A round-up of planning matters in Rotherhithe peninsula

This post has now moved to its new location on the trackerzone blog about planning and development in SE16.

You can find it here, along with all the previous planning and develoopment posts that have appeared on this blog:

https://trackerzone.wordpress.com/2015/11/26/british-land-walkabout-re-proposals-for-the-new-surrey-quays-shopping-parade
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Update: South Dock development boatyard workshop

This post has now been moved over to my sister planning and development blog at:

https://trackerzone.wordpress.com/2015/11/24/58/

Is it a bird? Is it a crane? No, it's affordable housing.

I've rarely heard anything so thoroughly silly.

Southwark Council are apparently now arguing that restoring the red derrick (crane) on the Thames Path at Odessa Street would take funding away from the provision of affordable housing.  How on earth would the drop-in-the-ocean costs of partially restoring the derrick deprive Rotherhithe of affordable housing??? 

Have your say, and vote on the future of the historic Odessa St crane in the Southwark News survey at https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/5WQ23SK 

View of Commercial Wharf with the
Scotch derrick in the background,
1982. With thanks to Malcom T.
Tucker for the photograph.

Red crane may be preserved as bird sculpture? Sigh.

Anyone who has been following the fate of the red derrick on the Thames Path at the end of Odessa Street will be aware that it is under threat from a development that will replace that corner of derelict basketball court and former youth club, removing the problematic former nightclub at the same time.  There are benefits to the Hollybrook Home proposals, as well as potential downsides (see my summary of the consultation exhibition in an earlier post).

According to an article in Southwark News today by Joey Millar, there are now two principal options on the table for the derrick (or crane).  One is to preserve it partially by restoring the metalwork and removing inconvenient arms, leaving one arm remaining (the CGI image from Hollybrook Homes, left, shows the sort of thing envisaged).  The other is to use the metalwork to sculpt it into the form of a bird, to create a crane of the feathered variety, a sort of somewhat grizzly pun.

If the derrick has to be modified in any way, I don't see any point in doing anything other than retaining as much of it as possible.  It is either a meaningful piece of our heritage as it stands, or you might just as well give up and go home.  How on earth is a bird sculpture supposed to represent Rotherhithe's wharfinger past?  Well apparently that wouldn't be the point - the point would be to represent some sort of "aviary heritage" of which I was unaware.  I think that the word "heritage" is being used somewhat loosely here.  A local resident feels that a bird would be a "talking point" but I have no idea how that is supposed to tie in with what the red crane was all about, and what it still stands for today.

Apparently the options will be put to local residents after Christmas.  I was tempted to make a joke about turkeys, and almost stopped myself just in time.  Sigh!

Here's the Southwark News article:
http://www.southwarknews.co.uk/news/beloved-odessa-street-crane-may-be-turned-into-a-bird-sculpture/

Two SE16 Planning Applications announced in Southwark News today

I was really hoping to move away from planning issues over the next few weeks, but never mind!  There are two SE16 planning applications announced in Southwark News today the first of which will certainly be of interest to some residents. Both are categorized as "Major Planning Applications":

Ref 15/AP/4099 
Address: SURREY QUAYS LEISURE PARK, SURREY QUAYS ROAD, LONDON, SE16 1LL
http://planbuild.southwark.gov.uk:8190/online-applications/simpleSearchResults.do;jsessionid=6BDDAC2C126CB76028FB6D8BC8627E2C?action=firstPage
Application Received:  Thursday 08 Oct 2015 
Proposal:  Application for Reserved Matters for external appearance, landscaping and internal layout for Phase 1 comprising the construction of a basement and the construction of Block B (cinema) pursuant to condition 1 of planning permission 09-AP-1999 Outline planning permission for demolition of all existing buildings and erection of buildings ranging from 2 to 10 storeys (36.3m AOD) comprising 11,105 sqm leisure floorspace (including cinema) (Class D2), 2 695sqm retail floorspace (Class A1-A3), 49,276sqm of private and affordable residential accommodation (Class C3), 495 car parking spaces (142 for residential and 350 for leisure uses and 3 for commercial uses) and associated works including public and private open space, as well as detailed design for 123 rooms (4,240sqm) of student housing (sui generis use), 2500sqm commercial floorspace (Class B1), 86 residential units (included in the 49,276sqm referenced above) (Class C3) and the external appearance of any elevation facing Harmsworth Quays Printworks.
The documentation submitted for the application is here: http://planbuild.southwark.gov.uk/documents/?casereference=15/AP/4099&system=DC
There are two related cases: http://planbuild.southwark.gov.uk:8190/online-applications/applicationDetails.do?activeTab=relatedCases&keyVal=_STHWR_DCAPR_9562921
There are no comments from the public to date.  


15/AP/4180
Application Received: Friday 16 Oct 2015
Address: FORMER SURREY DOCKS STADIUM AND DEPOT ADJACENT TO STADIUM, SALTER ROAD, ROTHERHITHE, LONDON, SE16
Proposal: Variation of Condition 11 (wheelchair units) of planning permission 14-AP-0309 for: 'Redevelopment of the former Surrey Docks Stadium and land adjoining comprising demolition of existing buildings and erection of 103 residential dwellings (Use Class C3) in a series of buildings up to 4-storeys high, associated car parking and cycle parking, alterations to the existing vehicular access, enhancement to existing open space, associated landscaping, new pedestrian access/egress, and the creation of a new public park with associated works' to remove reference to the marketing of wheelchair adaptable units.
There are two associated documents here: http://planbuild.southwark.gov.uk/documents/?casereference=15/AP/4180&system=DC
There are two related cases: http://planbuild.southwark.gov.uk:8190/online-applications/applicationDetails.do?activeTab=relatedCases&keyVal=_STHWR_DCAPR_9563021