Application for Bell Green Neighbourhood Area and Forum

Overview

A local community group in the Bell Green area has made an application seeking the designation of a Neighbourhood Area and the designation of a Neighbourhood Forum.

A designated neighbourhood forum is an organisation or group empowered by the local authority to lead the neighbourhood planning process in a neighbourhood area. 

A neighbourhood area is an area defined by the forum that they wish to create a neighbourhood development plan for. 

A community group has to submit an application (see bottom of the webpage) to the local authority requesting the formal designation of both the neighbourhood area and forum status.   

The proposed neighbourhood area (map above) covers part of the Borough of Lewisham encompassing parts of the Bellingham, Perry Vale, Rushey Green and Sydenham wards, a map of which can also be viewed in the application form found at the bottom of the page. If the application is approved, no other organisation or body may be designated for that area until this designation expires after 5 years or is withdrawn. 

The application form attached at the bottom of the page is intended to inform your decision on whether or not the emerging forum would work towards a shared vision of the proposed area and also if you agree to the objectives the forum wish to achieve by drafting a neighbourhood development plan.  A combined application form for both the area and the forum can be found below and includes:

• Covering Letter
• Map of the proposed Bell Green neighbourhood Area
• Statement the area as an appropriate neighbourhood area
• Statement proposing the Bell Green Neighbourhood Forum as a relevant body under the Town and Country Planning Act 1990 and the Neighbourhood Planning Regulations (General) 2012
• Membership List - redacted in line with GDPR
• Forum constitution

Why your views matter

The emerging Bell Green Forum has submitted a forum and area application to the council which can be viewed below and the council is now seeking views and comments on the applications from residents and other interested stakeholders.  All responses must be submitted by 7th July 2022 via the following survey, by e-mail to planning.policy@lewisham.gov.uk or by post to:

Lewisham Council

Strategic Planning

4th Floor, Civic suite

Catford Road, SE6 4RX

The Council will consider the comments submitted as part of the decision to designate both the neighbourhood forum and the neighbourhood area.  

If the Council approves the area and forum applications, Bell Green Neighbourhood Forum will be able to prepare a neighbourhood plan for the designated neighbourhood area.

Once a neighbourhood plan has passed through the statutory processes and is adopted, it will be used alongside Lewisham’s’ own planning policy documents and can help influence decisions on planning applications in the designated neighbourhood area.

Below you will find the combined application form for the designation of the neighbourhood forum and neighbourhood area which includes the supporting statements, group constitution and a map of the proposed area.

Due to GDPR constraints we are unable to publish the list of 21 group members needed to establish a neighbourhood forum and these details have been redacted.  The Council can supply this information with the permission of the neighbourhood group. 

This consultation is entirely ‘Optional’ and you do not need to participate unless you choose to. Your personal information will only be viewed by members of the Strategic Planning team at London Borough of Lewisham, and will not be shared with any third party. Your details are required to authenticate your representation.

By submitting your contact details to this consultation, you are consenting to be added to the Strategic Planning team's consultation data base, and may be contacted regarding future Strategic Planning consultations. The Strategic Planning database is retained and managed by the Strategic Planning team only, and we will not transfer any data to another territory outside of the EEA. We will hold this data for a maximum of five years, or until, if you request to be removed from our consultation data base sooner.

If, at any point, you wish to be removed from our database, please contact planning.policy@lewisham.gov.uk