There is also this alarming news in the Sydenham Society newsletter
I'm not quite sure why it is paradoxical that the planning department wants to bring local involvement in planning forward to an earlier stage; pre-application meetings may not be statutory requirements, but neither is the current way of consulting with the Amenity Society Panel - otherwise it could not be so easily abolished. In the document which seems to set out the policy - PDF file here - the planning department doesn't detail any problems it has had with the Amenity Society Panel, but seems to take for granted that earlier engagement is better.
Doesn't sound good. I've not as yet had any dealings with Lewisham, but earlier experience with Bromley is that a) only 3 properties on either side of the site get notified, even about something major like a new development (we had to notify neighbours ourselves about what would have been a major redevelopment on my former street, affecting loads of houses); and b) if the developer doesn't put up the on-site notice there is little comeback to be had: one very bad development went through simply because one site notice relating to a very small, discrete part of the development went up, but nothing about the main development right next door to and associated with it.
