Isle-of-Dogs Neighbourhood Plan referendum

As part of the local elections on 6th May you may or may not be aware that one of the voting items included is a referendum on local planning for the Isle-of-Dogs. There is limited information available on what exactly this is about and the voting pack that has been recently sent out to postal voters contains no information either. This has left many voters unsure on what they are actually voting for and which way to cast their vote. The referendum does potentially have major implications on the local area.

In 2014 residents came together to form a neighbourhood planning forum for the Isle-of-Dogs. Forums allow local residents to write their own planning policies to help decide planning applications. After various problems, obstacles & delays, residents developed a 2nd Neighbourhood Plan. However, according to Parliament, in order to have full legal weight it first needs to be approved or rejected by voters via a referendum, which will happen on the 6th May.

Essentially if you vote yes then a range of policies will then have the same weight in law as the Councils Local Plan which Councillors voted on last January. If you vote no, then the policies and the Forum will disappear. Planning applications will then be solely decided based on policies written by the Mayors of London and Tower Hamlets and not include any policies written by residents.

Below are a summary of the policies (taken from the Isle-of-Dogs Neighbourhood Planning Forum website). More detail can be found on the website: https://www.isleofdogsforum.com/what-you-are-voting-for.html

If the majority vote YES this means:

  • It means developers will need to produce an Infrastructure Impact Assessment as part of any planning application, this is to ensure that infrastructure like new schools, GP surgeries, sports facilities etc. are considered in the planning process, policy D1. In addition Policy D2 says developers must prove that if they want to build really dense developments that the homes are of a high design quality;
  • Developers are encouraged not leave sites empty and unused but to use them for a social purpose if their development is stalled, policy ES1;
  • That you as residents are consulted about any changes to construction management plans, policy CC1, that developers must inform in advance local residents of any change they intend to make in working hours, policy CC2, and to reduce noise & dust policy CC3;
  • Developers are further encouraged to meet the highest level of sustainability standards for new buildings, policy SD1;
  • Planning has to be done using the latest 3D model technology policy 3D1;
  • That in any demolition of existing homes that the housing association is encouraged to bid for GLA grant money which means they need a resident’s ballot first and will also be able to build more affordable homes, policy RB1. We have also made some recommendations as Community Aspirations and on how to spend the Community Infrastructure Levy from page 29 of the Plan.

Further information can also be found on this Nextdoor post from Tower Hamlets councillor Andrew Wood.

Update on School Streets consultation

With reference to our communication on  7 December on the Council’s School Streets proposal and having run our poll, we note only a relatively low  response rate (30%) with an equal number of residents agreeing and disagreeing to the proposal as presented. A further five residents agreed with qualifications or concerns.

Consequently the Board does not feel it is appropriate to make submissions on behalf of the entire estate as there is no representative collective view. We therefore suggest those residents who have not yet responded to Tower Hamlets to do so on an individual basis  online or via mail before the  deadline of 18 December 2020.

Schools Streets consultation – St Luke’s Primary and Canary Wharf College

You may have received a survey through the post in relation to School Streets proposal from Tower Hamlets regarding traffic restriction changes to Saunders Ness road.

Proposed School Streets changes for Saunders Ness road and surrounding area

We are aware that the demographic in the estate has changed with more young families with children attending the affected schools. A number of residents have asked if Plymouth Wharf should express a collective view, which may have more weight than individual answers.  Whilst reducing street traffic on Saunder Ness school is in principle a good idea, concerns have been expressed over the proposal, particularly on the impact on parking on our stretch of the road.

In order for PWRA to make representations on behalf of all residents, and in order to be sure to express a majority view on what might  be a controversial subject, we would like to conduct a mini-poll. Note that the Tower Hamlets consultation survey closes on 18th December, therefore we should be grateful to receive your answers by 10 December latest.

The PWRA poll (open to both shareholders and tenants) can be found here:

https://us19.list-manage.com/survey?u=74177838413281aa7a31c069f&id=a8d91be43f

The link to the original Tower Hamlets consultation survey can be found here:

https://talk.towerhamlets.gov.uk/schoolstreets/survey_tools/stlukescanarywharf

If no consensus is received, we will advise you so, to enable you to express your view on an individual basis before the deadline.

Carriageway resurfacing works in Seysell Street (29th June – 1st July 2020)

Tower Hamlets are planning to undertake resurfacing work on Seysell Street. The work is expected to commence on 29th June and complete 1st July. The hours of works will be between 8am and 5pm every day.

During the hours above all on-street parking bays will be closed and there will be no vehicular access.

It will still be possible to access Saunders Ness Road and Plymouth Wharf during this time using either Glenworth Avenue or Glenaffric Avenue further down.

However, those utilising on-street permit parking spaces outside Plymouth Wharf may find this busier than normal and struggle to locate a space. If this affects you then you may wish to make alternative temporary arrangements in advance. The parking regulations at Plymouth Wharf remain unchanged during this time.

Anyone wishing to discuss the carriageway works should direct these to Tower Hamlets directly and not to PWRA. The contact at Tower Hamlets for the works is jeff.aghoghogbe@towerhamlets.gov.uk

Enderby Wharf cruise terminal plans cancelled

Plans for a cruise terminal to be built across the river from Plymouth Wharf in Greenwich have finally been cancelled after several years of campaigning by the local community over fears of noise and pollution.

This will come as a relief to a number of residents that were not happy with the plans. It is not yet known what the fate of the Enderby Wharf site will be now but it’s thought that the site of the cruise terminal may now be replaced with a park with possible concessions made to developers in terms of height on residential development planned.

More on this story here: http://www.fromthemurkydepths.co.uk/2018/11/13/greenwich-cruise-liner-plan-abandoned/ 

Morden Wharf regeneration exhibition

In March 2012, U+I acquired Morden Wharf, a former sweeteners refinery on the Greenwich Peninsula and one of the few remaining significant London riverfronts left for major regeneration.

The major riverside regeneration site is adjacent to the O2 Arena and opposite Plymouth Wharf on the other side of the river, with 500 metres of Thames riverside frontage.

For those interested, the developer of Morden Wharf will be holding an exhibition for local residents: 
– Wednesday 21 November between 4pm and 8pm at Rothbury Hall, Mauritius Road, SE10 0EF
– Saturday 24 November between 12pm and 5pm at Sherard Hall, Forum at Greenwich, Trafalgar Road, SE10 9EQ

More information on Morden Wharf can be found here: 

http://www.fromthemurkydepths.co.uk/2017/12/16/greenwichs-next-big-development-morden-wharf-2000-homes-40-storey-towers/