Lee Manor Society

10/11/202511/11/2025

Leegate – London Square initially considered a 20 storey tower block

Lewisham Council has finally published the minutes of an online public meeting about Leegate, which was held on October 2nd.

The minutes record that London Square at one stage considered a 20 storey tower block at the Lee Green crossroads, before eventually settling on 17 storeys. They also set out London Square’s argument for overriding the Lewisham Local Plan constraint on buildings higher than twelve storeys in Lee.

Mark Gibney, from London Square’s planning agents Montague Evans told the meeting:

“It’s not actually in policy. The policy sets out 10 to 12 storeys and says that buildings shall not normally be more than that height. There’s then lots of other policy around that – even if you had a building of 10 to 12 storeys, there is a requirement for a developer to undertake detailed analysis, which we undertook.

“Policy requires a comprehensive Townscape assessment and analysis of the impacts of the development on views on the sensitive receptions of the conservation areas, manor house gardens and surrounding streets. Galliard Homes did that assessment and submitted a 15-storey building, which the Council approved. Precedent for buildings over 12-storeys is established by that. However, that isn’t necessarily where it finishes because if you undertake the detailed assessment that we’ve talked about and you recognise that this is one of the best regeneration locations in this part of the borough identified as such by the Council, then it stands that there is potential for significant regeneration and significant
height.

“We did look at and test a lot of options including buildings up to around 20 storeys
and concluded that was probably too much and settled at the 17-storey approach.”

Adam West of the architects CZWG added “If you think about the design benefit of the taller building, it does improve the proportions of that building. We’ve worked hard at giving it a more slender appearance through the extra two storeys, but also by adjusting the balconies. So the idea of a taller building at this location is very much
seen as good practice in town planning terms .”

The online public meeting was attended by people who had submitted comments on London Square’s application to amend the planning consent originally granted to Galliard.”

You can read the full minutes here.

Lewisham planners will consider London Square’s application on November 18th.

This article has been updated.

05/11/202510/11/2025

Leegate – work gets going

Things are moving at Leegate. London Square’s application to vary the terms of the planning consent it inherited from Galliard is expected to be considered by Lewisham’s Planning Committee on November 18th. This includes London Square’s bid to erect a 17 storey tower on the Lee Green Crossroads.

The team pictured above has been busy rerouting the electricity cables on the site. We understand that the work was necessary to prevent power supplies to adjoining roads being cut off.

We are are told that the gas supplies to Leegate have already been disconnected.

The process of “soft stripping” is also getting underway. This involves removing non-structural parts of the site before the hard demolition starts. The process of asbestos removal will also begin soon.

The Lee Manor Society understands that scaffolding will start to be erected in the next few weeks, with the major demolition work now scheduled for the New Year.

The new hoardings around the out edge of the site have been painted black and it’s expected they will soon have London Square branding added.

The new hoarding now surrounds the trees on the corner of Eltham Road and Burnt Ash Road as well as the history panel and benches.

Passers-by have also been alarmed to notice this sign:

It turns out that Leegate was used for a major anti-terror training exercise by the emergency services in September. Three hundred people were involved including riot police, as well as dogs. Live video cameras were erected and the whole thing was directed from a command centre in Westminster.

Did you see it, and did you get any photos?

This article has been updated.

05/11/2025

The changing face of the Burnt Ash Road shops

It’s all happening on Burnt Ash Road. Work to covert the old off-licence into a Morrisons’ Daily is in full swing. The team doing the work tell us the new shop is expected to open in three weeks time.

The Lee Manor Society website reported the changeover only last month .

Meanwhile on the other side of the road, the conversion of the former Conran estate agents to become Marsh & Parsons is underway as well.

However it’s not as simple as an old-fashioned takeover. Conran was already in partnership with Marsh & Parsons. which in turn is now, actually, owned by Dexters.

Dexters already has an office down the road at the Lee Green Crossroads and claims to be London’s fastest growing estate agents with 180 offices.

03/11/202503/11/2025

A rare visitor to Manor House Gardens Lake

The new artwork in the middle of Manor House Gardens lake seems to be attracting a kingfisher, which are rarely seen there.

The bird was snapped by professional photographer Kevin Percival who works with Vladimir Lalić , the artist who created the sculpture “To Move is to Bloom” (2025) .

It’s believed the bird was tempted by the sculpture because it sits in clearer, water where it’s easier to spot fish than from branches on the edge of the lake. The vibrant colours of the artwork may also be an attraction.

Vladimir Lalić said “The installation To Move, is to Bloom was designed with a biophilic approach and carefully planned in close collaboration with Lewisham Council’s Greenspace and Nature Conservation teams, Glendale Services, and local ecology advisors.

“Before its installation, the environmental impact was assessed with attention to waterfowl activity, aquatic habitat health, and seasonal biodiversity within the Manor House Gardens lake.”

An Ecology Advisor at Creekside Discovery Centre (Deptford) added “The sculpture poses no harm to ducks or other wildlife in the park. Its structure is static and clearly visible above the waterline, allowing birds to safely navigate around it. The open water surface remains unobstructed for landing and feeding, and there are no wires, nets, or moving parts that could cause entanglement.

“The varying heights of the stainless-steel rods actually provide resting and observation points for birds such as mallards, coots, moorhens, and Canada geese. Kingfishers and other small birds have already been seen perching on the upper forms.

“The rods and forms mimic the vertical lines of reeds and branches, introducing structure without creating barriers or ‘pockets’ that might disrupt flight or movement. Positioned near the lake’s centre, the sculpture maintains open approach routes for waterfowl from every direction. The reflective colours subtly echo natural tones, adding visual interest and diversity without causing stress or disturbance to wildlife.”