Planning applications this week

The person with the planning portfolio for the Barbican keeps an eye on planning applications which may affect residents, and send out an update each week. Here is this week's batch:

The roof extension to St Bartholomew House (12/01145/FULL & 12/01146/LBC) is a single storey, and far enough away that I don't think it need concern us.

The extension to the refuse facility below Willoughby House on Moor Lane (13/01179/LBC) looks very acceptable to me: an exact match to the existing store.

The Girls School plan to extend the gym by creating a new mezzanine floor over the end of the swimming pool that is currently double-height (13/01197/FULL & 13/01198/LBC). The plans appear not to affect the external appearance of the building, but I think we should consider commenting (objecting?) on hours of use, light spillage, plant noise... anything else? The BA and House Groups are meeting the School on 30 January, but we may need to submit comments before this, if the application timetable remains as at present.

Not one for the BA, but residents may be interested in the application from Save Britain's Heritage to widen the permitted uses of Smithfield's General Market Building to a "hub of independent food, creative and cultural enterprise" (13/01151/FULL).

Secondary glazing in Lauderdale Tower (13/01231/LBC) needs no comment.

An extensive internal rearrangement in a maisonette at the top of the south-east corner of Mountjoy House (13/01212/LBC) also involves replacing a top-floor fixed window with a sliding window. The design and access statement (enclosed) says: "Listed Building Consent is sought to replace a fixed glazed panel at 7th floor level with a sliding glass panel to exactly match other sliding glass panels used throughout the Barbican. This change to the fenestration is set back behind the large roof terrace and will have no impact on the appearance of the building."