Corporate greed wins again

Published: October 6, 2011

• THAT the Saatchi proposal makes a contribution to facilities is not in dispute (Council rejects Saatchi development, but Mayor Boris overturns decision, September 22). The question is whether that contribution is adequate and commensurate with the extra burden it places on amenity. On that measure the proposal fails.

The Derwent scheme fails to meet explicit policy requirements and “the considerable investment in the community” is not equivalent to the considerable extra burden the building will bring. The clearest example: a living-room size piece of corporate space, presented as “open space” (let alone the requisite nature space), has been allocated but when the extra size of the development and its occupants is factored in there will be even more pressure on open space than exists at present – not including the extra tens of thousands of commuters Crossrail will eventually bring.

While the Mayor is charged with looking after London’ strategic infrastructure, he’s also supposed to supply a democratic bulwark to the excess of corporate machination. If not the elected Mayor then who? So much for “compassionate conservatism”.

Derwent strategy is to make an outrageous proposal and then reduce it by a token gesture to be quoted as a concession. The Saatchi proposal dwarfs neighbouring buildings and the rent will be doubled, pricing out the creative industries which Fitzrovia attracts.

As with the Turnmill proposal in Farringdon, both are within or next to conservation areas, which were created to prevent rampant overdevelopment within protected areas. What use is conservation area designation if developers have that “protection” revoked to serve their own ends?

The Saatchi and Turnmill proposals take distinct neighbourhoods and replace what is there with corporate fashionism.

Derwent has claimed it would listen to people, but the mystery of how thousands of invitations to a consultation never reached recipients is not solved.

A semi-secret consultation with limited input has produced a distorted result to justify corporate greed. Contemptible.
Peter Baver
Coordinator, Howard House and Cleveland Street (north) Neighbourhood Watch
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