Sunday 31 May 2015

Requirements for planning applications

Andrew Steeds,  


Greenwich offering consultation process on document
I have received the letter below from Greenwich Planning, which may be of interest to anyone who’s thinking of applying for planning permission, or affected by someone else’s planning application. There are a number of links embedded in the letter itself.




RE: Royal Borough of Greenwich consultation on draft local information requirements list for planning applications

The Royal Borough gives notice that a draft local information requirements list (a ‘local list’) for planning applications has been published for consultation.  The local list, once formally adopted, will set out the information that Royal Borough of Greenwich will require to be able to register, assess and determine planning applications.  The level of information required varies upon the size and type of the application as well as the specific site constraints and nature of development.
The purpose of setting out information requirements in the local list is to ensure that planning applications are accompanied by sufficiently detailed information to provide greater certainty and consistency for applicants. Consulting on the draft local list follows the Government’s planning practice guidance on validation requirements.
Royal Borough of Greenwich is inviting comments on the draft local list over a period of six weeks from 11 May to 22 June 2015.  Consultation responses will be taken into account by the Royal Borough when preparing the final revised list.  If you require further information please e-mail planning.policy@royalgreenwich.gov.uk or phone 020 8921 3673.
The draft local list can be viewed on the Royal Greenwich website at the following link: http://www.royalgreenwich.gov.uk/haveyoursay.  Paper copies of the local list will be made available at Royal Greenwich public libraries (opening times below).  Representations can be made via email or by post to:
Email: planning.policy@royalgreenwich.gov.uk
Post: Planning Policy Team, Directorate of Regeneration, Enterprise and Skills, Royal Borough of Greenwich, The Woolwich Centre, 35 Wellington Street, London, SE18 6HQ
Yours sincerely,

Clare Loops
Planning Policy Manager
Directorate of Regeneration, Enterprise and Skills
Royal Borough of Greenwich

Saturday 30 May 2015

Open Gardens 6th/7th and 13th/14th, Open Studios 13th/14th and 20th/21st

By imogene russell on 30 May 2015 10:26 pm

Embrace the embarrassment of riches. For the next three weekends you can visit first gardens, then both gardens and studios, then just studios. The first weekend’s gardens, on 6th and 7th June, are in Hyde Vale, Crooms Hill, West Grove, Prior Street, Gloucester Circus, Park Vista, Kidbrooke Gardens, Morden Road, Blackheath Park, Orchard Drive, Eliot Place, North Several, Pagoda Gardens, and Shooters Hill Road.
Some of them are quite grand. Most are impressive. All are worth visiting even if you’re not a gardener – it’s like an outdoor moving party without music. Some hosts give you tea and cake, others Pimms or wine. You pay £3 a garden or £10 for the lot. The money goes to the Greenwich & Bexley Community Hospice. Full details at
or at www.communityhospice.org.uk  where it says
‘Entry is free for children and dogs (unless specified) are not permitted’  I hope the erratic newsflash formatting doesn’t break this line at the wrong place. It also says gardens are open from 2-6pm, even if it rains.

Tuesday 26 May 2015

Adult Education on Royal Hill under threat

By imogene russell on 26 May 2015 02:54 pm


Lucy Stubbs, an ATA gardener (the one in the pink hat), writes, “Greenwich Council has maintained the same grant as last year to GCC to provide adult education in Greenwich. However, although funding levels are the same, Lindsey Noble and Barry Langfield, external consultants, are making almost all permanent full-time adult education teaching staff and many support staff redundant. They claim that 35% – 40% of the adult education grant must be kept by GCC for ‘management services’. At the same time as making many staff redundant they are being paid very large consultancy fees. Greenwich adult education received a glowing Ofsted report, ‘good’ across all departments. How can Greenwich adult education maintain those standards if almost all its permanent teaching staff are made redundant and most of its support staff are gone? GCC in Plumstead where more vocational courses are taught, was rated as poor by its Ofsted. What institution(s) will benefit from the 35-40% management costs being taken out of the adult education budget by GCC?”
Here is the link for anyone who’d like to sign the petition:
The petition website states, “Adult and community education centres in Greenwich provide high quality courses for people in the borough and across the whole of London in a wide range of subjects ranging from upholstery, woodwork, computing, painting, photography, sculpture, and cookery.  Adult education offers specialist opportunities for people with learning difficulties, helps unemployed people build confidence to find a new job, and people in work to gain new skills.  It enables people of all ages and backgrounds to come together to learn and make new friends. Greenwich has stronger communities because of it.  Sacking experienced teaching staff and paying external consultants huge amounts of money to do it and ‘manage’ is a tragedy.”