Berkeley Homes @ Potters Fields & ex-St Olave's Grammar School

see todays southwark news

council and berks to clash shock horror over berks liebensraum fence.

berkeley homes asked also for planning permission for the advertising facing the park. denied but they put them up anyway!

BH will ride roughshod over everything and everybody...and who will stop them? Tony Pidgely can buy out anyone he wants, any fine is chicken feed to him. BH will win, they always do. They just have the staying power and the clout to erode any ordinary opposition,.

The deadline for representations to the Planning Inspectorate re. the appeal on the boutique hotel proposal for the old St Olave's School is 22 February:

http://www.pcs.planningportal.gov.uk/pcsportal/ViewCase.asp?casename=APP/A5840/E/08/2059928&caseaddress=COO.2036.300.2.9308584
and
http://www.pcs.planningportal.gov.uk/pcsportal/ViewCase.asp?casename=APP/A5840/A/08/2059934&caseaddress=COO.2036.300.2.9308425

The 'Estates Gazette' reports that Southwark Council "..has taken Berkeley Homes to court for trespass."

Meanwhile: "The London Development Agency confirmed that its legal department was preparing a case for a CPO." (compulsory purchase order)

Southwark have now formally agreed to accept outline planning permission submission for the HILL
so thats good news.

In the mean time as they had Wimbledon by the river a few years ago,
may be they could have

Camden Market by the river .

Latest: http://www.london-se1.co.uk/news/view/3169

Although it pains me to say it, I now have some sympathy with the position the Mayor is taking.

I first attended a meeting on Potters Fields more than four years ago. At the meeting there was fervent and principled opposition to the Berkeley scheme. Someone from Southwark Council made an encouraging speech to the effect that the Council was adamantly opposed to the scheme and was looking at developing it into a landmark cultural destination.

Since that time Southwark council has put forward absolutely no concrete proposals for such an attraction. I find it astonishing that the council cannot find a partner for such a world class site. That suggests either indifference or incompetence. Whatever it is, the council has made zero progress on finding a suitable alternative that captures the public imagination.

At the same time, Berkeley has simply got on with it as one would expect of a commercial organisation. To my mind, their scheme, as much as I think it is an abomination and a crass use of a unique site, is preferable to leaving an ugly unused space. At least there are some affordable housing units and there are supposedly some cultural facilities.

I repeat that I am strongly opposed to the Berkeley scheme and would prefer a cultural landmark desitination. The council has had four years to propose such a scheme and has come up with nothing.

In such circumstances, why shouldn't Berkeley and the Mayor take the view that the scheme should go ahead?

Well said sir

I respect your opinion but completely disagree. I don't see how half of what a lot of people consider a very ugly & permanent development that will outlive us all is preferable to an empty space. That sounds like complete and utter compitulation to me. Exactly what the developer wants no doubt. A gradual fading of interest. Giving up.

It is not entirely up to the Council to conjure up a "cultural landmark". That's simply naive thinking. Furthermore, Berkeley could have come up with a lower rise & less monolithic design that could still have been cutting edge architecturally and provided key worker housing etc. At the same time making satisfactory money
as they are entitled to and adding to the London cityscape in a way of which they could be proud.

The day those towers are finished will, for me, be a very sad day indeed. The single worst local event of the last 25 years in fact.

This is the typical example of what has been the problem with many revolutions...Down With Whatever Is There....Up With.er..er...er...Instead of whingeing about the horrible proposal of Berkeley Homes, the Council has persistently faffed around and not produced a single concrete alternative proposal. This thread has cursed Nick Stanton more than enough, and the fact that neither he nor the Council seem to be able to get their act together and say what YES should go on Potters Fields is quite deplorable and why Nick Stanton is still in his post is one of life's great mysteries. Is there no one who can galvanise the Council to bang in a sensible, acceptable proposal which will cover the housing need AND the cultural aspect of this site to take the wind out of the Mayor's sails?