Beech Gardens updates

If you'd like regular updates on the Beech Gardens project all you need to do is email the BEO and ask to be added to the "Barbican Information" email list and you'll get all the latest news.

I'm sure the BEO will be happy to let you have any previous communications on this project too.

Standard Chartered Great City Race - 10th July 2014

From the BEO:

Dear Residents

This year the Standard Chartered Great City Race will take place on Thursday 10 July at 19:15, celebrating the 10^th anniversary of the event.

The route of the Standard Chartered Great City Race will be the same as last year taking in several City of London landmarks including Tower 42, the Bank of England and St Paul's Cathedral.

Attached is a road closure leaflet including a map of the route. Road closures will be in place on the route between 18:30 and 20:30.

For more event information please visit www.cityrace.co.uk

With regards

Barbican Estate Office 

BEO Staff Changes - House Officer team

From the BEO:

I'm very pleased to announce that as of Monday 30^th June, Luke Barton will be joining the House Officer team. Luke comes to us from the Property Services Call Centre team and a long term customer service background, and is really excited to learn more about different aspects of managing the Barbican and getting to know more of the residents.

This is part of a more general reshuffle in the office whereby we've gone back to the 3 original patches but the House Officer, as well as being Residents Champion and the first point of call, will also be dealing with Leasehold issues such as Landlords Approvals and neighbour nuisance. Sheila Delaney is now a full time House Officer with a permanent patch.

In addition, the BEO is now taking the lead across the Barbican on the outside areas. That is, areas that are traditionally funded by other departments such as the tiling on the podium. The BEO now helps to set the priorities across the estate.

I'm pleased to say Becky Belo (nee Marshall!) is still with us, albeit in a slightly different role now. She is looking after our commercial tenants as their House Officer.

Michael Bennett – Barbican Estate Manager		020 7029 3923
Helen Davinson – Resident Services Manager		020 7029 3963
Rebecca Belo nee Marshall – House Officer, Commercial (part time)		020 7029 3964
Luke Barton – House Officer	Sheila Delaney – House Officer	Sarah Styles – House Officer
020 7029 3945	020 7029 3911	020 7029 3962
Cromwell Tower Speed house Willoughby House Brandon Mews Andrewes House Gilbert House	Shakespeare Tower Ben Jonson House Breton House Bryer Court Bunyan Court John Trundle Court Frobisher Crescent	Lauderdale Tower Defoe House Seddon House Thomas More House Mountjoy House Lambert Jones Mews The Postern Wallside

By the end of this week, notices will have gone up throughout the estate as well as an Email Broadcast explaining the personnel and job changes. I know Luke is very keen to meet his new residents and explore his patch more thoroughly and we'll all be introducing him as we're out and about.

If you have any questions about this, please do let me know.

Helen Davinson

Resident Services Manager
Barbican Estate Office
020 7029 3963
barbican.estate@cityoflondon.gov.uk
www.cityoflondon.gov.uk/services/housing-and-council-tax/barbican-estate

Fortune Park Fun Day: Sat. 5th July

The annual fun will be held in Fortune Park on Saturday, 5th July from 12:00 until 17:00 ...

Fun in the park

Silk St. : Work begins

Work on the Silk St. & Beech St. "street scene" works has started this morning.  It should all be finished by early 2015.

No rush

... no rush at all

Beech Gardens (aka the Moonscape)

Here in Ben Jonson House we should keep a careful eye on the Beech Gardens work because the same thing will be coming our way at some point.

Many good things will come from the highwalk waterproofing (for that is the primary aim of the works); hopefully we'll get rid of the yellow shed, for example.  But the process can be painful.  Here is the most recent scheduling for the Beech Gardens work:

Which bit next?

Silk Street 'video wall'

From the Chair of the Barbican Association Planning Committee:

Dear All,

The Arts Centre's listed-building-consent application 14/00500/LBC is for a 6-screen 'video wall' facing outwards above the doors to their Silk Street entrance, with displays "changing configurations instantly" to advertise the Centre's programme and raise the profile of the entrance. Montage and design statement enclosed; total screen size is 7.29m wide by 0.69m high.

I'm happy with their basic idea but wonder whether we should ask for a condition limiting hours of use, e.g. not between 11pm and 7am? The display would not lie directly opposite any flats and lies under a substantial overhang (photograph enclosed), but flats might see some (constantly changing) light reflected off the office opposite. Do let me know what you think. Deadline for comments 9 July.

Best regards,

How it will look? Where it will go

Tour de France - Mon 7th July

London will welcome this major event on Monday 7 July. Road closures along the route are anticipated to be in place from 10am until 6pm. To find out how the City of London streets will be impacted see the links  below. Further travel information can be found on Transport for London website.

For details of road closures see the City website:

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

Temporary Car Parking Survey 2014

From the BEO:

Dear Residents

The 'Pay by Phone' System for our Daily Parking has now been in place for just over a year now and the time is right for us to review this service
Please spare a few minutes to fill this in by clicking on the link below, as the comments we receive help us improve services

https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/JW98WC6

The deadline for responses is Friday 4 July.

We hope that sending out an online version will mean that we get more responses.

If you would prefer a paper copy, or know someone who wants one, please email Salvatore.Pecoraro@cityoflondon.gov.uk and he will arrange delivery.

With regards
Barbican Estate Office

External Redecorations 2014: Costs & Actions

We asked the BEO for a PDF copy of the specification of the external redecoration works for Ben Jonson House for this year and for the last time the block was redecorated.

The specification for 2014 is up on the blog, but the other details are not readily available it seems (see message from the BEO below).

There is certainly surprise among residents that the costs are so much higher this time. The 2014 work was put out to tender and, I understand, the lowest bidder has been awarded the contract, so unless there was some kind of cartel we have a good price for the given specification.

Has the specification changed, and if so, how? We don't know because we don't have a copy of the old specification. There is a general feeling that the last redecorations were not done well, so we could guess that the specification has been tightened up and that this has contributed to the higher cost, but again, we really don't know.

We're between a rock and a hard place, or perhaps an unknown place and an expensive place. What can the house group do? Not much. We've put the 2014 spec on the blog, so for next time we'll be able to see and compare the specifications, but for this time it looks like we're going along for the ride. It's hard to see how blocking the redecoration at this stage would yield anything good: The block desperately needs redecoration so any delayed redecoration may demand even more extensive/expensive work. If we miss the summer painting season the redecoration may be compromised. There is nothing to suggest that a re-run of the bidding process would yield a lower cost.

If there is something you wish to say about this matter, just post a comment against this article. I'll make sure the BEO is aware of any messages. Of course you can also write directly to the BEO.

Here is the latest information from the BEO explaining why we don't have the specification for the previous redecorations:

Hello, following on from several requests for either a hard copy or electronic copy of the previous specification, I have been unable to acquire this. I had hoped that Becky Marshall (now Bello) may have had a spare (hard) copy which I could have photocopied and scanned over, she has not. Neither Steve Murray, Property Services Team Manager (who will be managing the technical aspects of the proposed redecoration programme) or I were involved with the previous redecoration work.   Unfortunately, the two surveyors who were managing have now left the City of London’s employ. 

I note Steve has supplied you with an electronic copy of the new specification (2014-2015). However, with regard to your queries about the changes in costs and also about the sills on the floor to ceiling windows on the South side on the 6th floor and reviewing the mastic/fix, Steve Murray should be able to assist you. I note there was also an enquiry with regard to the roof apportionments. As second stage consultation is still ongoing, please send any comments/queries to Steve Murray via email: steven.murray@cityoflondon.gov.uk

Testing for leaks

The BEO have been running some tests for leaks into the building.  They do this by damming a section of a roof balcony and pouring in dyed water, as in the picture below.

Unfortunately the BEO were remiss in telling the residents of the affected flats that this was going to happen, and they weren't too happy to find this on their balcony when they got home.

testing, testing

Perhaps the BEO should have a blog too.

Going Postal - Re-deliver

If you do get one of the mount pleasant slips from the Royal Mail you have the option of asking for the item to be redelivered, for example to a neighbour.

As it happens, the CPA's are our neighbours!   Have the Royal Mail redeliver to:

Car Park Security
Breton House
Barbican
LONDON
EC2Y 8DQ

New Caterers for the Arts Centre

The arts centre is "seeking dynamic and innovative contract catering partners, with suitable experience and resources, to provide contemporary food and beverage offers for our restaurants, cafés and business events. The new catering contracts will start in summer 2015."

Read the press release here.

Going Postal

It looks like the Royal Mail delivery madness is still happening.  I received another invitation to visit Mount Pleasant today:

More like: something *not* for you.

Not sure if I want to collect the item or ....

... perhaps just tell Royal Mail to return it to sender if they can't be bothered to deliver to me, and then ask the sender to resend using a reliable delivery company instead.

Hmmm.

Fann St. Garden Open Days 14 & 15th June

From the Barbican Wildlife Group:

Fann Street Wildlife Garden will be open to the public for Open Garden Squares Weekend again this year, by the Barbican Wildlife Group on behalf of the Barbican Estate Office. [Details here].

The Wildlife Garden is free to Barbican residents and friends. Just show your key at the gate!

Fann Street's opening times are:
Sat. June 14, 10am - 4pm and Sun. June 15, 12pm - 4pm.

Over 200 gardens are open to the public for two days - most of which are privately owned - for £12 for the whole weekend of visiting.

Their website gives full details: www.opensquares.org

PS. HELP WANTED
Do you fancy volunteering for an hour or two (or more!) over the weekend?  We really need a hand manning the garden when it is busy.  Tasks include greeting people on the gate, being in the garden to answer questions and helping at our plant sale.  You don't need any prior knowledge as there will be handy laminated information sheets to hand out to visitors.  So, come enjoy your garden for an hour or two and help us show off the beauty of Fann Street.  If you are interested please contact: Paula Tomlinson, at 020 7628 3657 or paula@johnandpaula.com

PPS.  We would be so pleased to see you in the garden - so please come visit!

External Redecoration 2014 - The Specification

Here is the detailed specification for the 2014 external redecoration of Ben Jonson House.  If I understand correctly this is what the contractors would have been bidding upon.

(Unfortunately this PDF is a scan of a printed document rather than a true electronic copy of the original. This means the file below is a) huge and b) not searchable.)

Recycling Event - Restart Pop-Up

From the BEO:

Please see the following message sent on behalf of the City of London recycling team

Restart Pop-Up

At the City Business Library, Guildhall 19 June, noon - 2pm. Don't throw your broken electronics away! Join The Restart Project for their Restart Pop-Up, a participatory repair clinic where you will learn how to troubleshoot, disassemble and repair gadgets such as laptops, headphones, radios, smartphones and more. Bring along your broken gadget or drop in for advice. Either book a slot by emailing recycling@cityoflondon.gov.uk, or just drop in.

Each repair slot lasts up to 30 minutes during which you can have a fun learning session why your device is no longer working and make progress towards getting it repaired. You will be able to do simple repairs while for more complicated ones you'll be able to troubleshoot to learn whether a repair is feasible.

With regards

Barbican Estate Office

Street Scene: @ Silk St. & Beech St.

From the BEO (but see also the City web page on the works):

Dear Residents

Please note that there has been an important change to the Silk Street project programme (see revised programme attached).

Beech Street and Chiswell Street will remain open until Saturday 21 June. From this point, the road closure will be under the same arrangements as originally planned. A further note containing the full closure details and diversionary routes will be circulated prior to the new start date.

With regards

Barbican Estate Office

Click me to see the plan

Beech Gardens - 11.06.14 residents meeting

From the BEO:

Dear Resident,

The next residents meeting about the Beech Gardens project will be held on Wednesday 11 June at 7.00 in the Residents Meeting Room at the Barbican Estate Office. Officers from the Barbican Estate Office and representatives of VolkerLaser, the contractor, will be present to update on the project and answers your questions.

Barbican Estate Office

Nocturne Cycle Event: Smithfield 7th June

The area around Smithfield will be closed to traffic from 08:30 on the morning of Saturday 7th June (this coming weekend) and will remain closed until midnight.  Parking bays in the area will be closed the evening before.

Details here:

Carpet ideas from a resident designer

A resident of Ben Jonson House who is a designer suggested that we might like to think ahead a few years about the next internal redecoration, and in particular about the carpets in the Ben Jonson House corridors.  He brought along a few samples to the Flash AGM this evening, and there was great interest.

A photo does not really do the samples justice, but here is a photo anyway:

Ignore the wine, look at the carpet

All the samples were of carpet designed for heavy duty commercial use.  They looked tough, and pretty elegant too.

The next step would be to re-carpet a small part of one corridor so we can see how the new carpet looks and feels in context.

Many thanks to our designer friend for taking the time to select, obtain and present these options.

Water (and money) under the sill?

After the AGM I had a discussion with an ex architect who lives in Ben Jonson House about sills on the sixth floor south side full height windows, how they were designed, how they'd actually been installed (and leaked) and how the leaks were fixed. He drew this diagram (to which I added some labels):

The evolution of the sills

The original Barbican plans specified sills with a notch in the bottom (1), but the sills were installed with no notch (2), so moisture could (and did) get under the sill and into properties causing (e.g.) carpets to rot.

At some point, possibly as part of the work on the roofs, mastic or some such material was injected beneath the sills to plug the gaps (3).  This seems to have worked but it's not what the original plans called for and may not work as well as the specified notch.

Are there any plans to review this fix?  Was the cost charged to residents and will it now be refunded as part of the roofs refund?  I shall ask the BEO.

BHS Competition 18th June 2014

The Barbican Horticultural Society (BHS) are running a competition for the best floral displays in a number of classes (e.g. window boxes).

To enter just print, complete and submit this form ...

External Redecorations: The Questions

The costs of the external redecorations due to happen this year are significantly higher than last external redecorations.  This caused some discussion after the formal part of the AGM this evening.  The points raised are:

• Can we see the specifications for the currently proposed external redecorations and the last set, and can we be assured that no commitments will be made until we have had a chance to review these documents?
• How do the costs of the 2014 external redecorations compare to the costs for other houses?
• How often are external redecorations carried out on Ben Jonson House?  Is this the same for all houses, and if not, why?
• How will the work during the 2014 external redecorations be monitored?  May we have the names and contact details of the people who will be monitoring the work?

These questions have been put to the BEO.

Flash AGM Success! ... and minutes

We had 23 members attend the flash AGM this evening, just enough to be a quorum.  Phew.

The minutes of the previous AGM (2013) were approved.

The treasurer's report was presented and approved (see the report below).

With the exception of Chris Punter, all members of the house group stood for re-election.  All those standing were elected, so the committee now comprises:

• Helen Hulson
• Fiona Lean
• John Dilger
• Tom Smith
• Bruce Badger

Any other Business:

• There was a vote of thanks for Chris Punter's many years of work for the house group.

All done in about 15 minutes.

... but there was significant and lively discussion after the meeting closed which I'll cover in separate posts.

Flash AGM this Wed @ 19:00 - Please come

Please do come along to the super-brief AGM meeting at 19:00 on Wednesday (4th June) in the cinemas cafe, right below Ben Jonson House.

Flash AGM through this door

We are required to have an AGM.  If we don't have one, the house group will have to be wound up.

If there is more than one person in your flat please all come along, every member counts.

The agenda is here.

pre Ben Jonson House from above

A post on Barbican Talk pointed out the remarkable Britain From Above project and web site.  The site describes itself like this:

"Britain from Above presents the unique Aerofilms collection of aerial photographs from 1919-1953 ..."

Here is one picture from the site.  I've added an orange line to show where (I think) Ben Jonson House is now.  Click on the picture to see the photo on the Britain from Above web site.

Orange line ~ Ben Jonson House

Côte pong

Food smells are coming from the new super duper filter which is behind the grille you can see in the upper left of this photo.

It is odd that they chose to pull in clean air from the grilles on the right which face the loading bays and blow out the smelly air over the entrance to Ben Jonson House.

I'm told that the BEO is on the case, so hopefully things will be smelling sweeter soon.

Shame the CCTV can't measure smells