Tag Archives: Planning Applications

Galvanised steel fencing along Willow Lane wholly inappropriate

Leave a reply

If you read our earlier post about the Council opening up Willow Lane to traffic you will know that we are concerned by the impact on this semi-rural lane of the new kerbs, yellow lines and a remarkable 26 (yes – 26!) new road signs.

We posted some photos of the works at our Flickr site. 

And we made a formal response which you can find here.

We have now made a new representation which focuses specifically on the plan to erect 2.5m high galvanised steel fencing along the edges of Willow Lane.

Not only are the proposals unclear on where this fencing is to be placed (though three different areas are suggested), we believe such fencing is wholly inappropriate for the semi rural setting and totally wrong for the border of Mitcham Common.

These photos illustrate the newly opened up Willow Lane and the kind of fencing  which is proposed.

Willow lane fencing photos April 2013

Read our response on the fencing in full here.

Cricketers campaign success

2 Replies

Our long campaign to prevent demolition of the Cricketers pub for new flats has borne fruit with the rejection of two appeals by an independent Inspector. 

This follows an 8 hour planning hearing in January where we gave evidence and months of lobbying. 

The Inspector concluded that both the “contemporary” proposal and the development based on “fake history” would “be detrimental to the character and appearance” of the Conservation Area.  He was very critical of the impact of the “formidable block” which would “conflict with the Vestry Hall in views from Cricket Green” and present a “blocky” aspect to the old fire station.

This is great news.

Getting this result is down to the hard work of everyone involved and the level of support which has been evident throughout from all those who wrote in, spoke about or attended meetings about the proposals.

We will now work with Merton Council and the owners of both the fire station and the Cricketers to find a way forward for the future of this island site that benefits the whole community.

You can read the decision letter here.

Plans to develop Cricket Green School

Leave a reply

Back in October last year we sent our comments on plans to develop Cricket Green school to Merton’s planning department. You’ll find the post about that here and it contains a link to the comments themselves.

Our efforts to ensure sensitive changes at Cricket Green School have borne fruit with new proposals coming forward from Merton’s Education department.

These avoid any loss of trees and introduce new and improved railings around some of the boundary.

Given the prominence of the site at an important gateways to Mitcham Cricket Green Conservation Area we remain keen to see uniform railings (rather than the uninspiring fencing that fronts onto the road) around the whole boundary.

We would welcome some simple interpretation of the listed remains of 14th century Hall Place Chapel which lie within the school boundary and lack any information or description.  Our comments on the latest planning application have been submitted to the council. Cricket Green School representation Jan 2013.

Cicketers pub – update from planning committee 13 December

1 Reply

The Planning Committee meeting last night very quickly accepted council officers’ recommendation not to allow the proposed development of the Cricketers Pub.

This means that three applications for the site have all been turned down by Merton’s Planning Committee.

It also means that the appeal hearing on 15 January will look at two planning applicaitons at the same time, as we had anticipated.

We still need your help – you have time to submit your views to the planning inspector and every single view will be seen by the inspector and taken into account.

Take a look at our previous post here to find out how you can help.

The Cricketers pub: Appeal hearing on 15 January – how you can help

Leave a reply

The appeal hearing for the Cricketers pub development will be held at the town hall in Morden on 15 January 2013.

If you want to help us stop the Cricketers pub on London Road from being developed into an overpowering, inappropriate block of flats, now is the time to make your views known. Read on for the story so far and details on how you can help.

The story so far

The appeal hearing will examine two planning appliations from the same developer.

One is a design which the developer calls ‘modern’ but which we think is no different to thousands of other blocks of flats to be seen all over the country. The building is too large and too poorly designed for this sensitive site. This design was turned down by the council and the developer is appealing against that decision.

The other is, in the words of the developer, an ‘idiosyncratic design’ based on ‘fake history’. It is version of what a Victorian pub might look like if it were turned into a block of flats. This design is going to the planning committee on 13 December. Merton council officers have recommended that the planning committee refuse the application. We will report on the decision as soon as we know it.

Part of our objection to this proposal is that with so much real history on Cricket Green, this fake history would look like what it is – a confection with no real meaning. It would undermine and overpower the Vestry Hall , a real Victorian building, and the fire station, built in the 1920s. Both are locally listed.

You can read our objection to the ‘modern’ application here and to the ‘fake history’ application here.

The Wimbledon Guardian ran a story on the ‘fake history’ application last week. Read it here.

How you can help

The best way to get your views across is to send them in via the Planning Inspectorate website. The closing date for making comments on the ‘modern’ design has passed, but you still have time to make comments on the ‘fake history’ design.

The deadline for comments is 28 December – but do it now before you forget!

You can make comments here

Please also make your views known here

It is important to do this twice as there are two applications being appealed – one for planning consent for the new building (this is reference APP/T5720/A/12/2186739 and the other to demolish the existing building in a conservation area (reference APP/T5720/E/12/2186745).

Alternatively, you can write (enclosing three copies of each letter) to The Planning Inspectorate, Room 3/06 Kite Wing, Temple Quay House, 2 The Square, Temple Quay, Bristol BS1 6PN. Please quote the two reference numbers above.

The main points we have made and which you may want to consider in your own comments are that the proposals will significantly damage the character of the conservation area because they:

  • overwhelm the site and compete the with the locally listed Vestry Hall and fire station
  • remove an important community use
  • introduce a design based on “fake history” into an area rich in authentic heritage
  • fail to meet the high design standards required of such an important and sensitive site at the heart of the Conservation Area
  • introduce intrusive new railings and paved areas which have no precedent in the surrounding area
  • introduce a major new source of light pollution into the muted and sensitively lit nightscape of Cricket Green
  • prevent the future of the whole island site, including the fire station and Vestry Hall, being considered together.

Please get in touch if you would like any information or advice on how to make an impact. email us at info@mitchamcricketgreen.org.uk

Our comments on proposals to develop Cricket Green School

We’ve submitted comments to Merton on proposals for work at Cricket Green School.

The school sits in the Cricket Green Conservation area, and is specifically identified in the draft Conservation Area Appraisal and Management Plan for Cricket Green as one which would benefit from environmental improvement to contribute more positively to the character of the area. It is in that context that we’ve made our submission.

In our comments we say that there is potential for Merton to show leadership by example in how it executes changes. We’re disappointed that some aspects of the plans don’t show that leadership and set a good example for others to follow.

For example, did you know there is a small, Grade II listed, remnant of the 14th Century Hall Place Chapel within the grounds of the school? Merton apparently does not, as the plans do not mention it, nor show it on the very detailed maps which have been complied. Maps which are detailed enouth to include every drainage cover on the site.

One of our aims with our comments is to ensure this piece of local history is properly protected and that there is some interpretation explaining the site. At present it sits with no interpretation at all.

We comment on several other aspects of the plans, and you can read our full comments here.