The Jam Factory Residents Association (JFRA) gives a co-ordinated voice to Residents' concerns and aspirations for the appropriate completion and future of the estate.

The JFRA has been campaigning on behalf of Residents for several years for allocation of proper Amenity Space and a Children's Play Area here at the Jam Factory.

We have completed our detailed representations in respect of the latest planning applications on the site which were submitted to Southwark Planners in September 2006 as a result of the latest planning applications submitted in June 2006 by the developer Angel Property.

90% of apartments and live-work units signed a petition issued to Southwark Council Planners in September 2006, supporting our campaign for the basic minimum of amenity space, and also objecting to a new 5-storey building - Block E - which will push development levels far above those which were originally granted consent on the site.

Residents' Concerns relate primarily to halting continued over-development on-site, immediate release of completed on-site designated affordable/intermediate housing and completion of the development with adequate amenity space, in line with local & national planning policy.

News Bulletin 08: 26.03.07

Southwark have failed to meet their indicated date of 27.03.07 for the planning committee meeting - this will now be POSTPONED until either the 10th or 16th of April. We will post more information when this is available from the Authority. The delay is probably not sufficient enough to affect the earlier directions from the Court at the Oral Hearing / Judicial Review.

At the earlier Oral Hearing (26.02.07), Daniel Kolinsky of Landmark Chambers, Barrister for LBS accepted in his address to the Judge 'that it was now common knowledge that there had been widespread breaches of planning control at the Jam Factory site' and that the Local Authority had not ruled out the option of enforcement action against the developer Angel Property.

 News Bulletin 07: 01.03.07

News Item One: The Planning Committee is now set for 27th March at 6pm - this is a provisional date and to be confirmed by Southwark. We should hopefully know one week prior to this date if this meeting is going ahead on 27.03.07 to decide the Jam Factory planinng applications, and we will post details of the Planning Officer's report and draft recommendation when we have these.

News Item Two: A Judicial Review on the Jam Factory planning applications was held on the application of a Jam Factory leaseholder at the High Court on Monday 26th of February. The Judge's written summation is pending and we will post details when we have these. The Judge directed the Authority to ensure that the applications were determined on 27th March 2007. 

 News Bulletin 06: 15.02.07

Planning Committee Meeting Postponed again: Southwark Planners have indicated that they may be postponing the planning meeting until 27th March, although 28th of this month 'is still a possibility'. We will let you know the confirmed date as soon as we have word from the Council. The stated reasons for the delay are a still-outstanding agreement with Angel Property on the level of their Section 106 Contributions - this will include the on-site affordable housing but also landscape and amenity upgrades both on our site and in the immediatte neighbourhood.

The Planners are also still waiting for a sign-off form their daylighting specialists on the highly-contentious impact Block E will have on Blocks A,B and C, No.3 Rothsay Street and the Meakin Estate. The JFRA submitted analysis to the Planners last September of these impacts on daylight and sunlight which we believe demonstrates that the Block E proposals do not comply with nationally accepted planning policy and  BRE / British Standards for acceptable minimum daylighting levels.

The Alice Street site opposite Block C will be disposed of by auction by Southwark Council. Angel Property's planning application for this site was withdrawn at the end of this January.

We will monitor further developments on this site which has a significant impact on access and approaches to the Jam Factory. The JFRA supports appropriate development on this site in particular uses which can provide an 'active frontage' at street/ground level such as offices / studios / live-work / small local retail units etc.

News Bulletin 05: 05.02.07

Amenities: Many residents will have already noticed that the clean-up has finally begun in the empty site on Rothsay Street.

Following on from Bulletin 03, Southwark Council are in the continuing process of ensuring that the Freeholder Angel Property conducts a comprehensive clean-up of any remaining building debris across the whole site, including the area near the chimney and around Block D. We hope that this will include planting of the beds between Block A and Block D and new lighting to the hoarded area around the chimney.  The JFRA is continuing to negotiate with the Council to ensure that Common Parts areas currently hoarded-off are made safe, and released for access to Residents by Angel Property.

News Bulletin 04: 25.01.07

As a result of JFRA co-operation with Southwark Council, (See News Bulletin 01 below), the hoardings to Rothsay Street have been re-painted and tidied and the Alice Street site has been substaintially tidied, with 2 new skips full of rubbish, ready for removal. We hope to see more improvements across the site soon.

News Bulletin 01: 19.12.06

The JFRA met with Southwark planners and our Local Ward Councillors, 19.12.06, as part of on-going consultation over Planning matters. We have been advised that the planning case will be heard at a Planning Committee meeting during February 2007.

When we have more information, we will issue another bulletin. The Planning Officer's report and decision recommendation  (refuse or grant consent) to the committee should, hopefully, be issued by the end of January.

Southwark Council have recently issued a clean-up request to Angel Property, requiring removal of their building waste from various areas of the site. The JFRA has requested that all site hoardings, both internal and external, are re-painted and properly illuminated, and Southwark have relayed this request to Angel. Southwark expect this work to commence early in the new year.

We trust that we are now in the closing stages of the planning process and the development can move forward to resolution and completion. 

Our campaign work and the letters / petitions from many residents has been leading towards this final decision from the Local Authority Planning Committee, which of course we all very much hope will result in the best possible long-term outcome for all residents, non-resident owners and the local community.