Barbican Gardeners' Question Time: 11 JUNE

From the BEO:

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Barbican Gardeners' Question Time

Thursday 11^th June at 7pm

Residents Meeting Room, Barbican Estate Office

Please join our expert panel for advice and tips.

Novices and more expert gardeners welcome!!

We'll end with a glass of wine and a chance to meet your neighbours

Barbican Estate Office

Young at Heart Events

Dear Young at Heart Members,

I hope this email finds you well.

Just a quick update on some of our sessions.

Our Wednesday Gentle Exercise session will be permanently ran by Freddie after lots of great feedback. This session is 10am-11am and will continue to be in the Studio.

The Thursday Gentle Exercise session ran by Martina will be in the Sports Hall from now on. This is due to its popularity and our space limitations in the studio.

The Monday aqua session will be returning in August. We have two instructors taking a course in early August and we will start the session back up as soon as we have their qualifications. Until then, the session will continue to be a YAH swim session.

Finally, see below for details of our next Walk for Health.   

Saturday 30th May 2015
St Dunstan's in the East Churchyard
return to St Dunstan's in the East

11am-12pm (Garden Walk)

Regards

Leonie Wade

Sports Development Officer
City of London

Golden Lane Sport & Fitness

Fann Street

London, EC1Y 0SH

T: 020 7250 1464

M: 07787 249 570

Twitter: @GoldenLaneSport

www.goldenlanefitness.com

Think before you print to save energy and paper

Ride London Cycle Event: 1-2 Aug

Details available from http://www.prudentialridelondon.co.uk/

Community Fair 13th June - now with poster!

From the BEO:
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Dear Residents

Please find details attached of the 2015 Community Fair which will take place in Guildhall Yard on Saturday 13 June. Posters will also be going on all notice boards this week.

Full details of the entertainment and activities on offer at the Fair can be found online here.

The Community Fair is entirely staffed by volunteers so if you are available to help out on the day please see the attachment on what you can do and who to contact.

With regards
Barbican Estate Office

Click image for more information

City Residents Meeting: 6th July

The annual meeting run by the City of London for City residents will held on the 6th July (at 12:30 and again at 18:30) in the Old Library at the Guildhall.  To attend you'll need an invitation card, and you should have received one at your flat.  The card looks like this:

Click me to go to the City web page

London Film School: Planning meeting on 23rd June

From the City of London Case Officer, Jeff Sadler:
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I am writing further to receipt of your emails dated 15th and 19th May in respect of the above planning application.

It is intended to take the application to planning committee on Tuesday 23rd June.

I have noted your request that you wish to speak on behalf of the Ben Jonson House resident's group when the application is heard by committee. Letters confirming the committee date are normally despatched approximately 10 days prior to committee. The letters will contain all of the information needed in respect of speaking protocol.

Yours sincerely
  Jeff Sadler
  Case Officer

Ben Jonson Highwalk - Works to Plinths

And, after only 18 months, including much chasing by people in the house group (and, to be fair, by our house officer)  ....

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Dear Resident,

Please be aware that VolkerLaser will commence works to the plinths running alongside Ben  Jonson on Tuesday 19 May. Works will include all tiles being removed and a waterproofing layer being applied. Noisy works will fall within the 10.00 to 4.00 Barbican hours.

With regards

Barbican Estate Office 

Not long now, young plinth

London Wall Place - May Newsletter

Here is the May 2015 newsletter from the London Wall Place (ex St. Alphage) developers:

Click image for full document

Barbican and Golden Lane Area Strategy - Public Consultation

From the BEO:

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Dear residents,

The City of London is currently consulting on the draft Barbican and Golden Lane Area Strategy, a new strategy for the area which updates the 2008 Barbican Area Enhancement Strategy. The consultation period runs from 8 May to 8 July 2015.

The area is expected to see many further changes over the next five years, including the arrival of Crossrail services at Moorgate and Farringdon in 2019 and significant development on the area's perimeter streets. The City's Local Plan also sets out an aspiration to develop a 'Cultural Hub' in the area. Collectively, these changes provide the City of London with an unique opportunity to enhance the environment for the local community and deliver an internationally significant cultural destination.

As part of the development of the new area strategy, the City of London has undertaken a two-stage consultation process, supported by consultants Publica. The first stage was held in late Summer 2014 and over 4000 individual responses were received from the public, in addition to feedback from key stakeholders. This valuable insight provided a framework and reference for the draft area strategy.

This second stage involves consultation on the draft area strategy document. We would like to know what you think and get your feedback. The consultation period will last for 8 weeks and will include drop in sessions where officers will be available to answer questions and assist with making submissions.

The drop in sessions will be held at the following times and venues:

Barbican Centre Foyer Ground floor:
Tuesdays on 12 May, 19 May, 26 May, 2 June at 12:30-2:00pm
Fridays on 15 May, 22 May, 29 May at 6:00 - 7:30pm

Sir Ralph Perring Room, Golden Lane Estate:
Tuesdays and Fridays on 9 June, 12 June, 16 June, 19 June, 23 June, 26 June, 30 June, 3 July at 6 - 7:30pm

Copies of the area strategy, evidence base and background supporting documents are available to download at the City of London website at www.cityoflondon.gov.uk/barbicanarea.

Printed reference copies in conventional and high contrast versions, plus copies of the background supporting documents are available to view at the drop in sessions and at the following locations:

• Barbican Library 
• City Business Library
• Guildhall Library
• Guildhall North Wing reception
• Guildhall West Wing reception
• Barbican Estate Office
• Golden Lane Estate office 

Questionnaires will also be delivered to each residence within the Barbican and Golden Lane area in the next 10 days. An online questionnaire is also be available at the City of London website link above.

Please note that anonymous responses cannot be considered. Contact details will need to be provided but will remain confidential.

Support is available for anyone who is visually impaired and needs assistance to interpret the documents. If you have any questions regarding the public consultation or area strategy please email barbicanarea@cityoflondon.gov.uk.

Barbican Estate Office

LFS Objection: What the house group said

From the Ben Jonson House Group, the RTA for Ben Jonson House, Barbican.

(bcc'd to the Ben Jonson House Group Committee

Re: London Film School at Barbican Exhibition Hall 1 (15/00203/FULL)

Please take this message as an objection to the application from the house group.

Residents have expressed a number of concerns to us about the planning application to construct and operate premises for the London film school beneath Ben Jonson (and Breton) house.

Of greatest concern is our apparent collective impotence in this case: A completely different kind of tenant is proposing to occupy the space currently occupied by an exhibition hall, but only once very significant changes have been made to the structure and facades of the current space. Yet we are told that there is no change of use, and so no planning conditions may be applied. We also understand that the operation will not be licensed (other than event licenses from time to time), so no overall licensing conditions may be applied either. We also understand that the leasing agreement between the City and the LFS is already set, so no lease conditions can now be applied either. We object to this.

Could the planning committee please let us know if the above fears are all correct, and if there is any opportunity for conditions to be applied what that might be.

Ben Jonson House residents will doubtlessly have told you of the specific concerns that they have about the potential loss of amenity, and loss of quiet enjoyment, of their homes. The general concerns are about potential noise, light and even smell pollution. Some of the areas of concern (and objection) are:

• Noise from deliveries to the two sound stages 
• Noise from workshops 
• Noise from cinemas and sound stages 
• The times when movements/deliveries are allowed 
• Changes to the listed fabric of the barbican (e.g. the new plant room) 
• Noise from the new plant room 
• Disturbance during construction 
• Light from the new frontage 
• Smells from smokers stepping out from the school 
• Smells from the cafe 
• Noise from people loitering around the school 

In all of these areas we would object to any more pollution than we have today. For example, noise levels should not increase in our homes if/when the school is operational. The noise standard NR30 is mentioned, but we feel that there should be no more noise than there is now, not no more than NR30 (which may be louder than we experience now).

Residents themselves must abide by the conditions in their lease. The lease very rarely matters in day to day life because, of course, we are all good neighbours. From time to time, though, the conditions of the lease are needed to help people live well together. So we would hope it would be with the LFS … but it looks like there will be no lease or other conditions to help the LFS be a good neighbour. We would appreciate the committees, and indeed the City's, help in establishing such conditions.

Thank you,
  Bruce Badger
  Chair, Ben Jonson House Group

Estate Concierge Staff (our CPAs)

From the BEO:

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Dear residents

The Barbican Estate Office has been able to progress with further recruitment into the Estate Concierge team and we now have a full complement of permanent staff – 28 in total.

Your team at Breton House Car Park is now:-

• Dinesh Perera 
• Israel Lawson 
• Austin Anele 
• Paul Nixon 

With regards
Barbican Estate Office

LFS: How to comment (by Thu 14th May)

You can see the letter which announced the publication of the LFS planning application here.

We have until Thursday 14th May (this Thursday) to make comments on the application.

If you wish to just give support to the project you can write in to say that.  If you wish to tell the planning committee about things which concern you then you need to say that you "object".  You can phrase this as: "I don't object as long as ..." or "I object because...", but the word object needs to be there.  If you would like there to be a public meeting, say so.  Also say if you would like to present your views in person at the meeting.

You can find information about the film school here on this blog (see the items with the Film School label).  The City planning web site has the submitted plans and the comments received so far.

The number of letters received counts, so please write letters individually.  The letter does not need to be long, but it should be from your point of view with respect to your flat.  Text simply copied from the letter of another resident or group counts for less than your own words.

According to the City:

Comments can be submitted by letter, email (PLNComments@cityoflondon.gov.uk) or through the City Corporation’s website.

The postal address is:

The Department of the Built Environment
PO Box 270
Guildhall
London EC2P 2EJ

The City give lots of information about submitting comments here.  They recommend making comments using their website and promise that if you do that you'll be kept up to date with the progress of the application.

To find the application on the City website go to the search page,  use "Simple" search tab (which should be the default) and enter "15/00203/FULL" in the search box and press Search:

Click image to enlarge

That should take you to the Application Summary.  From there press the "Make a Public Comment button":

Click image to enlarge

Crossrail - right under our feet

The boring machines are directly beneath the estate at the moment, if the map is accurate:

LFS: The view from Breton

Here is the view upon the LFS planning application from the chair of the Breton house group:

Click for a larger view

LFS Meeting Tonight, 11th May @ 19:00 in the Cinemas Cafe

... a reminder of the meeting this evening to discuss the LFS planning application.

If we have sufficient residents present this we will take 5 minutes to hold the formal parts of the AGM - a flash AGM.

LFS Meeting 11th May @ 19:00 in the Cinemas Cafe

We'll be holding a residents meeting to discuss the London Film School (LFS) planning application:

19:00 on Monday 11th May
Cinemas Cafe (same location as the flash-AGM last year)

If we have enough people we'll also sneak in a flash-AGM which will take just a few minutes.