Prepare Your Parcel: At home, create and pay for your postage online (e.g., via the Royal Mail App), then print the label with the barcode and attach it to your parcel.
Scan the Barcode: Take your parcel to a smart postbox and scan the barcode on your label using the built-in scanner.
Drop the Parcel: The scanner activates a larger, drop-down drawer, allowing you to deposit parcels up to shoebox size.
Get Proof: Use the Royal Mail App to get digital proof of posting and track your parcel.
The Lee Manor Society has criticised Lewisham Council for several parts of its proposal to designate Lee Green crossroads an “Area of Special Local Character”. Although the Society welcomes the broad initiative, it has identified several failings in the document, which the Council published last year.
In its formal response to the Council,. the Society asks why the document doesn’t refer to the coming development at Leegate which it says will “dramatically affect the setting of the proposed ASLC.”
The Council’s proposal also says “sites in the immediate setting of the ASLC, including the Leegate Centre, Sainsbury’s and Stephen James car yard) should seek to enhance it by responding sensitively to the scale and grain of the historic context”’.
The Society told the Council “This is exactly what the currently approved Leegate Centre proposals have failed to do and it is a great shame that this document does not pick up on this fact and criticise Lewisham Council itself for its clear and obvious failing in this regard to the obvious detriment of this ASLC.” Sainsbury’s and the car yard could both be developed in the future, as is envisaged in the Lewisham Local Plan .
The Society’s detailed response also includes an improved map of the area (shown above) which sets it in the context of street names and landmarks. Many residents were baffled by the Council’s version.
Although the document talks about the impact of the railway on Lee, it makes no mention of the introduction of electric trams in the early 1900s. A new line was laid from Lewisham to Lee Green in 1907 which meant more people could afford to live in Lee and travel to work. Trams were eventually replaced by motor buses in 1952 and nothing remains of this history.
The photographs below show tram lines being installed at Lee Green in 1907 and one of the last journeys of the tram which passed through Lee, in 1952.
The Society also points out that the document’s reference to trees on Eltham Road and Burnt Ash Road, as being ‘of great importance’ to the setting of the proposed ASLC, neglects to mention that several mature trees will be lost to the Leegate development.
London Square has also agreed to meet the Lee Manor Society this month to discuss ways that residents can make suggestions for a name for the new development. The company withdrew its plan to name it Blackheath Gate after a flurry of complaints from Lee locals.
Lewisham Council has launched a consultation on its policy for licensing, which covers the sales of alcohol, certain forms of entertainment and the provision of hot food and drink between 23:00 – 05:00.
The policy is aimed at four key requirements:
▪ The prevention of crime & disorder; ▪ The prevention of public nuisance; ▪ Public safety; ▪ The protection of children from harm.
Lewisham says its vision for the borough is safe and attractive town centres providing a diverse night-time economy, which offer decent work, are welcoming and accessible to all, and help to foster creativity while protecting the quality of life for residents.
The consultation which runs until February 10th is focused on the Council’s plan to re-adopt its existing policy, drawn up in 2020, because it wants it in place in time for the May local elections. There will be a full review after that, with an entirely new policy scheduled for April next year.
Comments can be sent in writing to Licensing (Safer Communities), 1 Catford Road, London, SE6 4RU, or by email to licensing@lewisham.gov.uk.
