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