84 Ravensbourne Park appeal dismissed by Planning Inspector

Belatedly I have spotted that this planning application, which was objected to by the User Group, refused by Council officers, and appealed by the applicant, was refused by the Inspector on 22 June 2015.

 

Here is a copy of the Inspector's decision.

This is the second application to have been refused for this site (the former Park Keeper's house) in recent years.  As the site has been an eyesore for nearly a decade the User Group welcomes a fresh application that delivers much needed housing but which respects the sensitive location in the corner of Ladywell Fields.  Any development here needs to be more modest in scale and, ideally, set well back from the Park boundary, ensuring the new building remains well-screened so as not to detract from the visual amenity of the Park. 

Robert Sheppard

Barratt submits revised plans affecting the Park

Though the Ladywell Fields User Group has not been notified directly by the Council (unusual as we are an established community group with a clear sphere of interest), one park user has spotted and let us know that official signs, indicating that Barratt has submitted a new application for the residential blocks in the Catford Green development that will directly overlook the middle part of Ladywell Fields, have been put up in the Park.

 

The proposed extra storey makes the blocks loom very large over Ladywell Fields and one's immediate concern as a park user is that, with these buildings on the south side of the park, there will be significant additional shading for much of the day (which has not, of course, been shown in this artist's impression!).  The argument for the extra storey, it seems, is that the development needs to be higher in order to fund the higher Mayoral standards for the revised overall scheme.  The cynical amongst us will note that the flats abutting Ladywell Fields (with the Park effectively their back garden), which are for private sale, are likely to make Barratt a very tidy profit in a booming property market (which, I guess, is what they're in the business for)!

 

The plans (application ref: DC/15/93128) can be viewed here on the Council website

 

Robert Sheppard

Secretary, The Ladywell Fields User Group

Playground closure

 

Before . . .

. . . and after

 

 

Many of you will have spotted that the playground in the north (Ladywell) field has been closed for the last week.  This has been necessary to enable some urgent tree works that were required when it was found that a couple of trees were potentially dangerous.

The playground should be open again today.

Robert Sheppard