9 June 2018
Brockley Society is aware of the installation of gates at the northern end of Ashby Mews and has advised initiating mews residents (frontagers) that:
- retrospective planning application is needed
- otherwise LB Lewisham will start enforcement action as the gate is too high
- even though the Mews is privately owned, all mews frontagers along the whole length should have been consulted
- a management strategy should have been agreed to ensure free access is maintained for pedestrians as well as delivery and emergency vehicles
Despite this advice being given to the organising mews residents it seems to have fallen on deaf ears, as earlier this week the northern end of the mews access lane was resurfaced with black tarmacadam.
As this destroys the rural character that is such a unique characteristic of the Conservation Area (CA), the Society has escalated its concern via Ward Councillors so as to extend the request to LB Lewisham:
- for enforcement to be investigated or
- to require that planning consent be obtained to stop this ‘suburbanisation’ threat.
On this Brockley Society considers that:
- the resurfacing work fundamentally affects the status of this part of the CA such that it could be withdrawn
- other more suitable traditional solutions should have been considered via the Society to avoid this possibility
- as the work is defined as ‘a hard surface’ within the curtilage frontage of each property bordering the affected area then:
- the Article 4 Direction protecting the CA should fully apply
- the planning applications already granted/in consideration for bordering properties should be reappraised in view of this ill-considered change.
We will provide updates on this situation as and when we have any.
