There is a lot of opinion out there on the Renewal Development and the champion of Millwall versus the council. However, the facts are often more inconvenient for those trying to represent themselves differently than their recorded actions show.

 

Above are the minutes of the Strategic Planning decision to approve planning permission for Renewal to move forward with the scheme and development for land around Millwall FC. At that time I sat on this committee and I argued against granting planning permission because I did not trust what we were being told, the financial information - confidential - did not show the scheme in a good light, because the social, not just affordable levels of housing, were totally pitiful and I thought Renewal would just sell on the scheme once the council granted a CPO. This all came out on the night of the vote. I also do not agree with CPO unless it is very much in the interests of the community. This scheme, I believed, did not satisfy me that it was in the interest of the community.

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Also above is the record of the voting and below the levels of affordable housing that they voted for. Finally, I am not posting this to discredit my fellow councillors. Everyone votes according to their politics and conscience. But I do challenge the position that some may take in order to profile build their reputation to "elevate" themselves as Labour's candidate for Mayor of Lewisham.

 

If this application had been voted down, there would have been no CPO and no £500,000 inquiry cost to council tax payers and the council. 

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