Development of John Jones Site / Sketch House

Kate Jones

Hello, thanks for your messages. Letters should be sent to Case Officer Alan Bailey at The Planning Inspectorate, Room 3/18a, Temple Quay House, 2 The Square, Temple Quay, Bristol NS1 6PN

Ref APP/V5570/A/10/2137730/NWF

Any supportive comments are much appreciated. I feel that the committee did not consider the scheme holistically and overlooked many of the benefits that were highlighted by the Planning Officer. I have just been reading the Officers Recommendation again and it really praises the scheme in terms of design, usage and regeneration.

Arkady

You can comment online too: <http://www.pcs.planningportal.gov.uk/pcsportal/casesearch.asp>; Just use 2137730 as the reference.

Kate Jones

Oh thats great! Thanks Arkady

Arkady

While perusing the Islington planning website I came across an interesting development. Did anyone know that the World’s End has just been given permission for a new one-story roof extension consisting of two 1-bed flats and a studio flat? It slipped under my radar. Kate, I suggest that this is further evidence that the ‘its too high’ argument is a load of crap. I think that your development and the WE would now be the same height, given your lower ceilings and the sloping land. The planning app number is P101800.

Ali

supporting submission just made - come on the rest of you ! very easy to do

Reg

In terms of height I am with the [Finsbury Park AAP](http://www.islington.gov.uk/DownloadableDocuments/Environment/Pdf/finsburypark/finsbury_park_aap_october_07.pdf) - page 20: Building heights should respect the character of Lennox Road and Clifton Terrace. Frankly I don't think the proposed scheme does this. In terms of use, it does also say that residential is preferred so I'm not that surprised that student accommodation hasn't exactly fired up the members. I hope you have got your arguments lined up on these aspects Kate.

Arkady

@Reg: The problem with interpreting ‘respect’ as ‘same as’ in that way is that it will end up a massive disparity in heights between Wells Terrace and the station end of Clifton Terrace and the new 22-story development being built on top of the station. If John Jones is unable to exceed the height of buildings on Lennox Rd and Clifton Terrace, then any development on the JJ site is going to be ‘disrespected by two buildings already granted planning permission – the 22-storytowers and the six-story Vista. Given the precedent that has already been set, surely a ‘stepped-up’ approach deals best with the existing and granted massing? Or are you saying that Clifton Terrace and Lenox Rd should have special treatment that residents of the John Jones site should not have access to, students or otherwise? And given the lower floor-height, it’s only, what, 30% higher than the surrounding terraces?

Kate Jones

@ Reg - Hmmm the AAP.... which noone likes to refer to anymore as there is a new plan being developed. You are right, the AAP does say if we were to leave the site, they'd like to see residential and leisure led mixed use - but we're not leaving the site and all the resi developers we have spoken to over the past six years either tried to rip us off or didn't feel the site was viable for resi with us staying put. So that approach didn't work I'm afraid.

Your reference to the AAP actually reminds me of the first meeting we had with the planning office back in 2003 when we were asked if we'd consider a nightclub... I am not sure that would be a great solution for the area!?

We have actually delivered a solution that provides commercial and retail use along Stroud Green Rd and Morris Place. Its a mixed use scheme offering retail, employment and affordable housing, all driven by the student accomodation. We feel that this not only improves the area, but also kick starts the long awaited regeneration - our developer is fully funded and ready to get going on this. Its not going to be another site with planning that sits doing nothing for 3 years - our site will actually be the first to be completed. If our appeal goes through, we'll be looking at a completion date of mid 2012.

Alex

Have also entered a brief supporting submission via the website. I hope I'm not too late in this.

ActionVerb

Some relevant recent news: A nine-storey building with accommodation for 347 students in Camden has been allowed after an inspector found a substantial shortfall in such provision across the capital. The 0.4ha site fell in a larger area identified as being in need of regeneration. The council claimed that the scheme represented a lost opportunity to provide self-contained housing. It argued that the number of bed spaces proposed would lead to studentification of the area, resulting in antisocial behaviour and a less inclusive and unsustainable community. The inspector noted a mismatch between growing student numbers and the supply of appropriate accommodation. It was conceivable that the scheme would free up some self-contained housing for the public as students moved into the appeal development, he reasoned. Some parts of London contained much higher concentrations of students and the scheme would upgrade the quality of the immediate environment, he noted. Although the scheme would not deliver any affordable housing, a unilateral undertaking ensured that the accommodation could only be rented to students enrolled at a higher education institution. Since it would meet a specialist form of housing need, the inspector saw no justification for requiring an element of affordable housing. All info here: http://planningonline.camden.gov.uk/MULTIWAM/showCaseFile.do?appType=Planning&appNumber=2009/5823/P

Reg

Arkady - I have not said that respect = same as. However, if JJ's brief to their architect included the requirement to have respect for the character of these two residential roads, as the policy clearly indicated would be preferable, I can't imagine that this is the scheme they would have come up with. Just because the SGR scheme is 6 stories doesn't mean that this is appropriate all the way round. Also, I don't regard this as a maximum - Morris Place could probably cope with more height. This isn't go to keep me up at night if it gets consent but I'm just saying that I actually think the scheme is not quite right yet.

Arkady

I have permission to leak some exciting news. The appeal was successful. A big, exciting, well-designed new mixed-use development right here. As you may have gathered I'm a massive geek for this project. All my Buffys have come at once. Arky

sincers

Great news. Whats the build deadline? I doubt I'll be still in the UK to enjoy it, sadly. Green shoots indeed. Pleased for Kate et al.

ActionVerb

My question is what now happens to the new paving put in presumably by the Council, along Clifton Terrace? If memory serves, the JJ proposals required the removal of the trees on the JJ side of Clifton Terrace. It seems rather silly for the Council to have progressed with the re-paving, knowing that there was an appeal running on a development that could significantly impact those works.

Donna

this is great! Am so pleased we're going to have students from the University of Arts living there. <http://www.arts.ac.uk/>; I think that's really nice and a great boost for the area. Very cool!

ShaunG

@actionverb - I agree. But in any case what was the point of that work? It's a really wide pavement now, which is kind of nice, but I don't understand why anyone thought it was particularly needed.

Roy

@ActionVerb: I wonder how much taxpayers' money Islington Council spent on refusing the application and having it overturned on appeal. May make the cost of a bit of paving pale into insignificance.

Arkady

@Actionverb - yeah I've been thinking about that. The Council wanted the pavement widening, but if memory serves the JJ plans would have done that at the expense of their own site rather than that of the road! And also they would have contributed to the cost as part of the planning permission. Now the council are left with less road and less money, all for being churlish fucks. And the smaller road with fewer parking spaces is causing problems for the new theatre too. Stupid.

Arkady

Oh, construction of the new floor above the World's End commences in May.

Arkady

John Jones have posted the news, complete with a handy picture to remind people what it will look like from the most-viewed side: <http://www.johnjones.co.uk/news/2011/03/john-jones-arts-development-in-finsbury-park/>;

Kate Jones

Thanks everyone, we really appreciate all your support. We'll be holding a big party when we move in and everyone will be invited to come and discover the new building! We're still brainstorming about how to document and communicate progress - hoping to work with a young artist/ filmmaker and setting up a page on our website. Also perhaps we'll have the opportunity to show people around during the construction phase too - the views from the top floor are going to be great across the park.

We are aiming to start demolition at the end of June/ start of July and building the new JJ building first (12 months construction plan), then we move in and the rest of the development is built (aiming for completion end 2013).

We are so excited to be driving forward with improvements - not only for our business, but also for Finsbury Park, which has been home to us for over two decades ;-)

sincers

Good luck with the build Kate. I'm sure many of us will be looking forward to seeing the project progress.

Reg

As reported by Estates Gazette Finsbury Park student housing scheme gets go-ahead Helen Roxburgh 31/03/2011 15:30 Developer Spiritbond Finsbury Park and planning consultancy Iceni Projects have been given planning permission for a student-housing led development in Finsbury Park, north London. The scheme at Morris Place, by Finsbury Park station, will comprise 475 student bedrooms, 15 affordable flats, 56,833 sq ft of light industrial space and 2,873 sq ft of shops. The development has been driven by the expansion of the existing occupier of the site, picture framing business John Jones Limited, which will take space at the development together with areas for displays from local artists. The planning inspector said: "I am encouraged by the links that could be formed around the ancillary facilities at John Jones, such as exhibition space, and the nearby planning permission for the Park Theatre. In my view, the initiatives enhance the regeneration potential of the appeal scheme and sow the seeds for the development of a cultural quarter."

djalicat

i live across from the world's end and could take pictures of that and the JJ developement.

Reg

I hear that Islington is considering pushing for a Judicial Review of the Inspector's decision. Anyone know about this?

Arkady

I hear that Islington are idiots.

Roy

Just been poking around and discovered that the planning appeal decision (all 18 pages of it) is available online if anyone is interested. Just reading it now and quite an interesting read so far -- although I realise that many on this thread have been following this development for some time and will probably already be familiar with much of the matter discussed. Unfortunately I don't seem to be able to link to it directly but if you go to the [Planning Inspectorate's search page](http://www.pcs.planningportal.gov.uk/pcsportal/casesearch.asp) and type N4 3JG into the postcode box and then click **Search for Cases** you will find it. _ETAGDN_ Actually the main body of the decision is only seven pages; the rest is a schedule of conditions.

Roy

One point mentioned in the appeal document that I haven't seen mentioned in this thread is that the student accommodation will be associated with the University of the Arts.

Arkady

@Roy: It has been mentioned before I think. It's an interesting link to the KX redevelopment, another former railway yard. I've created an overview for the project on Skyscrapercity, the world's biggest forum for this sort of thing: <http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=1356711>; I've included a lot of the pictures and plans. (Kate, I think it's all public domain stuff but let me know if not). Arky

Roy

@arkady: Thanks for that; nice to see the site from several different directions. Do you know what (if anything?) is planned for the block between John Jones and the station (where the Big Yellow car wash is)?