Minutes:
Planning in your local
area – how it works! Lewisham Planning and Enforcement
Manager, Michael Johnson.
Structure of planning service – within resources and regen
directory. Headed by Janet Senior and Emma Talbot, it includes
development managers, design and conservation manager enforcement
team and a Business support team.
The Planning team carries out the Council’s town planning
functions. Development plans, strategy, neighbourhood plan and so
on. 4000 planning aps each year. General planning aps, new builds
extensions etc. applications for conservation consent and so on.
Apps within conservation areas are subject to special
considerations and dedicated policies. We also have Planning
Committees, 3 planning committees and a strategic planning
committee. They deal with things that have had 3 or more objections
from the community, or larger applications, or if an application
has been referred by a councillor. These have to be decided within
a nationally decided timescale, small within 8 weeks, larger within
13. Most are decided within these time periods.
All applications are available for viewing on the council website.
Comments can be posted on the web, gives individuals to be notified
by developments that affect their area either by property, road or
applications submitted within a period. People likely to be
affected directly are sent a letter details of the applications and
where to send their comments/objections. There are notification
procedures and officers do take further inspections. They are also
advertised by local notices, the developer will put up the signs.
The Council are responsible for conservation area signs and larger
developments.
I am not a neighbourhood planning expert. In general, introduced by
the localism act 2011, where local communities can influence
planning policy and process for an area. When adopted a
neighbourhood plan becomes part of a statutory document.
Questions
Q. Danby road, ongoing issue of an ongoing
development of a carwash – what’s happening?
A. Familiar with the breach. The enforcement team
are on the verge of serving an enforcement notice against that
unauthorised development. Part of the issue was around gathering
the evidence. One of the issues was reporting your concerns to the
local council, we had received complaints from neighbours but you
need to document actual incidents. And diarise it. Thank you for
doing this - We are at a point now when we have the evidence and
are able to serve an enforcement notice. Serving the notice
isn’t the end of the story – they have a right to
appeal which will go to the Secretary of State. You will be made
aware if this happens so you are able to raise your concerns.
Cllr Stamirowski commented that it had
taken a long time, residents are frustrated, planning law is very
complicated I know it is frustrating,
Q. Question was raised with Michael from the
Culverley Green RA about a property on Penerly Road. Discussion was had around that
particular property
A. what we can take action on and something Michael
is looking into, is serving a section 215 notice, an untidy land
notice, if we can make a case that it is effecting the visible
area.
Q. Chair of the neighbourhood forum raised the
issues of change of use from commercial to residential and how can
we get a bit more consistency around decisions for the shops in
Catford South - while some get turned down, others get to go
through. Secondly she raised paving over front gardens and issues
around drainage. Michael stated anything specific and specific shop
or area to contact him direct.
A. In terms of changing shops to residential.
Govt changes on offices to residential,
or shops to residential - all of it potentially can be changed,
there are conditions and criteria. On a main shopping front or
major high street, that wouldn’t happen. It’s more the
local shopping areas that are vulnerable, there are many tactics,
landlords can use such as high rents for shops etc. If we refuse an
application it can be subject to appeal, if they meet the criteria
it makes it very difficult for us, it either meets the criteria or
it doesn’t.
Q. Changing of purpose of buildings, would it not
be better if just to have the frontage looking similar so they look
nice. Such a change to the market it seems such a shame why are
there no restrictions to keep them looking nice.
Q. Roof extensions is there a limit on the size
they can be they do actually infringe on privacy.
In a conservation area, you need planning permission for a roof
extension so it depends on the property. Some have larger roof
extensions, if it meets the criteria it can’t be controlled
only when it is required. Not something that is generally supported
on planning appeal.
Q. Corbett RA recently did a shop local campaign
rescuing our local shops, it would be really useful to have one
point of contact for the breaches we are noticing. Where we can
come to.
A. Michael said groups can come to him