Author: leemanorsoc

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Lewisham East MP to raise concerns about Leegate Tower with Lewisham Council

The Lewisham East MP Janet Daby is to take up worries about London Square’s plan to increase the height of the proposed Leegate Tower with Lewisham Council.

Ms Daby met representatives of local community groups, including the Lee Manor Society recently. She was told that there were concerns about both Lewisham Council’s and developer London Square’s commitment to transparency over the submission and consultation process of their recent Section 96A application and to ‘meaningful’ consultation with local residents.

Crucially Michael Haste, the Lee Manor Society planning expert and a retired architect flagged that by approving the recent removal of any reference to the heights of the proposed buildings at Leegate from the Planning Decision Notice (that Lewisham Council approved on 30th June 2025), the Council was now publicly stating that no developer in future would be required to provide any height information in any future Planning Application. Such information might now only be found in drawings and other documents making up a Planning Application.

The meeting was also attended by Sarah McMichael of the Lee Forum and former Councillor Jim Mallory, chair of the Lee Green Consortium, who raised other issues including the absence of general parking in the new development.

London Square says it doesn’t plan any residential parking except for Blue Badge spaces and two Car Clubs slots on Leyland Road. Ms Daby was told that London Square would be compelled by way of the agreed Section 106 Agreement (signed between Lewisham Council and Galliards) to enter into legally binding contracts with new Leegate residents to prevent them from even applying for CPZ parking permits in the area.

 It is expected that Ms Daby will pass on the residents’ concerns to Lewisham Council by letter.

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Leegate: London Square wins latest round in bid to raise the height of the tower block

Lewisham Planners have approved the application by London Square to remove the wording in the existing planning consent which refers to a tower block of 15 storeys.

This is despite objections by the Lee Manor Society, the Blackheath Society, and the Lee Forum.

London Square has made clear that the application (under Section 96a of the Town & Country Planning Act 1990) was its first move towards getting permission to increase the height of the tower. At its exhibition for residents in May it announced it now wanted to make the tower 18 storeys high.

London Square argued that this initial change was “non-material” but the Lee Manor Society and other objectors said it was material because it was clearly a precursor to a bid to increase the height of the tower under a Section 73 application.

However, Lewisham planners said the effects of the amendments would not alter the substance of the development from that already granted permission. “As such, Officers consider that the non-material amendment procedure is the correct route for the alterations. Considering the above, Officers are satisfied the description change is non-material.”

The planning report also says: “Neighbour consultation is not required for s96a applications, however it is noted that 88 objections have been received from neighbours and local groups, including Lee Forum, Lee Manor Society and Blackheath Society. The objections mostly relate to the plans that were presented at a public exhibition which showed Building A1 had been increased by 3-storeys from the consented 15, in addition to height increases elsewhere. At the time of this report, Leegate proposals remained at pre-app stage, and the exhibition proposals had since been revised.”

You can read the full planning document here.

Meanwhile London Square has lodged a new application to change another condition of the original planning consent.  This time they want permission to start demolition without an approved scheme of floodplain storage mitigation.

Floodplain storage mitigation in urban development involves using floodplains to store excess water during storms, reducing flood risk in downstream areas. This can be achieved through various methods, including creating or restoring natural floodplains, constructing reservoirs, and implementing sustainable drainage systems.

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The Manor House Gardens festival

If you didn’t make it to the festival you missed a great event. The local MP Janet Daby even managed to fit in a visit (one of four things she attended that day!)

Here is a selection of pictures taken by Frances Migniuolo.

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Lee Manor Society at the Manor House Gardens Festival

The Ice House will be open during the festival from 1pm to 4pm

If you are planning to go to the Manor House Gardens Festival tomorrow look out for the Lee Manor Society stall in the Community area.

Our volunteers will be on hand between 1 pm and 4.30 pm to update you on the latest on Leegate and parking, as well as the Society’s activities to preserve and enhance the local built and natural environment, including our work on tree-planting and refurbishing the Big Bed on the north side of the Gardens. There will also be some interesting old photos of the Lee area which you can browse.

The Ice House nearby will also be open from 1 pm – 4 pm. Entry is free though we welcome donations. On a hot day it could be an ideal place to visit as the temperature is always cool and you can see how ice was stored over 250 years ago. There will be volunteers there to tell you more about its history and its renovation by the Society.