Bellingham and Lewisham in the news
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 …
Continue reading “Lewisham Council Planning – More Acting Up”
The Labour Government has passed the English Devolution and Community Empowerment Act 2026. Experts have hailed this as a “foundational text we will be returning to for years.” The Act settles a number of issues of the time, the committee system of governance has not faired well and stronger leadership models have found favour. There …
Plans for Catford have moved on. The Compulsory Purchase Order proposed by Transport for London has been dropped and Government – Department for Transport – funding has been cancelled. In February 2025 Transport for London Board were given this Commissioner’s report: Catford Town gyratory scheme On 13 December 2023, the Board approvedin principle a Compulsory …
Deptford is an interesting place. It has a rich history. This has been recognised by the adoption of a formal Conservation Area around Deptford High Street. The separate Deptford High Street and St Paul’s Church conservation areas were designated in 1976 and 1975 respectively. In 2019 they were merge together. At the time Lewisham Council …
The Greater London Authority has published their latest assessments of flood risks across London. As the hot weather subsides, thoughts will turn to rain. The new London Regional Flood Risk Assessment has been in development for some time before its final publication in March 2026. For the London Borough of Lewisham there are some significant …
Following a Freedom of Information request, Lewisham Council has confirmed that the new Chief Planning Officer, Michael Forrester and the powerful Head of Development Management, David Robinson are acting up in their respective roles. These two positions are crucial to the effective running of the planning process across the London Borough of Lewisham as they …
Lewisham Council has held its Annual General Meeting on 20th May 2026 following the local elections. The purpose of the meeting is to elect a Speaker to chair the meeting and elect Councillors to serve on the Executive, elect members to the council wide committees, appoint people to serve on outside bodies and establish the …
Continue reading “Lewisham Council – the new political line up”
Lewisham Council has appointed a new interim Chief Planning Officer Michael Forrester. He was previously Head of Development Management at the authority where he had responsibility to ensure the efficient review of thousands of pre-applications, planning applications and to facilitate planning committees as well as supporting planning enforcement. Much of Michael’s work has been to …
Lewisham Council has agreed to retain the Public Transport Liaison Committee or Forum. This has resulted in greater scrutiny and pressure on bus and train operators to address key issues such as poor services, working conditions and lack of investment. The AGM of the Council was held on the 7th May 2025 and this meeting …
Continue reading “Public Transport Liaison in Lewisham – All Change Please….”
Transport for London has published details of the road changes to the A205 South Circular Road that it would like to see. The documents released confirm that both a Compulsory Purchase Order (CPO) and planning permission is required. Lewisham Council has been supporting the changes to realise their ambition to build over 2,700 properties in …
