Our Vision for Grove Park - A new District Park

Our Neighbourhood Plan sets out a number of priority projects to improve community infrastructure, including our community spaces and green spaces.

 

One project is making the Railway Children Urban National Park a reality. Proceeds from the Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL) and other S106 development agreements can secure the funding to realise this District level Parkland. The land is already protected by its designations such as Metropolitan Open Land and Site of Importance for Nature Conservation. Unfortunately, this doesn't stop developers trying to destroy the habitats and remove its open land designation.

 

This could be one of London's Ten New Parks, part of CPRE's campaign to bring back into use underused MOL and turn into new parks.

 

Our strong neighbourhood plan vision helps to make it clear that we will not accept the loss of any of our wildlife corridors.

 

Voting YES is saying YES to policies which help to positively work towards this vision.

Our Neighbourhood Plan passed examination earlier this year and the Neighbourhood Forum and the Council have confirmed that the Neighbourhood Plan, as submitted below, will be updated with the recommended changes outlined in the examiners report. The Council have now set a referendum date of 26th August 2021.

 

Voting YES will mean that the London Borough of Lewisham will adopt and use the Neighbourhood Plan for Grove Park to help it decide planning applications in the neighbourhood area.

 

To read all the final documents visit Council's Grove Park Neighbourhood Forum Webpage. 

It includes the following documents:

Appendix 1 – Independent examiners report on Grove Park Neighbourhood Plan

Appendix 2 – Lewisham Council Decision notice

Grove Park Referendum Information Statement

General Information statement on Town and Country Planning

Grove Park Notice of Referendum

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Neighbourhood Plan Submission Documents

Grove Park Neighbourhood Development Plan

Grove Park Neighbourhood Development Plan consolidates the evidence base into a concise vision and strategy for Grove Park and sets out the proposed spatial policies that will guide future improvements and development in the neighbourhood (Submission Version)

Basic Conditions Statement

The Basic Conditions Statement summarises how the Grove Park Neighbourhood Plan conforms to the planning policy legal framework (Submission Version)

Statement of Consultation

Statement of Consultation summarises the consultation and engagement events and the key outputs to meet Regulation 15 of the Neighbourhood Plan Regulations (2012, as amended). It summarises the outcomes of the Regulation 14 Statutory Consultation (Submission Version)

Introduction to Grove Park

Annex I - Introduction to Grove Park sets out the background to Grove Park's Neighbourhood Plan. It gives a broad overview of the neighbourhood’s geographic and historic context, highlighting what is unique about the area and therefore, how its distinctive qualities should inform future development. Places which enhance their local distinctiveness manage to thrive and be places where people want to live and visit – contributing to their sustainable development.

Neighbourhood Analysis

Annex II - Neighbourhood Analysis documents the evidence-base which is not covered in the other baseline reports (see Appendices A1-A14). It highlights the issues, assets and opportunities in Grove Park (Submission Version)

Strategic Environmental Assessment - Screening Statement

Annex III - Strategic Environmental Assessment - Screening Statement - documents the outcome of the SEA screening process.

Habitats Regulations Assessment

Annex IV - Habitats Regulations Assessment - documents the outcome of the HRA process

Evidence Base - Supporting Appendices

The following documents are Appendices 1-14 of the Grove Park Neighbourhood Plan. They form the evidence in support of the policies set out in the plan.

A1 - Prince's Foundation Town Centre Vision

A1 - Grove Park Community Design Workshop. This report sets out the vision for the revitalisation of Grove Park ‘Town Centre’.

A2 - Grove Park Public Realm Improvements

A2 - Grove Park Public Realm Improvements. Outlines a public realm improvement scheme proposing enhancements along Baring Road and Downham Way.

A3 - Vision Day - Emerging Plan

A3 - Vision Day - Emerging Grove Park Neighbourhood Plan. A report summarising the vision day workshop objectives.

A4 - Site Identification and Assessment

A4 - Site Identification and Assessment. A report of the site survey undertaken to identify potential opportunities for development.

A5 - An Alternative Plan for Grove Park Youth Club

A5 - An Alternative Plan for Grove Park Youth Club Site: A Community-Led Plan to Regenerate Grove Park. Sets out the community’s aspirations for regenerating the abandoned site on Marvels Lane and reinstating youth facilities, a key project of the Neighbourhood Plan.

A6 - Draft Plan Online Survey Results

A6 - Draft Plan Online Survey Results. Export from the online SurveyMonkey survey, asking residents whether they agreed with the emerging draft plan.

A7 - Heritage and Character Assessment

A7 - Grove Park Heritage and Character Assessment. Documents Grove Park's heritage character assessment to support the built environment and heritage policies.

A8 - Identification and Protection of Heritage Assets

A8 - Identification and Protection of Heritage Assets. Research work documenting the evidence in support of the emerging neighbourhood planning policies on heritage assets.

A9 - A review of Aquisitions UCL Grove Park Youth Club

A9 - A review of Aquisitions UCL Grove Park Youth Club. Research work documenting the evidence in support of the emerging neighbourhood planning policies on heritage assets.

A10a - The Future Railway at Grove Park

A10a - The Future Railway at Grove Park. A study looking at the potential for public transport (railway) expansion in Grove Park.

A10b - Sustainable Transport Solutions

A10b - Sustainable Transport Solutions. Research work documenting the evidence in support of the emerging planning policies on sustainable transport.rk.

A11 - Official Labour Market Statistics

Official Labour Market Statistics Report. An export of labour markets statistics to support development of economic policies.

A12 - Research into Youth Provision & Educational Attainment

A12 - Research into Youth Provision & Educational Attainment. Provided the background about the levels of youth provision in the area, including educational attainment, to support policies on community and employment facilities.

A13 - Grove Park Neighbourhood Plan Masterplanning

A13 - Grove Park Neighbourhood Plan Masterplanning. Indicative masterplan showing what is possible for the Site Allocations.

A14 -The Railway Children Urban National Park

Growing Grove Park - A toolkit of ideas for enriching Grove Park

Neighbourhood Plan Briefing

 

Thursday 5th August - 7.30pm to 8.30pm - at Ringway Community Centre (SE12 0DS)

or

Saturday 7th August - 10am to 11am - at Grove Park Youth Club (Marvels Lane, SE12 9PR)

To find out more about the Neighbourhood Plan and the Referendum on the 26th of August please come along to a short briefing either this Thursday 5th evening or Saturday 7th morning.

We will give a short presentation on the plan and what's been happening since we submitted the Neighbourhood Plan in 2017 to Lewisham Council.

It's also an opportunity for you to ask any questions before referendum day on the 26th August 2021.

PLEASE WEAR A FACE MASK ON ENTRY. WE WILL BE INSIDE THE HALLS AND WILL NOT ADMIT ANYONE WITHOUT A FACE MASK.

Don't forget you have to register to vote by before 10th of August. More info on the voting process can be found here: https://lewisham.gov.uk/myservices/planning/policy/neighbourhood-plans/grove-park-neighbourhood-forum-and-area

Thank you for your cooperation

Grove Park Neighbourhood Forum Committee

Map of Grove Park Neighbourhood Forum Area

Grove-Park-Neighbourhood-Area-map-June-2014

This is the map of the designated area for the Neighbourhood Forum.

Welcome to the Grove Park Neighbourhood Forum

Who Are We?

The neighbourhood forum is a constituted resident volunteer-led group (in line with the Localism Act, as amended) who have come together to develop a vision for their neighbourhood and write a Neighbourhood Plan.

 

The Forum was originally designated in 2014, and redesignated in 2019. The Grove Park Neighbourhood Forum designation will run until the 20th Oct 2025.

 

Neighbourhood Plan Area

The area covered by the neighbourhood plan is shown on the map here. It covers the entire ward of Grove Park, and parts of Whitefoot and Downham.

How the Neighbourhood Forum Started

In 2011, when developers applied to demolish the historic Baring Hall Pub (built in 1882) in the centre of Grove Park and replace it with a block of flats, many local residents and campaigners came together with the Grove Park Community Group and the campaign successfully saved the pub from demolition.

The process of saving the Baring Hall Hotel highlighted the general absence of an overarching planning policy for Grove Park and the lack of a vision for improving the town centre.

This was greatly exacerbated by the fact that there was a long-running dispute between Network Rail and other bodies over who was responsible for maintaining the deteriorating bridge that supports Baring Road over the railway line.

The Prince’s Foundation

In what was to be the first of a series of community and stakeholder meetings, the Community Group invited The Prince’s Foundation to facilitate a Community Design Workshop in February 2012 for the area around Grove Park station in response to a number of issues:

  • Grove Park’s potential to be a thriving local centre
  • The quality of the public spaces and provision for pedestrians, people with disabilities and cyclists
  • The vacant Baring Hall Hotel and parades of shops

Over 100 people attended and took part in the Workshop.The Design Workshop provided a basis for taking our plans forward which included steps to improve the appearance of the town centre and the setting up of a Neighbourhood Forum. It is the forum which is creating a Neighbourhood Plan that must tie into existing national, regional and local authority planning policies.

Baring Road and Downham Way Public Realm Improvements

The results of the Community Design Workshop enabled us to successfully lobby for the council to apply for £1.2m from TfL and the Community Benefit Fund for significant improvements to the town centre.  Lewisham Council were able to then prepare a consultation document called Baring Road and Downham Way Public Realm Improvements which provided a basis for consultation on improving the street scene. Detailed drawings are being drawn up and we are now waiting for their implementation.

Neighbourhood Forum to date

Another key result of the Community Design Workshop was the agreement to begin the process of setting up a Neighbourhood Forum and creating a Neighbourhood Plan and in the summer of 2014 a consultation leaflet went to every home in the area.  Basing his decision on the consultation, the Mayor of Lewisham designated Grove Park as both a neighbourhood forum and a neighbourhood area at the Mayor and Cabinet meeting of October 22nd 2014.

For more information on The Neighbourhood Planning process see document: Quick Guide to Neighbourhood Plans

 

 

This is a contact page with some basic contact information and a contact form.

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