Is The Elephant Your Neighbourhood?

http://southwarknotes.wordpress.com/2012/01/09/elephant-amenity-network-event-saturday-january-28th/

'The Council is developing it's next Supplementary Planning Document, the SPD. To find out more and to contribute to an action plan for our neighbourhood that puts people first - come to an event on Saturday 28th January at Crossways Church, New Kent Rd SE17 1SL from 10.30 until 4.30.

All welcome. Refreshments and free lunch provided"

Blimey - that is a big old picture!

I wonder how many plans and consultations there have been in the 8 years I have lived here...

@williamn: elephant amenity network are not consulting, the council are. elephant amenity network are local residents & community groups. the event will have workshops on specific themes (transport, housing, sustainability etc)

official consultations tend to be highly uninspired (as in 'we've sent the letter') and quite exclusive (because if you've not got a good dictionary & 100s of hours to spend translating the 'proposals', you might as well give up) :)

Dammit why am I always away and mssing these things..arriving only on 1st Feb...will be interested to hear what goes on.

Presumably, given the performance of the council on the regeneration, this ten year plan will run from 2014 to 2032.

Rambling Phil wrote:

Presumably, given the performance of the council on the regeneration, this ten year plan will run from 2014 to 2032.

Boom Boom!

Yeah the SPD is important in one sense as it's a kind of guideline for the next ten years so if we want affordable housing or bike lanes or open spaces and so on we need to argue for them in the plan.

On the other hand, do you trust The Council to a) listen to what local people think and want b) stick to anything binding anyhow...

Boom Not Boom!!

IS THE ELEPHANT YOUR NEIGHBOURHOOD?

28 Jan 2012
Crossways Church, New Kent SE1

Programme

10.30 Registration
11.00 Opening plenary: Welcome and introduction

Aims of day: to animate SPD doc, introduce Neighbourhood Planning, consider uses of S106 /Community Infrastructure Levy, reinvigorate project banks

Speakers:
Andrew Richardson (Co-ordinator Bankside Residents Forum)
Simon Bevan (Head of Planning and Transport, Southwark Council)

11.30
Morning workshops - Character areas
• Central area
• Heygate St
• Brandon
• Walworth & Rail corridor
• Pullens
• Enterprise quarter
• Rockingham

1.00 Lunch

2.00 Afternoon workshops
• Green routes
• Housing & Sustainable development
• Neighbourhood planning
• Retail & Employment (to be confirmed)

3.30 Final plenary:
Simon Courage (member of Hackbridge Neighbourhood Planning group). draft SPD statement, development of neighbourhood plan, invite involvement in steering group.



Summary of proposed workshops

1. Central area The SPD aims include a new leisure centre, new affordable retail units for existing occupiers, improving bus, tube and rail interchanges and tall building development. Amongst the issues to be considered;
• How is the Walworth Rd going to be connected to the Elephant town centre?
• What safe pedestrian/cycle connections can be made from Walworth toward Borough and London Bridge?

2. Heygate St The SPD aims include 2,500 homes on Heygate footprint, building a new Market Square and public park, providing a tall ‘gateway’ building. Amongst the issues to be considered;
• Is there enough affordable housing?
• Are podium level courtyards desirable?
• How ‘public’ will the green and open spaces be?

3. Brandon St The SPD aims include maintaining the area as residential, improving the public realm around the Orb St junction, relating new building height to surrounding buildings, improving green routes and Nursery Row park. Amongst the issues to be considered;
• What kind of improvements will be made? How will they be achieved?
• How can East St market be supported?
• Do the green routes have a clear purpose and character?

4. Walworth………. The SPD aims include mixed used development, avoiding an over concentration of student residences, providing new public spaces next to old town hall and Carter Place. Amongst the issues to be considered;
• The completion of Walworth Rd project is needed to benefit Aylesbury estate tenants
• Some buildings of character and local value not covered by local listings need protection

……..& Rail corridor The SPD aims include retaining business uses, encouraging a range of town centre uses in railway arches, conserving heritage assets eg Manor Place baths. Amongst the issues to be considered
• Major improvements are needed to Hampton St and Steedman St
• Detail is needed about how proposed pedestrian routes along corridor are to be made
• Protection is needed for Victorian terrace buildings adjacent to Manor Place depot

5. Pullens The SPD aims include maintaining the area as predominately residential, creating better linkages with the Walworth Rd and other areas. Amongst the issues to be considered;
• The poor condition of the Dante Rd environment and carriageway.
• The proposed green route along Longville Rd needs specific attention
• S106 investment from the London Park hotel site would significantly improve these streets

6. Enterprise quarter The aims for the area include supporting and encouraging the current economic and business functions, improving the public realm at key ‘gateways’, developing a cluster of tall buildings on Newington Causeway. Amongst the issues to be considered;
• Newington Causeway is a great barrier to pedestrian and cycle movement, because of its motorway like appearance
• The active frontages on the east side of London Rd need particular attention and a clear statement of intent

7. Rockingham The SPD aims include Improving pedestrian links across new Kent Road into the Heygate, ensure infill development respects surrounding buildings, improving green routes, improving the retail environment on Harper Road and the facilities at the Rockingham Community Centre. Amongst the issues to be considered;
• What are infill developments? Where would they be?
• Is the community demand for improvements to community facilities reflected in the SPD?
• How will the regeneration improve housing prospects?

8. Green Routes The SPD will promote walking and cycling with a series of green routes throughout Walworth. This workshop is being run jointly with Southwark Council and aims to answer the basic questions about green routes.
• What are they? What do we want them to be like?
• Is the Council proposing the right routes?
• How will they be delivered? Can we make their creation a model for community involvement?

9. Housing and sustainable development Housing and sustainable development are key to a successful regeneration of the Elephant . The topics to be covered include community infrastructure, landscape and open spaces, recreation and play, green transport. Amongst the questions to be discussed
• the density of housing and its affordability,
• community spaces, including place of worship, open spaces and public realm,
• car-parking, air-quality, energy use and efficiency,

10. Neighbourhood planning Local communities have been given the chance to advance their own ideas about how their neighbourhoods can be developed under the new localism legislation. The workshop will look at what a neighbourhood plan might be, who can write one, drawing from examples elsewhere.
• what opportunities can it offer the local community?
• can a neighbourhood plan change or influence the Elephant’s regeneration?

11. Retail and Employment The SPD promises to turn the Elephant and Castle into a ‘major shopping destination’, increasing retail floor space by up to 45000 sq. metres and providing 5000 new jobs.
• How will this affect local businesses and local people? What sort of shops can we expect to see at the Elephant; how will they affect the Walworth Rd and East St market?
• What kind of jobs can we expect and how will the opportunities be maximised for local people, especially the young?

NB Workshops may be changed or amalgamated on the day, depending on demand.

Very sorry to not be able to make that, an emphatic YES is my answer, hope you have a great day and my hat's off to the organizers.

here's the report of the first half of the event (i was v v tired so didn't stay for the duration but the morning was, erm, interesting :P)
http://www.peoplesrepublicofsouthwark.co.uk/index.php?option=com_k2&view=item&id=1764%3Ais-elephant-your-neighbourhood-report&Itemid=2#.TyRC0JuZPDg.facebook