CHEST HOSPITAL ~ SECOND UPDATE FROM TOM RIDGE

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EAST END WATERWAY GROUP NEWSLETTER 2018

FORMER LONDON CHEST HOSPITAL

SECOND UPDATE FROM TOM RIDGE

The Chairman of Historic England has replied to my letter of 5 September 2018.

Michael Dunn’s letter of 24 August 2018 is unsatisfactory in that it ignores the petition, and its several major points; and the Chairman’s letter of 18 September 2018 is also unsatisfactory in that it not only ignores the several major points in the petition but also the several points in my 5 September 2018 letter.

Historic England is guilty of a serious abrogation of responsibility in that it continues to ignore my research on the roof; and appears to be blissfully unaware of the fact that the fake-heritage roof will detract from rather than enhance the façade, which it is supposed to do if we are to believe the Chairman’s assertion that important elements (of the listed building and its setting) are being retained and enhanced.

The façade is being retained but it will not be enhanced by ten laterally-displaced fake chimney stacks and two ugly dormers. The setting’s most important element (in relation to Victoria Park) will be destroyed by proposed block F & G; and the four-storey façade will not be enhanced by the eight-storey block.

I should not have stated that Historic England’s current advice is “not in line with the statement issued in October 2016”. It clearly is, the problem is that Historic England’s new “approach to redevelopment” involves decisions about which key elements are not of sufficient significance or importance to be “retained and enhanced”; and that having made its decisions, Historic England resists all attempts to have them revisited. Even in the light of new evidence, which clearly indicates that a key element, which is to be demolished and replaced, should be retained, repaired and adapted.

In his 18 September 2018 reply, the Chairman also ignores the 17 September 2018 letter to Tower Hamlets, together with a copy of a 1941 photograph which clearly shows that the roof on the central half of the listed 1855 main building was not badly damaged in the Second World War. The 17 September 2018 letter (and the 19 September 2018 letter) are linked for your information together with the update report of 20 September 2018 (ADDITIONAL REPRESENTATIONS) to show how inadequately they were reported to the Strategic Development Committee.

My sincere apologies to all the 960 people who have signed the petition to the Chairman of Historic England. Although its treatment of the building, which it listed in 2016 is not an isolated example of Historic England’s new approach (and the new approach is more about demolition and fake heritage rather than conservation), it would be pointless for me to write again. It is with great regret that I close the petition.

The former London Chest hospital was the best of only two mid-C19 chest hospitals built in England, with heating and ventilating systems to provide a warm dry microclimate for the mid-C19 of pulmonary tuberculosis. All the surviving evidence in the roof will be lost and the fake heritage replacement will only have two flat-topped roof structures rather than the existing six flat-topped roof structures. Furthermore there is no guarantee that the 1934-truncated ventilation tower will be repaired, as this is only a “possibility” subject to survey. The former hospital was provided for the people of the East End by philanthropists, on land associated with Victoria Park, which was provided by the Government for the people of the East End. It served the people of the East End for 160 years.

We have not only lost our renowned hospital (which was closed in 2015) but thanks to Histroic England’s advice, we are now going to lose important parts of the most important historic building in the Borough’s most important conservation area*.

And Crest Nicholson’s luxury housing and so-called affordable housing will not be affordable for most of the people of the East End.

Tom Ridge 27 September 2018

*Victoria Park Conservation Area – containing the grade II*-registered park which is the largest area of well-wooded civic open space in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets.