“Terrible” plan for new flats in Deptford slammed as “act of violence” against children’s play

A proposed block of flats which opponents say will plunge a playground into darkness has sparked a backlash in Deptford.

Developer Aurora Apartments wants to build a three-storey building on a small plot of land by the Armada Community Project and Charlotte Turner Gardens in McMillan Street.

But locals say children attending a nearby nursery will lose out on vital play space.

London green space commissioner Trina Lynskey, chairwoman of campaign group DeptfordFolk, said it was a “terrible proposal”.

“Green space matters. Play matters. Systematic removal of the ground beneath children’s feet is an act of violence.

“If we care about serious youth violence we need to protect the spaces where children play. Deptford’s young people cannot keep losing out,” she said.
One resident said she couldn’t believe it because “there was no space to build anything”.

A staff member from nearby Rachel McMillan Nursery School said the plans “seemed crazy”, adding: “How will that be shoehorned into such a small space?”

Cat Conway, a governor of a school that borders Charlotte Turner Gardens as well as a parent of a child that goes there, said she was “very distressed” over the plans.

She said: “I walk past that little patch of garden every week day four times a day as part of the school run.

“It is a safe, nurturing, welcoming space that serves its community well: it is surrounded by two nurseries and a primary.”

She said although she appreciates there is a housing crisis, “we also have an air pollution problem, which is why we need our green spaces and our trees”.

Ms Conway added: “If this toddler playground is removed from Charlotte Turner Gardens, then there is nowhere for these little people to play.

“Twinkle Park, behind the school, does not have a toddler-friendly space, and the nearest playground is Sayers Court Park, which is in a shocking state and has been for years, with broken equipment and churned up pavement and no space for toddlers and their carers.

“The closest options are the tiny play areas incorporated into the new build developments, which are not open to the public.

“We have a great many new builds happening in Deptford alone, such as the Anthology, the ongoing works at the Timberyard site, and whatever is going on at Convoys Wharf, all of which are within the school catchment area of Invicta.

“Although I highly doubt any of these developments will yield affordable housing and I have little issue in principle of turning disused brownfield sites into new homes and community spaces, tearing up a toddler playground that is barely six years old – a patch of land that was always supposed to be a community space – to shove in a block of flats is, quite frankly, cruel.

“Charlotte Turner Gardens is a community space that serves and is used by the most vulnerable of our citizens, most of whom live in flats and would not otherwise have access to green space.

“They have rights, too. We as parents, teachers, citizens, need to advocate for them by ensuring they continue to have a safe place to play and clean air to breathe.”

Greenwich Councillor Sizwe James, cabinet member for regeneration and growth, said: “This application is currently under assessment and we are therefore unable to comment at this time.”

A local music charity which provides studio space for young people was donated the former site of the Duke of Wellington Pub in McMillan Street more than 20 years ago.

But Midi Music sold off the land, called Blusher’s site, last year for £105,000.

According to the charity in a Companies House document, the sale “contributed towards increasing our reserve fund, easing the charity’s cash flow, and even though we received £20k less from our land investment due to the reported Japanese knotweed presence, the reality of our financial position is positive”.

The site once had a ‘community use covenant’, which protects it for community use, but the charity negotiated with the donor for it to be removed. This means the developer is free to build flats on the site.

A spokesman for Aurora Apartments (Greenwich) said the building was designed to “minimise any detrimental impact” on the surrounding area.

He said: “We note that there are some local objections and we have been in contact with members of the local community in recent months regarding this.

“Although the site is next to a park and children’s play area, we have endeavoured to design a scheme with architectural merit, rather than a standard central London ‘box’ and also endeavoured to minimise any detrimental impact upon these areas.”

He also argued that the former pub on the site, demolished nearly 20 years ago, was three storeys in height.

“The site was previously occupied by a three-storey public house and also obtained planning permission for a three-storey residential building in 2004.

“On this basis, we consider that the principle of the proposal is acceptable and provides a high-quality design that will contribute much needed housing to the local area,” he said.

Midi Music has been contacted for comment.

Lewisham council, which rents a space to the charity in Deptford, has declined to comment.

Greenwich West ward Labour councillor Mehboob Khan, who will be on the planning panel, urged people to register their objections online.

The application is in the consultation phase and will go before a Greenwich planning committee at a date yet to be set.

Pictured top: An artist’s impression  of what the development could look like