Hillgate Village Residents’ Association
December 2023 Newsletter
Newcombe House update
Dear Members and Supporters,
We are awaiting a date for the planning committee meeting for the revised Newcombe House proposal. We believe that this will be in January.
The RBKC planning portal reference for the Newcombe House application is PP/23/03534. There are objections from the Pembridge Association, the Campden Hill Residents’ Association, HVRA and the Kensington Society.
Meanwhile, Beltane, the owners of Newcombe House, have now removed the remaining retail tenants and are proceeding with various “strip out”’ works.
If the planning committee grants consent, the focus will move on to the details of the construction transport management plan (CTMP); HVRA committee members who reside close to the development will lead on that.
HVRA have submitted a supplementary objection, summarised below.
We believe the Beltane scheme could be amended to provide an acceptable alternative, reducing the additional bulk of the proposed tower to produce a more respectful profile. The current proposal would be far too intrusive and damaging for Notting Hill Gate.
We are asking the Campden Councillors and those of the adjoining Wards to join us in demanding a better solution than this bloated proposal. We await their response.
The key concerns in more detail:
1. Height and massing
While the maximum height is slightly lower than the previous scheme (which Beltane publicly described as “unbuildable” in their consultation) the gross massing results in a huge expansion of over 6,000 square metres – or 65,000 square feet - in floor space versus Brockton’s scheme; almost tripling the area of the existing buildings.
The resulting behemoth will loom over low-rise Hillgate Village; and the so-called “refurbishment” of the Newcombe House tower - actually an expansion of the tower by over 50% - will dominate Notting Hill Gate and harm the setting of all the surrounding Conservation Areas vastly more than the current building.
2. Designing in crime and antisocial behaviour/rough sleeping
Unless secured at night, the Uxbridge Street passageway and wide colonnades will be magnets for rough sleeping & antisocial behaviour - which are historic problems on this site. Any redevelopment should remove this nuisance, rather than making it potentially much worse.
3. West facing window
Further to our objections in July, the recent images, unlike those shown in consultation meetings – show a “column of light“ of wide windows all the way up the western end of Newcombe House. These will appear as a dominant feature overlooking the village, and would be particularly prominent at night.
4. Levels on northern frontage
It is not clear from the drawings exactly how the levels will work between the new “public square“ on the north side of Newcombe house, and the passageway access from the west (Uxbridge Street). Further clarification is required.
Licensing issues
We have continued our involvement in the Akub restaurant issues, and we are keeping a close eye on other licensing applications in the area on behalf of the residents.
Rubbish
Partly as a result of the increasing commercialisation of the fringes of the village, the problems of commercial garbage, notably in Uxbridge Street, have continued. We are grateful for the efforts of some local residents, including our committee colleague Deborah Collinson, in urging the council to nip this in the bud.
Food waste collection service
We encourage all members and supporters to consider using the new food waste collection service, which you can read about on this link:
https://www.rbkc.gov.uk/bins-recycling-and-commercial-waste/food-and-garden-waste/food-waste-collection-service
It takes only a few minutes to sign up on the website, and this delivers a significant environmental benefit.
Notting Hill Gate Action Plan
RBKC are moving the launch of the consultation in January 2024 following conversations with ward councillors and other interested parties. This will be communicated via leaflet drops, the NextDoor app and council social media channels. The consultation will remain open for a minimum of 6 weeks for anyone interested in Notting Hill Gate to comment on.
The proposed timeline is below:
8th January to 18th February 2024 – 6 weeks consultation
w/c 22 Jan – public drop in exhibition. This exhibition is an opportunity to view and comment on the plans in person.
End of March: Community Working Group meeting to review results of the consultation and discuss next steps for the action plan.
Frequent closures of Holland Park and Lancaster Gate tube stations
Our MP, Felicity Buchan, recently wrote to the Mayor of London to prevent the frequent closures of the two stations. You can read the letter here:
https://www.felicitybuchan.com/news/felicity-writes-sadiq-khan-station-closures
You can sign the petition at the bottom of this page:
https://www.felicitybuchan.com/HollandParkActionDay
We are planning our much-delayed AGM to elect the committee, discuss the Newcombe decision and matters arising, as well as any other relevant local issues.
We are in need of volunteers - please contact us on hillgatevillage@outlook.com if you're able to give a little time to help your community!
The Gordon Hospital consultation
North West London NHS are carrying out a consultation on the future of the Gordon Hospital and on acute mental health provision in Kensington & Chelsea and Westminster. This runs online until Tuesday 30 January 2024.
Provision for acute mental health has reduced in both boroughs by 51 beds as the Gordon Hospital in South Westminster was closed at the start of the pandemic. This has meant that residents in Kensington and Chelsea have had to travel further for treatment as nearly half the beds in St Charles now have Westminster patients. Three residents have had to travel to Milton Keynes for treatment. This has the additional impact of removing their support groups as family and friends are not nearby.
Previous drop-in information sessions were not particularly well attended. New dates have been scheduled for 2 further sessions, please see below.
Kensington Central Library
Monday 15 January – 1.30pm – 3.00pm
Tuesday 23 January – 10.30am – 12.00pm
The more people who give views, the more we may achieve a result that benefits the residents of our borough.
You can find out more about the online consultation on the Council website:
https://www.rbkc.gov.uk/newsroom/nhs-acute-mental-health-consultation
Any other business
We would like to wish all our members and supporters a very merry Christmas and a healthy and happy New Year!
Here are some items which caught the Committee's eye(s) over the last few weeks:
On building and architecture:
https://www.onlondon.co.uk/andrew-beharrell-what-is-the-future-of-high-rise-housing/
Light relief:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?app=desktop&v=QHPmRJIoc2k
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cr6luwrY2dw
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8r5kecJfS2I
Finally – if you are thinking of practising your piano skills over the Christmas season, you might enjoy this remarkable short video, referenced in the recent “Private Passions“ by Michael Berkeley with Walter Murch.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/m001svr2?partner=uk.co.bbc&origin=share-mobile