A week after thousands of people pressured a developer into withdrawing a planning application which could have threatened a thriving Peckham music venue, another petition has been started to save a rival nightclub on the same road.
Well over 4,000 people have already signed up online to protect Canavan’s Pool Club from a proposed development next door which includes 22 flats. Owner Kieran Canavan, who took on the floundering pool club five years ago and brought it back to life with a 4am nightclub licence, says the future of the venue would be in doubt if future residents of the neighbouring flats complained about the noise.
“This is an old building. It’s not well insulated and it does let a certain amount of noise out,” said Kieran, who added that Peckham would not be what it is today without venues like his.
“Peckham was nothing before I came here, the Bussey building and Bar Storey. “We’re the ones that brought the students in and that put the rents up.
“We’re a victim of our own success. I don’t want to be driven out by the very thing we brought into the area,” he said.
The planning application has now gone live and has started receiving objections.
“This is the customers’ chance to prove to me how they feel about the place,” said Kieran. “We’ve had a fantastic response so far. My phone and my Facebook haven’t stopped.”
The application from 2 Gee Developments is to replace the current salvage yard at 190 Rye Lane with a restaurant and 22 flats, five of which will be affordable.
A spokesperson for 2 Gee Developments said the site is surrounded by residential properties so their proposal is “entirely in keeping with its surroundings.”
“Naturally, with any mix of night time leisure and residential uses, there are issues to iron out to make sure both uses can co-exist successfully side by side.
“Through our public consultation, we are aware of Mr Canavan’s concerns and we have sought to address these in relation to the layout of certain rooms within the development and through sound insulation.
“We would be happy to have further discussions with the operators of Canavan’s in the New Year to ensure that both the club and our development each meet our responsibilities in relation to noise management; this will ensure the success of both premises for the benefit of the local area.”
The News has been working with the council to get people to register to get email on planning applications via www.southwark.gov.uk/planningregister
To view the planning application, visit the link above and enter 15/AP/4857 as a search reference or go to http://bit.ly/1B0suIP.
To view the online petition, visit http://chn.ge/1SPKcd8.
The place is a shit-hole. Stop with your agenda to keep Peckham as a rancid place to live/vist. You obviously don’t want it to be great with all these anti development petitions but you’re all for an irrelevant “garden walkway”?