New Development Stroud Green Road

Vista

Liz the builders were checked and double checked and triple checked - this was before the recession.

They are unfortunately another casualty of the recession which seems to have hit the building industry particularly hard.

Their demise is unfortunate but was not our doing and we will continue to build what I hope will be apartments and retail that the area can be proud of.

Regards

Vista

Vista

Breton prices for the apartments have not been fixed yet. Some of the apartments will be for sale from £250,000. The remainder will be for letting.

Regards

Vista

Ali

Is anything happening here ? It all seems very quite although the crane is still there so I suppose work might start again ?

Ali

not quite but quiet !

andy

I was thinking this yesterday. Not a lot seems to be happening. Vista?

matt

Ali: there's an edit button, you know!

Ed B

Any news on this mess yet? I can see the crane from my kitchen window but it only moves with the wind. Sad.

graeme

Think the planning department should start requiring a 'Bankruptcy Escape Plan' from developers before letting them start. Nothing like having a skanky building site on your doorstep for years to bring down the tone of an area...

markpack

Oh I don't know. I think the hoardings looks rather nicer than the falling down building that was there before :-)

Ali

something is stirring at the site. Gates were open with people there so maybe work is starting again ?

tosscat

Squatters.

Ian

Is it time to start campaigning to get our pavement back? Nothing is happening on the site and we are all cramped up onto the cycle path.

graeme

Funny, I was thinking the very same thing this morning walking to the station.

I take it they got permission to take the pavement initially, but surely now the place is derelict the fences can come down and they can put barricades up on their own property rather than on public right of way?

Ian

@Graeme - There may be some ongoing "health and safety" style reason why not, but in practice I would hope they have been given permission based on actually constructing something with some sort of deadline if not. Of course there is always the other side, but that's not the point ...

Ali

The same sort of thing was going on in Woodstock Road near to SG School where the old Pita Bread bakery used to be. Kids were being pushed out onto the road on a wooden platform etc. Nothing was going on at the site so the council made them give the pavement back. Someone should contact Islington about it.

graeme

Well the council replied to an email I sent them some weeks ago asking when the pavement was likely to be reinstated for public use. I pointed at the safety issue of cyclist suddenly coming into the path of pedestrians, or being forced onto the road unexpectedly.

I suggested that if the buildings were no longer being built, that they ask the developer to put the blue hoarding on their own land, rather than continuing to obstruct the public.

<blockquote>
Further to your email I can confirm that at present we have no confirmed date when works are likely e commence (sic - to recommence). I have been in contact with the developer and they are in the process of appointing a new contractor with a view of starting works before Christmas or early in the New Year.

The council are not in a position to remove the hoarding due to the liability and security of the site. We will be attending a meeting with the developers and contractors when a start date has been confirmed with a view of revising the hoarding to accommodate more pedestrian footway.
</blockquote>

Not great news for users of the public footpath, but at least the council are now aware that this development has stagnated.

Ali

Maybee Peter Phillip of S and O Properties might be able to update us ??

Donna

thanks Graeme that's brilliant, just to have some news is good, thank you.

graeme

Emailed the council again this morning:
<blockquote>
Dear Councilcontact,

I was wondering if there was any update on the progress of the Vista development on Stroud Green Road N4, re: our email exchange in early November?

Are you able to confirm if the developer has managed to progress with a new contractor? It is now no longer early in the New Year (as mentioned in your previous email), and the site still appears empty.

Will the public pavement continue to be annexed by the developer for the foreseeable, or is there a time-scale when they must return public footpaths to public use?

Obviously the security of a site is important, but to be able to take over a very busy section of pavement and cycle path for well over a year seems (to the endangered local cyclists and pedestrians who are forced to walk on the road at busy periods) to be taking undue liberties - especially as the site has been dormant since last April.

Many thanks for any info you can offer
</blockquote>

Got a swift reply (well done Islington council):
<blockquote>
I have received confirmation that the land is being sold to another
developer and this is currently going through solicitors.

We are trying to arrange a meeting with the current owners and arrange access to the site as EDF Energy need to undertake works on the electricity supply behind the hoarding.

At the earliest opportunity we will be seeking to increase the amount of footway available for pedestrians.

Please do not hesitate to contact me if you require anything further.
</blockquote>

Ali

Must be fixing the Street Lights that are not working. Can the hole in the Road that tests the mountain side of my bike get fixed Think it might have been mentoined before as SG Loch

dorothy

Thanks for sight of the correspondence Graeme. I wonder if that means the new developers will demolish it and start all over again?

Arkady

They'd have to go to the trouble of submitting a new planning application. The new buyer may just have the capital to invest and sees an opportunity, wheras Vista is evidently broke.

Ian

@graeme - thanks for this, I should have done this myself but it looks like they are on the case. I am sure our lurking councillors have taken note as well. Tough times and all that but it's pretty ridiculous that a developer can basically annex the pavement then stroll off in this way.

Ian

There was some activity on site this morning with scaffolding being put up over the pavement. Kate Jones said that the site had been sold, perhaps work is starting again finally?

Arkady

It looks to be really kicking off again. Lots of scaffolding going up on the pavement and on-site.

Donna

I went past and questioned someone in a hat and a yellow jacket. YES WORK IS STARTING UP AGAIN. Hurrah!

kerry

On a different development note, has anyone else noticed how much nicer the Tollington Park/Hornsey Road junction looks since they tore down the plumbing store there? A nice view through to some great trees behind the construction site. Shame the space is only temporary.

sincers

@kerry - I agree, it opens that space out nicely. Its a shame they'll end up plugging it with some god-awful development in keeping with the rest of the crap architecture along Hornsey Rd. Re: "the site", there didn't seem to be much activity happening this morning.

Arkady

Thre were workman standing on top of it when I walked past. I quite like the development they're building on Hornsey rd, far superior to what as there before, anyway.

Mirandola

'tis a bit odd that the Hornsey Road is so run down. There's a lot of povery thereabouts, but I'd have thought there was enough money to keep a few better shops going.