Kings Cross Local Environment

New Licensing Application at 32 Caledonian Road - Simmons Dinning Rooms

A company named Simmons London Ltd has recently refurbished the previously vacant Simmons Dinning Roomsat 32 Caledonian Road (across from Tesco) and has now applied for a Premise License requesting operating hours as outlined in the chart below.

While most of the operating hours in the application look reasonable, local residents should note the late hours requested Thursday through Saturday nights.

The lower end of Caledonian Road is becoming a bit over populated with places to drink and late night activities are bound to affect the amenity of nearby residents.

If you have concerns about any aspects of the application you can make your Representations to the Licensing Team by emailing them at: licensing@islington.gov.uk.  For further information and guidance, click - Making a Representation.  Your comments must be received by 21 July.

It would be nice if the Council would adopt a plan to not allow any activities after midnight for the 1st year of operation for any new establishment. This could ensure new operators demonstrated their level of responsibility to local residents, but to date no such plan has been considered...maybe it's time.

Competition on Future of King's Cross Gasholders

The Bulletin Board has just recieve this notice from one of our subscribers, Aron Cronin from Keystone Crescent.

It appears to be notice of a competition seeking ideas about the future use of the King's Cross Gasholders.

Does anyone know what it's all about - please use the Comments section at the bottom of this Posting.

Entry Date: 10/07/2009
Reference: S2G09071094802/01
Type of document: Contract Notice
Country:United Kingdom

1. Title: DESIGN COMPETITION SERVICES

2. Awarding Authority: Kings Cross. Web:
 
http://www.e-architect.co.uk/architecture_competitions.htm.

3. Contract type: Service contract

4. Description: Gasholder competition at the specified location.

• Open design competition launched for listed Victorian gasholder at the specified location.
• Ambition is to create one of a kind, multi-use public space 
• King's Cross Central allocates £2.5million for delivery of the successful design
• Deadline for competition registration 17 July, deadline for design submissions 7 August

An adventure playground, a performance space, a picnic-area or perhaps even a roller-skating rink - any of these could end up being created inside the listed Victorian Gasholder No. 8 at King's Cross Central as a result of a national open design competition launched today.

Intended to be a destination and landmark for King's Cross and an amenity for local communities, the partners delivering King's Cross Central are inviting UK based designers to come up with a use for this unique space. This is the first time a competition of this kind has been run in the UK.

The partners - Argent, London & Continental Railways and DHL Supply Chain - are keen to attract innovative and ambitious ideas and are therefore inviting entries from multi-disciplinary design teams. Concepts beyond traditional architectural and landscape disciplines are being encouraged, including play and culture. An overall construction budget of £2.5million has been allocated to the project.

The four gasholders at King's Cross Central, the Gasholder Triplet and Gasholder No. 8, will be moving off site for refurbishment before being re-erected in permanent locations on the site as the scheme develops. The partners are keen to launch the competition as part of the emerging public space and amenity strategy for King's Cross Central and to provide certainty about the future of the well-recognised heritage structures.

Originally constructed in the 1850s, the distinctive 25m high circular guide frame structure, complete with the original telescopic wrought iron bell and brick tank below ground level, is a Grade II listed structure which currently stands to the south of the Regent's Canal. Disused since 2001, Gasholder No. 8 is to be dismantled from its present location, refurbished and re-erected to the north of the canal and will eventually sit next to the three other gasholders - the Triplet - which will house apartments, a possible top floor restaurant and ground floor retail.

Design teams entering the competition must be led by a practising, registered architect or landscape architect with a UK office. Designers can register their interest in the competition via the King's Cross Central website from 22 June to Friday 17 July. Entries can be submitted until the deadline of Friday 7 August.

Submissions will be judged by a panel including partners of King's Cross Central, and a small number of entries will be invited to develop ideas further in a second stage of the competition. The overall winner is expected to be notified in October 2009.

The programme for the re-erection of Gasholder No. 8 is yet to be confirmed, as it has to be considered as part of the wider King's Cross Central development programme. It is likely that following the completion of the competition, full concept design work with the winning team will commence in 2011. Listed Building Consent and detailed planning consent will be required for the Gasholder No. 8 scheme.

5. CPV Code(s): 22314000, 45112700, 71200000, 71220000, 71420000,

6. NUTS code(s): UKI UKI1 UKI12,

7. Main site or location of works, main place of delivery or main place of performance: Kings Cross central.

8. Reference attributed by awarding authority: Not provided.

9. Estimated value of requirement: Not provided.

10. Deadline for competition registration: 17.7.2009.
11. Address to which they must be sent: Same as 2.

12. Other information: For further information please contact the awarding authority or visit the awarding authority website.

For further information please visit; Web: www.kingscrosscentral.com/competition
TKR-200978-CB-311682

13. Submitted date: 9.7.2009.

Local Youth Project SPARKPLUG Awards Achievement Certificates

8 July 2009, Islington, Town Hall - The Mayor of Islington, Councillor Anna Berent, today presented Certificates of Achievement to 19 Islington young people who had recently the completed the LOCN Accredited Motorcycle Mechanics Workshop Course provided by SPARKPLUG, one of the Borough’s longest running and respected local youth support providers.

Proud parents and friends watched as each came up to receive their Awards at the annual ceremony for a programme that has now been running for the past three years and has seen 64 young individuals “graduate.”

For the students, the Course itself is serious business.  It meets one day each week for twenty weeks from 10 AM until 3:15 PM.  As an incentive students who have maintained satisfactory attendance and punctuality levels qualify for a special scrambling “away-day,” however if students are persistently late or miss regular course days, they will not be eligible to participate.

The Course work includes discussions, handouts, white board and DVD presentations, and hands-on experience in the workshop.  The areas covered include: general health and safety and basic workshop skills; exposure to the basics of engine, clutch and gearbox operation and maintenance; ignition, carburettor, air filtration and exhaust systems – where students follow the journey of air through the motorbike and why it is as important as petrol to the engine, and finally rolling chassis and brakes, which exposes students to the various types of braking systems and tyres and how to maintain them.

All in all this is a good general primer that can hopefully trigger their interest in going further in the field of mechanics.  But equally important is the commitment to class attendance, working with and listening to instructors and the rewards that come from “achievement.”

Local Councillor Paul Convery who support the work of all the work of our local charities and lives in the street next to SPARKPLUG commented, SPARKPLUG is an outstanding project. Put simply, it takes lads from our neighbourhood who could otherwise stray into trouble and puts them firmly back on the straight and narrow. It's made a huge difference to the area. And it gives those boys an excellent leg-up to getting into a proper, steady job and settling down.

SPARKPLUG is one of Islington’s best known local youth projects.  Its objective is to reduce crime and antisocial behaviour while increasing self-esteem and employability among its members.  The initial strategy is to use motorcycles and mechanics to engage young people; however its longer term approach will be to broaden its range of activities to include exposure to all aspects of the motor industry.

For more information about SPARKPLUG, please go to their website: www.thesparkplug.org

SPARKPLUG is always looking for volunteers, so if you want to get involved contact contact its Founder and Manager, Martin Willis at (0207) 619-9229 or m.willis@thesparkplug.org.

50+ dance

Islington police arrest man and fighting dogs

Evening all - this seems encouraging news, even if not local to Kings Cross.  Does anyone know of any dangerous dog problems in the KX area?  Drop us a line, anonymously news@kingscrossenvironment.com

Is it just me or is it refreshing to see a police operation with a code name that makes sense?  'Operation Bark'

Police email begins:

'News from Islington Police - Man Arrested for Possession of Dangerous Dogs and Dogs Seized

Islington Police have arrested a man for possessing two fighting dogs as part of a new initiative launched today, 8th July 2009.
'Operation Bark' aims to combat the growing number of dangerous dogs in Islington; to tackle anti-social behaviour related to the misuse of dogs and to reduce the mistreatment of dogs by promoting responsible dog ownership.
The Islington initiative is being led by Sgt. Dean Akinola from Hillrise Safer Neighbourhoods team in response to concern from the local community . Supported by the RSPCA and Islington Council's Park Guard, officers will pro-actively search premises where they believe dangerous dogs are being kept as well as promoting responsible dog ownership.
Bark activity took place for the first time today when officers from Highbury West Safer Neighbourhoods team, the Islington Borough Support Unit and the Status Dogs Unit - a specialist MPS Unit which deals with dogs used in crime, raided a property in the Stephens Ink Estate, N5. Two dogs believed to be American pit bull terriers were seized and a 20 year old male was arrested for possession of two fighting dogs and taken to Islington police station for questioning. He has since been bailed pending further investigation.
On 3rd July 2009, Islington Police, supported by the Status Dogs Unit, searched an address in Biggerstaff Street, N4, and recovered three dangerous dogs - one of which had attacked another dog in the street a few weeks earlier. The dogs were immediately seized by specialist officers and subsequently destroyed.
Sgt Dean Akinola leads Operation Bark in Islington:
"Operation Bark has been set up in response to concern from the Islington community about dangerous dogs . We are specifically targeting those individuals who use dangerous dogs as weapons or for protection when dealing drugs, as well as the breeders of dangerous dogs."
Advice to members of the public
All dogs, especially certain breeds, need to be properly managed so they do not become aggressive. Owners have a responsibility to keep t heir dogs under control. The maximum penalty for allowing a dog you are in charge of to be dangerously out of control is two year’s imprisonment, a fine, or both.
We actively encourage members of the public to get in touch with us. If you have any concerns about dangerous dogs or anti-social behaviour related to dogs they should contact their local Safer Neighbourhoods team via www.met.police.uk/islington.'

Worried about Crime and Anti-Social Behavior in the Caledonian Ward...

...then this is the meeting you want to attend! 

Approximately every eight weeks, the Safer Neighbourhood's Panel meets with members of the local community to discuss priorities for the Safer Neighbourhoods Police Team to target.

Members of the Team are present and the Panel is chaired by our own Councillor, Paul Convery.  Attendence is made up of those local residents who have had or see potential problems in their local areas as well as residents who attend on a regular basis to hear what the Team is doing to make our area safer.

If you've been frustrated when trying to deal with the Met, this is a good way to meet your local police - the police on our beat, rather then speaking to someone in a call centre in the Midlands.  Take a look at the Minutes from the last meeting to get a flavour of the kinds of items that are discussed.  Download SNP minutes of 28 May 09 meeting.  The Team needs local feedback to focus action on where WE feel it's needed, so this is a real way to get involved in making our neighbourhood safer.

The next meeting will take place on Thursday, 30 July at 7:00 PM (to 8:30) at the Blessed Sacrament Church (Basement entrance) on Copenhagen Street (just West of Caledonian Road).

Your attendence is encouraged.  And if you wish to be added to the mailing list for future meetings, please send an email to the Panel's Secretary.

Family Weekend at King's Place - 25, 26 July

The Bulletin Board just received this announcement from King's Place regarding their hosting a family weekend at the end of July.

Kings Place is opening its doors and inviting you to come in, join in and do something creative to start the summer holidays. Kings Place Family Weekend is part of the London 2012 Open Weekend supported by BP - a series of events across the country enabling access to excellence in the arts, culture and sport and celebrating three years to go until the London 2012 Olympic Games.

Kings Place Family Weekend 25th and 26th July is an open arts weekend of workshops, free arts activities, an unplugged music stage, performance and canal boat trips. Workshops range from African hand drumming and time capsule drama to how to draw a comic strip.  There are free arts activities around the building enabling children and their parents to do something creative together and a performance art piece by Nandita Ghose combining sculpture, real ice cream and witty words, all served up in one colourful cornucopia. Young music talent will be showcased throughout the weekend on the concert level foyer: from Jazz to folk, rock to rap on the under 26 ‘Unplugged Stage’.  Historic narrow boat Tarporley, which is moored at Kings Place, will be running short trips throughout the weekend, offering potential skippers the chance to join in and have a go at exploring the boat and working the locks. On display will be sculptures created by local children who have been working with Abigail Fallis, Pangolin’s artist in residence. Tickets are on sale now at: http://www.kingsplace.co.uk/music/family-events Box office: 0207 520 1490

Many thanks and kind regards

Joanie Magill

Outreach Manager
Kings Place Music Foundation
Tel:      020 7520 1450
Fax:    020 7520 1489
Mob:   07812 368 227
Email: joanie.magill@kingsplace.co.uk
Web:   www.kingsplace.co.uk

 KINGS PLACE MUSIC BASE – Are you interested in renting desk space within Kings Place?

Are you a small creative company looking for somewhere to base your business, where you can develop ideas alongside likeminded individuals and companies? If this is you, please don’t hesitate to contact Zoë Jeyes on 0207 520 1440 or zoe.jeyes@kingsplace.co.uk.

Youth Fair at King's Place 23 July 10A to 5P

Now, does anyone have Banksy's mobile number?!

Click on the image below to enlarge this excellent letter from Cllr Paul Braithwaite of LB Camden to the Islington Tribune.

Emily of Islington spearheads community concerns

Emily Thornberry, MP for Islington South and Finsbury, has taken the case made by community campaigners against the so-called business case study for Battlebridge Crossing (aka the Wharfdale Road bridge) directly to LB Islington.

In a letter to the Islington and Camden press campaigners put the case that the study, commissioned by LB Islington, was contracted to a transport consultancy (Colin Buchanan) with a vested interest in its outcome. Further, the study was of such a poor standard that it should never have seen the light of day, let alone having been funded from the public purse.

Emily Thornberry has taken up the cause with LB Islington Chief Executive John Foster; she says:

"I agree that any piece of work commissioned with public money should provide good value and I share concerns that this exercise may have been flawed. I would be grateful for your comments."

At present LB islington plans to discuss the flawed report with Network Rail at September's West Area Planning Committee. We have asked whether this discussion should go ahead at all. 

Until a real business case is made for the bridge, using the increasing number of red herring type reports and studies can only assist developers with their refusal to fund a much needed business and community asset for Camden, Islington, Transport for London, Network Rail, Eurostar, the Government.... (the list goes on).