Environmental sustainability

The BA has set up an environmental sustainability group, which is busy talking to the estate office about ways of improving the Barbican's energy profile. First results of the Sustainability group's collaboration with UCL on the Estate's energy efficiency can be viewed here. It has also produced a set of top tips for saving energy that Barbican residents can do themselves and a note on Smart metering

Jane Smith  chairBA@btinternet.com 

Cinemas 2 and 3  – planning permission application

The Arts Centre has posted its answers to questions raised on its own website

[http://www.barbican.org.uk/about-barbican/residents] 

The Barbican Association’s cinema group (Bruce Badger (Ben Jonson), Paul Bowers Isaacson (Breton), Janet Haber (Cromwell), Christian Keesing (Cromwell), Randall Anderson (BA, RCC), Robert Barker (BA), Jane Smith (BA)) have decided on the following approach. There are three planning applications [see references below]: for listed building consent, for planning permission, and for change of use (from exhibition hall to cinemas, café, and restaurant).  For the planning application and change of use application the BA will be seeking a series of conditions in the planning permission that cover and pin down sound monitoring and the operation of the building. 

On sound monitoring, we are reasonably assured that the design of the cinema should ensure no structure borne noise and also enough attenuation of airborne noise that the cinemas will not cause a nuisance to residents above and around the cinemas. We are seeking further undertakings about limits on the noise levels within the cinemas and in the foyer areas and plant areas and we also want to see a sound monitoring regime put in place to make sure that the integrity of the box within the box design (which limits the noise) is maintained through the life of the cinema.

On the operation of the building we are seeking conditions on:   sorts of café and restaurant,  hours of operation of cinemas and café and restaurant,   noise nuisance and  other operational issues (deliveries, rubbish etc) 

The BA will object to the listed building consent on the grounds that the current design does not respect the listed design of the Barbican. The main problem here is the “light box” translucent glass at the mezzanine level. We would also like to see double doors on Beech Street to reduce noise spillage from the foyers.

The BA would encourage the surrounding house groups to put in their own comments/objections by the closing date of 14 February because that gives them the right to speak at the planning committee meeting.  Please don’t hesitate to get in touch with any of the committee members if you have any questions or want to make any points.

Planning applications

Exhibition Hall 1, Barbican Trade Centre, Golden Lane , London , EC2

10/00874/FULLR3

(i) Installation of new external facade cladding system. (ii) Installation of new plant equipment and services

http://www.planning.cityoflondon.gov.uk/tdc/DcApplication/application_detailview.aspx?caseno=LCR4QDFH0K900 

Exhibition Hall 1, Barbican Trade Centre, Golden Lane , London , EC2

10/00876/FULLR3

Change of use of existing Barbican Exhibition Hall 1, east end (D1). To use class D2 - cinema, A3 cafe and A3 restaurant

http://www.planning.cityoflondon.gov.uk/tdc/DcApplication/application_detailview.aspx?caseno=LCR6P0FH0K900 

Exhibition Hall 1, Barbican Trade Centre, Golden Lane , London , EC2

10/00875/LBC

Internal and external alterations to include the installation of new external facade cladding in lieu of existing and new plant equipment alterations for internal enabling works

http://www.planning.cityoflondon.gov.uk/tdc/DcApplication/application_detailview.aspx?caseno=LCR6H7FH0K901

Follow the tab to associated documents and press the view documents button- this produces an index of the

Crossrail   (new update on Crossrail page)

Crossrail is moving fast on its stations, as the closure of Boots and other shops in Moorfields illustrates.  We now have a specific Crossrail page, button on the left.

The City and Crossrail have set up a consultation forum specifically to cover the Barbican area, so it covers all the area from the east side of the Farringdon Station to the west side of the Liverpool Street station (in effect from east Smithfield to Moorgate) and all the area in between, under which the tracks will run. The first forum takes place on 25 February, so if any resident has any questions they would like raised please let me know. (chairBA@btinternet.com). We’ve already submitted a long list of questions. 

Milton Court

As local residents will know, work on demolishing the ground floor and basement of the old Milton Court site has started, and will be followed by construction in the spring. A regular monthly meeting has been set up between the developer, the contractor, and representatives of the nearby house groups. If residents have issues they would like raised at that meeting, please do contact your house group chair. If residents need to make any immediate direct complaints, the numbers are: Michael Sharkey, community liaison officer: 07903 184057, mike.sharkey@mcgee.co.uk, or the project manager, David Makey 07903 183138, dave.makey@mcgee.co.uk

Hotels

Developers have been consulting on two proposals for hotels nearby. The first, which we heard about before Christmas, is a proposal to turn the old telephone exchange in Moor Lane into two hotels – an “apartment” hotel on the Willoughby side of the site, with a taller four star hotel behind it, with the two linked by a courtyard. This proposal has not yet been formally submitted as a planning application.

The more recent proposal is to turn Roman House, on the corner of Wood Street and Fore Street, into a Premier Inn hotel. The developers are consulting about that on 25 February in St Giles’s Church from late afternoon to early evening, with the architects presenting at 4 pm and 6pm. The nearby houses have been leafleted about this. At its March meeting the Barbican Association decided to object to the planning application when it is made. The concerns are about noise and disturbance at unsocial hours, particularly at weekends.

From the chair, Jane Smith (chairBA@btinternet.com)