Sunday, May 14, 2017

10 reasons why the Mortlake Stag Brewery redevelopment consultation is a con

The ex-Watneys, ex-Budweiser Stag Brewery has closed in December 2015, putting an end to 6 centuries of brewing in Mortlake.

The site is going to be redeveloped, a great opportunity to revitalise the Mortlake riverside and link it to East Sheen. However, as it now seems to be the norm, developers are making a mockery of the consultation process and the council seems happy to wag its tail to prevailing winds.

Here are 10 points you won't find in the consultation.


1. Once more, the consultation process is abused by the use of unpractical surveys (why no online poll on the council's page?), lack of real alternatives (which shade of grey do you prefer?) and closed questions.

2. The size of the development is H.U.G.E. Nine hundred and eighty dwellings. 980. That’s way over 1700 people in the best case (1.8 soul / home). That’s 400 cars and probably as many kids.

3. The traffic plans are just laughable. Chalkers corner is widely known as a local bottleneck, yet no mini-tunnels or drastic changes -just one more filter lane. It can take as much as 12 mn for a pedestrian to cross it and about as much for a car to pass it from Mortlake onto the A316 (on a Sunday morning!!!!). What do they propose? An extra filter lane.
Great. 
- No cycling lane. Zero. Nits. Oh, and on cycling, no mentions of bike sheds in the development.
- No more “staking” capability on Westbound A316. They highlight that as a problem, don’t suggest a remedy. What that means is that cars will still be stuck as soon on Lower Richmond road (Mortlake side) BEFORE reaching the A316.
This Mickey Mouse city planning has unfortunately become a local trademark.

3. No cycle lane, did I write this already?

4. Not any more provision of extra transport of course. How are those people going to commute? The trains are already full in Mortlake...

5. Nothing about the playing fields, they seem to have vanished in the school playground. 

6. No ice rink either of course. (there was an ice rink of international fame in Richmond, which was developed over and the council promised to erect a new one with the proceedings of the land sale. That was back in 1992...)

7. No mention of high-environmental, sustainable building capability. But lots of 6 and 7 storeys designed to max developers ROI. 

8. Primary schools? The council is once more adopting a fairy land approach: build new houses, only to discover there’s no primary school places, then no secondary school places. Surprise…

9. Speaking about school, the space for the secondary school looks tiny. And with no parking.

10. Parking? Is CPZ the answer to all traffic issues for the council?

2 comments:

ANON.Y said...

The developers are probably lining the council's pockets to ensure they get what they want.

ANON.Y said...

Of course Richmond council and RHP are looking to line their pockets. If they refuse to give the land uo at Chalkers corner then the new slip road won't happen. The meetings are just lip service to dull us down.