Response to Newcombe House planning application

Following our June 27th newsletter your committee has carefully considered the application, and received comments from nearby residents. We have lodged an objection as follows:

'Many elements of the revised scheme are welcomed - such as the social housing, colonnade, the public space on the NHG frontage, the brickwork and arches on the larger new building and the promised landscaping throughout the site.  The height and massing due to the extra storeys and front slab on Newcombe house (making it 50% deeper) and the bulk of the two new buildings remain unacceptable to the local community.

The proposal to construct an additional 6000 m² (65,000 ft2) over the previously consented scheme is a huge expansion of total space. We do not believe such a large volume is necessary for viability, especially in view of the developers’ repeated assertions on the desirability of office space in this area.

The additional height awarded to the previous consent for this site was contingent on delivery of public benefits such as additional (as opposed to replacement) social housing and tube access improvements, as well as a sizeable internal public square; these are not offered by the current scheme and therefore do not provide justification for the proposed massing or the 15-storey tower.

In recent years the narrow street network of Hillgate Village has suffered from increased social media attention, Uber pickups and tourists using the area for personal photoshoots.  Our members have expressed concerns that the developers’ proposals for the eastern end of Uxbridge Street will encourage footfall through the quiet residential streets.  We request that no benches or café seating is placed between the sheer walls of the eastern section of Uxbridge Street, to protect residents of the houses in Jameson and Uxbridge Streets from reverberating noise, as well as potential rough sleeping.  It is suggested that the pedestrian funnel effect of the Uxbridge Street development proposals could be mitigated with a barrier at the Jameson Street end to provide narrow access only.

Numerous consultation meetings with the developers led us to understand that the western end of the building would have no windows.  We are surprised to see Verified Views 12, 13 and 14 (one shown below) which now show a central glazed area on the western flank of the tower.  Local views impacted will include those from residential areas of Kensington Park Road and Hillgate Village.  The long window will present at night time as a bright column of light.  The developers’ Visual Impact Statement assesses the magnitude of the impact as “high” - an intrusion on the Ladbroke and Campden Conservation Areas which is surely unjustified, given that in daytime the windows would illuminate only “lobbies and amenity” areas on each floor. We would prefer to see these 'column of light' windows removed, unless they can be mitigated by automatic blinds at night. This was a last minute change, which was not covered in the consultation with residents, or residents' associations.

Should the development receive planning consent, we request that conditions are imposed on the following elements:

Plant and equipment. Such clutter must be contained within the envelope of the buildings or solely permitted in the roof top plant enclosure on the main tower, with approved screening. Subsequent additions, including masts and telecoms equipment should be expressly forbidden. Lessons must be learned from the external fitting of plant which has marred so many of the adjacent buildings in Notting Hill Gate.
Should technology innovations remove the need for rooftop plant, the uppermost floor of the development, currently reserved for plant and equipment, should be removed.
Hours of operation for plant should be limited to office hours only (ie. 8am-6pm).
Use of the terraces facing Hillgate Village should be prohibited after 6pm.
Permission for restaurant/bar use and on or off site licenses for the entire site (apart from retail units giving onto Kensington Church Street) should be expressly forbidden.
24/7 Security (with CCTV) should be a firm requirement (contrary to p 16 of the viability report) to deter rough sleepers, as referred to in the consultation meetings.

We are appreciative of the efforts the developers have made during the consultation process and for their significant alterations to the design. However, our members remain unconvinced of the merits of such an intrusive, tall and bulky proposal in the context of the four surrounding conservation areas.'

We encourage residents to comment on this major application on the RBK&C planning portal. The link can be found here.

Thank you for supporting HVRA throughout the campaign. We have worked hard on your behalf for the best achievable outcome at the Newcombe House site, for Notting Hill Gate and the surrounding streets and we will continue to represent the interests of the residents. If you have any comments or questions for us, please email us ASAP at Hillgatevillage@outlook.com - which we monitor closely. We would also encourage you to consider renewing your subscriptions via the membership page on our website (www.hillgatevillage.com/membership), and we hope to arrange our first post Covid AGM in the autumn.

The HVRA Committee