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Autobar House Bulger Developer liaison meeting – March 2014

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ATTENDEES:

Mark Varley (Contracts Manager Bugler Developments),  Martyn Brooks (Project Manager Bugler Developments),  Stephanie Henderson-Brown (Regatta Point Freehold Limited Director),  Mark Fullalove (Thames Row Representative),  Sally Hudson (Thames Row Management Company), Louise  Muggoch (Boat Owners Representative)

MINUTES: 

  • Soft Strip Demolition of the old Autobar building

The demolition has been delayed because the English Heritage archaeological dig has now also found some pottery believed to be 3,800 years old (BC). Bugler will continue to work around the archaeologists, but are now working 15 weeks behind schedule. The archaeological dig is estimated to be completed by the 21st of March.

The Soft Strip Demolition will take 1 week and be completed by the 4th of April.

  • Asbestos removal of the old Autobar building

The asbestos removal of the old Autobar building has started and is estimated to be also completed by the 4th of April.

  • Overview of the intended Bugler Development schedule

The scaffolding for the demolition of Autobar House is estimated to start on the 7th of April and the demolition should be completed by the 16th of May. The scaffolding for the demolition will be fully enclosed to provide protection from dust and debris, and Martyn Brooks has assured us that water sprays will be used to keep the dust to a minimum.

Both new buildings will be going up at the same time and Bugler will be using a luffing crane which will not oversail the adjacent residential buildings, to enable this to happen. The completion of the road site flats is estimated to be completed by June 2015, and the completion of the riverside maisonettes by October 2015.

The piles will be 16 metres deep & will prevent any subsidence from the new building. There will no time gap between the old flood wall coming out and it being rebuilt again.

The Thames Row residents raised the issue of a crack that has opened up in their side of the Autobar House boundary wall. Mark Varley and Martyn Brooks went to inspect the wall directly after the meeting.

  • Site information

The entrance to the site will be adjacent to Regatta Point and the site will be occupied daily from 6/6 30am.  Working hours will be 8am – 6pm Mon-Fri and 8am – 1pm on Saturdays.

Deliveries will be between 9am and 3:30pm (with the odd variation).

Martyn Brooks, the Project Manager of Bugler Developments gave us his contact number to be used in working hours –  07834 733142.

Bugler are registered with Considerate Constructors scheme so we can complain if we hear any untoward disturbances.

  • Overview of scaffolding issues

Bugler Construction Scaffolding Site Plan

Plan

Autobar plan

Bugler have now pollarded the trees on the river side next to the Chilham boat ready for the scaffolding

  • Issues resolving Regatta Point

The hoarding separating the new development and Regatta Point will be 6 feet high sheeted Heras security fencing.

As the hoarding will partially overlap the west wall balconies, it presents a security risk from the possibility of people climbing over. Protection is being provided to the end of the balconies, as elsewhere, by Monoflex sheeting securely clipped to the scaffolding and Bugler will remove any nearby ladders.

It may be noted that the scaffolding hoarding is 1.2m off the wall and so we would lose the three car spaces there. This scaffolding will be in place until June 2015.

On inspection of these car park spaces, it was agreed that the scaffolding will be beamed out, with supports between the car park spaces so that the cars can still be parked within their space allocations.

Bugler confirmed that they will take the loggia around these car park spaces down and rebuild the loggia again on completion.  Bugler have also agreed to reinstate our car park surfacing and white lines once the build is ready.

Equally the fence between the mews houses and the Regatta Point car park will be taken down and rebuilt on completion.

Likewise the electricity substation will be protected by a scaffold fan.

The car park wall will be rebuilt and replaced with the same brickwork as the Notting Hill Housing Trust development, hopefully the colour of London Stock brickwork, similar to the Regatta Point bricks.

The draft Lease Licence has just been issued and our Regatta Point appointed surveyor, Peter Messenger, will be acting on our behalf as he does for our Party Walls, at the expense of the Notting Hill Housing Trust.

Peter Messenger will also negotiate any penalty for overrun past the agreed period with the Notting Hill Housing Trust as part of the Lease Licence

There is an issue that the Regatta Point mews houses do not currently come under the Regatta Point licence which is currently being pursued by Peter Messenger

Next meeting 24th April 9am

St George’s liaison meeting – March 2014

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On Friday the 14th of March George Cross (Director RPFL), Mo Bowyer (Regatta Point resident), Malcolm Wood (St. George’s Land Director) and Sean Chappell (St. George’s Snr. Construction Manager) held one of their regular liaison meetings – the aim of which is for Regatta Point to raise any issues with the development next door and for St George’s to keep us abreast with progress.

The following are highlights of the meeting:

  • Excavations for groundwork on block next to RP are due to start soon and will require the temporary closure of the footpath at times.  The white portacabins will be removed.
  • Pile driving will cause vibrations, which are disturbing, but should not cause damage. 
  • Prior to this soil will be removed for the excavations – water should be sprayed on during this time to minimise dust.  
  • Co-ordination between StG and RPFL will be arranged via our surveyors in order to facilitate the work that is to be carried out on the Eastern wall of Regatta Point.
  • StG have proposed installing gates at either end of the public pathway along the Eastern wall that would be locked at night.  St George’s have now formally submitted the proposal with Hounslow Council with the support of Regatta Point.
  • The Fullers pub will be now opening in mid-Summer.
  • Entire development not expected to finish until 2016.
  • Next meeting 08:30 on Friday 11th April 2014.

Directors’ Meeting Highlight – March 2014

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The Directors of Regatta Point Freehold Limited were joined by David Jackson of HML Shaws on the 4th of March for a regular meeting in order to discuss various matters arising in the running of the building. The following are highlights of the discussions.

The accounts ending on September 2013 were presented and accepted – highlighting a £5k surplus, which will be added to the sinking fund.  The expenditure on this year’s service charge account is running to forecast.  Debtors were reviewed and the Directors are happy that it is under control and solicitors are involved at the appropriate time.

Duncan Lambert is no longer working for HML and a replacement team member is expected to be on-board soon.  It is anticipated that service levels will improve noticeably.

Following advice from our surveyor it was decided that the Eastern wall, next to the St George’s development, needs to be strengthened.  This will be done in co-ordination with St. George’s and by pinning from the outer skin to secure points on the main building’s internal structure.

A detailed specification for the Internal decorations are now out to tender.  We are awaiting the responses – expected by mid March.  They will then be assessed and the Directors will decide how much of the works we can afford to have completed from the sinking fund.

Following the highly successful installation of new windows in the guest rooms it was decided to explore further the tender process to swap out the roadside windows.  There is no formal commitment to commission this work as yet as it was agreed we should focus on the internal decoration first and then review costs.  In the meantime, the guest rooms will be upgraded with more power sockets and TVs prior to re-decoration.

The contract for garden maintenance is to be re-advertised.

A fire risks assessment of the building has been carried out and its recommendations were accepted and will be actioned.

Autobar Noise & Vibrations

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Dear Residents,

We have been experiencing severe noise disruptions and vibrations to Regatta Point over the past few days when the Bugler Development demolition crew started breaking up the concrete ramp slabs on the site with a JCB mounted jack hammer.

The Bugler Contracts Manager has commented that this is normally the quickest and most efficient method of removing re-enforced concrete. However, there must be a section of the ramp that is touching our building which is causing the vibrations.

The developers have now employed a diamond cutter to cut through the slab adjacent to Regatta Point and will be able to remove the ramp section and break it up away from our building.

Hopefully we should now have fewer disturbances from the site.

The Regatta Point Directors

Vision for Brentford Town Centre and the Golden Mile

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ARTICLE COPIED FROM www.brentfordtw8.com

The 15 year blueprint for future development across the borough has moved a step closer.
The draft Local Plan highlights the key areas for regeneration and investment across the borough between 2015 and 2030.
The plans, which have been shaped by a stakeholder consultation that took place last summer, include potential sites for 12,330 new homes and the community infrastructure necessary to meet the needs of Hounslow’s expanded population.
Development will be directed to areas that have capacity for change, including the borough’s town centres and around the Great West Road. The many landscape, natural and built heritage assets and distinctive residential characters found across the borough will be protected and enhanced.
The proposals for Brentford look as follows (with numbers relating to points below):

Plan

Hounslow Plan

1. Encouraging redevelopment of the allocated sites including: BSkyB, Gillette, Reynard Mills and Brentford Waterside.
2. Regenerating Brentford town centre as a vibrant District Centre that celebrates the town’s heritage and waterside location, through:
– Maximising the centre’s vitality and viability by promoting an increase in town centre floorspace appropriate in scale for a District Centre.
– Reconnecting the High Street with the centre’s wealth of historical assets which have been undervalued and neglected for many years and a canal side environment which is unique in character, enjoyable and diverse in the variety of uses it provides.
– Supporting the new retail with a mix of employment, leisure, entertainment and cultural uses which promote greater use of the canal side, primarily on the Brentford Waterside site to the south of Brentford High Street.
– Securing the future of the Waterman’s Arts Centre including promoting its potential relocation to Brentford town centre.
– Ensuring provision of short-term shopper car parking within the town centre.
– Promoting improvements to the High Street to improve the environment for
pedestrians and to ease north-south movement.
– Identifying a site for the creation of a new market square in front of the old
Magistrates Court on Brentford High Street.
3. Promoting the Golden Mile as a strategic outer London development centre for digital and media by supporting the expansion of existing employers, seeking to deliver a fundamental change in the accessibility of the area by public transport, improving the visual environment including a reduction in advertisement clutter and retaining the commercial character of the roadside, as well as improving the connections to Brentford town centre.
4. Promoting the provision of major public transport improvements for the Great West Road and Brentford as a whole, including new rail links to the Crossrail line at Southall and from Hounslow to Brent Cross via the proposed west London transport interchange at Old Oak Common (links to Crossrail and High Speed 2).
5. Connecting the Golden Mile with development in the areas north and west of Chiswick roundabout and with Chiswick Business Park.
6. Supporting the relocation of Brentford Football Club to a site on Lionel Road South.
7. Supporting Brentford’s distinctive role for the provision of waterside industries and support facilities, and reconnecting the area with its unique waterside location.
8. Securing the restoration and regeneration of Gunnersbury Park and Mansions, and Boston Manor House and Grounds.
9. Targeting the social, economic and environmental improvements to the Haverfield, Brentford Towers and Syon estates as areas with high levels of deprivation (identified Areas of Regeneration).
10. Making provision for an additional 5 forms of primary school level. [What about secondary schools?] Cllr Steve Curran, cabinet member for planning, regeneration and housing at the council, said:
“This plan is the blueprint for any future developments and setting out what we expect to see built in an area.
“It also sets out locations for potential new homes for families, where facilities such as schools should be built and where shops and services should be provided.
“But the local plan isn’t just about building, it’s about preserving areas that we want to keep as they are, and protecting and improving the local environment.
“With such a wide scope, stretching over so many years, we’ve worked hard to get input from as many people and interested groups as possible, and their views have been taken on board in the draft plans we have produced.”
The plans outline how town centres will become hubs of cultural, leisure, community, and retail activity that supports the growing population. Town centres will also be promoted as locations for economic growth, as places to do business.
The quality of life and health of residents will be improved by providing supporting infrastructure and high quality design that respects and improves local character.
The plans were approved by the Council’s cabinet last week, and will now go to Borough Council for approval. If approved, there will then be a full public consultation, before they are submitted to the Secretary of State.