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