CARNEGIE LIBRARY HERNE HILL GYM PLANS SET TO GET GO-AHEAD NEXT TUESDAY
Plans to turn the Carnegie library in Herne Hill into a gym with some library use are set to get the go-ahead at a Lambeth council planning committee meeting next Tuesday (February 7th) – at a venue in Vauxhall.
Planning officers are recommending approval for the hugely controversial plans by Greenwich Leisure Ltd.
In yet another piece of apparent Lambeth Labour spin, the officers report to committee says the library has been “registered with the council as an asset of community value” – and that the secretive Labour-dominated group* the Carnegie Community Trust are bidding to take the building over.
What the report does NOT say is that it was the Friends of Carnegie Library who registered Carnegie library as an asset of community value.
NEITHER does the report mention that another group have also applied to take the building over – the Carnegie Library Association is run by an elected committee of trustees, including representatives of library user groups….and of the Friends of Carnegie Library.
The report also reveals – apparently for the first time – that the “mobile library storage has been relocated offsite to Minet Library”– another library which Greenwich Leisure want to use for gym purposes.
The report states (paragraph numbers 6.1.21): “It is noted that the Carnegie Community Trust (CCT) have responded to the consultation process in objection (sic) to the proposal.
“The objection has been raised on the grounds that CCT is currently bidding to Lambeth for a community asset transfer of Carnegie library with a view to re-purposing the building as a community hub for Herne Hill under Lambeth’s 2012 report ‘Enabling Community Asset Ownership and Management’.
“6.1.22 The accompanying text of Local Plan Policy S1 paragraph 7.10 states that ‘where premises have been registered with the council as an asset of community value under the Localism Act 2011, this is likely to be a material consideration in the determination of applications for the site for change of use to non-community related use’.
“Carnegie library has been registered as an asset of community value. “As noted above a gym is a community facility and there is an in principle planning policy position in support of its use.
“Ongoing discussions in respect of a trust seeking a Community Asset Transfer do not outweigh policy considerations as outlined.”
The report says the proposed scheme seeks the change of use of a proportion of the ancillary D1 space (approximately 258msq.m and excavation works at basement level to create an additional 398sq.m of useable floorspace. The resulting 656sq.m of floorspace would be used as a gym (Class D2 use).
The gym would be operated by GLL Limited and operate separately, both physically and functionally, from the library/community floorspace (Class D1 use) floorspace to be retained at ground floor level.
But there are no detailed drawings accompanying the report on the Lambeth.gov planning website to show what space this would apply to – and back in October News From Crystal Palace reported drawings which showed “the ‘neighbourhood library’ confined to the left of the main entrance in what was the childrens’ library, and art gallery, with dividing wall knocked down – and that’s it for library space.”
The report states: “1.5 The ground floor and basement of the property was last use (sic) as Carnegie Library (Class D1) and is owned by the Council. 1.6 The library is currently vacant having closed in March 2016.”
Existing columns supporting the ground floor will be underpinned and sections of the masonry walls removed and certain openings enlarged.
The report also says no protected trees are being removed and no protected species or habitats will be lost or impacted upon as part of the development.
Officer’s recommendations to next Tuesday’s meeting are as follows:
1. Resolve to grant conditional planning permission subject to the completion of an agreement under Section 106 of the Town and Country Planning Act 1990 of the planning obligations listed in this report.
2. Agree to delegate authority of the Director of Planning and Development to:
i. Finalise the recommended conditions as set out in this report; and
ii. Negotiate, agree and finalise the planning obligations as set out in this report pursuant to Section 106 of the Town and Country Planning Act 1990.
3. In the event that the committee resolves to refuse planning permission and there is a subsequent appeal, delegated authority is given to officers, having regard to the heads of terms set out in the report, to negotiate and complete a document containing obligations pursuant to Section 106 of the Town and Country Planning Act 1990 in order to meet the requirement of the Planning Inspector
16/06271/LB: Grant Conditional Listed Building Consent
Venue: Bolney Meadow Community Centre, 31 Bolney Street, London, SW8 1EZ Meeting starts 7pm. How to get there: Directions: Rail: Mainline to Vauxhall Tubes: Victoria Line to Vauxhall or Stockwell Northern Line to Oval or Stockwell
Bolney Meadow Community Centre is 10 mins walk from Vauxhall Station; 12 mins from Stockwell or Oval Station. Bus 88 and 2 are less than five mins from the Centre. The Centre is situated half way down Bolney Street set within the estate and the building can be seen from the road.
(*our words, not the officers – Ed.)
Further reading: CARNEGIE LIBRARY – ASSET OF COMMUNITY VALUE
Friends of Carnegie Library have successfully registered the library as an Asset of Community Value. Our application, submitted last November, was approved by Lambeth on 13 January. www.hernehill.,org February 17th 2016
CARNEGIE LIBRARY HERNE HILL OCCUPATION ENTERS SIXTH DAY News From Crystal Palace April 05, 2016 including the Lambeth claim the library would open early in 2017…..
CARNEGIE GYM WITH ‘LIBRARY’ PLANS – THE HORRIFYING TRUTH: News From Crystal Palace October 11, 2016
‘LIBRARY’ WILL BE CONFINED TO EXISTING CHILDREN’S LIBRARY AND ART GALLERY
TREES TO BE FELLED IN READING GARDEN SO GREENWICH LEISURE CAN BUILD A BOILER ROOM – AND MORE…AS ‘EXHIBITION’ FARCE IS SET TO CAUSE UPROAR
News From Crystal Palace understands that Labour-dominated Lambeth council’s steamrollering of plans to accommodate the totally unwanted Greenwich Leisure gym in the Carnegie library at Herne Hill will mean:
· the ‘neighbourhood library’ confined to the left of the main entrance in what was the childrens’ library, and art gallery, with dividing wall knocked down – and that’s it for library space.
· An “out of the blue” modern extension for the gym reception on the car park. Also shown on plans is cycle rack and staff car parking space.
· Cut down existing trees and shrubs in the reading/flats residents garden to make room for two new plant rooms, housing boilers and condensers.
· proposal is to build extension – possibly out of red brick – with aluminium double glazed windows in a grade two listed building