(1st petition)
For the second petition – Click here
The demolition of the repaired original 17th century country house-style roof (with gentle slopes and several flat tops), and the demolition of the original albeit shortened ventilation tower would result in the unacceptable loss of two external key elements of the 1855 main building, which is the most important part of the Grade II-listed former hospital building.
The supersized new roof is only needed to provide about 12 more flats and with its steep slopes containing two tiers of dormer windows and one long flattish top it would be a grand city-type roof in conflicted juxtaposition with the 17th century country house-style façade; the new higher ventilation tower is only needed so that it can be seen above the taller new roof and, with its three added conjectural features, would also be taller than the existing ventilation tower.
The fake heritage roof and fake heritage ventilation tower would be fundamentally dishonest and totally misleading; and would also be seriously detrimental to the significance of the 17th century country house style façade (the 1855 main buildings; third and only surviving key element) and its positive contribution to the character and appearance of the Victoria Park Conservation Area.
The demolitions and replacements would cause substantial harm to the Grade 2 listed 1855 main building (and its Grade 2 listed 1892 sanitation tower) and harm the Victoria Park Conservation Area; and the substantial harm would not be outweighed by the proposed public and heritage benefits, which are being provided solely to outweigh the “less than substantial harm” caused by the demolition of the Grade 2 listed south wing.
Tower Hamlets Strategic Development Committee should therefore please refuse consent (under NPPF Para 133) or defer its decision to allow the applicant to revise the application to include the retention and proper repair of the repaired original roof and the surviving lower part of the original ventilation tower and its 1934 dome.
The total number of people signed in and near Tower Hamlets (191 so far)
i agree
Plate glass and steel – cheapo cheapo factory made materials, requiring fewer and less experienced labour.
The patronizing attitude of architects, developers etc-you know who you are- towards the concerned parties/London communities is only excelled by their sheer greed, as they see it their right to plunder London, ‘because they know best’.
Btw My attempts to sign petition fail. Suggestions please?
well put!
A Listed building needs the protection that listing affords it, please can we respect that listing and not alter or damage this historic listed building
I am Australian and live in Queensland.
My English heritage is founded at the once 8 BOW ROAD, BROMLEY-BY-BOW, where my Grandfather was born and lived his young life where his parents, George and Jane KEMP ran the pub – THE KING’S HEAD in the 1880’s and early 90’s. Now gone and brutally supplanted by an infamous blockbusting Tesco construction of no charm, no grace, nor style but rank utilitarian baseness. Sorry, Tesco, but this particular physical reality, such as this site presents, is so disappointing and scary, and I am alarmed when I see more disparate and reckless ambition overtake integration and merely continue thrusting ‘forward’ – albeit if see it as going downhill and backwards.
It seems to be fashionable for developers – you know who you are – to ignore any listings in the East End, and further contribute to the destruction of our heritage. Will the Council please reject this scheme, and will the wretched souls who call themselves ‘architects’ PLEASE come up with plans that hold our few remaining old buildings in better regard.
But if they loose and have to keep as is i suppose there will be a”Mystery” fire as normal!
Many of these so called designs are a real cheap eye sore up today falling apart/down tomorrow have a look around
If change is required to sustain the life of our heritage assets it must be done in a way which is sympathetic and understanding of the original design. This requires considerable skill and inventiveness from the design team and flexibility from the client/developer with regard to their expectations. Change should not be determined with the goal to maximise profit.
Listed buildings and preserved trees need our protection for the future.
They will take away all our Heritage if we don’t do some thing about it all they are interested in is the money they get from it
We don’t have a lot in this country any more so lets hold onto what we have got left
it is always about big money
It’s not just in the East End that developers try it on to damage listed buildings and destroy their environment. We managed to save the old 1775 Workhouse on Cleveland Street – still in use for the health care of Londoners until 2005 (Middlesex Hospital Annexe) – by the amazing discovery that Dickens had twice lived a few doors away. But now the developers are back – see Camden Planning website – treating the rest of the site as if it were any old bit of ‘brown field’ land – whereas in fact, it’s consecrated ground, buried DEEP with the bodies of the poor, and the two fine Nightingale wards there are fine and strong, and beautifully built. They want to GUT the Workhouse for upmarket apartments, and demolish the Nightingale wards to build a huge commercial/housing block on the graveyard, dwarfing the Workhouse itself. 40+ online documents, a bat report, a logistics report etc etc, but hardly a mention of the dead!
Details can be found here: http://spitalfieldslife.com/2017/02/16/an-east-end-murder-a-west-end-grave/
Your campaign for the Chest Hospital is marvellous – all power to your elbow!
Kind regards.