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ALLOTMENT PLANS FOR 'NOHO' SITE
Mayor Johnson backs green scheme for derelict former hospital land
THE wasteland former Middlesex Hospital site moved one step closer to being transformed into London’s most sought-after allotment after Boris Johnson threw his support behind plans to turn the capital’s derelict sites green.
The Mayor of London described allotments as “extremely appealing” and yesterday (Thursday) called for more than 2,000 to be dotted across the capital’s streetscape by the time of the 2012 Olympics.
His comments are likely to add fuel to hopes that the land in Fitzrovia could be turned into an area for growing fruit and vegetables.
A spokesman for Stanhope Plc, the company in negotiations with the site’s owners Icelandic banking giant Kaupthing, said an announcement on the three-acre patch was expected “fairly soon”.
He added: “Stanhope and Kaupthing have been looking into it as a possibility although nothing has been decided for the time being. We’re working through the practical implications of what is possible. There’s a lot of practical issues involved.”
The dream to turn the central London spot into a community garden first emerged in April, spearheaded by Camden councillor and Bloomsbury art gallery owner Rebecca Hossack after she grew despondent at the razed building site just minutes from her home.
It came one month after the West End Extra revealed Kaupthing were in negotiations to bring on board Stanhope Plc, the property company behind the Imax Cinema and Tate Modern.
Speaking at mayor’s question time last month, Mr Johnson said: “Given the circumstances in which some of the development industry finds itself now and given that many developments are stalled – we hope temporarily – [allotments are] obviously something that we should be pursuing.”
Green Assembly Member Jenny Jones said the “potential is huge” to have allotments across the city following Mr Johnson’s encouragement.
“The Mayor of London has given me a commitment that he’ll pursue the idea of creating temporary allotments on vacant building sites,” she added.
Middlesex Hospital was pulled down in 2006 after University College London Hospital sold the building to Candy & Candy, the property developer brothers Christian and Nicholas.
They demolished the building, leaving only a gothic-style listed chapel marooned in the centre of the site, but their £175million dream to build the doomed “Noho Square” turned sour in the economic downturn and the area became nicknamed “No Hope Square”.
In turn, Kaupthing, who bailed the Candy brothers out, have been in negotiations to sell a minority stake to Stanhope since March, hammering out a deal that would see Stanhope “oversee the development, design and reorganisation of the site”.
A spokeswoman for Westminster City Council said they “encouraged developers to turn over vacant plots to community uses including allotments rather than leave them derelict”. |
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