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

[rockdoctor]

This is a bit crackers. I usually have some sympathy with local residents when tower blocks are proposed for residential areas - problems with additional road traffic, overloading local services, shadows cast over houses, tv reception etc, but these blocks lie in an area where shadows will be cast largely over roads and commercial properties, and the site itself is a huge brownfield area - surely it can support a couple of towers?

All the recent riverside developments have been multi-storey - about 10 floors at least - so it's not as if these towers would be the only tall things in a sea of leafy terraces.

Some of the biggest towers in Wandsworth are part of the Southside Shopping Centre, just across the road from this site, and a new tower was recently added to their number overlooking King George's Park.

I cannot see the logic of blocking these towers.


Edit. Here is another link http://www.skyscrapernews.com/news.php?ref=2570

[potto]

Britain in 2010....

"which the planning inspectorate decided were too tall at 114 metres and 145.5 metres"

[Black Cat]

Originally Posted by Gherkin

They're very well proportioned; loads of soar; so they'll be downsized to stumps

Unfortunately, your prediction appears to be spot on.

[vareynick]

I live directly opposite this site, and I can honestly say this is awful. The cost of housing in our borough is sky high, and this development really did offer a substantial increase in new housing, in an area that doesn't benefit from alot of available land for regular home building on this sort of scale.

Further to this, I have just graduated as a Part 1, and was incredibly excited by the prospect of this going up. I considered the development proposal to be fairly well balanced, and the promise of the land owner to significantly improve local transport was making this a real winning bid, or not. The earlier poster was spot on when they mentioned the number of high rise developments in and around the high street and river front, it would not of looked out of place in the slightest.

A real shame, but what is of even greater shame is that such matters are voted on by peers and MP's wealthy enough to have homes, and even second homes. they don't know of the plight of regular workers who rely on the development of this kind of affordable housing to get on the ladder. I appreciate that many of these apartments would of been high priced, but plenty would of been well within the budget of many local couples and families.

[potto]

good comment! Food for thought indeed

[rockdoctor]

http://www.hse.gov.uk/press/2010/hse-rambrewery.htm

HSE supports decision on Ram Brewery development
Date: 1 July 2010
HSE advised Wandsworth Council against granting planning permission for the development of commercial and residential buildings, particularly the two very tall towers due to their proximity to the Wandsworth Gasholder station. HSE advised that the development could put people at an increased risk should an accident occur at the Gasholder station.

http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/standa...-plan-fails.do

Traffic misery fears as £1bn Young's brewery plan fails.
The chance to free up one of London's worst traffic bottlenecks has been lost, it was claimed today, after a £1 billion scheme to redevelop the former Young's Ram brewery site in Wandsworth was blocked.
Wandsworth council's cabinet member for strategic planning, Ravi Govindia, said: “It was a once-in-a lifetime chance to fix the one-way system. It would have generated £41 million for much-needed improvements. It's very hard to see where the money will come from now.”

http://www.yourlocalguardian.co.uk/n...wers_proposal/

[london lad]

Loving the nimby clap trap-

Leader of the borough’s Labour Group, Councillor Tony Belton, said he was delighted the “overpowering and out of scale” scheme was being binned.

He said: “The Conservative majority on Wandsworth Council made ludicrous claims that having two 42 storey towers in the centre of Wandsworth was the only way of re-generating the town.

“Both they and the developers will have to re-think their plans and come up with a scheme that is much more in keeping with public opinion, as expressed by all the local amenity groups, and with the character and nature of Wandsworth.

“We look forward to a more positive and more ‘human scale’ plan.”

You can bet if Minerva propose the same amount of units in smaller bulker blocks it would sail through.

As ever a collection of crap reasoning will result in a worse scheme and no improvements to the wider area. So these towers could be seen from a conservation area. The immediate area is a hole surrounded by multi lane traffic & drive in wine warehouses. Millions from this was to have been ploughed into improving the terrible road layout but now this will never happen. What is equally daft is the Southside shopping centre, no oil painting itself has a 30 storey block next to it so its not as if there were no tall buildings in the area.



Still at least the character and nature of Wandsworth has been saved and I look forward to Minerva's "human scale" plans.

[Dreamer]

Will they appeal? I hope so

[Ciudad Bristol]

No appeal. Scaled down towers it is then.


Minerva sets deadline for £300m brewery plans
http://www.constructionenquirer.com/...brewery-plans/
21/09/10

Developer Minerva is working on revised plans for a £300m mixed-use scheme at the Ram Brewery in London with a new application set to be submitted within the next nine months.

Original plans for the eight acre site in Wandsworth were rejected this summer after being called in by the Secretary of State.

Minerva is now working on scaling down the two main towers which were 32 and 42 storeys high and raised most objections.

The firm confirmed in its annual results today: “The key issues revolved around the two tall buildings proposed and their location within the conservation area and proximity to a nearby gasholder.

“Most of the regenerative benefits created by the scheme were accepted, and will be reincorporated into the next planning application.

“Accordingly, a new scheme is being designed to reflect the Planning Inspector’s and Secretary of State’s comments. It is expected that a new planning application will be ready for submission during this financial year.”

The original scheme was for over one million sq.ft. of accommodation, comprising approximately 1,000 apartments and 200,000 sq.ft. of retail, restaurant and office space.

[london lad]

Great so more mid rise blocks as can been seen almost anywhere. Still at least those aggrieved by the towers can now sit in the nasty gyratory system thats rips the heart of the town centre and not have to look at the towers while they choke on the traffic fumes.

Now what have improved the area, money from the developers to sort out the mess that is the traffic gyratory paid for largely from selling units in the tower or no view of these towers from a random view but still keeping the god awful road system??

Although it would seem towers in the central London are pretty much allowed ( despite meddling from EH & Westminster) and the various PI have established where they can get built it would seem once out of central London its still pretty much a no no unless your in Stratford,parts of Vauxhall, the Isle of dogs and perhaps Croydon.

[Supertall Robbo]

cool i live near here

[vareynick]

This is disappointing news. I was hoping for a little fight from the developers. I am a part 1 architect, living and working in the area and I am truly astounded by some of the rhetoric of the local society. The logic that the local area is free of high rising towers is simply not the case. One has only to look towards the river, or Southside shopping centre itself to see a number of tall residential buildings. The design, whilst no ground breaker in itself appeared well thought out and was addressing a number of key issues of the area (namely the one way system and how to reintroduce the wandle to local residents), as well as providing more housing to an area in great need.

I'd petition the local council and society if I felt there was an ounce of chance of succeeding!

[mulattokid]

How dare you ruin my gasometer!!

[Swissdave]

The Buckhold Road part of the Ram Brewery project has been rescued, and will now go ahead. It's going to be developed by Mount Anvil, who finished construction of the 'This Space' development on the Wandsworth Road last year (a fairly clever conversion of a former South Bank University site to flats).

For those less familiar with this project - Minerva had acquired two sites, a large one spanning the River Wandle (which included the two towers), and a smaller but still fairly substantial one to the south (Cockpen House on Buckhold Road, adjacent to the wave of recent medium rise redevelopment that's happened just south of Wandsworth High Street). This latter site - which was always something of an annex to the main development; they filed planning for the two sites separately - is what has been sold and which is now set to go ahead.

Planning for a large block, up to 16 storeys, and if I remember correctly featuring a green wall somewhere in the site was approved some time back. To quote from Mount Anvil's press release -

Mount Anvil purchased Cockpen House in Buckhold Road, SW18, from Minerva, with planning approval for a mixed use scheme on the 1.5 acre former office and warehouse block site.

This latest acquisition gives Mount Anvil a pivotal role in delivering the transformation of Wandsworth town centre, following the announcement earlier this week of a deal between Mount Anvil and Workspace for an £80 million scheme at Wandsworth Business Village, next to Cockpen House.

The £75 million Cockpen House scheme forms a strategic point in the town centre regeneration area, creating new pedestrian links through the town centre, together with smart ground floor shops and stylish offices. There will be four striking contemporary residential blocks rising up to 16 storeys, with balconies, terraces and podium level gardens, delivering 207 homes in total, with 184 homes for private sale. The 23 affordable homes in the scheme will be handled by One Housing Group. Work on site will start in summer 2011, with completion due in autumn 2014. The site is opposite Grade II listed King George's Park, noted for its nature conservation and an attractive focal point for the local community.

Mount Anvil have also just bought a completely separate, adjacent development (also with planning permission for 16 storey buildings, which was somewhat controversial at the time as this is somewhat unusual, and not your run of the mill cheapo block of flats...) at the former Wandsworth Business Village.

They plan to redevelop these two sites in parallel, fairly sharpish if the press releases are anything to go by (starting June), going with the current planning approvals. The proposals for these two sites were developed by separate parties, but the developments look surprisingly similar- there's obviously been a degree of cooperation in terms of the masterplan, not least because the various intended new pedestrian routes through the development all have to meet up and add to a coherent whole, and there seems to have been something of a meeting of minds on the design too.

Selling off this part of the project (as well as the Leinster Hotel, and some other investments it describes as 'non core assets' - to a total value of £38m) of course gives Minerva a bit of welcome breathing space, given the pressure the group is facing on the continued absence of tenants at the Walbrook office building in the City, and the fact that the group is currently in talks with a view to selling the entire group.

[dutchsnookerfan]

oke great news. Same design still from last page?

[london lad]

Originally Posted by dutchsnookerfan

oke great news. Same design still from last page?

Eh did you not read what was posted? The tower designs on the last page were rejected and cancelled.

[dutchsnookerfan]

I did read it. But i dont understand all of it. I though that meeting was from a long time ago. Buts its from now oke. thank you.

[LDN_EUROPE]

NEW PLANS HERE:
http://therambrewery.com/

[LDN_EUROPE]

[TheWalker]

The triangular tower is pretty tall!