Extract from SAVO NEWS – July/August 2006 issue
The Council is going ahead with its plan to impose the Cross River Tram Depot on a huge site in the middle of Peckham Town Centre before there has been adequate evaluation of its impact. The site is teeming with economic and social life, has significant potential for revival, has hundreds of jobs, dozens of businesses, several churches, scores of artists, lots of housing, and lots of adaptable buildings. So demolishing it would have serious adverse effects. These were recognised by the Government Planning Inspector after the Public Inquiry into the UDP (Unitary development Planned for the borough). He said the comparison with all the many other sites which had been examined had been based on the misinformation that the site was near derelict, and so it was a defective decision.
He recommended instead a ‘split-site’ Depot there, ie part of the Depot in Peckham and part somewhere else, and this has been put into the modified UDP coming out for consultation from 1 September to 13 October. The problem is that the words in the UDP put no limit on the size of a ‘split-site’, and it could have just as many adverse effects effect a brand new policy on land use in Peckham Town Centre, and the 6 week consultation on the UDP modifications in September/October is the first and only time to make comments before the UDP is finalised. To be meaningful there has to be information from TfL about the size and arrangements of the Depot plans they are working on now.
Peckham Vision is campaigning to get this information released. Anyone with an interest in Peckham Town Centre can help by asking their ward councillors, GLA member, and MP to press TfL for information and openness about these plans at this critical stage.
If you support this campaign, join the mailing list, and keep in touch. Please email info@peckhamvision.org.