Forest Hill homes to be bulldozed for flat block with roof terrace

Greenbank Cottage and Taymount Lodge in Forest Hill will be replaced with 16 flats. 

Residents living next to the proposed apartments objected to the plans, fearing they would be disturbed by their future neighbours using the roof terrace.

Greenbank Cottage in Forest Hill as it looks today

But Lewisham councillors approved the new block on Taymount Rise after agreeing to limit use of the space to between 8am and 10pm. 

Hannah Mummery, speaking on behalf of residents of next door apartment blocks Forest Croft and Taymount Grange, said the location of the building made a roof terrace unsuitable.

She told a Lewisham planning meeting on January 31: “We have significant concerns about the roof terrace, particularly the fact that it’s claimed it can now be used to mitigate the lack of balconies and loss of green space.

“The third floor [of] Forest Croft looks directly into that roof terrace. The top of Taymount Rise is not suitable for a roof terrace.

"Nobody else has one and it has significant impacts of noise and light pollution.”

Developer Hambridge Homes’s previous plans for the site were rejected by councillors in May 2022 due to the “excessive size” of the proposed building.

Since then, the developer has reduced the size of the development and moved it further away from neighbouring block, Taymount Grange.

Patrick Reedman, from the developer’s planning advisor DHA Planning said it had improved the design of the proposed flats in multiple ways since the previous plans came before Lewisham councillors last year. 

He told the meeting: “Some of the positive steps taken for this application include amending the footprint of the building, stepping it back further from the frontage of Taymount Rise.

"This gives more room for spaciousness and frontage. 

“It’s also moved further from the eastern boundary with Taymount Grange, which allows for a greater amount of planting on that side and a slightly recessive building.”

Six of the apartments, including three two bed flats, will not have balconies in order to protect a nearby listed building.

These flats will be slightly larger than usual to make up for the lack of outdoor space. 

None of the 16 apartments will be affordable (which means they won’t be sold or rented at less than 80 per cent of local market prices).

Councillors were told the development wouldn’t make financial sense if affordable housing was provided. 

Councillor Liz Johnston-Franklin said she was concerned families with kids might be in some of the flats without balconies. Johnston-Franklin, Labour councillor for Ladywell, said: “If they’re two bedroom, that could mean there are families there with children. I’m not quite sure if I would want my children to go up to the roof garden to play.

"[…] I think that is not a very good way of trying to provide facilities for families with children, if they have to use the roof garden.”

Cllr Johnston-Franklin, who went on to vote in favour of the plans, added: “[If] we’re looking for larger accommodation for our families, it’s not affordable.

"It’s not going to help some of our families who are on waiting lists or who would be able to pay affordable rent.

"It’s not going to reach many of our families in Lewisham. […] It’s probably quite obvious but it doesn’t sit well with me.”

An all-Labour Lewisham Council planning committee approved the revised plans at the meeting on January 31.

Cllr Johnston-Franklin, Cllr Carol Webley-Brown, Cllr Suzannah Clarke, Cllr Sian Eiles, Cllr Aliya Sheikh and Cllr Jack Lavery voted in favour.

Billy Harding, councillor for Forest Hill, abstained.