Council building a 4 storey tower block in a small space 10 feet away from my mid terraced property

[UnshakenNeedsStirring]

Hi All, I need some advice please. I received a letter from our council in a leafy green part of SE London. They are building a 4 storey tower block right in the middle of our cul-de-sac where about 45 families live in mid terrace properties. The land is just 10 feet outside my bedroom window and currently has a community centre. It will need demolishing and following that years of pain and misery to have a tower block blocking our light and no space for kids to paly or kick a ball. The area is heavily built up anyway. There has been no regards to our lives and our health in this matter and the council seem to be bent on carrying this out. How do I stop it? Please help as I haven't slept in days and its affecting my mental health. Any advice will be appreciated.

@EmmaH2022 I will try making an argument about loss of the green space. Yes, I wish I could leave but my kids go to local schools and oldest is in uni in Greenwich, all walking distance. I also work in London so I cannot leave tbh even if I wanted too. Its getting claustrophobic

If you google "valid planning objections' there are plenty of things you can mention. Make sure all your neighbours also object, you may need to research and then mail to all locally with the objections which are relevant.

I suspect they'll build it anyway, but I doubt they'll be allowed to build 4 storeys close to your house.

A bit ridiculous. Its 10 feet away that they are planning to build and demolish. Would you want it ?
There are already a row of houses at the back of my house and its another 10 feet away. All I have a small green space about 20 - 30 feet in front ( it opens up to about 50 feet at the far end away from my house) and they want to put a 4 storey tower there?

Thanks, I will do that.

And that would be NIMBYism. As it stands, this isn't.

@badgermushrooms basically he said that he was under pressure to build social housing ( which I understand and totally support) and they will go ahead with their surveys as we should understand the paucity of social housing and support the cause even if it drives us all nuts

Yeah it would feel like a tower tbh.

Thanks @fruitbrewhaha I will rally the neighbours around on the weekend

@SoupDragon I will draft a letter on the weekend and send it to my MP. Thanks a lot,

Next door sale fell through :(
I have had an estate agent around, he said he will not touch the house until a decision was made on what happening with the small green space & community centre at front. I am stuck :(

I really hope that one day you are in my shoes tbh. Have a building right on your nose and then perhaps youll understand how I feel. I have asked for advice on how to stop it. Looks like you are here to spout rubbish. Please go.
Thanks

How much bigger than the current Community centre are the flats going to be? Once you know that maybe it will seem not as bad? Once you have got through the building phase? I often find if you know a timescale of a difficult situation it can make things seem more manageable.

You have my sympathies I would definitely not be happy if that was going to happen so close to where I live.

Don't forget his job is to serve you not himself or the council, he's your elected representative

The community centre in on one level only. A small room and kitchen. About 1500 sq meters. It has a play area about 1000 sq meters They are proposing a 4 storey building with numerous flats! How is it even possible

@RedBonnet I agree but the tone of his letter made out that we should e supporting his idea of social housing , right in front of our noses

How awful, my house is 3 stories (becaude it's tall and thin) and i think it looks very high, is there even parking for all these flats? Small normal houses would be so much better for you and the residents!

Sign up on your local next door app and share the information. I am surrounded by new blocks of flats, but at least some of them are converted office blocks. Is there a local residents association? There may be somewhere more suitable for development that hasn't been considered.

Please remember that your councillor is also there to represent the interests of people who are waiting to be housed in social housing. S/he probably gets umpteen communications from people who stand a snowballs chance in hell of being housed. The L/A has to do something, and there will be few areas in London that will be suitable. I worked as a housing officer for various L/As, and we were damned if we did ,damned if we didn't. It was a constant cry for more social housing until anything was suggested near them.
I get that you are upset, but it might be best to try to mitigate rather than trying to prevent.

I’d object too. A work colleagues sister had council flats built right next to her house in London and It’s caused subsidence and she can’t live there. It’s caused her an immense amount of stress too. I’m sure there’s plenty you can come up with yo object. They won’t consider noise and dust as that’s not a valid reason as that’s what happens when building. You’d have a better case of right to light, parking issues, schooling etc.

I hope it gets built asap, how fabulous that the council is providing much needed social housing for people whose mental and physical health will already be compromised by poor housing. Hopefully some MNers who live in Greenwich can keep an eye out for the planning application and voice their support.

I hate to be the one to ask, but can you draw a diagram/plan, OP? I can't picture it in my head, how it can be put up so close to your front door - won't there be a street or road between you?

I must say, I'd be gutted if something like that happened in our close - not just the end result but the noise and disturbance of it going up. Our next door neighbour recently had some work done and it drove me crazy, so I don't blame you for trying to find valid objections. Like PPs have said, I'd concentrate very much on the loss of community amenities and green space as they won't need to consider your mental health or your lack of light, I think.

I wouldn't love a building site right next door, or social housing tbh. But wailing about a tower block and threatening letters when it is a 4 story structure and the letter wasn't in any way threatening does make you sound unreasonable.

Definitely appeal it, if only to stop them pushing the envelope. But stress the loss of community space etc rather than catastrophising about tower blocks.

Agreed!

Just found out it will be 40 flats and 5 storeys :(

I wil draw one and post soon. Give me 10 mins