CANADA WATER CONSULTATIVE FORUM
MINUTES OF MEETING:
Date: Monday, 1st December 2008
Venue: Alfred Salter School, Quebec Way, Rotherhithe SE16 7LP
Forum Members: (attendees list in bold)
Ray Woolford (RW) John Hellings ( JH)
Anna Devlet (AD) Jo Sistern (JS)
Cllr David Hubber (DH) Ilkan Osman (IO)
Lisa Hollamby (LH) Cllr Lisa Rajan (LR)
Kath Whittam (KW) Cllr Paul Noblet (PN)
Pauline Adenwalla (PA) Barry Duckett (BD)
Ann Clayton (AC) Mohamed Backelani (MB)
Janet Hodge (JH)
Volunteer 2
Spencer Whitworth (SW)
Faith Rep
Youth Rep
Disabilities Rep
Older Persons Rep
In Attendance:
Katie Nicholls, Robert Lee, J Hewitt, K.Hennessy, M Bellinger, I Moore, M.R.Poole,
A Simmons, Philip Baker, Jezzer Simons, Marc Guillet, Steve Cornish, Lynn Smith,
Tim Cutts, James Oats, Lorraine Smith, Alex Tan, Patrick Horan, Karen Daye,
Charles Willis, F.Hewison, Derek Partridge
1. Welcome
The Chair welcomed all to the meeting
2. Apologies
These were received from Cllr Rajan, Cllr Noblet, Cllr Simon Hughes, Jo Sistern,
Bob Muid, Spencer Whitworth, Hanne Puttenden, Graham Sutton
3. Minutes of Previous Meeting, 20th October 2008
The Minutes were accepted as a true reflection of the meeting
4. Matters Arising – Action Points
The Chair confirmed that she had written regarding the lay-by and crossing but
that so far she had not received a response.
She also confirmed that a Canada Water construction meeting had been held.
5. Presentation – by Tim Cutts, Planning Policy and Regeneration for LBS
Topic: the Canada Water Area Action Plan
Tim outlined his presentation by saying that the Area Action Plan covered
what they wanted to do and how they were going to achieve it and the rationale behind the decision making. The content of the Area Action Plan had been put together by including input from government, development partners, Primary Care Trust, Private Sector and other participants. Page 10 of the document concerned the core area which includes the shopping centre, A & B leisure centre, business park and area around the Hawkstone Estate, Lower Road. Also it takes into account the impact on the wider area including cycling, road networks and the peninsula.
Already agreed for go-ahead is the watersports centre renovation, site B and
the Library. The core area still needs to be reviewed and to take into
consideration best use for the next 15 years. It would involve looking further
into schools/education, health facilities, road networks including reference to the
multi-modal study, the shopping centre site re more or different retail outlets.
Attention would need to be paid to the amount of development, what developers
would be prepared to fund and the opportunities such development would afford
the community. Also with regard to the amount and type of open space, water-
ways, cycling, URBED, the Public Realm, Retail Capacity.
On page 15 is the draft document for the vision in 2020. The proposals are:
i. to achieve a vibrant and unique town centre
ii. accessibility
iii. adequate parks and open spaces
iv. showcasing the docks and the Thames
v. building good quality homes with adequate family units available
Proposals would need to go to the Secretary of State and a Planning Inspector
would need to be appointed. Options would be grouped under 2 headings,
a. Residential and b. Mixed Regeneration
b. Residential – this would include the shopping centre car park and residential dwellings SQL. This would involve a small increase in shopping space for the same cachment area.
- the refurbishment of Seven Islands
- smaller scale improvements to road layout – allowing right turn in Lower Rd to Surrey Quays Road
- working towards the Southwark decent homes standards
- improve key cycle routes around centre but minimal improvement outside
of this
- business provision – no loss but also no gain
c. Mixed regeneration – to include residential, retail, employment, leisure.
- more retail space
- more people and traffic on the peninsula with substantial changes to the
transport network ie giratory removal around Hawkstone, 2 way traffic on
Lower Road making it more hospitable for cyclists and pedestrians
- improve the environs and traffic efficiency links which radiate out.
- new business space in town centre
- re housing genuine choice increasing to 25 family sized 3 or more bed homes
The intermediate plan would include additional homes and social housing
in Hawkstone Road/ including John Kennedy house. Certainly the need for
a new secondary school has been indentified and there are several options for location including the Quebec Estate, Rotherhithe Primary and St Paul’s
playing fields. Plus the health facility and the library.
The full plan would include a new leisure centre on the peninsula which would
house a swimming pool.
The document needed to be approved and would go out for formal
consultation until 20th February 2009. They would be writing to everyone on
on their database including publicising at community councils and at
at exhibitions locally. There is a questionnaire on the council website which is
also available at libraries and from council offices.
RW said that communication had been poor particularly regarding the
swimming pool, polyclinic and family housing. More local business was
required as well as truly affordable housing. It was not enough to be just a
shopping centre i.e. a giant Tesco as 90% of local monies were spent outside the area and small local shops are going out of business.
Re local transport this was poor and there are not adequate facilities for
cyclists. The proposed footbridge appears now not to be happening and
although the area is surrounded by water, best use is not made of this facility.
Tim Cutts responded that 25% of housing would in future be family housing.
This Action Plan would supersede the current Southwark Plan. A proportion
of the space allocation would be for independent traders
DP added that the requirement was only offered with affordable housing and
not private accommodation at a time when private family accommodation in
the area was in demand.
RW said that developers had already made their plans and he referred to the
Leisure Centre and the 814 units where there would be no family units.
DH said that proposals for the Leisure Centre application had not yet been
submitted to the Council. The Chair added that at the recent exhibition no
provision for family dwellings had been made only for student
accommodation. Also it was not pedestrian friendly. The Community were
concerned that without appropriate leisure facilities or specialists shops
the needs of the local people would not be met nor did they feel that who
we wish to attract had been identified. The Chair added that currently there
was not daytime footfall. A member of the community added that we are near the City and in a good location.
SC felt that local people were not fully aware of the plan and the Christmas
period would limit the publicity of it. The original Head of Regeneration
is currently on an untimely secondment therefore the whole thing is quite
unacceptable.
He went on to make the following comments regarding the location of the
proposed school: the St Paul’s site at approximately 2 acres would not be
big enough in his opinion: Mellish fields had been upgraded: Rotherhithe
would not work as a school: and Quebec Way had previously been council
land but had been sold and now over 300 people worked there and this would if bought back by the council be both costly financially and in terms of
redundancies.
Referring to the Russia Dock Woodlands the Chair said that local people
treasured the wildlife there. KW added that entities like the Surrey Docks
Farm, The Pumphouse, the Brunel Museum were also local leisure facilities
and yet were not included in the regeneration programme. She questionned
therefore whether those involved in the AAP actually know what goes on
locally.
DP said there were now hardly any small shops serving everyday needs as
small local shops had gone out of business. Tesco had relegated the food
department to the back of the store which was simply not suitable for those
with disabilities or who are elderly. The optician and clothes in Tesco were
now competing with the few remaining independent stores. The Chair
reiterated that the Tesco expansion would no doubt cause the demise of other local shops.
One community member asked when the multi-modal study would be
available for the public to see. TC said it was now on the Council website.
It was then raised by a community member that if the various options had not
yet been put through the multi-modal study how could the impact of such
proposals be measured. SC added how therefore do current developments
such as Barratts fit in.
TC said that it sets out the current situation and works with scenarios. SC
said that objections had been lodged vis a vis Canons Wharf because the
multi-modal study had not been used. The Chair added that congestion had
already been identified as an issue and that B1, B2, C, and the Leisure Centre would be using the multi-modal study to measure impact.
A member of the community commented that if a new swimming pool was
sited within the core area that this would also increase transport. TC said that the study would help inform their decision making and the Chair added that
all new developments needed to be put through the study.
Jezzer Simmons said that the document does not show changes from the
original to the existing position. TC said that a summary of the document
would be prepared and would show where options differed and further options could put forward. IM asked if there was definitely summary on the website
and TC said he would check and confirm.
Concern was expressed that there is not adequate parking locally and this
limited space would be further oversubscribed with further development in
the area.
DH said that parking is restricted in the north of the borough and confirmed
that it would be further restricted. The Chair said that parking spaces are
often sold separately in new developments and that Housing Associations
were unlikely to have bought any, therefore this would also increase parking
on the road. A member of the community confirmed that he had paid 25k for
his own parking bay. All agreed that the Council needed to take this on board when negotiating with housing associations.
With reference to the area, the Chair said that the Tourist Office had closed as well as Vinopolis. TC added that cultural facilities needed to be protected.
The Chair urged that the Council be more proactive. SC said that the
Downtown restaurant was still an unused space, the use of Odessa Street
Youth Club was under discussion and with Mellish Fields having been
developed everything and everyone was battling on the one way system. It
was added that a requirement for a swimming pool and basket ball courts was raised at the last Mellish Fields meeting at Bacon School and the chair added
that an Olympic pool did not feature in the plan – except on a back page. TC
said that there would be further improvement to the running track which
would be advantageous for the para-olympics.
The general consensus in the forum was that families were getting pushed out of the area and that local consideration was not being taken into account.
Also that high rise towers were not favoured, that structures should be on a
more human scale to get the community feel.. In particular this related to the
areas surrounding the parks. Once member said that she felt the council did
not do enough to claim back unpaid rents and council tax. RW added that 1.3 million of council homes were sold by the Tories but that this money had not
been used to build new developments for local peoples housing.
DH said that they were not allowed to build new housing as such just social
housing. The Chair said she felt that local people had put in a great deal of
effort with the Council and now they were beginning to become jaundiced.
LH urged individuals to express their views to the council and TC said they
could and that they would not necessarily have to do this on a questionnaire.
The discussion then moved on to employment in the area and the Chair said that people who outgrew the City Business Park moved out of the Borough.
TC said that Borough wide studies had been used and that these would need to be supplemented in the current employment review. He felt that there
were ample opportunities being so close to London Bridge and Canary
Wharf.
The Chair confirmed that there were 60,000 square foot of space at Canons Wharf and as there were no facilities in this area thriving businesses were
moving to Lewisham. RW said that on that development there were 68
small businesses currently with 284 businesses waiting. Locally there had
been little or no effort to promote business units and it appeared that the
developers aim was to reapply for planning permission to convert this units
to housing. TC said he would look into this further.
The Chair said at the Community Council on the 10th December it had been raised that there is a dire shortage of crèche facilities locally.
Overall people felt that very few people actually received consultatation
questionnaires nor were changes to configuration outlined adequately.
6. Site Updates
Site C & E
In JS absence there was no feedback to report on sites C & E
Site B
AD said re B2 that the units had been reduced from 178 to 169. Silver
birch trees were going to be reduced from 20 to 6.
Library – ISG Jackson had been awarded the contract although it had not
yet been signed. The hoardings and preparation work is underway.
The access approval was still outstanding /EDF when received, a
temporary crossing would be installed hopefully before Christmas.
RW said that he was appalled that the council had restricted the number