April 2018 Newsletter

April 2018

Letter from the Chair of the Committee 

Dear All,


I am stepping back into the post of Chair for this year and thank Margaret Oliver for her carrying out the role last year so well. Our Christmas Social was a great success and we all enjoyed the afternoon with the very professional singing of the choir from St. Thomas More Catholic Primary School.
The committee had a brainstorming session at the end of January to try and find new and/or more effective ways to represent and communicate with our residents. This is an ongoing feature for this year and so we ask your patience as we try and get to grips with these ideas.
Rita Billinghurst
rita.bygrave@btinternet.com

Planning and Enforcement Liaison

We currently have a committee member vacancy to liaise with Royal Greenwich on planning and enforcement issues.   This role would involve bi-monthly meetings at The Woolwich Centre as well as liaison with the planning application committee member.   The position might be ideal for someone who has recently given up full-time work and who is interested in helping to maintain the architectural integrity of the Progress Estate Conservation Area.

If you would like to learn more about this position, please write to theprogressestate@gmail.com.

Safer Neighbourhood Police Teams

Both the North and West areas of the estate have a committee member representing the residents at meetings.

These members will report any non-urgent concerns of yours at their next quarterly meeting but we do advise you to contact the police asap if you are concerned about your’s or a neighbours safety.

Coach Trip

Would you be interested in an organised coach trip to a place of interest or to the coast?

If you are, could you please contact us so we can see if this is a viable option.

Planning Permission: Works to slate roofs 

As most residents will know, new supplies of the slates used to roof some of the houses on our estate ceased to be quarried some decades ago. This issue came to a head last year when works were undertaken to certain properties in Ross Way and Whinyates Road. When making their planning applications, the owners of the properties implied that high proportions of the slates would be re-used yet, in the event, all were replaced with new tiles. 

We are therefore pleased to announce that Royal Greenwich has adopted new procedures designed to stop a repetition of this outcome: 

1. Applicants will be required to include an estimate of the minimum percentage of the original slates that they expect to incorporate in replacement roofs and fascias. 

2. Applicants will be required to specify that, where estimated recovery rates are below 100%, the entirety of the front roof will be re-laid in original tiles and to specify a suitable new tile to be used to fill the shortfall at the rear. This would normally be expected to be green Brazilian slates, in line with the Progress Estate Conservation Area Character Appraisal. 

3. In assessing proposals, planning officers will have regard to the guidance within the Progress Estate Conservation Area Character Appraisal that a minimum recovery rate of 80-90% should be possible. Where estimated recovery rates are below this benchmark, the applicant will be required to provide a robust justification for why a higher recovery rate is not considered possible. 

4. Where permission is granted, a condition will require the proposals to be implemented fully in accordance with the approved plans and accompanying documents. 

This approach will provide an effective means of enforcing against any breach of permission as the minimum retention rate will have been clearly specified in the application for planning. 

Plans to cut Victoria trains from the Bexleyheath line

The Government has confirmed that all services on the Bexleyheath Line to Victoria will be cut after the new franchise is awarded in 2018, despite the Government’s own consultation showing that 89% of respondents were opposed to plans to cut the number of local rail destinations. 

Until such time as Lewisham station is thoroughly modernised, cutting this service from Eltham and elsewhere would be a disaster for commuters, in particular for those who rely on the rail network as an accessible route to Kings College Hospital at Denmark Hill. 

If you oppose these plans please sign the petition online. Available at https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/206880

We want you!

To get in touch with us to let us know what you would like us to be doing for you. 

Whether you have an idea for a residents event or feedback about the newsletter or our previous events then we want to hear from you. 

You can contact us via email via theprogressestate@gmail.com

Making Progress is published by the Progress Residents Association.

It is printed on their behalf by:

David Evans Property Services,

The Progress Estate Experts

0208 8859 5331