Minutes:
Matt Henaughan presented the following report regarding the initial results of the consultation regarding the future of Blackheath Changing Rooms that was run from 28 January 2016 to 17 April 2016 inclusive.
Background - Blackheath Changing rooms have been out of commission for a number of years since asbestos was found in the building. The buildings formerly housed changing rooms and toilet facilities for users of the heath. They are now only used for the storage of games equipment and as a temporary holding site for large items that have been dumped on the heath.
The Blackheath Changing Rooms site sits in a very sensitive location as it is Metropolitan Open Land, within the Blackheath Conservation Area, part of a World Heritage Site buffer zone and also adjacent to listed buildings. As such any potential replacement would need to be mindful of these policy constraints, be ancillary to the heath, and positively contribute to the community and heritage features which are unique to this part of the borough.
Lewisham Council Parks and Cultural and Community Development teams are currently considering the future of the derelict buildings and have run an initial consultation to understand local residents and user’s views as to what should be done.
The consultation ran online through the Lewisham Consultation Portal from 28 January to 17 April 2016, after it had been launched at the Blackheath Local Assembly on 27 January 2016. Additionally there were a number of local consultation engagement events held throughout the consultation period.
Consultation results - There were 75 online responses to the survey (though two of these were identical repeat responses) additionally there were 5 email responses and 1 paper response (the paper response has subsequently been inputted online). Key findings are as follows:
Demography
- 76% of the online respondents live within the Borough of Lewisham
- 29% of online respondents are aged 35-39, 20% aged 40-44, 10% aged 45-49 and 10% aged 65+
- 79% of online respondents are white british, and 10% are any other white background. (70% of residents in Blackheath Ward are white according to the 2011 census)
- 60% of online respondents are female with 34% of respondents being male.
- 87% of online respondents do not consider themselves to be disabled, and 5% do have a disability. (6.3% of residents in Blackheath Ward are disabled according to the 2011 Census)
- 45% of online respondents have no religion, 41% are Christian.
- 82% of online respondents are heterosexual, 4% gay/lesbian and 1% bisexual
- 79% of online respondents are neither pregnant nor on maternity leave, 5% of respondents are pregnant or on maternity leave.
Thoughts on the Changing Rooms
- 87% of online respondents are aware of the existing changing rooms.
- 27% are concerned about the current usage (or lack thereof)
- 19% are concerned about maintenance and cleanliness
- 17% are concerned about health and safety
- 15% are concerned about anti-social behaviour
- 9% are concerned about the running costs
- A large number of respondents also said that the changing rooms as they stand are a waste of space and an eyesore.
Future Use
- 96% of online respondents (and all other respondents) either agree or strongly agree that the changing rooms should be redeveloped to provide facilities supporting the use of the heath and the wider community
- 57% of total respondents want a children’s play area, 54% want toilets, 30% want some sort of community space, 30% want a café, 29% want changing rooms, 25% want storage facilities, 15% want school provision (every other suggestion was less than 10%).
- Regarding the potential design and layout, respondents were clear that they wanted something that was in keeping with the surroundings, low-rise, that blends and compliments the heath, and should be high quality. Most agreed that it should be on a smaller scale than what currently exists. But that if it was to be particularly visible then it should be of architectural merit.
- 44 respondents suggested alternative uses other than community use. Of these 39% re-stated that it had to be for community use, 23% suggested school provision, 11% suggested some wider leisure provision. No other suggestions had more than 3 respondents suggesting them.
- Regarding who should have responsibility for running the site, 47% of online respondents suggested the Council, 30% suggested community or voluntary group, 13% suggested local businesses, 12% suggested an amenity society, 11% suggested a private sponsor and 9% suggested residents.
Outcome - Clearly the majority wish for a replacement to the current facility, though options of what that actually includes should be considered for further consultation.
Officers will work to draw up a number of options for the site (make up of facilities, designs etc) taking into account the views expressed within this initial consultation, and will then take those options out for a further consultation period in the Autumn of 2016. At this stage officers will also look to engage with potential funders for any future scheme as well as looking more deeply at operational models.
For more information visit https://lewisham-consult.objective.co.uk/portal/community_services/cnd/blackheathchangingrooms
The next stage will be for people to work with the local councillors and officers to try to shape what some of the options might be and to have a further consultation in the autumn. This will include the viability of some of the schemes and costings.
Q Can the space be used for parking?
A Cllr De Ryk – This is not the top of my priority list as we need to consider what we want positively. Let’s get our idea first and then consider this. I have also stated that the road should be closed in front of the changing room as we do need road free access. This is uncontroversial as it is a dead end with just an Ice Cream Van occasionally there. If we are to do anything it needs to be special as it is in the Heath and we are proud of it. We need to get a sense of what the wider community want. We may do some indicative crayon drawings showing ideas and then we can put this out to consultation and do a brief for the architects. So there will be at least two more stages until we actually start to have a real plan in place.
There is no money for this, but we have proved over the years that we can fundraise when we know what we are aiming towards. If we want to restore the area to the Heath we will still have to fundraise to demolish the building and provide alternative storage, this is negative fundraising and it will be more difficult.
Q What are the buildings used for?
A They are full of asbestos, this is why it will be costly to demolish. There is a small amount of fly-tipping from the Heath stored there until it can be removed. There are also some goal posts and Glendale use porta cabins at the rear of the building.