Is anyone out there aware of any developments for new homes being built on this site? Planning consent was awarded, I think, in 2022, but nothing has been done and, so far as I understand, the consents would have lapsed in 2025. Unless, that is, the removal of some trees and the demolition of the former laundry block counts as ‘enabling works.’ I asked for an update from the previous administration at Lewisham and received the square root of nothing back. I wonder if anyone else has any information?
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The Valentine Court infill development is currently on hold, so is currently withdrawn from the BfL programme while Lewisham Council investigate alternate ways of delivery. Effectively, it became commercially unviable.
I’m unclear as to whether enabling works constituted lawful commencement of the development, but when I asked, I was told:
The standard expiry period for full planning permission is 3 years from the date of approval. As this period has now passed, the application is considered expired, and a new application would be required to proceed.
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Interesting, I wonder whether the new application would be open to all, including community-lead housing coops?
Thank you for responding. I hope whatever new works are proposed actually include some family-appropriate housing. LBC insisted that the development was necessary to help house the numerous families that were in unsuitable temporary accommodation, so persisted in the face of opposition to the infill development as it was proposed. But the development itself seemed extremely light on affordable options, and I think it boiled down to about 15 one-bedded flats, so no new provision for homeless families. I may be misremembering, but the benefit for the people the decision-makers were citing was certainly sparsely disbursed. They were very proud of the pedestrian crossing that was included, however, and presented this as a major laurel of the development!
Yes that sounds about right.. In my experience this has been the trend for at least a decade, incredibly sparse and diluted benefits for the local communities, if any at all, while the big developers cash in on huge profits. And I don’t think the council is making much of a financial gain neither. It’s definitely a trend that needs to be challenged.
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