Sunday 28 December 2014

Noisy plant behind Cote restaurant in Beech Street

Here is a note from a City environmental health officer in response to questions put by the chair of the Barbican Association:

The query:
I believe that you have received some complaints from Ben Jonson House residents about the noise (and smells) from the plant that serves Cote restaurant and that vents into the delivery yard below Ben Jonson house in the delivery yard north of the building and off Whitecross Street.

I am now writing about another concern about the noise of this plant.  Residents have begun to speak to the London Film School (LFS) about its new development in the other half of Exhibition Hall 2. We are concerned that the LFS sound consultant will measure the “background noise / sound” in different locations at different times on different days. Doubtless the Planners and City Environmental Health will then order that new LFS sound must be at xx dB below the current levels.

But the problem is that the current levels include rather noisy plant from the back of Cote restaurant that can be clearly heard in the evenings and at weekends. Several of us have listened to it from Whitecross Street and from below Ben Jonson and Breton at about 8pm in the evenings and again on Sunday afternoons. It can quite distinctly be heard over the background noise of traffic.

We have two concerns
a) whether this plant actually meets the planning condition that its sound should be less than the background noise
b) given that it is noisy and therefore contributes to the background noise, the background noise level that the LFS plant is assessed by will be louder than it should be and that the LFS plant will also be louder than it should be.

We'd be very grateful if you could look into this.

The response:
Existing plant
It would seem that our team have received complaints of noise about the plant to the rear of Cote and the cinema. Our investigations have not revealed evidence that the noise amounts to a nuisance and therefore formal action would not be possible.  However, informal action has resulted in a reduction of the level of noise, and timers have also been fitted to some pieces of equipment to restrict the operating times.  

Proposed plant
Our team will liaise with our planning colleagues and/or the Barbican to try and avoid background noise creep from additional plant.  There is a unique set of circumstances and geography that will no doubt require a bespoke planning condition/requirement from the barbican as necessary.

Environmental Health Officer
Markets and Consumer Protection
Pollution Team
City of London
020 7332 1587

Monday 22 December 2014

Beech St roadworks overnight: 22-23 Dec 7pm-5am

Seen on BarbicanTalk.com:
 As tweeted from @Squarehighways a short while ago: "Emergency repairs to a carriageway cover - #Beech Street between Aldersgate and Bridgewater streets will be closed eastbound from 7pm to 5am".  
 Hopefully any drilling will be done early in the process....

Saturday 20 December 2014

Bad neighbours in the yard?

Our good neighbours in Breton house also overlook the service yard to the north and east of our two blocks.  Like Ben Jonson House residents, Breton folk have been disturbed by noise in the yard, particularly during quiet hours.

Here is note from a Breton house resident on the subject.  I'll just mention here that to the best of my knowledge the rules for what noise can be made when are set by the City, not by house groups:

I live in Breton House overlooking the Whitecross St loading bay. 
Over the issue of noisy overnight vents in the loading bay I've been in touch with Lee Sandford at the CoL, repeatedly since January. There have been various inspections and suggestions over what vents are causing the problem: the cinema, Cote, the car park. Lee has been very sympathetic and pursued lengthy enquiries. A noise officer turned up at night and made a report, and they have been investigating and repairing many different vents related to the the various businesses. This may have helped with some noise sources but perhaps due to the cold weather there are still noisy vents overnight. I have been told several times that 'no-one else has complained' -  so if any BJH residents do hear this overnight roaring sound, it might be helpful if they contacted the house officer or Environmental Health too.
I got fed up with Cote's early deliveries, especially on a Saturday. Lee put me in touch with the Barbican Centre and Ruth Lambert responded to me. I was given conflicting information about weekends - that the gates should be kept closed until 9am and that Cote is permitted to have deliveries from 8am on Saturday. They were having delivery lorries turning up, reversing, beeping, unloading etc. from 7.40am. I photographed some of these incidents and sent them to Ruth at her request.
She has been in touch with the restaurant and since then (though I have only been here one weekend since) there has possibly been a slight improvement. The first time the gates were kept closed it made little difference since the lorries were still turning up at 7.40 and making noise outside the gates. Ruth went back to the restaurant to tell them this was still unsuitable. 
The biggest problem now seems to be that residents' groups apparently - according to Ruth - agreed that Cote could have deliveries from 8am on a Saturday. I find this very disappointing if it is true.  The restaurant is still scheduling its glass recycling collection and other deliveries for precisely 8am on a Saturday morning. I realise that this isn't excruciatingly early but it is still early enough to wake many of us up on a day when we could otherwise enjoy a lie-in. I don't know if anything can be done about this? 
I am pestering Ruth for an answer as to why the City of London's own tenants are allowed to contravene so dramatically the City's own Code of Conduct for Licensed Premises (deliveries only 10-6, Mon-Fr). I know there is little to hope for there, it just annoys me they can get away with being such bad neighbours.

The facsimile seats arrive

This week we gained the seats which are supposed to be exact facsimiles of the pre-Victor originals.

It's been a long saga; from the initial surprise installation of Victors seats in early 2013, to being one of the first items in this blog in July 2013, the pointless "survey" that same month, the long delays while the survey results were massaged, the admission that the survey showed that the new seats were liked only by a very few people, the agreement to re-instate the original seats, the discovery that the originals had been destroyed, the design and manufacture of the facsimiles, the series of estimates and missed dates and finally, we're back to almost where we started.  But at what cost?

What do you think of the facsimiles?

Facsimile- close enough?

Sunday 14 December 2014

Barbicania

Barbicania is a film sponsored by the Barbican Arts Centre which is a series of vignettes about the estate and arts centre, featuring people living and working in the Barbican.  And some snails.

The DVD is on sale in the Arts Centre shop, and residents get a discount.

Click image to see trailer

Victor's seats on the way out

At last Victor's seats have been removed from Ben Jonson Highwalk:

Now you see them

Plucked
Trucked
Gone


Saturday 13 December 2014

Increases: Car Park & Baggage Store Charges 2015


Dear Residents

This is to inform you that during the recent Barbican Residential Committee it was decided that the following increases (calculated by reference to the Retail Price Index) would take effect from 25 March 2015:

Car Parking Charges:
Residential
  • Car parking licences increase from £1,183 to £1,210 per annum
  • Daily car and motorcycle parking increases from £9.67 to £9.89
  • Motorcycle parking rental increase from £221 to £226 per annum
  • Administration fees for new car bay and motorcycle bay licences increase from £58 to £59
  • Electrical mobility scooters licences increase from £394 to £403 per annum
  • Bicycle locker licences increase from £83 to £85 per annum
  • Purchase price for a car bay on the estate will increase from £8,405 to £8,598.
(The estimated service charge is currently £925 per  annum)
              Commercial (Non-Residential)
  • Car parking licences increases from £5,195 to £5,314 (including VAT) per annum
  • Daily car parking charges from £20 to £20.46 (including VAT).

Baggage Store Charges:
Rental
  • Standard stores will increase from £303 to £310 per annum
  • Transportable stores will increase from £362 to £370 per annum
  • Large stores will increase from £426 to £436 per annum
Purchase
  • Standard stores will increase from £6,500 to £6,650
  • Large stores at Thomas More House £10,000 to £10,230
      (The estimated annual service charge for a store is currently £20 per annum)

Transportable stores and the large stores at Brandon Mews remain unavailable for purchase.
Key deposits will also increase from £150 to £160 per lock with effect from 25 March 2015.
If you are interested in a Car Bay/Baggage Store or if you wish to surrender, please call 0207 029 3955 or email barbican.estate@cityoflondon.gov.uk.

Further information about the current prices (before the change on 25 March 2015) and the application forms for the above services can be found on:

With regards
Barbican Estate Office 
barbican.estate@cityoflondon.gov.uk

St Giles' - Carols by Candlelight 15 Dec.



Dear Residents

Please see the message below, sent on behalf of St Giles' Church


Come and meet your neighbours at
Carols by Candlelight
Monday 15 December 6.30pm
with favourite carols for the congregation
followed by mulled wine and mince pies






Thursday 11 December 2014

Underfloor Heating in the medium term

The RCC has a sub-committee keeping an eye on the Barbican's background underfloor heating system.  Here is an update:

Crossrail meeting for Barbican residents: 21 Jan 2015


Dear Residents

The Barbican Association and Crossrail invite all residents to

Update from Crossrail

6.45 pm, Wednesday 21 January, City of London School for Girls

The Crossrail railway tunnels will be coming under the Barbican Estate early next year.

Last year Crossrail presented a progress report on their works to a well attended meeting of residents and answered questions on the works in general and the risks of settlement (see www.barbicanassociaton.com/crossrail.htm). The Barbican Association has invited Crossrail to come back to present to residents shortly before the tunnel boring machines pass under the Estate to give an update on the project.

We are hoping that both Bill Tucker (Central Section Director) and Mike Black (Head of Geotechnics), who spoke at last year's meeting, will speak again at this meeting.

Please do come along: 6.30 pm, 21 January 2015, Main Hall, City of London School for Girls.

If you have any particular questions you would like Crossrail to answer please email them to chairBA@btinternet.com

With regards

Barbican Estate Office 

Cheapside & Guildhall strategy - last day to comment

This is the last day you can comment on the strategy

If you'd like to make your views known you need to get them to the City by Friday 12 December 2014. Visit http://www.cityoflondon.gov.uk/cheapsidearea or email cheapside@cityoflondon.gov.uk

Here is what I sent in:

The highwalks are a key part of the living environment of the City.  We have already lost significant segments of the highwalks over the last couple of decades, I would not like to see us lose or downgrade the remaining highwalks. 
Contrast the way our highwalks are treated here with how New York treats its highwalks:  https://www.thehighline.org/.  NY shows what we should be doing here. 
In the context of the Museum of London Rotunda this means ensuring that the highwalk is an integral and connected part of the implementation.  Please don't create new pedestrian flows which are deflected away from the highwalks. 
The highwalks are a brilliant piece of the environment in the City.  Safe for families with children, away from the fumes of traffic, a place which the City could bring to life, just like the highline in NY. 
Please raise the profile of the highwalks in your thinking and your planning, and in particular in the "Cheapside and Guildhall Enhancement Strategy".

Monday 8 December 2014

How useful is the City of London website?

From the BEO:

Dear Residents

How useful is the City of London website?

Resident information is mostly found online, so this survey will help to make webpages relevant to you better.

Complete this 5 minute survey (https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/WW7KLDF) and a chance to win one of five Barbican memberships.

With regards

Barbican Estate Office 

Podium seating changing soon

I asked the City for an update on when Victor's seats are finally going to be removed:

The BEO are to distribute this update : The removal of the benches/tables begins this Thursday (11th) and the installation of the replacement benches begins next Monday (15th) and is expected to take the full week.

Sunday 7 December 2014

External Redecorations: Week 19

At the end of week 19 (w/c 1st Dec) work has reached the eastern end of the building.

There have been some reports of the paint work suffering because of the recent damp and cold weather.  If you know of areas which may need to be revisited please let Sheila or Steve Murray know by email to the estate office.

There will be one last inspection run by Sheila (see invitation here).  This will held on Tuesday 16th Dec at 14:00.  Meet on the podium by staircase 64.  If you have any comments/suggestions/concerns then please do go along.

End in sight

Cheapside & Guildhall strategy - Comment now ...

Below are some thoughts/observations on the City's "Cheapside & Guildhall strategy" from the chair of the BA planning committee.  

If you'd like to make your views known you need to get them to the City by Friday 12 December 2014. Visit http://www.cityoflondon.gov.uk/cheapsidearea or email cheapside@cityoflondon.gov.uk.

The City have told me they intend to maintain the existing highwalk access to the south of the rotunda, but I want to head off two threats down the line. 
I bet the Museum gets its street-level entrance, and I bet they won't keep any public entrance on the highwalk: they won't want to maintain and secure two public entrances, and they will need the current entrance space for temporary exhibitions, as the existing temporary exhibition space becomes the street-level reception, shop and café. So, whatever today's intentions, the City may be tempted to remove highwalk access in future years, and use the two access points for new retail units: the 'active frontage' on which the City has recently become so keen. I think we can best ensure highwalk access for ourselves and visitors if we have new escalators and lifts by the new Museum entrance itself. 
But I think we face a much more serious threat. The Arts Centre, whether as cultural hub or otherwise, is desperate to improve street-level access. I think we should support any effort to tart up Beech Street, and I'd be happy to see visitors approaching the Museum from St Paul's, or coming out of the Museum at street level, be directed up Aldersgate Street and through Beech Street. However, I fear the Arts Centre will resurrect its idea to cut a new pedestrian route through the heart of the Barbican Estate at street level, which would be far, far noisier for the vast majority of residents than any highwalk footfall, and would destroy the oasis atmosphere of the Estate. I feel strongly we are much better off if the City can offer visitors an option straight up from the Museum entrance onto the highwalk, then round via Gilbert Bridge. 
I should say I don't see the slightest chance of changing the boundaries of the City's Area Reviews, even if they're not ideal from our particular perspective. I also don't see how the City could charge us for the highwalks, as it wouldn't be in our lease and the highwalks are public highways.

Saturday 6 December 2014

Prompt collection of Christmas parcels

From the BEO (again):

Dear Residents,

Due to an increase in parcels received around the Christmas period, Lobbies and 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


City's Cheapside & Guildhall strategy

The City is looking to change the areas around St. Pauls tube station and around the Museum of London.

A question raised within the BA is whether the proposed work on the Museum of London rotunda will affect access to the highwalks.

For current details, and to give your feedback, visit: www.cityoflondon.gov.uk/cheapsidearea

An archived version of the consultation leaflet is here.

Something like this



Wednesday 3 December 2014

The mat returns

I understand that two lost door mats have been found by the police at the top of one of the stair wells in Ben Jonson House.  One mat has been returned to its owner, the other remains unclaimed.  If you're missing a mat you might find it at the Barbican police office.

See also: Does a mat matter?

Monday 1 December 2014

Christmas Craft Fair 6th December 12 noon to 3.30 pm

Dear Residents

Come along to the Christmas Craft Fair next Saturday 6th December
When: 12 noon to 3.30 pm
Where: Golden Lane Community Hall

Entrance is FREE and there will be lots of things to do for all the family. It is a great opportunity to buy Christmas presents from a range of craft stalls. Local artists will be selling greeting cards, prints, vintage silk scarves, Christmas gifts, knitted goods, plants, decorations etc.

For children there is free face painting, gifts from Santa and story telling with the wonderful Joel from the Barbican Library.

Or you can put your feet up and enjoy homemade cakes at the community cafe.

More information on the attached flyer.

With regards

Barbican Estate Office