Planning in Southwark....if you thought Prescott was bad...

Just read an article on Ruth Kelly's intervention in planning decisions in Southwark - might be of interest as it appears that she knows better than people who live here.

Here's part of the article:

"be worried...we've managed to defeat planning applications submitted by Barrets to build 260 flats bang next door to an ecological park in Rotherhithe. Barrets appealed and lost. The council inspectors turned them down twice and then the government planners turned them down too. So we were pretty chuffed. We'd won, legally and morally several times over. But then Ruth Kelly (Communities Secretary) overruled the whole lot and just gave the go ahead to Barrets. She's never even visited the proposed site."

Here's a link to read more about it: http://tinyurl.com/o2p9f

OMIGOD...and she DOES live in the area apparently, someone told me she lives in Grange Road. This is scandalous. Get on to the PRESS immediately, because this is what raised people's hackles about John Prescott.

Does she really live here?

I understand that the downtown defence campaign has been organising opposition to this for sometime - but I can't seem to get their website.

The Lib Dems are also running a petition on the issue.

Good to know, I'll email Lorraine Zuleta and Richard THomas too.

The Downtown Defence Campaign does in fact now have a new webpage -- http://www.russiadockwood.ukfriends.com/html/downtown_defence.html -- and we can also be reached on 7237 7586. Apologies to all who haven't been able to find us recently. Please come along to the Southwark Council Assembly meeting at Southwark Town Hall from 7pm this coming Wednesday (13 September), when there'll be both a deputation and a motion about Ruth Kelly's ruling. The full agenda for that meeting can be seen at http://www.southwark.gov.uk/Uploads/file_22807.pdf.

Further to my earlier message today, please see http://groups.yahoo.com/group/the_friends_of_russia_dock_woodland/message/785 for the wording of the Southwark Council Assembly motion on 13 September about Downtown.

Please see http://groups.yahoo.com/group/the_friends_of_russia_dock_woodland/ for more messages about the Southwark Council Assembly meeting tomorrow evening. The Downtown Defence Campaign would love you to come along and join the chorus of rage against Ruth Kelly!

how did the council assembly go?

Southwark Council's Assembly passed Councillors Rajan and Noblet's motion, and their Executive will decide whether to lodge an appeal against Ruth Kelly's decision on the evening of Monday 18 September. Please visit http://groups.yahoo.com/group/the_friends_of_russia_dock_woodland/messages for updates.

And the excellent news is that the executive has decided to appeal:

http://www.southwark.gov.uk/Public/NewsArticle.aspx?articleId=19460