Nunhead Green Conservation Area - will it be too late?

(apologies for non-blog style, but I'd already written this for a newsletter and I can't be bothered to rewrite it)

The Nunhead Labour team - me, Althea Smith and Cllr Dominic Thorncroft on Nunhead Green

Nunhead Green and the surrounding buildings are central to the character of Nunhead, but Southwark Council has failed to recognise this and developers have swept in with plans for high-rise blocks of flats.

Even though the Council’s planning committee initially refused permission for a block next to the Library, this decision was overturned when the developer appealed to the Planning Inspectorate – if a Conservation zone had been in place the plans could have been blocked.

“We were thrilled when we finally got agreement for a Conservation Area as it will help us block any future inappropriate developments,” said Cllr Colley. “But then we found out that council officers have made it a low priority and don’t plan to put the restrictions in place for another year. With so many developments in the pipeline it could be too late by then.”

We'll be keeping up the pressure and hope to get the Conservation Area in place a lot sooner than next year.