Regeneration begins at Marble Arch Place
Residents in the south of the Ward will have noticed an increase in activity around the unloved 1960s Marble Arch Tower site. Work began in May, and is scheduled to complete in early 2020. The result will be London’s premier mixed-use scheme, at the intersection of Edgware Road with Bayswater Road, Park Lane and Oxford Street. This development will provide an iconic gateway to the West End, and the much-needed regeneration of this run-down part of our Ward.
Conceived by the internationally-acclaimed architect Rafael Vinoly, the development specifies the highest-quality residential and commercial buildings in London. The ambitious public-realm scheme combines easy access to Portman Village with a dynamic retail-frontage of cafes, restaurants, shops, and the entrance to a new Odeon cinema. British artist Lee Simmons has created an exciting public-art installation that takes its inspiration from Hyde Park, and will form part of the façade. £400M is being spent bringing this site up to scratch, so residents can expect some impressive results.
We’re all well aware of the disruption and inconvenience inevitable in any such redevelopment. Your Councillors’ job will be to hold the developers and contractors responsible in spirit and action for delivering the agreed Construction Management Plan.
Progress on the restoration of Old Marylebone Town Hall
It’s almost 3 years since the scaffolding went up around the Old Marylebone Town Hall, and engineering company Wates began work on this complicated restoration project. The demolition phase, which included large-scale asbestos-removal, and interminable percussive demolition of some very thick reinforced-concrete vaults, was a severe trial to local residents.
We were cheered last autumn to see the tower emerge from its scaffolding, and lit up at night to show off the newly-restored white stone. Now another landmark-moment is approaching: the tower crane, which has loomed over the neighbourhood since late 2013, is due to come down at the end of August - probably over the Bank Holiday, weather permitting.
The last phase of major construction is the glazed link between the two buildings, as shown above. Work on the interior of the buildings, including cabling and dry-lining, will take another year, projected to complete in September 2017. Westminster City Council retains the use of the first-floor ceremonial rooms where so many famous weddings have taken place, while The London Business School will occupy the new 3-storey building and Annexe, which offer 6 lecture theatres, 35 seminar rooms, a library, offices and faculty-spaces for the School’s burgeoning population.
So glad you got in touch!
Earlier this month, a resident alerted us to a problem at 82 Seymour Place. The shutter for a deep garage had been missing for some time. An overloaded skip in the front part of the garage was attracting rough-sleepers to bed down behind it.
With the help of the porters from adjacent blocks, we tracked down who was responsible for the property, and called on our CASSA (Clean and Safer Streets) team to advise. They ordered that the encampment be cleared immediately on safety grounds: the garage under-runs a multi-occupied building.
Our City Inspector got in touch with the lessees of the property, Virgin Media, who had the skip removed forthwith. The next hurdle will be to get the free-holder to put a shutter on the garage. Our City Inspector is checking the property early every morning, but this garage will continue to be a concern until it is properly secured. We’re watching this space.
Meanwhile, we’re really grateful to the neighbour who brought this health-and-safety hazard to our attention, and to the porters from nearby blocks who helped us to identify who is responsible for this site. Thank you!