(posted 7907 days ago)Bus Station - Vauxhall Cross
I enclose copy of the planning details below and also copy of e mail I received on the matter from Street Management to give a little more background:We have until Friday 30th to make comments on this monstrosity (my view alone), I spoke with planning officer yesterday, nice young lady, Haley Ellison - 020 7926 1252 if you have any queries. Plan are on show at the S.L. Tate Library
Planning application reads: Provision of a bus station including canopy, associated seating, bus station operations accommodation and public toilets together with other accommodation including retails kiosks, police pod, pissiore (my bold) .and refuse collection facilities.
Planning ref: 02/02069/FUL/DCHJE.
Below, previous e mails. Hope this is useful.
Regards
Rita...To: Jeremycampbell@streetmanagement.org.uk
Dear Sir,To print a leaflet in July 2002 that states under The Next Step "Construction of the bus station has started" and then to follow this on the back page "inviting the public to comment" seems a strange way of doing things to me.
What would be the purpose of the comments if they were not congratulatory?
NONE I WOULD SUGGEST.
I attended previous "consultations" at the Vauxhall Station, and must comment that of all the designs presented the one chosen and shown on your current leaflet WAS BY FAR THE WORST. I commented as such on more than one occasion. Whilst I acknowledge that beauty is in the eye of the beholder this goes beyond the look of this monstrosity.
Ugly, hideous design, concrete jungle, no better than an underpass, unfriendly to users, definitely NOT more people friendly, does not look as though it would weather well, nooks and crannies ideal for criminal activities, I could go on.
I will be discussing this more widely with local groups, including Vauxhall St. Peter's Heritage Trust mentioned on your leaflet.
I will write further when I have more time.
Rita Fitzgerald
Dear Rita,
I have finally got a definitive response on the various issues we have been discussing.
I will address this one first.
The public consultation process was intended to gauge public reaction to the various designs for the bus station, and to provide us with comments to pass on to the planning authority, in this case Lambeth.
It is a required part of the planning application process, and apart from the intended effects for TfL, Lambeth will not accept any planning application for a public building without a public consultation.
Those are the bare facts, but obviously there are further reasons for the consultation.
From TfL's point of view, it is important to gauge public reaction, to make sure that a design is not going to cause offence, and that it would have support from the public at large.
It is also used to find out how and why different views are polarised, and what the main issues are for anyone using (in this case) Vauxhall Cross.
There have been two significant public consultations for this design, and both have brought various reactions to the design, but the trend is towards support for the project.
I spent 7 days facing the public and discussing the issues with them, and I found that although those opposed to it were more vocal, there was a larger number of people who supported the project and the design.
The design is bold, and will definitely polarise opinion, but it is meant to be a landmark building, so it must be recognisable.
In the planning application there are a number of criteria to consider, of which public reaction is one.
I am sure you can understand the difficulty in leaving the final decision to the public, who may be informed but often will not have the knowledge of the issues (engineering considerations, maintenance, cost, etc) and the technical awareness to make reasonable judgements.
There are so many people who use Vauxhall that it would be difficult to have a definitive forum and a vote on such a thing.
The selection was made by a panel of stakeholders, and consultees from a shortlist of designs tendered by the country's leading firms.
The criteria by which the selection was made include:
- Architectural Critique;
- Financial Considerations;
- Planning Considerations;
- Programme and Construction;
- Public Comment
The selection process also had to adhere to TfL's procurement strategy.
I hope this helps with the issue of selection.
All comments from the public have been included in the planning application,and will be considered by Lambeth planning authority, and I continue to pass them on as I receive them.
Many thanks
Jeremy