, a bit noisy perhaps which needs tackling, but those sort don't normally cause trouble.

[JOliver]

Originally Posted by di Livio

And a rather churlish reponse if i may say so.

Did not sound so to me, probably 'cos I have a similar case - after living 30-smth years as a city dweller in different cities across Europe, I had to move to Saltaire and now wake up from the sound of ducks in the canal rather than car horns.

The trend of houses occupied mostly by tenants is definitely not good, we had lots of problems while living in Aspect 14 which could not be sorted as most flat owners were from London and could not be bothered coming to Leeds at all.

Hope this trend can be reversed as city centre will be become more suitable for living.

[Rob]

Originally Posted by JOliver

I had to move to Saltaire and now wake up from the sound of ducks in the canal rather than car horns.

But if that's the kind of lifestyle you're looking for, you're never going to find it in city living.

[JOliver]

Originally Posted by Rob

But if that's the kind of lifestyle you're looking for, you're never going to find it in city living.

No I was looking for car horns actually. Ducks are quite annoying.

[Rob]

Why the sarcasm? Each to their own.

Some like the hustle and bustle of city living, Some like the traquility of semi-rural settings, And many prefer something in between in the suburbs.

Each should be respected and catered for.