Vauxhall Nine Elms Battersea Development and Transport Action Group

Dear All

As many of you may already know, VNEB Development and Transport Action Group (DATA for short) was formed at the end of last year to provide an umbrella group for all residents who may be affected by the Vauxhall Nine Elms Battersea developments. Members of DATA are all from local organisations including Kennington Association, Vauxhall Society, Viva Vauxhall and Lansdowne Gardens Residents Association, and DATA is keen to ensure that all residents organisations in SE11 and SW8 are aware of our existence.

Accordingly, I enclose our first Newsletter, and I would be grateful if you could circulate it around your organisation, so that as many people as possible become aware of the issues we are covering.

Four of us from DATA (Ross Davies and Malcolm Russell from Vauxhall Society and David Boardman and myself from Kennington Association Planning Forum) have already met with Transport for London to discuss transport issues relating to VNEB, including funding and financing of the proposed Northern Line Extension, timescales and alternative transport strategies. These discussions are ongoing, and we are also scheduled to meet with them concerning the Vauxhall gyratory.  

It is also timely to remind everyone about Lambeth Council's Open Days about the Vauxhall Area Supplementary Planning Document (SPD) on Wednesday and Thursday of this week from 3pm to 8pm at Unit 13A, St Georges Wharf, Vauxhall, SW8 2LL. Please try to encourage people to go to this.

As our Newsletter says, DATA welcomes ideas and feedback on the proposed NLE and related issues via residents' groups or community associations, and we look forward to hearing from you. Please feel free to contact any one of us (Andrea Hofling, Brian Vos, Colin McCall, David Boardman, Malcolm Green, Malcolm Russell, Ross Davies and me).

Rodney Ovenden
vneb.datagroup@gmail.com

Excerpt from the KA Newsletter Winter 2012

PLANNING FORUM

• Mayor’s Community Infrastructure Levy Charging Schedule
• Lambeth’s Core Strategy
• The Development Infrastructure Funding Study for the Vauxhall/Nine Elms/Battersea Opportunity Area

Have your eyes glazed over yet?

Do you wonder who on earth understands planning documents?

Our KA Planning Forum chaired by David Boardman does, and they keep a close eye on the Council’s proposals for development schemes that affect Kennington.

Right now they are busy monitoring and commenting on plans by Lambeth Council and the Mayor of London’s office for a number of huge residential high-rises along the river. These blocks will increase our population density astronomically. But, unfortunately, the plans are being developed with inadequate infrastructure for transport, schools, green space, and other amenities that are so essential!

What’s also important is that local developers are actively seeking KA’s input on new building schemes. These include Sainsbury’s for the redevelopment of their Nine Elms store site at Wandsworth Road, CLS Holdings for its Bondway and Spring Mews developments, Native Land for its Old Fire Station development on Albert Embankment, and Beefeater Gin for its visitor centre development.

And the KAPF has had some success in overriding the blighting effects of the Kennington gasholders, with our support for the redevelopment on the derelict Elephant and Hippo pub site which was upheld at a public enquiry.

If you would like to help the Planning Forum by doing bits of reading or research, please contact them directly at KAPlanningForum@gmail.com.