Neighbourhood Development

OBVNF Meeting 18th October: Local List, Site Briefs and Area Extension

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Meeting6.30pm Wednesday 18 October

 Globe House | Corner of Bermondsey Street & Crucifix Lane
 
On the agenda
Local List 

St Thomas St Site Briefs and the Southwark Plan 
Area Extension

Local List
Nominate your favourite local buildings

Following the introduction of the ‘Local List’ at the last forum meeting we now need to get some momentum from the Council with its development. A nomination form and a copy of the working list are both available from the OBF website:

http://oldbermondseyforum.org/protected%20building%20nominations.html

Please take a moment to nominate some further local heritage assets and/or to help fill in the details for those which have already been identified. At the meeting we will discuss ongoing nominations and selection criteria. In response to our policy proposals  to the Council last year they indicated support for the idea of a local list and we have now asked for clarification on how they see the Local List developing.  They have been invited to attend this meeting but at the time of writing they have not responded.
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obvnf18oct3 Area Extension
Three weeks ago we submitted an application to extend the OBF Area. Our long-standing followers will be familiar with the history of the Forum’s Council-imposed area boundary but for the benefit of new subscribers to our mailing list (who may have signed up at the Bermondsey St Festival) we will review the argument for recovering the key parts of our originally proposed area.  Cooperation from the Council permitting, we will update the group on the progress of the application.

St Thomas St site briefs

Closely related to the area extension application – and following up on our extensive consultation on the Council’s aspirations for St Thomas St (‘NSP53’) – we will be discussing the development of site briefs for the crucial St Thomas St sites. These will become the focus of intense developer interest once the Station is completed and Network Rail ceases its temporary use of the former car park site.  This is now only about a year away and it is a safe bet that, on the quiet, the Council are already cosying up with prospective developers and looking to prepare the ground for high-rise schemes and the demolition of (our listed) Becket House and what should be the iconic Vinegar Yard warehouse.

How can we create a coherent imaginative working vision for the south side of St Thomas St?  And how can we force the Council and prospective developers to have regard to local opinion on the treatment the key sites?  From proposed uses to massing and architectural detailing, what should be the community brief that binds together and protects St Thomas’ Street, the Vinegar Warehouse, the Horseshoe Pub and the Melior St garden? A framework for a development of a working brief will be presented for discussion.

In dealing with specifics and representing real local knowledge and opinion OBF Site Briefs can offer what cash- and target-driven Council Area Visions cannot. What other sites in the neighbourhood would benefit from OBF site briefs? And crucially, how do we make the Council respect local opinion?

And Finally
Here’s some salt for the wounds of those who supported BVAG since the challenge to Network Rail and the Council over the needless demolition of the London Bridge trainshed and the South Eastern Railway Offices on Tooley St.  BVAG’s case was that the reason for the heritage carnage wreaked by the Grimshaw-designed station was the determination of Network Rail (and the DfT) to fund the low-budget scheme with the creation of a massive retail premises rent roll.  Network Rail told the Administrative Court – right up to the Court of Appeal – that nothing of the sort was afoot and that there was to be absolutely no increase in retail space at the station as compared with its former incarnation.  That blatant deceit complemented their claim that they had to build the station around the London Dungeon because they couldn’t touch the unassailable lease they said owners Merlin Entertainment had on tens of thousands of square feet of the viaduct.  The latter deception was long ago exposed when, under the Freedom of Information Act, we got a copy of the expenses claim (redacted of the figures) they had long before made to the DfT for the buyout.  Now they are getting close to being unable to continue to conceal the retail-rent driver of the heritage wipe-out here are their first public pronouncements that they took the Courts for a ride.  In reality the Court of Appeal BVAG went before was just not interested in the evidence when they had a government department to protect; that Network Rail obviously couldn’t be lying was the only axiom they needed to support their decision (and costs order) against us.

There was a time when Court of Appeal Judges weren’t ready to protect the public sector establishment no matter what.  Not any more.
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Photographed in the emerging London Bridge shopping Mall

OBF meetingsare open to all  – All welcome

info@oldbermondseyforum.org

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EAN Shopping Centre meeting 13th September

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From Elephant Amenity Network

Dear Friend

Our next meeting will be  7pm Wednesday 13th September Tesco Space First Floor Shopping Centre.  We will be discussing our response to the amended shopping centre planning application, in particular the draft local business support and relocation strategy and the affordable housing offer.  Much can be done to improve both.   Links to documents here –  Document – Draft local business support and relocation strategy Document – Affordable housing addendum.

Southwark Law Centre will be attending to advise us.  It has drafted an initial objection letter on our behalf.

In the meantime, a reminder that the shopping centre developers Delancey will be presenting their amended plans at the Walworth Society, Thursday 7th September at 7pm at St Peter’s Church, Liverpool Grove SE17 https://goo.gl/maps/YmKFJotwsZQ2

 This is a public meeting, open to all, and an important opportunity to let Delancey know our views and support the traders.

Regards

Jerry

PS All the application documents can be found here – http://planbuild.southwark.gov.uk/documents/?casereference=16%2fAP%2f4458&system=DC

Elephant and Castle Shopping Centre meeting 7th September

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From Elephant Amenity Network

Dear Friend

The amended planning application for the re- development of the Shopping Centre has now been submitted.  The main change is a draft local business support and relocation strategy.  This is the result of the hard campaigning by  the traders and their supporters.  It is a step in the right direction, but could be much better still – Document – Draft local business support and relocation strategy.  A promised affordable housing addendum has not yet appeared.  There is no social rented housing proposed in the original application.

We are organising a meeting at the shopping centre w/c 11 Sept and will forward details once this is arranged.

In the meantime shopping centre developers Delancey will be presenting their amended plans at the Walworth Society,Thursday 7th September at 7pm at St Peter’s Church, Liverpool Grove SE17 https://goo.gl/maps/YmKFJotwsZQ2

This is a public meeting, open to all, and an important opportunity to let Delancey know our views and support the traders.

Regards

Jerry

PS All the application documents can be found here – http://planbuild.southwark.gov.uk/documents/?casereference=16%2fAP%2f4458&system=DC

Planning policy notification: Local Development Scheme (LDS) 2017 update

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NOTIFICATION OF LOCAL DEVELOPMENT SCHEME (LDS) UPDATE

Southwark Council has prepared a new Local Development scheme (LDS). The LDS sets out the timetable for preparing Southwark’s development plan and supplementary planning documents from July 2017 to December 2020. This will replace the previous Local Development Scheme which was published in August 2014.

Since the last LDS, a number of changes have been made to the document. This document now includes:

  • An updated New Southwark Plan timetable
  • A Gypsy and Traveller Development Plan document timetable
  • A new Opportunity Area Framework/Area Action Plan and possible Supplementary Planning Documents for Old Kent Road. These provide additional guidance for the development that is to take place in this area;
  • New SPDs for Householders and Commercial;
  • Updated SPD timetables for Residential Design Standards, Heritage and Affordable Housing;
  • A 3 year review of Community Infrastructure Levy and an updated CIL/S106 Supplementary Planning Document to respond to keep the financial requirements updated;
  • A review date for the Statement of Community Involvement to ensure that the digital by default strategy is taken into account in consultation.

Some supplementary planning documents are rescinded or removed as they are now out of date.

For more information about the LDS as well as the supporting documents, please follow this link.

Should you have any questions about the LDS please contact us by email planningpolicy@southwark.gov.uk ; or by telephone on 0207 525 5471.

 

Kind regards,

Planning Policy Team

Southwark Council

Team London Bridge: Job opportunity for residents

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We’ve just opened an event/community space at our office and there’s an ad hoc job opportunity available that some of your residents might be interested in – details below.

Team London Bridge are looking for candidates who live max 15 minutes away from our office (1 Melior Place, SE1 3SZ) and are interested to work on an ad-hoc basis. The work predominantly involves opening up or locking our community space for when we have bookings that are taking place outside of regular office hours. 

This is suitable for individuals that are looking for an extra income around their existing jobs, studying or if retired – the hours involved would be early in the morning or late in the evening, especially on weekends and occasionally during week days too. We cannot guarantee a minimum of work hours per month, as it all depends on whether there are bookings for the space.

More details about the role here, and if interested, please liaise with our colleagues Sam and Sonia at EmploySE1. Deadline 5th September 2017.

Kind regards

Henry Johnstone

Business & Operations Manager

Team London Bridge

OBVNF Meeting 19 July: NSP53

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 Forum Meeting6.30pm Wednesday 19 July

 Globe House | Corner of Bermondsey Street & Crucifix Lane  

High-rise -v- Heritage
in Bermondsey St/St Thomas St

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For the past few weeks at our information point in Globe House we have informed and consulted widely on the Council’s plans for St Thomas St/Bermondsey St.  Unsurprisingly, their high-rise plans are no more popular now than they were when Sellar came up with his original version – the three Shard satellites – in 2010.

Following the consultation the Forum now needs to consider our next steps towards protecting this area from insensitive development.  We have invited the Council to send a representative to the meeting who can explain with some greater accuracy than the hopelessly vague NSP 53 wording, what they are seeking to promote.  Presently they can’t even explain how they worked out the ‘site’ area,  particularly whether it includes demolition of the Vinegar Yard warehouse to make way for high-rise and whether it includes wiping Vinegar Yard itself and the eastern end of Snowsfields off the map as public roads. Network Rail, who own the former St Thomas St car park, and James Sellar, who owns the vinegar warehouse and 40-44 Bermondsey St, have also been invited to attend.

Important on the agenda will be the launch of our planned local list of buildings to be protected and the broader concept of places that go beyond individual buildings and which should be extended a more generalised form of protection.  The ‘placemarks’ initiative, led by BSAP, is currently underway and our subscribers are invited to go to the website and nominate any places of their own for inclusion: www.bermondseyplaces.uk.
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A provisional list of local buildings of significance to the area’s character will be presented at the meeting, specifically in the St Thomas St/ Snowsfields/north Bermondsey St area.  Further nominations will be welcome and we will be aiming to extend the area of coverage in the coming weeks to the whole of the OBF area – and the original area from which the Council excluded the Forum.

At the meeting we will be considering the preservation of the Vinegar Yard warehouse in the context both of local listing and potentially its designation as an Asset of Community Value [‘ACV’] (a designation established under the Localism Act).  We have written to Simon Bevan, Head of Planning, asking him if he knows of any reason why it cannot be designated as an ACV.  One of the implications of such a designation is that there would arise a community right to buy the building in the event that it is sold by the present owner. If Sellar’s high-rise ambitions do not come to fruition such a sale is likely.

All welcome.

Meeting with proposed Developers of 74-84 Long Lane: Thursday 15 June

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Meeting with proposed Developers of 74-84 Long Lane
Thursday 15 June, 7:30pm at
The Boot and Flogger pub 10-20 Redcross Way, SE1 1TAOne of the few remaining buildings of character on Long Lane has been the subject of a ‘consultation’ in relation to a proposal for a ‘co-living’ tower.

At a public exhibition on their proposals at the end of January the developers (or rather their PR team) were less than transparent about their plans.  It was far from clear what treatment they were proposing for the existing Rug Co. building (pictured below).
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We don’t know whether this is the same prospective developers or whether they will be any more forthcoming but anyone concerned to keep anything of the history of Long Lane intact may be interested in attending.

The notice below was spotted in a local Tesco.

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Fire Safety in Southwark Blocks

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Dear resident,

As the terrible news has emerged overnight from West London, our thoughts and prayers are with all those affected by the fire at Grenfell House. It is particularly raw for us in Southwark, bringing back dreadful memories of the Lakanal fire in 2009 in which 6 people tragically lost their lives.

I understand that many residents living in high-rise blocks in Southwark will be concerned, and I wanted to write to you straight away to reassure you that Southwark has carried out a huge programme of works in recent years to improve the safety of our tower blocks.

  • Following the fire the council began an ongoing programme to ensure all its properties received a regular full fire risk assessment, beginning with those deemed to be high risk.
  • Since 2009 the council has spent £62 million on its fire risk assessment programme and associated fire safety works for all its council housing in the borough.
  • We continue to invest as necessary as part of the ongoing major works programme.
  • The council works closely with London Fire Brigade (LFB) and meets regularly with them, both on an operational and fire safety level, informing them of progress on the risk profile of the borough and other issues.
  • LFB assists the council in advising residents on fire safety and fitting smoke alarms inside their homes.
  • In February 2015, all fire risk works to all high rise and lower/more complex housing were complete.
  • Since then the council has completed a programme to fit state of the art smoke detection systems to the dwellings in these blocks, and has a rolling programme underway to introduce a similar system in all remaining blocks.

As a council, we are doing all that we can to keep our residents safe from the devastating consequences of a major fire, but you can help too by following this advice:

  • Make sure you have a working smoke alarm in your home
  • Keep balconies free from clutter
  • Please don’t leave rubbish or bikes in communal areas or obstruct escape routes
  • Make sure you know where your nearest fire exit is
  • If you are a smoker please do not smoke in common areas of the block
  • Always fully extinguish cigarettes smoked in your home and dispose of them carefully and safely

We have been in contact with Kensington and Chelsea council to offer any help and assistance we can at this difficult time.

Thank you and best wishes,
Stephanie
Councillor Stephanie Cryan
Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Housing

 www.southwark.gov.uk