In The News

The latest newsletter for the Moxon Street Car Park site, explains the upcoming utility diversion works, which will be undertaken later this month by UK Power Networks (UKPN) and Thames Water:

UKPN will undertake diversion works on Cramer Street and Aybrook Street between February 16th and February 23rd.

Thames Water will undertake a disconnection of the site’s water supply between February 18th and February 22nd, on St Vincent Street. They will also undertake the relocation of a fire hydrant near to the north of the site, the dates of which will be confirmed shortly.

Click here for the newsletter.

Heathrow airport has started the process of consulting on new flight paths. Four of the options could see Marylebone being blighted by aircraft noise. Worryingly, one of these does not even involve the 3rd Runway and could come into effect in under three years time with planes flying over our heads at 3,000ft, waking us as early 5am. These new flight paths will be narrower and more concentrated than they are today. If we do end up under a flight path our quality of life and local property values are likely to significantly impacted.

The World Health Organisation recommends that annual average night-time exposure should not exceed 40 decibels (dB). Heathrow claims that some of the aircraft noise will be over 65 decibels. Potentially, we could be looking at up to 47 flights per hour. If you don't like the sound of all this, then it time you made some noise about it.

Currently, Heathrow is consulting on the "design envelope" a geographical area within which it is technically possible to position one or more flight paths. Marylebone is within these envelopes, and therefore at risk of having a flight path designed over our community. We need to inform Heathrow and the CAA why our area should not be selected as suitable for flight paths.

Some of the arguments for flight paths to avoid our area include:

Our old Georgian properties have single glazing and poor sound insulation, our air quality is already bad enough.

The area already suffers from evening noise pollution and people in the West End tend to sleep in later compared to the suburbs.

We already have enough noise and disruption impacting our health and our daily quality of life without having aircraft noise as well.

We already suffer from prolonged helicopter noise policing demonstrations near the BBC and in other central areas.

Please take this opportunity to explain in your own words what it will mean to your quality of life if they put the flight path over our heads. Email: feedback@heathrowconsultation.com and cc airspacemodernisation@caa.co.uk or complete the online consultation here.

Following a series of events in Hyde Park, The Royal Parks are undertaking works to return the Parade Ground to its previous condition. These works have begun and, weather depending, will be completed before Easter. This work is funded by event organisers.

The reinstatement coincides with the installation of a gas pipe across the Parade Ground. This is essential statutory work, with the Parade Ground forming part of a series of extensive pipe works being installed across London. The work is being carried out by Cadent Gas.

During these works some of the grass areas, as highlighted on the map below, will be closed and access to sections of paths will be restricted – these closures will be clearly signposted.

It is proposed to close Enford Street to motor vehicles between 8.00 a.m. and 9.00 a.m. and between 2.45 p.m. and 3.45 p.m. on Mondays to Fridays, during school term time. The closure would be controlled through the installation of removable bollards at the junction of Enford Street and York Street. The traffic signs would not be visible during school holidays, and advanced warning signs would be placed to advise drivers of the closure.

It is also proposed to introduce double yellow line “at any time” waiting and loading restrictions at the junction of York Street with Enford Street and the south-western arm of Wyndham Place to prevent obstructive parking.

More details can be found here.

The switch to two-way working on Baker Street and Gloucester Place is proposed to be undertaken from 21 to 24 February. Both these roads will need to be closed. Subject to suitable weather, this closure will begin at 8pm Thursday 21 February and run until Sunday 24 February. The work will be done in four phases.

Phase 1: Gloucester Place and Portman Street, between Oxford Street and Marylebone Road, will close at 8pm Thursday 21 February.

Phase 2: Gloucester Place, between Marylebone

Road and Park Road will close at 10am Friday 22 February.

Phase 3: Park Road and Baker Street, from Rossmore Road to Marylebone Road, will close at 8pm

Friday 22 February.

Phase 4: Baker Street and Orchard Street from Marylebone Road to Oxford Street, and Oxford Street from Marble Arch to Orchard Street will close at 8am Saturday 23 February.

Any changes to the programme will be communicated through our email updates, the project website and social media. Visit the project website at: www.bakerstreettwoway.co.uk

WHAT HAPPENS NEXT

Following the switch to two-way, there will be a period of six weeks when works will be paused to allow traffic to get used to the new layout.

After this, the remaining works will be completed, including:

• building permanent central islands

• resurfacing on BakerStreet between Dorset Street and Blandford Street

• applying coloured, high friction surfacing at all junctions

• works at Portman Mews South

All works are scheduled to be finished by June 2019.

Transport for London (TfL) has been told by the Mayor of London to identify a new location for the Victoria Coach Station when the building lease expires and Crossrail 2 begins work. We understand that the only location TfL is considering is a strip of land along the railway tracks by Royal Oak, where TfL propose to build a coach station and then luxury tower blocks above , polluting our neighbourhood and blighting our landscape.

Councillors Richard Elcho and Emily Payne call on local people to stand against this threat to our area:

In 2014 over 14 million passengers travelled through Victoria Coach Station. Royal Oak and Bayswater do not have the necessary infrastructure to cope with this extra number of people.TfL is proposing to overload the existing transport infrastructure rather than funding the necessary onward travel in a more suitable location. Our Underground, buses and roads will not be able to cope with the proposed number of daily visitors

Royal Oak is a residential area and a Coach Station would irredeemably damage the local environment. We pride ourselves on our diverse community, our long standing, multi-generation families, our high streets and our primary schools. Re-locating London’s Coach Station will irreparably impact the nature of Bayswater as well as threaten our high streets

Coach Stations are sadly accompanied by anti-social behaviour issues, our police are already stretched, and our community will suffer the negative impact from this development

Marylebone Road, leading to the A40, is the most polluted road in London adding a coach station would exacerbate the problem of air pollution. We are already located between the A40 and the Bayswater Road, this will suffocate our green streets, affecting our young families and our schools

We do not believe the site is suitable in size, access roads or location, a coach station should be located outside of central London

We understand that there has been little enthusiasm from developers for the residential tower blocks due to questions about viability. We do not need an empty luxury tower block. These proposed tower blocks may well breach Westminster City Council’s City Plan, created to protect and preserve our neighbourhoods

https://www.westminsterconservatives.com/campaigns/save-bayswater-village-stop-royal-oak-coach-station

The St Marylebone CE School, our local outstanding secondary school, is looking for occasional cover teachers to supervise classes when their teachers are leading trips, enrichment or are absent. The opportunity is suitable for qualified teachers who are currently not employed full-time and who would be glad to work in the School ad hoc, without the need to plan lessons or do marking. More information can be found on the St Marylebone School website: http://stmarylebone.school/contact/vacancies/

The St Marylebone CE School is seeking a sponsor for its publication St Marylebone Messenger. This journal collects news, essays and artwork by young people aged 11 through 18 at a very high standard, worthy of publication. The School is hoping to expand the remit of the journal to include some of the most outstanding pieces produced by A-Level students.

You can see examples of St Marylebone Messenger on the St Marylebone School website: http://stmarylebone.school/st-marylebone-messenger/

Under significant financial constraint, the School is seeking a sponsor for this, so that the students’ work is published in a high quality style and format equal to the calibre of their excellent work. To produce 50 copies of the journal in colour requires £400 annually.

If you, your company or someone you know would like to sponsor St Marylebone Messenger, your name or logo can appear on the cover and we can offer a page inside the journal for information you’d like publicised*.

Please contact the Headteacher, Ms Kat Pugh, at the School on 020 7935 4704 or email k.pugh@stmaryleboneschool.com if this is of interest to you.

*As a state-funded school with a commitment to public service and equal opportunities, we reserve the right to determine what is reasonable and appropriate in terms of sponsorship material.  The School is an exempt charity, regulated by the EFSA, company number 7719620, registered with JMRC, Charity Reference EW 09072.

This is the second newsletter for the redevelopment of Moxon Street Car Park, being delivered by Concord London. This newsletter will provide an overview of the works planned up to Christmas and the upcoming enabling works as work commences on site.

Kier has been appointed as the main contractor for the project and will commence work on site from Monday 3rd December.

A dedicated project website - www.moxonstreetcarpark.com - has been set up to provide regular updates and information on the project. The website contains the latest news from the site, contact details and information on forthcoming works.

A Community Liaison Group (CLG) has been formed of local residents and stakeholders who meet regularly with the project team to give feedback and to raise any concerns that they have. If you would like to receive email updates about the works, including information on about CLG meetings and minutes, please contact Four Communications using the contact details supplied.

The next CLG meeting will take place on Monday 3rd December, starting at 6.30pm, taking place at Aubaine Marylebone, 7 Moxon Street. If you would like to attend, please let Four Communications know using the contact details provided.

COMPLETED WORKS

The main construction on works have not commenced on site but certain preparatory works have been completed. These include:

• Closure of the car park to public vehicles at the end of October. Please note that the London Farmer’s Market will continue to operate every Sunday but will be located on Aybrook Street from this time.

Surveys of the pavement vaults around the perimeter of the site (these are the vaults associated with the terraced housing that used to occupy the site).

• Commencement of an Unexploded Ordinance Survey (UXO), which will continue until mid-December.

UPCOMING WORKS

The upcoming works on site are as follows:

• Kier will be installing a temporary hoarding around the site from Monday 26th November for security in preparation on for the start of the main works on site. Initially, this hoarding will be positioned on the pavement and will progressively move out into the road, eventually sitting outside of the kerb edge.

• From Monday 3rd December the remaining preparatory works will continue on site, including excavated of the pavement vaults at the edges of the site and removal of the remaining car park tarmac.

• Disconnection and removal of the street lighting adjacent to the site and its replacement with lighting on the temporary hoarding. Note that street lights on the opposite side of the street will remain.

• Installation of six site cabins on site. We expect this phase of the works to be complete by the end of January.

WORKING HOURS

All work on site will be carried out in accordance with Westminster City Council’s Code of Construction Practice. The site will be registered with the Considerate Constructors Scheme.

As part of these agreements, our contractors’ working hours will be restricted to the Council’s standard working hours. These are:

Weekdays: 08:00 – 18:00

Saturday: 08:00 – 13:00 (quiet works only) No working on Sundays or Bank Holidays

The Construction on Management Plan for the site is available to view on the project website, www.moxonstreetcarpark.com

PROGRAMME

Commencement of works on site: 3rd December 2018

Completion of site preparatory works: January 2019

Commencement of piling: February 2019

Commencement of excavation: May 2019

Completion: 2021

CONTACTS 

For general enquiries, please contact our communications advisors Four Communications:

E moxonstreetcarpark@fourcommunications.com T 020 3697 4325

W moxonstreetcarpark.com

In the case of emergencies, please contact the on-site contractors' Kier:

David Webb (Site Manager): E davids.webb@kier.co.uk T 07970 718 215

Jon Staley (Project Manager): E jonathan.staley@kier.co.uk T 07816 215 717

The points of contact for the Westminster City Council Construction Impact Team are as follows:

Dean Bermingham:

E dbermingham@westminster.gov.uk T 020 7641 3802

Anthony DeRoche:

E aderoche@westminster.gov.uk T 020 7641 2562

The Marylebone Forum are consulting on what £670,000 should be spent on. The Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL) is a tax that local authorities charge developers for infrastructure needs arising from new developments. 

Have your say on what you would like the money spent on or suggest your own ideas by complete a short survey. http://www.maryleboneforum.org/cil