Hot on the heels of Lewisham Council’s rejection of a controversial 802-home development at Deptford Creek on heritage and light impact grounds, further temporary staffing arrangements have been revealed.
Previously, the Council made it clear that the Senior Conservation Officer responsible for the formal assessments of local historic buildings, conservation areas, and heritage assets does not report to the Chief Planning Officer directly.
In a statement released on 28th September 2026, Lewisham Council say:
“Lewisham’s design team currently has one FTE Senior Design and Conservation Officer – Chloe Ducroizet-Boitaud and a vacant FTE Principal Design and Conservation Officer following the departure of Joanna Ecclestone from the Council relatively recently. Following a successful recruitment process in August 2026 the Council is currently going through the onboarding stage with the successful candidate working out their notice period. On completion of this process the Principal Role should be occupied in Nov/Dec 2026.”
In terms of good governance, the number of posts marked as ‘interim’ or ‘acting’ or vacant within the planning team is not ideal.
Let’s hope that the new recruit will settle in soon and their experience and name will shine through.