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How often Leegate was bombed during WWII

The Leegate site, which is currently awaiting redevelopment, was pounded with German bombs during World War II, according to a fascinating report submitted to Lewisham Council.

It says there were 46 High Explosive bomb strikes within a 300-metre radius of the site.

The report, by the unexploded ordnance specialists Brimstone, adds “Two incendiary bomb ‘showers’ were also recorded within a 300m radius of the Site; one of these is partially recorded over the eastern extent of the Site.

“Furthermore, LCC bomb damage records structural clearance to a structure on Eltham Road in the north of the Site, with further structures in the south-western extent recorded as sustaining ‘general blast damage- not structural.’ The closest substantial damage within LCC mapping is approximately 20m west of the Site, where structures were ‘damaged beyond repair’”

The report is included in an application recently lodged by London Square to discharge a condition attached to the original planning consent for Leegate concerning possible UXBs – unexploded bombs.

The original condition said that “No demolition of structural elements of the existing buildings shall be carried out until an Unexploded Ordnance Threat Assessment has been completed, and (in the event that the Threat Assessment makes recommendations for further surveys and/or measures to protect the safety of the public, of future occupiers of the land and of workers on the site) then structural demolition shall be carried out fully in accordance with the recommendations of the Assessment(s).”

London Square is arguing that the risk of unexploded ordnance being found on the site is low to moderate and has proposed several mitigation measures if the requirement is dropped.

Brimstone’s report which you can read in full here is a treasure-trove for students of the history of Lee, and includes several wartime aerial photographs and maps of Leegate.

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Don’t miss it: The Manor House Gardens Festival on June 21st

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This article has been updated.

It’s coming soon!  The annual and much-anticipated Manor House Gardens Festival is on Saturday June 21st, starting at noon and lasting all day.

It is a free, family-friendly festival of culture, celebrating the incredible range of local arts and cultural talent in the Lee area.

As usual, there will be a main Stage for bands and performances, a children’s’ funfair, the Community Village with stalls run by local community groups, Food Stalls, a Bar and displays of Arts & Crafts.

The event is run entirely by volunteers and the money raised pays for the Festival with any surplus going to the Friends of Manor House Gardens whose volunteers keep the park looking sparkling.

Among the volunteers who work tirelessly in Manor House Gardens are members of the Lee Green Women’s Institute. They will be out in force at the Festival, showing off their talent for making delicious cakes!   They tell us there will be a wide range to buy on the day, at excellent prices. Make sure you get one before they all sell out!

Here is the confirmed rundown so far:

1.  12:00–12:40  DANCING W/IZZY   DANCE

2. 12:50–13:20  Mazaika (Duo)

3.  13:30–14:20   L C N   DANCING/SINGING

 4.  14:30–15:00  JukeVox Voices  CHOIR 

5.  15:10–15:40 MAHOGANY SOULZ   BAND

 6.  15:50–16:20   Soul Journey (David & Karen)  DUO

7.   16:30–17:00 STEEDTONE

8.    17:10–17:40   LONDON SOUL CHOIR

9.  17:50–18:20    LAURENCE O ’N THE BLISTERED MIRRORS   BAND

10.  18:30–19:00     unconfirmed   

11.    19:10–19:45+   FILTER FOUR   BAND (TALLIS)

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Parking news: Mayor and Cabinet will decide on new CPZs soon

Lee Manor Society has learned that no final decision has been made about the Sustainable Streets proposal for all-day Controlled Parking Zones in parts of Lee.

A recent meeting of the Mayor and Cabinet agreed “for the Executive Director of Place to use their delegated powers to consider any objections received during statutory consultation on the permanent traffic order and make any applicable decision as a result.”

This led to fears that a decision had already been made to implement the proposed parking measures in several roads east of Burnt Ash Road.

Now, however, a source has told the Lee Manor Society that responses to the consultation earlier this year are still being considered and no decisions have been finalised.

This may result in the original plan for 0900 to 1700 Monday to Friday Controlled Parking Zones being replaced with less draconian measures.

The Lee Manor Society believes that while measures are needed to prevent commuters leaving their cars all day in streets near Lee station, full-fat CPZs operating from 9 am to 5 am are unnecessary. The Society argues that two hour bans from 1000 to noon in other parts of the ward have worked very well.

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Lee Manor Society files objection to Leegate Tower planning application

This article has been updated.

Lee Manor Society is lodging a formal objection to London Square’s planning application which would pave the way for a Leegate tower even higher than the 15 storeys already approved.

The Society has set out a series of reasons why Lewisham Council should reject the application. The full objection can be seen here.

Crucially, the Society argues the application to remove the 15-storey description of the tower, is not ‘non-material’. This is a technical, but vitally important aspect of the planning application.

The Society says that by removing the description it would lead to changes to the height of the proposed tower block, which would indeed be material because “it has the potential to adversely affect the amenity of neighbouring properties, including increased traffic due to an increase in residential units and of overshadowing.”

The objection points out that in their application, London Square’s agents say they have been ‘encouraged’ to test the height of the tower, known as Ai in the planning application.  

Their Public Consultation document states: ‘“Following meetings with Lewisham Council and the Design Review Panel, the team have been encouraged to test additional height at building A1. The current proposals would increase the height of A1 from 15 to 18 storeys‘”

That suggests Lewisham Council is at least partly complicit in the approach, despite the fact that its own ‘Local Plan’ (although not yet formally adopted) sets a normal upper limit for tall buildings of 12 storeys.

The Society also notes that London Square says it needs to raise the height of the tower above 15 storeys ‘to ensure the scheme remains deliverable.’

“So, the only objective reason provided by London Square appears to be that the current approved scheme is not viable,” says the objection.

It continues “It would be an incredibly incompetent developer who would spend serious amounts of money on purchasing a site with an extant Planning Approval that they knew full well to be unviable in meeting their own requirements.

“From this we can only surmise that London Square are simply ‘testing’ the limits of the current approved Application ref DC/22/126997 to garner more profit because they would not have purchased the rights to a development that was incapable of being achieved.”

The Society reminds Lewisham Council that when Galliard first proposed a 15- storey tower block there were numerous local objections. It argues that Lewisham Council should not denigrate the concern of a material change of height to being a non-material change by the removal of the words up to ‘15-storeys (including basement level) …’ from the Decision Notice because without those words there is no detailed description of the development proposals.

“What is clear to any reasonable person is that the height of the main tower Block A of the proposed Leegate development was a very material concern raised by numerous objections… the height of the Block A tower building was a matter of great concern to local residents throughout the previous (Galliard) planning application and is of no lesser concern now.

“To consider removing the text that relates in general to its overall height would simply be wrong and a dereliction of LBL’s responsibilities to its borough’s residents as this is clearly a material consideration of the proposed development.”