Tag Archives: Planning Applications

Fair Green canopy gets thumbs down from Design Review Panel

1 Reply

Last night (31 October) we attended Merton’s Design Review Panel.

This committee includes architects and others who know about building design. Its role is to look at planning applications, either before they are lodged with the council or while they are live, and give guidance on their design quality.

On 31 October it looked, for the second time, at the proposals for a canopy for Mitcham market at Fair Green. This has been put forward by Merton Council as part of a much wider range of plans under the umbrella of Rediscover Mitcham.

Seen it all before

The Design Review Panel had seen the market canopy before – in July. At that time the canopy had not been formally submitted as a planning application – it was in the ‘pre application’ phase, and the Design Review Panel meeting was in private.

Its notes were only published after the canopy became a live planning application, and only made available with the other materials relevant to the planning application after we had put in a Freedom of Information request.

Meeting in public

This time, because the canopy is now a live planning application, the Design Review Panel met in public. People were allowed to attend and observe – but not to speak. We had a representative at the meeting, and we can tell you what we heard.

Note as you read what follows that the official report is not yet published. It has to be written up by an officer of the council and then approved by the panel members.

What the Design Review Panel said

As you read our report of what the Design Review Panel said, bear in mind that it gives every application it considers a rating – green, amber or red. Green is good. No application wants to be rated red. Last time the market canopy got an amber rating.

These are some of the key points we heard at the meeting:

  • This is a building being made by the local authority and should be to the highest standard to set an example for others. It is far from being a high standard building.
  • The use of polycarbonate (a type of plastic) for the roof is a bad idea. It ages quickly – about ten years was suggested, and is not suited to permanent structures.
  • The buildings at Fair Green surrounding the market space are generally of a low architectural standard, and this new one would do nothing to change that – one person used the word ‘shed’ to describe it, another said it looked like ‘a cheap bus shelter’, another that it was going to get ‘tatty’.

Despite being invited by the chair to say something positive about the canopy and to offer constructive support for the design, nobody on the panel seemed to have a good word for it.

The canopy was given a red rating.

What next?

We hope the notes of the Design review Panel meeting are written up fast, because the next step for the canopy is the Planning Applications Committee on 7 November. 

We think it is vital that all the Councillors on the Planning Applications Committee see the full report to help inform its decision.

As things currently stand, Merton’s Officers have recommended to allow the canopy. Their own report on the planning application was published before the Design Review Panel met. We think this shows complete disregard for the panel. The officers report was also published before the deadline for all public comments, showing disregard for what the public say too.

All this has happened, we think, because Officers want to rush the canopy through the planning system so they can spend the money to build it by the deadline that’s been imposed by the external funding source.

The shortage of time does not, in our mind, excuse bad practice, and we have taken our concerns up at the highest level within the council. Just as a member of the Design Review Panel said council builds should be of the highest quality, we believe council planning applications should be dealt with to the highest standards, and Merton council has fallen well short.

Still time to comment

Although the official deadline for comments is 1 November, Merton council does tend to accept comments made after that, so if you feel strongly after reading this you may still contact the council and make your views known – but be quick as the planning committee meets on 7 November.

All the information you need on how to do this is at Merton Council’s web site, and the planning application number is 13/P2575.

Why we are objecting to a canopy on Fair Green

2 Replies

We have put in a formal objection to Merton Council’s plans for a large canopy on Fair Green.

This is one of a number of developments planned for Fair Green over the coming months as part of the Rediscover Mitcham programme.

It is shocking that this application has been submitted before the Rediscover Mitcham plans have been formally agreed by the Council.

We have also asked Merton’s planners to reject it on the grounds of the lack of detail in the documents that make up the planning application.

We also think that it is wrong to consider one part of a much wider set of proposals in isolation from all the rest.

The proposed structure is unduly intrusive, poorly designed and over-size.  It would cause significant harm to the valued and historic open space of Fair Green.

We have seen no evidence that Merton Council will invest in long term maintenance and fear extra costs will fall on market traders. The canopy also risks becoming a place for rough sleeping and anti-social behaviour.

We believe the focus should be on an alternative strategy which invests in the existing market and local businesses through grassroots community activity that will meet the desired objectives for regenerating Mitcham town centre more effectively.

Read our response in full

A busy week in planning

Leave a reply

It’s been a busy week for us in terms of planning applications and we have submitted three documents to Merton Council.

Sites and policies plan

The sites and policies plan is an extremely important document. It contains all Merton’s planning policies that will be used in the assessment of planning applications in the borough once it has been adopted. It also identifies sites for redevelopment between 2014 and 2024.

The plan has been available for public comment and a final draft will be produced and submitted to the Secretary of State for scrutiny by the end of September. in December there will be a public hearing by a planning inspector to examine the plans. The inspector will report in early 2014 with the final version being adopted by the council and put into general use some time during next year.

You can see the document for yourself and register to be kept informed of meeting dates at Merton Council’s web site here.

You can read our comments here.

18 Commonside West

You may recall that a plan to demolish a bungalow on Commonside West and replace it with houses was turned down by the Council.

The developers returned with a new proposal and while we did not object in principle we found some aspects, including having balconies on the front of the houses, unacceptable.

Balconies easily and understandably become full of ‘clutter’ which could negatively affect the views of this important strand of homes in the Cricket Green Conservation Area from across Three Kings Piece.

The developers have revised their plans and made adjustments to the balconies. You can read our comments on the revised plans here.

Mcmillan Williams, 8 & 10 Cricket Green

We were shocked and surprised when Mcmillan Williams Solicitors on Cricket Green tore the original (1830s) windows out of their locally listed offices facing onto Cricket Green without having applied for permission to do so. The windows were replaced with modern windows totally out of keeping with the building.

We contacted the Enforcement Officer at Merton Council, and Mcmillan Williams Solicitors has applied for planning permission to replace the windows it recently put in with new ones restoring them to a faithful replication of the original.

You can read our comments on their application here.

Council plans floodlit sports pitches at Canons

Leave a reply

Merton Council has shocked people with crude and damaging plans to construct floodlit sports pitches in local woodland and on the site of former tennis courts in the heart of the conservation area.

The development contradicts the Council’s own planning policies to protect wildlife, avoid light pollution and care for local heritage.

Mitcham Cricket Green Community and Heritage has campaigned for the old tennis courts in the grounds of the Canons to be brought back to life.

One of our objectives is to encourage recreation and this community facility has stood idle and wasted for years. Now it faces the prospect of being lost forever as Merton Council has plans to develop two “multi use games areas” and floodlight them till 9.30pm every day and all year round.

Eight towering floodlights will be erected and a swathe of woodland will be lost from the nearby and much loved copse.

The Council’s own reports show that such development can have a devastating impact on the local bat population. The light pollution will also have a highly damaging and urbanising impact at the heart of the Conservation Area. The grounds of the Canons are valued for their sensitive lighting and quality of the night time landscape. This was recognised in the development of the Cricket Green Charter and is enhanced by the Council’s own policy deliberately to provide subdued lighting in the area.

All this will go.

The planning application even fails to provide any guarantees that the new facilities will be available for use by the local community.

With underused facilities already available nearby at the KNK Stadium and Cranmer School it is no surprise that a Council study of sports pitches concluded that provision in Mitcham is “significantly better” than elsewhere in the Borough.

There is no excuse for such a devastating development.

We are asking Merton Council to think again and return with plans to restore the old tennis courts for use in daylight hours by local people. We are even offering to help with the fundraising.

Read our full views on the plans for floodlit sports pitches at the Canons.

If you agree, let Merton Council know your views – the information is at Merton’s web site here, and you can submit your views online here.

What next for the Cricketers pub?

Leave a reply

The future of the Cricketers pub remains in doubt following a planning application to convert the building into seven flats.

This follows a long and successful campaign to prevent demolition and large scale redevelopment of the site for private housing.

The Cricketers has been used as a public house for over 200 years and building was only permitted on this ancient green because it was for community use.

We are asking Merton Council to continue this centuries old tradition.  The future of the island site at the heart of our conservation area needs to be considered as a whole – with the Cricketers, Vestry Hall and Fire Station all supporting community life.

This is a point re-enforced in the Cricket Green Charter which we drew up earlier this year with local councillors and Merton Council.

Read our views on the latest planning application here and let Merton Council know what you think of the latest development proposals – email planning.representations@merton.gov.uk. You can find out about the application at Merton Council’s web site here.

Cranmer School development proposals – our response

2 Replies

The growing school population has resulted in plans for a new building at Cranmer School to accommodate a 50% increase in the number of pupils.

The new building runs along the boundary with the Wilson Hospital and it is a concern that this is prominently located in the green corridor which links open spaces in the area. The design is striking and has a green roof (made of sedum plants).

We have welcomed the general approach while encouraging a more sympathetic design to the main frontage.  A serious concern is the impact on the school run which is already a source of major disruption even before the school grows in size.  To address this we are asking for any planning permission to include a school travel plan that is agreed with the local community and reduces the impact to below current levels even after school numbers have increased.

This will need a clear commitment to monitoring and enforcement to be effective – something which has failed to materialise in other parts of the Borough.

A final comment is that we have discovered a large number of basic errors and weaknesses in the reports used by Merton Council to support the application and suggested they tender again for their consultancy work.

You can read our comments on the planning application here