For more than 20 years, I have lived in Blackheath. It’s a lovely place in south-east London with real community spirit, full of independent shops and cafés where everyone knows the owners. It’s the true village character that I love.
Like many parents here, I walk my child to school every day. With more than half a dozen primary schools and nurseries, there are little ones everywhere at drop-off and pick-up. Road crossings can be hectic.
It’s a special place, with residential streets full of well-preserved Georgian and Victorian buildings protected by it being a conservation area – the first in London to be designated, in 1968.
The council upholds this protected status rigorously, as I and all residents know well. I personally went through a lengthy and very costly process to do work on my home, and was happy to do so in order to maintain this charming village and its history.
So I’ve been stunned and deeply saddened by proposals to build 45 new homes next to Blackheath station, a Grade II-listed building dating back to 1849. This summer, it marked its 176th birthday with a £1.7million heritage makeover.
Now, a north London property developer has submitted plans to build 20 houses and 25 flats – in three blocks, four and five storeys high – on the station car park. The proposals look ugly, modern and generic, and would be completely out of keeping with the surroundings.
The plan fails to give a clear indication of how much would be available for social housing; it is similarly vague about the rehousing of the current thriving farmers’ market, which brings lots of business for all traders in the village every Sunday. And if car spaces are reduced from 162 to just 17, where will everyone park?
The whole thing is an insult to everyone in the village. Little wonder the proposals have been met with an outcry from hundreds of residents and business owners, who argue the development is out of character for the area.
A decision on the planning application is expected later this autumn – but I fear ‘the battle of Blackheath’’ could soon be repeated around the country.
In a bid to unlock what it has called “untapped” land, the government has committed to delivering 40,000 homes over the next 10 years in residential developments around railway stations. The housing minister Matthew Pennycook has even said he intends to fast-track building on previously developed urban land – and, if needs be, to intervene in the face of local opposition.
But how can the Blackheath scheme be allowed to go ahead?
As a parent, I’m worried about the impact the proposals will have on the primary school, at the far end of the car park. One of the residential buildings will directly overlook the school playground, meaning a loss of privacy; it will also block out light into the classrooms.
My other big concern is the relentless traffic a two-year build would inevitably bring: lorries, trucks, vans and workers all clogging up a very busy village and making all crossings hazardous for the many children making their way to and from school.
Supporters insist the Sunday market will survive, but I just don’t believe them; during the long build, customers will be lost and, over time, the market will disappear. This would be a huge blow to independent businesses and traders alike, as the market is vital for the local economy. Visitors spill out into the village, and shop owners tell me that Sunday is their best trading day. Without the market, I don’t think the independent shops will survive, and that’s really sad.
I am not alone in voicing my concerns. I am one of many signatories to an open letter urging the local council to reject the current plans – among them Jude Law, Dominic Cooper, Lucy Boynton, Katherine Parkinson and Kellie Shirley. These high-profile public figures with a strong connection to the area, alongside local residents and businesses, are united in wanting to stop this development proposal, which will do so much damage to the area. A total of 660 comments were formally submitted to Lewisham Council as part of the application process, of which 638 were objections. That’s 97 per cent! I think that says it all.
Of course, we understand the need for housing. But that need doesn’t have to come at the cost of heritage, community or child safety. People who love this village want to see it grow with care, not be swamped by insensitive development.
We still have a chance to protect this beautiful village, but we need to act now – and for the sake of everyone who loves where they live.
Sarah Hadland, best known for her role in comedy series Miranda, is a former finalist in Strictly Come Dancing. For more about the Reject Blackheath Station campaign, go to rejectblackheathstation.co.uk
