Wooden fence erected “in error” around plot of land in Deptford

By Grainne Cuffe, Local Democracy Reporter

A developer erected hoarding boards without consent in Deptford “in error” and said it will replace them.

Greenwich council launched an investigation after construction workers put up a wooden hoarding fence around a small plot of land by the Armada Community Project and Charlotte Turner Gardens in McMillan Street.

Developer Aurora Apartments, which owns the site, contracted a company to do the work, but did “not check” if the boards were the right size – higher than 1m requires planning permission.

Aurora is in the process of appealing a planning decision from Greenwich, which rejected its plans to build a three-storey block of flats on the site.

Locals have objected to the plans, saying children would lose out on “vital” play space, while a nursery playground would have been plunged into darkness by the proposed build.

The council rejected the application at the end of March, concluding that the design, massing and scale would be “unsympathetic and over dominant” to the surroundings.

Richard Marshall-Greaves, director of Aurora, said it was his “error” and the hoarding boards will be replaced.

He said: “It was a mess up between me and the contractors.

“It was my error – I didn’t check so we’ve got to replace it.

“(The contactors) are very busy, I might have to get someone else to do it.”

Mr Marshall-Greaves would not explain why the boards have been put up, but said there was nothing “strange or suspicious” going on.

“There are reasons, I’ll explain to you after the appeal process. There are genuine reasons, it’s not because of anything untoward or suspicious,” he said.