Proposed "art screen" for 1 Golden Lane - What is it?

 DP9 Limited, on behalf of the re-developers of 1 Golden Lane have submitted a planning application to add a requirement for an "art screen".

What is an "art screen"?   I have no idea and the application does not make this clear.   Have a look for yourself by visiting the City of London planning portal and searching for "25/00824/LBC".

I have raised an objection just to note that there is no explanation of what an "art screen" is.

Here is the letter about the application from the City.  Notice the signal to noise ratio of ~1% which is typical for such letters from the City ...

Click to read the whole leter

1 Golden Lane - Disingenuous Sound Measures

In their recent "Community Newsletter" for the 1 Golden Lane project, Midgard present the following table:

On the face of it these sound levels look fine, you'd think.  But look closer.  Midgard are giving measures using LAeq10 Hours in plain old dB ... this is about the best way to hide noise nuisance while coming across as all clever and technical.  But ...

LAeq (Equivalent Continuous Sound Level) is a flawed measure of sound nuisance which hides problematic peaks by averaging sound energy over long periods. The LAeq 10h measure used by Midgard averages over 10 hours, no doubt including the “Reduced impact hours” in the average.

Limitations of LAeq in more detail:

• Focuses on average energy: LAeq simply averages the sound pressure level over a specific time period. This doesn't account for fluctuations in the sound, which can be crucial for human perception of nuisance. A constant sound at a specific LAeq might be less bothersome than the same average level with frequent peaks or variations. The 1 Golden Lane work involves relatively brief bursts of extremely loud noise.
• Ignores frequency content: LAeq doesn't consider the frequency makeup of the sound. High-frequency sounds are generally perceived as more annoying than low-frequency sounds at the same LAeq level. For example, traffic noise with a lot of high-pitched engine sounds might be more bothersome than constant low-frequency hum from ventilation even if they have the same LAeq. The noise produced by the power tools in use on the 1 Golden Lane site is often of a high piercing frequency.
• Doesn't capture temporal aspects: LAeq doesn't consider how the sound changes over time. Sounds with sudden loud bursts or those that occur at night can be more disruptive than sounds with the same LAeq that are spread out evenly. Some of the noisiest work on the 1 Golden Lane site seems to be saved for the very start and very end of the permitted work times.

Alternative Measures that Midgard could use if they really wanted to be helpful:

• Lmax: This metric measures the maximum sound pressure level during a specific period. It's a good way to identify potential for sudden loud noises that might be startling or disruptive.
• Leq,n: This metric represents the equivalent continuous sound level for specific time intervals within the measurement period (e.g., Leq,1h for hourly levels). It provides a more detailed picture of how sound levels fluctuate over time.
• Frequency weighting: Weighting scales like A-weighting (dBA) and C-weighting (dBC) prioritize frequencies that humans perceive more readily. This helps provide a better understanding of how annoying a sound might be.

1 Golden Lane construction - noise

 In the "1 GOLDEN LANE EC1Y 0RR - Community Newsletter – May 2024" the contractors give the times they will be working during the rest of the project:

Click to read the whole newsletter

On the basis of their behaviour so far the contractor intends to make as much noise as they like during the hours they have given, except for a break from the noisiest work between 10 to noon and 14:00 to 16:00.  The City thinks this is fine.

1 Golden Lane construction

A couple of documents have been released about the under-construction 1 Golden Lane office block.

• Construction Logistics
• Circular Economy Statement

And it will look like this:

Hefty

Noisy pavement work @ 1 Golden Lane

Noisy pavement work started this morning in front of 1 Golden Lane (which was the UBS building).

The City must have at least given the go-ahead for this.

Did they bother to let nearby residents know in advance?

Nope.

1 Golden Lane - A post demolition pause before the build?

The good new is that we have the atrocious noise of the demolition behind us.  The less good news is that the construction phase is due to begin and this will bring a whole new set of aural delights.

But it is not clear when the construction phase will begin.  Mc Gee have completely vacated the site, even the scaffolding has gone (a bit surprising).

So, time to enjoy a bit of quiet while at the same time hoping that we won't be left with a half completed building project as a neighbor for too long!

Here is the farewell note from Mc Gee:

___

Good morning,

As you may have seen we have been demobilising on the 1 Golden Lane site as our phase of works are now complete. We officially left the site on Friday 23^rd February 2024.

At this moment in time, the contractor that will be carrying out the next phase of works at 1 Golden Lane has not been confirmed. However once confirmed we will have a handover where things including neighbourly matters and sensitive receptors will be discussed.

In the meantime, if you need to contact anyone regarding 1 Golden Lane, please contact Thomas Woolf, t.woolf@gardiner.com.

Please can you confirm If you would like me to pass on your email address to the client so they can give it to the next contractor, to include their mailing list. Until we receive approval from you, we will not share your email address.

Finally, I would like to say a huge thank you for your patience, understanding and feedback whilst we have carried out our work. We appreciate fully how our works impacted you at times, and by incorporating your feedback we have remained committed to carrying out our project in the least impactful way possible.

It has been lovely speaking to and meeting with so many of you and I wish you the best for the future.

Thank you from the whole of the McGee 1 Golden Lane team!

Kind regards

1 Golden Lane: Act now

Here is a letter from the chair of the house group urging us to make a submission about the plans for 1 Golden Lane:

___

 

The closing date for comments on the redevelopment of Golden Lane is fast approaching - 6^th May 2022.

 

Four more storeys are to be added and the facade facing the west side of Ben Jonson will be extended towards the perimeter of the Estate by 11 feet, covering almost all the existing brick facade. 

 

East Central News - link below - describes the development as the Hunchback of Golden Lane and gives a very full description of the development and its effect.   https://eastcentralnews.wordpress.com/

 

Support is requested for those who find the proposed changes disturbing so please, as good neighbours, take time to register your comments on the attached link: https://www.planning2.cityoflondon.gov.uk/online-applications/search.do?action=simple&searchType=Application  22/00202/FULMAJ

 

I'll also remind you that our Common Councillors will be holding a Ward Surgery on Thu 5^th between 7pm to 8pm, at the Golden Lane Community Centre, where you can take your case.  See this week's Estate Wide Bulletin. The surgeries will be walk-in, with no appointment necessary. Come along and let us know how we can help with resident issues. Any questions please contact Ceri Wilkins on ceri.wilkins@cityoflondon.gov.uk

 

1 Golden Lane - How Big?

The redeveloped 1 Golden Lane will be much bigger, and more intrusive, than the current building.

Planning permission for the proposed redevelopment has been submitted (see the notice here).

You have until 5th May to make representations.  If you object to the plans make sure you include the word "object" in your objection otherwise it will be taken as merely a comment.

Send your representations to PLNComments@cityoflondon.gov.uk 

I have also received a flyer which gives a good sense of just how much bigger the proposed building will be: higher by no less than 20.39 meters (66.89 feet).  The flyer also points out that the proposed building will built out to be closer to Ben Jonson House, that there will be new entertainment terraces, and that refuse containers will be placed immediately in front of Ben Jonson House.

Click to read the whole flyer

1 Golden Lane (the ex UBS building) strip-out plan

 With UBS having vacated 1 Golden Lane, the building is to be redeveloped.  It is not clear yet exactly what "redeveloped" means, whether largely demolished and rebuilt as something else or merely cleaned up and re-fitted, but the first step is to strip-out the current internal fittings and drill some boreholes to study the ground beneath the building.

The work will be done by a firm called KpH who are, of course, considerate contractors.  Work details for the project were explained in the following letter and flyer, along with project contact details.

Click to read the letter and flyer

Here are the contact details from the letter ...

Borehole work by A2:

• Oliver Cottam: 0744 694 4137
• Richard Beaumont: 0756 565 0530

Strip-out work by KpH:

• Phil Dunt: 0770 338 1743
• Marius Sadauskas: 07985 038 9866 (this looks wrong, but is as given)
• Andrew Mackie: 0795 038 9866

Here's hoping the boring is boring and they don't find any lingering WWII ordinance!

Update ... here is the text of an email received by the house group on this topic

___

Dear Stakeholder,

I am writing to you to inform you of the Soft Strip Out and Borehole works that are due to commence at 1 Golden Lane from January 2022. I would be very grateful if you could pass this information on to anyone living in proximity to 1 Golden Lane so that they can also be fully informed.

The Strip Out work will be confined to internal, non-heritage elements of the building to ensure noise, dust and other disruption will be kept to a minimum. Removing the internal finishes in the building at this early stage will provide a comprehensive understanding of the existing building to allow the proposal to maximise re-use opportunities and ultimately reduce the programme duration of the development and any disruption to our neighbours.

Borehole works will commence on Wednesday 12th January and run for approximately 5 business days until Tuesday 18th January. The Soft Strip Out works will commence on Monday 17th January and are expected to be complete at the end of March 2022.

The following works have been planned:

• Borehole/ foundation survey tests to the south elevation vehicle ramp
• Soft strip of materials internally to the building, including waste clearance
• Removal of external plant and finishes to terraces/ roof

Noise monitoring will be undertaken throughout the duration of the works and will be constantly reviewed to ensure that is remains compliant with The City of London regulations.

If you have any concerns or questions about the Borehole works, please contact A2 Site Supervisor, Oliver Cottam or A2 Project Manager, Richard Beaumont. Their contact details are below.

• Oliver Cottam – 07446 944137
• Richard Beaumont - 07565 650530

The Soft Strip on site hours are Monday to Friday from 8am to 6pm and Saturday from 8am– 2pm, albeit work will not commence until 9am. Operatives will arrive on site from 7.30am for registration and inductions.

If you have any concerns or questions about the Soft Strip Out works, please contact Site Managers Phil Dunt or Marius Sadauskas or Operations Director, Andrew Mackie. Their contact details are below.

• Phil Dunt - 07703 381743
• Marius Sadauskas - 079850 389866
• Andrew Mackie - 07950 389866

If you have any general questions about the project, please do not hesitate to email sgregory@conciliocomms.com or call our free phone number 0800 994 9322.

Kind regards,
Stephen Gregory
Account Executive
M: 07468 492 708
sgregory@conciliocomms.com
conciliocomms.com

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