Meeting documents

James Dodson Norfolk Crescent Green Residents' Association

I am James Dodson of Norfolk Crescent Green Residents' Association. Other members will speak on individual topics after me in more detail. I want to explain how our community will be affected by development proposed by the SPD. Please note that all our comments refer solely to development in BWR East, the City Extension.

Our Association represents those who live in the buildings surrounding the Green, namely Norfolk Crescent, Nile St, Nelson Place West and Nelson Villas. Norfolk Crescent is Listed Grade 1 and Nile St and Nelson Place West are both listed Grade 2. This historic composition includes the Green, enclosed on two sides by these listed buildings and on the third by the river; the whole is within the Conservation Area. The Green is also important to us as amenity space, because 95% of our residents have no gardens.

As BWR East will be directly opposite us, our historic environment and our community will be severely harmed by the heights, scale and mass of development there. Hence in July 2006, we objected to the SPD on a number of grounds including Heights & Loss of Light, and we also sought changes to the potential new bridge and to the Urban River Quarter, both of which will have particular and severe impacts on our quality of life.

Of key concern is that, due to relative orientations, tall buildings running close to and along the length of the river would block light from South East, South, South West and West. They would cause severe loss of light and overshadowing, particularly in winter, to the Green and also to our closest buildings, Norfolk Crescent and Nelson Villas,. The situation of the Grade I Crescent is critical. It is extremely close to BWR, being only 30 metres away at its southern end. Tall buildings at close proximity would plunge both its front and rear into shadow at all times of the day and the year and severely harm its setting.

A further key concern is flooding. Some of our buildings in Norfolk Crescent and Nelson Villas and a large area of the Green are already in or on the cusp of Flood Zone 3. Thus they are already at the highest level of risk even before future climate change is considered. We are most anxious that development in BWR East does not increase this risk.

In summary our main aspirations are (1) to nullify loss of light to and overshadowing of our environment, (2) to avoid harm to the setting of our listed buildings and (3) to assure that flood neutrality is achieved at BWR East and does not add to our risk.

Thank you.

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