Grounds For Appeal
Dear Sir Madam,
Re: Proposed Garden & External Works to 148 Slade Green Rd, corner with Plantation Rd.
Key Objectives: The key objectives we were hoping to achieve with our proposed external works are a secure storage facility; garden and property security; privacy from the road, for anyone wishing to use the garden; achieving a neat and tidy finish for the property.
Security Issues: We have had a few security issues over the years, from items being taken from the garden and side of the house, to people investigating the possibility of ‘removing’ my motorbike, currently kept by my backdoor. We have also had rubbish dumped in the garden on a number of occasions. We were, therefore, looking to improve security to try and prevent any such problems occurring in the future and provide some safe and secure external storage here. Something we have not previously had, or been in a position to do.
Personal Overview: I currently live at this address with my son and my son’s girlfriend. The lack of secure external storage has meant some limitations on living arrangements over the years, as we have had to try and store things in the house that would normally be in a garage. As part of my hobby and work has been electronic / instrument repairs, it has also meant that the back half of my lounge has doubled as a small electronic workshop. My son and I are both involved in occasional live music work and outdoor and sporting activities. This has meant trying to securely store a motorbike, kayaks, mountain bikes, camping and fishing gear and a table tennis table, as well as some music equipment. There are also the usual tools, materials and things that one would like to store securely. Without any secure external facility, this has previously been a challenge, hence our application.
Initial Idea: The plans we submitted to the Council, involved constructing a secure garage storage facility at the bottom of the garden (please see photos G1-G2). Access to the garage (as it is not for cars) would be from our garden, and not from the alley or Plantation Road. The walls of the garage would actually then constitute the boundary walls of the property. A roadside perimeter wall would attach to the garage, with a sliding gate across where I park my van. The eventual aim being to render the outbuilding, the wall (depending on type), the existing studio and the house, and paint it all the same colour, thereby making the property look neat and tidy. This idea would yield the maximum benefit as to usable storage space, storage security, garden security, security for the property and privacy from the road (for anyone wishing to use the garden). It would also yield a tidy overall finish, eventually matching in with the house. It would also stop inconsiderate people dumping their rubbish in the garden from the back alley.
Private Road: The Council have objected to this initial proposal, partly on the grounds that the scheme would impair visibility for cars entering Plantation Road from the ‘private road’ (that is the back alley). It was explained to the Council that nobody drives up and down the back alley, however, because my neighbour has had two cars parked this end (one of which was SORN), they say they consider this to be a private road. From what the Council have said, one could get the impression that the back alley is a busy through road with a continuous string of vehicles driving into Plantation Road, however, this is not the case. It is overgrown and fly-tipped and no one actually could drive down it, even if they wanted to (please see photos BA1-BA6).
Alley Parking: As the Council have brought it up as an issue, my neighbour has said he can relocate the SORN vehicle that is there, and has just got it MOT’d with a view to doing so. The adjacent residents I have spoken to have all said they would prefer vehicles not to be parked there, or to drive down it, even if they could. As we have said to the Council, the alley is currently overgrown, and apart from the vehicle parked there, it is not used by vehicles to access Plantation Road at any time. We are quite happy to install a bollard here, if necessary (as residents have opposite), to solve the problem (please see photo BD1).
Many Instances! There are, however, already many instances of what Bexley Council are talking about, in significantly busier places than Plantation Road. Such as Crayford High Street (please see photos CHS1-CHS9), where in a 90m stretch, four multi-vehicle carparks serving businesses, flats and takeaway delivery services, are continuously exiting onto a busy high street, across busy pavements, in the same ‘restricted vision’ circumstances. In fact, the old community centre, on Bridge Road, at the other end of our back alley, now has a 2.5m high fence around it, which Bexley Council themselves have erected, which does exactly what they are complaining about, restricting vision for cars exiting the medical centre’s carpark onto Bridge Road (please see photos CC1-CC6). Bridge Road is THE major arterial access route running right through the heart of Slade Green. It is a very busy road and bus route, with high pedestrian footfall, serving the schools, bus stops and the railway station, from other parts of Slade Green. In contrast, Plantation Road is a very quiet no-through road with just 22 houses, no through-traffic and hardly any pedestrian footfall (please see photos PR1-PR2). It doesn’t seem very fair to be denying permission in such a quiet location on the grounds of a hardly used overgrown back-alley, which no one drives down, when such instances exist in much busier places all over, and when Bexley Council are actually doing it themselves. In such instances, people are expected to use their common sense, and gently edge out. We don’t do it at 30mph. But, as said, we can install a bollard, if required.
Flood Zone: Even though we have made provision for drainage and a soakaway, plus a permeable surface, we have also been denied the application, citing that we are in a ‘flood zone’, and have been told we therefore need a ‘flood risk assessment’. Slade Green is low-lying land, adjacent to the River Thames and Dartford Creek. It did flood over 70 years ago, in the Great North Sea Flood of 1953. The flood killed over 300 people in eastern England, and over 2,500 people and 100,000 livestock, when including the Netherlands and Belgium. The flood was caused by an unusual set of circumstances, very stormy weather, with high northerly winds and an unusually high spring tide, which overwhelmed embankments and flood defences. At that time, the water came up as far as the Corner Pin pub, still 250m short of this property. Since then, flood defences have been improved, with the building up of river embankments and the construction of the Thames and Dartford Creek barriers. It is notable that Bexley Council themselves have just built all over the Howbury Centre playing fields, (contrary to residents’ wishes) around 74,000 sqm of valuable playing field and natural drainage / potential flood plain (please see photos HF1-HF2). The unfairness and hypocrisy, on both counts, is stark and somewhat disappointing.
Happy! Our property has been unfinished for a long time. I have spoken to my neighbours, who are happy for me to proceed with this plan, and certainly everyone in this location will be pleased to see this house and grounds tidied up after so long. Now that we are in a position to be able to do it, it would nice if we could just get on with it, improve its usability and appearance, and get the best result, if at all possible.
Thank you.