2nd Prize Best in Holborn

Somerton House Residents Association Chair and Secretary Simon & John attended the Camden in Bloom awards ceremony in Camden Town Hall this evening to collect an unexpected award for our new planted garden area.

In a Council chamber jammed packed with gardening folk, we were awarded a Cup for 2nd best council garden in Holborn and £25 for John to spend at the Camden Garden Centre, not bad for our first entry!

Somerton House residents are very pleased, and happy with how our new green space is settling in, and that the judges were kind enough to award us a prize.

Roll on Camden in Bloom 2011…

Unlicensed outdoor drinking was frequent

Camden Council has granted an outdoor drinking licence to the hotel underneath Somerton House.

Somerton House residents fear they will have to walk past drunken revelers to get to their front door up until 10′o’clock every night. They are unhappy that in front of their homes there is now a large beer garden.

Twelve separate objections from local residents were lodged, but the licensing panel were swayed by the professional arguments of Premier Inn’s solicitor.

Two local residents addressed the committee highlighting issues such as:

• The Premier Inn’s history of unresponsiveness to concerns raised by local residents; they sited an ongoing five-year battle against a noisy air conditioning unit installed without planning permission as evidence.
• The Premier Inn’s inability to police it’s currently licence arrangements, pointing out that outdoor drinking has been a daily occurrence during the recent hot weather
• The detrimental effect the noise of outside drinking would have on residents’ wellbeing, adding as it does to the barrage of other noises that the hotel creates.

Residents are disappointed that none of their concerns were taken on board by the Licencing Committee. Many residents of Somerton House are Council tenants with specific health needs that will not be helped by this additional imposition on their lives. We feel the Council is once again failing in it’s duty of care to Safeguard vulnerable residents.

The Premier Inn’s solicitor’s statement centred around the fact that his client’s hotel was a “premium product” and they would not permit anything to damage the brand’s reputation. This assertion was clearly accepted by the Committee despite the fact that residents had highlighted numerous examples of the Travel Inn’s less than premium conduct.

Procedural anomalies

The Committee members were not acquainted with the unique overlapping layouts of Somerton House and the Premier Inn, and all present agreed that the diagram provided was insufficient to accurately convey the full impact their decision will have. Indeed, Travel Inn solicitor John Gaunt himself had to apologise to the committee for mistakenly misrepresenting the layout of the premises.

The Licencing Committee representative seemed unaware of the ongoing investigation underway by his own department into breaches of the current licence, so this fact was disregarded.

Residents believe these two pieces of evidence would have a profound impact on the decision and are of the opinion that the Council should have ensured these points were presented to the committee.

Drinks on pavement

Somerton House Residents’ Association Chair Simon Lamrock, corrected John Gaunt’s assertion that no open drink containers would be taken onto the public footpath. In fact the largest of the two drinking areas can only be accessed via the public footpath. Residents are very concerned that this fact will inevitably lead to groups of drinkers blocking the pavement and causing a nuisance.

Mr Lamrock asked if a site visit was possible. The panel said this was possible under the rules. We have since noted on the Camden Website that adjournments for site visits are possible.

Some minor conditions were added to the license:

• there is to be absolutely no drinking on the pavement outside
• there should be frequent litter picks and glass collection.
• residents will be given a number to call if they have issues (020 7554 3400)
• a nominated employee will be responsible for policing the outside areas at all times

Residents returning home after the hearing were greeted with the unpleasant site of beer glasses full of cigarette butts uncollected on a table outside the Premier Inn. We remain concerned that this represents the hotel’s real commitment to our local neighbourhood.

We are disappointed that the Council has again chosen to put the financial interests of a large business above the welfare of it’s own residents.

Somerton House new planters

At the last AGM it was agreed by all present that the committee would reinstate a garden of wooden planters and compost with suitable plants, paid for with TA funds. To return the residents garden albeit on a much smaller scale.

Secretary John was tasked with finding a local independent tradesmen that would make the planters to size and also find a independent garden supplier for the soil, compost and plants.

We then had to work out what plants would live happily in the planters, give us residents the greatest pleasure throughout the year with as little maintenance as possible, just as well John is well versed on plants, flora and all things like that.

GAD [Garden Arrival Day] Friday 28 May 2010.

Planters arrive followed by 30 bags of fantastic garden soil mixed with proper horse muck from Islington, and later plants from a London nursery.  Several hours later the entrance pathway is now a much greener, happier and inviting outside space.

Within the next few Months we should have some blooms! Some names of plant’s: Sage, Rosemary, Jasmine, Lavender, Cornflower, Poppy, Geranium and lots lots more…

A little history of our garden:

The garden area of Somerton House was created by residents gradually since they first moved into Somerton House when it was built in 1963. Some commuters of a certain age may remember the amazing rose displays each summer. This was removed when Travel Inn took over the lower portion of Somerton House.

Travel Inn replaced the garden with a planted display, but then the parent company Whitbread removed this in 2007 to install a Costa Coffee outlet, upsetting and angering some residents, many who have lived in the building since it was built in the 1960′s.

Since then garden issue was raised at every TA meeting, on the stairs, in the lift, on the stairs and  even in Waitrose, residents were missing their only green space and angered that it was lost to a coffee shop chain. Residents of Somerton House are very happy to have their green area back.

SHTA would like to thank the following people:

John and Simon for all their hard work making the garden happen.

Cumar for his help taking in deliveries, Bob for his donation of plants and helpful advice, Amanda for getting her hands dirty, Mark G for the workers beverages, Rene, Ricky, Steve, James, Dan, Joseph, and Ben for their support, and last but by no means least Mr Treasurer Akbar for writing the cheque.

We have a good few bags of Fed Hollingsworth’s www.Soil-Compost.co.uk top grade local London garden soil left over for sale. £6 a 75-litre bag buyer collects! email gardensoil@shta.co.uk

The garden project was very much a communal project undertaken and paid for by the TA with the support of residents of Somerton House, to reclaim their lost green outside space.

Jonathan is a strong supporter of tenants and residents community groups within King’s Cross. He has supported and advised SHTA from our first meeting, standing with us on protest outside Unisons HQ against the building of a new Unison Tower.

SHTA would like to offer our congratulations to Cllr Simpson for his well deserved appointment as The Mayor of Camden.

Agenda

• The installation of postboxes for residents during lift works on the ground floor
• Access to the upper floors via the hotel lift
• Access to the upper floors with heavy items
• The role of the RLO
• AOB

Shane, contractors Lakehouse and their resident liaison officer who is to be available to help residents with shopping and stair climbing, during the works, will be there to answer and question you have about the project.

Tuesday 2nd March
6.00 pm, until 7.00 pm
TA room 6th Floor

AGENDA.

• Welcome to all residents.
• Welcome to the independent observer from Camden Council Shane Sourer.
• Minutes.
• SHTA TA reps give reports on TA activities for the year 2009.
• AOB.
• Nominations for chairperson, secretary treasurer, DMS representative and committee members.
• Election of chairperson, secretary, treasurer, DMS representatives and committee members.
• Accept, amend and adopt the constitution for SHTA.
• Accept the code of conduct for TA reps and committee members.

End.

A meeting and ‘walk about’ with council rep’s and contractors that carried out the Capital Projects Works at Somerton House has been arranged for the morning of Feb 14th, by local ward Councillor Geethika Jayatilaka.

Camden Town Hall

This is to finally get unfinished works and long over due snagging completed and also to re put residents complaints and concerns over the new windows fitted, being unsuitable for an exposed high rising building such as Somerton House.

The update on the outcome of this meeting will be posted in the foum, but already there are signs of jobs / snagging / missed work is now being completed around the building for example: the fire extinguishers have been mounted to the wall, Two bulbs are now fitted in the Lift rather that the normal one, ceiling lights have been replaced, handrails fixed, bin chute repaired, floor panels on the 6th floor have been made safe ready for repair and new signage has been placed.

Councillor Jayatilaka, has been some what of a champion for residents of Somerton House over the years, following up concerns tenants have raised, along with attending meetings, and generally being helpful and very approachable. We thank her for her help and continued support.

In an open email to Neil Litherland, Director of Housing, Simon explains in no uncertain terms that over the last two years, the people responsible for renovating Somerton House under the “Pride of Place” scheme have wasted money, accepted and paid for work which was grossly not fit for it’s purpose, and continued after the works for a total of eighteen months to argue amongst themselves as to who should foot the bill.

The residents fought tooth and nail for renovations to be completed, funding for the renovations came from the Government – tax payers up and down the country footed the bill for council owned homes across the UK to be brought up to an acceptable standard.

Residents of Somerton House have been asked a record three times to submit details of any issues with incomplete work, work which has failed, or outstanding faults. Council representatives have attempted to survey residents within the last week (a fourth time the information has been collected?) – quite helpfully coming out during the working day, when not quite as many people are at home.

The list of issues caused by the “Pride of Place” works has continued to grow as time carries on.

• Residents were shown windows which covered the whole glazed area, but had their light cut by as much as 30% when project manager Edosa changed the design without consulting residents.
• The reduction in glazed area is made up with a plastic sheet – although it is claimed that this material reduces noise, and improves insulation, no proof has been provided, and residents are colder.
• The windows have started to bow in some areas where prevaling northerly winds affect them.
• The windows to not offer any sound insulation, as their ‘spacing’ – the area between the two sheets of glass, is too narrow for homes on such a busy thoroughfare.
• The concrete panels beneath the windows were insulated with newspaper in some cases. Silicon glue was used to glue the frames together. This is now beginning to fail.
• Some residents have started to get leaks on their floor during heavy rain. Although this was brought to the council’s attention over one year ago, the windows still leak.

Ironically, when complaints were submitted to the Director Of Housing, he instructed the Manager of Pride of Place, Karen Honey, to investigate – never before has the TA known a case where a person actively involved with creating a problem was allowed to investigate how the problem came about. The TA has seen a confidential memo between Mr Litherland and other member of the Council where it is strongly suggested that tenants are to blame.

• Doors were replaced for some residents to keep the area ‘aesthetically pleasing’. These doors to not adhere to British Safety standards. No-one at the Council has been willing to deal with this issue for over eighteen months.

• Communal carpets were removed in favour of a linoleum floor. Except the caretakers have no access to hot water to clean it.

• Access panels to areas beneath the communal corridors were broken by council employees who did not have the correct tool (or training) to raise them. Eighteen months on the building is still awaiting a solution.

• In some cases doors were only painted on the outside, ‘because it didn’t say both sides on the contract’.
• Thomas Sinden, the contractor for the £750,000 renovation work, removed residents stored items from designated locations to water storage cupboards, amongst other areas. Council employees were very quick to remove the personal posessions, without notice, yet are not as quick to fix other faults.

• The Intercom system into the building was interfered with my Sinden contractors. This has now been faulty in most flats since April 2006.

• As part of an ongoing renovation to the Premier Inn hotel, low-level lighting on the ground floor, and essential health & safety lighting on the lower ground floor was removed, and has not been reinstated by the Council – they are too busy arguing over who can pay for an essential safety item.

This is only the surface of what has been an ongoing battle to give the residents of Somerton House a home fit for purpose.

The building freeholder, Whitbread plc, and Camden Council’s press office have been asked for a comment on this article. When responses are received we will post them here.

For the Second year running the streets of Bloomsbury will come alive during the 19th – 21st October 2007, with a host of events and activities from the area’s contempoary crative orgainizations.

The Festival offers a superb programme packed with music, dance, theatre, film, photography, literature and debate.

Highlight from the breathtaking areial theatre company Scarabeus, with a new site specific spectacular, Literary Garden Party, Book Stalls, readings from Bloomsbury writers, and a new exhibit of photographs of the hidden face of Bloomsbury.

Bloomsbury WC1 19th -21st October
Admission FREE