Newcombe House update

HVRA is sorry to confirm that Beltane Asset Management’s proposal was approved in full by the Planning Committee on 18th January 2024. No concessions were granted on the 4 issues raised in our further objection lodged on 14th December:
https://planningsearch.rbkc.gov.uk/publisher/docs/F2EE5C049F126351869FF4B804A49C94/Document-F2EE5C049F126351869FF4B804A49C94.pdf
 
The Council had received over 50 objections, including '3RA' (all the Notting Hill Gate residents’ associations) and an excellent objection from the Kensington Society – together representing hundreds if not thousands of residents, but to no avail.
 
Only 7 working days’ notice (just over the statutory minimum) was given for us to study the 260 page committee report, and prepare for the meeting. Our request for a postponement was denied. This was very disappointing, but is not a ground for appeal. 
 
The meeting was addressed by Amanda Frame (Kensington Society), Sophie Massey Cook (HVRA Chair), Fiona Fleming Brown (the Pembridge Association Chair) and a local resident.  As of 4th February the minutes are not available, but the meeting was live-streamed - watch it here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F9UxvBj5pfA

The pre-meeting documents and reports are available here: https://www.rbkc.gov.uk/Committees/ieListDocuments.aspx?CId=147&MId=3572&Ver=4
 
We renewed our objection to the height and massing of the buildings and especially of the planned Newcombe House, “a behemoth which 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% - which will dominate Notting Hill Gate and harm the views from all the surrounding Conservation Areas vastly more than the current building. 
 
We argued that this large development (over three times the existing floorspace) will harm the character and charm of the Village, but the committee concluded that “less than significant harm” would result. We and our fellow speakers reiterated our objections, and we proposed the following conditionsbe added to any planning consent:
 
1) The Tower’s “column of light“ all the way up the western end of Newcombe house was raised as a major problem, especially at night as it overlooks Hillgate Village, causing light pollution, reflection of the setting sun and overlooking of the local houses and invading their privacy. A condition was proposed to install non-reflective obscured glass and blinds at night to preserve the privacy of Hillgate Village residents, reduce glare and avoid excess light pollution.
 
2) We requested gates at both ends of the Uxbridge St walkway (between David Game House and the blank wall of the station opposite) which could be closed during hours of darkness to deter antisocial behaviour and excessive footfall at night – consistent with RBKC’s designing out crime SPD referenced in the officer's report: https://www.rbkc.gov.uk/planning-and-building-control/planning-policy/designing-out-crime
 
The developer’s promises of security guards and CCTV are no substitute, and provide no long-term guarantee. Their architect told the committee that such gates would be too difficult to install due to the levels by the “undercroft” under the extended Newcombe House frontage. We disagree.    
 
3) We also fear the wide colonnades under the extended north frontage of Newcombe House and the Kensington Church Street frontage will attract rough sleeping & antisocial behaviour, and proposed these should also be closed off by railings in hours of darkness. These could be neatly recessed during the day. If omitted in the development and then retrofitted when problems arise, these will be more unsightly (and costly).
 
Residents of Hillgate Village are concerned about the potential impact on this quiet residential area if further large numbers of visitors are encouraged to enter and leave the village via the east end of Uxbridge Street. As a result of social media promotions we already suffer disruption from tourists taking photos and selfies.
 
4) Another condition requested was to guarantee the long term maintenance of greenery on the scheme, especially the west facing terraces preventing people from overlooking houses in Hillgate Village, as well as of trees, etc. at ground level. 
 
We continue to request more effective advocacy from our ward councillor representatives as the draft conditions at the end of the planning report are finalised.  We hope that the final legal agreement may still be negotiated to afford some protection for residents from light pollution and overlooking from the tower.  Our ward councillors have now undertaken to represent residents more forcefully with council officers and the developers. We shall report on their progress in our next newsletter.