BMH - Wide Load on 1st April - no joke

From Taylor Wimpey
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Wide Load Delivery
Please note that a wide load delivery is planned for 07.00 on Monday 1st April. The vehicle will be parked in the loading bay on Brackley Street and will be unloaded after 8am. The delivery time is such because wide load vehicles are not authorised to travel on the roads between 07.00 and 19.00.

Shopping Trolleys - for the shops

From the BEO:

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Shopping Trolleys

Leave 'em in the shop, not the car park

Please be reminded that shopping trolleys are not to be left on the Estate. If you are able to push a loaded one to your flat, you should be able to return an empty one with ease.

We do appreciate your cooperation in this regard as the trolleys are now blocking the cycle racks and other areas.

Rubbish Bags - Tie the knot

From the BEO:
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Tying Rubbish Bags Securely
This is just to inform you to ensure that all rubbish bags are tied securely to avoid spillages when the cleaners remove them.

Please wrap broken glass in newspaper before throwing away as this prevents injury to the cleaners.

Storage Units - Things left outside deemed trash

From the BEO

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Clearing the Storage Units

deemed fly tipping

Please note that residents should not leave items on top of the stores, as this is a Fire Hazard.

Items left around the stores are a Health and Safety risk. We appreciate your compliance with this, and items left, will be constituted as fly - tipping.

House Group Objects to the Antennae

BJHG Objection to the proposed antennae atop the arts centre from the chair of the house group:
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Although I have already submitted an individual objection, this objection is on behalf of the Ben Jonson House Group, of which I am Chair. We object strongly to the proposal for the following reasons:

1. The listed status of the Barbican buildings and Grade 2* listing of the Barbican estate exist to protect them from damaging changes. Residents are subject to very strict controls about permitted alterations both internally and externally. To use a widely acclaimed icon of mid-century architecture as a support for technical equipment is totally at odds with the listing intentions. It would also set a very dangerous precedent regarding any future proposals.
2. The fact that the masts will project 3.4 metres above the roofline means that they will be visible across the estate from apartments at the same height or higher. They will be detrimental to the outlook of residents.
3. The potential threat to health must not be understated. The lack of conclusive proof that such installations are a health threat should be balanced against the lack of conclusive proof that they are not. In the USA the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) recommends 457 metre setback for wireless infrastructure near schools. The FCC felt there was a strong case for “prudent avoidance” because the development of wireless technology was outpacing research on the health impacts. This applies particularly to 5G. In this case not only are the Golden Lane Campus and the City of London School for Girls closer than recommended, but there are apartments, occupied day and night, as close as 30 metres away.
4. The proximity of residential buildings is not referred to in the application, but Ben Jonson House and 5 other Barbican blocks of flats are all located within about 100 metres of the installation. This equates to several hundred flats and large numbers of residents.
5. No recognisable public consultation was held prior to submitting this application, in spite of its likely impact.

Weird noises from the tunnel - just a sound test

The arts centre are dreaming up new events which require understanding the acoustics of potential performance sites.  The potential sites are tested with a series of tests involving powerful speaker systems and microphones dotted about the place.

This morning at 09:00 a team was hard at work testing the soundscape at the junction of Beech St and Golden Lane.  You may have heard a series of loud rising/failing tones as you lay in bed this morning.

I spoke to the people running the tests.  They conceded that their works were noisy (that was the whole point after all), but said they had gone out of their way to get permission for their work at this time ... it seems that some nice person in the arts centre told them that 09:00 on a Sunday would be the perfect time to make as much noise as they liked.

NB It is remarkable that resources like this can be brought to bear for an arts project, but when we ask that the soundscape around our homes be measured the City reckons it is not possible. Hmm.

Sound tests at 09:00 on Sunday morning

Notice of Barbican Association AGM 2019

From the Barbican Association

See the Ben Jonson House calendar for scheduled events.

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Notice of Barbican Association AGM
Wednesday 24 April 2019

This will take place at 7.30pm, Main Hall, City of London School for Girls, St Giles’s Terrace.
Please click here for the agenda

For information about membership, contact the Membership Secretary.

For information about the meeting, contact Jane Smith,chairBA@btinternet.com

Taylor Wimpey meeting 25th March

From Taylor Wimpey:
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Bernard Morgan House

Neighbourhood Construction Meeting Reminder

This is a reminder of the next neighbourhood construction meeting taking place on Monday 25th March 2019 at 18:30 in the dining hall at Tudor Rose Court, 35 Fann Street, EC2Y 8DY.

Members of the team will be in attendance to give an update on the ongoing works and answer any questions you may have.

If you would like to attend please RSVP to construction@cascadepr.co.uk or call our Freephone number 08081 686 677.

Taylor Wimpey Central London All rights reserved.
Our mailing address is:
construction@cascadepr.co.uk

Angle Grinders in the morning - an update

Further to the very noisy works on the morning of 3rd March here is a response from the City Environmental services:
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... I can advise that the contractor, Centercomms Ltd, did not have our permission to carry out these works. Our Street Enforcement Officer attended and stopped them, following a number of complaints to the service. They will be served with a Community Protection Warning (CPW) and I understand they will also receive a fine or fixed penalty notice from our Highways Dept.

I hope you find this information helpful.

Regards
Environmental Health Officer
Pollution Team
Markets and Consumer Protection
City of London, Walbrook Wharf
78-83 Upper Thames Street
London
EC4R 3TD

Burst Water Main

A burst water main in the Beech St tunnel is flooding the sub-basements below the car parks.  Emergency repair works are expected to continue throughout the night.

Digging into the night

Podium lighting upgrade

Many of the walls which rise to the sides of the highwalks contain lights which shine down upon the walkway, or at least they should.  Many of the lights are not working at the moment, but the City has launched a programme to fix that.

Here is a map which is intended to be used with the text from the RCC below, though it's not clear to me how the map should be interpreted.

Click to see the whole map

From the house group RCC rep:
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P. 30 Podium Lighting.

A number of lights have been off for a considerable time. City will replace this lighting between April and July with long-lasting LEDs. The City states that the work to remove the old lighting and install the new should not be too noisy. RCC would like HGs to look at map attached, which it the plan, to see if all areas have been covered.

If you note any missing areas please email the Highway Manager, Giles Radford, who is managing this task.

The Yellow Shed - A shed indeed

The City in its various guises has resisted the removal of the Yellow Shed.  The removal of the shed is held out as a carrot during the planning of Arts Centre projects; "if residents don't object to our application we will remove the shed" ... only to later backslide.

One of the comments made by the City, often voiced by the Arts Centre, is that the Yellow Shed is not really a shed at all, it is a well used link between the main arts centre and the exhibition halls, and I do recall see it being used in this way a couple, perhaps a handful, of times over the last decade.  But it really is used as a shed by the City on many more days that it is used as a pedestrian route, and indeed it is being used as a shed at the moment:

A shed indeed

No room for people flocking to the halls

Out of mind, but not out of sight

Lift Maintenance Agreement

The City is entering into a long term agreement for lift maintenance.  The cost will be £12,416.00 per year for Ben Jonson House.  The BEO tell us that the previous contract was £11,913.60. per year.

Click to read the letter and proposal

Landlord’s Approval for Home Improvements.

From the BEO:

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Landlord’s Approval for Home Improvements.
Since the new process of Landlord’s Approval came into effect last year we’ve had many applications that have been incomplete or have missing documents. Please note the following:

1. Please do not submit your application until your sale has completed.
2. Part of our “Permission to Proceed” process is that we need to see your contractor’s Public Liability Insurance documentation (minimum £5 million) and Waste Carrier Licence.
3. Please ensure you submit with all the relevant documentation. This has included applications with no plans, no Waste Carrier Licence and no signed Declaration of Compliance.
4. Page 7 of the Home Improvement Pack is a checklist of the information we need to process your application. Piecemeal applications slow the process down for everyone.
5. If you have any queries about the process and have read the Home Improvements Pack booklet, please do contact your House officer for further advice and assistance.
6. Any incomplete applications will be returned to the leaseholder for their action.

Please download the check list here and click here to see the complete Home Improvement Pack.

Water Tank Work - notes from the meeting

The BEO report on the meet the water tank contractors event.

A key point is #4:  Look out for the letter giving the date the supply to your flat will be affected, and on that day do not use the non-potable cold water supply; doing so may introduce air-locks which need manual intervention to fix.  The potable water supply (i.e. the kitchen tap) will keep working as normal.

From the BEO:

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Water Tank Works: Meet the Contractor
The 'Meet the Contractor' meetings took place earlier in the week and below are a few points which were raised.

1. The water supply in the bathrooms are tank fed, the kitchen is mains supply and will not be affected. The water from the bathroom is not suitable for drinking.
2. The contractors will hand drop letters to the flats 1-2 weeks in advance of the work to be conducted.
3. The bathroom water supply will be switched off from 9-5 pm on the day/days of work.
4. Please DO NOT open taps on the days of work between 9 - 5 pm as this can create air locks and further issues.
5. Please be aware that the suggested stickers for taps will NOT be provided by the estate office and it is the responsibility of residents to ensure the bathroom taps are not used during the time of work on the day/days of work.
6. The Clerk of Works will inspect and sign off all work after completion.
7. Omissions will be removed from the costs.
8. Access will not be required to any properties.

The full schedule of the works can be found here.

Fore St. - gas supply works

From the BEO:

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Update on Emergency Gas Works: Fore Street


Cadent Gas are still excavating the Emergency Gas Works on Fore Street. At present they are at a depth of approximately 3.5 meters and they will need to get to a depth of 5.5 meters. The photos show the complexities, as multiple utilities have been laid above the gas main, making the task very challenging.

The works at present can be very noisy, unfortunately this will continue until they have reached the depth required.

The estimated timescale at present is 3-4 weeks depending if there are any more gas leaks found on further investigation.

Please contact Kris Lucas, Customer Liaison Officer for queries: 07976 940395, kris.lucas@cadentgas.com

N.B.To contact the Noise Pollution team please Call 020 7606 3030 for noise happening now, or for advice, email the Public Protection Team: publicprotection@cityoflondon.gov.uk (please note response to emails is not immediate), or click here for the website.

Phone Masts Proposal - BEO Notice

The BEO have sent out a notice about the proposal to install transmission equipment atop the Barbican Theatre fly tower.

The date for responses appears to have been pushed back to 29th March, and the BEO have included a very handy link direct to a page where observations and objections can be submitted.

From the BEO:

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Public Notice of Proposed Works / Development

Deadline for Commenting on this Application: 29 March 2019

PLANNING (LISTED BUILDINGS AND CONSERVATION AREAS) ACT 1990
TOWN AND COUNTRY PLANNING ACT 1990

Proposed Development/Works at: Barbican Arts and Conference Centre Silk Street London EC2Y 8DS

I give notice that CTIL is applying to the City of London for planning permission for the following:

Installation of 18 antennae, four dish antennae, eight equipment cabinets and ancillary development thereto.

The proposal affects a building of Special Architectural or Historic Interest and the character and appearance of the following Conservation Area: Barbican and Golden Lane

Please click here for further information, the details of the application can be found here. Please make your comments or observations here.

Arts Centre / BA meeting - Mon 4 March

From our very own house group rep for the Arts Centre:

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Hello

I attended the Arts Centre/Residents Meeting last night. The main points covered on the agenda were:

1. Barbican Estate 50th Anniversary Celebrations.
Both the arts Centre and the culture mile are covering this in their events this summer. There will be a residents half day event in the Frobisher conference rooms, probably on June 8. This is part of the art centre contribution. There will also be a pop-up community hub, in one of the exhibition halls during July. They have planned a special screening of the history of the Barbican Centre in the Barbican cinema. This is likely to take place in July. There is also a small residents committee which is aiming to use the yellow shed for a month over the summer for various residents events including a dinner dance. However costs may be prohibitive.


2. Lakeside mini golf
Please see the documentation.

The Art Centre applied to do this last year but objections held it up. They have taken these into consideration for this years application and it's going ahead. This will take place on the 3rd of June daily through to the 8th of September. There will be a small picnic area adjacent to the mini golf course which is not shown on the diagram, but has been agreed to by the residents.


3. Sound unbound event
This will take place on the weekend of 18th and 19th of May. There will be musical events throughout the centre and three will take place outdoors. There is a separate residence committee covering this. Communications to the residents will start to go out in early April.


4. Lake cleansing and maintenance
There has been extensive cleansing and regrowing of plants in the lakes as a Barbican Centre initiative over the past 15 months. However there is a great deal more to do on the cleansing of the silt/mud in the main lake and the pressure of the fountains. They have looked into the leakage problem and are making some progress on this.

Please note that the application by the residents to have the Fountains playing later into the evening to mitigate the noise of general public has been agreed with the Barbican Centre and this is already taking place. The Fountains now operate until 830 each evening.


5. Management plans
The management plan for the Barbican Art Centre is reviewed every year and this will begin in July and will be agreed with the BA in September. The Guildhall management plan has been restarted, and will work in line with the Barbican Centre plan.

AOB
The Barbican Centre is working on the objections to the plans for aerials to be put on the roofs near the conservatory. They have already contacted the planning section of the City of London and are working with the residents committees to prevent this taking place.

Phone masts on the Barbican - update

Object by 29th March

Here is an update on the matter of the proposal to install phone masts on the high point of the arts centre.  See this previous post for pictures of where it will be.

Below an update from the chair of the BA planning sub-committee.  If you  would like to object to the proposed masts you can email the planning team at plans@cityoflondon.gov.uk or visiting the City planning website, planning reference numbers 19/00108/FULL and 19/00109/LBC (LBC is Listed Building Consent application).
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I remain concerned however about the application from CTIL (Vodafone and O2) that I highlighted last week i.e. the application to install a raft of mobile transmission equipment on the roof of the Barbican Centre. Whilst this may be a very personal view (and therefore apologies to those who think it is a good idea) the more I think about this application the more outrageous it becomes. There is very scant information provided with the application (no acknowledgement of it being a Grade II" listed estate for example) and what there is, in my view, is misleading ie. it infers that there was a proper pre-application consultation process and that there were no comments received from those consulted. We know this not to be the case as the BA did indeed write a letter to CTIL voicing its objections very clearly. The breach of listed building guidelines and possible health issues are also notable by either their absence or platitudes. .

My concern is that this application has been submitted in the hope that it will not be picked up and that inertia will prevent enough objections being lodged. Indeed only 9 objections have been lodged with the Planning Dept to date. I have therefore taken the liberty of drafting an email which you, as House Chairs, could send out to your fellow residents with a request that as many as possible lodge their objections before the standard consultation expiry date of 11th March 2019. Please feel free to make any amendments - or to just ignore it!

click to read the whole message