PROPERTY London tunnels offer active commute


Design firm Gensler has been awarded a London Planning Award for its London Underline concept – a network of cycle and pedestrian paths running beneath the city. Gensler first came up


with the idein 2014. With London’s population higher than ever, the firm looked for ways to expand public space and offer alternative transport routes. Te answer, they found, was underground in disused tube tunnels. London has plenty of


Ally Pally hotel plans were first mooted in the 80s


Alexandra Palace refurb given council green light


Te Underline would offer retail spaces as well as active transport links


abandoned tube tunnels, stations and surplus infrastructure. By using these spaces and power- ing them with Pavegen tiles – tiles which run on a kinetic energy system allowing footfall to be trans- posed into electricity – Gensler’s design would be a sustainable, innovative option for the capital. Ian Mulcahey, co-director of Gensler


London said: “The adaptation of surplus and under-utilised tube and rail tunnels could provide a quick and simple addi- tion to our infrastructure network.”


month


Fol lowing an announcement by


last London Mayor Bori s


Johnson concerning a new cycle superhighway for London, it’s clear that health, fitness and sustainability are high on the agenda for the city. If the project goes ahead, the Underline would offer underground sites for shops, cafes, click and collect points, as well as event and exhibition spaces alongside its key role as a route for active commuting. Details: http://lei.sr?a=p8d4S


Starchitects denied after Palace is pulled


Bromley Council has ter- minated an exclusivity contract with Chinese investor ZhongRong Group for the redevelop- ment of Crystal Palace. A contract, that was


originally signed in 2013, expired last month, follow- ing ZhongRong’s failure to produce a £5m down-pay- ment to extend the deal for another six months. In March 2014


a


shortlist of six architec- tural heavyweights were revealed to be vying for the Crystal Palace redevelopment, including Zaha Hadid, Rogers Stirk Harbour & Partners and Grimshaw, among others. Plans for the project hit a wall in June 2014,


when discussions between Bromley Council and ZhongRong were severely delayed. For the time being, it looks like plans to


restore Crystal Palace into a leisure and cul- tural hub for London – offering hotel, sport and conference facilities – at a price tag of £500m, are well and truly on hold. Despite this, ZhongRong has issued a statement insisting


© CYBERTREK 2015 Plans for London’s Crystal Palace have ground to a halt


the developer is still interested in the project and hopes to work with Bromley Council to find a solution to the “critical issues.” Originally constructed in 1851, Joseph


Paxton’s Crystal Palace was destroyed in a fire in 1936 and is in severe need of res- toration and development. Bromley Council is still committed to spending £2.4m on improvement works in the park and has appointed Kinnear Landscape Architects to conduct a feasibility study. Details: http://lei.sr?a=s2a4B


Twitter: @leisureopps


London’s Alexandra Palace restoration has been granted planning consent by Haringey Council, bringing it closer to fruition. The approved proposal to restore the


palace’s significant historic spaces hinges on a £28m Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) grant, which is expected to be approved shortly. Feilden Clegg Bradley Studios (FCBS)


are the lead architects for the project. If the plans go ahead, parts of Alexandra Palace will be restored and revealed to the public for the first time in living memory. The listed landmark will undergo a


comprehensive renovation and a hidden theatre on site, dating back to 1875, will be fully restored, allowing for commu- nity and commercial use hosting cinema screenings, performances and accom- modating up to 1,300 people. Tere are also proposals to add a hotel as part of a strategy to make the building finan- cially and environmentally sustainable. Details: http://lei.sr?a=T7B4S


London Olympic legacy continues with hotel plans


Developer and investor Union Hanover Securities has submitted a planning applica- tion for a boutique hotel scheme at Stratford City, site of the 2012 Olympic Games. Designed by Grzywinski + Pons


Architects, the £100m dual hotel scheme has been dubbed the Penny Brook Development. The scheme will consist of a 137-bed


Adagio building and a 249-bed boutique hotel, called the Penny Brook. Te hotel will be a situated in a 25-storey tower, offer- ing spacious rooms that maximise daylight. Te scheme will also provide a 530sq m (5,705sq ſt) ground floor restaurant, 1,270sq m (13,670sq ſt) of conference space, a 276sq m (2,970sq ſt) top floor restaurant and an accompanying lounge. Since 2012, Stratford has become a desir-


able location and the hotel should boost the London Legacy Development Corporation’s plans. Details: http://lei.sr?a=G9v7m


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