Broomfield House restoration delayed ... again!

Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by TomJH on July 14, 2011 at 23:53

My thoughts exactly, the money wasted on this is unbelievable. The council rented the scaffolding for years at great expense before deciding to purchase the scaffold at another great expense - although that is sensible in the long run they should have done it a long tome ago. They have just spent £500K on a feasibility study. Which apparently has not resulted in any construction dwgs  or a planning permission. Also the council has declined to let the Friends Of Broomfield Park or any other rate payer I presume have access the the results of the feasibility study. Speaking as a quantity surveyor you could have by now  a very attractive Park Cafe and still had change  (£100K plus) from the £500K thats been wasted - what was more unbelievable is that the budget from which the funds were coming from was cut last October - so why complete the feasibility study?? This waste of our rate money seems criminal to me. Lets face it the house was not very attractive when in one piece. Now most of it gone up in smoke or been taken by nature there is really only the four walls left - its not renovation when there is so little left.

• ▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Michael Dawson on July 16, 2011 at 0:44

You are absolutely right, Tom.  The old building looks as if it was about as ugly as you could ever wish an old building to be.  The current scaffolding etc is only slightly worse. 

 

I recall a few years ago that a pub chain was willing to re-develop the building, but this did not go ahead, partly due to local opposition.  Frankly, I think most of this opposition was from people who live near the park and who were worried - probably completely unnecessarily - that the new development would reduce the value of their houses.  It was always optimistic to expect a public sector solution to this problem and can anyone really say that this is a high priority when the public finances are in such a mess?  In my view a lot of the people who moaned then would be quite happy for the old eyesore to remain there, when some sort of cafe would be welcomed by the vast majority. 

• ▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by TomJH on July 16, 2011 at 10:03

Michael, you are right the brewery had offered to take on the problem in return for running a pub but the locals took the council to court on the basis that the covenant attached to the donation of the Park forbids any permanent commercial activity - how the pitch and put get away with it I don't know, that should be run by a charity. You are right I feel that their fears were un-founded, completley. But there you go. I think with a little imagination they could shore up the walls with some steels and put a new roof and turn it into a cafe area for a lot less than a million. If the first floor is in poor condition then remove it - make a double height space. It's become a big obstacle to the improvement of the park - it needs to go, or become part of the park improvement.

• ▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Kate Franzmann on July 16, 2011 at 16:49

I used to take my children to the clinic in Broomfield House just before the first fire. They are now all over 40 and have watched in despair as nothing happened year on year.  My personal view is that this shell shouldbe demolished and  a competition held to design a wonderful, new, modern iconic piece of architecture that fulfills the brief of a cafe/restaurant and perhaps a meeting room for local people.  Or whatever people want that can be afforded.    We could do with some cutting edge buildings in the area rather than, what in my opinion is simply pastiche building.

• ▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by TomJH on July 16, 2011 at 17:53

Great Idea Kate. There are a few people who would rather see it turned into a block of apartments for the elderly just to rebuild the house. These few people who seem to have all the clout have lost their way. As a set of flats it will no longer be the house it was - (not very attractive) and it will not be an asset to the park it will be the outside encroaching on the park - (sounds dramatic I know) but can you imagine residents complaining about noisey children, hanging washing out rubbish - all that goes with residential development - Inside our beautiful park. The idea is crazy and when I pointed this out there at there friends meeting there seemed to be a lot of support which made me realize that its being led by the few.

• ▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Mandy Norman on July 22, 2011 at 9:28

Broomfield park is such a fantastic space. In an ideal world, the house would be amazing if it were restored, providing community facilities and a cafe too. However, I see that the plans were to build sheltered housing in that space and that using it for commercial use might not be allowed? Although sheltered housing is commendable, the house is in a park that is a public space paid by the tax payer and those who live around it, and so having a building that would provide both a community space and income running cafe would be much more viable surely? I'm liking Kate's idea for having a competition to design something new and iconic.

 

That park is screaming out for a lovely cafe and would be so used. Just look at Clissold Park in Hackney. They are restoring the building and cafe there - providing something useful for the park that is appropriate for the space it's in.

• ▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Richard McKeever on July 26, 2011 at 17:01

Following the exchange on here I was looking into the history of Broomfield House and, in the process, came across this lovely gem - a 30 minute film from 1951 based around Southgate - it features Broomfield House before the fire (fast forward to 5:31) Palmers Green High Street and Library, trolley busses on Green Lanes  as well as many other local landmarks.

 

Many thanks to YouTube user Hezziett for sharing this video

• ▶ Reply