Almost two years have passed since Costa Coffee encroached onto the corner of Euston Road and Duke’s Road, obliterating any evidence that Somerton House existed in the process. Today, Somerton House can once again be found, thanks to BAM Construction, and local Trade Union Unison.

In an amazing catalogue of ignorance and errors, it took Whitbread two years to buy a new sign, and when it arrived they refused to erect it.

Whitbread employ a property consultant, Gerald Eve, to look after their buildings. Gerald Eve have an intricate understanding of the lease, and other legal documents between their client and Camden Council. They are paid by Whitbread to use this knowledge in the best way for Whitbread – and the evidence to dates suggests they are exemplary at this task. Gerald Eve chose to enforce a tiny line in the documentation which said it was Camden Council’s responsibility to fit the new sign.

The Tenants’ Association is still quite astounded that Gerald Eve felt quite so bold as to hold Camden Council to account, after all it wasn’t Camden Council who removed the old signage. When we approach Gerald Eve they advise us of their client, Whitbread’s environmental credentials. Those same environmental credentials prevented them spending less than an hours profit from their coffee shop, to put right their wrongdoings.

Whichever way you look at it, FOUR months of wrangling between Whitbread and Camden Council is unacceptable, so when the Police and Ambulance added their names to the long list of those upset at how difficult it was to find Somerton House, we approached BAM, who are erecting the new Unison HQ tower. BAM under contract of Unison kindly helped us to erect the sign. It didn’t take them four months.

In helping everyone to drag their heels quite so well, Gerald Eve has proven that, despite its ability to manage commercial properties, they have a severe lack of understanding of the relationship between the commercial and residential parts of mixed buildings.

Everyone at Somerton House extends a warm thank you to our neighbours Unison  and their contractors, BAM , we commend them for being neighbourly and their helpful ‘can do’ attitude towards life & community.

Foyle’s War, the British detective ITV TV drama series from the creative talent of Anthony Horowitz of the deserved & acclaimed  ‘Midsomer Murders’ & ‘Hercule Poirot’ series,  has been shooting the London scenes for the first of the last ever, three new episodes of Foyle’s War 2009 Series 7 here in London, on our doorstep.

Set in June 1945, VE Day is being celebrated in London and Europe, whilst the war continues on further shores…

SHTA Chair,  Simon caught up with lead star cast member Michael Kitchen  who plays Superintendant Christopher Foyle and Honeysuckle Weeks (Samantha “Sam” Stuart) on a tight filming schedule in Cartwright Gardens and Burton street in WC1, transforming the Avalon Hotel back to its ‘hay day’, and the area  back to the 1940’s.

The crew, actors/actresses and support staff were fantastic, conciderate and patient given that their set was slap bang in the middle of a busy Bloomsbury street (Kings Cross ward), of people going about their very ordinary and routine daily business.

Carrying a camera in my bag 24/7, I have a ‘thing’ about catching the social and changing history of London in images, it’s one of my hobbies I rather enjoy and a legacy to leave for later generations to come.

I took my camera out and snapped a few pictures, how could you not?

Asked by one of the senior managers, very politely if I was Paparazzi, after my embarrassment I was slightly flattered at being given the credibility of being a professional photographer but declined, and admitted the fact that I was only merely a local resident with an enthusiastic interest in photography who happened to be in the right place at the right time (shopping for cat food for a very fussy cat) and would be posting the photographs on our residents website for the wider community.

All on the way to Waitrose, one of the very many reasons,  I love London.

Foyle’s War 2009 Series 7 – the last – no more – the end – showing on ITV on a television set, PC, laptop  or mobile device in your area soon.

Simon Lamrock

Chair SHTA

We’re pleased to say that the translation service on this website has been expanded. Now full posts and comments can be read in many more languages, thanks to the power of Google translation tools.

If your language isn’t here, please let the Tenants’ Association know, and we’ll try to add it. Click here to send us a message.

SHTA would like to thank For No Apparent Reason for continuing to provide cost-effective web hosting and constant improvements to help the TA to communicate effectively.

Amélioration des services de traduction

Nous sommes heureux de dire que le service de traduction de ce site a été développé. Maintenant postes à plein et les commentaires peuvent être lus dans de nombreuses autres langues, grâce à la puissance des outils de traduction de Google.

Si votre langue n’est pas ici, s’il vous plaît laissez-le Tenants’ Association savons, et nous allons essayer d’en ajouter. Cliquez ici pour nous envoyer un message.

SHTA tiens à remercier pour aucune raison apparente de continuer à fournir rentable hébergement de sites Web et des améliorations constantes pour aider à la TA à communiquer efficacement.

SHTA met the Whitbread group with the help of Ward Councillor Jonathan Simpson, to discuss issues which have arose recently. The first meeting was positive, and it was accepted that some problems have been ongoing for some time, and some have arose since the hotel’s extension works.

The hotel put procedures in place to make use of the car park and access ramp safer for all of us, and to manage delivery vehicles. Gerald Eve, Whitbread Group’s property consultant, is arranging an enclosure for the roof mounted air conditioning units. Unfortunately this needs planning permission, and there doesn’t appear to be a fast track process available.

Noise from the kitchen extractor vent, which can be quite loud in residents’ bedrooms, is being investigated. In the meantime the hotel have pledged to ensure the vent is switched off between 11:30 PM and 04:45 AM – though their timer appears to be faulty. If the noise from the kitchen vent is a nuisance to you, call Premier Inn London Euston Reception on 020 7554 3400 and ask them to switch it off, politely.

A meeting is being arranged for residents to voice their issues over noise coming into their flats.

SHTA will meet representatives of Premier Inn on Monday, 1st April, with an aim to resolve long-standing issues which have been detrimental to Somerton House residents for quite some time.

Issues on the agenda mainly focus around noise – whether it be from the air conditioning equipment on the roof, the kitchen extractor fans beneath us, the garbage compactor, recycling or deliveries.

SHTA will also touch on several Health & Safety issues which have been going on for far too long – such as large delivery wagons reversing down and then blocking our access ramp. We know the outside drinking can be a problem during the summer months too.

If the way Premier Inn, Costa Coffee or No. 1 Duke’s Road, which are all owned by the large corporation Whitbread, cause your home life detriment, and you are a Somerton House resident or live in the local area, please let us know by leaving a comment below, we’ll raise issues you’re concerned about.

Also at the meeting will be Gerald Eve, representing Whitbread’s property portfolio, and Councillor Jonathan Simpson.

SHTA has contacted the Whitbread group on many occasions, and given the group extended the Premier Inn hotel at London Euston some years ago, issues have dragged on for quite so long that we’ve taken official steps to try to force Whitbread to remedy the situation. This includes speaking to the lisensing, planning, environment and health & safety departments of the Council regarding the day-to-day running of the Hotel cum coffee shop and bar, as well as the London Fire Brigade over serious fire safety concerns we share.

We’re used to living in the centre of such a big and vibrant city, and we know all too well how noisy, and intrusive living in such a unique area can be. We also take the area, the historical importance of it, and the times where we can rest and recuperate, very seriously indeed!

The date? No, we’re not giving you an April Fool early. We really are meeting with them, after all this time!

Unison are still redeveloping the Elizabeth Garrett Anderson hospital site on Euston Road.

Their January/February newsletter is attached as a PDF file at the bottom of this post.

EGA Unison site on Euston Road

Work is mostly taking place on excavations and piling towards the rear of the site, so residents on Churchway are getting most of the noise for the time being. A new concrete access ramp to the site is being constructed to allow speedier deliveries.

Coming up over the next month or so, we will see some noisy work to destruct some concrete left in the ground by the previous building. Two tower cranes will appear on site toward the end of February.

The site is supporting the local Speech, Language and Hearing school. Workers on-site can win prizes for the school by setting good standards in safety.

Finally, a request from BAM construction and UNISON. BAM is a member of the Considerate Constructors Scheme. This means that they are committed to being a good neighbour, and to working in a safe and clean manner. The Scheme has awarded the site a clean bill of health and safety.

The most important thing to remember is safety. Whilst BAM do everything they can to ensure that they and those of us living around the site are safe at all times, please remember (and tell your children) that a construction site is not a playground, and that they (and you) must not enter the site. Even though BAM take very care to ensure that the site and surrounding area are safe at all times, it’s always a good idea to take care around any building site, be careful to watch for falling objects, and watch your step on the pavement.

Click here to read the Unison EGA January-February newsletter in PDF format.

Tenants' Meeting Somerton House

The next meeting of Somerton House Tenants’ Association will be on Thursday 12th February 2009 at 7.30pm in the Tenants’ Room.

PC Michael O’Grady from the King Cross Neighbourhood Team, and PC Steve Hardy from the crime prevention unit will be there to give advice on personal and home safety and security, along with Councillor Jonathan Simpson, who will available to give advice on Council issues.

Agenda for meeting will be posted on the Notice Board shortly before the meeting.

Micromark Heater

The London Fire brigade has had 3 recent fires involving Micromark convector heaters. The Brigade has used other heaters as samples, and found that they can cause fires due to loose fittings inside the heater.

The model number is mm53583- (heater with fan). The batch number is 291577/06/08.

Micromark is working with Haringey Trading Standards to prevent further sales of these fans until the issue can be resolved. However, there are a large number of these fans in use. These heaters have been involved in fires in a hospital, school and student halls to date.

If you have such a heater, do not use it, and do not attempt to repair it yourself. Take it back to the shop where you bought it, or contact Micromark directly.

The following images may help you to identify whether you have one of these heaters. The standard wall mounted storage heaters, which run from your electrical supply, are not affected.

The model and batch numbers

What could happen!

Camden Town Hall, School on the right.

King’s Cross Ward Councillor Jonathan Simpson has wrote to the Camden New Journal, to raise awareness and objections to plans to demolish the Town Hall Extension.

Somerton House Tenants’ Association supports Cllr Simpson. If the current Council was to demolish the Town Hall Extension, the sustained disturbance to local residents and businesses would be unbearable.

It also stands to reason that whilst the Council are following a ‘patch it until it’s absolutely beyond economical repair’ ethos in the way our housing is maintained, that the current Town Hall Extension has plenty of life left in it.

Council services provided at the Town Hall would suffer as a result, with Somerton House residents left to speak to the Council by telephone – which is not an affordable or efficient option for everyone.

There is a school directly behind the Town Hall Extension, which would be affected unreasonably by development in such proximity. Childrens’ education would suffer.

A private development would also maximise on living accommodation. Euston Road is a major arterial route, and the noise levels at the junctions around King’s Cross St. Pancrass are unbelievable – who would want to live in an air-conditioned bubble with no opening windows?

If the Council submits plans, Somerton House Tenants’ Association will let you know.