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Huge billboard goes up on Coldharbour Lane without planning permission and car wash shenanigans

You can just send them an email.

foi@lambeth.gov.uk

Or write to them in fountain pen:

Tracy Phillips
Information Compliance Advisor (Solicitor)
Governance and Democracy
Lambeth Town Hall (room 205)
Brixton Hill
SW1 1RW

They'll take at least 20 days to reply, and you'll probably have to chase them for it, but they mostly answer.
 
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So the huge billboard is still up there, standing proud as a testament to the council's uselessness and impotence, while the horrendously noisy car washing business continues to do as it pleases.

Apparently the council gifted them a 40 year lease on the proviso that the space wasn't used for car parking.

Great to see that they're really on the ball with that one too... :facepalm:

2012-11-19-11.53.06.jpg
 
editor said:
Apparently the council gifted them a 40 year lease
Click to expand...

At least that gives some reassurance that Lambeth aren't going to pull down the Barrier Block and redevelop the area as a giant Tesco.

Unless they are completely incompetent that is :hmm:
 
Winot said:
At least that gives some reassurance that Lambeth aren't going to pull down the Barrier Block and redevelop the area as a giant Tesco.

Unless they are completely incompetent that is :hmm:
Click to expand...
That's it. We're all fucked then. :(
 
Winot said:
At least that gives some reassurance that Lambeth aren't going to pull down the Barrier Block and redevelop the area as a giant Tesco.
Click to expand...

It is more likely to mean that Lambeth will pay the people who they gifted the lease to a huge sum to give it back.
 
editor said:
So the huge billboard is still up there, standing proud as a testament to the council's uselessness and impotence, while the horrendously noisy car washing business continues to do as it pleases.

Apparently the council gifted them a 40 year lease on the proviso that the space wasn't used for car parking.

Great to see that they're really on the ball with that one too... :facepalm:

View attachment 25214
Click to expand...
Some points here:
1. the original lease was granted for a petrol station for 99 years back in 1972 or thereabouts. Looks as though this may have been transferred to Ujima Housing in around 2002 (they were working on a proposal for a block of flats which never got final planning approval). As has been discussed elsewhere on Urban 75b Ujima became insolvent, and its housing stock transferred to L & Q. Most likely other assets (such as the lease on this site) would have been sold off at auction. This could be checked by FOI - but what would help is if there were a councillor able and willing to take the issue on, since all the information must be with the council's legal department.
2. A couple of months ago I mentioned - in passing as I had consulted him on another matter - this enforcement issue on the billboard to Richard Limbrick -the Enforcement officer responsible for this area. Mr Limbrick seems willing to make all sorts of assurances about possible courses of action EXCEPT anything which required the council to go to court (costs). He told me back at the end of September he was proposing to the parks department that they should remove the signs, since the land is council land ultimately and the signs are illegal. As you can see nothing has happened - and I doubt it will unless a councillor gets actively involved.
3. My enquiries over the summer about any spare section 106 money from the Barratts scheme to devote to upgrading this site produced a response from Cllr Lib Peck - and I quote from this - first regarding the funds to be allocated from "The Viaduct": The Section 106 monies for the open space on Coldharbour Lane come from the development at 360-366, signed in May 2006. The agreement provided a payment of £30,000 for landscaping of the open space at the corner of Somerleyton Road and Coldharbour Lane. In 2008, Lambeth Parks proposed to use this money for a public art scheme with landscaping, the proposal was consulted on at that time, including engagement with the Moorlands Estate, pupils at Hill Mead Primary School, Evelyn Grace Academy and outreach groups at the 198 Gallery. There were six weeks of workshops for local residents in autumn 2008 with over 400 people taking part. A public artist was procured through an open competition with a Public Art Selection Panel.
The artist is called Taslim Martin. His public artwork can be seen around the country and, in 2007 the Horniman Museum commissioned him to produce a permanent sculpture commemorating the Bicentenary of the Abolition of the Transatlantic Slave Trade. The public art was clearly agreed to in a different economic climate but work is progressing on the sculpture. However, I am dismayed that the project has taken so long and have asked for a timetable to finish because I can completely understand how local residents new to the area or not particularly involved in the original project will wonder where it has come from and why it has taken so long.
Taslim’s proposal for this commission is entitled “Twins” and takes the form of two large egg shaped metal sculptures. One will have a bright brush finish and so reflects the sky and the surrounding buildings in its surface, and the other an iron oxide finish. One of the forms will have symbols and designs etched into the surface. Each of these surface markings have been designed by the community during the workshops and outreach programme that took place in autumn 2008.
Once this project has been completed there will not be any remaining funding from this section 106 to allocate towards another project. "
As for Barratts: "Re the Brixton Square development, in 2007 a S106 agreement was signed for around £240,000 as well as 48 units of affordable housing. The S106 money has been/is being spent on parks near the development so in this case Brockwell Park, traffic management, car clubs and education, a contribution was made towards Jessop Primary School."
Nice to know our environmental improvements have been lost in the works or spent on Brockwell Park!
 
You'd think the s106 money would be spent locally (i.e. around that bit of Coldharbour Lane) rather than on the council's pet projects around the borough...

Who gets to decide? Councillors? Officials? (Not residents, I assume....)

Pretty bad that the best part of 30 grand has gone to an artist for a four-year project which isn't even finished, rather than keeping that area of green upkept and together.
 
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Great to see the council moving so fast to stop the use of this property as a car park, as per their planning regulations. It's now moved to a 24 hour operation. :facepalm:

del.jpg
 
CH1 said:
Some points here:
1. the original lease was granted for a petrol station for 99 years back in 1972 or thereabouts. Looks as though this may have been transferred to Ujima Housing in around 2002 (they were working on a proposal for a block of flats which never got final planning approval). As has been discussed elsewhere on Urban 75b Ujima became insolvent, and its housing stock transferred to L & Q. Most likely other assets (such as the lease on this site) would have been sold off at auction. This could be checked by FOI - but what would help is if there were a councillor able and willing to take the issue on, since all the information must be with the council's legal department.
2. A couple of months ago I mentioned - in passing as I had consulted him on another matter - this enforcement issue on the billboard to Richard Limbrick -the Enforcement officer responsible for this area. Mr Limbrick seems willing to make all sorts of assurances about possible courses of action EXCEPT anything which required the council to go to court (costs). He told me back at the end of September he was proposing to the parks department that they should remove the signs, since the land is council land ultimately and the signs are illegal. As you can see nothing has happened - and I doubt it will unless a councillor gets actively involved.
3. My enquiries over the summer about any spare section 106 money from the Barratts scheme to devote to upgrading this site produced a response from Cllr Lib Peck - and I quote from this - first regarding the funds to be allocated from "The Viaduct": The Section 106 monies for the open space on Coldharbour Lane come from the development at 360-366, signed in May 2006. The agreement provided a payment of £30,000 for landscaping of the open space at the corner of Somerleyton Road and Coldharbour Lane. In 2008, Lambeth Parks proposed to use this money for a public art scheme with landscaping, the proposal was consulted on at that time, including engagement with the Moorlands Estate, pupils at Hill Mead Primary School, Evelyn Grace Academy and outreach groups at the 198 Gallery. There were six weeks of workshops for local residents in autumn 2008 with over 400 people taking part. A public artist was procured through an open competition with a Public Art Selection Panel.
The artist is called Taslim Martin. His public artwork can be seen around the country and, in 2007 the Horniman Museum commissioned him to produce a permanent sculpture commemorating the Bicentenary of the Abolition of the Transatlantic Slave Trade. The public art was clearly agreed to in a different economic climate but work is progressing on the sculpture. However, I am dismayed that the project has taken so long and have asked for a timetable to finish because I can completely understand how local residents new to the area or not particularly involved in the original project will wonder where it has come from and why it has taken so long.
Taslim’s proposal for this commission is entitled “Twins” and takes the form of two large egg shaped metal sculptures. One will have a bright brush finish and so reflects the sky and the surrounding buildings in its surface, and the other an iron oxide finish. One of the forms will have symbols and designs etched into the surface. Each of these surface markings have been designed by the community during the workshops and outreach programme that took place in autumn 2008.
Once this project has been completed there will not be any remaining funding from this section 106 to allocate towards another project. "
As for Barratts: "Re the Brixton Square development, in 2007 a S106 agreement was signed for around £240,000 as well as 48 units of affordable housing. The S106 money has been/is being spent on parks near the development so in this case Brockwell Park, traffic management, car clubs and education, a contribution was made towards Jessop Primary School."
Nice to know our environmental improvements have been lost in the works or spent on Brockwell Park!
Click to expand...
good work
 
I hadn't checked the billboards lately, but now I see they are promoting their 24hr car-parking "from £39.99 per week". This is a total piss-take. Nothing seems to change in Lambeth. I recall Heather Rabbatts, former star Lambeth Council Chief Exec whose party piece was appearing on Newsnight etc. saying, "When I came into office getting things done in Lambeth was like pulling a lever with nothing connected at the other end" Plus ça change. CHL_Car_park_ads.jpg
 
...I've heard whisperings it's used at night by prostitutes, but don't know if that's true. However, there certainly seem to be less discarded condoms in gardens and alleyways than there were.
 
editor said:
I thought that using the place as a car park was explicitly forbidden in their contract?
Click to expand...
Not sure - but the present planning permission is for a car wash with 3 parking places. The original 1972 planning permission as a garage banned display and sale of vehicles, not parking. What the lease has to say we don't know.
The permitted hours of operation are 8 am - 7 pm Monday to Saturday and 9 am - 6 pm on Sundays.

In the property history it says that Planning Enforcement Notices S10 and S11 were served on 18th July 2011 with a compliance date of 18th September 2011 regarding errection of a twin billboard [Unauthorised advertisement P3]. Case officer Richard Limbrick.
Unconnected levers - or is there some other reason preventing any action? It's a pity that Lambeth's Planning Applications database does not have copies of these enforcement documents. Almost as if they did not exist!
 
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