A wander to Watney Market

A wander to Watney Market Idea Store and round Wapping.

@Potof set off to get her haircut so we could be haircut buddies, as I had had my long curls shed for the summer, so left unattended, I slipped out the backdoor to go on an adventure and visit the new library at Watney Market. Of course this being Tower Hamlets, it's not actually a library but an 'Idea Store'. I'm not sure what the difference between a library and an Idea Store, other than having a stain proof rubberised floor, but I am a grumpy old fart.

Setting off I came alongside Shadwell Basin where a couple of dinghies were tacking, trying to catch the non-existent breeze, the stifling heat forcing the mallards to nap on the dockside.

Shadwell Basin

Walking into Wapping Woods, I was thinking about what a ridiculous name it is for an infilled dock with only a handful of semi-mature trees. However, what entered the Woods next made me wonder if perhaps it could get an upgrade to forest status. Sherwood Forest Status.

Wapping Woods

In strolled Friar Tuck, or at least the closest possible modern embodiment. However, I only had wide lenses with me, so no chance of a better shot. As I started to move closer, I hoped to catch the interaction of the friar with a group of builders, but unfortunately it was at this point a local resident decided to accuse me of taking photos of her children. Despite her children not being visible from the footpath I stood on, my presence with a camera was sufficient to accuse me of being some form of predatory paedophile.

In a surreal twist, when I explained that I was on a walk to take some photos, and particularly when I gave her Staffordshire Bull Terrier a stroke, her attitude changed, and told me she once watched a documentary on photography and went on her way.

One can understand why early pioneers of photography began to come up with various techniques of disguising the fact they were taking photos.

Friar Tuck

Shadwell DLR viaduct

Onion seller, Shadwell sur Seine

So, across The Highway I went, in search of knowledge, or at least knowledge of the Idea Store. Shadwell, or more specifically Watney Market, was busy as ever for a Saturday afternoon, with the market jam packed with ladies browsing the various wares on offer.

The view towards the City

I eventually made it to the Idea Store. The ground floor was very busy, or at least there were lots of people sat around waiting - there is a 'One Stop Shop' on the ground floor, but signs were up saying it was closed, so I'm not sure if its popularity is due entirely to the presence of seating.

Upstairs, on the second floor, where the adult books are located, there are two areas of comfy chairs at each of the corners overlooking Commercial Road, and a number of tables. Whilst these were all empty, a row of computers was fully occupied.

The view West

Idea Store study area, second floor

View East: Watnery Market

The range of books appeared to focus on having multiple titles by best-selling authors. There was a reasonable selection, but if one were to choose a book at random, it would likely be a James Patterson, Tom Clancy or Patricia Cornwall. Adult fiction was in at least two sections (in that the alphabetical order was discrete from the other section), but I couldn't work out why. I didn't see any shelves with labels on as to what was what. In the non-fiction this means that unless you have looked up a particular book in the catalogue, or know the numbering system by rote, finding books on a topic might be a bit of an arse. I didn't see if there was a list of the cataloguing codes. When I found what appeared to be the local/family history there appeared to be a dearth of books on the area, though there were a reasonable number on London generally.

The heavily browsed book section

The stairs of lime

My return through the market was even more traumatic, as I made the mistake of going in Iceland to see what flavours of icecream they sold, only to discover myself trapped between queues, which took some time to extricate myself from.

Watney Market

Every type of pest control can be purchased on the market

Shadwell Fire Station responds to a call out

Open your eyes, on the wall of the East London Line Cutting

By this point @potoft had finished the periodic interrogation that comes as an added bonus with any haircut, with the questioning playing out somewhat like Larry Olivier in Marathon Man, except rather than questions about diamonds it tends to be around alleged disloyalty as a customer or how @potoft has become a failure as a human being for not having fortnightly feathering. Customer service eh?

We pottered down to the docks for a coffee and a sandwich from our chums @whitemulberries before picking up a couple of whole lobsters from 'Little Whitstable' which I am trying to shop from in the hope they are able to maintain a presence in the docks.

Walking our Lobsters home down Wapping High Street, we discovered an impromptu Caribbean party in the infilled lock in between the two northern rows of houses at Pier Head. I couldn't be bothered walking round to ask what was going on, so it will forever remain a mystery.

West Indies Day, Pier Head

A little further on, walking behind our local chat show host, it was clear today was party day, both in houses and in gardens and parks, with curious tree hangings in the Rose Gardens, a branch of Hogwarts on Scandrett Street and the fete at St Peters School.

Hogwarts party

Having dropped the lobsters at home I then headed out again to have a look at the planning consultation event at 'London Docks'.

St George in the East and poppies

Pennington Street

I had an interesting chat with a couple of members of St George plc's staff. My overriding concern from having actually sat down and read a chunk of the 249 planning documents was about the height of the tower and how it affects the skyline.

From the developers perspective they see it as being a landmark for 'London Docks' to pull people to the site. I can appreciate their desire for this, but in practice will anyone associate the tower with 'London Docks'; is there going to be anything that anyone would be tempted to walk towards when they see Sauron's tower in the distance. If it's to aid navigation for people coming to the site, why not just get Apple and Bing maps to update their content, as almost everyone can navigate by smartphone.

The view East from St Kat Docks

The view from the South

The view from London Bridge(ish)

The view from the South East(ish)

On my way home, I passed through the Woods once more, and I was reminded how fortunate we are to have a few patches of wilderness to appreciate.

Wapping Woods Wild Flowers

Cootling in attempted flight

UPDATED with photo: Comment on planning application for King Henry's Wharf, Phoenix Wharf and 'Landside'

The following is my response to the planning application for the proposed new block of flats and conversion of two warehouses on Wapping High Street. You can view the application here. There are a few typos, as I rushed to send a response off as I thought I had missed the deadline.
UPDATE: LoveWapping has kindly given me a photo of pedestrians trying to use the southern footpath.

Broadly, I support the development, but I have significant outstanding concerns.

My views on the design of the building are included in the community consultation responses. My response is page 22 of 25 of part 2, submitted as an email on 10 April. My concerns about the landside development windows remain, particularly the windows on the eastern side/south eastern corner, which are not in keeping with the other buildings in the area. I wish that submission to be considered in conjunction with my review below of the additional documents included with the application.
If I need to resubmit these views formally, please let me know.

Logistics

Footways

I understand and accept the need to close footways during the erection of scaffolding. However I have concerns on a temporary but unspecified impact on pedestrians.

Drawings 12/0911/SK02 and 12/0911/SK03 in Appendix B of the Construction logistics plan show the logical fact that if one pavement is closed for the erection of scaffolding, the other must be used.

However, there is a fundamental issue with the proposal and that is that footpaths at this point on Wapping High Street, by Phoenix Wharf are much narrower than elsewhere. The southern footway is not an adequate pavement. I have not had opportunity to measure it with a tape measure, but it is narrow. Outside of Phoenix Wharf the pavement is barely broad enough for a single pedestrian to walk along this is evident from photos in the Conservation plan document and also Google Streetview, where a pedestrian can be seen walking by Phoenix Wharf. The diagram indicates a width of around 60cm but is narrower in places, is not continuous, nor does it have any dropped kerbs. What this means in practice is that a) the disabled or those with buggies and b) pedestrians walking in opposite directions will be forced into the carriage way. However, the carriageway is laid with setts and may not be suitable for wheelchairs and buggies to travel over.

In approving the application, the Council should consider whether there are appropriate safeguards for pedestrians and request information on how long scaffolding will take to erect.

Impact on road users

In the Transport plan, it is stated that the 100 bus travels down Wapping High Street every 10 minutes, in fact the frequency of the bus is every 6-8 minutes during the week, 7am-7pm (source: TfL website). The Logistics Plan states that for two years there will be between 3 and 16 lorry movements daily. Using the schedule, I calculate this to be, on average, approximately 9.5 per day (including the Christmas period). The described activities are:

• Delivery & subsequent removal of scaffolding, plant and equipment to site;
• Muck-away (tipper) vehicles for the removal of excavated / demolished materials;
• Ready-mix concrete deliveries for new-build construction;
• Deliveries of formwork, reinforced steel, timber, brickwork, decking, roofing and fitting / fixtures;
• Delivery and subsequent removal of gantry crane, chutes and hoists.

If one were to assume each loading/unloading takes twenty minutes, this is over three hours of closure of Wapping High Street, per day for two years.

There would therefore for each of these lorry movement be 2 or 3 buses prevented from travelling down Wapping High Street in each direction, or 4-6 in total. Across the course of a day, this would be 40-60 buses affected. Even if my assumption of 20 minutes is overly pessimistic, a ten minute delivery/pickup would still potentially affect 20-30 buses per day.

Whilst local traffic might be usefully diverted down Green Bank, I would be interested if TfL have a view on whether Green Bank is suited to buses travelling down it, and whether two buses could pass each other on the road and whether the buses could successfully make the two turns from Green Bank to Scandrett Street to Wapping High Street and vice versa. Furthermore for the duration of any delivery, individuals at waiting at affected bus stops would not necessarily be aware of the additional delay. It appears to me logical that to allow these bus movements, parking restrictions would need to be enforced and residents provided with additional parking facilities.

The Council should consider if this disruption is proportionate.

Summary

I welcome the application and the proposals, but have some concerns about the landside building's windows. However, at present there is insufficient information and consideration in the planning application on logistical grounds to justify allowing it, particularly given the impact on the disabled, those with young children, the elderly and those dependent on bus services.

I do not believe Councillors should permit the application without visiting the site and receiving example fixtures, fittings and finishes such as window frames and balcony metalwork. These should not be left for subsequent approval of a condition of approving the application. Under no circumstances should the application be approved without the developer addressing concerns about logistics.

New Tesco Express for St Katharine Docks

My periodic trawl of the Tower Hamlets Planning database reveals that a Tesco Express is coming to St Katharine Docks. You can see the documents on the LBTH database here. As a reminder, I have developed a Wapping specific extract of the database available on this blog here, which is an easier way of checking on local applications, for numerous reasons.

The store will be on St Katharines Way, in  the former 'The Dog House' Bar, on the south west corner of the docks. The West and South Elevations are shown below.

Whilst Tesco might not be everyone's cup of tea, or preferred choice of occupant, one upside is an additional cash machine, which may benefit independent traders as I have on occasion found the cash machine by Starbucks to be out of money.

The big question for some will be whether the length of queues at Waitrose in peak hours are going to be affected. A bigger question is whether the new cafés in the Docks will be affected.

Letter to planning consultants on Wapping High Street development

A letter (email) sent to Cunnane Town Planning on proposed new development. See here for background from WiW.

Dear Paul,

I'd like to express my gratitude for the developer consulting the local community on the proposed planning application. Unfortunately I was not able to attend the session at Tobacco Dock yesterday, but I have reviewed the consultation boards. As some background I write a hyperlocal blog called 'pootling around' - I am happy to disseminate any information and any additional mockups online, as well as sharing them with my friends at whatsinwapping and LoveWapping (copied in).

My comments are those which I would express if this was a full planning application and I appreciate that at this stage you may not have considered all of the points I have raised, or included on the boards.

Overall, I think the proposals are of a high standard. My comments on each development are as follows:

Phoenix/King Henry

Whilst appreciating the limitations of the buildings, I am against space being used for 'studio apartments' as I don't see how they contribute to developing a settled community and as they aren't 'affordable', they are unlikely to have any great benefit to assisting people getting on the property ladder (the river view doesn't help with affordability). I would be in favour of fewer, larger units.

In respect to replacing beams and joists, I have no issue, though think it sensible to retain cast iron features where practical, even if not for a structural purpose. I have no issue with the thinning out of the 'forest' in Phoenix.

Where window frames and panes are to be replaced, I think samples should be provided.

I have no issue with the removal of the loading bay/doors in King Henry or the reinstatment of windows in Phoenix (subject to the design of those windows).

Swan

I support the design of the building based on the limited information in the 8 page pdf.

'Landside'

I have two main concerns. The first is the relationship of the building to the existing width of the pavement. The pavements at this point of the Wapping High Street are very narrow, as is the road itself. You will probably be made aware of a very recent incident involving a delivery van and a bus becoming stuck. Although most of the building is set back from the existing pavement, the boundary and planting at the front maintains the width of the current pavement and is further enforced by the proposed entrance on the High Street. If the door to the building (even if not the portico itself) was set back from the pavement this would aid in reducing congestion. Looking at the plan this appears to be the case.

My second concern is the size/form of the windows. This is particularly the case when looking at the mock up labelled 'View of the proposed development from Wapping High Street facing west' and the window on the south-easterly corner, which doesn't complement the other historic buildings.  It would be useful to provide a photorealistic mockup of the front (even if in reality this view is not replicable on camera) of the building head on. The windows on the rear and side of the building look to be of a smaller size than those on the front. The design brief refers to responding to the 'almost dutch scale' of Old Tower Buildings windows. It's odd then  that the windows at the back facing those windows appear to be smaller than the ones at the front. I have no issue with larger windows, but the form and proportions should be more in keeping with neighbouring buildings.

I would actually support a genuinely 'Dutch Window' on the southern aspect given that the design of these arose because of the use of canal fronting buildings as workshops and warehouses and the need to hoist in loads via the window and thus would possibly be a compromise of having large windows for light. Whether these would complement the design may be challenged, but at present, the proposed windows look very generic. If samples of the frames could be shared I might be convinced. I do however appreciate the desire to avoid architectural pastiche.

I am strongly supportive of the overall use of London Stock Brick and Portland Stone as well as the proportions of the building (specifically in the context of New Tower Buildings). In summary though, the view from the West is more aesthetically pleasing than the one from the East. I'm pleased there is at least one four bedroom flat.

General

You will probably be made aware of the significance of the 'Stepney lamppost' - I see no reason this can't be retained and assume that it not being included in the mock-ups was an oversight. Were the lamppost removed I would formally object to the proposed application.

From a public relations perspective, I would be interested in more information about Bridewell Thames. Their choice of incorporation as an unlimited private company with the only directors being from a law firm (which I assume is acting as company secretary) does not scream transparency and you may find that local residents may express reservations.

This may have been available at the consultation, but more photos of the materials would be useful, principally, window frames and the appearance of the metal balconies.

I believe planning consent should be contingent on the freeholder not challenging the potential use of the pier for commuter services and on addressing how construction/redevelopment work will impact on pedestrians, road users and parking in the area.

Planning applications in Wapping

The trials and tribulations of attempting to drag Tower Hamlets into the open data age

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Network Wapping September Meeting

Panorama from the roof of fortress Wapping

Dear reader(s?), how could I leave you with such a cliff hanger?

How did the Network Wapping (NW) meeting go?

Did they take over the world as we know it, upturning Magna Carta, the Bill of Rights and Habeas Corpus?

The simple answer- it went quite well in my opinion with no evidence so far of a local illuminati being established.



Fast facts

Representation: 2 out of 5. A good mix of locals but the Asian community very under represented and relatively few men. Overall a good mix of ages. Some native Wapping people, though I don't know what the actual split is within the area to make a judgement.

Quality of discussion: 4 out of 5. A good range of views, led well by John, the meeting ended before the conversation, as the premises had to be vacated.

Progress: 3 out of 5. Views were captured on flip charts to be written up. John and another lady (I think I know who she is but I shan't name to save embarrassment should I get it wrong) were meeting with St George plc to introduce the group on Friday (yesterday) and hopefully share some high level ideas. What hasn't been made clear yet to attendees or the general public is what NW's purpose is. A discussion group is very different to a full neighbourhood planning forum (which I will discuss in a later post) and I think some fundamentals need to be set out, and I've emailed John in this respect.



The detail

I arrived early and with trepidation. The last community meeting I attended was with TfL discussing the Olympic Route Network and which I left early after tiring of the heated discussion/shouting. Wapping is keen to ask a question, and especially until they get the answer they want.

The meeting was reasonably well attended, maybe 20 people at a time with a little rotation through the night. Councillor Denise Jones attended the start (her ward of course extends to the 'bad north' and indeed I believe no longer captures her own home after the boundary crossed the road).

Coming from an accounting background I normally see a lot of very formal presentations, so John's was quite refreshing, based around photos, maps and designs representing concepts of the built environment in Wapping and globally.

Bridge linking the print works to the listed rum warehouse

Most of the meeting was spent discussing the development of the News International site and what we saw as priorities. I didn't express a view during the meeting. My philosophy in meetings is that I know what my views are and wait to get a feel for the meeting and only speak when I feel I can add value. Back during the discussions on the Town Council I was very vocal and I have a horrible feeling that (specifically at the meeting at St George's town hall) I suggested a community group should be established instead of an additional tier of government.

What struck me was the diversity of views and the balance between increasing local amenities without changing the character of the area. What was clear was that people genuinely had great affection for Wapping, but as an example of the disparate views expressed when the possibility of space being left for a high school it felt like two women exclaimed 'yes' and 'no' almost at the same time.

Gate between News International and Tobacco Dock

Similarly when the possibility of Tobacco Dock being used permanently as an events/exhibition centre, the tattoo convention was mentioned in passing. I've always enjoyed seeing a sea of body art flowing down the canal, or queuing up on Wapping Lane at 9.30am on a Sunday morning munching on Mcmuffins as I've walked to church. What I've never really noticed is the rubbish, which made one lady wish it didn't take place in Wapping. Talking it through, what it really needs is for extra stewarding and street cleaning. Perhaps making small changes in organisation could allow residents and visitors enjoy Wapping together. Ultimately, there is going to be a *massive* new development in Wapping. What NW has allowed though is for a lot of people to come together and be part of the discussion. If we want to influence this development we need to speak up, and whether it's as individuals or as a group, you can only blame yourself if your view wasn't expressed.

A quick summary of people's desires for the site is (I didn't take notes so I could be way off track):

• Open access, not another gated community
• Community facilities: GP surgery, community centre, schools (maybe a small vertical high school)
• Routes through the site, both east-west (Vaughan Way to Pennington St and the canal) and north-south ( The Highway to the canal)
• Not too dominant on the skyline
• Some moderate support for truly sustainable building
• Minimise air pollution during the demolition (cf Leman St)

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Network Wapping

As well as attending the paralympics (twice) and standing on the Olivier Stage at the National Theatre (possibly the best week of my year to date) and work, this week I found time to attend, for the second time, a meeting of 'Network Wapping' (NW). I consider here not the content of that meeting (I'll post more on this and my niggles about planning forums later), but the run-up and some of the discussion around it.

The notice for the meeting on our local community website What's in Wapping (WiW), certainly attracted attention, and from looking at old posts about NW it had a flurry of attention in April, when it emerged that there was competition with a local charity, the Turk's Head,  over the creation of a neighbourhood planning forum and a few brisk exchanges were made. Though not much more was heard (or perhaps I wasn't listening), and NW went on to hold its AGM in July. 

WebWapping (by which I mean those residents who actively engage in online discussion) is generally vociferous about anything going on in the commmunity, be it allegations of impropriety (proven or otherwise) in local charities, the creation of a Town Council, the establishment of a Free School or blocking off access to the river. These are things I must confess to often doing. What WebWapping is most suspicious of (and quite rightly) is a lack of openess and transparency.

As part of the story on WiW about the meeting this week, Vickie, who runs the site asked for a list of the names of people who supported the creation of a Neighbourhood Planning Forum (and for the record mine is one and I told Vickie so) at its July AGM. John, who chairs NW didn't want to supply people's names to WiW without asking the individuals first, so said they weren't available but BCC'd them on his reply. WiW neutrally stated the names weren't available As a result, WebWapping unfortunately inferred NW to be acting secretively.

Alas, reality is predictably less exciting than the fruits of speculation - the provisional constitution circulated at the July AGM, includes....<drum roll> publishing of the names of the individuals. A secretive organisation that voluntarily includes such a provision isn't really doing its job. Anyway, as the 21+ individuals weren't all in attendance at the AGM (although I think some were), they have not had a chance to express a view.

In the web 2.0 age, all information is expected to be available at all times to all people and that emails, tweets and forum posts are answered promptly. I freely admit I get...'enraged' when I fill in a web contact form and don't hear back from the company in question within half a day. In this case the absence of an official mouthpiece for NW meant that criticism, speculation and comment which I consider to be somewhat over the top couldn't be effectively dealt with.

The second cause for concern raised by WebWapping was the nature of some mock ups of designs for spaces in the area. They are 'fanciful' and realistically I don't think any of them have the slightest chance of coming to fruition and I think John, who drew them up, knows this. What they do suggest is that John has a passion for the built environment and importantly in my mind, imagination.

The final niggle I perceive is that people aren't quite sure what the boundaries of Wapping are, and aren't comfortable with the name of Wapping being taken in vain (the new free School bears the name but not the location, at least not for now). The real question is, where does Wapping begin and end, and at what point are you not allowed to show an interest because of how far away you live?

The river to the south is a convenient boundary, as is the existence of a small castle upstream. Looking east, King Edward Memorial Park provides a neat boundary, though does one choose the east or west boundary - a big issue when thinking about a super sewer. Historically, the east-west boundary between Wapping and Limehouse is marked with a plaque on a wall in the garden on the Prospect of Whitby! The real issue however is the northern boundary. For many, 'The Highway' AKA the A1203 forms a 'natural' boundary, given the four lanes of traffic and a council estate on the other side. John, who lives in 'the bad north' as he calls the other side of the Highway has adopted an area that broadly maps to the political boundary of the Ward of St Katherine and Wapping. I feel it might be an idea to explore how boundaries of 'Wapping' have changed, even if just an academic exercise.

Paul