We Asked, You Said, We Did

• Should Bellingham Estate be designated as an ASLC?
• Should Lee Green be designated as an ASLC?
• Should Silk Mills Path be designated as an ASLC?
• Should Lewisham Town Centre be designated as an ASLC?
• Should Loampit Hill be designated as an ASLC?

Lee Green received 2 responses. Both agreed it should be designated as an Area of Special Local Character.

Silk Mills Path: 3 out of 3 respondents supported Silk Mills Path’s adoption as an ASLC and agreed with the proposed boundary. Comments praised its architectural character and historical significance.

Loampit Hill received 4 responses, all supported Loampit Hill’s designation as an ASLC. 3 respondents agreed with the proposed boundary, while one felt it should cover a larger section of Loampit Hill. Respondents emphasised the need for period-style street lighting and traffic control.

Bellingham Estate received 3 responses, all of which supported Bellingham’s designation as an ASLC. 2 respondents agreed with the proposed boundary, while one suggested including the green play area beyond the rail bridge into the boundary. Comments focused on protecting green spaces, improving planting, tackling fly-tipping, and enhancing Randlesdown Road.

Lewisham Town Centre: 2 out of 2 respondents supported Lewisham Town Centre’s designation and agreed with the proposed boundary.

Lee Green: Officers revised the ‘Opportunities’ section to add tree planting and river management, while traffic issues were referred to the Highways team.

Silk Mills Path: No changes were made to the Statement of Significance. 

Loampit Hill: Officers revised the ‘Opportunities’ text to add perio lighting as an enhancement should funding become available, and traffic concerns were referred to the Highways team. Additional comments highlighted the area’s architectural quality and unique views, which have been incorporated into the revised Statement of Significance.

Bellingham Estate: The ASLC boundary was chosen to reflect the historic layout of the original London County Council cottage estate. Officers revised the ‘Opportunities’ section to add planting improvements, and fly-tipping concerns were referred to the Environmental Health team.

Lewisham Town Centre: No changes were made to the Statement of Significance.

• Do you agree with the selection criteria?
• Should Hall Drive be designated as an ASLC?
• Should Charleville Circus be designated as an ASLC?
• Should Kirkdale be designated as an ASLC?
• Should Rockbourne Road be designated as an ASLC?
• Should these roads be designated as ASLCs?
• Should Sydenham Ridge be designated as an ASLC?

74.1% of respondents supported the proposed selection criteria. Some respondents found terms like “high quality” and “etc.” vague or subjective. Others felt the criteria were too restrictive or missed areas of interest.

87.5% of respondents supported Hall Drive being an ASLC. Residents praised the architectural diversity, green spaces, and community character. Corrections were suggested to descriptions of building types and historical details.

71.4% of respondents supported Charleville Circus being an ASLC. Some praised its distinctiveness and history, while others expressed concern about planning restrictions and parking.

85.7% of respondents supported Kirkdale being an ASLC. Respondents highlighted the area's historic buildings and community value. Suggestions included expanding the boundary and addressing urban realm issues.

62.5% of respondents supported Rockbourne Road being an ASLC. Residents appreciated the greenery, community use of benches, and historical context. Some were unsure of the designation’s practical impact.

66.7% of respondents supported Woolstone & Hurstbourne Roads being an ASLC. Some questioned the uniqueness of the area and suggested other roads were equally deserving.

76.2% of respondents supported Sydenham Ridge being an ASLC. Strong support with calls for Conservation Area status. Detailed feedback included historical, ecological, and boundary suggestions.

• Selection criteria: Officers clarified definitions, removed vague terms, and added references to Historic England and NPPG guidance to improve clarity and robustness.

• Halll Drive ASLC: Officers updated architectural descriptions and corrected historical references as suggested by respondents, revised the Statement of Significance, and incorporated detailed feedback from the Hall Drive Residents’ Association.

• Charleville Circus ASLC: Officers clarified that ASLC designation does not impose new planning controls. Officers incorporated historical data from a One-Place Study and addressed concerns about threats and opportunities. The FAQs, explaining that the ASLC designation will not entail any additional planning controls, will be uploaded with the ASLCs on the Council website.  

• Kirkdale ASLC: Officers clarified existing protections for adjacent areas, added tree planting and urban realm improvements to the opportunities section of the Statement of Significance, and referred traffic concerns to Highways.

• Rockbourne Road ASLC: Officers added social value of benches, historical context (e.g. WWII bombing), and planting opportunities to the Statement of Significance. Clarified the non-regulatory nature of ASLCs.

• Woolstone & Hurstbourne Roads: Officers clarified that similar areas are already designated Conservation Areas.

• Sydenham Ridge ASLC: Officers expanded the ASLC boundary to include Sydenham Wells Park and the full Sydenham Hill Estate. Added detailed historical, ecological, and topographical information to the Statement of Significance. Updated photos and maps in Statement of Significance.

This consultation was about involving the public in the design, commissioning and delivery of the health visiting and school nursing services. It aimed to capture the views of parents and carers in order to shape services.

The current contract for the provision of the Health Visiting and School Nursing Service is due to expire on the 31st March 2023. Before a new contract is awarded, we asked for your views on the current service and the ways in which it might be improved.

In total there were 183 responses to the School Nursing Service online parent and carer survey which included the following suggested improvements to the existing service:

• Improving access and information around the areas of support that are most important and needed.
• Increased face to face services.
• Better use of websites and social media.
• Improving partnership working with other services.
• Promotion and awareness raising about the service and what it offers.
• Greater visibility and awareness in schools.

We held workshops to discuss the results of the consultation with the current service provider. Feedback to all questions within the survey have been shared with the Children and Young People’s Joint Commissioning Team and the suggestions for improvement have influenced the 'service specification', a key document that will inform the re-procurement of the contract.

Thank you for responding to our survey about play which has informed developing a strategy for play. The survey was one part of the consulation and 427 responses were recieved. In addition to the survey a wide-ranging consultation and engagement exercise  was undertaken between February and March 2022. Views were asked from a variety of groups and sources including:  Adult and children online survey monkey, schools via a schools competition, Vox pops consultation at Lewisham shopping centre, Council Members and officers, Public Health, Early Years, Young Mayors and Young Advisors  and Children and family centres. This resulted in another 575 views - 902 in total.

 These are some of the questions we asked children, young people and their families:

Where do you like to play? 

Is this close enough to walk from home? 

Is there anything that puts you off playing where you want to?

What new play things would you like to see in Lewisham?

Why is play important to you?

The vast majority of the respondents reported that they appreciate and regularly use Lewisham play spaces. Some of the other issues highlighted were in relation to feeling safe in the play area, increasing the opening hours of play spaces and the maintenance of play spaces.

The Play Strategy has been published and includes an Action Plan informed by the outcome of the consulltation. See the link to the Strategy here: Play Strategy

This consultation was about involving the public in the design, commissioning and delivery of the health visiting and school nursing services. It aimed to capture the views of parents and carers in order to shape services.

The current contract for the provision of the Health Visiting and School Nursing Service is due to expire on the 31st March 2023. Before a new contract is awarded, we asked for your views on the current service and the ways in which it might be improved.

In total there were 51 responses to the Health Visiting Service online parent and carer survey which included the following suggested improvements to the existing service:

• Improving access and information around the areas of support that are most important and needed.
• Increased face to face services and group support.
• Better use of digital systems for appointment bookings.
• Strengthening communication with families.
• Improving partnership working with other services.
• Promotion and awareness raising about the service and what it offers.

We held workshops to discuss the results of the consultation with the current service provider. Feedback to all questions within the survey have been shared with the Children and Young People’s Joint Commissioning Team and the suggestions for improvement have influenced the 'service specification', a key document that will inform the re-procurement of the contract.

This consultation focused on exploring the barriers home-owners face to retrofitting their home to make them more energy efficient. Privately owned housing is responsible for the largest proportion of household carbon emissions in Lewisham, and a councillor-initiated project was setup to establish how the Council could support residents to overcome these issues.

There were 287 survey responses. About 40% of respondents hadn’t done any retrofitting work in the last two years and 20% had never done any. Draught proofing and insulations were the most commonly completed retrofits. Most respondents considered partial retrofits ‘as and when’ repairs and upgrades become necessary. Increasing comfort and the climate emergency were identified as the most common motivators, with reducing costs a close third. The greatest barriers identified were finding reliable contractors and the fear of escalating costs. Not knowing where to get good advice from, and the perception that technology is not good enough yet to make it worth investing in were also highlighted.

New governance arrangements supporting the ambition for the Council to be net zero carbon by 2030 have been approved by the Executive Management Team and a new internal officer Climate Emergency Board is being set up. A draft Retrofit Strategy will be presented to Housing Select Committee (Q1 2023/24). Guidance is being produced for retrofit which will be presented as a dedicated page on the Council website. A guide for tenants moving into retrofitted homes will be provided with the consultants/contractor designing and carrying out the works tasked with producing a draft for the Housing department to approve. A new community investment scheme has been launched with the aim of generating £1m for local projects to help tackle the Climate Emergency.

The Council wanted to establish levels of overall satisfaction with its waste collection service, public perceptions of the quality of service provided and service areas where future improvements could be made to achieve stated priorities.    

1. Over 79% of respondents agreed with the 45% recycling/reuse/composting target for household waste

 2. 74% of respondents disagreed or strongly disagreed with providing smaller bins for general waste

3. 80% of respondents feel that we should continue to promote home composting

4. 92% of respondents feel that the Council should minimise the waste produced from its office buildings

 5. 94% of respondents felt that businesses should separate waste for recycling

The consultation received 1,700 respondents and the overall response was positive and supportive of the Councils aims to maintain a high level of service whilst reducing carbon emisssions. The Council now has a clearer idea of what people who use waste collection want from the service.

1. The 45% target is included within the waste strategy, and in the Council’s Reduction and Recycling Plan

 2. The Council will not be looking to provide smaller bins for general waste at this time

3. This has been included within the waste strategy under Priority 2, the Council will “ensure that recycling and composting is easy” by “providing user-friendly services”

4. Council buildings will be required to develop responsible waste management action plans as part of the safe return to the office after the pandemic, as included under Priority 1

 5. The Council will ensure that businesses have access to appropriate waste disposal services, and will work to develop, implement and publicise a waste management policy

This consultation was about involving the public in the design, commissioning and delivery of health and care services. It aimed to capture the views of residents and stakeholders in order to shape a new outline for a Healthwatch and NHS Complaints Advocacy Service.

The current contract for the provision of a local Healthwatch and Complaints Advocacy Service is due to expire on the 31st March 2020. Before a new contract is awarded, we asked for your views on the current service and the ways in which it might be improved.

In total there were 18 responses to the survey which included the following suggested improvements to the existing service:

• Wider advertising for the services that Healthwatch provides.
• Strengthening of verbal communication by Healthwatch.
• Better engagement with the public so that their views are reflected in the development of health-related services.
• Increased funding for Healthwatch.
• More outreach support.
• Improved availability of support from Healthwatch.

Feedback to all questions within the survey has now been shared with the Associate Director of Joint Commissioning and the suggestions for improvement have influenced the 'service specification', a key document that will inform the re-procurement of the contract.