What's your source of information on Grand Design, Syd Central?

A few residents should be getting together on Sunday tea time to discuss planning in the area. Not for me to say too much here at present but please PM me if you would like to attend.

or have an interest in being kept informed

A final reminder of the meeting at 5.30 tomorrow (sunday), this is a private meeting but I expect some residents association representation. PM me for details and thanks for the contacts that I have had already and the interesting conversations.

An aside is that when Hugh Cornwall ex-Stranglers was in prison in 78 following possession of drugs, John Lydon's brother started a keep Hugh Cornwall in prison campaign. I am surprised that someone hasn't started a rival thread up here!

It's taken something big to take BD away from tending his allotment, and watching old movies on daytime telly complete with pipe, caridie and slippers. But well done to Lewisham Planning commitee for beating you own record. There were four at the TA planning Committee but now you've managed 3 out of 10.

Our interests are represented by our elected councillors, who should justify their decisions to their electorate. They failed us on Tewkesbury, again on Redbury Grove, and I worry for Tyson Road. Anything 'green' (and being the sandal wearing hippy I can outgreen most of you) and modern seems to tick the boxes. We want sensitive and complementary development that respects those who have chosen to make a long term commitment to living here (we are not NIMBY's I hasten to add).

Oh, and credit to the ward councillors who have supported our various causes. Not a tirade agains all of you, but the way the planning commitees comes to some of their decisions.

Back to my onions and winter greens

Don't understand your post baggydave. Has permission been given?

The latest draft of the UDP includes the recommendation of 86 housing units on Tyson Road - that is more than is being proposed by the developer and well beyond the density recommended by London planning guidelines.

Council officers appear to want to build housing on almost every piece of non-tarmacked land at the maximum densities possible. They have no respect for the conservation areas (unless somebody tried to put the wrong guttering on their house or installs decent insulated windows). The only place that appears to be safe from new housing is Willow Way which would be great for housing, if it were not for the council's designation of the land as a 'commercial zone' - meaning a couple of huts owned by Lewisham Council which appear to be responsible for regeneration in Lewisham. And it would be quite impossible to build residential on commercial zones.

I would laugh if I were not so sickened by the sorry situation.

Why should BD be the only one allowed a tirade on the forum?

Almost back to thread I notice another hideous conversion (read second floor addition) has now gone up on Tewkesbury Ave in the same roof-tiled walled style as the one nearly opposite that I ranted about earlier in this thread. Same builder appears responsible for both. Perhaps I will foist upon him Alain de Botton's "The Architecture of Happiness" -and call the council planners again.

As the occupier, designer, builder-to-be, and partner of the owner, of 11 Tewkesbury Avenue, the property in question, I'd like to end all this non-sensical conjecture :

Planning permission was granted fairly and squarely in June 2008.

Neither I, nor my partner, has any connection whatsoever with any councillors at LBTH, which cannot be said for the failed objectors.

An application for Judicial Review in the High Court was thrown out in December 2008 with such force that costs of LBTH were (very unusually) awarded against the JR applicants. Quite possibly ?10 - ?20k including lawyers, barristers, costs, fees, interest, etc.

Let that be a warning to any other groups of gossiping coffee-morning miscreants who feel it right to meddle in correct process.

Yes, it?s going to be a really big house, quite possibly the biggest and most valuable house in Forest Hill. Yes, it?s going to be on Channel 4?s Grand Designs when it?s built. Yes, it?s architecture is divisive, yet, in our opinion, stunning. Yes, it?s going to be completely demolished before it gets rebuilt. Yes, it?s going to cause massive disruption to the neighbours.

But, after those neighbours decided to gang up on us behind our backs without as much as a by-your-leave, after we?d tried really hard to communicate honestly and openly with them, we really couldn?t give a toss now how much they?re affected, as well they know by now.

Yes, it?s going to get a SAP A rating and will be zero-carbon in construction and in ongoing operation, well before the government's deadline of 2016 to do so.

Yes, it?s going to be exemplary, and yes, that does upset a lot of people one way or another.

Jealousy to this degree is quite pathetic.

11 Tewkesbury Avenue has been in the same extended family for 30 years ? long before any of its direct neighbours had ever thought of buying into the area. It will remain in the same extended family for the next 20 years at least. Lest there be any more ridiculous talk of ?property developers?.

Diatribe over : if any one wants to really know more detail, and they can contain themselves to be decent, intelligent, non-manipulative, non-cheating and non-gossiping, as some good folk in Tewkesbury Avenue are showing themselves to be, then you are more than welcome to contact me for full details. Or you can just check :

http://acolnet.lewisham.gov.uk/LEWIS-XSL...mkey=53311

http://acolnet.lewisham.gov.uk/LEWIS-XSL...mkey=52570

http://acolnet.lewisham.gov.uk/LEWIS-XSL...mkey=53175

http://acolnet.lewisham.gov.uk/LEWIS-XSL...mkey=51614

http://acolnet.lewisham.gov.uk/LEWIS-XSL...mkey=50337

Frank Lloyd Wright ? What-ever idiot thought that that was what we were doing ?

Dominic Lowes, 11 Tewkesbury Avenue, Mar 2009
Peace.
:-)

Brief apology : I find myself referring to LBTH - Tower Hamlets, where I came from recently, when I mean to say LBL - Lewisham.

Oops.

This is definitely my new favourite thread

Good for you for posting so assertively doml whatever people might think about the development. Must say some of it reads like a Kevin McCloud piece to camera.

Got any links to plans or images?

Thanks.

Click the 1st link in my post of last night, then click the Documents tab in the middle top of the page, and then all documents presented to Planning / committee are shown. Sorry I don't have anything other than those scans avaiable on the internet. For some reason I can't seem to upload my PDF originals to this site.

Not been along Tewkesbury Avenue for ages, when does the build begin?

2011 probably, for 2 years.
Just had a little baby boy, and of course, there's a recession on.

This story is in this week's Mercury page 17.

I'm interested to know how the TV programme works, how and at what stage did the programme become involved?

I used to watch the programme but it became to formulaic (?), you could predict Kev would say and when a commercial break was due.

Indeed it is, and last Friday's South London Press, on page 13. It's nice to get some positive PR for a change instead of all the dreadful inaccurate gossip that's been spread about us behind our backs by our neighbours for the past 2 years !

To get on Grand Designs you : apply, with detailed plans; get an interest from the junior producer; get interviewed on camera onsite for 3 hours; have that 3 hours shrunk to a 3 minute promo; have that viewed by the producer; get an agreement of interest; have the promo viewed by the executive producer; get an agreement of interest; have the promo viewed by Kevin; get an agreement of interest. If you don't have a USP you won't get agreement - obviously as time goes by all the USPs get used up so the chance of getting on the programme shrinks with every series.

In our case, we applied in 2007 and so far, no one's used up our USP. :-)

Then you start work (which we haven't yet). They alledgedly film onsite for 13 or so full days for the duration of the build, so I'm looking forward to blocking Tewkesbury Avenue with cameras and vans (not to mention cranes, concrete pumps, concrete trucks, delivery lorries, for 2 years). Kevin visits for 3 days only during the course of the build. Then you finish, they edit, and you're on the next series, hopefully coming out a winner.

Fingers crossed the programme is still running in 2012, and no one gets our USP before us, so we can be on it !

I'm quite looking forward to being called "bonkers" on camera ! ;-)

Thanks for that.

Have I missed something, what is a USP?

Will you be living onsite in a caravan while the work goes ahead?

Do you get any advice from the programme makers or will they just let you get on with it and film the outcome?

USP usually means 'Unique Selling Point'.

Ah right, thanks.