Development of John Jones Site / Sketch House

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andy

I think even the most stakhanovite of students would struggle to graduate without debt these days. 3x £9k fees and a grand a month living costs (which is what UKBA demand overseas students can show they can fund, whilst UCL say £245/week for living in halls) is a big hill to climb even working evenings, weekends and holidays.

NorthNineteen

£245/week!!!?? When I was at UCL 12 years ago it was £90 catered!<br>

andy

http://www.ucl.ac.uk/prospective-students/undergraduate-study/fees-and-costs/living-expenses<div>that's all in</div>

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ChangN4N6

Ok I thought Visa House was on the JJ acres and so a Kate special . Sorry if i blamed the wrong person, Kate. but on the wider issue I met a woman living in Vista (in the World's End pub, appropriately enuf) who was clinically upset by the construction noise and closeness of the Clerkenwell Palace to Vista which is right up her snout. Can't be fun. Even her cat had left. Prob on the menu at Detori. I do feel that new Jonesville Tower is much 2 high . Can be seen from Tollington Park and casts a long shadow. And with the forest of high rise coming on top of station the whole place is going to close in and feel oppressive like Hammersmith which is a wreck. No planner takes note of things like that . It's all done in little bits and prob with backscratching and banana eating. Chang

miss annie

So on this thread I'm told off for being rude and abusive because I don't toe the party line about Kate Jones's plans, yet over on another thread it's fine to call someone scum and make light of concentration camps because they don't vote for the same party? Hmmmm.

NorthNineteen

I took back the abusive comment. But you still haven't answered the question of what form of development on this site would be acceptable to you.  You are perfectly entitled to your opinion and I don't think anyone would begrudge that, it's interesting how people percieve their local enivronment and I'm intrigued by your defensiveness particularly your implication that anyone suggested where you live is not a nice place...<br><br>The thread you are referring is all a bit pathetic, I don't think anyone found it acceptable to call someone scum just for their political allegience so I fail to see the relevance here.<br>

Arkady

What NorthNinteen said. Annie, that’s a bit of a straw man isn’t it? Sutent has been roundly condemned for using the language he did – no one has said it was ‘fine’ have they?<br><br>If you were to say “look, I don’t like tall buildings, never will, so will always be opposed to it even if it was a Faberge palace dedicated to me” then fine. That’s your subjective opinion. End of story. I would be a bit confused about the fact that you roundly supported it despite having seen pictures of what it was going to look like, but have now decided that you don’t like it because you don’t like the concrete frame that will soon be hidden, but that’s no biggie.<br><br>What you have instead done is implied that John Jones are profiteering, which really isn’t fair given the facts that we know. You have also said this development will harm the community, or damage your lovely nearby Victorian street, but haven’t said how – even when pressed - other to imply that people who like the development must somehow be ‘hipsters’, which is a bit insulting, isn’t it? <br><br>You have also insisted that you are not resistant to change, but you won’t say what kind of development you would prefer to see replace the current urine-stained 80s warehouses. Even if you are firm in your opinions – which is fine – can you see how you might come across as being a tad rude and/or unreasonable on this matter? Given how generous and frankly lovely you generally are about, well, everything, this is especially unsettling.<br>

JoeV

Miss Annie can speak for herself, but I don't think she implied that John Jones was profiteering, what she did comment on was a conversation between some estate agents that she overheard and the potential for making loads of money from <span style="font-size: 10pt;">all the flats that are and will be built around the station.</span><div><span style="font-size: 10pt;"><br></span></div><div><span style="font-size: 10pt;">I think it's naive to judge the JJ development in the context of just improving the site that its on and the buildings themselves. Obviously, the current warehouse sheds are nothing to look at but the JJ site is more about the buildings, the land use is changing from primarily commercial to mostly residential use, which will affect the whole area. The same goes for City North.</span></div><div><span style="font-size: 10pt;"><br></span></div><div><span style="font-size: 10pt;">It seems that any concerned raised is thrown back at the person making it with the suggestion that they are anti-everything and picking on JJ,which is also unfair.</span></div>

Arkady

Fair enough.  Though there will be as much if not more commercial use than there is now - just more residential and retail too.  I struggle to see how that will pose a problem.  But I've probably made my position abundantly clear already!<br>

JoeV

It's not necessarily a problem but changing from commercial to residential and retail use will bring in more people at different hours of the day than what's currently there. The student housing will essentially be a long-stay hotel, very transient in my opinion, and it remains to be seen what the affect will be on existing residents and businesses.<div><br></div><div>F<span style="font-size: 10pt;">or example, </span><span style="font-size: 10pt;">Frank Godfrey, which is staying put for now. Will they be forced out in the future because new residents don't like living next to commercial butcher? I'm just supposing here. It's like when people move out to the countryside for the good life and then don't like the sounds and smells of the farm next door.</span></div>

Brodiej

@ Kate Jones. JJ have done a great job. You haven't left the area, you've added more housing, you've added more creative areas, you've given a small non-descript patch of land near the station a new identity. I think its harsh to be criticised, but change normally brings about opinion. Only time will tell what the reality will be. I think the regular updates, genuine opinion seeking and engagement tell us everything about what your intentions were for this probject. You won't be able to please everyone, but i'm sure you knew that when your started. All the best, i'm looking forward to its completion.

helen

I am loving seeing the new building go up. I really like the windows, the cladding i've seen looks good too. Cant wait to be able to get inside and have a proper nosey around when its done.<br>

ChangN4N6

And do you love Visa House and the cozy leggo way they loom on top of each other ? The windows are great but not the ones blocked by Vista. Whatever the buildings merits, crowding that plot with tall buildings right next to each other is ugly. One, fair enough. Chang

DillysDad

It annoyed me that they cut down 8 London Plain trees for the development. And that their justification was 'They weren't native and we're planting new trees.'<br><br>I'm sure the Starlings that lived in those trees will be chuffed to bits to have a few small 'native' shrubs. <br><br>

Kate Jones

<P>If we could have left the trees we would have. There wasn't anyway we could develop the site with them still there. We were also advised that the trees were not suitable and the decision was made to replace them with more suitable species. Hopefully the starlings found alternative trees in the park. Ultimately we feel that the end result will deliver enough benefits to justify the removal and replacement of the trees. </P> <P>One of the main things I've learnt throughout this whole process is how different people are and that its just not possible to keep everyone happy. We've apologised about the trees and there isn't really anything else I can say...</P>

DillysDad

The point being that those trees had been here for years and are some of the best oxygen providers we have. There was an article the other week declaring Finsbury Park 'the lungs of London'. Well. not at the rate Islington and Haringey are ignoring the TPO's.<br><br>I'm not really sure what wasn't 'suitable' about the other trees, unless you mean they were simply in the way. <br><br>

Kate Jones

If you google 'London Plane trees' and 'pavements', you'll see a fair number of reports about their unsuitability due to root growth. I don't know if you live near our site but the pavements were very uneven to walk on by the trees due to the roots pushing the paving stones. The council spent a lot on trying to treat this. The pavements were also very narrow and impossible to get down with a pram in places. We will be replacing all the trees with a more suitable species.

miss annie

Most native trees are unsuited to the urban environment, they can't cope with the pollution. Which species of trees are you planting? There's sound advice here.<div><br></div><div>http://www.gresham.ac.uk/lectures-and-events/the-plane-forest-does-the-city-have-the-right-trees</div><div><br></div><div> http://www.treesforcities.org/index.php/download_file/372/141/</div>;

Kate Jones

<font size="3" face="Narrow"> </font><p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;" class="MsoNormal"><font size="3" face="Narrow">Ok, been waiting for accurate details on this, a statement from our development partner is as follows:</font></p><p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;" class="MsoNormal"><font size="3" face="Narrow">...........</font></p><p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;" class="MsoNormal"><font size="3" face="Narrow">During the planning process Islington Council, at a very senior level, agreed that the existing trees were too large and of inappropriate species to fit with the proposed redevelopment. As such we agreed to pay, under the s106 agreement for the removal of the existing trees to Lennox Road and Clifton Terrace - quite a large sum.</font></p><p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;" class="MsoNormal"><font face="Narrow"></font> </p><p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;" class="MsoNormal"><font size="3" face="Narrow">The Council are responsible for the removal of the trees and replanting which will consist of 6 trees on Lennox Road and 3 on Clifton Terrace. These will be more appropriate species and located to suit and complement the design of the new development.</font></p><p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;" class="MsoNormal"><font face="Narrow"></font> </p><p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;" class="MsoNormal"><font size="3" face="Narrow">In summary all tree work is with full agreement of Islington Council and we are all committed to replanting in a way that is attractive and complementary to the regeneration of the area.</font></p><p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;" class="MsoNormal"><font face="Narrow"><font size="3"> ...............</font> </font></p><font size="3" face="Narrow"> </font>

helen

thanks @kateJones. perhaps we can finally move on from this particular storm in a tree cup.<br>I'm really liking all the new fenestration on the building<br>

vetski

Kate, if you're taking tree requests...plum, cherry & damson, please (all fruiting)!<div><br></div>

Arkady

Bit of imagination, please.  How about a baobab?

vetski

Am after practical rather than imaginative planting, and I can't imagine baobab jam. And baobabs get really big. Quince trees would be nice too!

dion

There are some apple trees in the park, down past the skate park. And also a funny yellow fruiting one up near the manor house park view cafe on the new river side - anyone know what it is?

Jonathan

On the fenestration: I've wandered back from the tube a couple of times recently and seen the lights on behind the windows. Are you going to be using the gallery / exhibition space in the evenings? Alongside the theatre that would give a great new pattern to how the space around the station is used after dark ...

Kate Jones

@Jonathan - yes we'll be open for private views and talks on some evenings. We're in discussions with a couple of people about the cafe/ eatery space at the end - hoping that will be open in the evenings. Clifton Terrace has a really lovely feel to it in the evenings now - used to be a bit dark and scary. Morris Place will feel very different too!

Mirandola

Have you spoken to the people behind Moka ?

DillysDad

@helen - Why would you be glad to move on from such an important subject? What if trees were removed from the Parkland walk or right outside your house because someone saw them as unsuitable for their plans? @kate - Of course you were given permission by Islington Council, otherwise you would have been acting illegally. This is the same council that is cutting down 6 trees to allow for development on Holloway Road. The same council that have cut dozens of trees down in recent years. And again, we come back to suitability. Suitability for whom? The only thing that is on record is that the trees weren't suitable for the development. Says it all really.