St Philip Neri school redevelopment

[GLOBAL THINKER]

Just seen a planning application on Lewisham website (DC/19/111793) for St Philip Neri. Bit concerning as they are asking for an increase in building height. I not easily able to decipher planning applications but presumably we should be concerned giving their previous disregard for sticking to the plan!!
DC/19/111793 | An application submitted under Section 73 of the Town and Country Planning Act 1990 to allow for the variation of Conditions 2 and 8 in connection with planning permission dated 7th October 2016 DC/16/096041 as amended for the demolition of the existing buildings at Our Lady and St Philip Neri Primary School, 208 Sydenham Road SE26 and the construction of a three storey school building including a nursery, a multi-function sports court and a running track, together with the creation of a formal pedestrian access from Home Park, the provision of cycle and scooter spaces, refuse storage and associated landscaping works to provide the amalgamation of the Infant and Junior Schools, in order to allow the following changes:- Alterations to the materials, Alterations to the fenestration pattern, Increase in the height of the building, Alterations to the roof profile, Alterations to the siting of the building, Installation of UKPN cabinets and planting on the corner of Sydenham Road and Fairlawn Park, Reduction in the number of fins on the Hall building, Installation of an internal ball fence to the playground on the flat roof of the Hall building, Installation ventilation grilles, Alterations to external lighting, Alterations to extraction flue, Alteration to playground canopies, Alterations to nursery entrance, Installation of an air-conditioning unit near the nursery entrance, Alterations to the brick plinth and Alterations to external plant store | OUR LADY AND ST PHILIP NERI RC PRIMARY SCHOOL, 208 SYDENHAM ROAD, LONDON, SE26 5SE

[JGD]

I have not read all of the updated drawings and submissions. These appear to have been made in two phases over April and May 2019.

There is an addendum letter dated 17 May which appears to propose that the Archdiocese substitute the previously approved plans identified in Condition 2 for the plans showing the final finishes of the school.

So in short, everything that was previously non-conformant is now proposed to be made conformant by submitting updates to the drawings for approval by the council..

Alterations to the materials, Alterations to the fenestration pattern, Increase in the height of the building, Alterations to the roof profile, Alterations to the siting of the building, Installation of UKPN cabinets and planting on the corner of Sydenham Road and Fairlawn Park, Reduction in the number of fins on the Hall building, Installation of an internal ball fence to the playground on the flat roof of the Hall building, Installation ventilation grilles, Alterations to external lighting, Alterations to extraction flue, Alteration to playground canopies, Alterations to nursery entrance, Installation of an air-conditioning unit near the nursery entrance, Alterations to the brick plinth and Alterations to external plant store

The Application Form states that there has been pre-application consultation with the council in March 2019 but it is unclear to what degree these updated drawings conform with that consultation with officers and thereby represent a measure of compromise or indeed agreement. If this is an accurate representation of any agreement, it would appear that what we see on site at the moment is pretty much what we get. i recall reading reports that fenestration details are being modified and the roof line profile, albeit at a higher level than originally approved would be made to at least resemble the approved drawings. There is a crude hand-drawn sketch of the revised roof layout, possibly showing the gaps restored but I don't think that it can be said with certainty what precisely is happening now however.

Others will have views about the adequacy or otherwise of this re submission.

The application will have to be approved by members at a Planning Committee and I am certain that they will want to scrutinise it carefully.