Addressing Residents Concerns

1. Overall Scheme

Our scheme is a self-build project for a family home. It is not a development of multiple houses. It will be a low-impact eco-house built to high ecological / sustainability standards and will be sympathetic to the setting. Our architect specialises in sensitive arboricultural architecture (Arboreal).

2. Small Footprint

The footprint of the house will take up a modest proportion of the overall site <200sqm GIA on a 0.25 acre plot

3. Trees

We will deliver a bio-diversity net gain on the site and retain mature oak trees through a significant replanting / landscaping plan. The overall scheme will provide a net contribution of trees to the site providing ample green cover. Neighbouring outlook will include green roofs and landscaped hedgerows providing improved amenity with good design.

4. Optimising Sites

We are aspiring self-builders and will be compelled to find the best use for the site through nurture and design. This is likely different to the average developer who will simply try to maximise the units on the plot. This will be a family home with attention paid to detail, design and maintenance. This is in line with the London Plan D3 optimising sites.

5. Privately Owned Land – No Formal Woodland Classification

The plot being developed is in private ownership, it is not council owned and is definitely not ancient woodland as we have seen mentioned in some previous objections. Ancient woodland is statutorily protected (similar to the ‘Greenbelt’). This specific site is old, largely neglected grounds with some mature trees, mostly Category C (under BS 5837) and plenty of weeds and deadwood due to over-density. Under no formal Forestry Commission classification would this site even be considered as woodland. The misconception here comes from the application of a ‘woodland TPO’ by the council which has no minimum size. Woodland is generally defined as >0.5 hectares. You would need to multiply our site size by (x6) to reach that minimum. We have raised this point with the council and arranged site visits to approve low-level clearing.

6. Housing Delivery

Housing is becoming a particularly contentious point in society as a whole, it is clear that we do not have enough houses across the UK, in London, or Bromley specifically (by nearly any measure you use). Bromley has delivered only 52% of the required housing over the last 3 years, which is a shortfall of over 700 homes (one of the worst performances in the country, and one of the bottom 3 councils in London). This is not great news for local young families. We would kindly ask neighbours to have open-minded consideration for fellow community members seeking housing in a U.K. housing crisis. There would be no flats at 14 Highland Road had some trees not been removed to make way for this development and associated parking. This is also the case for many other homes in the surrounding area at some point in history (including No. 20-30 Madeira Avenue)

see historic image of the land in the 1950’s attached

There is also a separate detailed example at the top of Bromley Avenue covered in point 14. We would kindly ask neighbours to provide us the same privilege where due consideration of the setting has been taken into account.

7. Equitable Consideration

In the words of our previous Minister for Housing & Levelling Up, “the structure of our society means that the concentrated influence of ‘those who have’ can sometimes act as a block on the aspirations and opportunities of ‘those who aspire’” (Gove, 2023). We would kindly ask people to be open minded and not reinforce this inequity.

8. Neighbouring Privacy

The previous application for this site was for two houses, and the council concluded no detriment to the privacy of neighbouring properties. There are distances of over 15m in all directions, significant vegetation screening, and significant variations in height due to the natural topography of the site.

9. 14 Highland Road Residents

All Leaseholders at 14 Highland Road have already contractually agreed to the potential redevelopment of the site so we would implore them to review their leases (specifically Clause 8.2)

10. Wildlife

There are no protected species on site, confirmed by our ecological survey. Nonetheless we will be incorporating bat boxes, bird boxes, bug hotels and a new biodiversity pond into our landscaping plans, boosting the wildlife and biodiversity on an overgrown site with plenty of existing waste / flytipping.

11. Development Precedent

Development of this site does not guarantee that other areas will subsequently be developed too. If they were, it would mean they are in accordance with the NPPF or Development Plan and should be supported anyway. If neighbours believe development plan policy is wrong / incorrect, these should be addressed in the wider consultation process for local plans, not on this specific project. The overall footprint for the house as previously mentioned is <200sqm.

12. Construction Methods

Our intended method of construction is to prefabricate off-site. This will improve the ecological delivery of the scheme and reduce the amount of time, deliveries and general construction on site thus reducing / minimising neighbour disturbance. This was an active consideration of ours from inception. We would also be willing to agree working hours with the council as a planning condition to the extent required.

13. Flood Risk and Drainage

Regarding water run off, this is a low flood risk zone and as previously mentioned, mature trees will be retained. We are also exploring sustainable drainage systems (SUDs) such as rainwater harvesting.

14. History of the Area

Lastly, architectural integration with the landscape is in line with the history of the area. Leslie Tucker who was a prominent member and patron of the Ravensbourne Valley Resident group built their own house after clearing the surrounding woodland at the top of Bromley Avenue. The house remains there today and is testament to what can be achieved on a sloped site with good architectural design incorporated into the setting. Previous listing details attached.

15. Other Matters

If after assessing the information provided across our website, you still have concerns, please kindly reach out and we’d be keen to see if we can address these. If you are able to highlight any pertinent points we’d be happy to consider them alongside our architects at a local residents meeting.  Alternatively, please send feedback to the email address outlined below.