The announcement by the Council on Friday 21^st July 2017 that the Carnegie Community Trust had been selected as the ‘Preferred Community Partner’ to bid for the Asset Transfer of the Carnegie Library building was not handled well by Lambeth Council.

Cllr Dickson has apologised to some residents, who met on Thursday evening to discuss  the proposed building works to the Carnegie, for the fact that neither of the two bidders – ourselves and the Carnegie Library Association – received their official letters by email on Friday until after leaflets had been delivered through letterboxes in Herne Hill announcing the decision early on Friday morning.

CCT had been informally and confidentially notified in advance of the decision and respected the Council’s request not to disclose this information until both bidding organisations had received their formal letters simultaneously from the Council.  We understood that these letters would be received on Friday 21^st July ahead of a leaflet distribution planned for Saturday 22^nd July.

This sequence of events is really unfortunate and we hope that future communications about the Carnegie will be better co-ordinated by the Council.

CCT will make every effort to communicate regularly and openly as plans for the Carnegie progress.

Carnegie Community Trust CIO

Carnegie Community Trust CIO are pleased to announce that the Trust has been selected by Lambeth Council as the Preferred community group to take an Asset Transfer of the Carnegie Library building as originally envisaged in the Council’s Community Hub policy for empowering communities to take control of local assets.

The Trust has worked on development plans for the Carnegie since 2012 and is pleased that this decision moves the process of enabling a community group to take ownership of the Carnegie building a step closer.

Although the library is a much-loved facility in Herne Hill, the building has been under-used in the past. We have created a vision for a new Community Hub that will provide space for a library service and for the rest of the community space to be used for an exciting range of social, educational, cultural and economic uses that, in addition to library users, will attract many more Herne Hill residents into the building. The Trust aims to make every inch of the building work hard for the community.

In addition, our plans provide for a major refurbishment to restore this beautiful landmark building to its original glory and make it fit-for-purpose for the next 100 years. Our project proposes to attract major capital investment to do this work which will result in Herne Hill having an iconic community and cultural facility well into the future.

This decision means that we can start negotiations with the Council on the terms of bringing the Carnegie into community ownership through their Asset Transfer policy and we look forward to sharing the outcomes of those talks with the community.

Assuming that those negotiations go smoothly we will be discussing the plans with other local community groups and will move forward as quickly as possible to throw open participation and membership of the Carnegie Community Trust to everyone in Herne Hill and the surrounding areas.

We would like to thank everyone who has helped and supported this project so far and look forward to inviting more volunteers to join us to help deliver what will be a major undertaking by the local community. To volunteer or to receive regular updates please sign up on our website – www.carnegiehernehill.org.uk

Carnegie Community Trust CIO

The Application Process for the Asset Transfer of the Carnegie Library building is now complete. Carnegie Community Trust has submitted our Business Plan, plus further information for Lambeth’s consultants and made a formal presentation to the Asset Transfer Panel made up of three officers and an independent advisor from Meanwhile Space. We now await the decision of the Council as to who will be the Preferred Bidder. If Carnegie Community Trust is successful in being selected as the Preferred Bidder, we will reach out to the whole community to share our plans and invite a united community approach to the Next Chapter of the Carnegie Library. Our first step will be to invite representatives of all the community and local groups to meet and talk. 

Carnegie Community Trust CIO

The Planning Committee’s Agenda is now online, along with the Officers’ report recommending approval.   Note, the venue is not the Karibu Centre in Gresham Road but:
Bolney Meadow Community Centre, 31 Bolney Street, London, SW8 1EZ.
For details, including the Lambeth officers’ report, go to:
https://moderngov.lambeth.gov.uk/ieListDocuments.aspx?CId=600&MId=9770

Officers recommend that the Committee should:
In respect of Application 16/06270/FUL:
‘1. Resolve to grant conditional planning permission, subject to the completion of an agreement under Section 106 of the Town and Country Planning Act 1990 of the planning obligations listed in this report.
2. Agree to delegate authority of the Director of Planning and Development to:
(i)  Finalise the recommended conditions as set out in this report; and
(ii) Negotiate, agree and finalise the planning obligations as set out in this report pursuant to Section 106 of the Town and Country Planning Act 1990.
3. In the event that the Committee resolves to refuse planning permission and there is a subsequent appeal, delegated authority is given to officers, having regard to the heads of terms set out in the report, to negotiate and complete a document containing obligations pursuant to Section 106 of the Town and Country Planning Act 1990 in order to meet the requirement of the Planning Inspector.’

In respect of Application 16/06271/LB:   Grant Conditional Listed Building Consent.

At the meeting
A maximum  of 3 objectors and 3 supporters are permitted to speak for 2 minutes each.   Ward Councillors may also speak for 2 minutes each.  Requests to speak must be made in advance.   For the committee procedures see:
http://carnegiehernehill.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/2016-08-Lambeth-PlanningApplicationsCommitteeproceduresguidance.doc.pdf

Objections published online
After a lull since 10 January, Lambeth posted a further raft of Objections on 30 January.
There are now 164 Objections online, out of 166 Comments (there’s one ‘Support’ comment and one ‘Neutral’).  Presumably there are also submissions by email or letter.
To see the online Comments go to Lambeth’s Planning page and search for ‘Carnegie’: https://planning.lambeth.gov.uk/online-applications/

Carnegie Community Trust CIO

Best wishes to all our supporters and everyone who cares about the future of our precious Carnegie Library.

Last month there was good news for another Carnegie Library.  The Old Library at Tuebrook in Liverpool, which had been closed for ten years, received a Heritage Lottery Fund grant of £3.9 million for restoration and re-purposing as a much-needed community building to be known as Lister Steps Carnegie Community Hub.   link

We hope to see progress in 2017 towards a similar outcome for Carnegie Library Herne Hill.

Carnegie Community Trust CIO

As of today, 137 Public Comments have been submitted online and can be read on Lambeth’s website.  Further comments will have been sent in by email and post.   Only Objections that are based on planning grounds can be taken into account; however most of the online Objections do specify valid planning grounds.

Given that the Applications, although made by GLL, are Council-supported, the Planning Committee can be expected to strive not only to be impartial, but to be seen to be impartial.   Their decision will be open to challenge in Court by way of ‘judicial review of administrative action ’.

Why the Applications should be refused  

The proposal is seriously non-compliant with the Lambeth Local Plan, which:

• states the ‘agreed strategy’ for Carnegie as ‘a community hub and library’
• safeguards ‘existing community premises’ unless certain conditions are met [none is met]
• states that planning powers will be used ‘to ensure that special regard is paid to sustaining and enhancing the historic environment’ [no regard is paid to this]
• requires ‘optimum viable use’ of a listed building [which a gym at Carnegie clearly is not]
• rules out developing more than 30% of rear gardens generally [more than half is taken]
• rules out destroying a garden which is the setting of a heritage asset [the garden is ruined]
• requires adequate parking and servicing provision [new building consumes the small car park that is essential for servicing Carnegie in a cramped residential area]
• requires adequate parking provision [residents all around Carnegie park on-street]

The development would:

• create increased traffic in residential streets as gym users drive to Carnegie from early morning to late evening, all requiring on street parking
• adversely affect the residential amenity of neighbours by increased noise and disturbance and worsened parking difficulty
• adversely affect the residential character of the area
• adversely affect the character and appearance of a Listed Building by the poorly designed extension and plant compounds, which would degrade both the building and its setting

The proposed Change of Use, if allowed, would result in the removal from PUBLIC ownership of a landmark listed building that is also registered (by Lambeth Council, in January 2016) as an Asset of Community Value under the Localism Act 2011.
ACV listing is a ‘material consideration’ for the Planning Committee.

Cooperative Council, ‘focusing on citizens’? 

One Public Comment (11 December) points out that the Council’s behaviour in relation to Carnegie contradicts its own Policy  ‘Behaviours for the Cooperative Council’:
‘Focuses on Citizens
This behaviour is about having a continual focus on the outcomes that are delivered for local citizens and other stakeholders.  It goes beyond ‘wanting to do the right thing’ to genuinely engaging with and listening to citizens, understanding their needs and helping them make decisions about the services they want and need.  Fundamentally, having a focus on citizens means we view them as an asset who can make a valuable contribution to the Borough”.

Locally, over the past two years we have not experienced willingness on the part of the Council to work with any of the interested parties in Herne Hill in the spirit of what is intended by this Policy.

Planning Committee

It seems likely that the case will go before the Planning Committee in January.   A regular meeting is scheduled for Tuesday 17^th January.    No agenda as yet, but the final officer reports deadline is 4^th January and the agenda publication deadline is Friday 6^th January.

Committee members and their contact details are listed here: https://moderngov.lambeth.gov.uk/mgCommitteeMailingList.aspx?ID=600

We understand from Planning Officer Lauren Shallcross that although the Site Notice expired on 12 December ‘comments can still be submitted via the website up until the planning application is determined’.

Do make your views known, if you haven’t already done so.

Carnegie Community Trust CIO

Greenwich Leisure Ltd (GLL) have lodged with Lambeth Planning two applications on Carnegie Library – one for full Planning consent, the other for Listed Building consent.

CCT has sent in a Letter of Objection which you can read here: link
The Letter has been added to our Project Documents page. In addition we have submitted online a shorter version of the Letter which should appear on Lambeth’s Planning website. You can see GLL’s application, including plans, and the online Public Comments, if you search for ‘Carnegie’ on the Council’s search page (warning – the page is often out of action, you may need to keep trying): https://www.lambeth.gov.uk/planning-and-building-control/planning-applications/search-planning-applications

The Council has posted the statutory Notice of Planning application on the front gate at Carnegie. The notice is dated 21 November 2016 and the comment period is 21 days. You may comment either online, by post, or by email to planning@lambeth.gov.uk
Here is the official summary of the application; if you send a comment you should quote either the ‘FUL’ reference or the ‘LB’ one:
’16/06270/FUL |  Retention of the existing library together with the erection of a two storey extension to the south west elevation. Change of use and part excavation of the basement from a library (Use Class D1) to a gym and studio (Use Class D2) and the construction of an external plant compound provided at basement level. (Town Planning and Listed Building Consent 16/06271/LB) | Carnegie Library Herne Hill Road London SE24 0AG’

We understand the planning application is expected to go before the Planning Committee in January, 2017.

Carnegie Community Trust CIO

As invited by Lambeth Council,  Carnegie Community Trust on Friday 28^th October submitted our Business Plan for Asset Transfer of the Carnegie Building to community ownership.   The Business Plan – “The Next Chapter” – is a strong, exciting and challenging plan based on the Preferred Option worked up over the past two years in local consultation, which we are now seeking to put into action.   Information on the Preferred Option is on our website in Project Documents:  link

If we are invited by Lambeth to proceed with the application, the next step will be to create a CCT Membership Scheme, both to further widen support for the project and to help deliver it.    Lambeth will conduct an independent evaluation of the plan which will then go to a Panel chaired by the relevant Lambeth Cabinet Member.   This Panel will identify, based on the Plans submitted, which, if either, of the two organisations submitting Business Plans will be the “Preferred Bidder”.   The Carnegie Library Association has also submitted a Business Plan and we are interested to note that their plans and proposals are now similar to ours in a number of respects.   As reported in our September post, we made approaches to the Friends for a united Community bid.    However those were to no avail.

So whilst we are pleased about the new concurrence of ideas, we do wonder why it has been necessary for the Friends of Carnegie Library and the recently formed CLA to express such fierce opposition to CCT’s plans for the past two years.   Those actions significantly held up progress on Asset Transfer and allowed for the unwelcome emergence of the Council’s ‘gym-library’ proposal.    CCT is currently liaising with The Friends and others concerned to find suitable alternative accommodation for the groups displaced on closure of the Library.    We will also continue to develop our heritage proposals for the future of the Carnegie building whilst we await the Council’s decision.

Carnegie Community Trust CIO

On Friday (7th October) the Council announced an exhibition this week of GLL plans for Carnegie, again at  St Saviour’s Church, Herne Hill Road (next to St Saviour’s School).
Here is the text from the Council’s website :

“Carnegie library was temporarily closed at the end of March, to be refurbished and reopened as a community hub, with a new neighbourhood library, a gym in the basement and community space. Come and see plans for the building:

• Wednesday 12 October from 9am to 1pm                     (tomorrow)
• Thursday 13 October from 12pm to 6pm

Your chance to:

• See the proposed plans for the building
• Speak to representatives from GLL regarding the designs and the proposed gym space
• Speak to local councillors about the future of the library and community space
• Give feedback on the plans.”

Link to Lambeth’s flyer

PLEASE TRY TO SEE THE LATEST PLANS AND MAKE YOUR VIEWS KNOWN
This is the ‘pre-planning’ stage.

Carnegie Community Trust CIO

We, the Trustees of Carnegie Community Trust, welcome the Friends’ arranging of two public meetings this week and we will attend the meeting on Saturday 24th September to share our thinking about a possible way forward.  Councillor Jim Dickson has advised that Lambeth will likely meet the cost of independent community mediation if this should be considered helpful in moving forward.

We cannot be at Thursday’s meeting because we will be meeting with the Council.  CCT is developing a Business Plan for the Carnegie building as a whole, to include a library and a range of employment-related and cultural resources and activities.  Our Business Plan will be submitted on 28th October.  We remain very concerned that there are two applications for Asset Transfer and thus two Business Cases.  We know that the Council wishes to see one plan.  Over the summer we have had discussions with concerned local residents to try to find a single way forward, working together.  There is clearly strong demand for a united local position, in the absence of which Carnegie is at serious risk of being lost as a community asset.  On 9^th September we wrote to the Chair of the Friends to that effect.  You can read our letter here:  link  

Earlier in the summer we wrote to the Leader of the Council seeking views on certain problem issues that arise from their current proposal for Carnegie, and the challenges those issues pose for any organisation taking a transfer of the building.  Although we received a reply it did not deal with the points we raised. If you are planning to attend one of the public meetings, you may find it helpful to look at our letter dated 19th June:   link 

Both letters are on our website in Project Documents.   We welcome all comments and suggestions.   Please contact any of the Trustees individually, or email getinvolved@carnegiehernehill.org.uk

Carnegie Community Trust CIO