 |
| Earls Court Exhibition Centre © London Intelligence 2009 |
"I've come here now, to sound the alarm," says artist Molly Parkin.
"A vicious, awful thing is happening."
In the short clip (above), Parkin, presenting an 'alternative Queen's Christmas Speech', condemns the planned demolition of the Earls Court Exhibition Centre.
The famous exhibition and live music venue is going to be knocked down as part of developer Capital and Counties' 'regeneration' of 77 acres of south-west London.
Hundreds of families on the West Kensington and Gibbs Green estates are also set to lose their homes.
Parkin also rails against the the destruction of family ties and of neighbourhood life across London - caused chiefly by the widespread demolition of council housing accelerating across London.
Villages
Capco say their plans for 7,500 new homes will 'redefine prime central London', linking Earls Court to nearby high-value property areas such as Kensington, Chelsea and Fulham.
The developer's 'Four Urban Villages and a High Street' plan is based on a design by architect Sir Terry Farrell.
Capco say a Section 106 agreement with the Royal Borough of Kensington & Chelsea and with Hammersmith & Fulham will also create 1,500 affordable homes.
Unconvinced
Parkin, though, - like many other longstanding Earls Court residents - remains totally unconvinced.
As you'll see from the clip.
© Paul Coleman, London Intelligence, December 2014
No comments:
Post a Comment