491-505 Southend Lane, Bellingham, London, SE26 5BL

Full planning application for a change of use of 491-505 Southend Lane, London, SE26 5BL from B8 (warehouse storage) to a flexible use class between B8 (warehouse storage) and D1 (place of worship)

Authority: London Borough of Lewisham
Appeal type: minor · Planning Appeal
Procedure: Written Representations
Development: community-institutional · Change of use
Inspector: Scott A

Main issues, as the Inspector framed them

Whether or not the proposal is a suitable use within the Local Employment Location
The impact of the proposal on the living conditions of local residents with regards to noise and disturbance
The impact of the proposal on highway and pedestrian safety

What decided it

The proposal would cause significant loss of employment space in a designated Local Employment Location, harm to neighbouring residential amenity through noise and disturbance, and unacceptable impacts on highway and pedestrian safety, with no material considerations to outweigh these harms.

The positive contribution to community cohesion and faith-based activities did not outweigh the significant loss of employment purpose, undemonstrated impacts on neighbouring living conditions, and highway and pedestrian safety concerns; the proposal conflicted with the development plan taken as a whole.

Framework references: 56, 57

Plan policies cited: Lewisham Core Strategy 2011 Policy 3, Development Management Policies 2014 DM Policy 10, Development Management Policies 2014 DM Policy 44, Development Management Policies 2014 DM Policy 26, Development Management Policies 2014 DM Policy 29, Core Strategy Policy 14, London Plan 2021

Read the decision letter on the Inspectorate’s site

The main issues and the deciding factor are read from the published letter by Town Planner Pro; the letter itself is the record. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Research, not advice.

What an account adds

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Heritage. Listed buildings by grade and distance, conservation areas, scheduled monuments, registered parks and gardens, heritage at risk.
Landscape and environment. Green belt, national parks and national landscapes, SSSIs, ancient woodland, SPA, SAC and Ramsar sites, nutrient catchments.
Flooding. Flood zones 2 and 3, surface water, and both again with climate change.
Transport. The 800 metre station catchment and service frequency, bus stops with their weekday frequency, the cycle network, and the Framework’s transport tests measured for the site.

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