MARYLEBONE LABOUR ACTION REPORT – December 2021
M&S Oxford Street
We have called on M&S to rethink plans for new Oxford Street Store. Ten storeys high, the new building embodies 39,500 tonnes of carbon. The new M&S does use less carbon than the current one, but it will take 15/16 years for the ongoing savings to make up for the upfront 39,500 tonnes. That’s great news for the 2040s but no use tackling the climate emergency today.
If M&S is determined to go ahead with the new building, we urge them use the low carbon construction techniques recommended by their own consultants. These include replacing 50% of cement with ground granulated blast furnace slag and using structural steel from electric arc furnaces.
House of Fraser, Oxford Street
The House of Fraser building on Oxford Street is set for a facelift after Westminster Council approved plans to refurbish the building. The building was built in 1937 and originally occupied by department store DH Evans and is currently home to House of Fraser. The building will be given an extensive refurbishment of its exterior and convert its upper floors into office space and a top floor restaurant.
However, House of Fraser will be closing its store in January, saying “it was being forced to exit the building after being served notice by its landlord.”
£6 Million Marble Arch Mound
It is costing Westminster Council Tax-payers about £150,000 a month to keep the Marble Arch Mound open to the public. The Council had planned to charge visitors for entry to recoup some of the £6 million it has cost to build the Mound. But, because the Mound failed to live up to the Council’s misguided high expectations, the Council was forced to scrap entry charges.
The costs have trebled from £2 million to £6 million and the Deputy Leader of the Council, who was responsible for the debacle, has resigned. The £6 million could have been put to much better use – for example, on CCTV to catch illegal rubbish dumpers or on more police on the beat or on re-opening the youth clubs that were closed by the Council a few years ago.
38-47a Chapel Street
Following our enquiries about installing bike racks for residents of 38-47a Chapel Street, the Housing Department tells us that, “The installation of bike racks will be completed by the end of January 2021.”
In addition, we also asked if a sign could be installed on Chapel Street informing delivery people that the entrance to the flats is in Transept Street. The Housing Department say, “We will put up a temporary laminated paper sign to direct individuals to the entrance whilst the sign is put up by January 2021.”
https://www.westminsterlabour.org.uk/ward-news/2021/12/02/success-in-chapel-street/