Notes of the meeting held at Merton Civic Centre on 5th April  2001

Steve Clark LBM
Marcus Beale WCF UDTF
Luc Moens WCF executive - Local Area meetings

1. Last meeting - notes accepted and can go on the web.

2.1 Promoting quality. CABE visit/seminar. CABE declined to get involved in Merton Priory project, but it is still felt that a visit/seminar on 'Promoting Design quality' would be useful - hosted by LB Merton &UDTF, preferably to coincide with Architecture Week, which takes place from 22 June to 1st July 2001. SC will action.

2.2 Architecture week public exhibition at Centre Court Shopping runs from Monday 25 to Thursday 28 June 2001 - it is hoped there will be as much involvement from LBMerton as possible. Last year used to promote Merton Design Awards and schools competition.

3.1  Local area workshops: WCF are finalising dates for Local Area Forum meetings. Four areas: Raynes Park, Wimbledon Town Centre, Wimbledon Park, Merton Priory. LBM to identify an officer for the Merton forum.

3.2 LB Merton area forums. Four areas being recommended: - Mitcham, including Colliers Wood - Wimbledon including Village - Morden including Motspur Park - Raynes Park and West Barns including New Malden. Will start with one of these, first meeting in the autumn. Rosemary Doyle is the officer responsible. Want to elicit the agenda from the forum itself, starting with councils agenda. She is welcome to look at the civic forum web site on the methods and results of the Civic Forum’s meetings already held MB will email her to give URLs.

3.3. Co-operation between civic forum and LBM on area forums. No legal reason that SC aware of why the two should be kept distant but leave any formal strategic partnership in abeyance and concentrate on practical liaison and , co-operation.

4.1  Merton Priory. Application is in, discussions with the applicant ongoing - residential heights may come down, strengthening of historic visitor centre feature with Museum of London.
most comments received are about
-car parking,
-danger to ancient monument,
-height of residential blocks. 
Car parking since use was unauthorised LBM has limited ability to help - protection of ancient monument LBM are looking to DCMS procedures to protect - height of residential, are asking for the height to be reduced. Few or no comments as yet on urban design issues - would be helpful for WCF UDTF to comment on this aspect.

4.2 Note that apart from the Abbey Mills conservation area, the scheme is an outline on and consent if given will be for a certain amount of accommodation rather than the design itself.

5.1  Wimbledon. Civic Hall - progress. Promoters have produced some material showing the bulk of the development. To make a taller building than they would normally allow and make an exception on merit the design will have to go a bit further forward. There are also concerns about the development and transport impact. The civic hall project has been raised with GLA and their cultural people are looking at it.

5.2. Wimbledon Town centre - licensed premises still causing concern, Appeal on All bar One in Compton Road was granted after LBM refusal, The inspector stated that people who live near town centres must not have unrealistic expectations - members have taken this decision to heart and have for example approved Hard Rock Cafe A3 but imposed many conditions, rather than lose at appeal and have fewer conditions,eg. on hours of opening.

5.3 Alt Grove, application has been refused, applicants are appealing and at the same time submitting a revised application. High density residential scheme near a transport hub hits many of the right buttons.

5.4. Infill scheme between Natwest and Elys on St George’s Road has been approved.

5.5 Station precinct. SW trains have renewed their contract,as part of this expect substantial contribution to improving station infrastructure, perhaps second access to platforms, escalators. [ potential MBA interest - MBA are beginning to look at areas to try to interest a funder for the scheme - early days yet. If project looks viable MBA would bid probably in strategic partnership with BDP to be designers of the project.]

5.6. St Marks Place - progressing under Alison Broom Kevin McUllogh. [MBA interest - architects for St Marks Church and Community Centre ]

6.1  Raynes Park. Super-pub application for old CoOp site has been withdrawn. The freeholders are applying for A3 and A2 use so may end up as offices or restaurant pub.

6.2. Library scheme has been let. Public consultation over design in such bids in principle welcomed but in this case didn’t happen. Remember at bid stage the scheme is illustrative only - there is no guarantee that the illustrated scheme will be actually built

7.  Wimbledon Park. No further news

8.  Morden. Ahmadiyya community may be vacating their site which would come up for mixed development.