Cherry Tree pub planning application to create "bunk house hostel"

[Houseoflego]

The pub must be nuts.

47 bed spaces across 5 bedrooms.

Does not sound like a classy joint and the pub will end up having to deal with a lot of problems.

[James Barber]

It sounds like a crime disaster area waiting to happen.

Our minimal local Police effort will be sucked into this one proposed new establishment if built.

The current pub is already disturbing local residents - compounding it with 47 people living in dormitories isn't going to make that any better and quite likely significantly worse.

[KidKruger]

That sort of set up sounds to me like a prime candidate for stag weekends - hosted by the pub.

[Abe_froeman]

I'm quite suprised that you hold such intolerant views of people who use hostels James.

Its the sort of prejudiced nimbyism that one might expect from the blue rinse brigade snobs, not from a so-called 'Liberal'.

[Socrates31]

Hi James,

Is this an issue, particularly around crime, that you can highlight to the local planning council?

Thanks

James Barber Wrote:

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

> It sounds like a crime disaster area waiting to

> happen.

> Our minimal local Police effort will be sucked

> into this one proposed new establishment if

> built.

>

> The current pub is already disturbing local

> residents - compounding it with 47 people living

> in dormitories isn't going to make that any better

> and quite likely significantly worse.

[JoeLeg]

James Barber Wrote:

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

> It sounds like a crime disaster area waiting to

> happen.

> Our minimal local Police effort will be sucked

> into this one proposed new establishment if

> built.

Got any evidence for this? Because right now I'm with Abe - you sound pretty Nimbyish.

>

> The current pub is already disturbing local

> residents

The pub was there first. People who move near a pub and are then surprised at noise need to take a look at themselves first.

- compounding it with 47 people living

> in dormitories isn't going to make that any better

> and quite likely significantly worse.

This bit is a fair point, and I hope Cherry Tree have a plan in place. I agree that while the pub was there first, the hostel wasn't.

[rendelharris]

Just a quick personal note - Socrates I replied to your sweet personal message through the forum message service a couple of weeks back but it's still marked as "not seen" - have a look in your inbox, wouldn't like you to think I'd ignored you! Happy Christmas!

[goldilocks]

The consultation date on this application appears to have moved to Friday 19th January - so if anyone hasn't had chance to comment there is still time.

[indiepanda]

There's some rather hysterical comments about hostels here.

I stayed in youth hotels in shared bunk rooms plenty of times in my twenties, it was a cheap option on hiking trips when funds didn't run to a hotel room. We certainly weren't running around creating a crime wave in the towns we visited. We were usually tucked up in bed by midnight ready for the next day's hiking and rarely that drunk as it spoiled the hiking and I don't remember having lots of problems with other guests at the hostels either.

My former lodger who is 40 is currently off travelling round Europe staying in hostels and she definitely isn't wreaking a crime wave across the continent or finding herself caught up in one and I have a friend in East Dulwich who is regularly visiting different European countries to see as much before Brexit as possible and I don't think her and her son who she travels with are like that either.

I have reservations about whether a hostel somewhere as far out of the centre as East Dulwich would really have much of a market - we are quite a distance out of the centre for tourists visiting central London and it's not like you can say it's a lovely picturesque journey here by bus or walking. I suspect a budget B&B which could be used by friends and family visiting people in the area who don't have spare rooms or for people coming to weddings in the area would be more successful.

[ianr]

If I were touring and looking for cheapish non-central hostel accommodation I'd be inclined to choose the YHA Thameside hostel at Rotherhithe https://www.yha.org.uk/places-to-stay/london rather than this one. . More spacious for a start. Even quite primitive YHA hostels, afair, had a common lounge area, distinct from the kitchens for self-cookers. I don't remember three-tier bunks in the YHA either.

[Socrates31]

So an update on this...

The planning officer is going to recommend that the Hostel application be approved...!

The next step is for council officers to sign this off, so we will see what happens next.

Apparently once signed off there is nothing local residents can do.

Sigh...

[Michael Palaeologus]

James Barber Wrote:

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

> It sounds like a crime disaster area waiting to

> happen.

> Our minimal local Police effort will be sucked

> into this one proposed new establishment if

> built.

>

> The current pub is already disturbing local

> residents - compounding it with 47 people living

> in dormitories isn't going to make that any better

> and quite likely significantly worse.

Stop being hysterical James. Winding people up so that you can ride in as a knight in shining armour does seem to be your modus operandi. It is tiresome street-politics, not constructive and does nothing for the reputation of politicians.

This pub may be disturbing local residents but, not much and it was there long before they were. Why don't you actually support a local business trying to be successful and employ a few more people?

[Penguin68]

Apparently once signed off there is nothing local residents can do.

As regards the required building work and change of use, that is true. However if people's worst fears are realised (I suspect they may not be) it is always possible to challenge the pub's licence. However, making an issue about it being a pub itself is, as others have mentioned, something else. There has always been a pub there (within the memory of anyone living who could have moved in close to it) - so that is something you would have accepted in moving close. People who move close to a business and then complain about it (assuming it continues to act as such a business would normally act) are the worst sorts of entrists IMHO.

And were I a local politician (which thank goodness I'm not) I would be wary about attacking what could well be a legitimate and valuable-to-the-area business just to curry favour with nimby-ists. By all means campaign against it if it does prove a trouble spot, but don't preempt that.

But then, I don't support the 'no cars, no local businesses' party.

[Houseoflego]

Hi Michael Palaeologus

James Barber has earned his good local reputation. Its good that we have people that are actually trying to nurture the community.

Respectfully disagree of-course but calling people hysterical has never moved a discussion on in a constructive way.

Its a bit 'troll'ie TBH.

Wrote:

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

> James Barber Wrote:

> --------------------------------------------------

> -----

> > It sounds like a crime disaster area waiting to

> > happen.

> > Our minimal local Police effort will be sucked

> > into this one proposed new establishment if

> > built.

> >

> > The current pub is already disturbing local

> > residents - compounding it with 47 people

> living

> > in dormitories isn't going to make that any

> better

> > and quite likely significantly worse.

>

> Stop being hysterical James. Winding people up so

> that you can ride in as a knight in shining armour

> does seem to be your modus operandi. It is

> tiresome street-politics, not constructive and

> does nothing for the reputation of politicians.

>

> This pub may be disturbing local residents but,

> not much and it was there long before they were.

> Why don't you actually support a local business

> trying to be successful and employ a few more

> people?

[BrandNewGuy]

You don't think the phrase "crime disaster area waiting to happen" is rather OTT?

[Michael Palaeologus]

Exactly. Mr Barber has form in the regard. I am apolitical and am happy to support local politicians that are doing good work and doing it fairly.

The "crime disaster area waiting to happen" is hysterical and rabble-rousing. It winds people up and creates a perceived problem which Mr Barber can then ride in to help "solve" to the adulation of the naive.

[James Barber]

Hi BNG,

I meant in terms of the visitors to the bunkhouse becoming victims. Hostels have a poor reputation of visitors being secure and not becoming victims of crime.

I would want the Police to sign of that they are 100% happy with the security arrangements. We don't want the minimal Police effort put into East Dulwich sucked into this.

[goldilocks]

I've received an email from the planning officer following comments that the decision will be made at committee next week, but that their recommendation is to grant permission.

[ianr]

Could you perhaps please point out to him or her that the "Email - E-MAIL COVERING TRANSPORT STATEMENT AND MAINTENANCE OF THE HOSTEL" of 8 Feb 2018 that's linked on the Related Documents page http://planbuild.southwark.gov.uk/documents/?casereference=17/AP/4421&system=DC is a proprietary .msg format file, as used by Mictosoft Outlook and Exchange, that many of their readers may not be easily able to read. The council really shouldn't be using the format for a file intended for public access. Their best course would probably have been to print it to PDF from their mail agent.

In the meantime, a quick fix for anyone who wants to read it is to save the file to a drive, rename it wirh a .html extension, and view it in their browser. There'll still be some unreadable stuff, but the email text lower down the page will be clear.

(Or failing that, rely on my cut-and-paste job attached ;)).

[Socrates31]

Is anyone who made an objection to this proposal planning on attending the committee meeting?

The more people objecting this proposal who attend the meeting the more likely we are to get the right outcome.

[Sue]

Socrates31 Wrote:

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

> Is anyone who made an objection to this proposal

> planning on attending the committee meeting?

>

> The more people objecting this proposal who attend

> the meeting the more likely we are to get the

> right outcome.

"The right outcome" - ??

[goldilocks]

Unfortunately I can?t attend. I didn?t receive the info re date and time and have a work event I have to be at. Id be grateful to anyone who could go along and put across measured objections based on the points raised in objections (ie not that the pub already is noisy, but that this is likely to increase anti social behaviour, based on the responses is not supported by many local residents or indeed local businesses. Makes it unclear who?s interests this is in? There?s no commitment in any planning policy to provide tourist hostels - it?s not a home for anyone!

[Socrates31]

Goldilocks,

I have asked the planning committee to defer the decision as insufficient notice has been given for objectors to write in.

I encourage you to write a letter as I am doing which will be considered during the application.

[Socrates31]

I have corresponded with the Planning Committee and they will take objections by email - please get them in by 3pm.

Email:

[email protected]

[email protected]

[ianr]

[duplicate deleted]