‘Flawed consultation’ on £14m Norwood Hall project
The public consultation for a controversial £14 million redevelopment of the Norwood Hall site in Lambeth to build a polyclinic and swimming pool has got off to a flawed start. Lambeth town planning officials have sent details of the plans to more than 750 households but admit in a covering letter to councillors that there are problems viewing the documents online through the Council Web site.
Conservative Group Leader Councillor John Whelan says: “This is nothing short of a disgrace. Launching a public consultation in mid August when many residents are on vacation is bad enough. The inability of people to find out what is going on via the Internet is even worse. Not everyone has the time to go to the public library in West Norwood and view the plans. In any case the library has been shut because of copper stolen from the roof.”
The redevelopment of Norwood Hall is a flagship project for Labour Lambeth but some residents would prefer alternative uses for the site including as a primary school. Doubts persist about the security of the funding since Lambeth Council itself has made no provision for the ongoing costs of managing the leisure facilities at the site if they are ever built. The previous Labour Government approved the £14 million building costs at the bidding of the local Labour MP under what is called the Private Finance Initiative (PFI). So far there has been no confirmation from the Coalition Government or the NHS that it will go ahead.
