Sydenham Town Forum

This remark we keep on hearing that we need to keep the gasholders because they survived Nazi bombing is utterly absurd, and the councillor should stop making it. It's a ridiculous comparison between a horrific war and the lawful execution of a government policy to remove derelict industrial infrast...

I’d be fine with that. M&S is in retreat on all fronts given the crisis in retail so waiting until it comes along I don’t think is realistic – it will be a long wait. Also, I’m not sure that distinguishing between middle class supermarkets people like, and ones they don’t, is really a goer under...

Is it normal for a council to express a strong political view on a planning issue, having acknowledged it doesn’t have competence on that issue?

Given the very obvious split on views locally on this, why is the council talking about “residents” as one homogenous group?

How have they decided it’s the Will of the People to save these structures?

I wonder if this will ever become the Laser Quest. They got planning permission last summer but since it's all gone quiet

How sad. Is there a link between Syd Soc’s stance on the mural and the council’s opposition, or are they coincidental?

What’s the story with the mural? That all went quiet. Did someone block it?

Some of posters have been hung on the builders fences of the new school building itself. Is that really necessary?

Tim Lund wrote:

TredownMan wrote:Striking how the Sydenham Society has swung behind the campaign against this development in, er, Forest Hill.

On what basis do you say the Sydenham Society has taken a position on this?

There was an advert asking people to write in to oppose it in this week's email newsletter.

Striking how the Sydenham Society has swung behind the campaign against this development in, er, Forest Hill.

I don’t think the continual attacks including via flypostings on lampposts sends a nice message to parents pupils and teachers who have nothing to do with building regulations. I hope any planning discussion on saturday is balanced out with at least an acknowledgement that the school is are a part o...

This site doesn’t seem toxic to me. People occasionally express differing views but that would seem to be the dictionary definition of a forum.

Would it need planning permission, given the Conservation Area?

I’d be strongly in favour — but based on recent experience some neighbours might say it’s “incongruous overdevelopment”, “out of keeping”, “overshadowing” or - worst of all - “detrimental to the visual amenity.”

Um, see the point about Willow Way. Faster and more homes . How can it be faster? There is no proposal on the table at Willow Way. There was a scoping exercise some years ago. It’s a displacement activity to claim it’s happening. I’m sorry, but when the campaign groups behind this have also repeate...

Not so positive for those on a housing waiting list, though.

If the .life forums are full of insights like this:

https://se23.life/t/veteran-homeless-in-lewisham/3218

And this

https://se23.life/t/hard-leftists-disru ... gs/9503/21

Then I'll pass. Thanks.

Why weren't the members asked?

There’s still no mention of the objection to this housing on the Sydenham society website, newsletter or twitter feed.

Is that why the council is seeming to disregard their objections more and more - because they don’t believe the Executive speaks to or for the wider community?

There’s an English language PhD to be done on the strange, grandiose language of planning objections. It’s a vocabulary you never hear anywhere else. A mixture of cod-architectural criticism and complaints about parking provision.

I don't think entryism is the right approach. If homeowners want to form a club where they work to block new homes that's their full entitlement

I just get tired of being told that this anti-housing activism is the "voice for Sydenham" when its not