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December 11, 2024 from 5pm to 7:30pm
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The Parade of Shops under Crescent House
The parade of shops under Crescent House seems to be getting shabbier by the year. No wonder the shop-keepers are gloomy about trading conditions. A few steps would transform it, among them:
- increased sweeping of the pavement which is usually heavily littered (a noisy motorised street cleaner sweeps the gutter of the highway daily which is rarely necessary, but nobody seems to do the pavements by machine or by hand!)
- replacement of the current really dreadful lighting with new units, selected carefully to give better, safer lighting but without glare (i.e. downlighters).
- maintaining the lighting properly (light bulbs are not regularly replaced and at any one time several lights are likely to be inoperative).
- repairing the mosaics on the columns and cleaning them regularly to remove graffiti and stickers
- tough action against the shop businesses who deposit boxes, delivery crates, A-boards, rubbish and other clutter on the pavement during the day and overnight.
- removal of all the projecting shopfront fascias and signs which have accumulated, most recently external metal shutters at one of the cafes and yet more projecting signage on two shops.These make the already dingy area claustrophobic and unappealing to walk along, which is presumably why most of the pedestrians use the pavement on the opposite side of the road, narrow as it is. At night this parade is quite unpleasant to walk through.
- replacement of the once largely uniform shopfronts along this parade (only two survive in their original condition, though the Exhibit gallery has replaced the one there makin three in all).
- redesigning the ramp at the entrance to Crescent House (this was a well-meaning but incompetently designed alteration to the entrance area) so that it is not a litter trap, is less appealing as a public urinal and can accommodate two residents at once.
- enforcement of the planning status of the building as Grade II* listed building. coomercial tenants simple alter shopfronts without consent and the City does not enforce against them even though many changes are post the listing. (Compare this with Bow Lane and other City shopping areas, when the Corporation exercises very tight control and insists high design standards).
It is the first building in the City as you walk South down Goswell Road.The City owns this building and I understand the Housing Department lets the shops for the benefit of the housing revenue account (though the HRA is about to abolished under new Government arrangements). The City is also the highway authority and and the planning authority with a statutory duty to protect listed buildings. Whichever way you look at it, its down to Guidhall to take the initiative and make this dingy and unappealing parade a more attractive and welcoming gateway to the City.
Views: 1298
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Maria Elizabeth Prior on
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The City of London Corporation never cease to amaze me with their double standards! Firstly, they cause a great fuss when any poor resident wants to upgrade, and improve their homes, particularly within Crescent House, and make it as difficult as possible to get Listed Building consent, yet they went ahead initially without it for the Decent Standards improvements. Now, they seem to turn a 'blind eye' to the concerns of residents about the appearance of the Crescent House shops, particularly the new dentist, which everyone can see! Absolutely typical!!!!
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Permalink Reply by Daniel Elson on
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Has anyone reported the Dentist shop rear to the Estate office or the Corporation? If so, who was it reported to and is anything being done about it?
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Permalink Reply by Paul Lincoln on
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It is being looked at by Sue Bacon in the Planning Department.
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Permalink Reply by JM on
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Would complaining to English Heritage do any good do you think?
Roland Jeffery said:Roland Jeffery said:
I sent it to the Chair of the Committee Martin Dudley and copied to our Councilman Gareth Moore. I will report the responses in full here.Well, Nick, has anything changed? I sent a copy of my points to the Chair of the Housing Committee as you suggested. The Deputy Chair of the housing committee said my points were well made and that she would investigate and revert, but I have heard nothing since August 2011.
Gareth Moore our Common Councilman, with whom I shared the letter, kindly pressed officers to respond to me.
The housing department replied at length about the repainting of flats. But my letter was specifically about the shops, which they said were EXCLUDED from their programme for flats !
Gareth Moore then forwarded my letter to the Surveyor's Department but I have heard nothing since a holding reply of August 2011.
Neither the Housing Department nor the Surveyor's Department have clarified whether the 'street lighting' over the pavement is the the responsibility of one, nor the other -nor who pays for it. (I hope it is not on the residents lighting bill!)
The department which cleans the pavements did not respond at all. I have noticed that the manual street sweeping has been reintroduced after a period when a machine was doing it. The machine was useless as it could not manoeuvre round the columns and was obstructed by the A-boards and other clutter. But the pavement under Crescent House remains distinguished by wind-blown litter (though the gutter of the roadway, is still mechanically swept daily). It much less tidy that the rest of the street.
I think the City is not very good at anything where one department has to co-operate with another. Managing this piece of pavement seems to involve at least three departments.
Rocket science is not required - just some joined-up working.
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Permalink Reply by Steve Daszko on
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I echo all of the above comments!
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Paul - was there any reply from Sue Bacon in the Planning Department about this?.Or has anyone else had any feedback?
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It looks like planning permission is now being sought by the dentist to improve the rear elevation, including moving the extractor fan outlets, placing them behind a grille and removing the out of date perspex sign. Not sure whether this is as a result of any action by CoL but an application is on the planning website:
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