Duke of York – two months without hearing from the borough council?

Regular followers will know that a number of residents’ representatives dislike the appearance of the flats proposed for the site of the former Duke of York.

We met with the council’s case officer a couple of months ago, when we asked if he could arrange a meeting with the developers so that we could discuss our concerns.  A month later, as we were unable to trace any follow-up message from the case officer, we wrote to him:

“Dear xxxxx

You’ll remember that you met with several residents’ representatives some weeks ago in the council offices to discuss the above planning application.  At the time, you kindly agreed to try to arrange a meeting involving us, yourself and the applicant.

Since then, I don’t think any of the representatives have heard from you about progress.  Could you update me on the latest position, please?

Many thanks….”

A further month has passed.  We’ve checked our spam filters but we still can’t find any message from the council.  It’s a shame, because informal discussions can save a lot of time, money and hassle later on.  We could say more……

If you find the posts on this blog interesting, do note that they’ll be continuing independently after the end of this month – go to www.thecamberleyeye.co.uk. Enjoy!

Efflorescence eliminated…

We’ve previously mentioned extensive efflorescence on the Travelodge.

We probably can’t take any credit for it, but after what looked like minor repair work to the building the unsightly stains have been removed.

Coming to a street near you – unless you act NOW

We’ve previously mentioned opposition by The Camberley Society – and other residents’ groups – to the current redevelopment plans for The Duke of York site.

We recently met with the borough council’s Case Officer to express our concerns.  In essence, we believe that the scale and design of the proposed new buildings are inappropriate for what is a key and quite historic part of Camberley.  In our meeting, we reinforced our views by pointing out that the proposals contravene the council’s policy in a number of specific ways.

The above picture is taken from the planning application.  If you’re happy with flats like this being built at the top of the Frimley Road, then do nothing.  If you object to the appearance, click here. In the body of the e-mail that appears, write that you think that the plans are not suitable for the area, and add your name and address.  Then just send the e-mail.  Urgently!!

A nasty case of efflorescence!

“Efflorescence is a crystalline deposit of water-soluble salts on the surface of masonry. Although efflorescence is unsightly and a nuisance to remove, it is not harmful to the brick masonry nor does it affect the structural integrity of the masonry. For efflorescence to occur, a number of conditions are necessary; there must be a source of water into the masonry, there must be soluble salts within the masonry, and there must be a path for the water to get to the surface of the masonry and evaporate.”  [Source:  Hanson]

Duke of York – almost gone

By courtesy of our ‘man on the spot’, here’s a photograph that was taken ten days or so ago.  Most of the Duke of York had been flattened by then.  A desolate sight.

Don’t forget.  The Camberley Society accepts that the Duke of York couldn’t be saved, and we welcome the idea of much-needed housing replacing it.  However, we are very unhappy about the design and scale of the three large blocks of flats proposed for the extended site.

If you’ve not looked at the details already, do go to our latest post on the subject.  If you agree with our concerns, you’ll find a link in that item to let the borough council know your views.

The Duke of York – read this and please take action NOW

We have previously written about the planning application for the former Duke of York and the adjacent area.  To remind you, the new five-storey buildings would look like this:

Or, in colour – an artist’s impression provided by the developer who presumably wants to present the plans in the most favourable way – two of the three new buildings would look like this:

Let us be clear.  The Camberley Society supports the principle of replacing redundant office blocks and derelict sites with much needed housing.  But what concerns us is the appearance of the proposed new buildings, which appalls us.  The society is therefore formally objecting to the planning application.  Other residents’ representatives are doing the same.

If you disagree with our view, then do nothing.  However, if you believe that allowing these buildings to be built would blight the top of the Frimley Road for decades, then you too should oppose the application.

To oppose the application, click here and put your name and address in the body of the e-mail that appears.  To be effective, you should also say why you oppose the plans.  The obvious reason is that you believe that the scale and design of the proposed new buildings are out of keeping with the surrounding area;  they are not compatible with the ‘street scene’.

Take action now – the deadline for objecting is just a few days away.  Ask others to do the same.

The mystery of Chancellors clock, revisited

A while ago we mentioned that Chancellors clock had been found. Though, in reality, it turned out that it hadn’t really been lost at all.  But, if you can think of suitable place to install it, PLEASE let us know.

Here’s the clock before it was taken down:

Recently, Mr Hignell, the owner of Chancellor & Sons, kindly told us some of the background to the clock and to the company’s building in the High Street.  The building owes its locally-listed status to the fact that it was designed by well-known Camberley architects H R and B A Poulter, and internally it is fairly modest.  (As a result, proposed changes to convert the upper floors to flats are no threat to local heritage.)

Apparently, the clock was originally mounted on White’s garage in Knoll Road.  When the garage was demolished, to be replaced by Norwich House, the clock was removed and installed on the Chancellors building.  So, rather than the clock being an original feature, planning permission had to be obtained to install it.  Its recent removal actually returns the facade to closer to its original form.

When scaffolding was erected at the front of the building a few weeks ago, we did speculate – though not seriously – that this might be the start of the conversion into flats.  It turns out that the reason was more prosaic;  rain had been penetrating the building and repairs were necessary.

The Chancellor & Sons website contains a detailed history of the company, its owners and offices.  It’s well-worth reading.

Calling all historians

Here’s a photograph of the Good Taste Café (which at the moment is somewhat anonymous, with a plain black board above its premises in the High Street).

But what intrigues us is the remains of what is presumable a sign/shop name across the building between the first and second floors.  Does anyone know what it says?  It’s virtually illegible now:

Update… The problem with not posting a photograph immediately is that things change!  The anonymous black board referred to above now carries the name – or is it a slogan? – ‘Good Taste’.

Milestones of progress

We recently came across a September 1999 copy of the society’s newsletter.  There was a feature article of some local interest in it;  apart from commenting that the quality of photography, and especially printing, has improved in the last thirteen years, we’ll let it speak for itself.

Clock makes timely appearance

A little while ago we Tweeted (yes, the society Tweets as well as maintaining a blog) about the disappearance of the clock that used to hang outside Chancellors in the High Street.

We’ve now found out where the clock is.  What’s more, it’s available at no charge to anyone who can give it a good home.  So, a challenge for everyone; can you think of a suitable place where the clock could be re-installed?  The Chancellors building is locally-listed, so it would be pleasing to reinstate something of its past.

Bear in mind that the clock is large and heavy.  It takes a couple of muscular people to lift it.

It’s a bit of a surprise, but we’ve been unable to find a good photograph of the clock in place outside Chancellors.  If you are able to provide one that we can put in this blog, do let us know.