Out with the Old... Network Rail tell businesses to vacate Atlantic Road arches

[:-D]

Here is a copy of the leaflet we are having printed up



STOP THE EVICTIONS

Stop Lambeth Council and Network Rail ripping the heart out of our community
The independent shops and businesses in the railway arches in Atlantic Road and Station Road are at risk. Their Landlord, Network Rail, in partnership with Lambeth Council, propose to evict over 30 units in order to complete a facelift, estimated to take over a year. Once completed, tenants will face massive rent increases of around 300%, which in effect, will exclude them from the area.
Generations of these families have served the local community through thick and thin, for over eighty years.
Together with the market, they are at the heart of Brixton’s long-established, diverse trading community. We want them to continue to provide our community with the goods and services that we rely on.
We are proud of the blending of different cultures and customs that has characterised our past and shaped our neighbourhood, Brixton.

We want to see that community continue to thrive in the future.
We need to all stand up and make our voice heard together.
If you want to protect the uniqueness of Brixton town centre and the communities it provides for, send e-mails, letters and tweets to any or all of the people below:
C.E.O. of Network Rail: Mark Carne mark.carne@network rail.co.uk
Leader of Lambeth Council: Lib Peck lpeck@lambeth.gov.uk
Lambeth Cabinet Member for Jobs, growth, Future Brixton: Jack Hopkins jhopkins@lambeth.gov.uk
Secretary of State for Businesses: Vince Cable cablev@parliament.uk

Minister for Small Businesses: Rt.Hon Matthew Hancock enquiries@bis.gsi.gov.uk
Shadow business secretary: Chuka Amunna chuka.umunna.mp@parliament.uk
Prime Minister: David Cameron camerond@parliament.uk
Labour Leader: Ed Milliband ed.miliband.mp@parliament.uk
Deputy prime minister: Nick Clegg psdpm@cabinet-office.x.gsi.gov.uk
Mayor of London: Boris Johnson mayor@london.gov.uk
led a Governmental review into the future of Britain's high streets:Mary Portas ress@maryportas.com
your support will decide if we have a future to support you
Thank you

 

[soupdragon]

Might it also be worth contacting the board of the Office of Rail Regulation:

Office of Rail Regulation

Anna Walker, Chair, Office of Rail Regulation
anna.walker@orr.gsi.gov.uk

Richard Price, Chief Executive, Office of Rail Regulation
richard.price@orr.gsi.gov.uk

There are lots of other board members too, who might be worth contacting.

Also other members of Network Rail's board - for example I think Patrick Butcher is most directly in charge of this. Email is probably: patrick.butcher@networkrail.co.uk

 

[soupdragon]

I was looking at the "Social Value Act" that Jack H puts as posing a 'fundamental challenge' to Network Rail. I really can't see how it's relevant - it's to do with how to create 'Social Value' through procurement processes, but i can't see that tenancy agreements are mentioned. If anything Network Rail could probably use the Social Value Act as a smokescreen by employing some apprentices to do the works on the arches or something...

 

[S&S]

Hi all

Please take a look at this :

Council wants your views on how it communicates on planning matters
POSTED BY LAMBETH COUNCIL ⋅ FEBRUARY 23, 2015

Lambeth council is proposing changes to the way it consults the public on planning matters, concentrating on methods which work well and phasing out less effective methods such as providing libraries with physical copies of applications and sending neighbour notification letters to wide areas around development sites. In the past the council has sent out thousands of such notifications at considerable cost, but received minimal response.
The council says the planned changes will help it be more effective and will save money.
The plans are part of a wider consultation on what’s called a Statement of Community Involvement (SCI). Councils are required by law to have an SCI that sets out how and when local people and other interested parties will be involved in development plan preparation and consulted on planning applications. Lambeth’s current SCI was adopted in 2008 and has been outdated by changes to planning legislation, reductions in council funding and a greater use of online technology .
The council proposes to continue to exceed its statutory requirements by sending notification letters to adjoining neighbours for all planning applications. The new SCI supports smarter ways of working and engaging with the community and developers. Cllr Jack Hopkins, Cabinet member for Jobs and Growth said: “Many of the consultation measures we use are above and beyond what we’re legally required to do, and indeed what other London boroughs do. This is about doing what works, not simply because that’s the way we’ve always done it. We’re facing the biggest financial challenge ever and have to find £90m of savings so we’re looking at everything we do to see whether it’s value for money. We know that workshops and focus groups are more useful than a mass mailing, there’ll be better information online that people can use at home or in libraries and nothing changes your rights to object or comment on a planning application..”

An analysis of three recently consulted major applications strongly indicates that neighbour notification letters don’t get high response rates. For a major application at Wyvil Road application, 5076 letters were sent out but only eight comments were received back (response rate of 0.157%). Similarly, for 1 Lambeth High Street there was a low response rate of 2.7%. The Higgs Industrial Estate application attracted a higher response rate of 13.6% but this remains a low response.

Following Cabinet approval, the revised SCI will be subject to public consultation for six weeks from 27 February 2015 and will be available on the council website and physical copies to view at all borough libraries, the Town Hall and Phoenix House receptions.




https://lambethnews.wordpress.com/2...s-on-how-it-communicates-on-planning-matters/

Looks like the council are trying to minimise the backlash they may face in terms of granting planning permission to network rail so it can go ahead as smoothly as possible.

They've kept this quiet but we can't let this change go ahead.

 

[editor]

An analysis of three recently consulted major applications strongly indicates that neighbour notification letters don’t get high response rates. For a major application at Wyvil Road application, 5076 letters were sent out but only eight comments were received back (response rate of 0.157%). Similarly, for 1 Lambeth High Street there was a low response rate of 2.7%. The Higgs Industrial Estate application attracted a higher response rate of 13.6% but this remains a low response.

This fucks me right off. After we ran the feature about the planning application for the LED screen on the Prince of Wales, the council got what I imagine has to be one the biggest responses to any planning application in recent times, with hundreds of objections. So I wrote to them and suggested that there clearly is a way that Buzz could be instrumental in advertising larger planning applications. I wrote twice. No fucking response.

 

[S&S]

should we try to get as many people as possible to fill out the questionnaire opposing the changes?

The questionnaire is here -

http://www.lambeth.gov.uk/sites/def...y-involvement-consultation-questionnaire.docx

 

[CH1]

This fucks me right off. After we ran the feature about the planning application for the LED screen on the Price of Wales, the council got what I imagine has to be one the biggest responses to any planning application in recent times, with hundreds of objections. So I wrote to them and suggested that there clearly is a way that Buzz could be instrumental in advertising larger planning applications. I wrote twice. No fucking response.

The official organ to advertise planning applications and traffic issues is the Weekender. Lambeth did some weird tender on advertising official notices several years ago. Maybe there is some rule about tendering this out??

Anyway the Weekender won and the South London Press lost - and as a result we now have not one but two crap local newspapers. [The SLP is clearly under-resourced, and losing that council revenue was yet another nail in the coffin of what was once a prestigious local paper]

 

[S&S]

I'm not sure. All I know is that this was posted on Lambeth news on 23 Feb. we met Jack Hopkins on 24 Feb and asked about planning permission for network rail. He failed to mention this proposal and consultation on planning. And I find it too much of a coincidence that this has come just before Network rail apply for planning permission from the council. Council are playing a strategic game - can't let them do this when they have "do the right thing" pasted all over their walls and windows.

 

[ViolentPanda]

This fucks me right off. After we ran the feature about the planning application for the LED screen on the Prince of Wales, the council got what I imagine has to be one the biggest responses to any planning application in recent times, with hundreds of objections. So I wrote to them and suggested that there clearly is a way that Buzz could be instrumental in advertising larger planning applications. I wrote twice. No fucking response.

It could almost cause a cynic to suspect that our friends at the Town Hall don't welcome any move that might bring greater scrutiny.
Letters have always got a very low to low response rate, and ads in the back of local papers only get read by people who buy local papers - again a low response rate - so what are we left with is bullshit like Hopkins is offering, or a return to the old practice of widely publicly-posting weatherproof copies of applications - on lamp-posts nearby or - here's a radical suggestion! - requiring business rates payers in the area to display locally-relevant notices in their windows, or even - another radical suggestion! - our wonderful local authorities providing public noticeboards to which planning notices could be attached.
Hopkins's way seems to be more focused on smoothing the path for developers than on actually providing public information.

 

[CH1]

It could almost cause a cynic to suspect that our friends at the Town Hall don't welcome any move that might bring greater scrutiny.
Letters have always got a very low to low response rate, and ads in the back of local papers only get read by people who buy local papers - again a low response rate - so what are we left with is bullshit like Hopkins is offering, or a return to the old practice of widely publicly-posting weatherproof copies of applications - on lamp-posts nearby or - here's a radical suggestion! - requiring business rates payers in the area to display locally-relevant notices in their windows, or even - another radical suggestion! - our wonderful local authorities providing public noticeboards to which planning notices could be attached.
Hopkins's way seems to be more focused on smoothing the path for developers than on actually providing public information.

Look on the bright side. When You New Town Hall is up and running they will be able to have a Mega displayboard in the new Civic Centre to display such things.

 

[ViolentPanda]

Look on the bright side. When You New Town Hall is up and running they will be able to have a Mega displayboard in the new Civic Centre to display such things.

Odd how they can find £50 million-plus for that, based on projected savings, sales etc, yet whine that they can't afford to refurbish Cressingham.

 

[Baron]

I was told by a shop keeper in Station Road that the plans for the "new arches" have been around for at least 2 years.
I don't think that within that time Lambeth planning was consulted????

I don't believe that any development of this scale, involving this many units and this many tenants has not had YEARS of planning.

 

[Baron]

Send the emails please!

 

[Greebo]

<snip> I don't believe that any development of this scale, involving this many units and this many tenants has not had YEARS of planning.

Agreed, but this is a combination of Network Rail and Lambeth council; do not assume that there's anything too dodgy for their tastes.

 

[jonesyboyo]

Already?

 

[editor]

Already?
View attachment 68280

No - it was put up by the owner to show what the future will look like if thes plans go ahead:

Everything Must Go – Brixton arch trader gives a glimpse of the future if the plans go ahead

 

[:-D]

No - it was put up by the owner to show what the future will look like if thes plans go ahead:

Everything Must Go – Brixton arch trader gives a glimpse of the future if the plans go ahead

....and all done without the use of a spelchecker!!

1-0 to a state school edumacation.

 

[simonSW2]

Look on the bright side. When You New Town Hall is up and running they will be able to have a Mega displayboard in the new Civic Centre to display such things.

if only we hadn't all objected to the LED screen above KFC - perfect spot to display planning applications!

 

[:-D]

Cmpetitin Time !

We need a Hashtag to Tie all of our efforts on the various formats of social media together.

something we can add to posters, paint on shutters etc. I feel it needs to embue & encapsulate:

1 - our stance against these proposed evictions

2 - our unity

3 - our pride in our community

4 - the concept of People B4 Profit

5 - the word, Brixton or Arches

6 - other stuff i haven't thought of


so far i have only come up with...

#counter-evixton

#brixtoninthebalance

#fckoffnetworkrailyougreedycnts


The prize is to be a cake / pastry item from the upper shelf of our diplay fridge at A&C , bragging rights and a warm fuzzy feeling.

Entries will be set before an adjudication panel whose decision will determine the winner.

Winners must claim their prize in person or provide a prepaid self address envelope.

usual t&c apply


.....this is serious

lets set this friday midnight as the cut off point for entries. Winner announced shortly after.

 

[editor]

#brixtonfightback

 

[:-D]

#independantsforbrixton

#puttingthegreatinbrixton

 

[soupdragon]

#savebrixtonarches

 

[Dexter Deadwood]

#GentrificationGenocide

 

[McMurphy]

#brixtonarchshambles

It's a shame the next local elections are so far off: it would be lovely to pitch a couple of independent candidates against Cllrs Hopkins and Peck, just to focus everyone's mind.

 

[:-D]

#purebrixtonheart&soul

 

[editor]

#fucklambeth

 

[Dexter Deadwood]

#BrixtonBitesBack

 

[:-D]

#BrixtonLoud&Proud

 

[Dexter Deadwood]

#No2NR

 

[:-D]

#lambethfuckathon