Neighbours have described the 205-home proposal as ‘ugly’ and don’t want to lose the community and sporting facility
Plans to demolish a New Eltham sports club and replace it with 205 homes are likely to be refused amid heavy public opposition. Greenwich planners have recommended a proposal to knock down STC Sports Club at Ivor Grove and build housing in its place be refused at a Planning Board meeting next Tuesday (July 21).
Planning officers want the proposal refused because they believe it would result in the loss of “valued” sporting and community facilities, it would constitute “inappropriate development” on Metropolitan Open Land and the applicant has not demonstrated that the homes would receive adequate sunlight.
The planning application— submitted by Sigma Strategic Land to Greenwich Council last summer —has been unpopular with New Eltham residents, 496 of whom have objected to it. A petition with 489 signatories has also been submitted to Greenwich Council in opposition.
Objectors shared the same concerns as officers. They also felt a sudden influx of new residents would put a strain on local infrastructure and roads, and current homes surrounding the field would lose privacy and light when the new homes were built. The development was also described as “ugly”.
Eltham and Chislehurst MP Clive Efford objected, as did Eltham councillors Charlie Davis and Pat Greenwell. Sport England did as well, and the GLA and TfL also raised concerns about the planning application.
Two months ago, Cllr Davis described the plans as “wholly inappropriate”. He said: “The facilities are well used by the community and allowing the scheme to go ahead would set a dangerous precedent for our area given the abundance of green space.
“We know there is a desperate need for more homes in London, but the focus should instead be on brownfield sites and gentle density in town centres.”
The proposal does have its supporters. 21 residents submitted letters in favour of the new homes, believing more housing was needed in the area and favouring the development’s low-rise nature.
Many supporters are long-standing members of the Kings Bowls Club. As part of the planning application, the Kings clubhouse would be replaced with a new, modernised facility and the bowls green would be retained.
Sigma’s proposal would transform the 9.4 acre site—which is surrounded by homes and contains three football pitches—into a new residential neighbourhood with 205 properties ranging from one-bedroom apartments to four-bedroom houses, half of which would be affordable.
To offset the loss of the sports club and 7.3 acres of playing fields, Sigma has proposed an off-site mitigation package comprising works at Bostall Heath and Woods, Charlton Park and Southwood Park. But Greenwich officers do not believe they would amount to equivalent or better replacement provision.
Council documents state: “Bostall Heath and Charlton Park are materially distant from the application site and would not adequately serve displaced local users, while Southwood Park would not provide equivalent capacity and would involve formalising part of an existing public park currently used for informal recreation.”
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