Planning details for 60 flats on the hamlets car park now available

[urbanfox]

I must admit I hadn't heard about this before... Thought others may be interested:

Redevelopment of existing car park and car wash site to provide a part 3, 4 and 5 storey building comprising 60 residential units (21 x 1-bed, 26 x 2-bed and 13 x 3-bed) with associated landscaping, amenity space and access to basement which provides 30 car parking spaces and 70 cycle parking spaces.

MORE INFORMATION: http://tinyurl.com/4u5tzbv

[Ladygooner]

WTF! I am sure all the residents of Abbotswood Road will not be happy with this. Thanks for the info

[Shaw74]

Thanks for alerting us to this

As one of the residents next to this I certainly have not seen any consultation on it. I've only just had a quick scan through the application but it seems to take away the whole car park and leave no parking for the football club. I've seen the car park very full on match days and there doesn't seem to be any consideration for where this traffic will go.

It also takes away the public entrance to the football club. Where is this going to go?

[James Barber]

I'm astounded. This site is in South Camberwell ward but is formerly Metropolitan Open Land.

The who larea used to be sports grounds for Kings College and was sold allowing the Sainsbury's to be built and Dulwich Hamlets football ground with car parking etc.

[Ladymuck]

Ladygooner Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> WTF! I am sure all the residents of Abbotswood

> Road will not be happy with this. Thanks for the

> info

Ladygooner, I am with you on this...we need to get together when I get back from NZ! WTF indeed!

Thank you urbanfox. I wasn't aware of any such plans.

[jimmyay]

another little piece of Metropolitan Open land moved first to informal hardstanding, then tarmac, then built on.

[ratty]

Not sure how it affects Abbotswood apart from perhaps more parking on match days. I am surprised anyone wants to build anything with prices allegedly set to drop through the floor.

Doubt it will happen anyway!

[Loz]

Strange - a Dulwich Hamlet supporters newsletter I found here says that "DHPD Ltd was dissolved on 24th November 2009", yet this was submitted in Nov 2010?!?!

A DHST press release about the sale is here here.

There are some interesting (though a couple of years old) opinions here.

James: do you have any info about whether the lease on the land still expires in a couple of years time? And if the ground still has 'Other Open Space' designation?

[Siduhe]

Loz Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> Strange - a Dulwich Hamlet supporters newsletter I

> found here says that "DHPD Ltd was dissolved on

> 24th November 2009", yet this was submitted in Nov

> 2010?!?!

>

According to Companies House, DHPD Ltd was incorporated in April 2008 and remains in existence and up to date with its filings (also hasn't changed its name since incorporation).

[ianr]

The Supporters' Trust newsletter was actually right. If you look at the Order Info link on the CH DHPD page, it shows the dissolution on 24/11/09, but then an April 2010 application for restoration.

[happyhelen]

The land is designated as "other open space" in the Southwark Plan (the statutory development plan for the borough). These is afforded protection as open space, although it is not as highly protected as Metropolitan open space or borough open space. It would not appear the applicant has addressed this in the submission (I could be wrong) and this may be something you could object on. It might be that as it's now used as a car park the applicant is contending it is now developed land? A difficult one.

I personally dont mind it - but I dont live in the immediate vicinity. However, there is a need for housing in the borough, and a need for affordable housing, both of which this will contribute to. There are not many large scale housing sites available or suitable in this area and so perhaps the redevelopment will not be a bad thing (although, as I said its not on my doorstep!).

[Loz]

Helen,

I think the main issues are:

1) Building a five (!) story building on that site. There is nothing more than two stories in the near vicinity.

2) The knock on effect of removing the whole car-park from match-day parking (especially now multiple clubs/teams use the ground) will be highly problematic. Residents already report problems with the astroturf 5-a-side parking with people parking in private off-street bays.

3) Providing 30 parking spaces for 60 residential units will cause congestion in the surrounding streets.

Don't have a big problem with housing as such, but the scale of this is completely out of line with the site size and the surrounding area. And the removal of the only car park from a large sports ground is not a good step.

[pablopuncheur]

My wife helps with the Abbotswood/Talbot Rd residents group formed to oppose the proposed development to the rear of Abbotswood Road on the land by the railway line. She's going to send an email with details of the carpark planning application to the members of that group.

It would seem a logical step to co-ordinate opposition to this latest development in a similar fashion so if you're not part of the railway development opposition group please pm me your email address and I'll add you to the new list.

The documents on Southwark planning say that 148 residents have been consulted about the carpark development. Personally I've received nothing so far, has anyone else?

[Weegee]

Im a resident of Abbotswood Road and fully support LadyGooner, LadyMuck and the other residents who oppose this application.

With the parking in this car park there are problems with people coming to play in the Astroturf 5 a side and matches.

In fact some evenings Ive seen Southwark council parking cars...driving round our estate looking for badly parked cars.

The building of the flats on the car park will make this problem worse.

Even though this area is not designated as Metropolitan open space ...surely there are issues with building a 5 storey building ...and the effect on the views of the surrounding landscape!

This move doesnt surprise me...because the same individuals concerned from the DH were trying to sell off the existing Dulwich Hamlet football ground to property developers last year!

[Ladygooner]

pablopuncheur Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> My wife helps with the Abbotswood/Talbot Rd

> residents group formed to oppose the proposed

> development to the rear of Abbotswood Road on the

> land by the railway line. She's going to send an

> email with details of the carpark planning

> application to the members of that group.

>

> It would seem a logical step to co-ordinate

> opposition to this latest development in a similar

> fashion so if you're not part of the railway

> development opposition group please pm me your

> email address and I'll add you to the new list.

>

> The documents on Southwark planning say that 148

> residents have been consulted about the carpark

> development. Personally I've received nothing so

> far, has anyone else?

No, not been sent any information or been consulted on the carpark development.

[lpool]

Will be directly affected by this and not seen any consultation documents so thanks for heads up. Mix of possible pros and cons. A decent block of flats could help enhance area as car park is always in a mess and a favourite spot for dumping. Agree 5 story feels a bit overpowering - 3 or 4 max would seem to be the norm. Also, only 30 car park spaces for 60 flats is way too low. Car parking is always a problem and cannot see how they can put forward a proposal without having alternative for football traffic. Sainsburys car park is a non starter given the time restriction.

There is limited access for lorries etc as Abbotswood Road is not very wide making it unsuitable for vehicles to be parked in the road by the car park.

[lpool]

Quickly scanning through the main planning document it is clear that this is a proposal that likes to be conservative with the facts and therefore probably open to limited challenge. This is a very detailed submission and has already been reviewed several times by Southwark Planning. Their one big concern is impact on traffic and congestion. Maybe the most interesting comment is at para. 5.58 where it states the football club does not use the car park and is generally used as a car wash business. I have never known DHFC to not use the car park, apart from when it was occupied by travellers and the odd film set. Ironically, their Design and Access statement contradicts their planning statement, saying the football club does use the car park.

Housing in the area is regarded as high density and 5 story high - no mention of the housing in the road it will actually be situated.Southwark Planning appears to have consented that a mix of 3 and 4 story would be acceptable.

I cannot see the development being stopped unless there is a legal loophole re permission to build on the land. I expect the final version will be scaled down though. There is big money at stake as a scheme such as this is likely to generate a profit of at least ?10m, and financial incentives have been offered to Southwark.

I have yet to find any mention of the impact on the football club - the corner section of main building is to be demolished but no indication where new entrance will be, or entrance to the football ground.

[DJKillaQueen]

Not only that but DH's current bar licensing (esp with regards to noise) takes into account it's proximity to the nearest residential premises. Having domestic dwellings practically next door to it may affect that.

[pearl1]

I went to a meeting at DHFC several years ago when they were planning to build a Homebase. We were informed by the architects(?)that it was not possible to build more housing in the immediate area as there would be a problem with water supply and pressure, that having more residences would overload the system. I don't know how true that is but it is certainly what we were told by DHFC and their representatives.

The main objection would have to be the parking. They most certainly do use their car park and the surrounding roads have extremely limited parking due to both the narrowness of the orads and the fact that every house has a driveway.

We also suffer severe congestion at times because of the weight of traffic going into Sainsbury's. Indeed, when the Sainsbury refit was put into place a couple of eas back, the entrance was redesigned with a roundabout, specifically to ease the problemn of access to the St Francis Estate.

[LUVED]

I would like to know who has been consulted on this development. I would be directly effected and have received no consultation either. Parking here has become a nightmare with the 5 aside, and once the development was cut off due to the way a couple of cars were parked. Also on a number of occasions, due to Abbotswood Road being so narrow, you can barely get a car through. I would not like to think what would happen if a fire engine or ambulance needed to get through.

[Narnia]

The astroturf and associated traffic was there before any houses were built.

[PeckhamRose]

May I suggest you get all your neigbours together and make written formal objections and go to your local Planning Meetings and also to your local Community Council meetings and make representations and so on. Be organised. And good luck!

[LUVED]

Narnia, I understand that. I am not sure why but at the beginning it was never a problem. However, it has got increasingly worse over the last couple of years.

PeckhamRose, I totally agree, I will get in touch with the resident association that got together for the proposed Talbot Road development.

[pearl1]

....DHFC were definitely using the car park today. There was an event on and the car park was full...

Also. I don't think the parking from the 5 a side is a massive problem right now BUT with 60 extra homes on that corner, and no parking for the football club or gymn, there definitely would be a problem.

[pablopuncheur]

The carpark was completely full yesterday for the DHFC home game and there were even a couple of cars double parked in it, as well as some 'creative' parking around the corner of the ground too. I took some photographs to send in with my comments to the planning department.