Ladywell Gypsy consultation 'a complete balls up' - Lewisham

STUPID, lazy and “a complete balls up” – these were some of the more polite ways in which Lewisham Council’s consultation on building a Travellers’ site were described at a public meeting.

Around 60 people turned up to the event at the St Mary’s Centre, Ladywell, as part of a consultation on building a five-pitch site on the former Watergate School site in Church Grove.

They got to ask council Director of Programme Management and Property Steve Gough questions about the plans but rarely seemed impressed with the responses they got.

And during the meeting it emerged that a key report on whether the residential street is wide is enough for caravans will not be publicly available until after the consultation closes.


Residents say they have been misled on that issue in the current consultation documents.

Terry Edge, aged 59, asked: “Why aren’t you stopping the consultation and starting again?”

Mr Gough replied: “The simple answer to that is the research we’re having done will determine whether or not the information we’ve provided is correct.”

He said that people in Church Grove would get to see the report before it goes to a mayor and cabinet meeting for decision in January.

Church Grove people say the road is simply too narrow for a 2.55m caravan and vehicles towing them will have to mount the pavement to avoid hitting parked cars.

Clare Brynley-Jones said: “It’s stupid lazy planning by lazy planning officers with poor people skills, stupid and dangerous results.

“This is not a model proposal, it’s a disaster waiting to happen.”

Criticism of the plans has already come from Lewisham Deptford MP Joan Ruddock and the Ladywell Village Improvement Group.

Despite protests, the site was given planning permission back in 2008, but is back on the table after those plans fell through.

The current consultation closes on December 18.