My Lib Dem colleagues at the GLA have brought to my attention a new report from the London Development Agency that looks at Lee Green and six other town centres in South London, examining whether new housing could be the answer to revitalising them.
The study – which you can download here – looks at Lee Green in some detail and suggests three potential schemes for regenerating the whole crossroad area. It also makes the case more generally for housing in town centres.
I think the report’s interesting, and certainly in all the discussions I’ve had with the Leegate Centre’s owners, St Modwen, over the last 3 and a bit years, they’ve always stated that one of their aims in any redevelopment would be to introduce more housing. It makes sense to them financially (or did!) and it’s also in-line with London and local planning policy which calls for more housing around transport hubs. Not sure Lee Green’s quite a transport hub, but there are a fair number of buses..!
The disappointing thing about this report is that it doesn’t seem to have involved any consultation with local people or their elected representatives. The nearest thing that I can see is a meeting they’ve had with a planning policy manager at the Council. The report acknoledges that “Local residents groups aspire to a better shopping, restaurant and cafe offer as well as public realm improvements,” which I presume is a reference to the Lee Manor Society’s design brief.
All in all, a bit of a missed opportunity. The report’s starting point is to make the case for extra housing, but without asking the community if that’s what we want, the rest of its findings are a bit academic. It’s a shame, because the money that the LDA have spent looking at Lee Green could have been used to help us develop a real community vision.
If you get the chance to have a read, I’d be interested in your views.
September 14th, 2009 at 6:19 pm
I’ve taken a look at the report and to be honest don’t like the look of ANY of the schemes. The only reasons the centre is failing are:-
a) Insufficient parking (assuming the you daren’t risk using the Leegate car park) and
b) It looks so asbolutely dreadful. People don’t want to be depresaed when they go shopping!
In my view there MUST be shopping in the new development and there MUST be enough accessible parking. I actually don’t see why there needs to be any more houses. I’d add a couple of trendy restaurants (it’s only over the road from Blackheath after all) & open up the river with some publicly accessible green space alongside but above all make it architecturally attractive.
Surely St Modwen’s determine what is built anyway rather than the LDA? What are St Modwen’s plans?
Graham Wenden
September 23rd, 2009 at 6:08 am
I totally agree with Graham. Lee is a lovely area but the Leegate Centre really is an eyesore to say the least. It really needs to be demolished and rebuilt. With a wider variety of shops / cafes/ restaurants. Why are St Modwen’s dragging their feet. Surely they must know Leegate it’s come to the point where Leegate should be knocked down and rebuilt.