The Belly of the South

Mail on Sunday

It will be Devon’s answer to the Angel Of The North: a giant statue of a naked pregnant woman holding a sword above her head.

The monumental sculpture – which is a full ten inches higher than its 66ft North East counterpart – is  the brainchild of controversial artist Damien Hirst, who wants to erect it in a car park at Ilfracombe harbour.

Hirst, who lives in a £3.5 million farmhouse just outside the resort, has told local councillors they can have the statue on loan for 20 years if they grant him the necessary planning permission.

Hirst’s idea for an ‘Angel of the West’ has already divided opinion and some residents in the town, which is a teenage pregnancy blackspot, have instead dubbed it ‘The Belly of the South’.

But the proposal is expected to be given the go-ahead by councillors convinced it will attract hundreds of thousands of visitors.

It would also be a boon for Hirst’s restaurant, 11 The Quay, which is just 100 yards from the proposed site.

Planners will make their decision in September, and the sculpture, which currently exists in three sections, could be in place two months later.

Councillor Mike Edmunds said: ‘We have got to find new ways of attracting visitors.

‘We are lucky to have an artist of Damien’s stature in the area and we want to start rebranding the town in the area of the arts rather than as just a traditional resort.’

 Another councillor, Philip Webb, added: ‘It is going to make a big  difference to the town and the local economy.

In his back yard: Damien Hirst lives in a £3.5million farmhouse just outside Ilfracombe

‘Damien wants to make a statement and this statue certainly does that.

‘I think it’s a wonderful idea and I’d be surprised if anyone opposed it.’

The bronze finished figure, which has a stainless-steel frame, will hold a glass-fibre sword aloft and a pair of scales behind her back and stand on a plinth of law books, staring out to sea.

The scales and sword are similar to those carried by the Statue of Justice on the roof of the Old Bailey.

One local source last night said 47-year-old Hirst had added the books at the 11th hour to ensure it would be taller than Antony Gormley’s Angel Of The North, erected in 1998.

English Heritage has no objection to Hirst’s sculpture, thought to be the latest part of his Virgin Mother series, on the edge of an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.

Historic buildings inspector Francis Kelly said: ‘This sounds like an important and thought-provoking project that would add a considerable amount of interest to Ilfracombe.’

But council planners may have reckoned without public opinion.

Bobby Davies, 69-year-old social secretary of Ilfracombe Yacht Club, said: ‘Oh, please no. Tell me they’re not really going to do this.

‘People will come to look  at it – probably to have a good laugh at our expense. Given Ilfracombe’s past problems with teenage pregnancies I can’t believe this is so in-your-face.

Kirsty Allsop Moans at Neighbour’s Basement Extensions

Standard

Property show presenter Kirstie Allsopp has hit out at her neighbours for their “incredibly annoying” basement conversions.

The Location, Location, Location star said as well as causing disruption, the fashion for digging down to extend properties was also causing the housing market to stagnate.

The 40-year-old presenter lives on a street in Holland Park where a number of neighbours, including Lord and Lady Sainsbury of Turville, have converted their basements.

Nearly 40 applications for such work in the road have been submitted to the council in the past ten years, with a third submitted in the past two years.

Miss Allsopp said: “Everyone is digging down right now to make extra space where they are. It’s happening in my street and it is incredibly annoying as there is so much noise and disruption.

“At the top end, where the (stamp duty) rate is now at seven per cent, it leaves people with little option but to dig if they want more space.

“As well as the noise and disruption, it is making the market stagnant.”

Last week, at least five properties in the street were being renovated, with builders at two homes admitting they were working on basements.

Miss Allsopp’s outburst has ruffled a few feathers with neighbours on the west London street.

Neighbour Jane Hewson, 35, who had a new basement installed, said: “It’s a free country – Kirstie Allsopp can say what she likes. I personally think people can’t complain.

“Every inch is valuable. We are all living on top of each other and we have to use the space.”

Cezary Bednarski, an architect excavating a basement at another nearby property, said: “Objecting on the grounds of noise and disruption is an emotional response rather than a practical one. Maybe the neighbours are jealous.”

But Miss Allsopp won support from Guy Buckley, 76, who lives on her street.

“I agree 100 per cent with Kirstie. Basement excavations always create damage to the neighbouring property – cracks and so on.

“People shouldn’t be allowed to excavate. They should find other alternatives.”

Cherie Blair Under Investigation After Son’s Unauthorised Flat Conversion

Observer

Cherie Blair and her son Euan are under investigation for potentially breaching planning rules, it has emerged.

Westminster council has confirmed it is looking into claims that a property owned by the wife and son of former prime minister Tony Blair has been divided into two homes without permission.

A neighbour complained that the basement of Euan’s £1.3m central London apartment was being sub-let and had a separate letterbox and flat number, according to the Telegraph.

The mother and son’s previous attempt to secure permission to create two dwellings was rejected, it said.

A Westminster council spokeswoman said: “The council has begun an investigation following a complaint of unauthorised change of use at this property.”

The Blair family is “confident” the council’s investigation will find everything is in order, its spokeswoman said on Saturday.

The day the sale went through in May 2010 Westminster council received a planning application to allow steps to be built down to the basement from the street as well as the removal of an internal stairway, but that was amended after objections from neighbours, the Telegraph reported.

The new plans, which provided for a basement guest room, toilet and kitchen, were passed but with a warning that “permission does not authorise the use of the basement as a separate self-contained flat”, it added.

A spokeswoman for the Blairs said: “The Blairs are happy for the council to check, they’re confident that everything will be in order.”

Of course Cherie as a planning barrister will know that the rules against beds in sheds and unauthorised subdivisions are so weak anyone can drives a coach and horses through them.  Providing they have retained the internal stair all she has to do is claim that there is a sharing of bills.  Will her expert advice be brought in to play, as it might have been about breaching international law Mr Blair?

Ghost Estate Causes Westlife Lead Singer Bankrupcy

Irish Times

WESTLIFE STAR Shane Filan’s property debts have forced him into bankruptcy in Britain.

Ulster Bank recently took control of Shafin Developments, the property business he owned with his brother, Finbarr, which owed it €5.5 million, while Bank of Ireland was also pursuing him for property-related debts.

It emerged yesterday that Kingston-upon-Thames County Court in London declared Mr Filan bankrupt at a hearing earlier this week.

The ruling means his assets are transferred to an official appointed by the court and used to settle his debts, while he is allowed an income to support himself and any dependants. His name has also been published on Britain’s insolvency register which gives details of all individual bankruptcy rulings.

The register describes Mr Filan as a singer and gives his address as Cobham, Surrey. He, wife Gillian Walsh and their three children, moved to Britain some time ago.

Mr Filan will be discharged on June 11th next year. At that point, all debts due to his creditors, including his Irish creditors, will be considered cleared.

He will not be able to borrow money or act as a company director until he is discharged.

Westlife will break up once its farewell world tour ends later this month. Just weeks ago, Mr Filan agreed a solo record deal with entertainment giant Universal….

Mr Filan issued a statement yesterday confirming the ruling and saying he had exhausted all other means of dealing with his financial difficulties. He said it was the most responsible course of action to take in light of his property-related debts.

“Together with a team of financial and legal experts I have spent months exploring all possible alternatives to bankruptcy but to no avail,” he said. “I have worked long and hard to try to reduce my debts and I am devastated that it came to this conclusion.”

It has been known for some time Mr Filan was in financial difficulties.

Shafin Developments borrowed money from Ulster Bank in 2006, at the height of the property boom, to fund developments in the northwest, where he is from. Its assets include four residential properties, a partly-developed site at Dromahair, Co Leitrim and an interest in a site at Carraroe, Co Sligo.

Mr Filan is the latest in a line of Irish people who have declared bankruptcy in the UK because of its easier insolvency laws.

Here is the 90 unit (60 built) site in Dromahair Co Leitrim.  Unlike many Ghost Estates in Ireland it is not in the middle of nowhere, it is on the edge of a village, the rouble is its scale, it increases the village in population by 20% if completed, and lack of accompanying local employment growth.  Many many such developments and you have the Irish property bubble.

Colin Firth’s Wife Loses Bedford Park Solar Panel Listed Building Appeal

Building

The wife of actor Colin Firth has lost a planning appeal over her bid to install a large solar panel on their listed home, in the latest case to test planners’ resistance to attempts to improve the environmental sustainability of dwellings.

Environmental campaigner Livia Firth appointed eco consultant Mr Woolf Inc to work up plans for the couple’s Grade II listed home in Chiswick’s Bedford Park – a conservation area and London’s first Garden Suburb.

However, a planning inspector has now ratified local authority Hounslow Council’s decision in turning down the listed building consent application last autumn.

The inspector, Roger Shrimplin, said the panel would be “unduly large” in relation to the roof slope and were proposed high up on the slope.

“The panel would erode the architectural qualities of the listed host building itself and would cause actual harm to the character and appearance of the Bedford Park conservation area,” he said.

He added that the sustainability benefits of the plan weighed in its favour but said the “harm” done to the “historic setting and the street scene” outweighed this.

Shrimplin also criticised several “errors” on the application including the precise location of the panel on the house.

“There are other significant errors in the drawings which have been submitted,” he said.

Laing’s Chairman Refused Planning Permission & CA Consent on own Home – Awful Scheme #NPPF quoted

Some people have more money than taste.  Especially when it comes to kncoking down a fine house and replacing it with one which would be worth half as much.  Here is the PINS reference if you want to object.

Construction Enquirer

Ray O’Rourke is caught up in a planning row with his local council after being denied planning permission to demolish his own home.

The Laing O’Rourke chairman is appealing against a decision by Brentwood Borough Council to stop him rebuilding his house in the exclusive village of Fryerning.

A high-powered team consisting of a planning agent, design expert and an architecture historian from Cambridge University argued O’Rourke’s case last week during an appeal against the council’s decision in October to turn the plan down.

O’Rourke wants to totally rebuild his property after previously being granted permission for a front and back extension.

The Brentwood Gazette reported the council turned down the demolition plan because the house is of “considerable architectural merit and makes a positive contribution to the character and appearance of the Conservation Area”.

O’Rourke’s design team said rebuilding from scratch would allow for a “higher level of design quality” than could be achieved if the existing building was extended and is in accordance with the Government’s new National Planning Policy Framework.

Robin Carpenter, Essex County Council’s heritage expert, said the current building was inspired by Essex architect George Sherrin and demolishing it would be a “huge loss” to the Fryerning Conservation Area.

Bur the O’Rourke team said the council should not “over-egg” the importance of Sherrin’s work and added there was no  evidence the house had any link with the architect at all.

They also argued the new plan is beneficial for the openess of the Green Belt in Fryerning because its footprint is 47% smaller than the extension design.

O’Rourke did not attend the meeting in person.

A decision by the planning inspector is due to be made later this month.

Thisistotalessex

A MULTIMILLIONAIRE businessman, whose firm is in charge of overseeing the construction of the Olympic park in Stratford, is involved in a planning dispute in his own back yard.

Construction tycoon Ray O’Rourke has appealed against a decision by Brentwood Borough Council to stop him demolishing his home [Fairwinds]  in the heart of Fryerning’s Conservation Area {no CA statement sorry]

The 65-year-old boss of Laing O’Rourke is worth an estimated £280 million, according to the Sunday Times Rich List 2012, and ranked just 20 places below the Queen.

His firm has responsibility for the overall programme ensuring the Olympic park is delivered on time.

A team representing Mr O’Rourke told a Government planning inspector that knocking down and rebuilding the mansion, in Mill Green Road, will be of “material benefit” to the area.

A planning agent, design expert and an architecture historian from Cambridge University joined forces at the town hall on Tuesday last week to appeal against the council’s decision in October to turn the plan down.

The main reason given by the council was that the house is of “considerable architectural merit and makes a positive contribution to the character and appearance of the Conservation Area”.

But Robert Ward-Booth, the man behind the new designs, said building from scratch would allow for a “higher level of design quality” than could be achieved if the existing building was extended and is in accordance with the Government’s new National Planning Policy Framework published in March.

In September, Mr O’Rourke – the recipient of an honorary knighthood last year for services to construction – was given planning permission for a two-storey front extension and rear extension by the council, before deciding to apply for a total rebuild.

Speaking up for Brentwood council’s decision to block the demolition, Robin Carpenter, Essex County Council’s heritage expert, who was flanked by Town Hall planning officer, Kathryn Matthews, made a case that the building was inspired by Essex architect George Sherrin, and as such, destroying it would be a “huge loss” to the Conservation Area.

Mr Sherrin, who died in 1909, designed a number of large houses in neighbouring Ingatestone, including several in Station Lane.

Bur Mr Ward-Booth said one should not “over-egg” the importance of Sherrin’s work and added the council has no evidence the house has any link with the architect at all. [Err even the name is a copy of a house by Sherrin in Station Lane, even if not by him it is clearly influenced by him]

Mr O’Rourke’s team also argued the new plan is beneficial for the openess of the Green Belt in Fryerning because its footprint is 47 per cent smaller than extension design.

But Mr Carpenter said Fryerning Conservation Area is a designated heritage asset and should be protected from destruction under legislation.

A delegation of three Fryerning residents who all backed the council’s decision to block the demolition also attended the hearing.

Mr O’Rourke did not attend the meeting in person and declined to comment when contacted by the Gazette.

A decision by the planning inspector is due to be made in about four weeks’ time.

An Original George Sherrin Essex House at Ingatestone in same Parish

Fairwinds the House proposed to be demolished

The pap replacement, anyone with any knowledge of Arts and Crafts Architecture will know every proportion is out, in particular the Shallow modern roof pitch and dreadful picture windows

Sheriff Probing celebrities adore this Range Rover

I was researching for my series – planning applications of the rich and famous, the intriguing hint that one of the things Chinese political gangster Bo Xilai is being charged with is a planning enforcement issue, demolishing half a sacred mountain in a national park without consent to erect a monument to the Chinese Police.

Sadly I cant bring you a photo of this sites, of great cultural significance and near the site of a maoist era memorial of a massacre, because the area’s tourism webpage has very colourful English, no photos and rather unexpectedly turns into the worlds worst cookbook.

Geleshan for is full of myths and fables… Sheriff Probing celebrities adore this Range Rover….As China’s first forest Sports Park, Forest Park also introduced Geleshan Clarion flying down the forest off-road go-kart, air venture maze, off-road mountain biking, fairy anecdotes…alphabetical will be sports, fitness, amusement and cultural melting into 1, …people Climbing, Geleshan fifty-one sporting sports, Geleshan five steel male game, challenge the Guinness Book of Dianqiu contest…

Many people from the video In highly coarse prison conditions, his efforts to learn technological and cultural perception, his chalk and Wong Nai set into operation with the toilet paper, causing numerous visitors to stop in this meditation: how today’s children live cheerful, competent to sit spacious and shine classrooms,Gluttonous, learning and cultural perception….

Gele Le Gele farm farm music is not the orthodox farmyard farm economy based music, and numerous have amplified into a monetary leisure, tourism, vacation and distraction resort Villa had…..

Currently, the town has 43 farm amusement, including the Heavenly Lake Resort, home observance, dragon leisure union, Cave farm melody and other characteristics of the farm a number of melody have been created and continue to amplify the scale, improve grades. Many units also City Tourist Board for a According to lacking statistics..

The resort has a wide lake because guests to rustic folk boating, fishing. As well as chickens, ducks, fish, rabbits and other raw materials for authentic and innovative cuisine farm edible arena is dissimilar trait aboard the Heavenly Lake Resort. Geleshan Spicy Chicken practice materials: chicken 250g, oil 300g, Sichuan Pickle 30g, dried chili (chili peppers best) 150g, pepper 50g, cooking wine 20g, soy sauce 20g, MSG 5g, salt 15g, Sichuan spicy sauce 30g, onion a little…

fried chicken with hot oil must be flamed, or chicken will not work very long thump dry arrival, even now such a long deep-fried dried, it is truly done, a hunk of dead meat, difficult to dine, not taste at all complete, so the fire have to be huge, deep-fried frail outside, and there is too relatively soft.

Sounds an intriguing place, but might take a sandwich with me.

Lampard’s payment to planning vice chair shows why cllrs should be banned from acting as consultants or agents

The Sun on Sunday has a good old fashioned News of the World style exclusive over how Frank Lampard made a £ three million pounds profit for an additional house at his home in Esher after hiring the vice chair of Elmbridge Planning committee to ‘help in fill in the forms’.  The story does nopt state it but im 100% sure his plannin g consultant and architect know how to fill in tmhe forms on ONEAPP.

The England ace hired flash Tory David Archer — nicknamed Boycie because he looks like Del Boy’s wheeler-dealer pal in Only Fools and Horses.

Bentley-driving Boycie, 65, filled in forms and helped mastermind an application to build a new luxury home in the grounds of Lampard’s property in Esher, Surrey.

Well-heeled locals are furious. One said: “We know no law has been broken but what the hell is this councillor doing filling in forms for Lampard. There is astonishment this was allowed to happen.

Of course when it came to committee he declared an interest and left the room.  Which illustrates why elected officials, public servants and civil servants should be barred from acting in such a capacity.  Indeed many countries have generalised ant-corruption legislation preventing payment to lected official concerning any activity to which they or any other elected official has power over.  Since the introduction of the Bribery Act bit is only an offence to ‘to induce a person to perform improperly a relevant function or activity.’  or to make payments to a foreign official to obtain business or advantage in business’ and the official is neither permitted n…to be influenced in F’s capacity as a foreign public official by the offer, promise or gift.’  So it is illegal to make such payments to foreign officials, even as ‘consultants’ but not to domestic ones.  Indeed it is not even illeagal to undertake the all too common practice of planner or building reg offier making an application (under another person’s name) to the authority where they work.

Transparency International have been calling for such leggislation for years.

I presume Francis Maude would make the preposterous claim that prevention of corruption falls under the ‘one in one out’ rule and so would be ok if you scrapped Health and Safety legislation instead.

Unauthorised Basement could cost Beijings Candidate for Hong Kong Boss job – blames wife

Henry Tang was Beijings candidate for the Chief Executive of Hong Komng, in an election where only 1,200 people, mostly appointees get to vote.

However a planning scandal threatens to cost him the jobs and has led to a collapse in his popular support.

Rather than excavating a 3m deep basement for storage only he built a 5m deep one complete with win cellar movie theatre and swimming pool, and then it appears tried to forge the paperwork to cover it up.  The building inspectorate have launched an investigation.

Why does it matter?  Well firstly he tried to blame it all on his wife.

“I apologise to all Hong Kong people,” Mr Tang said. “It was my wife’s idea and I knew it was illegal.”

He added that since his marriage had been at a low ebb, he was reluctant to inflame the situation by handling the matter swiftly.

Its at en even lower ebb now.

Secondly the basement is about 5 time greater than the size of the average Hong Kong home causing popular outrage, and of course he tried to cover it up. The anti-Beijing Chinese language newspaper Appple Daily said Mr Tang’s credibility had been “buried” in the “underground palace”

Finally though the use and additional size would have attracted a very large property taxliability which he tried to avoid.

Thierry Henry’s Four Storey Fishtank House Criticised

The proposed new house

As Envisioned by the Daily Mail

Building Design

De Metz Forbes Knight Architects’ plans for a family home for football player Thierry Henry have been slammed by critics and the architect of an existing building on the site.

Henry asked DMFK to “improve the grandeur and status of the house” in Hampstead, north London, which he purchased in 2001. He wants to demolish the existing Richard MacCormac-designed building on the site.

His design brief includes “sufficient wardrobe space” and “a better swimming pool”, as well as space to entertain guests. In addition, DMFK is proposing an aquarium stretching from the basement to the second floor.

Catherine Croft, director at the Twentieth Century Society, said she would be submitting the 1999 building for listing consideration by English Heritage.

“The application will be controversial because the building is so young,” she said. “But as far as I know nothing by [Richard MacCormac] is listed and he’s one of the most influential architects of the late 20th century.”

In its design and access statement DMFK said: “It [the existing house] won no awards and is not presented or acknowledged as a significant work. While Richard MacCormac has dealt with a large range of building types and forms, luxury housing is not a key part of his oeuvre, and the house can be considered to make a minor contribution to his canon.”…

A planning application has been submitted to Camden Council and comments can be submitted until March 8.

Daily Mail

As well as the vast cost of construction, the 15ft long by 3ft wide tank will set Henry back £12,000  a year to run, including weekly inspections at about £50 an hour. The annual bill for fish food alone would be £2,500.

The French footballer – who fronted the ‘va-va-voom’ TV adverts for car firm Renault – is the latest in a long line of celebrities including Madonna, the Beckhams, Cher and Premier League footballers Stephen Ireland, Joe Hart and Micah Richards, to splash out on opulent fish tanks.

Ireland has reportedly spent more than £100,000 on his 13ft aquarium, and is now believed to be planning a shark tank under his kitchen floor.

But Henry’s super-size version will dwarf them all.

is aquarium will actually be made up of four separate tanks, one for each storey of the house.
Each will be made of Perspex-like material and will give the optical illusion of one giant aquarium – but will be cheaper to clean, run and maintain than a single tank.

One industry expert last night  said the £12,000-a-year bill for  heating, cleaning and lighting the tanks would be just a fraction of the £80,000 it would cost to maintain one huge tank.

Each aquarium will require a filtration system to ensure the water stays clean and fresh. Experts say there are 2,000 species of marine life suitable for the tanks, ranging from smaller breeds of shark to clown fish, yellow tangs, blue tangs and angel fish.

It has been suggested that the celebrity obsession with aquariums has nothing to do with a fondness for fish.

One tank designer, who asked not to be named, said: ‘Our client list tends to be male-dominated and they are looking for status symbols and showpieces.’

Henry’s new home will be taller than the existing one and include  a bar, a cinema and a swimming pool. Despite spending at least £2 million on rebuild costs, the finished house is likely to be worth at least £10 million.

The footballer is keen to highlight the eco-features of the new home, which includes extensive glass panelling to capture natural light and a so-called ‘biodiverse’ roof, which will incorporate plants and trees.

But the house’s original architect, Sir Richard MacCormac, is opposed to the proposed demolition.

Sir Richard, who also designed  the Wellcome wing of the Science Museum, said last night: ‘I don’t think you improve sustainability by demolishing a house which is just 13 years old.

‘It surprises me that someone  who can afford to build a new house and who claims to be serious about architecture should not simply build another one elsewhere.

‘I think my original design is well regarded locally and I think a lot of people are going to be upset.
‘The existing house has a very deliberate low-key design to ensure that it would not look out of place in the conservation area.’

The Rather Beautiful and Award Winning Existing Richard Mc Cormack House

The existing house clearly positively contributes to the conservation area and to my mind is a straightforward refusal/