Miriam Lodge Planning Application

[Eagle]

Dear Offensive Atheist.

I guess you , like me , do not live close to the building. These locals know what problems they have had and do not want them multiplied.

[CaptainCarCrash]

Dear Offensive Atheist.

Is that an oxymoron?

[ALIB]

As an ex-neighbour of Miriam Lodge (at the risk of repeating myself), over the past few years i have had :

Occasional late night music, shouting/screaming from the Lodge
Police and emergency services attending in the early hours (sirens and blue lights)
Begging on the streets in the locale
My wife being assaulted on a bus by a resident of Miriam Lodge
increased litter (beer bottles and cans around the police station and in our front gardens)
My car being vandalised thrice (broken wing mirror and keyed, number plates stolen). A person from the Lodge said he saw the resident do it.
A burlglary, the perpetrator seen in the grounds of Miriam Lodge just prior to the event

Other events that weren't widely reported was a stabbing in the grounds of the police station, and a suicide attempt (jumping from the Lodges upper floors and a cleaner being stabbed by a hyperdermic needle hidden in a rubbish bag.

And i thought the Girls School opposite gave us a bad time,. . ..

However, i have met a coouple of really nice people from Miriam Lodge. Just a shame there are some utter scumbags mixed in with them who are a complete blight.

Ahh well, i'm out of it now

[Annie.]

Thank you the realities of Miriam Lodge Ali,
It's all very well being called a Nimby when the person saying it probably does not /hasn't had the experiences that you have had Ali,
Mike is moving because of undesirable neighbours, and yet doesn't mind in the least if others have to suffer the same problem.
However, I do appreciate that not all the residents there are trouble,and indeed they may have just fallen on hard times,if that is the case perhaps the trouble makers should be dealt with,and the decent people allowed to live their lives in peace.
PS- Ali, you lucky sod getting out! ;0))

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[CaptainCarCrash]

That's a bit harsh Annie, I've seen this kind of anti community, mean spirited and unsympathetic campaign in the past which turned out to be a storm in a tea cup. Some people in society are unfortunate, that doesn't necessarily mean the want to steal from you or burn your house down.

Scaremongering isn't in the least positive, the problem with community is you have to accept all of it, not just the nice bits.

[michael]

That's a bit harsh Annie, I've seen this kind of anti community, mean spirited and unsympathetic campaign in the past which turned out to be a storm in a tea cup. Some people in society are unfortunate, that doesn't necessarily mean the want to steal from you or burn your house down.

Scaremongering isn't in the least positive, the problem with community is you have to accept all of it, not just the nice bits.

I don't think the objectors (of which I am one) are NIMBYs or correctly described as anti community, mean spirited and unsympathetic.

I spoke to a member of the Forest Hill Safer Neighbourhoods team who told me that the police will be/have now objected to this proposal. They have concerns that a 50% increase in the number of units available to homeless people would have a detrimental impact on the community and the police have previous referred to Miriam Lodge as a 'crime generator' in the local area. Increasing such a facility by 50% without any changes to management practises would be a serious mistake.

The local councillor with cabinet responsibility for housing (Susan Wise) is also on record as being against this proposed increase in the size of this hostel. I think it is fair to say that councillor Wise is well aware of the problems of homelessness in Lewisham and surrounding boroughs from her housing portfolio.

Miriam Lodge is not used by Lewisham council but is used by other boroughs to place homeless people outside of their borough. And somehow it is local residents who are accused of being NIMBYs. Are we the only community expected to be sympathetic and compassionate?

Beyond these fundamental concerns I think there are a number of issues raised by the planning application that show little concern about the well-being of residents, particularly rooms that face onto blank walls from their only window.

I hope that after 4 months there is an opportunity of a local meeting with the planning officers, the developer and neighbours to discuss the suitability of this application and the potential impact on the whole community.

[ALIB]

Obviously the people housed in Miriam Lodge have to go somewhere.

My only real objection was the pish-poor management of the facility. No-one wants to take responsibility for knifings, assaults, robberies, suicide attempts,, burglaries, drug use and general anti-social behaviour.

[Eagle]

I am shocked to hear that the lodge is being used by boroughs other than Lewisham to dump their problems somewhere else.

Cannot Lewisham insist these boroughs look after their own problems.

Perhaps the whole Lodge should be closed and the people returned to their borough of origin.

[Annie.]

That's a bit harsh Annie, I've seen this kind of anti community, mean spirited and unsympathetic campaign in the past which turned out to be a storm in a tea cup. Some people in society are unfortunate, that doesn't necessarily mean the want to steal from you or burn your house down.

Scaremongering isn't in the least positive, the problem with community is you have to accept all of it, not just the nice bits.

I don't think it is harsh Mike, you stated that your neighbours were one of the reasons you want to move,all I am stating is people who live near to Miriam Lodge also want to live amongst good neighbours,and whilst many of the residents of Miriam Lodge are no doubt decent people, some won't be,and therefore I think the neighbours have a genuine case to be wary about the proposals,It looks to me like the people who run the lodge just want to cram in more people to make more money, regardless of the impact it may have.

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[CaptainCarCrash]

This has been going on for years with gems like "The Gentrification of Miriam Lodge" being a plus point. I wish wolfster didn't go to the lengths he did to get himself banned, he was one of the only people I could argue with where said arguments didn't end with death threats. I wonder where he is now?

[Annie.]

I don't really understand your last post Mike,what do you mean by death threats? Am I missing something as usual ;0))?

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[CaptainCarCrash]

I don't really understand your last post Mike,what do you mean by death threats? Am I missing something as usual ;0))?

I was joking, however this Miriam Lodge thing has been hanging around a while with different complaints from various quarters within the community. I doubt any complaint against the place will be taken seriously, the council have been commissioned to endorse Miriam Lodge as a bail hostel, because of this reason I doubt any complaints are taken seriously, more to the point they'll probably ignore it. The reason for this is the council see complaints from locals as a skirmish and are prepared to absorb any flak they receive for allocating ML as a BH. It's the "people wont like it, they'll have to lump it" attitude that we get from councils and local government these days.

[Annie.]

That's not to say that's ok then is it? And just give up complaining? I thought you of all people would have been prepared to "stand " up for the right of the common good,I even object to the word complaints, its not complaining to want to live in a pleasant environment is it?

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[CaptainCarCrash]

.

[CaptainCarCrash]

its not complaining to want to live in a pleasant environment is it?

No, it isn't and it is healthy to want to do so. I also think that you are wasting your time trying to get the council to listen. Labours ministry of justice started this by sneaking bail hostels in to decent communities where by now the damage is irreversible.

It's yet another ploy by successive governments to shift responsibility out of their hair, the real problem lies within the criminal justice system because they won't build any more prisons and don't have the capacity to accommodate more numbers of crims on bail so they have sneakily fobbed it off in to our communities.

I wouldn't bother raising it with a local councillor, they're only good for getting speed bumps installed, I'd go straight to the horses mouth, a petition directly to the ministry of justice.
forget the planning office, they're probably getting a backhander anyway.

You may as well raise a complaint with the police, who won't give a reasoned response because it isn't in their best interest to. A bit like when the riots were on, something about the police effort smacked of "Cuts? lets see how you'd get on during a riot?" that's just me exercising my lack of faith.

[Eagle]

Mike

What a sad state of our democracy , although you are probably correct.

The people are ignored as we can assume that none of them are important in the eyes of the Government.

I remember the good old days when the building was full of Police and the Bricklayers Arms was all the better for the unofficial Police choir before closing.

I am glad I am not living near there and feel very sorry for those that do. I would still complain to all and sundry even if it does no good.

[CaptainCarCrash]

Mike

What a sad state of our democracy

Indeed it is.

No reason why you couldn't start one of these though.....

http://epetitions.direct.gov.uk/

Desperate, I know.

It'd make a nice change to the bring back hanging ones that' have all been rejected.

[Eagle]

Perhaps all residents withing 500 metres should hold back their council tax until action taken. These people should be returned to their native boroughs.

[michael]

I also think that you are wasting your time trying to get the council to listen. Labours ministry of justice started this by sneaking bail hostels in to decent communities where by now the damage is irreversible.

I wouldn't bother raising it with a local councillor, they're only good for getting speed bumps installed, I'd go straight to the horses mouth, a petition directly to the ministry of justice.
forget the planning office, they're probably getting a backhander anyway.

Lewisham planning office has rejected the proposals for the extension to Miriam Lodge. Well done to all the people who objected, wrote letters to the planning department and spoke to their local councillors about the issue.
This is not a victory for democracy although it does represent the views of many people living close to the site. Planning application are not decided by a popular vote. It is a victory for sensible policy-based planning decisions and a process that takes into account the legitimate concerns of neighbours and not just the need for developers and private hostel companies to maximise their profits.

(1) The proposed development, by reason of its height, bulk, scale, massing and design would result in the creation of an obtrusive and incompatible form of development, which would fail to respect the character and appearance of the subject site and its surroundings.

(2) The proposed siting, layout, scale, massing, design, appearance and materials all fail to follow the prevailing character, and the proposed development will harm the significance of the adjacent Sydenham Park Conservation Area, and will not preserve or enhance the setting of the Conservation Area

(3) It is considered that the intensification of the hostel use on the application site will mitigate against the objective of delivering an inclusive, mixed and balanced community

(4) The proposed development would cause an unacceptable increase in overlooking and loss of privacy to the neighbouring residential properties and hostel residents (existing and future)

[Eagle]

Michael
I like you am glad that the extension has not been approved.

However from what locals are saying the unextended Lodge is already a problem.