Nemesis
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From SAVE:
And from Homes Under Threat:
Gosh well yes. And where have CABE, English Heritage and the Sustainable Development Commission been for the past five years?
Better late then never I suppose...
SAVE BRITAIN’S HERITAGE
70 Cowcross Street, London, EC1M 6EJ
PRESS RELEASE 21 JULY 2008
THE REBIRTH OF TOXTETH STREET
SAVE PROPOSES ALTERNATIVES TO DEMOLITION OF MANCHESTER TERRACES
SAVE Britain’s Heritage is joining forces with local residents in east Manchester to fight plans to demolish over 400 terraced houses under the government’s notorious Pathfinder initiative. In a groundbreaking collaboration, SAVE is working with an acclaimed young architect to propose ways in which the existing buildings can be revitalised and adapted to provide a variety of new housing.
Toxteth Street forms the spine of an area of modest but attractive terraced housing in the Openshaw district of east Manchester. Currently over 400 houses in the area are scheduled for demolition to make way for a new housing development. A compulsory purchase inquiry in September will decide its fate.
Local residents, supported by SAVE, are fighting the scheme. They argue that these well-built houses should be refurbished rather than demolished, and that the traditional street pattern which gives the area much of its distinctive character, should be preserved. Now, as part of a powerful case against the proposed redevelopment, SAVE has commissioned Mark Hines Architects, a young practice specialising in sustainable design and remodelling existing buildings, to produce a number of schemes for rehabilitating the existing homes. The plans offer a variety of living accommodation with private outdoor space and an invigorated streetscape.
The schemes exploit the flexibility of the existing Victorian houses by joining, extending and modifying individual units to create family homes of up to four bedrooms with their own gardens. Other ideas allow residents to choose from a number of possible ‘add-ons’ to their properties, each offering a different living arrangement. The outdoor spaces at the rear of the houses will be relandscaped to provide a series of private and communal secure gardens. On the street side, landscaping improvements will provide a pedestrian-friendly environment without banishing cars. The proposals exploit the embodied energy in the existing houses, and also offer other environmental benefits, combining a series of sustainability measures with high levels of energy efficiency.
Although Mark Hines’s Toxteth Street proposals offers a fresh approach to rehabilitating terraced housing, other designers have already implemented successful alternatives to demolition. Last month, a refurbishment scheme by Shed KM Architects at Chimney Pot Park in Salford, was the overall winner in the Housing Design Awards.
William Palin, Secretary of SAVE, said that Mark Hines’s new Toxteth Street scheme ‘exposed the insanity of the demolition plans. Judged on community benefits, environmental impact and cost, rehabilitation and refurbishment is clearly the way forward. It is less destructive, helps preserve the existing community, saves money and offers revitalisation without losing the enduring qualities of these characterful and much-loved terraced streets. With good, imaginative design, these houses can be easily adapted to offer the variety of housing which the Pathfinder agencies say is required for the area.’
SAVE and Mark Hines will be showcasing the Toxteth Street plans at a local venue on 29 August. Printed copies of the plans will be available for free from SAVE from the end of July. The designs will also be available for view on the SAVE website.
For more information contact:
William Palin, Secretary, SAVE Britain’s Heritage, 70 Cowcross Street, London EC1M 6EJ
http://www.savebritainsheritage.org
Notes to editors:
SAVE Britain’s Heritage has been one of the strongest critics of the demolitions proposed as part of the government’s Housing Market Renewal (Pathfinder) Initiative. SAVE’s hard-hitting report on Pathfinder, published in 2006, highlighted the devastating effects of these clearances on both the communities and the architectural cohesion of towns and cities. SAVE has also drawn attention to wastefulness of demoltion. SAVE’s position has been vindicated by a report by the Commons Committee of Public Accounts published in June 2008. The report warns of ‘…a risk that demolition sites, rather than newly built houses, will be the Programme’s legacy’ and concludes that ‘the needs of those who wish to remain in an area should not be overlooked in developing more mixed and sustainable communities.’
SAVE Britain’s Heritage has been campaigning for historic buildings since its formation in 1975 by a group of architects, journalists and planners. It is a strong, independent voice in conservation, free to respond rapidly to emergencies and to speak out loud for the historic built environment.
Mark Hines Architects is a young architectural practice specialising in sustainable new design and the sensitive remodelling of existing buildings. They have specialist skills in working with historic buildings, and their extension, adaptation and repair. Mark Hines Architects are currently completing the design of a new community pavilion in nearby Ashton under Lyne, which will be one of the largest straw bale buildings yet constructed in the United Kingdom. Mark Hines was previously a director of MacCormac Jamieson Prichard architects and was the responsible for the conservation and remodelling of the BBC’s Broadcasting House.
Mark Hines can be contacted at:
http://www.markhines.co.uk
Mark Hines has been responsible for a series of award winning design projects. He is also one of the country’s few Lethaby Scholars, and trained with the Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings, one of the most respected conservation organisations in the world.
--
William Palin
Secretary
SAVE Britain’s Heritage
70 Cowcross Street
London EC1M 6EJ
http://www.savebritainsheritage.org
Registered Charity 269129
And from Homes Under Threat:
Pathfinders: New action plan for housing market renewal in North and Midlands
After years of controversy and community action, a new Action Plan for delivering successful places has been drawn up by CABE, English Heritage and the Sustainable Development Commission, to plan ahead and taking market downturn into account. It proposes a shift in the pathfinders' agenda away from housing, and towards a broad-based, design-led regeneration programme, with place making at its heart.
The housing market renewal (HMR) programme was established to tackle the problems of 12 neighbourhoods with acute low housing demand in the North of England and the West Midlands. So far 1,100 new homes have been built, and 40,000 homes � many of which have local historic interest � have been refurbished but swathes of terraces and their communities have been swept away. �1.2 billion of government funding has been invested and a further �1 billion will be spent over the next three years, to 2010/11. The new Action Plan looks at the successes and failures of the programme so far, highlights achievements and suggests new directions.
The market downturn means that design quality now matters more than ever. Innovation, CABE acknowledges, does not mean green gadgetry, but quality of place, and finding the best ways to preserve heritage. Progress made so far, however, may not continue if public authorities lose their nerve with the market downturn. The action plan explores what is required in terms of placemaking and design; heritage, community and environment; and funding and delivery. It includes specific pledges of support from government agencies.
For further information see http://www.cabe.org.uk/default.aspx?contentitemid=2631�� Back
Gosh well yes. And where have CABE, English Heritage and the Sustainable Development Commission been for the past five years?
Better late then never I suppose...