News

The next meeting of the Lee Manor Society, and the first of the Autumn season, will be on September 2nd at 7 30 pm. All are welcome – and there is plenty to discuss including the latest on Leegate and Parking.

You can find the agenda and minutes of the last meeting here :https://leemanorsociety.org/event/september-meeting-of-lee-manor-society/

Lee station has benefited from Southeastern’s “Rail in Bloom” campaign to encourage planting at stations throughout the region.

The imitative which began earlier in the summer is a community project with staff and local volunteers encouraged to contribute.

Southeastern says the idea is to improve mental health among commuters and other passengers as well as to beautify the stations.

Good news for fans of the Old Tiger’s Head at Lee Green. It’s NOT on the market again, contrary to an advert posted by Star Pubs .

The pub has told us that it has a fifteen year lease which it is on the point of finalising. The advert is still online because by law Star Pubs have to keep it up until all the legal paperwork is complete. This apparently is compulsory under the Pubs Code which regulates the relationship between tied landlords and large pub companies like Star.

Maria Carroll, one of the pub’s business partners, says they are absolutely committed to it and want it to be a hub for the local community. They are working hard to arrange special events including monthly wine dinners, and a comedy night next Tuesday.

Star Pubs advert says “The Old Tigers Head is a cherished landmark in the heart of Lee Green …a thriving business which is rch in history and brimming with potential.”

A spokesperson at Star Pubs stated “The current operator of The Old Tiger’s Head is on a temporary agreement with us but is looking to take the pub on for the longer term.  Until such an agreement is finalised, it is our standard practice to list the pub on our recruitment website, something our licensees are made fully aware of.” 

The pub only reopened under new management last October after being closed for several weeks.

Lee Manor Society is delighted to hear that Rob, Maria and the team are staying put. We are looking forward to seeing our supporters there on August 21st for the summer social.

Lee Manor Society is reminding residents that they have less than three weeks to lodge comments on London Square’s latest proposals for Leegate.

You can give your views via the Council planning portal here. London Square is asking the Council to approve amendments to the existing planning consent originally granted to Galliard.

As set out in our story last month London Square is asking the Council to approve a number of changes under Section 73 of the Town and Country Planning Act 1990.

These are:

• 59 extra residential units, taking the total to 620
• An increase in the amount of “affordable” housing from 36.2% to 46.3%.
• The main tower to go to 17 storeys above ground, with no basement. This is just one storey fewer than in London Square’s previous proposal which it unveiled in May at the public exhibition.
• No general parking at all, and only 21 residential Blue Badge parking spaces, and one commercial Blue Badge space.
• Relocation of the medical centre to the ground floor of Block B and a reduction in the overall commercial space.
• A revised energy strategy from individual Exhaust Air Source Heat Pumps to a Communal system.

London Square’s spokesman told the Lee Manor Society it’s expected the application will go before Lewisham’s Strategic Planning Committee before the end of this year.

The Society is planning to lodge an objection against the proposed increased height of the Leegate tower (from 14 to 17 storeys above ground). The Society argues this would be at odds with the adopted Local Plan for Lewisham which says that normally buildings in the Lee Green area should not be higher than 12 storeys. The Society says if the Council decides to ignore that it must show a material benefit to the community.