Heron House - offices / hotel / flats?

Local Services
#22

This would be my preferred option Michael, it COULD be pretty cool!

#23

What’s wrong with it being a chain? I’m sure something like a Travelodge will be more successful and good for the area than a hopeful independent. It’s hardly the trade of SE23.

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#24

i used to live in forest hill and am out of the loop but is there a new job centre opening nearby and if not WHY?

Jobcentre closing in Forest Hill?
#25

A hotel - or is that someone’s way of saying hostel with a silent s? Even if it isn’t, there are a lot of hotels that are booked-out by local authorities to temporarily house the short-term homeless people of their boroughs, hence, many of these places inadvertently end up being hostels.

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#26

All the more reason I hope it is a chain like Travelodge

#27

Not that we’re getting ahead of ourselves here, or anything.

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#28

I’ve sent a note to Heston.

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#29

Of course not, lol. It’s on good authority and all that.

#30

I think a hotel could do quite well, the nature of the area is that many people have family that live a long way away, and so it’s tricky when they come to visit if you only live in a small place. I don’t know many people that have a house big enough for an empty spare room.

But yes - where does the job centre go?

#31

Considering the cuts to the DWP, I wouldn’t be surprised if they move all the jobseekers to Lewisham Jobcentre+ in Rushey Green, Catford.

#32

Yeh, but many of the poor unfortunate souls will find it much harder to park their 1 & 2 year old Mercedes and BMWs down there!

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#33

Just been told the landlord has said this will be either a Premier Inn or Travel Lodge!

@anon64893700 think you’ll like this :slight_smile:

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#34

In other words that’s what he would like, but it is quite possible that neither company are in negotiations.

Don’t forget we were told by people in the know that The Capitol would become a cinema. So far no change.

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#35

Agree Michael, which is why I said I had been told.

I’m hoping I can catch this landlord & have a chat myself to try and get more concrete info!

#36

I have just seen that planning application is put for Heron House to convert it to 20 one bed flats + 4 two bed flats. Seems like the hotel idea is not going to happen.

http://planning.lewisham.gov.uk/online-applications/applicationDetails.do?activeTab=summary&keyVal=_LEWIS_DCAPR_87566

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#37

Or, cheaper solution, just wait for a sink hole to open up. Shouldn’t be long, now.

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#38

That doesn’t seem like a bad idea to me, and from looking at the application there will be parking for the residents too.

#39

If I’m reading the proposals right, the proposal allows for 8 parking spaces for the 4 x 2 bedroom flats, and no parking at all for the 20 x 1 bedroom flats?

As if Derby Hill wasn’t crammed enough, adding an 11 additional residents vehicles (based on their own ownership figures) is an almighty stretch - especially when the parking stress analysis they cite already states that the on street parking is already over subscribed).

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#40

You have got those 11 cars from that development combined with about 20 from the development on the other side of the road where they are providing 3 disabled spaces for 27 flats, so potentially up to 30 cars will all be trying to park on Derby Hill or the surrounding areas.

I looked at the parking stress measurement table in their documents and they have said that there is spare capacity at night time at their measured times of 1 and 2am but not really during the day. And it must follow, as the night the day that those cars will be parked there during the day or at least a high percentage of them where there is no capacity.

Like most people I have no objections to new housing but how do you make sure that existing residents enjoyment is not ruined by new developments that decrease the amenities on your road?

#41

To be clear, this is not a planning application in the conventional sense, but a “prior approval” application. This follows changes to change of use in recent years which mean that office to residential conversions no longer need full planning permission. The borough can only consider transport/highways, contamination, flooding and noise impacts when determining these applications - they can’t ask for any kind of section 106 contribution and can’t apply development plan policies outside of these areas. Prior approval is simply an officer determination so it won’t go to planning committee.

I am not at all surprised that this is happening to Heron House as it is exactly the kind of dowdy (but well connected) office block that the government was thinking of in making the changes.

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