The Ram Brewery | Wandsworth | 146m/114m | 39/29 fl | Public inquiry

[Manuel]

Maybe developers will go for residential mini towers as it seems to be the best way of maximising profit on constraint sites like this one...

----------

Minerva’s plans for Young’s brewery in Wandsworth
Estates Gazette
30.06.07


Minerva has announced its vision for a “new urban quarter” for Wandsworth on the site of the former Young’s Ram brewery. Minerva bought the 6.5-acre site for £69m last August and plans to convert the historic brewery, which closed in 2006 after 175 years, into a residential-led, mixed-use development. The planning application will be submitted in September following consultations with local residents, Wandsworth Council, the GLA and English Heritage. The ERP-designed scheme will comprise 700 flats spread across two residential towers of 29 and 39 storeys and a mix of low-rise homes, 180,000 sq ft of restaurants, shops and a microbrewery. Mark Cherry, Minerva’s investment director, said that they wanted to produce an environment similar to Marylebone High Street.

>> Considering that anything above 18 storeys on Wandsworth riverside is reduced in height, I can't see buildings that size having a smooth ride in the local planning system.

"they wanted to produce an environment similar to Marylebone High Street"
>> Yeah well,...in Thamesmead they want that too...

[wjfox]

Originally Posted by Manuel

The ERP-designed scheme

Sure it's not EPR?

http://www.epr.co.uk/architects.html

Anyway, I'd support this scheme, provided it's well designed and preferably has a slim, elegant shape. London needs all the residential towers in can get.

[london lad]

Guess what EH arn't happy.

article 7.8

http://www.english-heritage.org.uk/u...007meeting.pdf

[LDN_EUROPE]

I think all SSC Forumers should join EH and change their view of skyscrapers from the inside out

[london lad]

Found these pics on lifschutzdavidson site. Don't think this what was finally chosen as EPR are the architects.Minerva had their results today & announced they would be submitting a 1million sq ft scheme by the end of the year.

http://www.lifschutzdavidson.com/

[IMG]http://i10.************/507rnme.jpg[/IMG]

[IMG]http://i13.************/42jx6aq.jpg[/IMG]

[IMG]http://i8.************/4xm441v.jpg[/IMG]

[jimbo]

knowing the area well I can't imagine the council would grant permission for a real highriser. Admittedly the location next to the hideous chocker A4 doesn't evidence the best planning intentions, I'd really be surprised if counternance was given to a tall resi here.

[ismail]

Originally Posted by london lad

Guess what EH arn't happy.

article 7.8

http://www.english-heritage.org.uk/u...007meeting.pdf

It just so annoying to read those minutes, the whole meeting is spent on complaining about every tower proposal they could lay their hands.
Where is all the discussion on saving the old churchs and other historic buildings?
It's about time they were reminded of their primary role.

[mulattokid]

Originally Posted by london lad

Found these pics on lifschutzdavidson site. Don't think this what was finally chosen as EPR are the architects.Minerva had their results today & announced they would be submitting a 1million sq ft scheme by the end of the year.

]

Minerva are submitting a 1m s/ft scheme?...now where have I heard that before?

[BenL]

We might want to see a thread on this if they progress. As a local resident, the area is a complete dump and if there's no way of keeping the brewery, I'd definitely support this development:

'Ram towers' to alter southside skyline
Mira Bar-Hillel, Planning Correspondent
01.11.07

This is the first image of the twin towers that could dramatically change the skyline of south London.

Developer Minerva wants to build residential skyscrapers of 39 and 29 storeys on the 16.5-acre site of the Young's Ram brewery in Wandsworth, which it bought for £69 million in August last year.

The proposal has met with massive local opposition.

Minerva is expected to make a planning application this month to build the towers as well as a low-rise development featuring 700 flats and shops and restaurants including cafés overlooking the river Wandle. The listed brewery buildings would be incorporated into the scheme.

Minerva describes its proposal as a "new urban quarter", recreating the attractions of Marylebone High Street and opening up the site to the public.

Critics say the scale of development in the heart of the Wandsworth conservation area is inappropriate and transport infrastructure would be overwhelmed. John Dawson, chairman of the Wandsworth Society, said: "We think the proposal constitutes a gross over-development of the site."

Minerva director Mark Cherry said: "These tall buildings are envisaged to become landmark structures for the borough."

Sue Roscoe Watts of the Town Centre Partnership, which represents local businesses, said: "People's perceptions of Wandsworth will change forever. It will be the smart new address south of the river."

[Newcastle Guy]

I actually really like those towers! And I actually really dislike Mira Bar-Hillel.

[wjfox]

This looks fantastic. The proportions are wonderful. Really soaring, elegant, slim... nice riverside location. Just the kind of project that you know is going to get a massive height reduction and compromise.

[Zenith]

Originally Posted by BenL

http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b3...rs_415x670.jpg

Wonderful but EH will not be happy until they are just as high, but pointed downwards instead.

[london lad]

Originally Posted by BenL

Critics say the scale of development in the heart of the Wandsworth conservation area is inappropriate and transport infrastructure would be overwhelmed. John Dawson, chairman of the Wandsworth Society, said: "We think the proposal constitutes a gross over-development of the site."

Hmm its deja- Vu. Substitute 'Wandsworth' for 'Ealing' & you get the exact same quote from the local nimbys in the leaf thread. What's the betting if/when towers are proposed in places such as Clapham Junction & other suburban parts of London you will get the same quote rehashed a million times. No surprises for guessing EH are dead against this proposal.

[mulattokid]

Yes! no way would the rich of Wandsworth accept this outward sign of wealth??? I genuinely cant understand why.

In addition...I cant see why Minerva would dare risk connecting their name with a skyscraper project these days.

[Newcastle Guy]

This is a very well designed scheme IMO. The towers are tall and slender, the water front is improved with cafe's and trees... I take it this will be a big improvement to the area?

Hopefully Minerva will actually go through with this and not be as stupid as they were last time... Cancelling a stunning 1million sqft tower JUST before a 1million sqft requirement came up...

[mulattokid]

^ I agree, but the other side of the arguement is tha tthe residents here dont want it

[Newcastle Guy]

This is the problem, the people who do want these things are don't mind at all don't tend to harp on about it. The people who don't want it do. Out of ALL the people who live in the area, if 1 or 2% complained, they would give the impression that the majority don't want this scheme.

And lets face it, take out the towers and they wouldn't give 2 flying fraks. People just like to complain. They shouldn't always be taken as representatives for the majority IMO...

[potto]

I agree, local opposition is always overstated....

"The proposal has met with massive local opposition" ha yeah right, perhaps it should just read, "town halls are too small and makes the angry guy in the Barber jacket echo impressively" or "I just received 5 e-mails from well spoken people".

The media has been caught up on the idea of local opposition/local democracy tripe ever since people barracaded themselves inside condemned buildings, protested against motorways and created TV programmes about needless destruction and loss of heritage, rallying against modernism. Theirs was a mission of deliverying an alternate view on how to create places an ideology, a result of a slow realisation that had built up for decades.

The media is hungry to capture the essence of a new movement, just like the music press now constantly hypes up every new band in the hope that they will be the ones to have first captured the next big thing. We are now in the age of the media creating their own agenda.

However in all these NIMBY cases there is no ideolgical battle, there is no alternate vision, nothing for us to extrapolate the human condition into the practical considerations of out time. It is basically a few selfish bigotted people wanting to have urban convenience but not actually share it with anyone else (sharing that great preequiste of the urban condition!). Theirs is no vision that we can carry forward and is so shallow that it shouldnt be given the dramatic impact it gets from the media (perhaps because they too are part of the new selfish urbanite). If we are a little more sympathetic or naive we can call in the aesthetic card, but what the hell is aesthetic democracy?! It has never and will never exist!

So we all have to suddenly vote and make our voices heard on every proposal? Im sorry but the infrastructure just isnt there to make every voice heard. Until then we will just get a small bunch of loud people that allow journalists to become lazy. Sort of they bring the journalists the news rather than the journalists going out there to uncover something a bit more truthful.

[Mr-JosE]

This is a huge site. You can really see the scale of the site when they release the aerial views of the scheme.

[delores]

I have to say everytime I have driven through wandsworth its not left any lasting impression on me. Its a bit of a non place if you ask me. The scheme does look well designed and yes I think opposition is coming from the usual suspects but sometimes I think the solution to every new development should not always be a bunch of towers. Will this really address the context and enhance it?