Crikey.
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Crikey indeedā¦ not really in keeping with the character of the rest of the properties in the surroundings? Although, I am surprised that the existing property has survived thus long with all that āunusedā green space around itā¦
I didnāt realise it was one of hisā¦ I thought they were the ones on the other side of Gaynesford Road? Surely if it was a Christmas House, they would not get approval to tear it down?
Could not look more āgatedā and fortified if it tried.
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Iāll be gobsmacked if they are allowed to pull down a Christmas houseā¦
I canāt seem to find the application for this on the Lewisham Planning Portalā¦ perhaps I am being thick but I canāt seem top search by map (like I can do on the lambeth one) and putting in Sunderland Road and/or Gaynesford Road doesnāt show this up eitherā¦ maybe it hasnāt actually been submitted yet?
Thatās one for Private Eyeās Pseudsā Corner.
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Is this a current application? If so can you please post the reference number.
The site is not within a Conservation Area and Iām not sure whether it is listed.
The proposed scheme is out of keeping with the area - just the materials.
Christmas Houses in Perry Vale Ward are not in Conservation Area and are not Locally Listed, so a developer is entitled to demolish and build something else.
Whether this is in keeping with the character of the area is certainly something that will need to be considered. But by the look of it the building isnāt in keeping with itself, let alone itās surroundings.
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There have been quite a few examples in the area of houses ānot in keepingā getting approval, though, no?
Sorry, youāre right - what I really meant was āIād be gobsmacked if they could pull down a Christmas house here, on Gaynesford road, to replace it with thisā. Needless to say, I am no planning expert!
Funny that this new proposal should remind you of a building thatās already been knocked down.
The artists impression is a little off in terms of the scale really.
Even the architect felt the need to try to cover it up with ivyā¦
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Looks hideous. Is there a particular reason this isnāt a conservation area? Looks like a well preserved street.
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To me it looks like a 60ās design gone wrong with thoughts of - lets just cover it up with greenery type of approach.
I might be very wrong though as Iām not up on architecture.
I donāt hate it. I donāt love it. I like the combination of what looks to be wood shingling combined with terraced greenery. Though architects efforts to incorporate green spaces often donāt work out.
Frankly, I donāt see why new buildings need to match old architecture. Yes, the Christmas Houses are quaint, but they are by no means representative of a fundamental shift in architectural style. While materials used may have been good, these homes are notorious bad performers and hardly deliver a good indoor environment for occupants. We should embrace the new as much as we cherish the old. Its not as if they are tearing down the neighbourhood.
Bravo I say.
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At least height-wise it doesnāt tower over the existing buildings. The buildings covered by greenery and roof-lawns etc is interesting, but I imagine it will need a lot of maintenance otherwise it will be a mess and deteriorate quickly. No gardens per se, a couple of terraces, but I think in the coming decades new developments will have fewer gardens. Even new build houses that look similar to existing stock (e.g. round back of Honor Oak Park / Grierson Rd / Ballina St) have tiny gardens. Which is probably inevitable given property shortage
Simple answer is that the residents donāt want it. If there was a desire for it to be a conservation area Iām sure that it would be possible to persuade Lewisham that it should be a conservation area, but Lewisham do not have the resources to pro-actively create conservation areas, so we would need to write the character assessment for them (not a particularly difficult piece of work). But I have no intension of pushing ahead with a conservation area here if that is not what residents desire.
But since it isnāt a conservation area, there is little protection for existing buildings, and people are relatively free to do what they want to their properties.
Two aspects that look particularly bad from the drawings:
- Ground floor windows with vertical railings less than a metre in front. Perfect for prisoner storage.
- Round the corner windows which appear to face directly onto the pavement, ensuring that everybody can see what is going on, or curtains closed throughout the day.
It looks like poorly designed over-development of the site.
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