Florian Place / 8 Albert Embankment exhibition photos 2011 - (Plans amended to reduce tower heights)

I'm going to add my own comments to these later this weekend, but for now, I'm uploading for anybody that hasn't had a chance to go to the exhibition.

In the meantime, I've received an email from a few people asking how to comment on these proposals.  You need to access 10/04473/FUL on the Lambeth Planning portal and click "submit comments".  The developers submitted their new plans to Lambeth  well before the 11th/12th Feb planning exhibition.  On the Lambeth planning portal, the final date for comments  is technically 11th February which makes the developers appear underhand.  Apparently though, the development wasn't publicly advertised until recently so the official end date for comments is 21st February (in my view, Lambeth Council should amend the portal), but in reality submissions will be accepted until the development goes to the planning committee around April or maybe June.

Board #1 helpfully shows the totality of the site.  It's a large piece of land and includes more than the 8 Albert Embankment frontage.  Note that there's a small block that will be developed just the other side of the railway bridge:

2 Saturday planning consultations and 8 Albert Embankment / Florian Place (second attempt application)

A consultation will take place concerning the proposed new development (to be known as Florian Place) which will be situated on and around 8 Albert Embankment:

You can attend on Friday 11th Feb (14:00 - 18:00) or Saturday 12th Feb (10:30 - 13:30), and it will be held on 8 Albert Embankment, SE1 7SP.

Be careful though because the consultation on Vauxhall Square (the "twin tower" development from CLS) will also take place on Friday 11th Feb (10:30 - 20:00) or Saturday 12th Feb (10:00 - 14:00), and that will be held at 1, Nine Elms Lane on the 19th floor of the Market Towers building, SW8 5NQ.  

I know... two planning consultations over the same two days seems like a really bad plan, especially considering that some residents will be interested in both proposals...  Looks like Saturday morning is a write off!

Tradescant has already written on the new plans for 8 Albert Embankment, but I fear there's nothing new to add, since all of the news relates to last year's proposals.  You might remember I posted briefly on the old plans for the site, which were submitted in March last year.  Before the public had much chance to comment on last year's plans, local Princes Ward councillors made it clear that, in their view, the development did not contain a high enough percentage of social housing.  Consequently, Native Land (the developers) possibly assumed that they were on a hiding to nothing, and withdrew the plans for 7 new buildings ranging from 5 to 16 storeys (see old planning application for reference).

Now though, a new year presents a fresh opportunity to submit money-making schemes to Lambeth Council, and if the Council can sense extra income, they're likely to approve sensible submissions.  The delay might even have benefited the developers on account of local residents suffering from planning proposal burn-out.  Certainly, whatever Native Land are preparing to submit will not be as contentious as the Bondway proposal, Kylun's Vauxhall Island site or CLS's Vauxhall Square...  So, what are the plans?  You can probably sense that I'm waiting with baited breath....

But... No... It's still a secret....  The proposals look as though they won't be released until tomorrow and I think the press release on the CLS website is the old one from 2010.