I suspect they will just play the long game, make the site as derelict looking as possible until the council agrees to allow flats to be built on it.
My gut feeling is that this will never be a building plot so I hope the council will get on and take the necessary and appropriate action against this untidy site, which may now also be hazardous due to strong weedkillers (?), and have the open green space reinstated.
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Iām not sure what action the council can realistically take, other than buying the land, which I suspect wonāt make it to the top of their next budget meeting.
I hope you are right and there is something that can be done, but I just see years of standoff.
Perhaps the council could serve a section 215 notice requiring the land to be properly maintained:
There maybe reasons this isnāt appropriate legislation to use or isnāt applicable, though given the councilās housing objectives and the planning committeeās willingness to allow removal of trees for infill property developments, I do wonder how motivated the Local Planning Authority can be to protect Duncombe Hill Green.
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This seems slightly odd, though I guess it could in theory be charged back.
This sounds good on paper, Iām not hopeful on it happening though.
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Given the apparent guerilla gardening attempts already on the green (or should it be more accurately called a ābrownā now?), I think it wouldnāt be so hard to organise a gardening group to give it a quick make-over for free - if there were willing from the land owner and they promised not to immediately respray it with herbicide.
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Totally up for that. Happy to contact someone at Investor Alliance to get the ball rolling.
UPDATE: OK, so cannot find any phone details for the company. Writing to them would in all likelihood not receive a speedy reply, if at all. So, given theyāre not based locally, why donāt we just set a date for a group of us to do a spot of judicious tendering. Yes, I know itās now private land blah blah, but itās currently going to ruin. Anyone interested? If you are, I suggest a WhatsApp group to prevent any dates being posted here.
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#GreenPower
#NatureWarriors
šŖ²:snail:
These people need to find places that are in need of serious make overs. Or support I mean So many buildings etc are looking for TLC.
I think Councillor Tauseef Anwar may have contact details, and while he may not be able to share them directly, he may be able to assist in establishing a dialog with the stakeholders?
His contact details are here: Lewisham Council - Councillor details - Councillor Tauseef Anwar
Iām happy to make a group PM here on SE23.life, or make a private topic / area if thatās a preference to WhatsApp.
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Ok, thanks, Iāll contact him in the first instance and then we can decide what action to take and how best to communicate.
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Good luck @Mac_SE23 , I hope something can be done. I have put my negativity on hold.
I think I read here or elsehwere that they were spraying the grass as they could not afford to upkeep it, so in theory if people wanted to look after it that should help everyone and reduce their cost.
I might be able to help, so drop me a DM if oyu make any progress.
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Thanks, will do. Iām no gardener, but very happy to be directed by those in the know. This ridiculous situation has gone on far too long and Iām fed up seeing it slowly die.
Re the fence, Iām going to ask if we can paint a mural of wild flowers on its outside. That would hopefully make it look far less depressing than it currently is.
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This is a great idea. If Iām honest Iāve been hoping some street artist would do the job over a few nights!
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Hi Oakr, thanks for the nudge. I didnāt get any response from the mobile numbers I found online for them, so contacted Councillor Tauseef who kindly provided me email address. Iām afraid I have only just emailed for which apologies, but letās hope my request to address the area and bring it back to its former glory falls on receptive ears. Will let you know as and when I hear anything.
EDIT: just had this response, to which I have already pushed back on:
'Thank you for your email. We do have plans to resubmit an other planning application in due course.
Indeed the appeal was dismissed last year, however the inspector did confirm that the site in question is not an open space but didnāt like the architectural plans we submitted, hence the dismissal. We will work to propose a more suitable plan for the area and take onboard the recommendations made by the inspector in regards to the design. I can assure you that once we complete our project for this land it will enhance the street appearance. In the mean while I also proposed an alternative scheme for the local council to consider, which would have provided a pocket of open space for the local residents but unfortunately the council didnāt even reply to my proposal.
Due the above outlined plan for this site I cannot accept your very kind offer. I can appreciate this may not be exactly what you were expecting as a reply and ask you to bear with us for a short while longer. If you have any questions please do feel free to reach out to me.ā
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Just had a response to my push-back:
āI really do appreciate your good intentions but unfortunately no third party maintenance will be accepted by the company I represent and also will be outside of the companyās insurance policy.
I know this is frustrating but we will try to speed up an application on our side to keep this window to a minimum.ā
So itās a ānoā, unfortunately.
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I think that shows an interpretation of someoneās reading of the Inspectorās report through some heavily rose-tinted specs.
Any design for a building and the remaining greenery that has enough merit to actually overcome the Inspectorās concerns will be worth seeing - maybe even to the extent that it could, on balance, make a positive contribution to the area - but Iād be extremely sceptical of that actually happening because, in my opinion, it would need to be on a considerably smaller scale, which probably wouldnāt make the scheme finacially viable.
As it was at the bottom of my road (Agnew) and a local hang-out for me and my mates in the 70s, Iāll be watching this space!
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Thanks for trying @Mac_SE23 .
I love that their insurance wonāt cover some seed sowing 
, wonder if it covers the large collection of beer cans accumulating under one tree ā¦
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My push-back highlighted the lengthy timeframe of any new application and its subsequent appeals should it not be successful, along with the further impact that would have on an already neglected piece of land.
Disappointing but hey, theyāre not locals so why would they care what we have to walk past on a regular basis as members of the local community?
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Iām pretty certain that the public liability insurance from the Forest Hill Society would cover any maintainence that was agreed by the owner of the property. But that might depend on the poison used in the area to deliberately make it an eyesore.
Council needs to demand improvement to the property section 215 if i remember correctly.
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