changinglondon

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Changing LondoAn historic city for a modern wo


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Our vision for London

The historic environment Londons gardens, parks and landscapes, its waterways, its buildingsgreat and small, its streets, its public spaces has proved to be crucial to Londons success.

It is not a brake on its prosperity. We must value the historic environment not just because

it is old but for what it offers today and in the future.

The historic and natural environments are two sides of the same coin they are both part

of the green agenda. We need to help people understand that looking after the historic

environment is intrinsically linked to making London a sustainable city.

Conservation is about managing, not preventing, change. We must ensure that planners,

developers, architects and conservation bodies have the skills and tools to manage

change creatively.

It has proved to be far easier to regenerate areas where the historic environment is still much

in evidence than where little survives. We must help people to understand and capitalise

on the advantages the historic environment offers to run-down parts of London.

Londons open spaces are a unique asset that we must not squander. We must make the proper

funding, maintenance and protection of our open spaces a key priority.

Conservation is about the entire historic environment, not just about listed buildings. We must

value the streets and spaces in between and act to improve the quality of Londons streetscape.

Immense variety is one of Londons great strengths. We must not allow banality and uniformity

to replace local distinctiveness.

More than 90% of our urban fabric will still be with us in 30 years time. We need to ensure

the mechanisms are in place to secure its maintenance and good repair.

Many of the mistakes made in London in recent decades came out of ignorance. We must helpLondoners, ordinary individuals, politicians, developers, planners and architects to understand

and value their city.

Good new buildings are essential to London, but all new buildings, large and small, must respond

creatively to their context and start from a commitment to high quality design.

Nurturing its historic environment will make London a better place in which to live, to do

business, to relax and to play.


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Introduction

London is one of a handful of World Cities. It is the most important

and dynamic city in Europe. A vital ingredient in that success has been

its historic environment its gardens, parks and landscapes, its waterways,

its buildings great and small, its streets, its public spaces which provides

the texture of the city, its quality and its diversity.

The historic environment is key to Londons prosperity and a social assetof immense value. Nearly all the most prosperous and desirable areas

in London, the places where people most want to live, work and visit,

are those where the historic environment is a dominant influence.

At the same time, the creative reuse of old buildings has helped

to regenerate previously failing parts of the city.

Conservation is about ensuring that we make the best use of that

historic environment. It is a tool for managing change. Some still believe

that conservation is simply about preserving the fabric of old buildings

unchanged.They fail to see that conservation is an overarchingphilosophy, the opposite of the wasteful society.

It is easy to destroy and today we have the tools, the money and the

technology to wreck London but difficult to create. Historic buildings,

areas and landscapes are a finite resource. Once lost they are lost

forever.The purpose of conservation is to ensure that destruction is

kept to a minimum while allowing creativity and innovation to flourish.


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London the unique city

Unplanned, sprawling and immensely varied, London is unique among

European cities. Maintaining that uniqueness and variety is crucial

to its prosperity.

From its earliest days London has never had a single centre. Instead,

spreading nearly 15 miles in every direction, London is made up of an

infinite number of different communities. Some, like Bloomsbury, beganas planned urban quarters, while others, such as Petersham or Ruislip,

still retain their original village feel. Many grew up in the 19th and early

20th centuries around railway or Underground stations, key forces

in Londons growth. Each has its distinct character.

Today different neighbourhoods may merge one into another so that

to those passing through it can be hard to know where one ends and

the next begins, but to those who live there the sense of identity each

provides is vital.That identity begins with an areas historic environment.

One driving force that has shaped London is the terrace house, and

more recently the semi-detached house, with its own front door and

garden. Londons garden squares are an equally distinctive feature of the

city. Open space is one of Londons vital ingredients. With Royal Parks

such as Hyde Park and old commons such as Clapham Common, the

parks of former country houses caught up in London such as Clissold

Park, ancient woodlands such as Highgate Wood and even farmland,

London is an unusually green city.

In recent decades London has changed dramatically. It has ceased to

be an industrial metropolis; the docks have moved downstream and the

vast railway yards have become redundant.The City of London, once

a bustling mix of warehouses and every sor t of business, has come to

be dominated by finance, though today Londons financial heart spreads

from Canary Wharf to the West End. Social and economic forces have

seen the closure of the great mental asylums that once ringed London,

together with many smaller public buildings such as hospitals, town halls,


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I like the fact that theres a lot of heritage the Edwardian,

the Victorian buildings, but then round the corner you can

have something really brand new. So its just the diversity.

Really, its got a bit of everything.

Mahela Ashtar, Earls Court

banks, courts and barracks, a scale of disposal that rivals the Dissolution

of the Monasteries in the 16th century.

But the spaces vacated have swiftly been colonised, bringing new life

to large areas of London. Mental asylums have been turned into homes,

banks into bars, warehouses into offices and studios, industrial wharves

developed as apartment blocks.

Londons housing stock has been transformed as a buoyant property

market has brought new prosperity to whole areas. Streets and houses

that were once scheduled for demolition are now highly desirable and

well maintained. At the same time Londons centre of gravity has shifted

eastwards with the establishment of Docklands as a popular area for

new housing and business.

The population of London has also changed dramatically.Two great

modern periods of immigration, from the Commonwealth in the 1950s,

60s and early 70s and of refugees since the fall of the Berlin Wall,

coupled with the arrival of Europeans benefiting from free mobility of

labour in the European Union, have made London the most diverse city

in the world. One-third of its population is comprised of ethnic minorities.

1 & 2 Covent Garden,

once threatened with

demolition, is now

one of Londons most

popular places.

3 & 4 Much of Notting H

had declined into slums

by the 1950s.Today thos

parts that were not

demolished are among

the most desirable in

the capital


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Today after decades of falling population and employment, London is

thriving. With a GDP of 120 billion it is the richest area in Europe. If it

were a country, London would rank within the top 15 world economies

bigger than most European nations. London is one of the worlds most

visited cities, and most of those visitors are attracted by the qualities of

its historic environment. As a World City, it is the property of the world.

Tourism, now the second largest earner of foreign currency after financial

services, has grown to be one of the capitals most important industries.

But London still has problems. It contains five of the ten most deprived

local authority areas, and has the second highest unemployment rate

in England after the North East, with wards in Tottenham, Haringey

and much of Tower Hamlets high on the national indices of deprivation.

The population has increased by 600,000 since 1989 to 7.4 million today,

and is expected to rise another 700,000 by 2016. Housing such numbers

without destroying the qualities that people value about London will bean immense challenge.

Socially and economically, London has changed enormously in the past

20 years, but its built fabric has changed relatively little because it has

proved to be enormously adaptable.Today London has 40,000 listed

buildings, 860 conservation areas, three World Heritage Sites and over

600 protected London squares.The past 20 years has shown that these

are not a constraint to Londons economy but one of the main reasons

for its continued prosperity. London has prospered because of its historic

environment, not in spite of it.

1 Hanger Hill Estate, Eali

London has some of t

greatest suburbs in the

world

2 Walthamstow Village:

many old villages still

survive within London

3 Bankside Power Statiohas been adapted to

become the immensely

successful Tate Modern

4 St Pancras Station, abo

to become the termin

of the Channel Tunnel

Rail Link, shows how

historic buildings can

be adapted to modern

needs, capitalising

on their historic and

architectural qualities


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The sustainable city

Cities are a vital part of a sustainable world. Before the 1960s we

believed that the world was a boundless resource.Today we know

better. Endless demolition and rebuilding ignores the embodied energy

in existing fabric and the energy costs of new building it takes a barrel

of oils worth of energy to produce four bricks and is inherently

irresponsible.

But sustainability is more than just about physical resources. It is also

about community and culture, which combine to create the social capital

that makes cities work. Familiar neighbourhoods and landmarks provide

a sense of place and belonging in a city that can otherwise seem

overwhelmingly hostile. Destroying those neighbourhoods destroys

the social capital that makes the city work, as we saw to our cost

when large parts of London were demolished in the 1960s.

Conserving the historic environment is the other side of the coin

to conserving the natural environment. Looking after the historicenvironment is intrinsically linked to making London a sustainable city.

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You look at the size and you imagine it must have taken

years to build and taken many people. Its a shame because

a lot of buildings nowadays are just knocked up and they

are just very boring and very straight.

Tom Macklin, Ealing

1 Restoring the Wellington

Arch: the craftsmanship,the materials, the

embodied energy,

the associations of a

particular building are

capital assets, the value

of which has to be offset

against proposals to

demolish and rebuild

1 2 2

2 We must not repeat

the mistakes of the1960s and 1970s; the

redevelopment of Angell

Town in Brixton was

a disaster, and now the

concrete 1970s housing

estate is being rebuilt

as rows of traditional

terrace houses

3 The Lansbury Estate

in Tower Hamlets is anexample of a successfu

neighbourhood that

needs to be protected

and enhanced

4 Nunhead Cemetery:

the natural and histori

environments are

inextricably linked in

Londons cemeteries

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The flexible city

According to the Urban Task Force, more than 90% of our urban fabric

will still be with us in 30 years. So let us care for what we have; it is an

opportunity not a problem. Most houses, and indeed most buildings,

if properly built and maintained, will last indefinitely. Intelligent repairs,

modernisation and adaptive re-use are more cost-effective (and

sustainable) than unthinking demolition.

As well as allowing people to live comfortably at high densities, the

traditional London terrace house has proved to be remarkably adaptable

and popular, preferred by people to almost anything else.Terrace houses

still provide an ideal template for sustainable urban living, combining

mixed uses and high densities with street life, community and a sense of

place. In recent decades we have discovered how adaptable all buildings

are and that it is much easier to regenerate depressed areas where the

historic environment is relatively intact than those where little survives.

We need to encourage everyone Londoners, government, councils,landlords to ensure that the existing stock of buildings is properly

maintained.That VAT should be charged on repairs to old buildings

but not on new buildings is an anomaly that should be ended.

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1 St Johns, Hoxton, once

had a troubled future; stilla church, it has now been

transformed into a centre

of community life

2 Keeling House, a Grade

II* listed modern building,

once seemingly doomed,

has been saved by the

changing economics

of East End housing

1

3 Borough Market,

Southwark: EnglishHeritage has

demonstrated how

development can be

integrated with existing

industrial and transport

structures

4 Milner Square, Islingto

mix of council and privhousing shows how

essentially democratic

terrace houses are

5 Claybury Hospital,

Redbridge: the former

chapel, now used

as a health club


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The inclusive city

The historic environment is a physical reminder that London has always

been a city of immigrants and newcomers, with each generation leaving

its mark on buildings, in the names of streets and on the character

of whole areas.

Some may ask what Londons historic environment can mean to new

arrivals. At the very least it reminds newcomers and older inhabitantsalike that the city has been repeatedly energised by immigrants. But

equally important is the extraordinary flexibility of Londons building

stock, which has proved exceptionally adaptable to newcomers of every

culture, as the streets of Brixton, Brick Lane and Southall show.

We need to ensure that the informal flexibility of old buildings and areas

that has proved a seedbed for newcomers is not swept away in the

name of progress.


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1 The 18th century

synagogue of Bevis Marksrivals any City church

2 Electric Avenue in

Brixton is just one of

innumerable Victorian

streets that have

proved easily adaptable

to newcomers

1

2

3 Huguenot weavers fro

France built a chapel othe corner of Fournier

Street and Brick Lane

in 1743: it was later

used as a synagogue

and is now a mosque

4 The names of London

streets are constant

reminders that London

has always been an

open city

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The green city

Londons parks, private gardens and open spaces, together with the

River Thames, Londons greatest open space, are the citys lungs, one

of Londons defining characteristics; inherently accessible spaces that

are immensely valued by Londoners.

But Londons open space is under relentless pressure. Playing fields

and allotments are being sold off, the green belt eroded, local parksincreasingly neglected and even the Royal Parks consistently underfunded.

There is a continual threat from overuse and unsympathetic adjacent

development, while proposals to increase the density of the city

significantly are also likely to fall most heavily on open spaces.

Londons open spaces are a unique asset that we must not squander.

We must make our open spaces a key priority, not an optional extra,

not only working to create new parks and open spaces but making sure

that those we have are protected, looked after and properly funded.

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1 St Jamess Park: Londons

Royal Parks are apriceless cultural asset

2 The view from

Richmond Hill: the

Thames Landscape

Strategy means that the

future of the river is being

looked at as a whole

3 Soho Square provides

welcome relief in theheart of the city

4 Though greatly valued,

Clissold Park, Stoke

Newington, is caught in

a spiral of underfundin

and decline

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Londoners London

To most Londoners, what matters is what can be seen within a quar ter

of an hours walk of their front door, the high street where they shop,

the place where they work, the park in which they play, the sense

of local distinctiveness. Conservation has to concern itself with this

streetscape, to see its value, to identify what is worth protecting and how

it can be improved.

This is not a recipe for stagnation, a blanket recipe for preservation,

but recognition that the ordinary, the everyday, plays a vital part

in all Londoners lives. Ordinary neighbourhoods are the backdrops

for communities that make life in the city enjoyable.They are part

of what every Londoner cherishes about the city.

Londons streetscape is under intense pressure with no single body

responsible for looking after it. We need to persuade national and local

government, the utilities and highway engineers that the streets we walk

down should be places for people which uplift, not depress, us.


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1 The quality achieved in

Kensington High Streetshould be common

practice across London

2 Cluttered streetscape

creates a harsh,

unwelcoming

environment

1

3 Arnos Grove

Underground Stationreminds us of the

architectural quality to

be found across Londo

4 Woodgrange Road,

Forest Gate: a typical

London high street

that has benefited

from conservation-led

regeneration


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The image of modernity

In the global economy success is not based on the image of modernity

glass-fronted offices, skyscrapers, motorways but on factors such

as good communications and public transport, the rule of law, culture,

diversity and, in particular, where it is attractive and fun to live and work.

It is easy to mistake physical change for progress. Highly visible whole-

scale renewal is seen to be modernising, while good conservationis about making imperceptible but significant changes.Too often

politicians, planners, developers and architects, now as in the 1960s,

think the solution to a problem is a building solution. Often it is not.

Successful cities are civilised cities offering quality neighbourhoods.

Economic success follows these civic values.

We must not tear the city apar t to deal with yesterdays problems. All

too often this years essential building turns out to be very different from

next years essential building.

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locks and

i

I think my favourite building in London is St Pancras Station,

which is this beautiful design. But then I guess after the war,

when they started building all these tower b

started r pping out all the bombed out parts of London, it

became a much more kind of modernist city and it doesntreally fit.

Daniel Millar, Camden

RIBA

PhotoLibrary

1

1 Piccadilly Circus would

have been replaced bysoulless buildings had

campaigners not fought

to protect it

2 Paternoster Square:

hailed in the 1960s as

the ultimate modern

office precinct, it was

rapidly reviled and is

now being redeveloped

3 Elephant & Castle, once

the Piccadilly Circusof south London, has

never recovered from

the dislocation caused

by its comprehensive

redevelopment in

the 1960s

4 Permission was grante

for a vast new financiaservices building for

LIFFE in Spitalfields, sai

to be vital for the futu

of the City of London;

before it was even bui

LIFFEs methods of

trading had changed

completely and the

project was abandoned

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A force for change

Anyone who cares about the historic environment must welcome good

new architecture and improvements such as well-designed hospitals,

schools and a better transport infrastructure. Without these the historic

environment will not be refreshed and revitalised, as it has been in every

generation.

Conservation need not stand in the way of new buildings, even in themost sensitive areas. Nor is it about playing it safe, about encouraging

poor quality, self-effacing designs in a misguided attempt not to upset

anyone. As the proportion of architectural awards for buildings on

sensitive sites shows, the stimulus of such challenges often brings out

the best from contemporary architects. What matters is the way that

new buildings, particularly large buildings, are integrated into the city.

All new buildings must respond creatively to context and start from a

commitment to high quality design. All too often this is missing in new

developments.To ensure it is always present we need to improve thequality of decision-making in the planning process among planning

officers, developers, architects and conservation bodies.

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1 New housing at Lyme

Terrace on the RegentsCanal demonstrates that

good quality new design

that enhances the historic

environment need not be

restricted to high-profile

projects

2 Perseverance Works,

Hackney: even modest

industrial buildings can

be creatively adapted

to new uses

1

3 Richard Rogers Lloyds

Register of Shipping:the historic environment

provides a key to

integrating large new

buildings into the city

and can foster, not

impede, good design

4 Merrill Lynchs new

headquarters onNewgate Street, one

of the largest single

office buildings in

London, retains part

of a listed building and

a Roman bastion, now

open to the public


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Tall buildings: threat and opportunity

Tall buildings are one of the most sensitive issues facing London. By their

very visibility they can affect the lives, the sense of place and the sense of

identity of millions of people, while in parts of central London they could

overwhelm an already severely congested transport system.

Successive studies have concluded that tall buildings are not necessary

for the future of London as a global financial centre and that there is noevidence that London will lose jobs to other cities without them. London

has flourished as a World City in the past 20 years by building medium-

and low-rise. By comparison, an enthusiastic policy for tall buildings in

Frankfurt has not prevented the steady seepage of German business

headquarters to London.

Tall buildings in the wrong places can do irreparable damage. If we

choose to have them then there are places where they could enhance

London without damaging the historic environment or the qualities

that make London special.The answer is not ad hoc, reactive, piecemealresponses to unplanned, speculative proposals. It is a clear, rational, plan-

led approach, supported by national guidance.


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I prefer quality housing with gardens front and back for

ordinary people to live in and enjoy. London at its best.

Im against high rise and cheap housing.

Steve Dunk, Bromley

1 City Road, Islington: many

tall buildings erected inthe 1960s were banal,

undistinguished and

destroyed the sense

of place

2 It would be a mistake

to allow tall buildings

to squeeze out cherished

historic views like

that of St Pauls that

are central to Londons

self-image

1

3 The Swiss Re Tower, C

of London: nobody hasdemonstrated that tall

buildings are necessary

but if we choose to

have them, location

is paramount

4 Canary Wharf, the

Greenwich Peninsula,

the Thames Gateway,

Croydon and Stratford

all offer wonderful

possibilities for new

tall buildings

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The future

London faces enormous challenges and change. But it always has. Its

ability to cope with those changes over centuries, to move with the

times and yet remain the same essential London, lies at the heart

of its success in an ever more competitive global economy.

There are those who think that it would be the sign of economic

success if London looked much like any other large city across theglobe. But Londons strength lies in its incredible variety, variety that

provides for social and economic stability because it permits change.

Cities dominated by a single industry, or that are too regimented and

uniform, find it difficult to adapt to the rapidly changing circumstances

of globalisation.The historic environment is an essential part of that

variety and that uniqueness.

We all want to live in a city that competes with the best anywhere in

the world and we are lucky enough to be able to do so. We do not

have to choose between conservation and modernity. We can haveboth. Indeed, we need both. London is a vast city that needs to use

its resources efficiently. Conservation is a tool to ensure that happens.

The London of tomorrow will understand, recognise and value its

historic assets. Change will be thoughtful, incremental and responsive

to the needs of its people. Careful placemaking and good design will

be key to its evolution. Where necessary the worst of the past will be

swept away, but not at the expense of urban quality and liveable spaces,

buildings and places.There will be new emphasis on, and investment in,

public spaces, for great cities are made as much by how they handlespace as by their buildings.

London has unimaginable opportunities to adapt itself to change, but

there has been a failure of imagination in grasping those opportunities.

We need to stretch our imaginations.The innovative adaptation of

Londons historic environment is an essential part of reinforcing the

diverse qualities of place that make London so special.


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What Londoners say about London

We asked Londoners what they thought about Londons historic environment and their responsewas unequivocal.They care deeply about it.The vast majority of Londoners say they are interested

in the historic environment, feel that it is worth saving and recognise that it can play an important

part in the citys regeneration. Most Londoners do not feel that we preserve too many of

the citys buildings and believe that the River Thames, public spaces and parks should be

given more protection.

Seven out of ten London residents disagree that we preserve too many of Londons buildings.

Nearly 70% believe that the historic environment includes buildings in the local neighbourhood,

as well as grand buildings.

Four out of five believe that the historic environment can play an important part in regenerating

towns and cities.

Three-quarters are opposed to tall buildings being built in their local area and three out of five

opposed more tall buildings across the rest of London.

The condition of streets and pavements is seen as the most serious problem for Londons

historic environment.

Two out of five believe the condition of Londons gardens and parks to be a serious problem.

Seven out of ten think that derelict buildings are a serious problem and two-thirds that the

demolition of historic buildings due to neglect is a serious problem.

Two-thirds think there is a lack of funds to save the citys historic environment and that local

and central government have little interest in the issue.

The River Thames, public spaces and parks are three things that London residentswould particularly like to see given more protection. Half would like the skyline to

have more protection.

MORI Poll, August 2002


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i

of it and taught to value it.

l

The National Trust welcomes the publication of ChangingLondon and the contribution it makes to the debate about the

role of the historic environment in the regeneration of London.

Keith Halstead,The National Trust

Londons rich historic heritage buildings, ancient village centres,

open spaces and historic place-names is what attracts tourists

to the city. But it is f rst and foremost the basis of our identity

as Londoners, as well as a vital resource for education and

regeneration. It is essential that Londoners are made aware

Michael Hammerson,The London Forum of Amenity Societies

This document clear y demonstrates the diversity and

importance of Londons green open spaces in the context

of an assessment of the value of Londons historic realm.

William Weston, Royal Parks

We welcome Changing London. If you look at an area

like Clerkenwell which has changed dramatically, socially

and economically over the last few years, it is its ability to

accept a great diversity of new uses which makes it so exciting.

The adaptability of Londons historic environment never

ceases to amaze.

John Sell, Joint Committee of National Amenity Societies

From Royal Palaces to terrace houses, Londons historic

environment is diverse and complex. Changing London isa welcome initiative, encouraging all of us to celebrate and

value this rich mix.

John Barnes, Historic Royal Palaces


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