London Square, the new owner of Leegate, has launched a “consultation website” with information about its plans for the development. You can find it here: https://leegateregeneration.co.uk/
London Square has also confirmed it will be holding a one-day public exhibition about its plans on May 20th between 15 30 and 20 00.
It has written to 4,500 local homes and businesses inviting the local community to visit the exhibition at St Peter’s Church Hall on the corner of Eltham Road and Weigall Road.
The event will be attended by Michael Stanworth of Cavendish Consulting, London Square’s PR and Public Affairs advisors.
“Alongside myself, there will be representatives from London Square there as well as from the architects CZWG, the planning consultants Montagu Evans, and the transport consultant Cole Easdon,” said Stanworth in a letter to residents.”
“Our aim is to ensure that the consultation materials available at the event, which will also be available online from 20th May, address the questions you have put to us over the last few weeks. There will also be feedback forms at the exhibition. There is also an online feedback form on the consultation website.”
London Square, the new owners of Leegate, plan to add a further 80 homes to the development – an increase on the previously indicated 50 – taking the total to about 640. This will be achieved by adding to the heights of the planned blocks and removing non-Blue Badge parking, an online meeting with local residents’ groups was told.
The highly sensitive 15-storey corner block on the Lee Green crossroad will be increased by ‘half a storey’ while the two blocks immediately behind and attached to the corner tower will rise by two storeys. The two blocks on the south of site overlooking the central ‘street’ (the side adjacent to the old car-wash) will increase by one storey, London Square’s development director Ricardo Rossetti told the meeting.
At the same time London Square aims to increase the percentage of affordable homes to 44-46 per cent up from the 40 per cent it indicated to the Lee Manor Society in April. Under the previous owners of the Leegate site, Galliard Homes, the affordable share would have been 35 per cent.
“Because of the amount of affordable housing we have had to increase the heights,” said Vanessa Jones, senior development manager for London Square. “We are looking to sensibly reposition the heights.” The ‘half-storey’ increase in the height of the corner tower will be achieved by lowering the ceilings of some of the units.
Lee residents will have the opportunity to view and comment on the plans at an exhibition to be held in St Peter’s Church on the corner of Eltham and Weigall Roads on Tuesday, May 20 from 3.30pm-8pm.
London Square executives appear confident that the proposed changes that the company is seeking to the planning consent obtained by former owner Galliard in 2023 will not pose a problem. Lewisham council controversially refused to impose a recommended 12-storey limit on building at Leegate and other district centres because its revised Local Plan had at that stage not been given final mayoral approval.
London Square is working with Clarion Housing, managers of the neighbouring Leybridge Estate, on the design of the affordable housing that will situated in the block overlooking Leyland Road. Three-bedroom homes will replace previously planned two-bedroom units to accommodate larger families.
The timetable for demolition and construction remains roughly unchanged though several licences covering ecological matters and bats still have to be negotiated. Changes will be required to the planning consent gained in 2023 by former owner Galliard though London Square appears confident enough of approval to start demolition ‘in four to five weeks – early summer.’
Demolition work will take six months with the new build scheduled to start in early 2026. London Square confirmed that the only parking allowed will be for Blue Badge holders with spaces available for five per cent of residents of apartments designed for wheelchair access. It could not immediately say how many this would be.
The planned medical centre has been moved from the first floor in the corner block to the ground floor of Leyland Road block. However, there are concerns that the lack of parking and space for the disposal of medical waste, could make Leegate less attractive as a site for the centre.
Asked about the spread of graffiti on the hoardings around the site, Ms Jones said the company was aware of the problem and the temporary boards would be replaced shortly with London Square branded hoardings that are treated to resist graffiti.
London Square has yet to draw up a traffic management plan to control lorries removing the demolished concrete elements and delivering new materials to minimise disruption to traffic and inconvenience to residents. The plan would be submitted in advance of final planning permission. Dust created by demolition will be controlled by spraying. Any asbestos on the site would be removed under the tight controls that apply.
Former Lee Manor councillor Jim Mallory questioned whether Leegate’s unhappy recent history – its long decline and series of companies who have proposed and then failed to carry out redevelopment – meant London Square might want to rename the centre. This question was left open.
UPDATE: London Square has confirmed that its current plans are for blue badge only parking spaces at Leegate. The breakdown is 21 residential blue badge spaces and 1 commercial blue badge space.
Don’t forget! The Lee Manor Society Plant Mart and Garden Party is less than 10 days away! It will be on Saturday May 17th between 2pm and 4pm at 2-6 Micheldever Road.
Here’s how you can help with donations:
Tombola and raffle – For example bottles of wine, boxes of chocolates/biscuits and small toiletry items. Please email leemanorsociety@gmail.com for details of how to deliver them.
Books: Please bring these along on the 17th, after 1000 am.
Plants: please pot up your plants and bring them to us on the morning of the 17th, anytime after 10:00 a.m. If you are going away and would like to leave us some plants in advance, you canput them in the community garden on the Friday. Please email leemanorsociety@gmail.com for details of how to get in.
Volunteers: we will be grateful for any help on the day, to serve on the stalls and to put and take down the stalls and gazebos. Please email leemanorsociety@gmail.com to let us know if you can volunteer on the day.
Residents in Leyland Road and Upwood Road, Lee, were perplexed when double yellow lines and a cycle-lane suddenly appeared on their doorsteps.
They initially feared that Lewisham Council had started to implement the Sustainable Streets proposals even though the final consultation stage hasn’t yet been held.
It turns out the Council was able to do it without a consultation and will now arrange what they call “a retrospective traffic order” – get permission after the work has been carried out.
Julian Hawkins, who lives in Leyland Road, told the Lee Manor Society he queried the new restrictions with Lewisham, saying ” The plans for the CPZ show a resident parking bay outside my house, and the subsequent notice about charging for the free parking bays did not mention any change except for levying the charges.”
He received this reply from the Senior Engineer: “The double yellows were installed as part of the cycle contraflow scheme and, as this is an advisory scheme, the installation of the scheme did not require statutory consultation.
“The double yellow lines were proposed there to allow a clear unobstructed area of the carriageway for cyclists to enter Leyland Road from Upwood Road. The no-waiting at any time (double yellow lines) restrictions will have a retrospective traffic order created for them.”
Julian said: “I have mixed feelings about the change. I am a cyclist and support reasonable schemes encourage responsible cycling, but am also concerned about dangerous cyclists. I just saw one on an electric bike doing well over 30 mph along Upwood Road earlier this evening, and I think this would be even more dangerous in Leyland Road.
“Also, it is part of a series of parking restrictions which seem likely to hit many ordinary people hard, starting with parents dropping off and collecting from Colfe’s Junior, and continuing with elderly and disabled people.”
