Oxley Woods Living

Life in an Oxley Woods eco house

 
 

Posts Tagged ‘RSHP’

 

RSH+P back Oxley Woods residents

January 12, 2012

Oxley Woods residents had a busy time over the Christmas break, scrutinising the new Taylor Wimpey proposals and spotting many inaccuracies and omissions.We also met with planning officials to ask questions about the planning process.

In the course of our discussions, we picked up that it had been suggested to planning officials that the original architects Rogers Stirk Harbour and Partners (RSHP) didn’t want to be involved in completing the site.

Now that just didn’t chime with what we knew from our positive engagement with RSHP over the past year. We’ve worked with them to host visits to Oxley Woods from interested architects, BBC Radio 4, a TV company, and the mayor and councillors of Tower Hamlets council. We knew first hand the passion and commitment that RSHP have for their Oxley Woods scheme.

And now we have that confirmed in writing from RSHP themselves. Ivan Harbour has once again taken the trouble to write to Oxley Woods residents to share RSHP’s views on the designs put forward by Taylor Wimpey. He also reconfirms their continued willingness to develop alternative designs for the site based on the original concept.

All Taylor Wimpey has to do is ask… how about it?

Attached are Ivan Harbour’s letters to Oxley Woods residents from March 2011 and January 2012.

110309_Ivan_Harbour_Oxley_residents_letter

120109_Ivan_Harbour_Oxley_residents_letter

{Guest post by Chris}

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Posted in Architecture, Good stuff, Oxley Woods Future | No Comments »

Wimpey Make Official Move to Trash Oxley Woods Plans

December 12, 2011

Updated, planning details can be found online at MK Partnership, click here to see the planning details.

A planning application for 26 dwellings has been received today at Milton Keynes council.

Nothing spectacular there, but these 26 dwellings are the neither here nor there brick and render clad houses which Taylor Wimpey wish to build in place of the 23 remaning, undeveloped houses of the RSH+P designed, multi-award winning, government backed, flagship Oxley Woods development, as originally planned and promoted to would-be residents buying into this development (still being promoted as of last month as a 145 home development by Wimpey themselves, truth in advertising?!).

We’re waiting on more details, but a letter will be on its way to “all Oxley Woods residents by the end of the week” and will outline a statutory “21 day consultation period for comment”.

So that’s 21 days, over Christmas and New Year, when they know people will be very busy and it will be hardest for their own customers to object to their plans to trash the community we all bought in to Wimpey’s “good word”.

Nicely timed Wimpey, not devious at all. And while you’re at it, why not try further profiteering by adding three more homes, just to rub salt into the wound?

Apparently the fact that Wimpey have timed their move as such will be taken into account, some leeway may be granted, but still… If only Wimpey’s distain for residents could be part of the consideration for planning, but it isn’t, more’s the pity. So much for the season of goodwill.

More discussion for residents is ongoing in the residents forum here at Oxley Woods Living, a meeting may be arranged to discuss how to go forward against Wimpey.

Fore more on the history of Wimpey’s moves to dump Oxley Woods, see the Oxley Woods Future section of the blog.

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Posted in Architecture, Community, Environment, Oxley Woods Future | 2 Comments »

Oxley Woods “a runaway success” says Wimpey…

November 15, 2011

Further indications that either Taylor Wimpey are prepared to commit to completing the award winning 145 home Oxley Woods development has arrived courtesy of Steve Rolt, Regional Sales and Marketing Director for Taylor Wimpey South Midlands.

Either that, or further indications that Taylor Wimpey will say anything to anyone to suit their current position, telling the public one thing, and planning authorities, suppliers, residents and architects another. But surely they wouldn’t be so blatantly duplicitous, right?

So let’s accept this as great news worth celebrating!

In what appears to be a Taylor Wimpey endorsed press release, promoting the “last few remaining” (wait, what, they can’t count to 145, can they?!) homes at Oxley Woods published at Easier Property the aforementioned Steve Rolt, Regional Sales and Marketing Director for Taylor Wimpey South Midlands, had the following to say:

Our high-quality new build homes in Milton Keynes at Oxley Woods have been a runaway success with style-conscious home-buyers looking for a truly special place to live.

These stunning properties in Milton Keynes are a design-led triumph, being created by the architects behind Paris’ iconic Pompidou Centre and London’s O2 Arena.

The article in general is well written and a lot of the positives certainly ring true, this place is, overall, a triumph and we adore living here.

But for Wimpey to wax lyrical on one hand while on the other telling current residents they can’t finish the site because of poor sales, higher costs and other issues, well you can draw your own conclusions as to what kind of company they are.

Furthermore, you can draw your own conclusions regarding those in positions of power who claim to support good environment, good neighbourhoods, and pioneering design on one hand, yet seem prepared to let Taylor Wimpey steam through with their plans to destroy a pioneering, award winning community with their only defence being higher profitability. It stinks, it really does.

So come on Steve Rolt, Regional Sales and Marketing Director for Taylor Wimpey South Midlands, I call for you to join us and fight for the completion of Oxley Woods as planned, it’s clearly won your heart and backing, so help us change your company’s mind and get this site finished!

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Posted in Architecture, Community, Eco living, Environment, Oxley Woods Future | No Comments »

Taylor Wimpey “unwilling to complete the build of the RSH&P homes”

April 1, 2011

We all knew it, despite claiming to appreciate and understand the residents of their very special development, Taylor Wimpey have confirmed in writing to residents that they are “unwilling to complete the build of the RSH&P homes”.

So then residents, English Partnerships (Homes and Communities Agency), ODPM (Office of the Deputy Prime Minister), RSH+P (Rogers, Stirk, Harbour + Partners) RIBA, Manser Medal awards panel, Milton Keynes Partnerships, Milton Keynes Council, Innovative Housebuilder of the Year awards panel and everyone else who’s put their faith, their time, their money, their awards into Taylor Wimpey, the Oxley Woods development, the 60k homes (design for manufacture) competition, our community, all that this site apparently stood for. “Screw you”. That certainly appears to be the message from Wimpey. They’re not budging, and they are not willing to carry out the plans we all bought in to.

Dear Mr **********

Thank you for your email and attached letter. I appreciate you taking the time to write on behalf of your neighbours, and for responding within the timescales in my letter.

It was not our intention that only the two representatives would see the three options, I was planning to give the three options to the two representatives to distribute to and discuss with their community and then those two representatives would feed back the views of everyone to enable us to chose together which of the three option, or a combination of the three, would be progressed through planning. It is very difficult to design a site with a large number of people which is why I suggested two representatives.

Taylor Wimpey is unwilling to complete the build of the RSH&P homes for the reasons in my previous letter. We did want input from the existing residents before submitting a planning application. However it is now likely that Taylor Wimpey will choose which of the three designs to proceed with, and you will be able to make representation during the planning application in the usual way.

Regards

Stephanie

By the way, the “reasons stated” I’ll try to dissect at a later date. I believe there are more holes in their arguments than an old pair of fishnet stockings. They just want to maximise profits, and be damned anyone who doesn’t agree.

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Posted in Architecture, Eco living, Problems | No Comments »

Wimpey rule out RSH+P, want “committee of two” to negotiate plans

March 24, 2011

Residents of RSH+P designed multi-award winning development Oxley Woods have today received a staggering letter from house builders Taylor Wimpey, outlining their plan to placate residents and steam-roller through their plans to ditch the much fought for, and highly acclaimed RSH+P eco-homes in favour of CMYK penned alternatives.

The letter, attached below, suggests interested residents elect a committee of two. Those two individuals, sorry, that “committee” will then be privy to three alternative designs by CMYK. Then, they will state a preference, after discussion with residents, to allow Wimpey to put in planning for their choice of homes, and being in a position to claim some sort of “proper consultation” those plans will be viewed favourably by the authorities.

Once again, Wimpey are trying to play the system, and attempting to make it seem that they WILL build what they want, and the only way residents get a say is on Wimpey’s terms.

This isn’t the case. If residents wish to object and reject completely Wimpey’s plans we have every right to so.

Apparently, they’re telling those of us who’ve already bought these homes, people just don’t want to buy them.

Perhaps they should be offering full refunds instead, as we were told they were desirable and special. Or, it would appear, continue to treat their customers like naive fools.

Click here to view the letter sent to Oxley Woods residents.

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Posted in Architecture, Eco living, Environment, Oxley Woods Future | No Comments »

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