Open letter: To the Chairman LHA_ASRA

From: Mr Richard Pearson

Richard.peason53@yahoo.co.uk

The Chairman

LHA_ASRA

3 Bede Island Road
Leicester
LE2 7EA

20^th June 2011

Dear Sir,

In my opinion, the new accommodation block on Eastham close is a planning defect which will have a serious impact on the new occupants of the ground floor units for years to come, and may have a financial impact on LHA_ASRA.

The four ground floor units are situated on a concrete base approximately 18” thick. Inside the two central living units there are no air ventilation ducts in the walls or in the concrete ceiling, and no doors or windows, except for the front main openings facing the Eastham Close houses. The two end units are the same except they do have oblong windows. All of the ground floor units have no stairs linking them to the upper level.

Inside all of the ground floor units there is a single small blue water inlet pipe in the floor at the back of each room. All four units are meant to be connected to the EnviroEnergy District Heating Scheme, yet there is no pipe-work located in any of the concrete floors, or walls.

There is no obvious in let gas pipe, or electricity inlet cables.

There is no outflow drainage pipes located in the floor of each unit for the toilet, bath, bathroom-sink or kitchen-sink (large or small). There is a single small blue cold water inlet pipe; however, this needs to supply the bath, bathroom-sink, and kitchen-sink.

The only way into these four ground floor units is through the large open window units facing the Eastham Close houses opposite. The detailed site plan shows a single narrow footpath in front of all of these four living units. The plan also shows a narrow footpath, less than 5’ wide, each side of this block leading up onto Eastham Close road, which also has two rows of steps. It will be very difficult for the new occupants to take their wheelie bins up onto Eastham Close road to be emptied each Thursday evening.

There is no indication of good lighting for these two footpaths.

The greatest problem faced by the former occupants of the block of flats that was once situated here was intimidation, and threats, from the drug dealers that moved in and occupied the forecourt and grass bank of the nearby pedestrian subway. These dealers were present 7am till dark seven days a week throughout the year. It is therefore very likely that history will repeat itself for the occupants of this new accommodation block. Why? Because drug dealers are presently occupying a location at the bottom of Lytton Close nearby and intimidating local residents today and waiting to move in.

The local Police Beat Manager Paul Deane PC 873 – Tel: Mobile 07792 437357 – or 0300 300 9999 Ext 811 6766 will be able to advise you about the latest drug dealing problems on the Stonebridge Park Estate today.

What should LHA_ASRA (the developer) & Lovell (the builder) do now?

In my opinion it is important that all further construction work should stop on the Eastham Close site with immediate affect, to allow time for the building plans to be reconsidered, and amendments made. If work is allowed to continue it is likely that as the developer (future Landlord) LHA will suffer a serious financial loss of income from being unable to let the ground floor units. Have friction with Nottingham City council because these units cannot be connected to the District Heating Scheme.

If it is possible to let any of the ground floor units, you will face localised problems with the wheelie-bin emptying regime, Royal mail delivery, inadequate footpath lighting, and the new occupants being intimidated by drug dealing youths occupying each of the two pedestrian footpaths/steps.

A look inside the two central ground floor accommodations units.

A look inside the north end ground floor accommodation unit, which has a single narrow window.

The colourful detailed Eastham Close site plan showing the new accommodation block and two small nearby houses B1 & B2 side of 9 Lytton close.

The detailed Eastham Close site plan accompanying the Reserved Planning Application (2010). Please can you take a look at the construction plans for this new accommodation block on Eastham Close, Stonebridge Park Estate, Nottingham. NG3 2GJ and carryout a review to rectify the planning defects which are troubling the site today.

Thank you

Yours sincerely
Richard Pearson

Mr Richard Pearson

Eastham Close Site: Houses

These two controversial ‘small’ 1B type houses are located next to 9 Lytton Close. The size of the living room is approximately 20’ x 11’. Kitchen 10’ x 11’. Down stairs hall & toilet area 10’ x 10’. The Bedrooms are each 10’ x 11’. On the ground floor there is no coat room or obvious place to hang up your hat, coat or umbrella. There is also no Closet to store brushes, mops bucket/bowl, ironing board, vacuumed cleaner, tools or garden tools. Oddly, these two small houses are supposed to be connected to the EnviroEnergy District Heating Scheme yet the detailed house plans show no radiators in any of the rooms!

By comparison I live in a one-bed flat, the size of the living room is approximately 16’ x 13’. Kitchen 10’ x 15’. Bedroom 14’ x 14’ and bathroom 10’ x 8’. My 3 seat settee is 3’ x 7’. My double bed is 8’ x 6’. I also have a coat room 8’ x 4’. A closet 8’ x  6’ and a drying cabinet 3’ x 3’ because my flat IS connected to the District Heating Scheme. I also have radiators in all of the main rooms including the hallway.

The top photograph is a view of the front of the two houses looking towards the living room. The middle photo is a look inside the living room space, while the bottom photo is a view inside the back of the house from the proposed kitchen. The only door into the property is on the left.

Video: 15 June 2011

It was raining on this occasion! This is the latest film of the Stonebridge Park Estate; the video begins on Eastham Close Road, then Eastham Close, Dennet Close bottom-row, Dennet Close top-row. We then look at the Fairholm Court site, views around Rocket Park, then onto the top of Magson Close and the Long Hedge area, and finally the bottom of Magson Close behind the Coop.
   

For more information about what appear to be planning defects see the latest Eastham Close 15 June Blog Page.

Noticeable changes can be seen on Rocket Park where work has begun to level the grassed area and make the site more accessible, all of the trees remain in place.

The proposed road which appears on the new Master Plan (2010) running along the rear of the Fairholm Court railings and round into Farers Walk will not now happen as there is no money to pay for this feature.

Long Hedge Site: 15 June 2011

Many of the new houses on this site have roofs on and appear to be nearing completion as far as their external appearance is concerned. I did notice new walls and steps have been put in place at the rear of the properties on the upper row. These houses stand tall and look quite grand in there appearance.

There are no views this month from inside this site as the properties are very difficult to see through the wire mesh security fencing, I’ll try to obtain some images in the next 14 days. 

Magson Close behind Coop: 15 June

The site continues to be worked on every day to put in place the new foundations for what will be St Matthias Apartments, the Alcester pub stands proud at the top of this site, and I could not help notice The Albany Centre over the road. This is named after The Albany Works, formerly Wrights & Dobson’s, demolished in 2003.

Rocket Park: 15 June 2011

Railings were put up surrounding Rocket Park in late May and work began this month. A JCB and an excavator moved in and bulldozed the grass banks to landscape the site to form a more level playing field. All of the trees remain standing except one which was cut down, The site looks strange with its new hard core base laid down, yet when the area is grassed over again it will be much improved. New children’s & adult play equipment will be added later.

These are the latest Photographs of Rocket Park taken on 14 June.

Video: St Ann’s 1969 Pt 4

The is the final film of the series.

Video: St Ann’s 1969 Pt 3

Part three begins at the local Porn shop, and then Ken Coates & Richard Silburn talk about the meaning of poverty for St Ann’s locals. The film then moves on to show Blue Bell Hill Schools. Ken Coates & Richard Silburn conclude this section with a short discussion on the need for cheap family houses so that people can afford the pay the rents.

Video: St Ann’s 1969 Pt 2

The main industry was Nottingham Lace, women either sat together in groups picking the threads from ribbons of lace fabric, or individually in their own home, but the pay for this type of work was appalling. As this film shows some women worked very long hours to gain enough bread money to live on. It also shows a second hand shop, many locals visited these places to save money on clothes and shoes for their school children. My friend Lorraine Crofts grew up with their parents who ran a second hand shop in St Ann’s Well Road, and later had a similar shop in Arkwright Street, in The Meadows, Nottingham.

Video: St Ann’s 1969 Pt 1

Introduced by broadcaster Ray Gosling this film shows Old St Ann’s just prior to the slum clearance programme of the early 1970s. It is an interesting film because it focuses just on the poverty of our Nottingham inner city area. At this time St Ann’s was a large town with 10,000 inhabitants living in Victorian terrace houses. 350 shops lined St Ann’s Well Road with more than 22 public houses, several churches, and community facilities.

Dennet Close bottom row: 15 June 2011

Work is progressing well on this row of houses, and already the upper bedrooms are being constructed. They remind me of a row of Victorian terrace houses that once dominated old St Ann’s, and a look across what will be their back yards makes ones stomach churn. I do hope that these back yards will be far better then the deplorable forecourts of the old block of flats that once sat here !

The Pevril Site:15 June 2011

The block of four flats fronting Beacon Hill Rise Road is now complete with its maroon coloured front doors. Built in just 16 weeks this is a magnificent achievement by Lovell. The building stands proud at the front of our Stonebridge Park Estate, and is being noticed by passes by and people in cars already.

The foundations for a new large block of flats have now been put in place on the Peveril site hidden by the front security hording, and the foundations for what will be Bollywood Apartments along the Dennet Close Road side of the site is now being prepared.

Bollywood Apartment! How degrading, the Pevril pub stood on this site for years and has always been called the Pveril --- Come on Lovell, give us a break, these new units should be called The Pevril Apartments.

The top photograph shows the rear of the finished block of flats on the Pevril site, while the bottom photos show the new foundations that have been laid in the last two weeks.

Video: Homes For Heroes

A great deal has been written about the Nottingham Blitz of World War 2, and other parts of Britain which were devastated by Adolph Hitler’s bombs.

The raid on the night of 8-9 May by the German Luftwaffe was targeted at Nottingham and Derby. The X-Gerät beams set up to cover the Rolls Royce works were detected, and radio counter-measures diverted the attack to the moors north east of the town.

There were over 100 bombers in the Nottingham raid. Emergency services tackled 97 fires on the night of the Nottingham Blitz on May 8 and 9, 1941. Records list 12 fires as serious, 40 as major and 42 as medium. In some cases, fires started by incendiary bombs were put out before they took hold.

As the War ended there was a major house rebuilding program set up by the Government, known as “Homes for Heroes.” Its aim was to provide homes for returning British troops, and for families who lost their homes as a result of the blitz. Town Planning was hotly debated at this time, and in this interesting and informative video, town planners of the time explain there ideas and way of thinking © BBC TV.

Video: Eastham Close protest

Between 2008 – 2010 LHA_ASRA carried out a poor consultation exercise along side Nottingham City Council around the recent revised Master Plan, as a direct result few people were adequately consulted on the Stonebridge Park Estate. At the recent public SPTRA meeting in May, local Councillor David Liversidge said there had been changes within the company resulting in new officers being placed in new posts at LHA, and that things should be much better from now on.

Two controversial houses being built today on the Eastham Close Site have prompted protests from locals, and one resident Mr Robert Whyman, has gathered a petition containing 159 signatures saying the buildings should not have been built, and that local people had not been consulted. He was also arrested in May for trespass while trying to stop contractors from working on the property. This is a  Remonstration Video concerning the construction of this Planning Defect. The sound track reflects the opinion of locals that the interior of some of the new flats and houses presently being built appear to be rather small.

Video: Stonebridge 2007 Part 3

This is one final look at the Stonebridge Park Estate before the bulldozers moved in in January 2008.

Many locals were saddened to leave this Estate and lose all of their friends / neighbours who were dispersed to live in new homes around the city of Nottingham.

Video: Stonebridge 2007 Part 3

This is one final look at the Stonebridge Park Estate before the bulldozers moved in in January 2008.

Many locals were saddened to leave this Estate and lose all of their friends / neighbours who were dispersed to live in new homes around the city of Nottingham.

Video: Stonebridge 2007 Part 2

The ground floor forecourts had lighting that was not maintained, and once the bulbs had burnt out, these areas were often left in darkness during the hours of darkness, the only illumination was from the street lighting above — if any. The forecourts have never been inspected by the council, so broken paving slabs, missing drain covers and pot holes often left tenants at risk of personal injury.

Lots of grass and weeds grew out of the cracks and crevices making the forecourts look untidy and unmaintained, reminiscent of the slums of Old St Ann’s of yesterday-year.

Video: Stonebridge 2007 Part 1

The blocks of flats on the Stonebridge Park Estate were mainly constructed by the developer Whimpey’s around the year 1976 and then demolished in 2008 – 2011. They are the product of the slum clearance of old St Ann’s, and were a planning defect rubber stamped by Nottingham City Council following a number of public enquiries.

It is amazing how people lived in these three tier blocks of one-bed flats, which were poorly maintained.

Tenants entered the front of the flats along concrete platforms (drawbridges), with railings all around. The top floor flats had the best security, while the middle row and bottom ground floor flats were quite vulnerable to crime.

With the construction of the flats came a maze of interlocking footpaths, quick get-always for criminals, and antisocial behaviour. The Police were left powerless to act as they could only patrol and respond to crime complaints on foot or mountain bikes.

The average rent was £ 46 per week with many people on social benefits. The main shopping was carried out at the Coop store in Carlton Road, now closed, and at Paul’s shop in Robin Hood Street.

The flats had hot running water and radiators connected to the EnviroEnergy District Heating Scheme. Stonebridge Park Tenants & Residents Association was formed in 2002, who pressed for the Regeneration Scheme which is happening on the Estate today.

The Pevril Pub Site: 30 May

The block flats on the front of this site, which face onto Beacon hill Rise Road, are nearing completion. The roof has been added and tiled, and the windows put in place. It is a very fine showcase building that gives the Stonebridge Park Estate a bright image, a place where young new families will like to live.

                              

The new house further along Eastham Close Road, has its roof on and tiled, while the windows may be fitted in the next few days. With the block of apartments under construction on Eastham Close opposite, this Road now seems congested and claustrophobic. Again, the front door of this house appears to open directly onto the road. However, this could change when the highway is developed later on.

The work on Bollywood Apartments on the Dennet close Road side of the Peril site is moving along slowly. I have seen almost no change in the building work over the last 5 weeks.

Fairholm Court Site: 30 May

Preparation of the ground at the Fairholm Court site is now nearing completion, with the brick / rock crushing phase complete. A pile of brick spoil lies at the north end of the grounds, while top soil is being spread ready for the area to be grassed over.

 This bottom photograph is a view looking across the area of the demolished houses on Flewitt Gardens.

Long Hedge Site: 30 May

Almost all of the roof beams have now been installed on both rows of houses on this site, while the main double house at the entrance stands tall and proud, with its exterior almost complete. It looks like a lovely dwelling house, with large windows that let in plenty of light.

Magson Close Near Coop: 30 May

This site continues to undergo change as the foundations are now being prepared for what the detailed site plans describe as “St Matthias Apartments.” It was raining when these latest photographs were being taken.

Over the last eight weeks a considerable amount of fine brown talcum powder like dust has been blowing onto cars in the street and the houses opposite. The contractor has not sprayed the ground with water to prevent this. This subject was raised at the April public meeting of SATRA by local residents; however, NCC officers have taken no action to prevent it from happening.

 A view from the bottom of Magson Close 

Moving further along the Road

This is a view from the top of the site