Lewisham Green Group LDF submission

Over the last few weeks I have been working with Dean and Mike to put together and submit a Green Group response to the public consulation on the Local Development Framework. It was a huge group of documents to digest and even though we restricted our response to certain key areas, it still ran to a fair few pages. Edited highlights of our response below, happy to send a full copy on request:

Housing and energy

• 50% of new homes to be affordable housing, with developers obliged to open up their financial calculations to public scrutiny if they say they cannot afford to build 50% affordable homes for local people
• New developments to be as close to zero-carbon as possible
• Homes to reach ‘excellent’ instead of ‘very good’ energy efficiency standard – and targets to be set out as a guide to meeting government’s zero-carbon policy by 2016
• Council to produce borough wind map so householders don’t waste money on wind turbines in unsuitable areas
• Developers to use recycled construction materials and low-carbon materials

Business in our communities

• Lewisham to be earmarked as a hub for the ecotech ‘green’ industries of the future, encouraging expertise, training and job creation in the borough through the establishment of a green business park or centre of excellence
• Local parades and neighbourhood shopping areas recognised as vital community hubs and prioritised for help over ‘destination’ shopping and out-of-town shopping
• Measures to stop multiple betting shops or other non-retail uses squeezing out vital shops and killing off local parades

Community composting / Waste

• First choice for dealing with household waste would be neighbourhood re-use, recycling and community composting schemes like the popular Pepys estate project that turns local people’s kitchen waste into a valuable compost instead of sending it to a landfill site or to burn at the incinerator – such facilities would become commonplace in large developments
• All homes to have dedicated space for recycling or composting

Biodiversity and natural assets

• Trees felled as part of a development to be replaced and native hedgerows encouraged as boundaries and habitats
• Lewisham from the air will become a patchwork of greenery and wildlife with 50% of new building roofspace as living roofs
• Protection against building on backland, infill and garden sites
• The council would use its compulsory purchase powers to buy land necessary to complete the Thames path and other river walks as close to the riverbanks as possible so our riverbanks are open to everyone to enjoy

Water / Floods

• Developers would have to install water saving devices, water harvesting systems, living roofs, cisterns, water sinks and SUDS
• Developers would have to build homes with safer power and water supplies in the case of flooding and design them to increase flood victims’ safety and comfort
• Developers to underwrite flood insurance for 20 years from occupation
• Local rivers would have naturalised flood defences and flood plains to lessen the danger from flash floods
• A new rule discouraging the paving of gardens as driveways

Transport

• The Council will actively support service improvements for orbital rail routes across south London
• More home zones and 20mph zones identified to keep children safe
• Easier for developers to build car-free developments
• Active support for car clubs from council and developers
• Cyclists’ needs prioritised and cycle improvements compulsory in new developments instead of token gestures