This meeting will include discussion about a contentious HMO development in Plumstead, a newly built dwelling in Eltham and a development of three new homes on what used to be garden space on Avery Hill Road. Councillors will be asked to decide whether to approve all of these applications, and if so, what conditions to attach to their approval. The documents do not show whether the Committee actually discussed, or decided anything.

24 Lucknow Street, Plumstead

The Local Planning Committee report pack indicates that Councillors will be asked to decide on an application for planning permission to change the use of a house at 24 Lucknow Street, Plumstead, from a single dwelling to a 5-bedroom HMO for a maximum of six occupants. The application is for the change of use and the construction of two single-storey rear extensions, refuse storage and cycle storage.

This application has been called in because it received 24 objections from local residents and was deferred from the last meeting to allow the applicant to attend and respond to Members’ questions.

Local residents object to the application on a range of issues including the potential for the development to contribute to a loss of family homes in the area, to exacerbate issues with traffic congestion and refuse and cause a loss of privacy and increase antisocial behaviour and crime in the area.

One resident claimed that the proposal is 15 square metres smaller than the minimum specified in London Plan Policy D6, and that it would fail to comply with London Plan Policy H9 because it is likely to require structural work that would make it difficult to ever convert it back to a family home.

Planning Officers are recommending that the application be granted. They consider that there is sufficient space within the curtilage of the property for bin and cycle storage, that the development will not have an unacceptable impact on parking or local traffic, and that the size of the rooms in the proposed HMO meet the standards set out in the Council's own HMO Standards. They also note that many of the concerns raised by residents about the internal layout of the house, such as the location of kitchen facilities, would be dealt with as part of the licensing process.

Land to the rear of 182-184 Avery Hill Road, SE9 2EY

Planning Officers are recommending that the committee grant an application for planning permission for the construction of three new four-bedroom houses on land to the rear of 182-184 Avery Hill Road, Avery Hill.

This is the latest in a series of applications to build homes on the site which have been refused by the Council and dismissed at appeal.

Two previous applications, in 2011 and 2012, for 2 houses on a site with a very similar footprint were both rejected because they were deemed to be out of keeping with the surrounding area. In 2012 the Planning Inspectorate dismissed the appeal, saying

In consequence the scheme would result in a small enclave of development in which the dwellings would not only pay little heed to the surrounding buildings but would also appear comparatively cramped.

Since then, the applicant has completely redesigned the scheme, increasing the number of properties to 3, introducing shared access, changing the scale, and form of the buildings, and using more traditional materials.

Planning Officers now consider the application acceptable, arguing that

the proposed development would relate appropriately to the pattern of development and the concerns raised previously have been overcome.

In addition to concerns about the visual impact of the development, residents are also concerned about its impact on traffic. The site currently has a dropped kerb providing vehicle access, and the application, as originally submitted, included 3 parking spaces. This was judged to be excessive by the Council's Highways Officer, who recommended

that the development be car free. It is recommended that the existing vehicle crossover is abandoned and the car park spaces removed to create a positive landscaped area.

The applicant subsequently removed the parking spaces from the scheme, but maintained the dropped kerb. The Highways Officer has now recommended that the dropped kerb be removed as well, leaving only pedestrian and cycle access to the site.

In removing the vehicle access within the site, this also creates opportunity for refuse bins to be located within the access nearer the road on day of collection without creating obstruction or the need for refuse vehicles to enter the site.

The Highways Officer also notes that since the site is located within the New Eltham Controlled Parking Zone (CPZ), residents will have to rely on on-street parking. However, he believes this will not be a problem because a survey revealed that

the parking spaces were not extensively occupied and there was spare capacity.

The application has also attracted objections on ecological grounds. The Council's Tree Officer has requested that conditions be imposed to protect trees on the site during the construction of the development. An ecological appraisal, submitted in support of the application, recommends that the development include bird boxes, log piles, hedgehog houses and bee bricks.

Planning Officers are recommending that the application be granted subject to conditions, including the removal of the dropped kerb, a restriction on vehicle access to the site, a landscaping scheme, the provision of 3 refuse bins per dwelling, the submission of an Arboricultural Method Statement and Tree Protection Plan and the installation of the ecological enhancements.

113 Gregory Crescent, Eltham

The meeting report pack indicates that the Local Planning Committee will be asked to decide on an application for planning permission to build a new two-storey, two-bedroom dwelling house with parking, waste and cycle storage on land next to 113 Gregory Crescent, Eltham.

The application has been called in because it has received 13 objections.

Residents are concerned about the visual impact of the development, its impact on traffic and parking in the area, and about the potential for it to be used as an HMO. One resident claims that the planning statement contains inaccuracies, and another claims that the proposal replicates an earlier application to build an extension on the site of 113 Gregory Crescent, which was rejected by the Council on 24 November 2022.

Planning Officers are recommending that the application be granted. They argue that the scale and appearance of the dwelling would be in keeping with the other properties on the street, and that the application would comply with the relevant standards for the size of rooms and amenity space in new dwellings. They also note that the application is for a C3 dwelling, and that concerns about it being used as an HMO are not relevant to this application.

The Council's Transport & Highways Officer has confirmed that he has no objection to the application.