黑洞社区

A report out today says that more blocks of between five and eight storeys should be built to address London鈥檚 housing shortage 鈥� while demanding that 鈥榯rophy towers鈥� which it says are 鈥渄ropped at random鈥� into the capital be stopped.

Pollard Thomas Edwards, HTA, Levitt Bernstein and PRP Architects are behind the report 鈥� called Superdensity 鈥� which is a follow-up to findings the quartet first published back in 2007.

鈥淲e are concerned about the immediate social and environmental impacts of very dense developments and their long-term sustainability,鈥� the report says. 鈥淲e also observe that this new superdensity 鈥� which we鈥檝e dubbed hyperdensity when it鈥檚 over 350 homes or dwellings per hectare 鈥� derives, not from London鈥檚 distinctive and popular urban forms, but from global development patterns.

鈥淲e may well ask, is London becoming a victim of its own success, meeting demand by sacrificing the very distinctiveness which makes people want to live and work here?鈥�

The report says hyperdensity should be ditched and that more emphasis be given to developments of between five and eight storeys along with greater promotion of street life. It said tall towers have a role to play 鈥減rovided they are integrated with other typologies and contribute to the creation of successful street and other public realm. We must avoid trophy towers dropped at random into our unique city.鈥�

And it says areas of the capital should not become ghettos for the rich. 鈥淟ondon鈥檚 residential neighbourhoods have evolved by successfully integrating diverse people of different income, age and household size. Larger developments should contain a balance of homes for families, the elderly and young people.鈥�

Pollard Thomas Edwards senior partner Andrew Beharrell warned: 鈥淲e are sleep-walking into hyperdense development without proper regard for the long-term consequences.鈥�

And HTA managing partner Ben Derbyshire added: 鈥淥ne of the reasons London has become such a desirable destination for people from all around the world is our street life, which is so easily threatened by the move to hyperdensity.鈥�

According to a survey by New London Architecture earlier this year, the number of towers over 20 storeys being planned for London has gone up more than 10% in the past 12 months to 263. It said that 80% of the towers being planned or built are earmarked for residential use.