Future Streatham - not a penny from Lambeth Council!

Lambeth Council has launched a major publicity campaign for its "Future Streatham" initiative to regenerate the High Road. Unfortunately, although the Council has allocated some £140,000 to pay the regeneration consultants to dream up the plan, they have not allocated a penny to deliver any of the proposals.

As we reported earlier, our High Road is suffering the effects of the recession and credit crunch. There are three times the number of empty shop units that there were 4 years ago. It would be great to have a fresh initiative to revive the High Road. Lib Dem councillors for the area launched our own 5 point plan earlier this year.

What we have from Lambeth Council is just not good enough. Controversially the plans cut off the High Road south of the Common, and similarly ignore Streatham Hill north of Telford Avenue. Few people have engaged with the consultation, with turnout at the consultation meetings sometimes struggling to get into double figures. That has produced some rather idiosyncratic ideas of what Streatham residents want for the High Road, with scant evidence of any depth of support.

It is all planning-led, with no indication how the Council expressing a desire for development on the High Road will actually make it happen. Streatham Hill Station, Elgar House and the old Safeway site are already designated as development sites but even in the boom times a few years ago nothing was coming froward. It has also led to a fixation that any square inch of space has to be developed. Future Streatham is actually proposing building on part of Streatham Green, green amenity land around Albert Carr Gardens and the remaining undeveloped greenery at the end of Lewin and Natal Roads. The philosophy seems to be that all development is good.

Fatally, the whole process has happened in a Lambeth Council bubble. Transport for London who control the A23 through Streatham have simply chosen not to engage. Nor have the rail companies that control the stations, although they both Streatham and Streatham Hill are key sites. There is hardly any point trying to draw up a “masterplan” for the High Road without these key players.

Our High Road does not need endless plans for development that are not remotely financially viable and would deliver buildings few people want. Future Streatham is an exercise designed to let the Council produce pretty pictures of what a regenerated High Road might look like. It says more about the state of Lambeth Council than the state of Streatham.

Number of Empty Shops Tripled

A survey by Streatham's Lib Dem Councillors has shown the number of empty shop units on Streatham High Road and Streatham Hill is now three times the number four years ago.

A report to Streatham Area Committee in 2004 established there were just 19 empty shop units along Streatham High Road and Streatham Hill. The repeat survey by the Lib Dem team late last month showed over 60 shop units now vacant. It includes a large number under The High mansion block, the former Post Office and another string of closed units between Kingscourt Road and Broadlands Ave.

Streatham's Lib Dem councillors are backing 5 point action plan to revive the High Road including better street cleaning, major developments at the empty Megabowl and Safeway sites and
improved policing.

Back Gardens under Threat

Streatham residents have long complained of the rush to convert the town's houses to flats, with ugly extensions, overdense packing of flats and more front gardens lost to car-parking. Now a new threat has emerged with the first planning application in Streatham to build homes in a back garden with NO road frontage.

17 Lewin was converted to flats after residents and the local Lib Dem councillors blocked a plan to demolish it and build a large block of flats with houses in the garden at the back. Developers had to be content with converting the house to flats. But now - with flats in the former house sold off - the develoers are back! They retained ownership of a small plot of land at the rear of the property overlooking gardens in Lewin Road and Barrow Road. Developers now want to build 3 houses on the site.

The trouble is that these houses would have no road frontage at all. The only access would be a pedestrian walkway at the side of the house. It is believed to be the first time that developers have sought to build in this way in a SW16 gaden.

The problems are obvious - the houses would be awkward to access in an emergency (even if they could be found). They would create further parking stress by adding more units to the same road space. They would overlook gardens from upper floors while their ground floors would be sheltered from the useful neighbourly watchful eyes that help secure homes from burglars.

The bigger picture is a big threat to Streatham's gardens. If any garden can be built on simply because it has pedestrian access to the side of the main house there is potential for an enormous loss of gardens - much as the number of family houses has dwindled in Streatham in recent years. Perhaps we would be saved from this from the current housing market slump. But come the upturn the pressure to build on our back gardens if this pcedent is set will be enormous.

Tooting Bec Common: Football Pitches Dropped

Local residents have won their battle to stop Wandsworth Council build-ing up to 12 hard-surface, fenced off, football pitches on Tooting Bec Common.
Wandsworth had proposed to tarmac over green open space by the railway line on the Common to build a private development of flood-lit, all-weather 5-a-side pitches.
Opposition came from local residents close to the Common, local Residents’ Associations, and the Tooting Common Management Advisory Committee. They were backed by local Liberal Democrat Councillors who took the campaign to Wandsworth Town Hall.
A real victory for people-power, hundreds of signatures we collected on a petition against the pitches.
At the end of September a meeting was called for local residents and the Tooting Common Management Advisory Committee.
Council officials said that they were backing down on plans to build the pitches.
Instead they plan to upgrade the existing children’s playground, the One O'clock Club and to improve the existing sports pitch.

Blairderry Block Plans - REFUSED!

News reaches us that the planning application to build 70 or so flats on the land between Blairderry Road, Barhill Road and Ardwell Road has been refused.

Many residents in the area were opposed to the plans and the Streatham Society had also made adverse comments. These were backed up by all three ward councillors who had insisted that the council take the application to a public committee if Planning Officers were going to recommend approval.

But earlier than expected Planning Officers have refused the application. So far we have yet to hear on what grounds the application was refused. But as soon as we hear we will publish the reasons so we know what to expect if the developers decide to re-submit.

And the bigger question now for residents is: "What do we want to see on this site?" It is a run-down patch-work of warehouses and offices. So far the developers haven't included the garage/car wash on Ardwell Road but we understand they are considering buying them out.

Please let us know what you would like to see - our email addresses are on the right.

Megabowl Future Exhibition Open

Developers have opened their exhibition for the future of the Megabowl and Caesar's site.

The photo above shows the model they have presented. Their buildings are in white. You can see they've retained the columns and frontage of the Megabowl Building. The rest of their development is not as tall as their previous scheme.

The exhibition is open for one more day - Saturday 20 September from 9.30am to 12.30pm.

What do you think of their latest ideas? Do let us know!

Sternhold Sidings Site Visit

Residents in Sternhold Avenue took part in a site visit to the depot that has been built by the railway companies at the back of their homes.

Members of the council's planning committee joined the three Streatham Hill ward councillors and local residents in wearing high-visibility jackets as we watched the trains being serviced by staff from Southern Rail.

While we stood in the depot we could see straight into the back windows of the houses in Sternhold Avenue.

The Planning Committee meets on Wednesday to decide what to do next. A year ago residents celebrated their victory over the rail companies when the planning committee agreed that the depot was in breach of planning rules.

But now the council is asking the committee to reverse its decision for fear of the cost of enforcement.

The planning committee is meeting at 7pm in room 8 in Lambeth Town Hall on Tuesday 16 September.

New Megabowl Scheme - Exhibition

New plans for the Caesars/Megabowl site are to be unveiled at an exhibition on Thursday 18th, Friday 19th and Saturday 20th of September.

Developers had launched plans for the site earlier this year. But they withdrew them after widespread concern at the height of the buildings proposed and the design chosen by architects.

The developers, Glentoran Limited, lead by Greg Miller-Cheevers, are hosting the exhibition at 132 Streatham Hill from 3.30pm to 7pm on the Thursday and Friday and from 9.30am to 12.30pm on the Saturday.

They say that they expect to submit a formal planning application later in the Autumn.

If you have thoughts about what should be in the new plans then please get in touch. And we will put more information on this blog site as we get it.

Streatham Hill Pavement Works

You may have noticed that the latest utility works to hit our area are taking place at the moment on Streatham Hill.

Cllr June Fewtrell has been taking up problems with the way the contractors have been doing the work. Get in touch if there's anything you're concerned about.

UPDATE: Licence for Edo , 66 Streatham High Road

We hear that Edo have withdrawn their application for a late licence.

But they may well be making a new application for a late licence, probably for slighly reduced hours but some way into the night.

We will keep you updated with any news!

Problems with buses turning and standing

The bus garage on Streatham Hill - helpfull called the Brixton Bus Garage - is seriously short of space for all the buses that terminate there. And that's been causing real problems for pedestrians in the area around Telford Avenue and Wavertree Road - or just walking along the A23.

As the photo shows, buses on the 59 and 137 services regularly do "U-Turns" across all the lanes of Streatham Hill. They should really be turning by going in and out of the bus garage itself.

So far we've had two of the gaps in the central reservation marked with "No U-Turn" signs. But the buses have got round that by turning further up Streatham Hill.

And worse is the way that some buses turning into the bus garage block the pavement completely - forcing people to walk into the road to get round them. And sometimes buses on the 319 service queue up in the outside lane heading north waiting to turn right into the garage.

All in all it is a mess and a dangerous one for pedestrians and cyclists. And it seems to be at its worst between 7pm and 10pm each weekday night.

I've taken up the way the buses are managed with the staff at Arriva in the depot. But things seem to be getting worse. So if you've been affected by these problems please get in touch so we can take up these concerns again.

Police Cordon Off Betting Shop on Streatham Hill

Once again the police have been called to the area outside a betting shop in Streatham.

This time officers sealed off the area around William Hill on the corner of Ardwell Road and Streatham Hill at around 9pm tonight, Thursday 21 August.

We can only hope that no-one has been injured tonight. And we will update you as we find out what happened.

Late Licence for Edo, 66 Streatham High Road

Local residents are busy submitting objections to a controversial Licensing application for Edo on Streatham High Road. (The former "La Pergola" at 66 Streatham High Road, by Broadlands Ave and Mount Ephraim Road.)

The application is to extend opening hours until 4am through the week. The bar has been plagued by complaints from residents in streets around it because it had already been opening late night despite the lack of a late licence. Residents have reported that the crowds drawn to the bar cause noise, nuisance and traffic problems.

Local police have taken a strong interest in the operation of the bar and its customers and will submit their own observations on the application. Concerns about the application were raised at August's St Leonard's Ward Safer Neighbourhoods Panel meeting, which heard a provocative report from Streatham's Inspector Duffy.

Following requests from residents, the three St Leonard's Ward councillors are strongly backing residents seeking to block the application.

Welcome to Streatham's Local News

Here's our new blog for news and updates about Streatham.

We cover all parts of Streatham, from Streatham Hill to Streatham Vale and your local Liberal Democrat Councillors will keep you updated with what Lambeth Council, the police and everyone else is up to.

Plus there's the chance to leave comments and have your say on what's going on.