I’m boring you now
New River Hall. Posh, isn't it.
I'm beginning to wonder if I'm boring myself, to be honest - but it's 4.30 in the morning and the firstborn won't sleep quite yet, so here we are.
I have my grubby mitts on the proposals for the Carlton Cinema site, thanks to the nice chap at 'Four Communications'.
On the face of it, it looks impressive. And very expensive. The plan is to keep the front, restore the insides (keeping the original colour schemes) but then build on top, and I assume excavate underneath, unless there's already a massive basement. There'll also be a massive glass edifice to the back, not troubling Essex Road but completely changing the face of River Walk - and an entrance on River Place to the conference centre, plus entrance to the flats from Astey's Row.
I'm not sure I'd be interested in living in a flat that's built above a church/cinema - so the soundproofing would have to be very good. I expect that'll be one of the things the council will examine when they consider these plans. Obviously it represents a significant improvement to what's there now, and retains the listed front.
A couple of things that may also affect the plans - the protected alignment for Crossrail 2 runs straight underneath the site - although I'm sure that nothing will come of it until at least 2025, it'll involve significant work around River Place to get Essex Road station up to scratch, and there were plans at one stage for a ventilation shaft in River Place. I can imagine all that having a serious effect on 44 flats.
I'm also concerned about where the money is coming from - for a church with no congregation (according to the Islington Gazette) this is an ambitious project. Personally, I would have thought encouraging people to go to St Stephens would be a better use of time and energy and only represents a 50 yard walk along the New River Path, but I suppose Christianity doesn't work like that any more.