"Doppeldecker" im Belsize! postscript for 2018

Image copyright (c) with http://www.londonbasement.co.uk

"Double Decker" down is the new trendy word in Belsize, Frognal and Fitzjohns and Hampstead wards. Dubbed the "what do you do with a spare few million earning next to no interest in banks", answer build a double decker basement excavation (BE) under your property.

Gym, sauna, spare offices, swimming pool and cinema to name just a few uses.

So thats the sales pitch tag-line! Now the environmental impact reality of such schemes here in the Belsize area.

Since campaigning Belsize from 2009 through to the present time I have observed the growing trend for increasingly more ambitious basement excavation projects in Belsize. We have reached the stage with the advancing technologies from companies like for example the London Basement Company, one of the leading specialist firms doing state-of the-art designs.

However, this is where the romance of the concept can and does literally tear apart local community creating feelings of complete "utter" despair amongst Belsize resident home owners.

Four weeks ago I spoke with most of the affected residents in the Lawn Road area over two current BE projects and now with a third one pending opposite the recently saved Belsize Library and in front of the Children's Park, where my daughter used to play often. The mood on the ground is one of gritting determination by a consortium of residents coming together to take on the council planning department over its seemingly reekless decisions to approve it would appear nearly all BE proposals regardless of community consultations.

Back in 2014 whilst campaigning after attending and speaking at the excellent Belsize Residents Association (BRA) Hustings for candidates there in the BRA areas, including Belsize. This was a very hot topic again with seemingly precious little currently that existing councillors are able to do.

I disagree that this is a lost cause. I know that it seems difficult to take-on the developers directly once the council planning permission are given. But I have been doing some research on this matter over the years and believe that some legal remits may exist to bring about Action with a capital "A" result. 

I have found three more pending BE project applications yesterday afternoon just by canvassing three streets. The anger is raw and comes out loud and clear from affected property owners. Within there own situation they have at a stroke been placed in a pending virtual HS2 doom and gloom prospect next to their homes.

They spoke to me at length about the immediate worries of years of BE works which may use the new Doppeldecker construction. which goes deeper, takes a lot longer  and has more potential for neighbouring foundation instability issues, which in may manifest years after original build.

I have written to Camden council planning officers on this very subject and although I am unable for legal reasons to state either the properties or officers in question, I am able to outline a generic analysis of my findings thus far.

Planning permission is the start of the process but on approval this is only the basis on which to pursue any knock-on problems of the development proccess. Most people that I have spoken with have cited many examples of environmental problems. 

Noise, Dust, Pollution, Health and Safety on site, refuge such as concrete sludge spill-off causing blocked drains to name just a few notable examples.

These are the build problems, which depending on complexity may extend several years.

Then there are the recorded instances, especially in Hampstead area of soil drainage and water table modifiers caused by very deep concrete structures causing basement neighbouring water ingress and destabilistaion to local properties. Many of these worst affects can be prevented by excellent design practices from the very best practitioners in the industry. But sadly this is probably the exception rather than the rule.

What I propose is simple clear and straightforward. As your elected councillor I would advocate for changes to initial planning permission process that would build in more rigorous local community consultation which allows community to give legally frame worked challenges and increase scope window to allow these challenges to take place.

In the words of a property owner I had a very long talk with yesterday. The planning permission consultation appears to disregard the feelings of the local community and once the permission is granted (which it now appears always is) there is precious little that can be done apart from enduring for years the related blight or packing up home and move to the countryside.

I think you will all join in with me and agree that we would like to keep our Belsize friends and neighbours actually here in Belsize!

Please show your support for my pragmatic approach to these problems by helping me become the first elected Independent councillor where I will then have the mandate to advocate on your behalf.

What Belsize needs is a tough minded independent and not pithy moderated civil servant approach as appears to generally be the norm due to need to toe-party political lines of most party elected councillors.

Postscript in 2018 Nothing has changed but with the increasing wishes of landowners wanting to expand their properties downwards multiple floors this trend is a curse for most residents.

The Horrors of basement excavations and extension works in Belsize

Whilst out campaigning and talking to many of you yesterday I have picked up a disturbingly high level of case-work all to do with property basement excavations and extensions in and around our wonderful leafy and normally quiet neighbourhood. It appears that not only are planning permissions now due to the changes introduced by Conservatives to local laws having become more relaxed with local consultations to our local areas appearing to be cavalierly dealt with by Camden local planning officers who to be fair are over stretched and overworked due to reductions in there numbers, in relation to affected local neighbouring properties.

What is so sad is that the lives of many of our long standing Belsize citizens now in retirement and naturally wishing to enjoy the tranquility of their Belsize homes are being "bulldozed" into a frenzy of required complaints and potential legal challenges to these property developers that have in recent years moved into Hampstead, Frognal and Fitzjohns and Belsize with apparent alarming ease as a way to earn higher rates of returns on monies that receive virtually nothing from the banks. Most of these repackaged homes are not actually lived in whilst these works can last many months or years.

Some examples of the issues that I have picked up yesterday are:

Concrete sludge being dumped into street drains, causing blockage and local flooding with very expensive repairs being required to be actioned by Camden council services.

Excessive environmental noise and dust pollution to local area. Some residents have reported to me that sound recording meters designed to measure noise have recorded at times in well in excess 100db of sound and this is in a residential area. By way of an example I have researched that close proximity to a jet on take off is around 120db!

One of the biggest complaints however is hours of building works being extended by contractors outside of the consulted permitted times, again with total disregard to local residents who may me home retired or those many residents who seek to work from home locations who find that they are unable to do so for months if not years with out disruption from noise pollution.

I had another particularly sad example last week of two older retired homeowners living in a row of three houses, where the middle house owner (who naturally does not actually live there) wish to develop an over the garden extension between the two very lovely gardens who will not only lose their valued garden views and being able to exchange in dialogue but have a virtual brick wall out house for a view with loss of security by enabling would be criminals to cross over the erected garden house roofs to enter upper level windows.

On this particular example it is hoped that by pending legal mitigation will be prevented from happening!

I would love to share actual examples with you but for legal reasons must refrain from doing so as most are or may enter a legal proceedings.

It is clear that I will have a busy time with Camden council planning officers next week after the holidays.

It is hard to be photographed in leafy Belsize without someone recognising their own house. So in the avoidance of any doubt the background in my photograph bears no relation to this piece.