I've heard on the grapevine that local residents will be "consulted" on just one modern scheme with three different housing options, all based on a similar design but with low, medium or high density housing to provide the funding to pay for additional leisure facilities (eg a community meeting room etc). The "high" density housing option appears to be the most popular with the Council as it would provide the local area with community facilities not available from the other options.

But high density housing would mean 60 housing units on the site. To achieve this, a 7-storey high building would be built on Dartmouth Road, the lower two floors forming part of the pools/leisure complex and the upper five storeys being used for private housing. This is described as a "Gateway" building. Some Gateway!

A further 5-storey residential block for social housing would also be built on the site.

Obviously the promised ?7.5m funding from the council and ?2m from housing cross-subsidies does not go far enough. Is anyone surprised?

So there we have it ? to reach its housing targets Lewisham will be building more flats in Forest Hill, providing there are developers prepared to get involved. In return local residents would get a pool/leisure centre with community facilities.

My concern is that in the current economic downturn the much-loved Victorian streetscape will be demolished before a planning application is approved and before a developer commits to actually building all of this.

It you too are concerned, please let Lewisham Council know by signing the petition at http://www.gopetition/online/19745.html