Planning Application: Taymount Grange, Taymount Rise

Reference DC/23/130280, Construction of a 5 storey building comprising 29 flats, TAYMOUNT GRANGE, TAYMOUNT RISE, LONDON, SE23 3UH

 

The Forest Hill Society has written to object to this planning application. Concerns include:

• Daylight for residents in the new property
• Issues for transport and parking
• Difficulty for servicing and access
• Pedestrian access limited to non-residents
• Lack of social housing

In addition we are concerned about the impact of the construction of two developments on either side of Taymount Grange at the same time and coordination between developers.

Extracts from the objection:

Daylight

The levels of daylight for almost all east facing windows on the ground floor and first floor of this development are well below any suitable daylight factor. In total there are 7 units (24%) across the four floors where the Living room/Kitchen/Dining room less than 20% of the room area meeting required Daylight Factor.

These figures demonstrate a poor quality of residential amenity that falls below Lewisham policies and national expectations for daylight, due to over-development of this backland site. 

Parking & Servicing

Despite the flawed transport statement, it should be clear that based on policy 29 that this application should be refused as this development is outside of PTAL 4 rating and will cause detrimental impact on the provision of on-street parking on top of that already allowed by Lewisham with the previous permission given.

In relation to servicing, paragraph 3.5.1 of the transport statement says that parking for servicing will be provided in the turning area. This will prevent people parked in the disabled parking bays from being able to leave this site without reversing for approximately 200m up a narrow, sloped driveway. The dual use of the turning area for servicing and turning for disabled residents is inappropriate and could be unsafe for disabled residents.

Pedestrian Access

We welcome the creation of a new pedestrian route between Taymount Rise and Derby Hill Crescent. However, we do not believe that this should be limited to residents of the new block. Large numbers of children from Grassmount, Forestholme Close, Forest Croft, and other flats on Taymount Rise attend Eliot Bank and Sydenham Schools. This route should be open to them and should not result in children having to wait for somebody to open the gate to let them through.

We would ask that a condition should be placed on any permission, that access should be available to all residents located on Taymount Rise to make use of this new access route. 

Social Housing

We support the London Plan and Council plan that social housing should be included in new developments of more than 9 residential units. This scheme, at 29 units, should be expected to contribute in some way to the provision of social housing in Forest Hill. 

Construction

Should permission be given for any development on the Taymount Grange site, we ask that coordination takes place between the two developers to limit traffic and noise disruption. It would be completely unreasonable for existing Taymount Grange residents to have to deal with ground drilling on both sides of their property at the same time. This may require restrictions on a development that has already been given permission or limitations on the start of work on this site until work on the previous site is completed.