[Discuss] No trees and ugly buildings. Histon Road/Victoria Road Junction. Planning application

[Heather Coleman]

I think the problem is that land is expensive and trees take up land. 
They want to cram in as much as they can on a plot of land that is too 
small to make as much profit as they can.  This is why planning committees 
should think about the greater good, rather than being influenced only by 
commerce.  But if we keep getting hideous things like this on the major 
entry routes into Cambridge, maybe the tourists will be put off, as the 
shopping area is also bleak and overcrowded, so those who have been will 
tell their potential visitor friends that Cambridge does have some nice 
buildings, but it's all rather an unfriendly urban mess and maybe then 
"they" will realise that green spaces and trees do have a monetary value?
Heather


On Thu, 21 Oct 2010, Anne Garvey wrote:

> Absolutely. Let us try and influence this design in that direction ,
> trees are not expensive . We must begin to push back against this
> brutalist design trend.
> 
> Well done Alan as ever, let us know what we might get up and do.
> 
> Suggest modifications to planning committee, attend the meeting?
> 
> 
> On 20/10/10 23:42, "Allan Brigham" <townnotgown at btinternet.com> wrote:
>
>       For info..
>        
>
>       The former garage at the junction of Histon and Huntingdon
>       Road may be the ugliest site in Cambridge. But the proposed
>       student housing that is going to replace it doesn’t look much
>       better ( News and Crier.30.9.2010). There is certainly
>       nothing distinctive about it that says ‘this is Cambridge,
>       city of beautiful buildings and parks’. It looks more like
>       any recent building in Manchester, London or Leeds.
>        
>       The one redeeming feature of the existing site is that the
>       building line is set well back from the road, and that the
>       garage is a low rise building. This gives a liberating sense
>       of space as you leave or approach the city centre.
>        
>       The new flats loom above the road and it is difficult to
>       imagine anyone is going to want to live there unless they
>       have no alternative. With all the noise and fumes from the
>       cars stopping and starting at the traffic lights it is
>       certainly difficult to believe residents  would ever want to
>       open their windows to let in fresh air.
>        
>       Wouldn’t it be nice to see  the building line for the new
>       building kept well back from the pavement, with attractive
>       planting that would alleviate the depressingly urban and
>       intimidating feel of this junction ? The three rather sad
>        trees shown in the architect’s illustration  are no more
>       than token gestures to greening this landmark site and
>       ensuring that Cambridge really does feel like a green city.  
>        
>       Until now the office block across the road from the garage
>       ranked as one of the most disappointing uses of a prime site
>       in the city. Let’s come up with something much better here.
>        
>        
>        
>        
>
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> 
>