68 Wickham Road

The residents of 68 Wickham Road - a huge house in the convervation area - have launched a petition in a bid to prevent the building's owner from redeveloping the basement.

The basement has been used as an artist studio and party venue for many years (Brockley Jon can vouch for the quality of its parties) and its redevelopment as flats would obviously put an end to that. The petitioners claim that the development would damage the structure and character of the property. They say:

The house has a special history and quality of its own, which would be destroyed if this proposed development were to be allowed. This would be a great loss and sadness to the residents, our friends and to the area.

The Brockley Society have considered the proposal and say that although the proposal would not really affect the external appearance of the building:

We have written to Lewisham Planning to ensure that they are aware of the potential complications to the building programme, as the information in the application from the builder paints a slightly different picture.

So the Council has to consider whether the desire to preserve the eccentric character of the house outweighs the wish of the owners to realise the full value of their property and the need to create new homes in the area.