Water Tank maintenance contracts

You have until 10th January 2014 to comment on the City's proposals for maintaining the cold water tanks on the roof of Ben Jonson House.

The letter from the city is here.

The water tanks in question supply non potable cold water: the cold water which comes out of your bathroom taps and is used in toilets.  Drinking water is separate and comes directly to your kitchen tap from the mains.

The City tell us that the job will be to test the water in the tanks for legionella, inspect the tanks themselves and take remedial action (which in the past has meant removing the metal tank and replacing it with a plastic one).

Write to Mr. Steven Murray care of the BEO (barbican.estate@cityoflondon.gov.uk) if you have any observations or questions.

I have asked:

• Will checks be limited to looking for legionella?
• What information will we be given following a tank inspection?
• Will remedial work be tendered separately, or will the contractor claiming remedial work is needed be the same contractor to do the remedial work? 

Lift Maintenance - 5 (or 10) year Service Agreement

The City has is planning to contract out the maintenance of the Ben Jonson House lifts.

The letter sent by the City is here.

The contract for maintaining the lifts will be for 5 years, with  an option for another 5 years.    Presumably the option is the City's, not residents.

The City tells us that residents were given notice of the tendering process on 23rd March 2012.  The 'consultation period' ended on the (City imposed) deadline of 23rd Apr 2012 and they received no feedback.  In the initial letter to residents we were told that the option to extend was for only 2 years, but officers later decided to extend that to 5 years (i.e. up to 10 years in total).

The City want to go for the lowest bidder.  This will cost Ben Jonson House residents collectively £10,450.89 per year, which translates to between £40.76pa for an F2C flat up to £75.25pa for an M4A flat.

Landscaping Working Party update

From the BEO:

Dear Residents,
Just to let you know, that the Landscaping Working Party for Beech Gardens chaired by Randall Anderson and made up of resident representatives and officers from the BEO and Open Spaces, met for the first time this week. The meeting was very productive. There will be a further meeting in the New Year and this will be followed by estatewide consultation on 2 options that have been produced by a Landscape Architect in conjunction with the Working Party.

With regards

Barbican Estate Office

RCC committee papers

From the BEO:

Dear Residents
The December committee papers for the Barbican Residential Committee (which includes the Residents' Consultation Committee papers and minutes) are available to view via this link:

http://democracy.cityoflondon.gov.uk/ieListDocuments.aspx?CId=153&MId=936&Ver=4
If you would like the name of your RCC representative or have any queries about the Committee papers, please contact your House Officer.

With regards

Barbican Estate Office

Moorgate Shaft Open Day for Barbican Residents

From Crossrail via the BEO.  The details mentioned below are here:

Dear Residents Following the BA's Crossrail Meeting held in September, please find attached the details of the Moorgate Shaft Open Day.  To book a tour, please follow the instructions on the attachment. Paper copies are also on the notice boards. With regards Barbican Estate Office

Flooding on the highwalk

There was a new lake on Ben Jonson highwalk following the pre-Christmas storm.  Also, a resident of Ben Jonson House was woken with water dripping onto their bed!

We have still not received the drainage management report we requested several months ago.  And for those with a long enough memory:  The roofs apportionment is still outstanding, which we think means that the City still owes us money for work done to the roofs about 10 years ago.  (Oh, and it was following this work that people *started* to have water leaks into their flats).

Unwanted lake.  Unwanted chairs.

Car parking charges - increasing

From the BEO:

Dear Residents

Please note that at the recent Barbican Residential Committee it was agreed that the following increases will be applied to car parking charges:

a.      annual residential car parking licences increase from £1,155 to £1,183

b.      daily car parking increases from £9.44 to £9.67

c.      annual commercial car parking increases from £4,228 to £4,329 (excluding VAT)

d.      Motorcycle parking licences increase from £216 to £221

e.      administration fees for new car bay licences increase from £57 to £58

f.      annual fees for electrical mobility scooters  increase from £385 to £394

g.      annual fees for bicycle lockers increase from £81 to £83

h.      purchase price for a car bay on the estate will increase from £8,208 to £8,405

We are therefore giving three months' notice with this email that as from 25 March 2014 car parking charges will increase as stated above and your service charge account will be adjusted accordingly.

With regards

Barbican Estate Office

Rubbish collections over the Christmas period

From the BEO:

Dear Residents

The rubbish collections over the Christmas period will be as follows:-

Monday 23^rd December Normal Collection

Tuesday 24^th December Normal Collection

Wednesday 25^th December No Collection

Thursday 26^th December No Collection Except Lauderdale, Cromwell and Bunyan

Friday 27^th December Normal Collection

Monday December 30^th Normal Collection

Tuesday December 31^st Normal Collection

Wednesday January 1^st No Collection Except Lauderdale, Cromwell and Bunyan

Thursday January 2^nd Normal Collection

Any queries, please contact your House Officer.

With regards

Barbican Estate Office

The L02 eastern (Waitrose end) door: Keeping the area clean

This was a hot topic for discussion at the house group committee meeting last Wednesday. Our house officer has already leapt into action and writes:

Hello, just to give you a quick update from the regarding the issues with rubbish being left in the above area. 

The City of London's Street Environment Officers advise that the A Board (No Ifs, no Butts) outside Cotes was removed in August this year, after being at the location for the standard period of 3 months. The Street Enforcement Officers (SEOs) will arrange to replace it this weekend and follow this up with further enforcement action in this area. 

The SEO for the area, will also revisit the Cotes Restaurant to remind Cotes of their responsibility in respect of their customers littering the footpath with their cigarette ends. If they continue to fail to manage this, the SEOs can issue them with a formal notice which will force them into carrying out regular sweeping patrols around the frontage of the business. 

In the meantime, I have advised the Barbican Centre to try and assert some pressure on Cotes to manage their customers better. The SEOs advise the sweeping of the area in front of Cotes, is contracted to be carried out daily. The Environment Manager for Amey, the Cleansing Contractor has also been made aware of the complaint and the Street Enforcement Team will therefore be monitoring the area more closely . The Barbican Centre and the SEOs also intend to provide a supply of mini cigarette pouches (disposable ash trays) to Cotes

Please collect your parcels

Christmas is coming and the parcel store is overflowing.   From the BEO ...

Dear Residents,      Due to an increase in parcels received around the Christmas period, car park boxes begin to get very full. Could you please try to collect your parcels as soon as you receive your pink cards. This would be most appreciated.

Thank you very much for your cooperation.
 With regards
 Barbican Estate Office

Kylie Minogue in the Beech St. Tunnel

Mentioned on Barbican Talk:  Kylie Minogue spotted in the Beech St. tunnel (which is not a tunnel!):

It's not a tunnel

Estate utilities contracts up for tender

The City negotiates the contracts for the supply of utilities to the common parts of the Barbican Estate plus electricity for the underfloor heating.  It looks like many (or all?) of these contracts are going out to tender.

Residents ultimately pay these utility bills, so this is quite a big deal.

Click here to see the notice from Anne Mason dated 12th December

Beech Gardens project - Statement Nov 2013

From the BEO:

Dear Residents 

Barbican (Beech Gardens) Podium – Background to the Water proofing project 

The Podium has leaked for over thirty years in a number of areas across the estate and many remedies have been attempted to find ways to cure the problem. In the main these repairs just pushed the water elsewhere; anyone who has seen the number of drip trays in our car parks will understand the scale of the problem. After several years of water ingress into the Virgin Active leisure complex, the COL were threatened with legal action. 

Members of the Corporation agreed the expenditure to cure the problem, but insisted that the technical solution should be guaranteed and the chosen methodology should provide the specification for future repairs across the Estate. For residents that are interested in the timelines of the project please contact your House Officer. 

Eddie Stevens
Housing Services Director

St Giles' - Carols by Candlelight Mon 16th Dec 18.30

St Giles' Cripplegate will be holding a Carols by Candlelight Service on Monday 16th December at 6.30pm:

Carols by Candlelight

Monday 16 December at 6.30pm

Come and meet your neighbours who live and work in the area for a

service with readings and carols for choir and congregation

Mulled wine and mince pies

A Typographic Survey of the City of London

Click the image to watch a film about type in the City

Arts Centre residents meeting: Tue 14th Jan 18:30

The bi-annual meeting held by the arts centre for Barbican residents will be on 14th January 2014 at 18:30 in Frobisher Rooms 1 & 2.

If you plan to attend the arts centre asks that you let them know by email or phone:
email: residents@barbican.org.uk
phone: +44 207 382 7005

Podium Issue 66 / Winter 2013

Click above to read the newsletter

Barbican: Microcosm Of London

A micro history of the Barbican in film:

How it really was

Upgrade of TV Network + Super Fast Internet

From the BEO:

Dear Residents
On 20^th November 2013 a contract was agreed between the City and Vision Fibre Media for a fully funded upgrade of the existing television system to a fibre optic system.

The new system will provide the same services as the existing Integrated Reception System (IRS). However residents will have the opportunity to take out additional services such as superfast broadband.

A meeting is due to take place on 11^th December 2013 with Vision Fibre Media to discuss the installation and agree a project plan.   Once agreed, residents will be notified and a copy of the project will be sent out via the email broadcast and will be posted on the notice boards.  In the New Year the contractor will begin installing a new fibre back-bone in the tunnel areas alongside the existing IRS back-bone. This will be followed by installation of new fibre to each block, one at a time.

Further information will be in the December edition of Barbicanews.

With regards

Barbican Estate Office

Balcony security

From the BEO:

Dear Residents
The Barbican Estate Office has had a report of a person on a balcony late at night.

If you are a resident, please do not walk along the balcony unless it is an emergency.

On the rare occasion that a member of staff or contractor has to be on your balcony, they will have ID and they will be happy to explain the reason for being there.

If you feel that someone is acting suspiciously then please contact your Estate Concierge/ Lobby Porter or the Police.

With regards
 Barbican Estate Office

Parcel collection during December

From the BEO:

Dear Residents,    
 Due to an increase in parcels received around the Christmas period, car park boxes begin to get very full. Could you please try to collect your parcels as soon as you receive your pink cards. This would be most appreciated.

Thank you very much for your cooperation.
 With regards
 Barbican Estate Office 

More white line work

It's amazing how noisy this is. 

A very hot lance

Ward Newsletters

From the City:

Dear ward membersThe latest edition of your ward newsletter is now available to download from the page below:http://www.cityoflondon.gov.uk/about-the-city/how-we-work/elections-and-wards/Pages/wards.aspxThank you.

Bulb planting & log pile building: TMH garden Sun. 2nd Dec,10-3

From the BEO:

Dear resident, You are invited to come and build log piles for stag beetles and plant spring flowering bulbs in the Thomas More garden this Sunday, 1st December from 10.00 to 13.00. 
The horse chestnut tree has now been felled and there is a neat pile of logs waiting to be turned into homes for stag beetles. There is also a selection of snowdrops, tete a tete and pheasant eye narcissi.  
Tools and bulbs will be provided - the session is suitable for all the family - and there is a nature trail Treasure Hunt for intrepid explorers!

Meet the Town Clerk - 21 Jan 2014

The Barbican Association have set up a public meeting with the City of London Town Clerk, who is the most senior officer (employee) in the City ...

Dear Residents Meet the Town ClerkThe Barbican Association invites all residents to a meeting with the Town Clerk of the City of London at 6 pm on Tuesday 21 January 2014 in the City of London School for Girls.

John Barradell has been the City's Town Clerk (in effect its chief executive) for about 16 months. He has previously worked for local authorities who have taken the views of residents very seriously and he is keen to meet residents. He has already instigated some changes behind the scenes to improve consultation processes with residents.

We have therefore invited him to come and give a presentation to residents, talking about the City and its residents and reflecting on his first 16 months. There will be plenty of time for questions including informal ones over drinks at the end.

If there are particular issues you would like him to cover in this meeting please email Jane Smith, chair of the Barbican Association, on chairBA@btinternet.com

Crane in Whitecross Street 30th Nov.

From the BEO: 

Barbican Estate Office have been informed that a crane will be operating in Whitecross Street on the 30 November from 8am to 6pm.

This will mean that there is no access to Barbican exhibition hall 1, but access to Barbican car parks will be unaffected.

Pre Meeting Q&A for RCC 23 Nov Meeting

The RCC (Residents Consultative Committee) is one of many committees representing residents to the City.   The RCC works as an information gathering part of the BRC (Barbican Residents Committee) which is the internal City of London committee which has the real power (and money!).  The RCC is really important as a tool to influence what the City does with respect to the Barbican residents.

Most house groups have a representative on the RCC and Ben Jonson is represented.  If you want to raise something at the RCC talk to your house group (e.g. the the email form at the bottom of this page).

In the lead-up to the meeting on 23rd November several questions were put by RCC members.  The responses from the City are here.

Note in particular questions 1, 2 and 4, about Victor's seats, the new film school building and the state of the tiling of the plinths on Ben Jonson Highwalk.

YMCA Building Exhibition on Tue 3rd Dec

Redrow are the developers who will be turning the old YMCA building on Fann St. into 90(!) residential flats.  Redrow are holding a public exhibition to view their proposals.

The exhibition will be in St. Giles Cripplegate on 3rd Dec from 16:00 to 21:00.

You can see a copy of the flyer here.

The ex YMCA building with a new name

Installing the real Cote kitchen vent

Cote's temporary metal kitchen extractor ducting is to be removed and replaced with a fitted smell free permanent alternative.  The work is already under way.

Temporary ducting still there, hiding behind the gate.

From the BEO:

Hello, just to say the Barbican Centre have advised that work will commence to change the orientation of the ventilation intake to cinema 3 in Beech Street, from the North side to the East side of the building. The temporary ducting is being removed, which the Centre advise should alleviate the problem with smells adjacent to staircase 64 at street level. The new grille will take air into the building, and not expel air out. The contractor wishes to commence work today, 20 November. They will need to erect a scaffold and whilst this is being erected, residents will not be able to exit the main door and turn left.  However, once this is erected they will be able to do so except when the works are taking place. The work should take about two or three days. If you have any further enquiries, I can contact Jim Turner at the Centre, but it appears that the Planning Department have been heavily involved, with this project, particularly with regard to alleviating the smells, and any possible noise implications. This is what has held the work up. An email broadcast is being sent out as we speak. Sorry for the short notice, on this occasion my fault, not the Barbican Centres!

House Group Constitution and Rules

NOTE:  Our understanding of the constitution and rules has changed.

The definitive set is now here: 2019 Constitution and Rules.

But for the record, this is what we thought in 2013:
___

Just for the record, here are the constitution and rules for the Ben Jonson House Group:

Constitution and Rules

1. Name

1. The name of the association is "The Ben Jonson House Group".  It is affiliated to the Barbican Association which is recognised by the Corporation of London under the Landlord & Tenant Act 1988 (as amended).

2. Objectives

1. To co-operate and liaise with the Barbican Association on services charge matters generally affecting short and long term leaseholders in the Barbican Estate.
2. To represent directly to the Estate Management the views and interests of residents on matters particular to Ben Jonson House, seeking advice from appropriate sources as necessary.
3. To do such other things as may be deemed appropriate

3. Membership

1. Membership of the House Group is open to any individual who is
1. a resident of Ben Jonson House or
2. a Ben Jonson House leaseholder
2. The committee shall admit to membership any eligible tenant who applies in writing to the chairman to become a member and who pays such subscription as the Committee shall from time to time decide
3. It shall be an absolute condition for membership that all and any subscriptions called for by the Committee shall have been duly paid

4. Management

1. The Group shall be managed by a Committee consisting of at least five members elected at the Annual General Meeting
2. The Committee shall elect the Chairman, Secretary and Treasurer at its first meeting
3. Vacancies on the Committee may be filled by Co-option by the remaining Committee members
4. Committee members shall hold office until the following Annual General Meeting at which they shall be eligible for re-election
5. The quorum of the Committee shall be three members of which one shall be either the Chairman, Secretary or Treasurer
6. The Committee shall appoint one member to be its representative on the Barbican Association Grand Committee
7. The Committee shall administer the funds of the group, making collections and disbursements at its absolute discretion, and for which the Treasurer shall present accounts to the Annual General Meeting

​5. Subscriptions

1. The amount and time for payment of any initial or annual or occasional subscription to the Group shall be as the Committee shall from time to time decide

6. Meetings

1. An Annual General Meeting shall be held close to the end of March each year, on such a date as the Committee shall decide
2. Extra-ordinary General Meetings (i) may be convened by the Committee or (ii) shall be convened by the Committee within 21 days from receipt by the Secretary of a written request from at least fifteen percent of the membership and stating the purpose of the meeting
3. The quorum at any General Meeting shall be fifteen percent of members
4. Voting at all meetings shall be on the basis of one vote per flat

Social/Health care fund meeting 12th Dec

From the BEO:

Message sent on behalf of Health Watch

Dear Residents
 A new fund – The Integration Transformation Fund is about to become available to be used to support adult social care services with a health benefit.
 We would like to invite you to a discussion as to how YOU would like the City of London's  health and social care services to be provided to ensure that the joint health and social care experience is a very positive one for those who will or do use the service.

Date               12^th December
Venue            Artizan Street Library, 1 Artizan Street, E1 7AF
Time                2.00-4.00pm

Please contact Janine Aldridge at healthwatchcityoflondon@ageuklondon.org.uk or ring 020 7820 6787 to register your attendance. Refreshments will be provided.

We look forward to seeing you there.

Lift 64 out of order

I'm sure it was fixed in a trice, but I just wanted to note this issue with lift 64 (at the Waitrose end of the building) ...

I'll be back soon!

Tree felling - 26 & 27 Nov. Thomas More Lawn

Sick tree to get the chop.  From the BEO:

Please be aware that the tree felling planned for Monday 4^th and Tuesday 5^th November has been rescheduled for Tuesday 26^th and Wednesday 27^th November. This is one of the larger trees in the middle of Thomas More Lawn. Working hours will be 10am to 4pm and remnants of the tree will be used within the gardens. This is on the advice of our colleague from Open Spaces. The central tree is in very poor condition and it's felt that its removal will benefit the surrounding trees that are also currently not thriving. If you have any further queries, please do contact your House Officer.

London Film School: Opening here in 2016?

Screen  Daily reports (here) that the London Film School will be making their move to the Barbican, beneath Ben Jonson and Bretton houses, in 2016.

The information I had so far from the Film School was that negotiations and fund raising are still happening, and that the move was not definite, but this article suggests it's all full steam ahead.  From the article:  

The internationally focused craft school now has a number of new courses in the works and is moving forward with its anticipated $22m (£14m) relocation to London’s Barbican.
The 2016 relocation, expansion and upgrade forms the cornerstone of the school’s next chapter.
After years of searching, the Covent Garden-based school has agreed a deal with the Corporation of London for a 50-year lease on Exhibition Hall 1, a 32,000 sq ft space in Golden Lane currently controlled by Barbican Arts Centre. “This is the first time we’ve found the right deal in the right place,” says Gibson.
The current plan for the space will offer a 130-seat main cinema, two sound stages, seven large teaching rooms including a second screen, four seminar rooms and accommodation for technical departments and teachers.
The tech upgrade will include a digital production facility with green screen, and a digital silo server system covering post-production and film library services. Backing for the move comes from a Lottery grant, the BFI’s capital fund for film schools, the school’s own accrued capital, a bank facility, major donations and smaller gifts.

Heating: How warm and when?

I just read this explanation on Barbican Talk of how the "background" underfloor heating level is set in the Barbican.  The heating system is active from 1st October to the 30th April.

The temperature used is an average temperature not just of the previous night but also the previous day, and results in a computation being done (automatically) as to how much charge to put into the system. Where the temperature is just above 15C, then no charge goes in, because nominally the system was designed to provide "background heating" up to 15C in people's flats. If it is only slightly below 15C, this results in fairly insignificant amounts of charge going in (e.g. just half an hour all night), which does not accumulate any useful heat to discharge during the day. Floor pads really need to get several hours of charge to accumulate enough heat to warm a room.

As the temperature drops, as winter advances, many flats appear to end up with more charge than they need to achieve a comfortable temperature, and we see their occupiers rolling open the windows in the depths of winter, to cope.

Ben Jonson House in a music video

I read about this on Barbican Talk. Ben Jonson house appears in an Olly Murs video:

Caught in the act of playing football on the highwalk

Public Health and Social Care - 20th Nov 18:00 meeting

The Barbican Association have organised a residents meeting about health and social care.  Here is the notice for the meeting:

"Future Directions for Public Health and Social Care in The City"

Presentation and Panel Discussion Wednesday, 20 November 2013 at 6.00 pm St Giles’ Cripplegate Church

• Ade Adetosoye OBE, Director of Community and Children’s Services
• Dr Penny Bevan, Director of Public Health 
• Chris Pelham, Assistant Director of People’s Services 
• Farrah Hart, Healthy City Development Manager 
• Revd Dr Martin Dudley, Chairman, Health & Wellbeing Board 

In April 2013 the City of London took over responsibility for public health from the NHS. This provides an opportunity to better integrate services and co-ordinate initiatives around both public health and social care. The BA has asked the Director of Community and Children’s Services and the Director of Public Health as well as key managers responsibly for delivering these services within the Square Mile to share with residents what these changes mean. Come and find out the thinking behind these changes, the improvements planned, and what this means for Social Services, from a City resident’s perspective.

To be followed by wine, soft drinks and an opportunity for informal chat. All Barbican residents are welcome.

Car Parking window decal stickers

From the BEO:

Dear Residents,
To assist all long term car park users in demonstrating their entitlement to park we will be introducing Barbican Estate Logo window decal stickers.

This will commence in January 2014 and will assist us with the security monitoring and management of our car parking bays.

Each year these window display stickers will change in colour, and will feature the correct year and the car registration of your car parking licence.

If you have a car parking bay with us, could you please ensure that the Estate Concierge has all of your current vehicles registered on their database.

If you have any queries regarding the new process, please speak to your Estate Concierge who will be glad to assist you.

Baggage Store Charges

Residents of the Barbican who are short of space in their flat can keep their skis, large suitcases etc. in one of the rentable baggage stores across the estate.  Well, in theory if not in practice since they are rather popular and it can be hard to get one.  If you're interested, contact the BEO.

The BEO have just announced a change (i.e. increase) in the charges for baggage stores (see the notice here).

In summary:

• Standard stores will increase from £295 to £303 per annum
• Transportable stores will increase from £352 to £362 per annum
• Large stores will increase from £414 to £426 per annum

Lost highwalk

The campaign to remove highwalks from the City continues.  At one time the St. Alphage Highwalk had two pubs, a bank, restaurants and shops, in addition to a large traffic free green area.  In future we can look forward to a couple of elevated pathways suspended above the new street level paved areas.

This is a continuation of the of the destruction of highwalks across the City championed by Peter Rees, the City's chief planning officer (though not for much longer, it seems).

The small wall of Ben Jonson Highwalk

The route from Ben Jonson House to the south across the highwalk is currently largely blocked by fencing which appeared in the last couple of weeks.  I wonder what's going on? 

None shall pass

Update 2013-11-12:  Our house officer had not been told about this either, but after some investigation found:

...  this is part of the  on-going work to test the concrete on the estate. Apparently these rotundas are Landlord’s Structures and require testing too according to Property Services who is managing the work to the concrete. I have not been updated as to how long the work on these structures will take. When I find out I will update you.

Update 2013-11-13:  The fencing and scaffold are all gone now

Just a photo of Ben Jonson House

... because it looked interesting with the seeing sun striking Cromwell tower in the background.  The new home of the London Film School will be here, where the blue frontage can be seen now:

The new LFS home will be here

St Giles Terrace Seating and Planters bent out of shape

It seems that Victor's seating is already degrading.  The following was reported to the City by the Gilbert House group:

We have noted (before the recent storm) that several of the metal dividers/armrests on the newly installed large planters on St Giles Terrace have been bent out of shape. It looks as though someone heavy has stood on them or has placed heavy weights on them to cause the metal strips to bend and sag in this way. I wonder if one of your team would have a look at them if this has not been noted already.
Best wishes

Motorbike parked outside SC64

A response from SquareMileParking regarding the parked motor cycle beside the ramp at the eastern end of Ben Jonson House. In short, if you see someone parking in this spot call 020 7332 3910 :

Good afternoon,... In the simplest terms the area on ground level is not part of the dedication and is enforceable.  I have spoken to our enforcement team and they are not aware of any issues around the area since my last email so hopefully the offending vehicle was a one off.
 The regulations provide that if an area is private land but the area is public highway (i.e. the public have regularly passed without hindrance for several years) then we can enforce but if there is no right of way then we can't.  The vast majority of the land around the ramp has a clear right of way and our officers will issue PCNs if vehicles park in this area.  The area which may not have an established right of way is the land between the building wall and the ramp as few, if any, pedestrians would elect to use this as a through route. ... our Transportation Strategy and Programmes Team Leader, advises 'given that the City is (almost certainly, given that the area is part of the Barbican) the landowner, we can nevertheless dedicate the way as a public highway if we wish to (and therefore start issuing PCNs to motor vehicles parked there).  If, as a result, you want to pursue this (i.e., the problem parking is continuing), let me know and we will speak to the Barbican Estate Office to see if they are content with the area being dedicated as public highway.'. So the short answer is that we will continue to monitor the area and if there are issues we will issue PCNs.  Similarly if you find vehicles parking there please email our enforcement contractor as cc'ed or call on 020 7332 3910.  If it does become a habitual parking spot and mainly in the area where enforcement could be viewed as 'doubtful' we will explore the public highway dedication but hopefully we would not need follow that route.

Beech Gardens: High Wind

From the BEO (sent last before the storm last week while I was away, so this is really just for the record):

Dear Residents, Due to very high winds a decision has been taken to lay down and tie up all Beech Garden barriers to prevent persons being struck by a flying barrier.
The winds in the Beech Gardens area are being made worse by downdraughts from the tower blocks. 

The barriers will be replaced as soon as the high winds drop.  We apologise for any inconvenience this may cause, and advise you to please stay away from the Beech Gardens area.

Leading the show

A resident of Ben Johnson House was at the front of the lord mayor's show in this rather understated car.  After the parade the car made a brief stop outside Ben Jonson House:
(Jag' lent the car)

Lord Mayor's Show - road closures

The Lord Mayor's Show is almost upon us.  The BEO have sent out information about what roads will be shut:

Dear Residents  

Please click on the link below for information on the road closures for the Lord Mayor's Show on Saturday 9 November: 

 http://www.lordmayorsshow.org/residents/roads-closed 

With regards Barbican Estate Office

And note this in particular from the linked page:

SPECIAL CASES
Sorry: there are no special cases. The secure area is very secure indeed and its perimeter is heavily policed. Early in the day a resident of the Barbican might be able to drive out along Beech Street or Aldersgate, but not after about 9am, and there is no chance that you will be allowed to drive in.

A message from Charterhouse

From the BEO:

Dear residents A ground-breaking exhibition is taking place at the Charterhouse in November, looking at the role of philanthropy in the development of the City of London.  I know that many of you were disappointed not to be able to join one of the recent tours, and this provides an excellent opportunity to visit.  Entry to the exhibition is free, and tours of the entire site will take place at 3pm each Thursday-Sunday at a cost of £10 per head. Additionally, a series of events will be taking place throughout the month which will delve further into the issues that the exhibition explores, most of which are also free.  One very special event that might particularly interest you is a special performance being given by the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment.  The Charterhouse is delighted to welcome the Orchestra, who will be led by Laurence Cummings, and music on the night will all be pieces selected from Handel's repertoire (himself a prolific philanthropist). Leaflets are attached outlining full details of the exhibition and its associated events programme. The Charterhouse would be delighted if Barbican residents would like to volunteer their services throughout November as exhibition invigilators.  A training session will take place at the Charterhouse at 4pm on 24^th October.  Please email Ainslie Ross, Development Manager (ainslie.ross@suttonshospital.co.uk) if you would like to help. With regards Barbican Estate Office

Projections light up St Giles' - 13th - 16th November

The BEO sent the following on behalf of the Barbican Centre:

Projections on façade of St Giles' Cripplegate
 On the evenings of 13^th -16^th November 2013, as part of the Barbican's production of Benjamin Britten's opera Curlew River in St Giles' Cripplegate, calm and evocative images will be projected onto the facade of the Church from 6.00pm until 10.00pm. This performance forms part of the 'Barbican Britten' series, celebrating Britten's centenary.  
 The projector will be installed on the Garden Room balcony from 4.30pm each day and removed between 10.00pm and 10.30pm.  The images themselves will be unobtrusive and will be mapped exactly onto the façade of St Giles' Cripplegate, to ensure that there won't be any light bleed onto the surrounding buildings.   If there is an event taking place in the Garden Room during these times the balcony doors will remain closed to ensure there is no noise disturbance from the Garden Room. The technicians installing the equipment are aware of the residential nature of the area and have been briefed to keep noise to an absolute minimum. Curlew River will be one of the highlights of Barbican Britten, and more information about the production and Barbican Britten can be found on the Barbican website, http://www.barbican.org.uk/britten. We very much hope that you'll be able to join us for some of these events and that you will enjoy the projections.

Chestnut on Thomas More Lawn gets the chop

One of the old chestnut trees on Thomas More Lawn is to be chopped down, we told by the BEO.  No indication of the reason.

From the BEO:

Please be aware that on Monday 4^th and Tuesday 5^th November one of the horse chestnuts on Thomas More Lawn will be felled. This is on the advice of our colleague from Open Spaces. Working hours will be 10am to 4pm and remnants of the tree will be used within the gardens.

If you have any further queries, please do contact your House Officer

Barbican. The movie.

Roots ...

2011 Census Results

I saw a link to this on Barbican Talk discussion forum and thought it was quite interesting.  Click on the image for the results of the 2011 census in the City of London:

How many residents live where?

Beech Gardens Meetings - Wed. 23rd Oct. at 12.30 and 18.30

From the BEO:

Dear Residents Please be aware the next meetings regarding the Beech Gardens project will be held on:-Wednesday 23^rd October at 12.30 and 6.30
 The meetings will be held in the Residents' Meeting Room at the Barbican Estate Office. Both Karen Tarbox and Christopher Bate from the Property Services department will be in attendance. Additionally there will be representatives from VolkerLaser Ltd, the main contractor.

Highwalk plinths; many missing tiles

Tiles have dropped off the highwalk plinths for years.  It seems that the technology did not exist to stick them on permanently, but nonetheless someone would come along and stick them back on when they fell off.  But of late when the tiles fall of they are just stacked beside the plinth, leaving the sides of the plinths naked and ugly.

The plinth:  Some day my tiles will come ...

Water tanks being replaced

There are many water tanks on the roof of Ben Jonson House.  These provide all non-drinking water in flats (Drinking water comes direct from the mains to the kitchen tap).

Here is what the old tanks look like after being dismantled and removed.

Out with the old

The new tanks are made from plastic or fibreglass.   The BEO tells us that the tanks need to be replaced for health reasons.

Lord Mayor's Show: Sat. 9th November

The Lord Mayor's show will be on Saturday 9th November this year.   There is a page of information for residents here.

Resurfacing Aldersgate Street Junction from 19 October

From the BEO: 

The Barbican Estate Office have been informed of highway resurfacing works beginning on Saturday 19 October at the Aldersgate Street Junction (at its intersection with Long Lane, Beech Street and the north/southbound carriageways of Aldersgate Street).

The road will be closed to all vehicular traffic with local diversions in place, and will take place on the following times:

Saturday 19 October 8am to 4pm (northbound carriageway) Saturday 26 October 8am to 4pm (back-up weekend for northbound carriageway) Saturday 30 November 8am to 4pm (southbound carriageway) Saturday 7 December 8am to 4pm (back-up weekend for southbound carriageway)
The following link takes you to the City of London traffic management website which has more details:

http://www.cityoflondon.gov.uk/services/transport-and-streets/roads-highways-and-pavements/Pages/Streetworks.aspx

The charter of the BEO

I asked the BEO for their founding document and charter.  I wanted to see what goals the BEO was established to meet.  The BEO sent me their SLA (which you can see here) and a  "mission statement" which follows:

The aim of the Barbican Estate Office is to maintain the Barbican Estate as a prestigious residential district within the City of London through effective management and efficient service delivery.  

The Barbican Estate Office and its services to residents  

All services to residents are delivered through a dedicated management organisation, the Barbican Estate Office (BEO), which has a dual role - as client for the commissioning of services and as first point of contact for residents for the services it provides and for customer care. The Barbican Residential Committee (BRC) is the Committee of the City of London Corporation that determines policy on the Barbican Estate. The Residents' Consultation Committee (RCC) with representatives from both the City of London (CoL) and the residents is the main formal channel of communication between the landlord and residents. Residents of the Barbican Estate who are represented are either long lessees or tenants who rent their property from the CoL on a short term basis. 

The BEO is a division of the Community & Children's Services Department of the CoL. It is assisted in the delivery of services by the Technical Services Division (TSD), the Department of Open Spaces and by other departments of the CoL with whom internal service level agreements (SLAs) apply.  Services are delivered by directly employed staff and by specialist contractors employed in conformity with the CoL's procurement regulations. The services are covered by SLAs and are charged for in accordance with statute and terms set out in the lease for each property. 

 The five service areas are:
§  Customer Care, Supervision and Management
§  Estate Management
§  Property Maintenance
§  Major Works
§  Open Spaces