POLICIES

1CHARACTER AND HERITAGE

1.1 Height Limits
1.2 Conservation Area Boundary
1.3 Site Briefs
1.4 Local List
1.5 Signage
1.6 Viability Assessments
1.7 OBVNF Consultation Rights
1.8 Housing Estates
1.9 Satellite Dishes
1.10 Historic Shop Fronts and style guide
2 Housing
2.1 Social Housing
2.2Design principles
2.3Council Land or Property
2.4Noise
2.5Energy Efficiency in New HousinG
3 Local services
3.1 Sale of council land and buildings
3.2 Schools & Nurseries
3.3 Community and Youth Services
3.4 Community Spaces
4 LOCAL IMPROVEMENTS
4.1 Application of CIL funding
4.2 Community Amenity
5 OPEN SPACES
5.1 Open space for people
6 TRANSPORT
6.1 Encourage sustainable transport especially walking and cycling
6.2 Encouraging pedestrians and cyclist to use routes away from major roads
6.3 Car Parking
7 LOCAL ECONOMY
7.1 Mixed Use Development
7.2 Business Space that can be used flexibly
7.3 Permitted Change of Use from Residential to Business
7.4 Night Time Economy
7.5 Active Frontages
7.6 Independent Retail
7.7 Small Businesses and Start Ups
7.8 Affordable Business Space

7.9 Meantime Uses

1CHARACTER AND HERITAGE

1.1 Height Limits
OBJECTIVE

NEIGHBOURHOOD POLICY

There is no building height policy

applicable in the Neighbourhood. The
domino effect of the Shard was an
obvious product of its construction and
there has been no attempt to contain it in
policy terms. Residents and businesses,
existing and prospective, are entitled to
have a clear policy on how the pressure
for increased profitability of developments
by increased heights will be managed.

Height limits will be clearly set by means of

a contour map of the area, see Appendix B.
Contours will dictate the step-down
boundaries from the Shard and will
represent inviolable height limits in any
given location.

edited text / amendments

1.2 Conservation Area Boundary

OBJECTIVE

NEIGHBOURHOOD POLICY

The Bermondsey St conservation area

was demarcated in 1973 and extended in
1991. It fails to take account of changes
in the character around its northern
boundary in the rapidly changing St
Thomas St area, including the listing of
the St Thomas St/Crucifix Lane arches in
July 2011.

Revise the conservation areas northern

boundary to bring it up to date. See the
proposed new boundary shown in Appendix
C.

edited text / amendments

1.3 Site Briefs

OBJECTIVE

Site briefs for St Thomas St.

The sites along the south side of St
Thomas St are of decisive significance in
determining the character of the
Bermondsey St conservation area and its
transition to an area of sharply
contrasting identity moving north under
the railway viaduct and up to Tooley St.
Site briefs for St Thomas St.
The sites along the south side of St
Thomas St are of decisive significance in
determining the character of the
Bermondsey St conservation area and its
transition to an area of sharply
contrasting identity moving north under
the railway viaduct and up to Tooley St.

edited text / amendments

NEIGHBOURHOOD POLICY

Briefs to be produced that provide guidance

to developers on heights, uses and
interaction with St Thomas St to be
consistent with the objective of making St
Thomas St a pedestrian, cycle, friendly
environment and facilitating the A1/A3 uses
to promote a gastronomic corridor between
Borough Market and Maltby St.

1.4 Local List

OBJECTIVE

NEIGHBOURHOOD POLICY

English Heritage (now Historic England)

are now operating under new guidelines
that make National listing of buildings a
rarity. The neighbourhood therefore
needs a local list to provide protection for
important local buildings

To compile a local list of buildings and

placemarks which are significant to the
character of the area including buildings to
be treated as meriting protection in
accordance with NPPF s.12. List to be
compiled with community consultation and
approved by OBVNF.

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1.5 Signage
OBJECTIVE

NEIGHBOURHOOD POLICY

As the Bermondsey St area in particular

becomes an increasingly popular
destination for visitors to the areas
restaurants and bars there is a
proliferation of signage that threatens to
compromise the aesthetics of such areas.

To limit the extent of unauthorised signage

by application of restrictions governing size
and form of signage that can be introduced
without consent. To set policy governing
signage that will be permitted by consent. In
so far as the Councils existing signage
policy is failing to provide more effective
guidelines and enforcement criteria.

edited text / amendments

1.6 Viability Assessments

OBJECTIVE

NEIGHBOURHOOD POLICY

Transparency of viability assessments.

Viability assessments that are kept
confidential between developers and the
Council are generally perceived as
cooked up and concealed because they
could readily be exposed as such.

Viability assessment used by the Council

and developers to justify planning decisions
should be publicly accessible. There must
be a period for public scrutiny and comment
on the terms of viability assessments before
planning decision are made upon the basis
of them.

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1.7 OBVNF Consultation Rights

OBJECTIVE

NEIGHBOURHOOD POLICY

Local people often only become aware of

advanced negotiations between the
Council and developers when a
development has effectively already been
agreed. Local consultation should be
meaningful and thus happen before deals
are done with developers not
after.Continuous consultation of
developers with the Neighbourhood
Forum will be required. Matters to be
openly presented should include: preapplication processes; an agreed
consultation process; transparency of any
viability reports and an opportunity for
community re-appraisal where such
viability studies are relied upon to support
planning decisions.

Significant pre-applications, outline and full

planning applications within Area A should
be automatically referred to OBVNF for
comment.Proposals for new development
will be supported provided that the OBVNF
has been involved from the pre-application
stage and that the redevelopment scale is in
line with height and density guidelines (tbc),
and relates to the existing buildings
character and heritage of the surrounding
area .

edited text / amendments

1.8 Housing Estates

OBJECTIVE

NEIGHBOURHOOD POLICY

The areas many estates arise from a

noble ideological commitment to provide
improved living conditions for the many
poor of the area. Their architecture is
generally modest but their settings and
the principles they embody make them
heritage assets in themselves that merit
their own conservation policy
consideration.

To conserve and enhance the estates, to

refuse applications for redevelopment or
infill development unless such development
positively contributes to the improvement of
the estates concerned having particular
regard to the restoration of the buildings and
improvement of their landscape settings.
Original windows must be retained or
replaced only with accurately matching
replacements. Original brickwork needs to
be preserved or matched.

edited text / amendments

1.9 Satellite Dishes

OBJECTIVE

NEIGHBOURHOOD POLICY

Satellite dishes, external wiring and

telephone transmitters mar appreciation
of buildings in housing estates.

Satellite dishes and other visual clutter will

not be permitted on the elevations of estate
buildings. TRAs and JMBs should be
required to remove at least disused clutter
and all in the longer term.

edited text / amendments

1.10 Historic Shop Fronts and style guide

OBJECTIVE

NEIGHBOURHOOD POLICY

Shop front design treatments and

external shutters, particularly within the
Bermonsey St conservation area.

Alterations to historic shop fronts will only be

permitted in line with the style guide.
Guidelines for shop fronts should be
produced. (see Projects below). External
security shutters will not be permitted and
internal shutters should be of lattice
construction so as to permit views into
shops when closed.

edited text / amendments

fedback from Southwark

Within the neighbourhood area the policy proposes a fixed

height limit of 15m (5 floors). This may be justifiable within
the conservation area (based on evidence of existing
building heights, and the negative impacts of any
proposed development of 6 storeys or more on the
conservation area) given the need to preserve and
enhance its character. Outside the conservation area it
may be harder to justify and there would be a risk that the
policy could be construed as unduly restricting housing
supply in a highly accessible location for public transport
and so contrary to Southwarks strategic policies, the
London Plan and the NPPF.
This policy partly relates to land outside the designated
NP area. The policy is not able to set building height limits
for areas outside the neighbourhood area, therefore this
part is not supported.

fedback from Southwark

This policy partly relates to land outside the designated

NP area.The conservation area boundary cannot be
redrawn through the neighbourhood plan itself, but the
group may want to identify this as an aspiration which they
will be lobbying the council to agree to. This could be in
the guidance which NPs can include

fedback from Southwark

St Thomas Street falls outside the designated NP area.

Moreover it is not clear if the group intends to produce
development briefs as part of the NP, or if it wishes the
Council to produce such briefs.

fedback from Southwark

No objections to OBVNF developing a local list.

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Advertisement consent sets out what types of

advertisements require consent. National legislation also
sets out what advertisements does not need
advertisement consent and so falls under deemed
consent. The NP policy cannot overrule national
legislation for advertisements. No objections in principle to
a policy regulating signage, but consider duplication with
existing saved policy 3.23 of the Southwark Plan; and
emerging policy DM36 of the New Southwark Plan (NSP).

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The development viability SPD already states that

financial viability assessments must be made public one
week before determination of a planning application

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OBVNF can sign up on the Councils website to be sent

alerts about any planning applications in their area. The
Council will not open up the pre-application process to
public involvement for the following reasons. Developers
are not required to seek pre-application advice but the
Council believes this enhances the quality of planning
applications and encourages it. If we were to open the preapplication process up to members of the public
developers would be less likely to use this process.
Developers are always encouraged to carry out
consultation on major developments before a planning
application is submitted, as highlighted in Appendix B of
our Statement of Community Involvement.

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To ensure that requirements are clear and reasonable,

need to define exactly what is meant when a development
positively contributes to the improvement of the estates
concerned how would this be demonstrated in a
planning application?

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Partial duplication The Residential Design Standard SPD

already provides guidance on the installation of satellite
dishes and states that those will not be permitted on the
from elevations of buildings within conservation areas or
on listed buildings. Does OBVNF want to make a case for
the inclusion of high quality estates into a conservation
area?

fedback from Southwark

No objections in principle to developing guidelines for

shop fronts in the area. Regarding limits on security
shutters, please see policy DM31 of the NSP

2 HOUSING
2.1Social Housing
OBJECTIVE

NEIGHBOURHOOD POLICY

To ensure that the area retains a

mix of residents, housing must be
provided at a full range of cost
levels.

1New residential developments should provide

50% of housing to be available at social rents.
Social rent is defined at a level where housing
costs take no more than 30% of household
income of the people who live in the area. 2
Developers financial viability assessments of
residential development schemes should be
available for public scrutiny before being relied
upon by the Council to support planning
decisions. 3 Affordable housing should be
onsite of new developments in most cases and
exceptional off-site provision of new houses
should be within the OBVNF area . 4 Social
housing should continue to integrate with the
surrounding area rather than being seen as
separate.

edited text / amendments

2.2Design principles
OBJECTIVE

NEIGHBOURHOOD POLICY

To ensure that the design of new

residential schemes delivers the
kinds of housing that local
residents want to live in

1local residents preferences for places they want to

live in should be shown to dominate architecture and
design choice. 2 Local and specific variation to suit
Bermondsey styles and needs is essential in
Bermondsey housing. This can mean variation on
national codes for instance lifts, sheltered front doors,
lifetime home standards, bathrooms on same floors
as bedrooms, etc, go counter to the mansion blocks
and other local narrow housing forms. 3 Streetbased home building should be the presumption with
towers only where they can demonstrate
overwhelming local support.4 High rise should be
avoided in the area increased density can be
achieved with a combination of mid-rise 7-8 story
buildings and lower 2-4 story terraced homes and
Bermondsey must maintain its open sky view and
open atmosphere .

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2.3Council Land or Property

OBJECTIVE

NEIGHBOURHOOD POLICY

Favour community-led housing

developments including
particularly self-build projects

When Council-owned land or property becomes

available for redevelopment for housing,
community-led housing development will be the
preferred approach.

edited text / amendments

2.4Noise
OBJECTIVE

NEIGHBOURHOOD POLICY

Previous developments have

provided inadequate noise
insulation between dwellings

Residential developments must provide sufficient

sound insulation between dwellings such that
there is low noise escape.

edited text /amendments

2.5Energy Efficiency in New HousinG

OBJECTIVE

To ensure low energy in new

housing developments or
refurbishments

NEIGHBOURHOOD POLICY

1 New-build housing developments and

refurbishments will be encouraged to achieve
Passive- or Active-house levels of energy
efficiency, demonstrated by a Life Cycle
Assessment. 2 Building materials with a low
carbon footprint will be preferred.

edited text /amendments

fedback from Southwark

Regarding the 50% target for social rented housing, the Council
would like to set a higher target for social rented housing but we are
constrained by the need to demonstrate policy does not undermine
the viability of development. Viability evidence would be needed to
support this policy and demonstrate that it is not anti-development
(see NPPF para 173).Re financial viability assessments, see
comment on 1.7 above.Re affordable housing on site, this is partial
duplication as the Affordable Housing SPG already requires
affordable housing to be on site except in exceptional circumstances
where it should be provided on another site or sites in the local
area.Re integration of social housing, the Residential Design
Standards SPD already states that The same minimum design
considerations will be applied to affordable housing as to open
market housing. Where affordable housing is required in residential
development it must be integrated with market housing in terms of
access and design as far as is practical. Failure to do so goes
against the principle of creating mixed and balanced communities
and reinforces social exclusion.

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This policy would need much greater clarity in terms of what

design principles need to be followed, whilst avoiding being
overly prescriptive. The NPPF states that design policies
should avoid unnecessary prescription or detail and should
concentrate on guiding the overall scale, density, massing,
height, landscape, layout, materials and access of new
development in relation to neighbouring buildings and the local
area more generally. In setting out design principles
consideration would need to be had to any impacts on
accessibility for all groups.
Similarly if you want to relax some national codes this would
need to be very clear in terms of which codes and why.
Re building heights, see comment on 1.1 above. This policy
refers to heights of 7-8 storeys contrary to the height limit of 5
storeys specified in the height envelope for the designated
area; and refers to achieving increased densities which would
be contrary to policy 3.1 as currently worded.

fedback from Southwark

Need to clarify what exactly is meant by community-led

housing. This may align with what the Leathermarket JMB
would like to see happen in the area. As a key local
stakeholder they should be directly engaged on the draft plan
if they have not been already.

fedback from Southwark

Duplication, see policy 2.4 of the Southwark Plan, policy

DM61 of NSP. Also not clear what is sufficient sound
insulation

fedback from Southwark

Policy supported. Use of the words encouraged and

preferred is appropriate as wider national changes mean we
cannot require such high standards of energy performance
through planning.

3 Local services
3.1 Sale of council land and buildings
OBJECTIVE

Criteria for future use of council land

and buildings

NEIGHBOURHOOD POLICY

1The sale of council land

and/or buildings will be
supported provided that: 2
There is no reduction in the
provision of council housing on
the site in question : 3 There is
no reduction of amenity space or
facilities on or within 400 meters
of the site: The density of the
proposed re-development is no
greater than the current usage :
4 The height of the proposed
redevelopment is six stories or
less or within the envelope
prescribed by the Character &
Heritage section of this
Neighbourhood Plan .

edited text /amendments

3.2 Schools & Nurseries

OBJECTIVE

NEIGHBOURHOOD POLICY

Adequate nursery and school places keep schools for education (no change
of use), encourage and support new
schools and nurseries, more afterschool programmes

1All proposals for new schools

and nurseries will be supported,
provided that they increase the
provision of school and nursery
places in the area. 2 Support
will be given to proposals which
include an increase in afterschool programmes. Existing
school building stock should be
improved or expanded in
preference to demolition and rebuilding . 3 Conversion of
existing school buildings for other
uses will not be supported except
where overall provision of spaces
is preserved .

edited text /amendments

3.3 Community and Youth Services

OBJECTIVE

NEIGHBOURHOOD POLICY

Protect libraries, Need for a public

leisure centre pool, gym, etc., New
community space - more community
events (lectures, book groups,
dancing), Adult education and skills
training, More elderly peoples centres,
More youth groups /after school clubs/
cubs and scouts, youth services and
youth workers

1 Proposals will be supported

that protect or expand existing
library provision in the area.
Additional leisure facilities, such
as a pool or council run gym will
be supported. 2 New and
increased community space is
desired and will be supported.
3 Increased elderly peoples
centres are desired and will be
supported. Increased youth
facilities, clubs and support
services are desired and will be
supported.

edited text / amendments

3.4 Community Spaces

OBJECTIVE

NEIGHBOURHOOD POLICY

Increase the availability of creative

spaces, including a community caf,
with better management and priority to
local activities.

edited text / amendments

When building or land

redevelopment applications are
submitted, the potential for
creative space to be included
should be prioritised and
evaluated before an application
for other uses be granted.
Should a building or space be
vacant for a long period the
owner should be incentivised to
offer the space for community
use for example through
business rates discretionary
relief.

fedback from Southwark

Define what is meant by council housing is that housing

owned by the council or shred ownership or managed by
the council or something else? Need to define amenity
space and facilities. It is not clear why 400 meters and
there is no rationale for this distance. The applicant does
not have any control over sites beyond their own. Please
re-word. Reference to density is not supported by the
council because contrary to existing council and national
policy. see comments on policy 1.1 above. This policy
refers to heights of 6 storeys or less which is inconsistent
with height envelope referred to in policy 1.1 and also
policy 2.2.

fedback from Southwark

policy is broadly supported but requires work. this point is

not under the control of town planning and therefore it is
recommended that this goes in the supplementary
guidance. appears to be a duplication of existing policy.
School places and planning is a strategic issue, policy
DM21 of the NSP. NP policy on this issue can be difficult
because the NP can only plan for development within its
own neighbourhood area boundaries.

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it could be more specific in terms of what facilities and

services it would like to see delivered where. Also should
note planning decisions are not able to take account of
who will run a facility therefore the specification of councilrun should be removed.

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This policy needs work and careful consideration. What is

the definition of creative space? On what basis (evidence
of demand) would this requirement to explore
opportunities to include this type of space be based?
Planning policy (indeed the council at large) cannot
provide discretionary business rate relief as this would be
the taxpayer subsidising private businesses. Who decides
who gets the relief? On what basis? other neighbourhood
plans have included policies supporting interim uses on
vacant/long-term empty sites, and it is advised that the
forum consider separating this policy into two to address
the two separate issues. Does the forum have any
evidence of buildings being left vacant in the area? Could
this be included as part of the evidence base which
underpins the draft policy?

4 LOCAL IMPROVEMENTS
4.1 Application of CIL funding

OBJECTIVE

NEIGHBOURHOOD POLICY

Effective application of CIL funds

OBVNF to be consulted over the

application of CIL money.

To be selected from running list

of community/local projects and
initiatives.

Support cultural spaces and

groups

edited text / amendments

4.2 Community Amenity

OBJECTIVE

NEIGHBOURHOOD POLICY

Community centre/leisure
centre/library services

edited text / amendments

Proposals for new facilities will

be supported where they are
beneficial to all local residents,
providing local employment
opportunities and contribute
positively to the existing built
environment. Proposals will not
be supported where spaces and
usage is geared towards
occupation by large national
companies.

fedback from Southwark

The planning obligations SPD provides further details of the process

and highlights that neighbourhood forums (NFs) will be consulted on
project priorities for their areas. The forum is welcome to include a
projects list in their plan to highlight these priorities. It should be noted
that having a list of projects in the plan does not guarantee that the
projects will end up included in the CIPL, but officers and councillors
will seek to work with the forum and local community to get NP projects
onto the CIPL list where feasible. Moreover neighbourhood forum
members can attend community forum meetings where the projects to
be included on the CIPL list are decided. If the neighbourhood forum
has ideas for projects for which they would like to see included on the
CIPL it would be worth including such projects in the NP projects list

fedback from Southwark

The first element of this policy as currently worded is acceptable and

broadly supported as a first draft, although beneficial to all the local
residents could be expanded on in the supporting text if it is being
used to specify benefits other than local employment opportunities.
The second part as currently worded would not be possible to use in
the determination of planning applications as per the remit of town
planning in legalisation. Requiring smaller floor space is something the
neighbourhood plan could do with a view to ensuring smaller
employment/business units tries to accommodate smaller
businesses/companies. However, this would need to be strongly
justified, and secondly, may have the unintentional effects of limiting
the growth of start ups and SMEs, who often benefit from large shared
workspaces managed by specialist providers. It is recommended that
the forum think carefully about how this part of the policy is
approached, and if it warrants its own policy/combining with another.

5OPEN SPACES
5.1 Open space for people
OBJECTIVE

With more and more people living in

small flats it is important to provide
access to open space

edited text / amendments

NEIGHBOURHOOD POLICY

Developments will be supported which

provide well designed publicly accessible
open space. New developments should
not result in any loss of open space. Net
increases should always be required
through utilisation of green roof spaces if
necessary

fedback from Southwark

see Policy DM11 of the NSP and policy DM52 of the NSP which
covers protection of public open space. The intention to encourage
provision of public open space is supported. However the requirement
to avoid any loss of open space (even say where space of equivalent
or higher quantity and quality is reprovided) is very broad,
unreasonably restrictive of development and would therefore not be
supported. The policy could perhaps identify the types of open space to
be protected more specifically e.g. designated open spaces but not car
parking? Projects for the creation or enhancement of pocket
parks/forgotten spaces would be supported and can be included on
your projects list, although it would be advisable to work up any
projects in more detail Utilisation of green roof spaces as publically
accessible open space will not be practical for most sites and is best
limited to either private communal spaces for the building/development
occupiers or where appropriate large scale developments fulfilling a
particular public/civic function

6TRANSPORT
6.1 Encourage sustainable transport especially walking and cycling

OBJECTIVE

There are enormous and increasing

pressures on the road network in this
area which make it unpleasant, indeed
unsafe, to move around on foot or by
bicycle and to live here.

NEIGHBOURHOOD POLICY

1 Developments will be supported which

support the implementation of the traffic
management plan for the area (see Projects
below).2 Developments will be supported
which minimise the use of local roads by
through traffic and construction traffic.3
Development proposals must contain
servicing plans which provide off road space
for large service vehicles.4 Large
developments must propose a defined time
range for the arrival and departure of large
servicing vehicles .

edited text / amendments

6.2 Encouraging pedestrians and cyclist to use routes away from major roads
OBJECTIVE

NEIGHBOURHOOD POLICY

For health and quality of life reasons

(air quality is poor in many parts of our
area), pedestrians and cyclists should
be encouraged to use routes other
than major traffic routes.

1 Developments will be supported which

provide pedestrian and cycling routes
through the area away from major roads,
including over private property, through
yards and estates.2 Developments will be
required to signpost pedestrian and cycling
routes using TfLs Legible London standard

edited text / amendments

6.3 Car Parking

OBJECTIVE

NEIGHBOURHOOD POLICY

The prevalence of on street

parking creates unattractive street
scenes and makes cycling and
crossing roads risky. The
preference would be to reduce the
amount of on street parking.

Developments will be supported which

provide on site car parking for the occupiers
of the site, for local residents and, where
possible, visitors to the area.

edited text / amendments

fedback from Southwark

Implementation of a traffic management study and plan would not be

supported as a project to receive 25% neighbourhood CIL funding as
projects are required to be publically accessible pieces of physical
infrastructure that supports growth as per S106 and CIL SPD. Broadly
OK, point 3 should say where feasible on end. Point 4 issue usually
handled via a planning condition.

fedback from Southwark

The policy idea is interesting and could be explored further to identify

the ramifications of such an approach in the neighbourhood area,
particularly as through routes making use of the (relative to the high
street) dead estate spaces and existing historic grain provided by the
yards. Policy point 1 could be counterproductive to this if directing away
from the most efficient routes and does not follow desire lines. The
current wording of the policy will need to be carefully considered. Any
larger-scale development which would be able to have an impact on
pedestrian routes and flows will be designed to take account of desire
lines i.e. where people want to go to get from A to B, particularly for
pedestrians.

fedback from Southwark

This is a highly accessible area for public transport therefore, schemes

should be car free (see policy DM48 of NSP) and so the council does
not support this policy.

7LOCAL ECONOMY
7.1 Mixed Use Development
OBJECTIVE

NEIGHBOURHOOD POLICY

Protect mixed business-retailresidential in the Bermondsey St

area, including, where appropriate,
the yards off the street

Any new development should

provide retail and business
space on ground and first floors.
On Long Lane and Bermondsey
St, ground floor business space
should be retail.

edited text / amendments

7.2 Business Space that can be used flexibly

OBJECTIVE

NEIGHBOURHOOD POLICY

Encourage flexible business space

that can be used for either retail,
office, studio or workshop

Changes of use as follows will

generally be permitted: B1
(office/studio/light industrial) to
A1 or A2 (retail shops, or
services)

edited text / amendments

7.3 Permitted Change of Use from Residential to Business

OBJECTIVE

NEIGHBOURHOOD POLICY

Encourage change of use to

workshops from underused Council
property eg. estate garages

Changes of use as follows will

generally be permitted: C3 or C4
(residential) to B1 (office studio,
light industrial)

edited text / amendments

7.4 Night Time Economy

OBJECTIVE

NEIGHBOURHOOD POLICY

Avoid night time economy uses

Permission will not be granted for

night time economy uses which
would cause increased numbers
of people or vehicles to move
around the area between
midnight and 6am.

edited text / amendments

7.5 Active Frontages

OBJECTIVE

NEIGHBOURHOOD POLICY

Active frontages

Active frontages should have

clear glazing, visually permeable,
no external security grilles and
night time lighting.

edited text / amendments

7.6 Independent Retail

OBJECTIVE

NEIGHBOURHOOD POLICY

Encourage independent retail

withing the conservation area and
beyond. Discourage large multiple
retail and restaurant branches
except within designated
multiples areas such as More
London.

Permission will not be given to

proposals to create new or
combine or extend small retail
units where the resulting unit
would be more than 80 sqm.
Schemes which provide 'ready
for immediate occupation' space
will be encouraged.

edited text / amendments

7.7 Small Businesses and Start Ups

OBJECTIVE

NEIGHBOURHOOD POLICY

Encourage small businesses

Where a proposed scheme has

business use on the ground and
first floors, at least 50% of that
space must be provided as small
business units less than 80 sq m

edited text / amendments

7.8 Affordable Business Space

OBJECTIVE

Ensure a continued supply of

affordable business/studio space for
start ups.

edited text / amendments

NEIGHBOURHOOD POLICY

In any scheme with 2 or more

small business units, 50% of the
small business units must be
provided at affordable rent

7.9 Meantime Uses

OBJECTIVE

NEIGHBOURHOOD POLICY

Support temporary use for

business, retail or community
purposes in space which would
otherwise be empty

Permit change of use (without

planning approval) from A2,3,4,5
to A1 for a period of up to 2
years.

edited text / amendments

fedback from Southwark

Why on first floors? In the current market, due to the higher values of
residential compared to non-residential, it may be that the only way a
scheme would be viable would be to have residential on the first floor. The
NF should think about the implications of such as policy and keep in mind
NPPF para 173. Restricting ground floor uses on key streets to retail (i.e.
A1 only) and thus excluding restaurants/cafes, drinking establishments,
hot food takeaways etc would need to be strongly justified. This is contrary
to policy DM27 which is more flexible in terms of town centre uses. While it
is understood as to not be the policys intention, it could be read to be
saying that both first and ground floors must have both A1 and B1 each.

fedback from Southwark

Object, the NP area is within the Central Activities Zone (CAZ) where the
focus is on protecting B1 floorspace, especially office (B1a) floorspace.
This policy is contrary to policy DM24 of NSP which states that
Development must retain or increase existing levels of business (B Use
Classes) floorspace except where there is no demand for either the
continued use of the site for business or for redevelopment involving
reprovision as well as the London Plan which sets the overall strategy for
the CAZ.in policies 2.10, 2.11 and 2.12 as well as the CAZ SPG.

fedback from Southwark

Object this change of use is unlikely to happen in practice due to higher

values for residential use, but as currently worded this would allow a flat to
be converted to light industrial use which could have an unacceptable
impact on residential amenity. There may be potential for a much more
narrowly focused policy around conversion of garages (ancillary to
residential) to other uses, although this and any further re-drafting of the
policy should take into account the councils Direct Delivery programme
which seeks to use such underused sites as sites for new council homes
Could be more suitable to identify sites for projects in the projects list, see
the Ledbury Garages Project on the Ledbury Estate, Old Kent Road for
e.g.The phrasing generally be permitted in policies 7.2 and 7.3 should be
clarified: If it is implying that the NP policy would add to the permitted

fedback from Southwark

This policy would need to be much more specific in terms of the impacts
that would not be acceptable. It is largely a duplication of policy DM50 and
DM61 of the NSP.

fedback from Southwark

Duplication of policy DM31 of the NSP with the exception of night lighting
which is a very specific point. See policy DM31 re traditional and historic
shop fronts. Place specific design guidance for shop fronts could be
developed as part of the NP as per 1.10 (seems like duplication of own
policies currently?)

fedback from Southwark

We are sympathetic to the aims of the policy; there is some scope to

negotiate with developers around securing independent retailers. The
policy would need to be justified using evidence of existing unit sizes and
how these contribute to the character of the area. We will consider other
options for supporting this policy intent Good to see definition of ready for
immediate occupation included in the supporting text). Reference to
designated multiples areas is suspect seeing as the only one referenced
is outside the Neighbourhood Plan boundary.

fedback from Southwark

What types of businesses would this space be aimed at and is there

evidence of demand for this type of space in the area? What about B1
floorspaces which are designed to be flexible (size of units with moveable
walls etc.) to accommodate and incubate micro-small businesses as they
grow? Will you be restricting this type of business growth in the
neighbourhood area?

fedback from Southwark

See earlier comments about challenges of deciding who gets allocated

space at affordable rent. How is this defined for this area and would this
stop development coming forwards due to increased costs? We are
looking into seeing what we can do for the Old Kent Road Area Action Plan
and through the New Southwark Plan but it is early days yet.

fedback from Southwark

Policy not required these changes of use are already permitted

development, subject to certain conditions, by virtue of the General
Permitted Development Order.