BVRG has a very detailed article about Lewisham Council’s previous responses to Network Rail’s suggestions of building high density housing on the car park. If anyone can find Network Rail’s initial housing proposals, it would be interesting to see them…
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The Blackheath Bugle · A blog about Blackheath, London, SE3, UK
The Blackheath Bugle 
I would think it’s inevitable that Network Rail will eventually develop the site for housing in some form or another: the amount of money to be made is just too tempting. Any sensible application would meet Lewisham’s main requirements – ie be sustainable (which among other things means having very few parking spaces) and have an affordability element – and it would then be very hard for the Council to resist the application or to defend the inevitable appeal. Perhaps the best thing the council could do is to negotiate mitigation measures – eg for the developer to contribute towards a new location for the market. Or even create a public space in the development where the market and other events could be held. But the car park, I fear, is doomed. (And of course, that would damage the viability of the market.)
Interesting observation Brian, but I wonder how much money the car park makes in parking fees and permits? I would suspect it’s a substantial regular income, and this might be more appealing than the lump sum that selling the plot to developers would bring in.
I wonder if there’s been any research done?
The first proper meeting between Network Rail and Lewisham Council representatives took place yesterday. Steve Gough (Lewisham’s Director Regeneration) has circulated a summary of issues discussed, which can be seen on the the Blackheath Village Residents Group website: http://news.bvrg.org.uk/blog1.php
Whilst it does appear that the site will remain a car park for the foreseeable future – with the farmers market still operating – there are still several other elements of current usage (eg recycling bins, business and John Ball school permits) that still need to be considered.
As for the long term, Lewisham Council needs to do all that it can to protect the site in terms of its planning policy, particularly if national planning legislation is loosened up as proposed by the Government’s Draft National Planning Policy Framework (see http://www.communities.gov.uk/publications/planningandbuilding/draftframeworksummary)
BVRG have posted on their website (see http://t.co/GHlqS79F) the briefing received by Lewisham Council today from Network Rail setting out the new parking tariffs when Network Rail take back control of the car park on 28 February.
In short, these are large increases – the charge for the first hour alone has gone up by 43%. This will be a serious deterrent to visitors to Blackheath whether for shopping or visiting friends and family who don’t have residents’ parking permits.
I have just raised a number of objections with Network Rail, not only about price increases, but also about the apparent removal of the option to pay for periods per 15 minutes and charging both overnight and on Sundays. Any other comments would be welcome.
So they ruin Blackheath by pricing out the casual visitor and destroying the market on a Sunday. In turn it will empty the Village and hey presto they get the opportunity to build their ghastly apartments & probably a bloody Tesco’s Metro.
Thieving bas***ds are effectively by driving people out of the Village. I enjoy a relaxing Sunday, driving to Blackheath for the Market & then a coffee. No more.
(And no I am too far to walk and am not served by a direct bus or train and even if I was, I don;t want to take the damn bus!)
So cross & disappointed but not surprised sadly.
@Mo
” … I am too far to walk and am not served by a direct bus or train and even if I was, I don;t want to take the damn bus!”
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
Oh lala, quel snobisme!
“Anybody seen in a bus over the age of 30 has been a failure in life,” to quote the divinely decadent Brian Howard –
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brian_Howard_%28poet%29
Snobbish? So if a person doesn’t want to travel by bus they are automatically a snob?? Hell of an assumption there. In fact I take a bus to work every day. But occasionally…horror of horrors…I like to travel by car!
Argh! How frustrating!!
(Anonymous above is me. Pity I didn’t realise I was logged out. :)
Let’s hope they can be talked out of such big price increases.
An extra few quid for the car park owners will mean ten times that in lost sales for the market and the village shops.
Not only that, by increasing the prices, the owners are probably hoping that
the usage drops dramatically , then they can state that the Car Park is no longer a viable option, then the builders move in.
I maybe being slightly slow but the charges aren’t actually that different? Or am i reading it wrong
1 hour goes up from 1.40 to £2
2 hours goes up from 2.80 to £3.00
3 hours goes down from 4.20 to £4.00
4 Hours goes up from £5.60 to £6
5 hours goes down from 8.40 to £8.00 (and you get an hour for free)
Anything over 5 hours used to be £15 but only valid on day of purchase, where you can now park for 24 hours for £15.
Yes the hours of operation are longer but prices arent that different.
But the minimum time will be 1 hour – they are removing the 15m/half hour parking.
Worse still – they now plan to charge on a Sunday.