On 26th January 2017, a meeting was held at Laburnum Hall regarding the proposed “Learning Disability Resource Hub” development on Coburg Crescent. The meeting was chaired by Fiona Connolly (Director of Adult Social Care, Lambeth Council) and it was attended by Lambeth Council staff involved in the project, the architect, local councillors and local residents.
The meeting was informative. However, letters notifying Palace Road Estate residents of the meeting had only been posted through letterboxes the previous day and only a handful of residents attended. Residents and councillors emphasised to the council during the meeting that there must be plenty of notice of future meetings.
This blog post provides a summary of the key points from the meeting. Further information is contained in the handouts provided by Lambeth Council and the architect’s firm (C.F. Møller). Minutes of the meeting are being produced by Lambeth Council and will be added to the blog in due course.
What’s going to be in the new development?
The development will be on the site of the former buildings at 3, 5 and 7 Coburg Crescent which were demolished last year. It is proposed that it will comprise:
- A day centre for adults with learning disabilities
- Homes (short- and long-term stay) for 13 people with a disability. There is no longer a plan to build private flats as part of the development
- Accommodation for carers
- “Flexible space”, managed by the Learning Disability service, which can be made available for community use
- A cafe to provide snacks and meals to service users and at times for the local community.
A new shop will also be built on the site. The council have stated that it is a priority to keep some kind of continuous shop facility open throughout the construction process.
What are the timeframes?
The development is subject to planning permission and the council propose to submit the planning application in late May/early June 2017. The council stated that there would be consultation with residents on the detail of the design before submission. Construction is planned to commence in winter 2017 with the building opening for use in spring 2019.
Comments from residents and councillors
The following points were raised by residents and councillors during the meeting:
- The need for a shop to be available continuously
- The need for the community space to be available free of charge for PRERA use
- The need for plenty of notice of the consultation on the planning application and future meetings
- The Residents’ Association would wish to review the traffic management plans for the construction. Also, contractors should not be allowed to park on Palace Road Estate
- The need for a named person to contact on the council if there are any problems. Fiona Connolly confirmed that this was to be her (fconnolly@lambeth.gov.uk 0207 926 1702)