The Met police has launched a new imitative to support crime fighting by engaging the support of local communities.
Julian Matei, the Lee Green dedicated Police Community Support Officer, told a meeting of the Lee Manor Society how they hope Metengage will help residents get to know their local officers, shape how the area is policed and provide direct access for important information and advice.
The Met says Metengage isn’t just a platform for them to explain what they are doing in the area. It’s also an opportunity for residents to say what worries them so the police can take action. They say the service will be tailored to the local community.
You might have noticed that some repairs are already underway. Here’s the update:
After the original contractor backed out, the alternative offers looked frightening but a local builder, John Walsh, stepped up and offered a competitive bid with some clever cost-saving measures. With support from the Architect, the Archdeacon gave his approval, and work finally started!
With re-inspection, we found that we really needed to do something to prevent a Handen Road collapse like the one at Wantage Road, so we’ve been working on preventative repairs on the Handen section, even though it was supposed to be a stretch target. ‘A stitch in time saves nine!’ And we’ll be starting work on Wantage Road as soon as possible in September.
Our thanks for all your amazing fundraising efforts, including the GoFundMe appeal; with the addition of a £5,500 grant from a successful application to the Benefact Trust, we’ve managed to cover our original target! We’re so grateful to all 47 GoFundMe donors who stepped up and supported us and to those who gave some fantastic donations directly to the church (most of which are anonymous). We should like to mention the Rainbows, Guides, FUSS Fair, and SMAG (a local artists group).
All this amazing support means we can go ahead with the works with the back stop of running down church reserves in the short term. We’re still open for contributions to the Handen Road stretch target which would mean that can preserve the reserves for other investment in the church and community.
A huge thank you to everyone who has supported us on this long and sometimes challenging journey. We couldn’t have done it without you!
This article first appeared in the Good Shepherd Church magazine In the Pews.
Lee Manor Society has lodged a comprehensive objection to London Square’s proposals to amend the planning consent for Leegate.
In a 20 page document, Michael Haste, the Lee Manor Society Planning specialist and a retired architect, sets out a catalogue of reasons why the proposals should be rejected by Lewisham Planners.
The proposal for the 17 storey Leegate Tower is in breach of the tall buildings height restrictions (12 storeys) as set out in the Lewisham Local Plan – and there is no over-riding material reason why it should be approved.
The numerous changes proposed by London Square cannot be characterised as “minor material amendments” as the developer claims. Lewisham Planners should treat them as material.
London Square’s proposal to increase the number the residential units on the site (an additional 59 taking the total to 620) is NOT a result of recent changes to fire and building regulations “but a direct result of the developer simply believing that Lewisham Council will not hold it to account and will agree with anything the developer wishes to construct irrespective of whether it constitutes over-development of the Leegate site or not.”
The proposed 2 and 3 bed flats above the fourth floor will not be suitable for families.
Some of the other proposed buildings are also in breach of the height limits in the Lewisham Local Plan and should also be rejected because of their unacceptable massing.
The absence of any parking for able-bodied residents will prevent normal deliveries and maintenance of the homes on the development. It will also put significant pressure on street parking in the immediate area.
The reduction in commercial floorspace will impact employment opportunities in the area.
The current proposals were not consulted on by London Square at its exhibition earlier in the summer.
The objection concludes that Lee Manor Society along with many of the residents of Lee Green and with amenity societies that represent the area, fully accepts the need for redevelopment of the Leegate site, but believes that such significant works must be carried out with full sensitivity to the local environment and the needs of Lee Green, not the needs of the developer to make profit over and above what a reasonable developer would seek to make.
Leegate will not become a place that people ‘want to visit and live in’ but will become an area where they may have little option but to live in if they simply want somewhere to live
Lee Manor Society Objection
If Lewisham Council approves the proposals it will not be helping ‘to provide a welcoming place where people will be able to live their best lives’ or ‘where generations will not only live but will thrive.’ Leegate will not become a place that people ‘want to visit and live in’ but will become an area where they may have little option but to live in if they simply want somewhere to live. It will not become a place where residents will ‘choose to stay’ and they will neither ‘enjoy a good quality of life or will love living in Lewisham.’
The Lee Manor Society will be objecting on the basis that the proposals for a higher tower block exceed the provisions set out in the newly adopted Lewisham Local Plan as well as the clear guidance given with the Lewisham Tall Buildings Study Addendum. If approved, the proposals will also mean the removal of all able-bodied resident and commercial parking, which may put extra demand on parking around the site and in turn may then lead to new and unwanted CPZ’s.
