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With Brixton blighted by the continuing existence of a depressing ‘dead zone’ along Atlantic Road and Station Road, there seems to be little progress with Network Rail’s unpopular redevelopment scheme.
Here’s the latest update on the project from a Buzz contributor:
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The reckless decision made by Lambeth Planning on 7th December, to approve Network Rail’s planning application to discharge Condition 4, Construction Environment Management Plan, (CEMP), and allow the refurbishment of Brixton’s historic arches along Brixton Station Road and Atlantic Road to go ahead – despite serious concerns about the health and safety of the 6 tenants that remain within the viaduct – may also have effectively signed the death warrant for many of the existing food vendors and other local traders who operate within Brixton Station Road’s various markets.
However, as usual where Lambeth Planning and Network Rail are concerned the application and decision is littered with loose ends, conflicting information and ambiguity which has only served to leave the future of the arches themselves, the remaining tenants, along with the external street market on Brixton Station Road, in a state of confusion.
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This confusion is only added to by the possible implications of the recent decision made by Network Rail to sell off their commercial property in order to reduce their huge debts of over £1 Billion.
The assessment and decision over the CEMP application was originally confidently predicted by both Network Rail and the planning officer to take around 3 weeks, but has taken 6 months instead, with the initial application made by Network Rail in July 2017 and the 14th revision of Network Rail’s main CEMP application made on 6th December.
The final decision made by Lambeth Planning was made less than 24 hours later, on 7th December, allowing no comments or consultation to be made over these revised planning submissions, despite the planning officer stating earlier in the process that “given the scale of interest, an additional consultation exercise was warranted”.
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The final revisions made by Network Rail within their application were assessed by an unnamed “environmental health consultant” and in-house Lambeth officers. Central to the decision taken by the planning officer is the claim that an objection made by Mr John Gordon of the Brixton Market Traders Federation was withdrawn, although it is unclear why, as a close examination of the final revised documents shows that very little has changed from the original plans made by Network Rail and their contractors that will have a devastating impact on the daily operation of the street market on Brixton Station Road.
The tactic employed by Lambeth in order to approve the CEMP and for the works to be permitted to commence is to defer their decision on the flawed and inadequate plans presented by Network Rail to protect the immediate local community from noise, dust and vibration caused only by the “out of hours” works and place this responsibility with the council’s Community Safety Team, who will be assessing various Section 61 applications, (“prior consents for works” under the Control of Pollution Act), that are now required before the main development commences.
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Section 61 applications require Network Rail to undertake and maintain noise monitoring to ensure that accepted levels are not breached, however it seems the planning officer is only concerned about the residents nearby the arches and makes no mention within the Decision Notice of the need to protect those most at risk from these daily major building operations, namely the remaining tenants within the arches, their customers and the street market vendors, who will be trying to prepare and cook fresh food in the open air just a few feet away from the contractors as they break out the thousands of tonnes of concrete that lay under the viaduct.
The Lambeth officers who decided that the impact of these works will be reduced to acceptable levels by the use of some nylon netting and 25mm of plywood, have failed miserably to discharge their duties adequately in the interests and safety of the community and people they serve.*
* Note to the new Chief Executive at Lambeth – The Grenfell Fire occurred less than a year ago and the approval of this high risk building operation in the middle of a busy and still occupied viaduct, with now disinterested landlords and third rate contractors who have constantly changed their plans from those apparently approved by the local fire brigade many months ago is totally unacceptable.
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One thing is clear is that the development of the arches will not be completed until 2021 as at least two tenants, William Hill and H&T Pawnbrokers, have no intention of leaving their premises
until their leases, which contain non-break clauses, end in late 2020.
Both Network Rail and Lambeth must be aware that this project cannot now be completed by Network Rail themselves, (providing the sale of their commercial properties occur within the next 3 years), which begs the question why Lambeth have now given approval for what remains an unacceptable CEMP application, that will place the health and safety of the remaining tenants within the arches in jeopardy and destroy the businesses and trade within the local street market for an undefined period stretching ahead some years.
One line of thought could be that Network Rail will be able to flog the arches for much more money to a new investor with planning permission on file as well as most of preparatory works and evictions completed. Lambeth are also probably keen to lock any new buyer into a scheme to fully develop the arches in line with the now approved scheme after the final tenants leave by 2020 and for the inevitable cleansing and gentrification of the external street market on Brixton Station Road to be vastly simplified by its demise.
[This article by a local resident who has elected to remain anonymous]
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Brixton Arches background & resources:
Read the latest news and join the big discussion on the urban75 forums (over 1,500 posts)
More info:
The vote to redevelop Brixton Arches: smear campaigns, doublethink and foregone decisions
Brixton’s A&C Deli: the inside story of a small business destroyed by gentrification, Network Rail & Lambeth Council.
About the Save Brixton Arches campaign:
Save Brixton Arches official website
Twitter: #savebrixtonarches