The Greyhound Planning Application closing date Thursday 19

[Chris Best]

Just a reminder that the closing date for comments is on Thursday 19 July.

The planning application is set out below:

Rebuilding of the Greyhound Public House (with retention of the front elevation) at 309-315 Kirkdale SE26 to provide a pub/restaurant (Use Class A3 / A4) in the basement and ground floor, and change of use of the upper floors to accommodate 2, two bedroom maisonettes together with enlargement of the basement, construction of a mezzanine floor in the roof space, conservatory to the side and alterations to the external elevations.

Having received a number of comments as your Sydenham Councillor, I will be raising the following points of concern:

1. Your expectation that the public house will be re-instated with a first floor to provide a dining area/community facility - this will be lost if the first floor is replaced by residential (although there is no objection to staff accomodation on part of the first floor, as in the past, to provide on site security)

2. External staircase on the north elevation where the Greyhound mural will be placed - the public space is to be maintained as a thoroughfare from Spring Hill to Kirkdale and concerns that this could become a service area with the external staircase to the basement and flats above

3. The conservatory will change the character of the area designated for landscaping with trees and is to the boundary line with Spring Hill

Here is the online link for the planning application - http://acolnet.lewisham.gov.uk/LEWIS-XS ... mkey=66511

If you would like to comment on this application please send an email to planning@lewisham.gov.uk including the Application Number DC/12/80236/X, your name, address, comment and reason for interest.

Cllr Chris Best

[leenewham]

HI Chris,

1. Totally agree about the first floor. It should be pub space.

2. I'm surprised this hasn't been picked up before, but the plans given out with the Greyhound Wall Competition which has been on display in the Bookshop for the last 2+ months clearly shows the conservatory and the stairs on the back wall. These have been available since March. I presumed that they were always part of the plans. Are they really new? If you look on the What If Sydenham blog, you will see the image that everyone worked to: http://whatifsydenham.wordpress.com/

3. I hope you don't object to the conservatory, it will increase the floor space and there was a conservatory to a similar design in the same spot for x amount of years. I think it's a good addition and am surprised that no one picked up on it before this latest planning application had been submitted as it's was repeated 30+ times on the wall of the bookshop as part of the display!

[gillyjp]

As immediate neighbours we welcome the idea of the conservatory. I think it will be a good addition to the site - a bit of a modern take on the exisiting site. After all there was the 'drinking corridor' originally which is possibly almost the equivilent of a modern day conservatory.

I do hope all those who have actively made comment about retaining the pub as near as possible to its original, will patronise the pub and by doing so hopefully secure it's long term future, when/if it finally does open. We certainly will.

[Mangetout]

I'm sorry to say but I reckon the footprint of what's left of The Greyhound is too small to be viable as a pub. It'll end up as nothing more than a cafe or sandwich bar. Well done LBL!

[ Post made via Mobile Device ]

[Eagle]

I doubt it also but could be proved wrong.

Regarding the benefits to the locality really depends on the demographic of the clientelle. This we will not know until a pub opened.

[blakewho]

The Harp in Covent Garden has a significantly smaller footprint than the new Greyhound will have, and yet it won CAMRA's national Pub of the Year Award last year.

[leenewham]

I agree Blake, there are loads of pubs that are quite small that are successful. The Dartmouth Arms in Forest Hill isn't that big. One of my favourites was The Jerusalem Tavern in Clerkenwell which is tiny.

I hope that Chris Best reconsidered the opposition to the conservatory though. It's been known about for months and months and was clearly indicated on the Greyhound Wall Competition entries so I don't know why it's suddenly a surprise.

Does anyone have any news on who will take it over? That will influence what the pub is like more than any other factor.

[Chris Best]

Purelake have withdrawn the planning application so we back to the original plans for the rebuilding of the pub - pub on two floors.

Lee the planning permission granted in 2009 did not include a conservatory - and on the now withdrawn plans the refuse chamber looked like it was next to the conservatory opposite the entrance to Sainsbury's. The plans submitted needed more attention to detail.

[leenewham]

Blimey, things change with them a lot. Surely they will have to submit a new planning application for the basement. I presume they are still planning on having all the kitchens etc downstairs still so upstairs is all for bar and tables?

Does anyone have a link to the 2009 plans? All the ones I've seen over the past year included the conservatory (I realize that the original ones didn't include a conservatory, why would they submit plans for something they already have permission for). My point was that this was in the public domain for months before the planning application as it was on all the designs for the greyhound wall competition and no-one picked it up before and it seems to be quite popular. I can understand the issue with the refuge, but that means designing a space for refuge, not doing away with a conservatory, surely? I still don't understand the objection to a conservatory that will be similar to the one that was on the buildings years before. What will it be otherwise? Pavement next to an extremely busy road?

Also, if they revert back to the 2009 plans, does this mean that the window is returning to the back wall which they recently removed?

Does anyone know if they have submitted the designs for the artwork to the back wall to planning yet? They had the designs ages ago.

[Tim Lund]

Does anyone have a link to the 2009 plans?

How about this

Not sure if this shows what you want



I don't claim any expertise in interpreting architects' plans.

I wonder if this means we'll get the trees back on the roofs of the social housing behind?