Chris, i meant the proposed compromises for discussion here, in the first post of this thread, and i did not say anything about rejection. You may be looking for a fight here, but i will not give it to you.
The site was rejected for retail, then again rejected to be demolished. The objectors were adamant the holders have historical significance, which they are really not, stopping the site to become smth useful for people and benificial for neighbouring residents.
What they really did is deadlocked the opportunity. The gas company is not getting good offers. Housing projects - not happening with the current state of the site, no chance to return the invested money is obviouse. What the gas company thought, probably, is to make the site more attractive for building opportunities and investors by taking the metal down and leveling. If that is done, then chances and potential for favorable development increases significantly as half of the works are done, tones of metal gone. But no, objectors care about the dead metal, all this stories and researches to prove the historical significance, to me, looked like a hysteria. And the fact that they dont want to even discuss the compromise, to me, only is only a sign that they dont care about people, neghbouring resident who are really in need of amenity and waiting for the opportunity to come, which is the gas holders site demolition and developement really.
I do wonder how Co-Op selects sites. With one by Crofton Park station and then another at the end of Adelaide Avenue, they seem to concentrate there on a very small patch.
Oh dear, cheap groceries, drinks, homewares, diy and gardening sundries doesnt take a lot to see several small businesses taking a hit.Picking up the overflow from Lidl
Another similar story, but the Council did gve permission to demolish.
No one is taking the history away. From the article:
SGN spokesman said: “It’s no longer sustainable for us to keep these structures in a safe and visually acceptable condition long-term.
“However, as part of our dismantling programme, we are committed to celebrating and capturing the history of our gasholders.
“We understand that to many people these iconic structures act as a visual reminder of an area’s history.
“Therefore, we are working with communities, local history groups and museums to ensure each holder we dismantle has its history captured for future generations to learn from.”
Cycling past the Kennington gasometer steel frames the other day, I was wondering if anyone knows what the plan is for those, and whether it might be worth comparing notes with the Kennington equivalent of the FH / Sydenham societies. I’m sure similar conversations are ongoing there as well.
I do believe the matter of the Gas Holders development has been ongoing since 1983 by my reckoning thats 35 years!
Unfortunately at that pace most of the respondents on this forum will be dead, in a care home or will have been subject to elected euthanasia
I gather that Lambeth Council and Berkeley Homes have a masterplan for the area in which involved the retention of the Grade II listed gasholder and the creation of a public space at its centre.
That looks fabulous, and I don’t in principle see why that sort of level of ambition couldn’t be put into place at Bell Green. Kennington property values are clearly higher than they are in Sydenham and Forest Hill, but not by an enormous amount. And much must have been learned by now about cleaning up the brownfield site that a redundant gasholder amounts to; in other words, I’m sure there are cost savings on the monies expended to make the King’s Cross site habitable.
I seem to remember the powers that be looked at the cleaning cost of the site v the sales for housing and the figures didnt add up hence no housing. I stand to be corrected though.
2047 Lewisham council have finally decided that the Gas Holders could be utilized as a hub for personal drone transport units with recharging points . The height will enable multiple bays at 3 levels.
However the increased air traffic has raised some concerns with local residents therefore a consultation period and impact study should be initiated within the next 5 years.
Well today I had cause to walk to Bell Green so I took the opportunity to have a gander at said holders.
I admit my first real close up, so i expected to see some tangible evidence of Victorian elegance sculpted profiles ornate cross members if fact any discernible feature that would guide me to a belief that the structure was not built a few months ago! Nothing I saw would be different if it were to be built next week. The cross stress bars the uprights are all simple mechanical designs which if specified today would be replicated. So other than it is old I failed to see what is special?
