Dulwich Hamlet Football Club planning decision - 27th July

[jamesmcash]

Hi all,

Just a note to say that the Planning Committee will hear the application to redevelop Dulwich Hamlet Football Club on 27th July at 6.30pm. The meeting will be online. Details are not public yet but when they are you will be able to find them here: http://moderngov.southwark.gov.uk/ieListDocuments.aspx?CId=119&MId=6676&Ver=4

Dulwich Hamlet is in Champion Hill ward so we Goose Green councillors do not have the right to attend as ward councillors. But it is very close and will clearly affect some Goose Green residents, hence me sharing here.

Best wishes,

James

[jamesmcash]

Also worth stating that as a reserve member of the Planning Committee I am unable to take a position for or against the decision in case I am called on to sit on the committee for the decision.

Best wishes

James

[Abe_froeman]

I assume this is a done deal.

Shame for the green dale playing fields which have been a lifesaver for many local families over the last few months.

I do wonder if the football club will still be in existence by the time the new tower blocks and stadium are built

[redpost]

Got an email yesterday from planning informing me of the online meeting. States the recommendation from the planning officers is to approve.

Me and my son have enjoyed many times of late around greendale, very much doubt any of the MOL will be left in 30y time when he would like to do the same.

[Earl Aelfheah]

What is the point of designating areas as 'Metropolitan open land' if the council are going to wave through development?

The outrageous behaviour of the developers in this case will have been rewarded. Seems that in planning matters, bullies prosper.

[first mate]

Shocking decision especially when considered in context of Southwark?s oh so green Healthy Streets and anti pollution stance.

[Earl Aelfheah]

Can anyone work out how many extra cars there are going to be? There are over 400 documents on the planning portal and it's almost impossible to navigate them (by design I'm sure). There are 219 new residencies with 'associated parking'. Does that mean a couple of hundred extra cars are being catered for?

[almost peckham]

Labour council gifts public land to overseas property company for private profit.

James. It is clear that collectively, you and your colleagues place a higher priority on monetary profit and private ownership over the public and collective benefit and enjoyment of amenity space. To say nothing of the degradation of the environment.

[Earl Aelfheah]

An overseas property company who treated the areas with absolute disdain when they tried to trade mark the name Dulwich Hamlet Football in order to stop the club using it. They've behaved so, so badly. And yet they're allowed to put up tower blocks on metropolitan open land.

@James - can you clarify how many extra cars are being added please.

[first mate]

I second this point and question. In light of the decision on the Alleyn?s planning application this is not a good look for a Labour council pursuing an anti pollution, green, lower car use agenda.

rahrahrah Wrote:

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

> An overseas property company who treated the areas

> with absolute disdain when they tried to trade

> mark the name Dulwich Hamlet Football in order to

> stop the club using it. They've behaved so, so

> badly. And yet they're allowed to put up tower

> blocks on metropolitan open land.

>

> @James - can you clarify how many extra cars are

> being added please.

[dontbesilly]

As a Dulwich Hamlet fan and season ticket holder, the club have come out and suggested we ought to back the scheme.

As much as i hate the fact Meadow will be making money out of this, they'll also be building Dulwich Hamlet a new stadium, on what is little more than unused scrubland behind the current stadium. Its not useful public land at all, if they were going to swallow up St Francis park it might be a different story.

[James Barber]

The "unused scrubland" is a very well used area of astroturf. The maintenance of the astroturf was the football clubs as part of being able to lease it for so many years.

The Labour councils recommendation to approve is a sell out. They have ample grounds to recommend refusal. The club currently have grounds. Those grounds could be enhanced. The council should proceed with the compulsory Purchase Order they stetted but stopped. The area can't afford to lose any open space.

WE all know that another salmi tactic of moving the ground further onto Greendale. 1st to allow a Sainsburys Superstore. 2nd this one to facilitate a development bringing huge profits to off shore property developers.

[scarlettbanks]

I agree with James Barber - the astroturf and surrounding land has been our favourite place to visit these past 5 years with our young kids. They would miss it terribly if it were to go (places like Goose Green playground and Peckham Rye are nice, but do not offer that same sense of freedom and exploration). Is there anything we can do to stop this from happening? I have sympathy with the football club (who are a nice local club), but my understanding is that they could redevelop at their current site. When would the housing development likely be built, if it were to go ahead?

[scarlettbanks]

Also, I received the email saying "If you wish to make any additional comments which are not already covered in the officers report, please submit these to the case officer no later than noon on Thursday 23rd July." Does anyone know how we contact the case officer to make our feelings known?

[redpost]

the report isn't on the planning site yet

you can add a comment and view the report (when it goes up) here:

https://planning.southwark.gov.uk/online-applications/applicationDetails.do?activeTab=summary&keyVal=ZZZV0JKBWR961

[Galileo]

dontbesilly Wrote:

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

> As a Dulwich Hamlet fan and season ticket holder,

> the club have come out and suggested we ought to

> back the scheme.

>

> As much as i hate the fact Meadow will be making

> money out of this, they'll also be building

> Dulwich Hamlet a new stadium, on what is little

> more than unused scrubland behind the current

> stadium. Its not useful public land at all, if

> they were going to swallow up St Francis park it

> might be a different story.

Not at all. That ?unused scrubland? is a playground, and open space, a sports area, a dog walking area and wildlife habitat. My kids love exploring that area, cycling their bikes across it, hunting bears in the woods and playing football, frisbee, tag and stomprocket on the AstroTurf. The only reason the AstroTurf has not been better used in previous years is that it was locked up and made to look like we were trespassing if we used it.

[Zig-Zag]

Impossible for Labour Southwark Council to sink any lower in my opinion.

[ladyH]

It's a beautiful place that many people use every single day. Anyone saying that it is 'unused' can't actually use it themselves, as they would know how well used and loved it is. Once the MOL is built on it will be ripe for more private development. RIP Green Dale. Only 2 1/2 years after this on Southwark's website

'The open space at Green Dale Fields in East Dulwich / Camberwell came back into council management on 21 January 2018, after a long lease to a third party.

Minor works to install pathways, bins and benches are now complete.

The Friends of Green Dale Fields are an active community group who love the space for it?s unusual wild appearance and ecological value. It has been proposed for designation as a Site of Importance for Nature Conservation (SINC) in the New Southwark Plan'

[claresy]

I'm absolutely horrified that this proposal is being recommended. Green space available to everyone is rare in London and this tranquil place has been vital to my wellbeing during the past few months -and I"m sure the same to many other adults, children and dogs!It feels like little pocket of countryside. I've seen fox cubs there and all sorts of wild flowers. It feels like an absolute crime that they're considering developing this for the benefit of a minority and for profit - particularly at a time like this. I'd be heartbroken.

[jamesmcash]

I don't think it's fair to describe the open land as 'unused'. I think if the application is passed then this will be a real loss. That said, there are a number of strengths to the application. Chief amongst these are the need to keep the club in Dulwich, and to provide some desperately-needed social housing. These things are a tricky balance to strike, particularly in a planning system which is tragically rigged in favour of big developers - prioritising profit over community need.

I've looked into the question about cars. There is an estimated increase of 50 or so journeys per day as part of the general residential and leisure activity. On match days there is predicted to be a 33 more.

Best wishes,

James

[Abe_froeman]

jamesmcash Wrote:

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

> Also worth stating that as a reserve member of the

> Planning Committee I am unable to take a position

> for or against the decision in case I am called on

> to sit on the committee for the decision.

....

> That said, there are a number of strengths

> to the application. Chief amongst these are

> the need to keep the club in Dulwich...

[ladyH]

Perhaps the council need to seriously look at how likely it is that the property developers will actually do anything to keep Dulwich Hamlet going at all. Look at the history please as rahrahrah says above they are 'An overseas property company who treated the areas with absolute disdain when they tried to trade mark the name Dulwich Hamlet Football in order to stop the club using it. They've behaved so, so badly. And yet they're allowed to put up tower blocks on metropolitan open land.'

[jamesmcash]

Hi Abe,

I'm afraid there's no contradiction to what I said. I identified (fairly unambiguous) strengths and weaknesses to the scheme. I did not take a position for or against the application as a whole.

Best wishes

James

[Earl Aelfheah]

@James McAsh - 'an estimated increase of 50 or so journeys per day' - how many extra car parking spaces are there going to be created please?

To DHFC fans (I am one myself) - do not for one minute think that Meadow care about the club, or can be trusted in any way. The Council should have moved ahead with compulsory purchase in order to secure the clubs future.

Meadow locked the club out of their own ground, trade marked their name and used every underhand tactic possible to bully the club into supporting their planning application.

The council should be absolutely ashamed if this goes through. Greendale is well used and has been particularly busy since COVID. It's valuable outdoor space and supposedly protected Metropolitan Open Land. There is no reason to make a special exception to the usual planning rules for Meadow. The council have given in to a bully.

[taper]

I'm all for it, as are most people who responded to the consultation. The club's future will be secured with this new development. Without it, very uncertain indeed. The majority of Greendale will remain unaffected, The new stadium will sit largely on the derelict astroturf, the site of Dulwich Hamlet's old ground before the Champion Hill stadium was built.