Live in Longton Road or Jews Walk? Please read plans

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LaraJWS
Posts: 2
Joined: 17 Apr 2016 19:15

Live in Longton Road or Jews Walk? Please read plans

Post by LaraJWS »

TO THE NEIGHBOURS OF NO 5 CHURCHLEY ROAD & LONGTON NURSERY ALLOTMENTS

ARE YOU AWARE THAT A PLANNING APPLICATION HAS BEEN SUBMITTED TO LEWISHAM COUNCIL FOR A LARGE DEVELOPMENT IN THE GARDEN OF 5 CHURCHLEY ROAD FOR A PART 3/PART 4 STOREY BLOCK OF PRIVATE APARTMENTS?

THE PLANNING APPLICATION REFERENCE IS DC/16/095900
IT MAY BE VIEWED AT http://planning.lewisham.gov.uk/online-applications


NO. 5 CHURCHLEY ROAD SITS IN THE JEWS WALK CONSERVATION AREA, AND THE GARDEN LIES WITHIN THE BOUNDARY OF THE LONGTON NURSERY ALLOTMENT SITE.
IF PERMISSION IS GRANTED, THIS DEVELOPMENT IS LIKELY TO SET A PRECEDENT FOR BUILDING ON SIMILAR, NEIGHBOURING GREEN/GARDEN SPACES IN THE FUTURE.

- DURING A TIME WHEN FAMILY HOMES WITH AMENITY SPACE ARE DESPERATELY NEEDED IN LONDON, THE VICTORIAN HOUSE AT NO 5 IS DERELICT AND THE GARDEN FULL OF RUBBISH, ALL WITH THE OWNERS KNOWLEDGE.

- THE HOUSE IS NOT INCLUDED IN THE CURRENT PLANS, AND ITS FUTURE IS UNCERTAIN.

- IF PERMISSION IS GRANTED, RESIDENTS LIVING NEARBY IN JEWS WALK, LONGTON GROVE AND HENSFORD GARDENS WILL EXPERIENCE A LOSS OF VISUAL AMENITY AND PRIVACY, AS WILL PLOTHOLDERS ON THE LONGTON NURSERY ALLOTMENT SITE, WHO WILL ALSO EXPERIENCE OVERLOOKING AND OVERSHADOWING OF PLOTS.

- THERE IS A VETERAN OAK TREE (WITH A TREE PRESERVATION ORDER) IN THE GARDEN OF NO. 5, WHICH IS PART OF A VALUABLE WILDLIFE HABITAT AND IS VISIBLE ACROSS THE WIDER AREA.
THE PLANS REQUIRE EXTENSIVE LOPPING AND A CONSIDERABLE REDUCTION OF THE OAKS CROWN, ALONG WITH CONSTRUCTION OVER THE ROOT PROTECTION AREA.

- CHURCHLEY ROAD IS AN UNADOPTED ROAD, AND ITS OWNERSHIP STATUS IS UNCLEAR - WHO WILL TAKE CARE OF THE FUTURE MAINTENANCE AND SERVICING OF THIS WELL-USED RESIDENTIAL ROAD?

- THE APPLICATION FOR SIX FLATS OVER TWO BLOCKS IS AN OVER DEVELOPMENT OF A GARDEN SITE, AND THE PLANS DO NOT RESPOND SUSTAINABLY OR SENSITIVELY TO THE WIDER ENVIRONMENT

- THIS DEVELOPMENT IS AN ATTEMPT TO SHOEHORN AS MANY FLATS AS POSSIBLE INTO TWO BUILDINGS, WHICH IS MORE THAN THE SITE CAN COPE WITH


PLEASE SEND YOUR OBJECTIONS BY 27TH APRIL TO:


LUKE MANNIX (CASE OFFICER)

PLANNING SERVICE
3RD FLOOR LAURENCE HOUSE
1 CATFORD ROAD
CATFORD
LONDON SE6 4RU

OR BY EMAIL: PLANNING@LEWISHAM.GOV.UK
rustya
Posts: 56
Joined: 18 Apr 2016 14:18

Re: Live in Longton Road or Jews Walk? Please read plans

Post by rustya »

I have objected, thanks for the notification.
We must not let these application become the "accepted norm"
Eagle
Posts: 10658
Joined: 7 Oct 2004 06:36
Location: F Hill

Re: Live in Longton Road or Jews Walk? Please read plans

Post by Eagle »

I am sure our colleague Tim will welcome these new housing units.

I remember Jews Walk as a quiet and tranquil road.

You are quite correct you will get a lot more applications along these lines.
owlwise
Posts: 230
Joined: 21 May 2012 13:54
Location: Upper Sydenham

Re: Live in Longton Road or Jews Walk? Please read plans

Post by owlwise »

I hope the locals who have been posted letters regarding this have contacted the council with their objections.
whittler
Posts: 29
Joined: 15 May 2012 09:06
Location: United Kingdom

Re: Live in Longton Road or Jews Walk? Please read plans

Post by whittler »

If you live on Longton Grove, Jews Walk or Hensford Gardens, or anywhere near Longton Nursery Allotments and you want to object to this planning application, please do so as soon as possible - the closing date for your comments is 27th April (Weds).

No-one wants to be considered to be against good quality, sustainable development that will help to ease the housing crisis and provide more family homes for ordinary Londoners, but this scheme patently does not do that.

....and yes, there will be more and more plans like this - poorly designed, greedily conceived and using the cloak of the 'housing crisis' to bludgeon their way through - coming to a green space somewhere near you very soon....
LaraJWS
Posts: 2
Joined: 17 Apr 2016 19:15

Re: Live in Longton Road or Jews Walk? Please read plans

Post by LaraJWS »

Sorry all I had meant Grove not road for Longton. PLEASE READ THIS.

We would never object to affordable, sustainable housing - heaven knows it is needed. However this building project is being carried out by someone who has let a beautiful cottage go to ruin and a large garden to become a rubbish tip. The owner has also registered the house as one plot and the garden as another - which seems really dodgy, as this used to be one property, not two. This is about greed and making money not about providing housing - if it was why leave the cottage empty for the best part of 5 years?

If you haven't raised objections yet - there is still time. THE PLANNING APPLICATION REFERENCE IS DC/16/095900
IT MAY BE VIEWED AT http://planning.lewisham.gov.uk/online- ... plications

Objections need to be sent by the 27th April to:

LUKE MANNIX (CASE OFFICER)

PLANNING SERVICE
3RD FLOOR LAURENCE HOUSE
1 CATFORD ROAD
CATFORD
LONDON SE6 4RU

OR BY EMAIL: PLANNING@LEWISHAM.GOV.UK

Thank you!
whittler
Posts: 29
Joined: 15 May 2012 09:06
Location: United Kingdom

Re: Live in Longton Road or Jews Walk? Please read plans

Post by whittler »

Apologies, bumping this as it's the last day for comments/objections to this application TOMORROW (27th).
Planning Reference DC/16/095900
Please consider the information in the posts above (and points below) if you live near the proposed site, or in the conservation area (Jews Walk) or if you value the outlook over the wonderful Longton Nursery Allotments site and want to protect green, open spaces and trees (a veteran English Oak) with Tree Preservation Orders....

Some points of objection identified so far, if you want to refer to them:

• Overdevelopment resulting in unacceptable scale, mass, bulk
• Overbearing nature with overshadowing and overlooking
• Lack of an approach to conserve and enhance the conservation area and its setting
• No demonstration that the project is viable in terms of tree protection, sustainability, ecology or traffic management
• Complete lack of engagement with local residents, allotment holders, community groups and a resulting insensitive approach to the design of the project.

Thanks.
whittler
Posts: 29
Joined: 15 May 2012 09:06
Location: United Kingdom

Re: Live in Longton Road or Jews Walk? Please read plans

Post by whittler »

LAST DAY FOR COMMENTS AND OBJECTIONS IS TODAY!

Please consider commenting and objecting if you live on or near Churchley Road, Longton Grove, Jews Walk, Hensford Gardens...

You can register to leave a brief comment on the Lewisham Planning portal here:

http://planning.lewisham.gov.uk/online- ... CAPR_83120

Or please send your objections to luke.mannix@lewisham.gov.uk

Take a look for yourself, but there is so much to object to with this application, and any possible gains in housing provision (private, and ultimately probably very expensive) are far outweighed by the losses that will be incurred if this is granted permission...
whittler
Posts: 29
Joined: 15 May 2012 09:06
Location: United Kingdom

Re: Live in Longton Road or Jews Walk? Please read plans

Post by whittler »

If you live in the Jews Walk Conservation Area or anywhere near the Longton Nursery Allotments site (Hensford Gardens, Longton Grove, Churchley Road, Wells Park Road etc) please be aware, if you aren't already, that the applicants for the development in the garden at 5 Churchley Road are appealing Lewisham Councils decision to refuse (for a second time) their planning application, which was thrown out last summer.

The application (ref DC/16/095900) can be found here: http://planning.lewisham.gov.uk/online- ... =firstPage

If you objected before, or if you want to send comments now, please send them to the Planning Inspector (quoting ref: APP/C5690/W/16/3160729) at: teamp2@pins.gsi.gov.uk

Comments need to be submitted by this Wednesday, 11th Jan.

Lewisham refused the application last summer on the grounds that it was too large and 'incongruent' a development for the site which would have an adverse impact upon the open nature and character of the existing area.
Another material consideration was that insufficient data has been submitted with regard to the biodiversity of the area.

The lovely cottage at No 5 meanwhile - which would make a great family home, and is surely the kind of accommodation that is really needed to address the housing crisis? - is still empty, never included in the plans, and falling further and further into disrepair at the hands of the owners....

If you would like further details, please message me or use the contact page of the Longton Nursery Allotments website: http://lnallotments.weebly.com/
whittler
Posts: 29
Joined: 15 May 2012 09:06
Location: United Kingdom

Re: Live in Longton Road or Jews Walk? Please read plans

Post by whittler »

Sorry, just bumping this up, as the last day to submit your comments to the Planning Inspector is TOMORROW, WEDNESDAY 11th JAN - see the post above for all the details of where to send your comment and what information to include (ref number etc).

This appeal is an unvarnished attempt to obtain planning for a poorly conceived, unsustainable and badly designed over-development on a garden to enable the owners to flog the land to a developer, who really won't give a toss about the impact on the area.

The precedent this could set, building on a designated Urban Green Space, is a dangerous one.
whittler
Posts: 29
Joined: 15 May 2012 09:06
Location: United Kingdom

Re: Live in Longton Road or Jews Walk? Please read plans

Post by whittler »

An update for anyone that lives on or near Churchley Road, Longton Grove, Hensford Gardens or Jews Walk adjacent to the Longton Nursery Allotments site, we've just received the news that following the Govt Planning Inspector, Tim Wood's visit to the site on 23rd Jan, the applicants appeal has been dismissed.

Full details can be found on the Lewisham Council Planning pages http://planning.lewisham.gov.uk/online- ... 547560.pdf

In his comments the Inspector has stated:

"The allotments appear to be well used and would not only offer the functional use for locals but also offer an amenity which is no doubt valued by them. I consider that the imposition of the considerable size of the appeal proposal within a few meters of 3 sides of the site would have a considerable and negative effect on the amenity value of the allotments and on their valued character. As a result of my findings, I conclude that the proposal is contrary to Policies DM 30 and DM33 of the DMLP and Policies 12 and 15 of the Core Strategy."

Wouldn't it be great if the owners could now perhaps think about bringing the empty house at No 5 back into use as a much-needed family home after nearly 4 years of being empty, rather than aggressively pursuing planning consent for an ill conceived, poorly designed over-development in the garden, just to enable them to flog off the land for a quick buck??
We can only hope...
whittler
Posts: 29
Joined: 15 May 2012 09:06
Location: United Kingdom

Re: Live in Longton Avenue or Jews Walk? Please read plans

Post by whittler »

Another update on the long-running saga of plans for a proposed development in the garden of No 5 Churchley Road, which may be of interest to anyone living nearby in the Jews Walk CA and particularly to anyone who is a neighbour of the Longton Nursery Allotment site.... yet another application (this time for 2 large detached 4 bed houses) has been refused by Lewisham Council.
This was the latest in a long history of attempts by the owners on the Victorian nurserymans cottage at No 5 to build in the garden which actually sits right inside the allotment site, and is bounded on 3 sides by actively worked allotment plots.
The latest attempt was certainly smaller than where they started with two huge blocks of flats way back in 2010, but an unsuitable development for the site nonetheless.
If there is another appeal (as before) the Longton Nursery Alltotments Assoc is ready to fight it.

The protected Oak tree (a fantastic example of a wild and untouched veteran tree) features heavily in the refusal (finally!) along with the status of the unadopted road (Churchley Road) and the expected detrimental effect on the rich biodiversity of the area.

For more information see our website lnallotments.weebly.com or instagram lnallotmentsse26 and the refusal document can be viewed on the Lewisham Council planning portal under reference DC/18/105627
whittler
Posts: 29
Joined: 15 May 2012 09:06
Location: United Kingdom

Re: Live in Longton Road or Jews Walk? Please read plans

Post by whittler »

An update on the planning appeal at 5 Churchley Road for anyone interested, the Govt Planning Inspector has (yet again) dismissed an appeal from the owners against Lewisham's refusal of planning for 2 properties.

This is the second appeal that has been dismissed by a planning inspector, in what has been a long-running saga to build on a small site - a garden - that is wholly unsuitable for development, and the latest comments outline the concerns for damage to the character of the area, biodiversity and the magnificent veteran TPO'd Oak tree. This decision is welcome news not only for Longton Nursery Allotments but for everyone living nearby.

From the inspectors decision letter:

"Conclusion
14. There would be benefits arising from the provision of two additional homes on a small site in a sustainable location that has the potential to be built out quickly, and in enhancements to Churchley Road. However, these benefits would be substantially outweighed by the harm to the character of the area, to the oak tree and to biodiversity. For the reasons given, and having regard to all other matters raised, the appeal is dismissed."

More information can be found on lnallotments.weebly.com and lewisham council planning portal.
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