18th October 2017 6:30pm

AGENDA AND MINUTES

The meeting was to discuss:

1. Local List
2. Area Extension
3. St Thomas St Site Briefs and the Southwark Plan
4. Neighbourhood Plan

Attendance details:

Attendee Organisation

Amy Carruthers (AC) OBF

Alan Carruthers BVAG
Russell Gray (RG)
Catrine Ballie (CB) BVAG/OBF
Jeremy Green
Brian Cooper
Toby O’Connor (TO) OBF
Jack Skillen (JS) Team TLB
Andrew Averling BVAG
Dom Garwood OBF
Alexandra Malgorth?
Andrew Berton BVAG/OBF

On the agenda:

1. Local List

The Local List was presented in its current format along with correspondence to date with South-
wark: The OBF proposed that Southwark start a borough wide local list with the OBF’s work to date
as a foundation. The council have replied ignoring this proposal and said the OBF should simply
include it as a policy in the Neighbourhood Plan.

Alan Carruthers offered to begin a survey of possible inclusions across whole OBF Area which was
welcomed.

The Horseshoe Pub and Guiness Buildings were further endorsed for the list. JS asked where a
building like the White Cube would stand (as an innovative re-use of a typical/historic building both
architecturally and in terms of use) and the forum welcomed its nomination.

Strategy for further development of the Local List was discussed including the context of recent
demolitions being justified in the name of heritage setting enhancement (AC). JS recommended
that Placemarks be harvested for Local List entries and its online system looked at as a useful
format.

It was agreed the Local List was a valuable policy - despite the council having seemed to ignore
the borough wide proposal - and needed to be quickly completed to a satisfactory degree for it to
be included in a simplified set of neighbourhood planning policies in order avoid further delay to NP
submission / adoption.

The meeting discussed and endorsed the following selection criteria:

2 from the following should be satisfied for a building’s inclusion on the Local List:

- Historical Significance
- Architectural / aesthetic significance
- Townscape value
- Landmark status
- Social / community significance

Actions: OBF to developed Local List sufficiently in scope and operation to be included in NP
pending confirmation from the council that it must be limited to a NP policy. Note: Historic England
Guidance Note p4 gives detail on making a robust list.

2. Area Extension

Area extension application was presented and discussed including the recent reply from Juliet
Seymour. “I am not clear whether you have provided the information that Doug requested. I can
look into it or you can set out how you have met the issues raised in his comments”.

The meeting agreed that the forum needs to proceed as if the designated area modification has
been approved in order for it to function properly (in order that ongoing uncertainty doesn't hamper
the forum’s policy development and damage its image to new / prospective members since partici-
pation is hard to encourage / maintain in the face of the council’s treatment of applications and invi-
tations to meetings) and since it had met no objections to extension in its consultations.

TO reported that Fair Community Housing managers (during a consultation meeting) had suggest-
ed a further potential extension to the OBF area to include their estates over Tower Bridge Road
(towards Coxon Way) and while this would tie with interest in the forum with businesses along the
arches in this area (Druid Street) it was agreed that the forum should stick with the current applica-
tion to avoid further delay.

Action: OBF to invite Fair Community Housing’s Tennant board members to next meeting.

Action: OBF to reply to state that Doug's points have been met in the form of consultation in the
application and to demand the application be given due reading / approval. (1 month since sub-
mission)

3. Site Brief Framework

After a summary of the consultation and correspondences so far, key aspects of the NSP53 site
brief were put forward and discussed:

- The relationship of a new development in relation to St Thomas’ Street in terms of sufficient

pavement space and openings responding (in use and) rhythm to the railway arches
- New massing to avoid blocking light to horseshoe pub etc to south.
- Inventive / imaginative uses of the eastern area - for example to make a Heritage Museum cele-
brating the industrial and productive history of the area that could include raised walkways and
semi-external / covered spaces off the street. The group recognised the potential educational
and cultural value of this idea for a new use / development in the context of the existing heritage
assets and the position of the site relative to the Bermondsey Street Conservation Area.

Action: ( Similarly to the Local List ) OBF to continue to develop a site brief despite council ab-
sence at meeting / lack of engagement.
4. Other issues

Planning Application Notifications:

CB raised question as to whether mysouthwark planning updates were working (to her knowledge
there were applications / activity on the ground but she was receiving nothing from the online ser-
vice she had signed up for.

Action: OBF Members to test sign up system themselves and to subsequently query / investigate
with council.