tagged w/ Battersea Power Station
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The most eagerly awaited entertainment launch of the year deserves the biggest launch party of the year; Call of Duty: Black Ops. By the time you’re reading this it would have already flown off the shelves quicker than you can say ‘Battersea PowerStation’.
Which seamlessly brings us to the setting of said launch party…
“Wear something warm.” I was informed, expecting most of the event to be outside, or at least inside under minimal shelter, amongst the debris and broken windows of the disused building.
How wrong I was.
Walking through the main gate to the PowerStation just after 7pm and my eyes were immediately drawn to the massive 25ft Black Ops logo projected onto the front of the building. You couldn’t miss it, and incredibly if that wasn’t enough, throw in a couple of Call of Duty branded tanks, complete with a soldier and smoke shrouding it in a warlike haze.
The excitement was building and I found myself walking along the ‘black-carpet’, past the paparazzi all poised with cameras and bright lighting, looking me up and down to make sure I wasn’t a celebrity, and into a long tunnel which was graced by more soldiers stood either side with their firearms, making me feel like I was walking into the Pentagon rather than a games launch party.
Once inside, a wave of relief washed over me when I saw what had been laid on for the guests. The first thing that struck me was the red lighting that gave the atmosphere an expensive, lavish feel and in the centre of the room there was a circle of TV screens each with it’s own 360, enabling people to sit down, put on their headphones and play against each other over LAN. This was decorated in the middle with a map of the world making me feel like I’d just walked onto the set of the new James Bond film and have just found an evil mastermind’s secret underground lair.
I was greeted by a row of waiters handing out drinks and soldiers walking around in full gear. To give a brief overview of the layout, there were two bars opposite sides of the room, a stage taking up a large area of another side where two big screens graced the walls behind and in front were DJ decks. There was also the 3D room where later I got to experience one of the developers showcasing a level in 3D which was surprisingly well executed and definitely made my need for a 3D TV even more apparent.
The reams of minor celebs started to turn up, Goldie, Callum Best, Alex Reid, Brian Friedman, Example, Roll Deep, Essex girls, Hollyoaks and Tina O’Brien to name but a few. George Lamb was the host, kicking things off about 7:30pm which he started by pulling names out of a bag of 10 people about to be put head to head on the brand new Black Ops multiplayer. Then some of the developers from Treyarch got on stage to show everyone the opening sequence of the game, and then a run through of the opening level. Impressive stuff. The feeling from watching it on the big screen, the ‘aaahs’ and ‘ooohs’ from the audience, surrounded by thunderous gunfire and enemy screams as the developer expertly mowed them down, blowing up police cars with his grenade launcher attachment. I couldn’t help but feel I was part of something huge.
The game, set during the Cold War has the narrative cleverly lead you through various twists and turns in a fantastically well-constructed story. You play mainly as Alex Mason – a special ops veteran caught up in the Bay of Pigs invasion and then cast into a covert war which sees the action switch seamlessly between Cuba, Vietnam and Russia, underlined by the various historical ‘facts’ of the era and a spattering of pop-culture references. If Jerry Bruckheimer and Rockstar games had a lovechild, this would be it.
I was lucky enough to chat to a few celebs that had turned up to show their support, including Jason Bradbury from the Gadget Show who was clearly very impressed with what he saw, his co-presenter Ortis Deeley who admitted he was not a massive gamer and this being the first games launch he’s been part of, but really impressed with how the game looks and was enjoying the party. Callum Best was also really excited about getting his hands on Black Ops and was looking forward to getting on Xbox Live.
Manchester City’s Wayne Bridge took to the stage about 9:30pm to play an online match against other celebs in Europe including Clarence Seedorf from A.C Milan. The match was played out on the two big screens in front of the audience, with Wayne stood facing the audience looking down at a monitor on stage. Much entertainment ensued as every kill that Wayne made the audience reacted with loud cheers, almost reminiscent of a crowd’s reactions to a football match but better, because it involved pixilated people dying. In the end Wayne came 2nd, and everyone got a great insight as to how awesome the new multiplayer looks.
After some more mingling with minor celebs and trying out the first mission on Black Ops myself, the audience were treated to a live performance from Labrinth followed by the big surprise of the evening, Tinie Tempah. He performed his famous songs such as the most recent ‘Miami 2 Ibiza’, ‘Pass Out’ and ‘Written in the Stars’. His performance was exceptional and got the attention of everyone in the place, including even the hardcore gamers that managed to take their headphones off to enjoy Tempah’s banging set.
The event finished at midnight and created from a concoction of a disused powerstation, celebrities, alcohol, great music and of course the newest game in the Call of Duty franchise, I would pretty much say it was a perfect night to while away the hours until launch.
http://current.com/entertainment/92782699_call-of-duty-black-ops-a-review-roundup.htmThe most eagerly awaited entertainment launch of the year deserves the biggest launch... more
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An important symbol of South London and a key feature of the city’s skyline, the Battersea Power Station, has been left to decay for more than twenty years. Created by Gilbert Scott in 1935, the building has slowly rotted away after both station’s A and B were decommissioned in 1975 and 1983 respectively. The much-loved monument is listed on the English Heritage’s “Buildings at Risk” register.
http://www.spectacle.co.uk/spectacleblog/battersea-power-station/the-loss-of-a-british-institution-looms/An important symbol of South London and a key feature of the city’s skyline, the... more
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Malcolm Tucker of the Greater London Industrial Archaeology Society has written a letter objecting to the demolition of the grade II listed Victorian Pump House situated next to the Battersea Power Station.
The letter is both a detailed inventory of the archaeological and cultural value of the site that “developer” REO/Treasury Holdings want to raze to the ground in the name of making more money, and a demolition of the arguments for demolition in the recently circulated Planning Policy Statement 5 Assessment, prepared by Donald Insall Associates Ltd and dated September 2010.
http://www.spectacle.co.uk/spectacleblog/battersea-power-station/greater-london-industrial-archaeology-society-pump-house-demolition-objection-letter/Malcolm Tucker of the Greater London Industrial Archaeology Society has written a... more
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The Battersea Power Station Company, the charitable organisation seeking to protect the Battersea Power Station, have submitted their objection to Treasury Holding’s application to demolish the nearby Grade II listed Victorian Pumping Station. The pumping station is widely recognised as of historic and architectural interest by a wide range of authorities including: the Victorian Society; Save Britain’s Heritage; the Newcomen Society; the Council for British Archaeology; the River Thames Society; the West London River Group; the Battersea Society; the Kew Bridge Engines Trust, and the Greater London Industrial Archaeology Society.
The only justification offered by REO (Treasury Holdings) is a spurious notion of “public benefit” where the developer is attempting to wrap up their desire to build a few extra offices or flats on the site as a “public benefit”. The only other, even weaker, argument seems to be the idea that the pumping station must be sacrificed in order to save the Battersea Power Station. As the letter below makes clear there is no real connection. The owner has a duty of care for both Grade II listed buildings. Besides many critics would claim their plans to “save” the power station by turning it into a Westfield style shopping centre and knocking windows all along both side exterior walls is actually a mindless act of vandalism that destroys the building’s architectural integrity. Put together with REO’s application to demolish the chimneys and replace with plastic ones this is “development” 1960’s style. Is it also “conservation” 2010 style? Is there any imagination out there??
If you would like to register your objection it is never too late!
Write to : planningapplications@wandsworth.gov.uk
http://www.spectacle.co.uk/spectacleblog/battersea-power-station/battersea-power-station-companys-objection-to-demolition-of-the-victorian-pumping-station/The Battersea Power Station Company, the charitable organisation seeking to protect... more
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REO continue to shoot themselves in the – what by now must be, given their perilously brittle financial circumstances, bare – feet. Their persistent corporate prostitution of the inner sanctuary of the Battersea Power Station (for yous philistines who don’t know is now renamed THE BOILER ROOM) rips away any last layer of credibility from the assertion that the iconic chimneys of Battersea Power Station should be demolished for safety reasons.
http://www.spectacle.co.uk/spectacleblog/battersea-power-station/chimneys-standing-firm/
This declaration is a major part of REO’s planning application, stating that the chimneys are monstrously dangerous actually, given that they could fall down imminently. This is the reason, according to Planning Director of REO and Treasury Holdings Jeremy Castle, that there is a strict thirty metre exclusion zone around each of the chimneys at each event. Quite how they maintain this INSIDE the structure of the power station is a mystery.
What undermines these claims is that there have been a slew of conferences, dinners and even large scale events in and around the power station throughout the year; from the recent Red Bull X-Fighter Motorcross event to the upcoming SHINE benefit dinner in November (where a canopy and walkway to access The Boiler Room will be constructed for guests). These events, inclusive of the Paul McCartney gig inside the station back in July, would not be permitted to take place if there was any truth to these safety concerns, so this fallacy of collapsing chimneys is but a clever marketing shoehorn to strengthen the application process. Which ironically of course, will be slowed down to increase the value of the land if the application is accepted.
This flagrant contradiction only adds to the controversy surrounding REO, given that they are over a billion in debt, unable to pay interest to creditors, heavily criticised by heritage institutions such as the Victorian Society, Kew Bridge Engine Trust and the Greater London Industrial Archaeology Society, and planning an unwanted underground line extension. The current plans for the station, which you can read more about on our Spectacle Battersea Blog, also include planning requests for an office and leisure complex, riverside access, a hotel, and 3,700 luxury flats.
To send in a written objection to the plans to demolish the station and its neighbouring Grade II* listed sister pumping house, address it to Bob Leuty at Wandsworth Council, planning applications@wandsworth.gov.uk . The deadline for written objections is 5pm tomorrow (30th September), and you can also contact your Wandsworth Councillor and ask them what their view is on this before deciding how to vote.REO continue to shoot themselves in the – what by now must be, given their... more
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REO stops paying interest due to creditors
TREASURY Holdings-backed property group Real Estate Opportunities (REO) owners of Battersea Power Station did not pay interest due to a group of its creditors at the end of the August.
REO is apparently in “ongoing restructuring negotiations” with the National Asset Management Agency (NAMA), Lloyds Bank and others about its loans. The company announced yesterday: “taking into account the status of the negotiations, the company has determined that the interest payment due … will not be made”, a statement that seems to imply that REO could pay the interest if it wanted to.
It owes its banks around €2 billion and in June said it would not be in a position to repay a €450 million debt due in May 2011. It hired advisers to help it tackle this issue.
Perhaps they could cut back on luxuries and use their tea bags twice.
The future of one of UKs best loved buildings is in the hands of mega debtors who claim they will use “their own money” to build the “essential” Battersea tube extension.
http://www.spectacle.co.uk/spectacleblog/battersea-power-station/power-station-owners-reo-stops-paying-interest-due-to-creditors/REO stops paying interest due to creditors
TREASURY Holdings-backed property group... more
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The Tideway Village is a community of houseboats moored in an inlet dock a short way down the river from Battersea Power Station. Property developers Berkeley Homes are involved in the regeneration of the so called Nine Elms Opportunity Area which encompasses the dock and have met with opposition from the residents of the houseboats for their apparent plans to remove the boats from their moorings. The residents were dismayed to hear that they had not been invited to the consultation concerning Berkeley’s plans for the area. After another consultation was held, they were shocked to find that in place of their homes there was a sort of floating garden.
The rightly outraged villagers started a petition and a media campaign to raise awareness about their situation. The BBC paid a visit as did the Evening Standard. After seemingly contacting Berkeley homes; the Evening Standard claimed a victory for the houseboat community and that Berkeley Homes had listened to them and removed the dock from their plans.
However Berkeley have made no Official Statement with regards to the continued presence of the houseboat community and their official website concerning the Tideway Wharf development still omits the boats and depicts a floating garden in their stead. See the Architectural Details and Summary of Our Proposals (links open as PDFs) sections of their website for graphic depictions of the proposed garden.
As far as the Tideway Village (and Spectacle) are concerned, Berkeley still plans to remove them from their moorings and the villagers campaign is still underway.
http://www.spectacle.co.uk/spectacleblog/battersea-power-station/tideway-village-in-nine-elms-under-threat/
http://www.spectacle.co.uk/projects_page.php?id=421
http://tidewayvillage.blogspot.com/
http://www.gopetition.co.uk/petitions/save-the-tideway-village.htmlThe Tideway Village is a community of houseboats moored in an inlet dock a short way... more
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London's Battersea Power Station has been lying derelict for the past couple of decades, but after several plans to turn this behemoth of a building in to something worthwhile floundered hopelessly in development, these latest plans seem actually pretty cool ...London's Battersea Power Station has been lying derelict for the past couple of... more
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