Residents Feel Let Down By Planning Dept

Opponents of yoga centre expansion concerned complaints being ignored

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Yoga Centre Stretching Too Far?

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Twenty five local residents turned out for the Public Meeting on Wednesday, the 25th June, at The Platt Centre on Felsham Road to discuss the current planning application submitted by the Sivananda Yoga Vedanta Centre.

The meeting was arranged by Cllr Torrington and Cllr Maddan to review the planning application, the current issues, and the overall impact the over expansion is having on the neighbourhood. There was also discussion regarding the confusion as to what each of their buildings were granted planning rights for with regard to the use of the space. The Sivananda Centre and Wandsworth Planning did not attend the meeting, although invited.

Sivananda Yoga - Felsham Road

After the meeting a local resident told PutneySW15.com: "It is truly making our lives hell when they have people standing in the back court yard talking all the time.  No regard or respect for neighbours.  Having said that, this is the highest turn out so it must be getting to “everyone” besides those homes which back onto the centre. The Thamesfield Councillors have been very supportive in arranging this meeting."

Thamesfield councillors assured PutneySW15 that discussions are ongoing: "We have a meeting with the directors in July with residents and Jim Maddan and Rosemary Torrington are due to meet with the planners in the next couple of weeks".  The councillors have requested that residents who are concerned by noise disturbance shoul email them directly the details of their complaints. The email addresses are rtorrington@wandsworth.gov.uk and jmaddan@wandsworth.gov.uk

The residents have two main issues;
1 - how the centre been allowed to expand to this level without Wandsworth Planning Department taking notice of the complaints written in year after year by the residents.

2 - why is it not being investigated after a record high of complaints this year - how did they allow 16 applications to go through and what is it the centre considered now?

What the residents want:

  1. oppose any teaching of yoga in the basement (as proposed), as it exceeds the scale of operation now. It is out of proportion for the size of the residential area.
  2. oppose any new creation of another teaching space and request the Council to review the use of the current spaces within the centre.
  3. No more expansion should be allowed.
  4. Hours of operation to be reduced to: Monday – Friday 9:30 – 7:30pm, Saturday 9:30 – 7:30pm, and normal Sunday trading hours 11:00 – 5:00pm - like other businesses in the area.
  5. Noise insulation to be installed throughout the centre. Doors and windows to remain closed at all times to contain the noise.
  6. The Council should consider a planning condition for the centre to install air-conditioning with vent on the west side of the main yoga building.
  7. Review of use of the dormitory/hotel.
    The council should enforce that the court yard is strictly to be used as a pathway from the shop to the other building. There should be no use of the court yard as eating area, yoga practice, chanting, or public gathering area. The centre has sufficient space within current buildings to create those areas.
  8. No use of the balcony for yoga - another breech of their planning condition.
  9. No Bell Ringing before 9:00am.
  10. Door closers/silencers to be installed on the kitchen door, main dormitory door by the front gate, and main gate itself.
  11. Clearing of public path way between fences (no storage of building materials) – Health and Safely
  12. Parking situation to be discussed due to health and safety and inconvenience to local residence.
  13. The council to address the best person, email and phone number to dial to report disturbances and a better solution to delay in Noiseline help line delay in being able to attend within 2 hours.
  14. Taxi's at 3 am weekly
  15. walk way is not to be used full stop - council told us so but will not enforce it
  16. No workmen working all weekend
  17. Bin collection in the normal working day not at 10 pm

The Sivananda Yoga Vedanta Centre has been teaching yoga in London since 1972 and the present Centre has been in Felsham Road Putney SW15 since 1991. The Sivananda Yoga Vedanta Centre has yet to comment.


July 3, 2014