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 Why save Lambs?
The 9 court facility in central London has been a centre of excellence for more than 25 years. Today a developer backed by the Duke of Buccleuch Scotland’s wealthiest landlord wants to turn it into a pedestrian 9 storey block of flats, depriving the local community of a strategic facility which can never be replaced. Squash ranks among the UK's top 10 priority sports. British players hold more Squash world titles and rankings than in any other sport. Government planning policy (PPG17) protects facilities that are not surplus to requirement. Lambs has more than 1100 members, some 50 leagues, two county teams, a vibrant squash ladder, and a thriving player and social community in the heart of the City. Some Islington planning officers think the Duke's flats are more important. We don’t. Nor do local councillors. So we're fighting to stop the Duke.
Backing us are key national and local figures and bodies. Join in if you care about the future of Squash in this country
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LAMBS INTENDS TO FIND A NEW HOME. HERE'S HOW
(More details are available to members, players and supporters here)
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World class squash played regularly at Lambs |
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URGENT-- HELP BLOCK THIS FOURTH ATTEMPT
KEEP right on filing, the authority will accept your objections right up to the next meeting (likely in November 2006)
A planning officers recommendation on the application (previously issued as " recommend for approval" ) will be delivered a week before the meeting. The recommendation will have as a material consideration, to make mention of and take into account, the finding of the Planning Inspector itself due early in October.
File a FRESH objection today even if you have done so once, twice or three times before.
FILE
AN OBJECTION - quote AMENDED Application number P052310 and P060911 for
redevelopment
of 1, Lamb's Passage, Islington, London, EC1Y
8LE.
The developer April 25th filed yet another planning application - P060911- this one because the Planning Authority has discovered that the basement of the Squash Club, part of the former Chiswell Street brewery, is a Listed Building. P060911 is an effort to overcome the redevelopment restrictions attaching to a listed site.
To
avoid having to spend further valuable time objecting every time the
developer attempts to overcome objections, we urge you to object to
both these applications by signing and attaching this word document here and here.
NB: Planning subcommittee is to make a determination at a meeting on June 8,
2006 @ 1930.
ALL Lambs members and supporters are urged to clear their diaries and be there to save the club.
ALSO please fill out and sign the objection/petition (download here ) return to us (here's my petition
Object to P052310 and to P060911:
These links brings up forms where required fields are indicated by asterisk.
The forms allows you to attach a Word document containing your objection.
If this link doesn't work do email your objections to the local authority (Felicitas.onwuta@islington.gov.uk):here and here
We suggest you use some of these arguments in your objection
Alternatively attach your own Word document or type your comments directly into the appropriate box
Instructions for the form:
Respond to the line: " Your interest in application" - " Objector" from drop down menu
Respond to the line: " Nature of response" - " Objection to the application" from drop down menu
(notify the team by email )
NB: If the online form fails email the authority (Felicitas.onwuta@islington.gov.uk):here
The form link is https://www.islington.gov.uk/onlineplanning/apas/run/wphmakerep.displayURL?ApnID=P052310
Read Sport England's submission against the latest application here
HERE ARE TWO KEY CLAN DOCUMENTS TO READ BEFORE OBJECTING
Jointly these form their AMENDED APPLICATION.
WORD DOCUMENT ONE (Barrister Opinion)
DOCUMENT TWO (Pan Leisure's PPG17 assessment )
Note Clan's less than satisfactory efforts at dealing with PPG17 objections
Then read our legal team's point by point rebuttal here
According to Squash UK there are:
One million regular players in the UK Plus a further one million
occasional players Squash is the most popular " second" sport among
golfers, footballers, cricketers, rugby players There are more than
3,000 squash clubs in the UK Squash is a hugely popular sport among
upper level professionals, managers and employees Squash is rated the
No.1 healthy sport by Forbes magazine Fast, fun and healthy
Excellent cardio-vascular work-out Squash is renowned for power,
speed, flexibility, agility, stamina and endurance.
HERE are arguments of use in filing electronic objections to
Islington. Do stress PPG 17 argument. This remains the developer's
weakest point and the reason why the application was deferred at the
last planning meeting. In terms of government guidance to local
planning authorities significant sports facilities
cannot
just
be
bulldozed
by
developers
without
demonstrating
facilities
are
surplus
to
requirement
-- clearly not the case with this thriving
1200
member
squash
club!
We have an email from Zayd Al-Jawad of
Islington
Valuation
Department which shows the developer Clan admits
this is not the case: " they (the developer) forecast the loss of 1200+
members with only 450+ capacity in the local area." The email couldn't be clearer - alternative provision is insufficient. Remember we have support at the highest level - its worth reminding the council of that.
Join our action
mailing list include me in
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Does Islington have a joined up approach?
Promoting physical activity - a strategy for Islington
Islington's Executive was to meet 05 October 2006.
Its agenda included this item: Promoting physical activity - a strategy for Islington.
In charge of implementation of this strategy is executive member Cllr George Allen, who also heads up the South Area Planning Sub-Committee. He was responsible in January 2006 for attempting to convince his colleagues to approve the officers’ recommendation that Clan be allowed to redevelop our squash club. Thankfully he was overruled on PPG17 grounds. The issue is due back before the same committee, chaired by the same Cllr George Allen, in November ... but this time AFTER the Planning Inspector has made his report on the application.
However, according to the Strategy for Islington report (see hyperlink below) Islington is committed to government physical activity targets. Among the issues are a need to encourage more physical activity in the workplace and in schools through links with private leisure facilities!
PerhapsCllr Allen’s left hand could talk to his right hand some time soon?
download the summary pdf
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