The Wickham Arms garden playground
The Wickham Arms pub garden The Wickham Arms has applied for retrospective planning permission for the children's play area they've installed in their garden.
We hope they get it, because despite the hoo-ha over the partial demolition of the garden wall that happened at the same time, the landlords have succeeded in creating a family-friendly space, which is an asset to the area.
67 comments:
Hear Hear.
I second the motion.
Should be Tyrwhitt Michael of course.
I Got into auto type mode.
That looks lovely. Well done to them.
It looks very nice - well done!
When is the conservation area not the conservation area? - when Nick personally likes the devlopment. C'mon, there's a reason why there are conservation area guidelines. You start letting a wall go here, some roof changes there, and soon 38 odd years of protecting the place is gone.
Shouldn't the photo be of the wall (that's what the application is for, that and the smoking shed), rather than the benign garden?
Anon 14.24: Sorry, when did I say that I approved of either the wall's demolition or the fact that it was demolished without planning consent?
I believe the landlord contacted the council's planning department and conservation dept,And because of the size, planning permission wasnt needed for the wall.
I believe a couple of years ago the conservation group were trying to stop satellite dishes being installed outside houses,low and behold 2 years down the line you can count about 25 just by sitting outside the wickham
5 posts before a Conservation Complaint (tm) - very slow guys, please move faster.
Still don't get the sattelite dish issue. They're a normal thing you could expect to see on any house. People here talk about them like they're the evergreen equivalent of giant neon Father Christmases in December
I think the thing with satellite dishes is that when they first came in they were ENORMOUS, whereas now they're about the size of a dinner plate. I agree it's contradictory to complain about them and not about television aerials, which are arguably just as anomalous in a Victorian conservation area.
Still, the rules are the rules, and I suppose what would be ideal is if all the satellite dishes could be out of view, and all the television aerials taken down. And all the cars removed :-)
Come on, they're pretty nasty looking blights on the front of otherwise good looking buildings. It's especially nasty when you end up with clusters of 3 or 4 bolted to the front of majestic Victorian houses, 1 for each flat.
The little Sky ones aren't as bad as some of the others I've seen. I was walking along, I think, Rokeby Rd the other day (in the conservation area) and one of the houses has and absolutely enormous satellite dish, it's like bloody Jodrell Bank bolted to the front of an 3 storey + basement style Victorian house!
On the subject I've noticed that satellite dishes seem to creeping back to the front of the houses along Manor Ave after they were removed during the Regenter/council flat works a couple of months ago... Bloody peasants.
Patrick - TV ariels are generally at chimney level so less intrusive. I wouldn't have a prob with sat dishes if they weren't bolted in clusters to the front of houses, wires dangling all over making the whole place look untidy.
Indeed there was a campaign against satellite dishes a couple of years ago. I remember being quite upset by a threatening letter pushed through our door regarding a satellite dish belonging to the flat above. I'm all for keeping Brockley beautiful, but I think good neighbourliness is more important.
It shoudln't be up to neighbours to fight neighbours, the council should enforce its own rules.
I'd just like to say that 'Name and address supplied, walking up and down Wickham Road with a notepad, pen and flask of weak lemon drink said... ' is one of the best names I've seen here.
Anon 15.10, unlikely that planning permission wasn't required because of the size - any changes even cycle racks/storage etc in front gardens have to have permission round here - that's what I've been told by the planning dept.
The playground looks nice - but I still dislike the wall. The red bricks look obtrusive and it's a shame that you aren't in a nice secluded garden when having a drink anymore.
here's the link - and it doesn't mention the wall - just the playground equipment and the smoking shed:
http://acolnet.lewisham.gov.uk/LEWIS-XSLPagesDC/acolnetcgi.exe?ACTION=UNWRAP&RIPNAME=Root.PgeResultDetail&TheSystemkey=56786
It does mention the wall if you look at the actual application..
The problem is they say one thing and enforce another.
Or so it seems.
I think that they ought to dig the tarmac up and leave the cobbles uncovered.
I think C Area residents should be made to wear period dress.
From a business point of view, they probably want to show off their beautiful garden in order to entice customers in. This makes perfect sense to me. Could they or should they have used reclaimed bricks?-Probably.
It is hard enough running a successful business especially pubs and they need all the help and support they can get. If it was my business I would have done something similar but with different bricks.
The satellite dishes are a real eyesore and perhaps the council should make sure they are more discreetly positioned. I don't know if they are violating any planning laws with them on the front of their houses but if they are not, perhaps some money could be made available to reposition them?
I visit many other boroughs in London and the more affluent the area, the less likely you are to see a satllite dish.
The council is allowing the area to look run down. Having these dishes repositioned would be a real improvement to the look of the area.
But money shouldn't need to be made available to move them; they're against the conservation area rules so should just be taken down. Full stop. All residents know it's a conservation area; we all know a conservation area means no satellite dishes. Why can't the council just do its job?
Cllrs Luxton and Walton: in all seriousness, why is it so difficult for the council to enforce conservation area rules? How hard would it be just to hire a couple of blokes and go around the conservation area removing satellite dishes?
I love giant neon Santa's! Come to ladywell at Christmastime for your dose of cheer you humbug.
Patrick is right - the dishes (and ariels) on the front of houses are in direct contradiction to the planning laws for the conservation area - and the council are doing nothing about enforcing it. Either you have a conservation area or not.
Same as the wall to the pub I'm afraid - you can't demolish one, replace it with red brick and without planning permission, and expect to get away with it. I know they are a local business and times are hard - but don't tell me they didn't know they were in a conservation area too.
We buy properties here precisely because they are in a conservation area - it's about time the councillors, Council, and Broc Soc started getting serious about enforcing it.
I think C Area residents should be made to wear period dress.
Fashions return and there is a couple that live on/around Drakefell Rd that wear early 20th Century clothes. The bloke reminds me of General Melchett in civies. Baaaaaa.
Sounds as if a redraft of the Conservation Area rules is in order, if only to shut up the same 1 or 2 people who complain about them being broken and who don't understand the value of discretion (but they're the rules!)
Anon doesn't live in the area does he/she?
Maybe we don't want the rules redrafted. Just adhered to. And it may be one or two people on this site (but I think you'll find it's more if you look back at tother posts); but there are a lot of RESIDENTS in the conservation area that agree with the rules. That's why the majority of houses don't have the dishes on the front.
I would like the rules adhered to. I like discipline!
Anon DOES live in the area. Anon also lives in the 21st century.
Well Anon is clearly in the minority, I think most people who live in the conservation area do so precisely because of it's striking architecture, wide leafy streets and large gardens. Not because we love clusters of cheap looking Sky dishes on the front of houses.
If the rules are in place to retain character why are they not being enforced? If the council can't be bothered why waste money with a conservation area in the 1st place?
Yeah but does anon live in the conservation area? What's so anti 21st Century about putting dishes on roofs and back walls? Would seem to me that it's a very 21st century solution..
BTW I love the idea of wearing period dress. I'm definitely up for that, although I can't imagine cycling to work dressed in tweed plus fours with a handlebar moustache and what about my hi viz yellow cycle helmet? I don't think it's possible to get a period bike helmet.
Don't Pretend to be Rational - Exactly! It's just that people are cheap, and don't want to spend money in upkeep of the area. I think Sky provides free installation on the front of buildings but will not run cables through buildings or install on the roofline for free.
English Heritage or other such bodies should lobby Sky to take more responsibility and not install them in conservation areas, or perhaps the council should take legal action against Sky?
You'd use a bowler hat.
I think the housing office, run by regenter for the last year or so, has something to do with this. My neighbours recently moved in and Regenter had told them nothing about being in a conservation area. They heard from another neighbour and then had their dish sited at the back of the house. They didn't get the conservation booklet that the counicl sends to all those who buy in the area. I think a lot of issues could be avoided if the Council and their representitives (Regenter) actually informed people.
I'd go with period dress. But not the pants. I think wool might be chafing.
I don't much like satellite dishes but one factor in why we have so many is that cable can't be installed in the conservation area because of the damage that would have been done to the trees.
Yeah high vis helmets would spoil the look, it would be like wearing trainers with a nicely cut suit.
I reckon you need a Pashley Guv’nor as well to complete the look.
If you really want to be rational about this - perhaps the council should orgnaise a group rate with a local dish fitter. So instead of telling people to just remove them, there could be access to a cheap way of resiting them. I'm sure some local fitter would give very reasonable rates if he had a large amount of work.
Yeah that's another thing, my bike is aluminium which wasn't invented in the 19th century and I really don't see myself on one of those Pashley things. Perhaps I'll just stick to wearing period costume down the Wickham Arms on quiz night...
Tressiliana - Is that why we don't have cable? Interesting, I'd often wondered as that would solve the whole dish problem in a flash
I live in the conservation area, I have trees in my road, and I have cable TV.
C Area residents get shit broadband speed for the same reason.
I live in the conservation area, I have trees in my road, and I am satisfied with my internet connection (stated as 4000kbps, usually circa 3800kbps).
Moaning always beats discussing solutions on forums like these. Idle chatter.
What issue would you like to discuss a solution for anon 11:58?
I think much more thought is put into laying cables now,where they just used to cut through the tree roots,they now have to dig under them,and so its much more expensive to lay
@HH et al
http://www.flickr.com/photos/roxysreal/sets/72157612934832373/
Tweed Run 2010 anybody?
Broadband speed isn't that bad. I live in the conservation area and get 6.2 Mbps.
Those photos are great.
Perhaps a daft question, but where would you buy the clothes from?
Interesting to hear there is some cable in the C area now. Not much, though, I think.
Why not ring up cable supplier Virgin and ask them? - then you'll know.
DD - dunno!
Perhaps they could be hired from Angels (who have a massive warehouse in Hendon full of period kit used in the film industry), or any other film costumier (Cosprops, Carlo Manzi). Unlikely to be cheap though.
Maybe enquire on the LFGSS forum?
I buy all my clothes from Oxfam
Graeme, thanks I will have a scout and might ask Melchett's look alike for some tips if I can grab his attention next time I see him.
If I can get the outfit I would certainly be up for the Tweed Run. Don't have a classic bike but perhaps my neighbours Rayleigh Chiltern with wooden pedals will do.
I was at the Yorkshire show last week and there were loads of stalls selling Tweed Outfits and old fashioned hats.
Seems our country cousins still wear this type of clobber when out casting and blasting.
Patrick Id like to see the size of your dining table, If you think the dishes are as big as dinner plates
Actually, the playground is dangerous i have seen kids hurt on it and one of the swings has had to be decommissioned because the metalwork warped and a jagged edge was left bare. It's a cheap as chips playground and the concrete it sits on is dangerous it should not be allowed unless done properly
Yeah, I mean, they forgot to put in the bubble wrap and scatter cushions.
It's a wonder kids ever survived without a full health and safety investigation...
I don't think children should be allowed to see their parents/carers getting bladdered anyway - sets a very poor example.
I know it will make me sound like a puritan, but I agree with Anonymous (28/07, 10:18). I never saw my parents drunk and think it sets a very bad example. A glass of wine over a meal, yes, but getting tanked up with your mates over an afternoon is something for adults.
Who said anything about the parents getting bladdered? It's perfectly possible to sit in a pub garden without doing so. They even sell soft drinks, apparently.
Post a Comment