Protester scales tree as dozens of police, bailiffs and protesters face off in Deptford
A protester has scaled a tree in Deptford as Police and Bailiffs look to evict protesters from a garden site beside the former Tidemill School.
Protesters are fighting plans to build new homes on the site which was approved a year ago and covered on this site. Peabody, Family Mosaic and Sherrygreen Homes are behind the scheme.
One of the most contentious elements is building on a community garden. Protesters fighting to keep the space have launched an appeal which has yet to be heard.
Tidemill School moved in 2012 and the school has been empty since. 51 homes out of 209 planned homes will be in the converted main school building and annex.
The rest are new builds which also see 16 existing homes demolished.
Other disagreements between Lewisham Council and protesters concern affordability levels of new homes.
More as it comes in.
Will this be another shambolic development within Lewisham council catchment area that features a “heat network” that allegedly lowers the cost of heating and reduce carbon emissions?
For developers to meet EU building regulations they need to reduce carbon emissions and some clever spark has discovered a very simple method of passing the planning application stage of how they wish to “reduce” emissions.
You’ll find these heat networks associated with large developments that feature 500+ residential units. Each apartment is fitted with a heat box known as a HIU. One big house builder who built a two sites in Lewisham & one in Greenwich provide different types of HIUs (Combi & heat only versions). The secret is many heat boxes use more energy than traditional methods of heating!!! Why is that? How is that possible??!!! One asks!!! Well when it comes to heating hot water using a traditional method you are directly heating the hot water without many complications. With many HIUs used on “environmental friendly” heat networks they are fitted with delay reacting valves that not only provide the possibility of cooling a customers hot water tank but also pumping lots of energy into the customers heat box when the customer does not even want heat! Some customers are given a configuration known as “keep warm” whereby heat is pumped into the customers heat box regularly even if the customer is on vacation. This inflates the customers heat usage/cost but more important for the heat supplier increases the ‘metered’ heat usage making the energy centre more viable. Finally the supplier may hide behind the Heat Trust andcome up with some coat comparator that is somewhat inflated and unlike the service and reliability accustomed to traditional methods of heating. BBC radio 4 has often covered stories in this sector. which? Magazine covered the vast customer complaints but oddly stop short of measuring the heat boxes that tend to be exclusively managed by the heat supplier! Oh and what about that Lewisham council meeting about the topic! The report is available online but again stop short of the truth. Shame on Lewisham council for allowing this to continue on several sites. Based on calculations it maybe possibly heat networks are pumping more carbon emissions than alternatives