I am dismayed that yet another new and poorly designed building is
rearing its ugly head in our fair city. This time it's the Jury's hotel which lies between
Pugin's masterpiece of St. Mary's Church and the magnificent late medieval tower of the Cathedral. Ironically, the hotel is very close to the site of the old St.
Alkmund's, an early Victorian church, noted for its soaring spire and demolished (by another
philistine council) in the 1960s to make way for the horrible inner ring road.
My dismay was intensified recently when I realised that the new hotel totally ruins the view of the Cathedral from North Parade to the north of the city centre.
'Before and after' photos of North Parade, Derby, showing how the view of the Cathedral tower has now been blocked by the new Jury's Hotel. I hope
that the tree in the foreground, one of three bordering the former playground of the now vanished St. Mary's School, is safe from future 'development'.
6 comments:
I too have noticed the view of the Cathedral has gone from North Parade. How fortunate you have a photograph of the " before view " as I did wonder how tall the Jury hotel was going to grow --- it just went up and up totally overpowering everything. Now we have lost the view forever except for your photograph. I have always admired the 3 trees in the old St. Mary's nursery playground and when I enquired about their retention I was told that as the ground was a cemetary in the past there could be no developement on the land for a certain no. of years. How true this is, I do not know. Keep up the good work!!
hi bill
My name is ady i am a student of architecture and i am completeing my thesis on the new cityscape master plan i am very keen to ask you your opinions about the scheme and the public realm would you be kind enough to contact me on adycox@hotmail.com
regards
See Derby planning applications on line and you will find plan to fell a magnificent beech tree in Mickleover ( Application no, 04/09/00354 ) Ivy House Residential Home The Green Mickleover.Please make an objection -- however consultation period expires TODAY 24th April!!!
I have read that plans have been agreed to register the old playground as a village green which would protect it as an open space. The River Street Community Group are going to manage it and I hope the trees remain. The 3 trees have TPOs but that counts for little !!!! More info. at cmis.derby.gov.uk Council cabinet meeting 21/04/09 item 14 ref. St. Alkmund's Playground
The old Ivy House school site (not the new one) which is behind Bateman Street and Osmaston Rd I believe is currently under threat. The school is being demolished, but so far the grounds are untouched.
The amount of bird life the grounds support is very diverse and quite large. Far far more diverse and larger than the 7 stars site. There are a lot of mature trees. There are also bats somewhere on site, or at least using the site every evening, which I informed DCC of last year.
So far according to the planning dept no applications are in, but I expect that will change. I have observed the wildlife here for 11 years. Its loss would not be insignificant. The Swifts have just come back, they use the site all the time for feeding. I hope they will be able to do so next year.
I thought tree preservation orders can not apply to council owned land? Is that correct, or am I wrong?
Post a Comment