FRIENDS OF REGENT'S CANAL, 29TH MAY 2013

DISCUSSION DOCUMENT

CANAL-SIDE DEVELOPMENT

SHOULD WE APPLAUD OR OPPOSE IT?



















BACKGROUND



Regrettably, the Friends of Regent's Canal rarely get a chance to give full support to planning applications. Is this a reflection of the Friends' negativity? Or is it a natural reaction to the modern approach of most property developers?

To understand the type of conflicts that arise, we will examine some recent examples along the Regent's Canal.

1 Jul-2011 Demolition of Rosemary Works
2 Jan-2012 Change of Use of former stables at City Road Lock
3 Apr-2012 Change of Use of Lock Keeper's Cottage, Camden
4 Feb-2013 Demolition of Holborn Studios
5 Apr-2013 Redevelopment of Bow Wharf


Developers are under huge pressure to exploit brownfield sites, or they risk being labelled as failures, so it is inevitable that they will clash with champions of open space. If there were no planning controls then the Regent's Canal would resemble Manhatten or parts of Singapore. To an extent, the canal is protected as it is a designated Site of Metropolitan Importance to Nature Conservation and its sits in several Conservation Areas. However, some people have convinced themselves that the conservation rules apply only to the locks and bridges and not to the waterside buildings.

Here is a simplistic summary of typical objectives of the stakeholders.


Friends of Regent's Canal To promote and protect the canal, as a viable navigation system for commercial and leisure traffic, and as a tranquil open space within a built-up environment.
Canal and River Trust To maintain the waterways. To find sustainable sources of funding.
Local Councils To provide housing for local residents.
Property Developers To make profit from redevelopment of sites that have been allowed to fall in market value.
Central Government To maximise the development potential of every available site. To kickstart the [office-based] economy.


It is estimated that canal-side properties can attract a 30 percent hike in market value, so it is unsurprising that developers are rushing to convert dormant industrial premises into private residential compounds.

Often the best we can hope for is a compromise, so it is important that we have a predefined set of values that we can measure things against.


PLANNING CRITERIA - WHAT TO LOOK FOR



Here are some factors that could influence whether we support or oppose a planning application.

Do they reflect the values and priorities of the Friends of Regent's Canal?


Criterion Comments/Examples
1 Public accessibility Some sites allow the public to access the waterside while others are gated communities. Sometimes the public right of way is obvious; sometimes it is cleverly disguised.
2 Interaction with the canal Some sites serve the canal well (e.g the community mooring at Kings Place); others merely overlook it.
3 Loss of sky or open space Bow Wharf, Rosemary Works.
Wall-to-wall development in de Beauvoir
4 Harm to character of the area Bow Wharf. Rosemary Works. Holborn Studios demolition
5 Impact of change of use Canal information centre was nearly lost in Camden Town.
6 Buffer between buildings and the canal Sometimes the buildings encroach on the waterspace (e.g. Rosemary Works) or make the towpath feel claustrophobic (e.g Bow Wharf); in other cases a wide gap is retained, allowing room for biodiversity.
7 Loss or gain of amenity Loss of jobs in and around Holborn Studios. Loss of workshops and live/work units at Rosemary Works
8 Loss of affordable mooring Whenever land ownership changes hands, there is a risk that any associated mooring spaces will be beyond the budget of regular boaters.
9 Harm to navigation Encroachment of second chamber at City Road Lock.
10 Loss of heritage Proposed demolition of industrial buildings (including chimney) at Holborn Studios
11 Use of the Canal during Construction Kings Place was exemplary during its construction.


ROLE OF THE FRIENDS



The Friends of Regent's Canal are not always consulted directly by council planning departments; but local journalists are interested in our views and community-facing consultants have started to approach us during public consultations. Sometimes we provide a platform for developers to give presentations and to capture public opinion.

It is not always possible to obtain a collective opinion on an application, because we hold only four public meetings a year and most planning consultations are done and dusted in the gaps between our meetings.

In some situations, it is easy to gauge the likely reaction from canal supporters and we can comment to the press without consulting the rest of the group. For example, the Rosemary Works proposal sent shock waves across the commuinty as soon as the artist's impressions were circulated. But in other situations, opinions might be divided and it is not possible to express commetns in the name of the Friends, but we can still facilitate public consultation by alerting relevant groups. We can also assist by posting images, links and selected comments on our website.

EXAMPLES OF RECENT APPLICATIONS



Click here to see details of the five chosen examples.

EXAMPLES OF EXISTING CANAL-SIDE BUILDINGS



Click here to see examples that illustrate some of the significant features.






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