Elephant Amenity Network

Support Camberwell residents fight against developer

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Dear Friend

Southwark Council recently refused planning permission to a large development just off the Old Kent Rd, by Burgess Park, after a campaign by local residents, who objected to its size and impact on the park.

Now the developer is appealing against that decision and there will be a hearing before a government Inspector in August.  Local residents have started a CrowdJustice appeal to get legal representation at the hearing and make sure that their voice is heard.  The appeal is supported by Southwark Law Centre, Wells Way TRA,  Friends of Burgess Park, Vital OKR and the Camberwell Society.

The development, known as Camberwell Union, offers 35% affordable housing, but should be offering 50%, because it would be on industrial land.  Mayor Sadiq Khan has promised 50% affordable housing on such sites in his new London Plan.

Please support the Camberwell residents in their fight by donating and sharing their CrowdJustice link.

Twitter link here

Regards
Jerry

Copyright © 2019 Elephant Amenity Network, All rights reserved.

 

Tesco petition up and running!

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Dear Friend

Our petition to get Tesco back in the shopping centre is up and running and has collected over 70 signatures – thanks to all of you who have signed already!

We need a lot more signatures though. Tesco has left traders in the lurch.  They depend upon big stores attracting custom for their own business.

We want Tesco back, so please sign today

If you have already signed, please share with your friends.

Links to Twitter and Facebook here

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Regards

Jerry
PS We now have a court date for our judicial review – read more here.

Castle Square – still not good enough

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Dear Friend

Our Protest pays dividends!

While the Mayor of London Sadiq Khan has agreed that Southwark Council can determine the Elephant shopping centre application, Delancey failed to getplanning approval for the related Castle Square temporary facility for traders.  This scheme must be approved before the main shopping centre scheme can go ahead.

Plannning sub-committee B  decided to defer the decision because it was, amongst other things, dissatisfied with the rent levels proposed for Castle Sq.

The decision to defer the application empowered Southwark’s Chief Planning Officer to refuse the main application- and we argue he should do so, without delay. Unfortunately he has sent a letter to Delancey reassuring them that he won’t be doing that. He’s trying to bounce Planning Sub Committee B into approving the Castle Square application.  See further details here.

Sign this petition calling on the Lead Member for Planning Johnson Situ to refuse the Elephant application now. 

Protest again- No to the Castle Square scheme- It’s still rubbish!

We demand that the Planning Committee listens to the community and refuses this application.

Protest at the Planning Committee- Stand Up for the Elephant AGAIN
Monday 7th January
6pm to 7pm
Southwark Council Officers
160 Tooley Street
SE1 2QH
FB Event and details here
Up the Elephant Twitter

Regards
Jerry

Joint campaign asks mayor of London to bin the Elephant scheme

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From Elephant Amenity Network

Dear friend,

You will know by now that the shopping centre planning application has been approved, by a very narrow margin.  However there is still some distance to go before the development goes forward and the Mayor of London still has to give his endorsement to Southwark’s decision.

We are campaigning now to get the Mayor to refuse to do this, as he has the power to do. We have now sent a joint open letter to the Mayor asking him to call the application in and improve the offer or direct a refusal.
Our letter to Mayor Sadiq Khan is here (pdf)

Green Party AM Sian Berry has also written to the Mayor:
https://www.southwarkgreenparty.org.uk/call_in_the_elephant_decision_says_sian

Please  SIGN THE PETITION

Sadiq: Say NO to the displacement of BAME communities from Elephant & Castle

Eight Labour Councillors, including the local ward councillors and the deputy leader, have made their dissatisfaction with the decision clear and have also  asked London mayor Sadiq Khan to make improvements.   London Assembly member Florence Eshalomi and a local Labour ward has added their voices to the call.

Many local Labour branches have passed a motion opposing the decision to approve the application and asking Sadiq to intervene. This has caused a spat inside Labour, with the local MP Neil Coyle bizarrely accusing one of these branches of “bullying”. This article in Southwark News has more details:
 https://www.southwarknews.co.uk/news/neil-coyle-goes-to-war-with-his-own-party-after-blasting-labour-bullies-and-trolls/ 

Campaign groups, including the 35% Campaign, Latin Elephant and Up the Elephant have also vowed to continue the fight.

See http://35percent.org/2018-07-09-delancey/

Shopping centre redevelopment – opposition grows

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From Elephant Amenity Network

Dear Friend

Despite being approved by the planning committee there is growing opposition to the Elephant and Castle shopping centre scheme.

The scheme must be approved by Mayor Sadiq Khan and a NEW petition organised by Latin Elephant is calling on him to either direct refusal of the application or take it over himself.

Southwark Defend Council Housing had a stall at the SGTO summer fest in Camberwell yesterday and got a good response to the campaign to stop the scheme.   Labour Party branches and Camberwell and Peckham Constituency Labour Party have also demanded that Mayor Sadiq Khan calls this application in. You can see the motion they passed here.   Green AM Sian Berry has also written to the Mayor, as have ward Councillors.

PLEASE sign the online petition here.

You can also send objections and comments to here – mayor@london.gov.uk – quoting Southwark Council planning ref 16/AP/4458

Regards

Jerry

Protect Council Estates From Demolition

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From Elephant Amenity Network

Dear Friend

Consultation on the Mayor’s Guide for Estate Regeneration is due to close on March 14 and a cross London campaign has begun to defend estates facing regeneration – Demolition Watch ; this is the website .

At the moment  there is one major demand being put to the Mayor – that there must  be a ballot of estate residents, to approve any  regeneration proposals. 

 A ballot is an elementary protection of estate resident’s interests and the very least that should be required before any regeneration goes ahead. You can help secure estate ballots by doing two things;

1/by signing this petition;

https://www.change.org/p/sadiq-khan-votes-for-residents-on-estates-facing-regeneration-e38816c6-4a5f-4405-b9b4-bedd946eb9f6

2/by submitting a question to our GLA representative, Florence Eshalomi, to be put to the Mayor at his public question time.  There is a model question below and it can be sent to Florence.Eshalomi@london.gov.uk, asking her to submit it for his question time.

There is little doubt that more and more estates are being lined up for regeneration and we must get effective protection of estate residents in place, so please help.

Regards

Jerry

1) Resident Support

The Mayor has said regeneration should “only take place where there is resident support”. Official Guidance on Estate Regeneration (published December 2016) says that, where the proposals include demolition of tenants and leaseholders’ homes, a vote can be ‘appropriate’ to demonstrate the required ‘majority resident support’.

Does the Mayor agree that;

  • There should be a ballot where it is proposed that residents homes be demolished and,
  • GLA funding and planning approval support would not be made available for any schemes involving demolition without such a ballot?