Ealing Broadway developer Glenkerrin faces collapse

 Eric Leach, Regeneration  No Responses »
Apr 302011
 
Ealing Broadway developer Glenkerrin faces collapse

Vice Chair Eric Leach reports that according to ‘Property Week’ magazine would-be Ealing centre developer Glenkerrin is facing collapse. Grant Thornton is expected to be appointed on 10 May as Administrators to the company’s five London properties. Irelend’s National Asset Management Agency (NAMA) is the instigator of this action. NAMA also appointed Grant Thornton as Receivers to the Irish Glenkerrin properties. Glenkerrin bought up the existing Arcadia site and other properties immediately west of Ealing Broadway Station and proposed a retail and residential development , including a 26 storey residential block, in 2008. Ealing Council agreed to the Planning Application but the Government eventually turned it down in December 2009. WEN as part of Save Ealing Centre spoke at a Government Inquiry on the application and you can read Eric’s personal blog of the daily twists and turns of this Inquiry here). It appears that Glenkerrin is in debt to the tune [...]

Ealing short of police on royal wedding day?

 Community  No Responses »
Apr 282011
 

Ealing will be sending 150 police officers up to town on Friday to help with the Royal Wedding. As a result local policing will tend to concentrate on emergencies and there will be little, if any, resource available for preventive patrolling. It is probable that burglars are aware of these pressures on the police. The police have therefore asked that residents do everything they can to minimise burglary opportunities, especially while the street parties are in progress and doors and windows might be left open.

Is the age of tall buildings for London at an end?

 Chris Gilson, Local Development Framework  No Responses »
Apr 222011
 
Is the age of tall buildings for London at an end?

Chris Gilson reports on the potential slow-down of skyscraper growth in London, as a result of fiscal austerity. One of West Ealing Neighbours’ major concerns in the last half decade is the potential growth of super-massive skyscrapers and commercial developments in the town’s center – all without increased provision for social services for new residents.   The recession has certainly slowed down a number of these developments, and now Bloomberg reports that for the capital in general: London property developers are sacrificing height and glitz for better returns as the craze for building iconic skyscrapers comes to an end, said Ken Shuttleworth, the architect of the landmark Gherkin building…. While skyscrapers with nicknames such as the Shard, the Cheesegrater and the Walkie Talkie are joining the 40-story Gherkin as part of the British capital’s skyline, those buildings reflect past rather than present considerations. All of the office towers that are due [...]

Yet Another New Hotel and New Residential Tower Block for Central Ealing: Property Developers Continue to Shape Central Ealing

 Eric Leach, Local Development Framework  2 Responses »
Apr 212011
 
Yet Another New Hotel and New Residential Tower Block for Central Ealing: Property Developers Continue to Shape Central Ealing

Vice Chair of WEN Eric Leach looks at the approval of a new hotel and residential block in West Ealing by Ealing Council. The Planning Application for a hotel, a private residential tower block (21 storeys) and a small bock for of 33 Affordable Rent housing units on the old TVU/Westel House site was approved by Ealing Council last night. As use of this land in this way was neither prescribed by the UDP nor the LDF perhaps we can now conclude that Ealing Council has just thrown in the towel with planning policy and the way is now open for property developers to design the centre of Ealing. We now have the prospect in the central Ealing area of 569 new hotel rooms (Bond Street, Travel Lodge, Premier Inn, Drayton Court and now Westel House) and 800 new private flats (Dickens Yard, Green Man and Westel House). Let’s hope [...]

Wanton destruction of a piece of West Ealing’s social history

 Eric Leach, Local history  No Responses »
Apr 212011
 
Wanton destruction of a piece of West Ealing's social history

Eric Leach reports on the demolition of a local landmark. Here you can view the on-going demolition of St Helena’s Home, which overlooks Drayton Green. Built in 1896 the home was a refuge for fallen women, run by Protestant nuns, for over 50 years. The women, many of them single mothers and prostitutes, worked hard in the home’s laundry and were effectively incarcerated. However the home must clearly have saved and extended the lives of many women who for one reason or another were excluded from society. Ironically the organisation which is demolishing the building was founded by a Protestant vicar – Rev Bruce Kendrick – in 1963. He founded Notting Hill Housing (NHH) to help squatters find places to live with improved security of tenure.  NHH is now a property development company whose Chief Executive according to ‘Private Eye’ earns £146,000  a year. NHH refused to re-use the building [...]

 Posted by at 1:57 pm

Abundance produce for sale – Hanwell Carnival 18th June 2011

 Sarah Judic, West Ealing Events  2 Responses »
Apr 202011
 
Abundance produce for sale - Hanwell Carnival 18th June 2011

A date for your diary – 18th June 2011 After a lovely day at Hanwell Carnival last year, WEN will have an Abundance stall again this year.  The Carnival takes place on Saturday 18th June, and with this year’s craft fair expanding there will be lots of lovely things to choose from. So why not join us on the day?  Enjoy the carnival and have a look at what WEN Abundance do, what we produce and talk to us about what grows near to you. http://www.hanwellcarnival.co.uk/  

 Posted by at 6:45 pm

Money wasted on meaningless pavement replacements on The Avenue

 Eric Leach, Regeneration  6 Responses »
Apr 202011
 
Money wasted on meaningless pavement replacements on The Avenue

Eric Leach questions Council ‘regeneration’ on The Avenue in West Ealing. Way back in February 2010 we reported that the Council planned to spend £280,000 on regenerating The Avenue retail strip. Over a year later workmen are taking up lots of quite serviceable paving stones from the wide pavement on the eastern side of the road and replacing them with new paving stones. This must itself be costing thousands of pounds and there is no obvious regeneration benefit here. At a time when £millions are being cut from Council budgets it seems quite obscene to spend money unnecessarily. We still await the conversion of the mixed Stop and Shop and Pay and Display kerb side car parking arrangement into ‘free-form’ 30 minutes free parking controlled by car registration numbers. Although budgeted to cost £8,500, the new arrangement is not scheduled to increase the number of cars which will park there. [...]

 Posted by at 3:49 pm

Demolition starts at Green Man Lane Estate

 David Highton, Local Development Framework, Regeneration  No Responses »
Apr 192011
 
Demolition starts at Green Man Lane Estate

Chair of WEN, David Highton reports on the beginning of the end for the Green Man Lane Estate. Demolition began yesterday as the 10-year redevelopment of the Green Man Lane Estate  kicked off in earnest. Council leader Julian Bell was joined by representatives from housing association A2Dominion, builders Rydon, architects Conran and GML residents as the bulldozers finally moved on site. Whatever your views, and West Ealing Neighbours’ views are fully documented on our website this development marks a huge change for West Ealing. When completed the development will house some 2,000 people as compared to the curent 800. This ’densification’  will be repeated in a year or two when the Sherwood Close Estate (aka Dean Gardens Estate) is similarly redeveloped.  Add to these two developments the 100s of new homes at Sinclair House (opposite West Ealing station), the Daniels development, the Waitrose development, the newly completed flats on the old Groveglade indoor market site and many [...]

Fast food rubbish littering our streets

 Community, David Highton  4 Responses »
Apr 182011
 
Fast food rubbish littering our streets

Chair of WEN, David Highton, reports on the growing problem of street rubbish in West Ealing. There’s no doubt that our streets are much cleaner than they were, say, 5 years ago. The last Conservative council put cleaner streets as one of its top priorities and the new Labour Council has done the same. I think almost everyone recognises the considerable improvements that have been made. Yet, one problem still remains which I see almost every day and find very annoying – fast food debris littering our streets. The above photo is one of three lots of fast food rubbish I saw this morning within 50 metres of my front door. Maybe I’m imagining it but it has got worse over the last couple of years. This makes me sound like a grumpy old man and in this case I think I am! I live within 150 metres of the Uxbridge Road and West Ealing’s main [...]

 Posted by at 11:11 am
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