Bell Green Gas Holders - Proposal to Demolish in April 2018.

[JGD]

A planning application has been submitted for the demolition of the locally listed gas holders at Bell Green.

http://planning.lewisham.gov.uk/online- ... CAPR_94198

It has been declared by Lewisham Planning Department that they intend to review and revise how commentaries on planning applications will be considered from any adjacent geographic Civic Society. This review will embrace considerations such as what weight will be given to such commentaries received from Civic Societies in these circumstances when the submission does not pertain to the Societies’ own wards or area.

It should be understood that significant resolve exists to ensure that the Planning Department is appraised of the absence of consultation with Bellingham Ward residents on previous applications.

In all and any circumstances It is to be hoped that in this occasion any Civic Societies, both FOHSoc and SydSoc, should they elect to comment, will do so in the context of having fully engaged with and consulted Bellingham Ward residents.

At first glance this appears to be solely a demolition proposal, upon which the previous botched and perverse local listing decision has little or no bearing or weight upon SGN’s rights to demolish. Planning Officers previously reported that Lewisham has no funds available to compensate SGN for costs related to the retention and maintenance of redundant structures.

Furthermore, at this stage there is no restoration of traffic and parking benefits embedded in the Kier development.

It remains to be seen that post demolition whether such benefits will be restored in a subsequent development proposal.

It is time that this post industrial age redundant scrap iron structure be demolished and removed.

I had written to request that the agents for the rejected application recommend to their client that the demolition should proceed.

It is viewed with a measure of irony that the proposed demolition will commence on 9 April 2018 and be completed 4 days later.

[nicknack]

I thought they'd been 'saved' - what was that campaign all about last year?

[Larky]

Fingers crossed this gets approved

[Robin Orton]

It is time that this post industrial age redundant scrap iron structure be demolished and removed.

Onwards and upwards, I suppose, but I quite like old things and shall shed a tear of regret at the removal of this monument to our industrial past.

[The Clown]

Relaxed about removal, but agree Bell Green has been turned into an unsightly mess.
This is likely why people voted to try to retain the gas holders - simply to try to ensure that we do not get another cladded horror-blot on the landscape, or soulless square box selling the same old tat + a car park.

[JayB]

I don't see why poeple living in Sydenham and Perry Vale wards don't have just as much right to comment as those in Bellingham when some of us live directly adjacent to the site! Regarding what developments follow the demolition, people in parts of Catford and Forest Hill wil lbe directly affected by the traffic implications and have every right to have their views taken into account. Like wise some peopel in Bellingham will not be directly affected so I do not give any value to the ward by ward approach advocated above.

I was concerned to see the original petition against further and substantial traffic pollution was hi-jacked by the SS "save our gasholders campaign" which looked to me far less substantial and it looks as though my reseravtions have proven right.

[gillyjp]

Hooray - common sense has prevailed. Lets hope SS don't hijack this one. Good riddance to tjis eyesore. Lets hope we get an Aldi there and give Sainsbury's a run for their money and a bit of healthy competition.

[TredownMan]

Problem with the Save the Gasholders campaign was it never got straight what they were being saved for, or how, or who would pay for it. I remember some stuff about cutting-edge apartments being hung from inside the iron frames? I'm sure a lot of people could have got behind a defined and budgeted plan for improvement, if one were ever drawn up.

[Robin Orton]

Hooray - common sense has prevailed. Lets hope SS don't hijack this one. Good riddance to tjis eyesore. Lets hope we get an Aldi there and give Sainsbury's a run for their money and a bit of healthy competition.

An Aldi! No, no, that would be too much happiness! We'd all think we'd died and gone to heaven!

[stuart]

IMHO the right decision. I'd love to support SydSoc in reducing pollution in SE26 and in Bell Green in particular. Except this is not the most effective way of tackling it. I hope they don't grieve too much over this decision and move on to re-purposing their campaigns to this end.

Plus take the opportunity to draw on the support of even us deplorables that inhabit these forums.

Stuart

[Pally]

. I'd love to support SydSoc in reducing pollution in SE26 and in Bell Green in particular. Except this is not the most effective way of tackling it. I hope they don't grieve too much over this decision and move on to re-purposing their campaigns to this end.

Plus take the opportunity to draw on the support of even us deplorables that inhabit these forums.

Stuart

I agree!

[RJM]

I must admit that i never thought the gas holders would survive (although I rather like them). I'll continue to object to badly thought out plans for the site which will generate more traffic, more pollution and more rubbish though. The only decent thing about the last proposal was the Scoot system, everything else was poorly thought out. And I'm in the Perry Vale ward and extremely bored of the insistence that only Bellingham have a right to comment - they're five minutes from my door, of course I can have an opinion.

[JGD]

to draw on the support of even us deplorables that inhabit these forums.

Stuart

It is my recall that the survivors of the British Expeditionary Force (BEF) in their later years dubbed themselves "The Old Contemptibles".

With a nod to Robin_Orton - perhaps that's the label we should apply to our more mature participants - me included.

[JayB]

Hooray - common sense has prevailed. Lets hope SS don't hijack this one. Good riddance to tjis eyesore. Lets hope we get an Aldi there and give Sainsbury's a run for their money and a bit of healthy competition.

What like the Lidl directly over the road? Speaking of runs for money, you could always try running to Aldi in Catford or Anerley bot hof which are close enough, if it is that central to your quality of life?

[leenewham]

As they are only just inside Bellingham Ward and only just outside of Perry Vale and Sydenham wards, it's a bit rich to suggest that only Bellingham residents get a say. I'm closer to them than most people in the Bellingham Ward and see them every day.

[Sideofham]

Which is better residents of Bellingham, Perry Vale or Sydenham Wards? There's only one way to find out: FIGHT!!

[JGD]

leenewham - no-one is suggesting that only Bellingham ward residents can have a say - in fact the opposite has been said on many occasions and all contributors views must be respected.

What is being sought here is that if SydSoc and FOHSoc want to deliberate and comment on issues in Bellingham ward then they at least must consult the residents there and take their views into consideration.

[Robin Orton]

So far as I know, SydSoc's remit covers SE26 postal district - ward boundaries are irrelevant. (I live in Forest Hill ward but have a SE26 postal address, and am a member of both the FH and Syd Socs.) People in the SE26 bit of Bellingham can join the Sydenham Society if they want to . Otherwise they can of course make their views known direct to the council. SydSoc doesn't explicitly consult its own members on particular planning issues (nor need it do so, in my view). So I see no reason why it should consult non-members who live in SE6 or wherever. (Is there a Catford Society?)

[JRW]

Bell Green, Sydenham. The clue is in the name. For centuries it was a dead end at the end of the village. In 20th century the road to Catford was built, and things changed.

Bellingham Ward is a convenient name, but not all of the ward is in Bellingham proper. Bellingham comes from Bellingham Farm, which was developed by the LCC into the Bellingham Estate. That's it. Bell Green is, and has always been, part of Sydenham

BTW, I am disappointed with the tone of this thread. Everyone is entitled to contribute without snide comments. They always come from the same people. You know who you are.

[JGD]

So far as I know, SydSoc's remit covers SE26 postal district - ward boundaries are irrelevant. (I live in Forest Hill ward but have a SE26 postal address, and am a member of both the FH and Syd Socs.) People in the SE26 bit of Bellingham can join the Sydenham Society if they want to .

Robin

I welcome your confident statement about SydSoc's remit and its putative geographic reach.

Despite searches on SydSoc's web-site and several requests on this and other forums - SydSoc continues not to elect to make its constitution (from which a remit might be derived) easily accessible.

As has been said before - how would one decide to join a civic society when it is difficult to view how their principles and rules are defined and set.

FOHSoc at least bit the bullet on a publish and be damned basis and makes their constitution accessible on their web-site.