Belsize Society will once again be hoping to increase the festive cheer of the neighbourhood by organizing community Carol singing in Belsize Terrace (Belsize Village, outside the pharmacy) at 4.30 pm on Saturday 21 December.
We shall be led by Mathew Watts and we are inviting the Primrose Hill Community Choir to come along to sing with and to us as well. Songsheets with the words will be available. Do come and bring your friends and family: everyone, and especially children, very welcome.
Alan Selwyn, BelSoc Planning, writes:
This online meeting was organised by Camden with the 100 Avenue Road developers to present revisions to the permitted scheme and answer questions on the proposals.
After 10 years, only the foundations and basement have been built, with the site now sold to Regal who wish to redesign elements of the scheme. This requires new consent, and they are consulting between now and the end of the year, hoping to start work in early 2025 with a 3 year build time.
They will not change the existing permitted envelope but have managed to squeeze in an additional 52 units by minimising the service ducts and other modifications. There will be 166 units in the tower – now 26 storeys – and 70 in the adjoining lower building – now 8 storeys. The lower building, in addition to affordable housing units, will contain shops and a community space, which will be refined in consultation with The Winch.
The existing two buildings were to be faced in concrete with large amounts of glass. This is no longer considered acceptable in terms of energy requirements so the outside will now be clad in brick with smaller windows and curved corner balconies. This may help reduce the visual intrusion this tower presents though it will not reduce the huge scale.
There were other environmental discussions around the effects on wind, shadowing, glare from the windows, micro-climate and improvements to the landscaping.
Affordable housing will increase from 30% to 35%, now said to be “true affordable”. There are two main types included in this scheme: ‘social affordable rent’ for those on Housing Benefit and ‘intermediate rent’ designed to be achievable for those in salaried work. A Housing Association will manage these. Camden prefers this to shared ownership schemes for various reasons explained. The way the 35% is calculated has also improved to give better-quality homes by calculating floor space and habitable room area rather than simply number of units (which tends to favour small flats such as studios). 35% also meets the GLA London Plan requirement and Mayor of London Plan.
It does seem as though the new provision is an improvement on the original scheme in this respect.
Of the remaining 65%, the original scheme focussed more on private rentals, whereas this scheme now targets private sales. The developers said this would favour a more stable population, with more family sized units (though they cannot control buy to lets or overseas sales).
Access was discussed, during the building work and after, for deliveries, bin collection and so on. We have concerns about vehicle access, which is primarily from Eton Road (and presumably the rather narrow Winchester Road from Swiss Cottage). Small deliveries and disabled parking are planned to be in the basement via the ramp under Hampstead Theatre. Larger deliveries (to the shops), waste collection and any other utilities will be from ground level between the theatre and the tower. Both will create a hazard for pedestrians. More work is needed.
Other than blue badge spaces in the basement there will be no residents’ parking on site and the council will not issue residents’ parking permits, as this will be a ’car-free’ development.
I was impressed by the level of detail discussed in the 2 hour meeting and attention to answering residents’ questions, also by the commitment by the Council to achieve the best results from the proposed revisions.
More details will be published in the next couple of months with further consultation. Members are encouraged to take part.
The Society’s carol singing will take place in Belsize Village on Saturday 21 December, 4.30pm. Please join us for the event, to enjoy the sing-along and a mince pie or two. Donations will be colle
cted for a local charity. (The Marie Curie Hospice – which we have supported in the past – is currently closed for major works.)
As in previous years, Matthew Watts will lead our singing and we’re again hoping that the Primrose Hill Community Choir members might join us. Members may like to note that the Concert for the Homeless (which Matthew is involved with) is on 24 November, 7pm. Tickets are £25 with proceeds to Crisis and St Mary’s Primrose Hill.
Camden’s sustainability team asks Belsize residents to apply to participate and writes:
Step into the Swiss Cottage Strategy Room, to help inform Camden’s next Climate Action Plan. Taking place at Swiss Cottage Community Centre on 23 November, please apply for one of the twelve spaces.
In the space of 90 minutes, you will discuss what makes a better future on food and energy. You’ll discuss different options with your fellow participants and vote.
Camden Council’s Sustainability Team is looking for 12 participants aged 18 and over to participate. Each participant will receive a £20 voucher for their time.
You don’t need any special skills or knowledge to take part, all you need to bring is yourself!
APPLY TO TAKE PART:
Please note: there are only 12 spots available – the Council will be in touch ahead of the session to confirm places
About the strategy room
The Strategy Room is Nesta’s award-winning experience that combines facilitated deliberation, interactive polling and collective intelligence to bring people on our journey to reducing emissions. In the Strategy Room, a facilitator will be there to guide you through the session.
The main purpose of this is for the Council to test how different climate policies would work for residents in the Belsize Park area, and help identify what policies and actions we will want to include as part of the Councils next Climate Action Plan from 2026 onwards (the link to the current climate strategy is here.
Welcome to the August Newsletter of the Belsize Society.
This Newsletter also advertises the next Society local history walk, led by Averil Nottage.
Averil has also written an article about the Victorians that shaped Belsize, the topic for her walk, and exploring how much of Belsize looks as it does today because of decisions made in Victorian times. On the walk and in her articles, we’re introduced to three builders, each favouring different styles. You’ll also find out about the Vicar who contributed substantially to the cost of St Peter’s Church and preached powerful and passionate sermons there until he was 92. Do book your place now on eventbrite.
Last Newsletter, we described how the Society honoured David Percy, local historian, for his considerable work featuring the area. In this Newsletter, we interview him and he describes both his career and the background to his latest book.
The architectural heritage of the area was celebrated at the Isokon’s 90 birthday event. This iconic building is one of only two Grade 1 listed apartment blocks in the country and we have an article about the celebrations as it ends its ninth decade.
The Newsletter includes some updates about Society business. We are also updating the website and plans for this are described. At the last AGM, we decided to raise membership fees and the next steps on this are outlined. We would really appreciate members taking a few minutes to update their standing orders with the Society for next year. There is also an update from Camden Council about their residential air quality monitoring initiatives.
Enjoy this Newsletter.
BOOK YOUR PLACE!
To book your place for Averil’ Nottage’s walk “Victorians who shaped Belsize as we know it today” register on Eventbrite or through contacting us (back page).
For 11am, 29 Sept: https://belsize-society-local-walk2024-1.eventbrite.co.uk
For 2.30pm, on the same day, the link is: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/belsize-society-local-history-walk-tickets-951863408077
Welcome to the May Newsletter of the Belsize Society.
The Newsletter includes updates from the Retrofitting Group, who recently visited a Council-managed refurb project in Belsize and who report on the improvements being made at 5-7 Belsize Grove. These homes will have solar, insulation, double glazing and enhanced thermal performance.
We are also supporting the Council in a bid for a retrofit accelerator. Securing funding will mean a series of workshops that would bring together residents with planners, retrofitting experts and other organisations to understand how to reduce the hurdles for those seeking to make old buildings more sustainable. This all occurs as the local Pears Building of the Royal Free wins an award citing its contribution to sustainability.
It was a pleasure to present David Percy with an award on behalf of the Society for his contribution to local history. Over the last decades we have seen Belsize through his lens, and his writing. The Newsletter also covers his most recent, remarkable, contribution: a book covering 100 houses in Belsize and neighbouring areas.
We held our AGM in March, and a new committee was put in place. This issue covers the discussion at the meeting. We have begun to follow up a request from members that we allow them to choose not to receive a paper Newsletter. There was also a desire to change the name of our popular Traders You Can Trust. This is the new name of TYCT, replacing Tradesmen, and you’ll have received the 2024 edition with this Newsletter.
There is a piece about what’s on at the Hampstead Theatre and the exhibition at the Isokon. We also provide an update on the Council’s removal of paper visitor permits for general use by residents.
Details of the venue of the summer party are in the Newsletter. We will confirm the date electronically.
Enjoy this Newsletter.
Camden Council’s decision to scrap visitor parking scratchcards for general use has not changed. However, there remain ways to obtain cards for residents that find using the online options impossible, by calling Camden Council on 020 7974 4646. Members have reported that once any difficulties accessing visitor parking permits have been explained, permits can be ordered.
In the next months, the Council is monitoring how the “digital first” policy on visitor parking permits is operating. We continue to collect observations from members on how they are finding the new systems. Comments on the convenience of the scratchcards, and their importance to local businesses, have been made to BelSoc.
So far, comments have indicated frustrations with the Camden online system – “going to my Camden Council account… Sadly, I got nowhere”. The difficulty with accessing services through the internet more generally has also arisen: “(we) are over 78, …(and) I use email but find it very difficult to use any online system to scan or log on”.
At the recent Camden Cabinet meeting on parking policy, the Council parking team undertook to work with resident organisations to make sure the new policy operates without imposing a digital divide on accessing visitor parking permits. We continue to seek your views on this matter.
UPDATE 9 MARCH 2024: For those members who have an account with Camden Council, it is still possible to request Scratchcards for short-term parking permits. While Camden is working on alternative schemes – via online or an automated telephone system – the council has confirmed Scratchcards will still be available. Camden will consult community groups before any final change is made.
Scratchcards are safe, for the moment at least. The controversial subject came up before the latest Town Hall meeting of Camden Council.
Following a strong defence to councillors of the hourly paper parking permits from Camden’s community groups including the Belsize Society, the Council agreed to look again at the future of the cards.
Key to the final decision will be a review of the number of users with no online access to the permits. The Council may consider whether a special dispensation for the digitally excluded is feasible.
Community groups will be meeting to discuss the next steps. Meanwhile, the campaign to save Scratchcards goes on.
Help Save Scratchcards
If you use a Scratchcard and are over 75, and/or have a disability not yet registered with Camden Council, could you please email the Belsize Society at info@belsize.org.uk or call Peter Wallace on 07551 686 668.
Thank you.
The Society supported a recent Friends of Belsize Library talk at Belsize Community Library. Martin Sheppard spoke on The War in Belsize Park. The event was very well attended, with the Library fully crammed as Martin presented a picture of a wartime London. He described where and when bombs landed on the Belsize area presenting material from the archive of bomb maps and showing us photos of the effects on local buildings.
His talk also covered the suburban lives people led as they sheltered from the bombings, inhabiting both purpose-built shelters and the Underground stations. Martin explained how Swiss Cottage tube proved a vibrant location, with its own magazine associated with the shelter there.
Most delightful was that Martin was joined by another Martin (Nelson) who sang for us, starting with an 1860s music hall classic about perambulators on Primrose Hill, and ending with a song made famous by “Cheeky” Charlie Chester.
Next events at the library include an illustrated talk by Tudor Allen drawing from the collections of Camden Local Studies and Archives Centre (15 February, 7.30pm).