Being careful what you wish for by Richard Farthing 
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Under the banner ‘Taking a View’,  from time to time, we’re pleased to publish articles by members on a subject of their choice, which they believe will be interesting to the wider membership.

In the ‘dog days of summer’, our chairman took a look through his inheritance of exhibition materials and development proposals, and wondered just how much development proposals improve during second and possibly later iterations after being rejected or otherwise failing at the first hurdle.

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Articles are unedited personal viewpoints, and may not always represent the views of the Society

Creating Hammersmith Avenue by Alex Reid
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Under the banner ‘Taking a View’,  from time to time, we’re pleased to publish articles by members on a subject of their choice, which they believe will be interesting to the wider membership.

In this article, our member Dr. Alex Reid revisits the work done on the original Flyunder proposal, and in recognition of the times we live in, looks at how the essence of it could be reworked into a vision for the 2020’s, recognising a much-prolonged lifespan for the flyover, and the longterm declining pollution levels on the A4.  

As cheerleaders for the original Flyunder proposal, we support the essence of these proposals, especially in respect of possible improvements to the environment, and the prospect of measurably safer cycling facilities along the A4, as long as A4 capacity can be substantially maintained, which earlier research suggests is possible. The creation of the Society was of course as a result the A4 ‘cutting a great divide through the townscape’ in the early 1960’s.

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Articles are unedited personal viewpoints, and may not always represent the views of the Society

The Origin and Possible Future of Hammersmith & West London College by Hans Haenlein
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Under the banner ‘Taking a View’,  from time to time, we’re pleased to publish articles by members on a subject of their choice, which they believe will be interesting to the wider membership.

In this article, our president, Professor Hans Haenlein, updates us on an issue close to his heart: Hammersmith & West London College, both from an architectural but as importantly, a topical Further Education point of view, tracing its origins back to the Arts & Crafts movement and William Morris.

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Articles are unedited personal viewpoints, and may not always represent the views of the Society

The implications for North Hammersmith of adoption of the OPDC Local Plan by Henry Petersen
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Under the banner ‘Taking a View’,  from time to time, we’re pleased to publish articles by members on a subject of their choice, which they believe will be interesting to the wider membership.

Our member Henry Peterson has a a lifetime’s experience in the world of planning, and been a long-term adviser to affiliate St. Helens Residents Association and the Old Oak Neighbourhood Forum.  He’s written on OPDC matters extensively, including for us, and his comments were mentioned several times in the recent Local Plan adoption meeting.

Here he takes the long view of what’s happened at OPDC, specifically in its long Local Plan development and eventual adoption on 22nd June, with reference to the falling-out with CarGiant that unravelled its original aims, and suggests what the plan now means for North Hammersmith.

The alarming vision presented is a land-grab to replace the lost CarGiant area, coupled with yet more ultra high-rises on the horizon in North Acton, and indeed 15-20+ storeys all along the boundary of Wormwood Scrubs with poor local public transport, sufficient for LBHF’s leader to withhold his support for another likely overbuilt Mayoral project.

In Henry’s words: “One of London’s last large brownfield areas deserved better.” 

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Articles are unedited personal viewpoints, and may not always represent the views of the Society

William Morris by Chris Tranchell
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Under the banner ‘Taking a View’,  from time to time, we’re pleased to publish articles by members on a subject of their choice, which they believe will be interesting to the wider membership.

In our second article, committee member Chris Tranchell writes a personal appreciation of the life of William Morris, describing what it means to him, and to Hammersmith.

We’re fond of our local Kelmscott House celebrity, not because of his often overplayed politics, but because he embodied a well-rounded life as an original polymath, a founder of the Arts and Crafts movement, who matches our interests in both architectural conservation and design quality, or as our president Hans Haenlein neatly puts it, Head-Heart-Hand.

If you have an article you would like to be considered, please send it to .
Articles are unedited personal viewpoints, and may not always represent the views of the Society

Do we need to think differently when when solving problems?
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Under the banner ‘Taking a View’,  from time to time, we’re pleased to publish articles by members on a subject of their choice, which they believe will be interesting to the wider membership.

By way of introduction to this new set of member-contributed articles, here we present a thought-provoking article from longstanding member Emeritus Professor Derek Clements-Croome, discussing the tension between specialists and generalists, so-called hedgehogs and foxes, leadership, and how we think, with reference to sustainability and the tension between cost and value, with examples such as the Grenfell Tower.

If you have an article you would like to be considered, please send it to .
Articles are unedited personal viewpoints, and may not always represent the views of the Society