Brockley Max Starts Tomorrow!

Busy month of festivities coming up in Lewisham, starting with Brockley Max which kicks off at 4pm tomorrow by Brockley Station. Full details here plus see Nick's blog for more info. Loads happening, don't miss it.

Then it's Catford Beer Festival next week, Bike Week 16th-24th June ( full details of rides are on the Lewisham Cyclists' site), Hilly Fields' Fayre on 23rd June and Healthy Brockley on 24th June.

See calendar on the right for details.

Now you see it . . .

Top: Monday evening, railway bridge at the bottom of Ellerdale Road. Bottom: Wednesday morning, same location.

Thank you lovelewisham and graffiti cleaning team for removing this one so quickly! (The picture above was the less offensive bit of the graffiti.)

Planning Applications in Ladywell Ward

A number of new planning applications in the ward:
DC/07/65501/X: 8b Hilly Fields Crescent, London, SE4 1QA. The alteration and conversion of 8b Hilly Fields Crescent SE4, together with the construction of a 2 storey extension to the side, single storey to the rear, dormer extension in the rear roof slope and dormer window in the front and rear roof slopes and the installation of rooflights to the side roof slopes to provide 2 two bedroom, 2 one bedroom and one three bedroom self-contained flats with the provision for refuse and bicycle stores.

DC/07/65425/X: 308 Brockley Road, London, SE4 2RA . The construction a four storey extension to the side and rear of 308 Brockley Road SE4, together with the construction of a roof extension to the front of the existing building to provide 2, one bedroom and 3, two bedroom self-contained units.

DC/07/65094/X: Yard at rear of 97-99, Loampit Vale, Lewisham, SE13. The demolition of the existing industrial buildings and construction of a part three/part four storey building, comprising 1 one bedroom, 10 two bedroom and 1 three bedroom, self-contained flats on the site to the rear of 97-99 Loampit Vale SE13, together with associated landscaping, the provision of a refuse/cycle store, bicycle store, 4 garages, 8 car parking and 14 bicycle spaces with access onto Algernon Road.

If you would like to comment on any of these applications please send an email to planning@lewisham.gov.uk including the Application Number, your name, address, comment and reason for interest.

Me, Jean Lambert MEP and a polar bear called Ted, in the Dog and Bell, Deptford

This picture appeared in today's Mercury in a write-up on the Friends of the Earth Climate Change Pub Quiz. Embarassing to look fatter than the polar bear, but I guess his food supply is shrinking due to melting ice caps etc!

The quiz was good fun - we didn't win, but we did get full marks on the celebrity pictures round (and we beat the unofficial Socialist Party team, not that I'm competitive or anything ;).

New Calendar

Lots of local events coming up over the next few weeks, so I've added a calendar to this page, in the right-hand column. I did it using a list; there is probably a better plug-in specifically designed for calendars that I could have used, but I couldn't find one. Also made our contact details a bit clearer. Any suggestions/comments welcome.

Oops, meant to plug this a few weeks ago

I think Nick on Brockley Central plugged this meet up a few weeks ago, though I can't find the link right now and I said I would too, then failed to do so - sorry! So, better late than never, TONIGHT - Make Your Mark meet up at Toad's Mouth Too, Brockley Road, 6pm.

"The Make Your Mark meetups were started to encourage budding entrepreneurs, creative people, innovators and activists to get together to talk about their ideas.

If you have a plan for a business, a web project, a book, a passion to change something, or simply an idea that you want to try out, come along. This is a friendly place to share a drink and give your idea a bit of love, focus and attention.

We particularly welcome people who want to develop an ethical project or business. Come and find inspiration and practical support to help get your idea off the ground.

Please email Jo Hill if are interested in coming along or sign up at Make Your Mark or contact Jo Hill."

Sounds like a good idea. Wholefood organic fairtrade food co-operative anyone?!

Betting Shop License Hearing

As reported on Nick's Brockley Central blog here and here, the license hearing at Greenwich Magistrates' Court for the application by Portland bookmakers to operate a betting shop at the former Homeview video shop (corner of Adelaide Avenue and Brockley Road) started on Thursday. It was due to last two days, but they didn't finish hearing all the evidence so it has been adjourned until a future date as yet to be announced. Ute attended on both days and gave evidence on the second day. A considerable number of concerned local residents and Romayne (Brockley ward councillor) also attended.

All six councillors from Ladywell and Brockley ward have formally objected to the application. We are concerned that there will be a concentration of betting shops in a small area, to the detriment of the row of shops as a whole and the local community. The slightly bizarre thing that has emerged in all this is that it is a bit of a David vs Goliath case, with Portland, the small independently-run bookies up against the might of Coral and their team of legal advisers. It feels a little strange to be on the same side as the giant versus the small independent business, but it is a case of too many bookies in the area rather than what type of bookies they may be.

Wonder if Corals are taking bets on the outcome of this one ;).

(added on 15/05/07)
Just read an article from yesterday's Observer about a similar situation in Clapton. It seems the law is changing in September and the demand criteria is being removed, which I guess will mean that the only legal grounds upon which current objections to the Portland application are based will have gone. Does that mean that whatever the outcome of the court hearing, the manager of Portland can just sit tight and then apply again in September? Hmmm, will try to find out more.

New Planning Applications in Ladywell Ward

A number of new planning applications in Ladywell ward have been submitted over the past few days, including a new application for the Crown & Anchor Pub on Brookbank Road, a 4-storey extensions to 308 Brockley Road and the construction of a three storey, three bedroom house to the rear of 27 Vicars Hill SE13, fronting Veda Road. Click on the links for more details of the applications and who to contact if you wish to comment on any of them. A full list of recent planning applications in Ladywell Ward can be viewed here.

Ladywell Society Annual Report

Ladywell Society has uploaded its annual report to its website; well worth a read if you want to find out more about the society's activites over the past year. Hopefully this link will work for everyone, not just those who are on the e-mail list, but I'm not certain. Ladywell Society always welcome new members; they meet on the first Tuesday of evey month in the old waiting room in Ladywell Fields, 7.45-9pm, see here for more info.

Election Results (Outside of London)

Mixed election results for the Green Party this time - steady progress in the English council elections, where we held most of our seats and went from 93 to 111 councillors. In Brighton we doubled our seats, jumping from 6 to 12 (something for us to aim for next time round in Lewisham? ;) ) and in Lancaster we went from 7 to 12 councillors. We gained 1 extra councillor in Norwich, taking us to 10 councillors, and were one vote off getting another, which would have made us the main opposition party. In Leicester, where we tied with Labour and lost the coin toss last time round, this time we got 2 councillors elected. Other gains were in Scarborough, Rushcliffe, Herefordshire, Wealdon, Waveney, Mid-Beds, Suffolk, Torridge and Kirklees

A number of near misses, including in Bristol where we were 6 votes off getting a second councillor in the ward where Charlie won last time.

Unfortunately in Scotland we dropped from 7 MSPs to 2, although under the new PR system for local elections we did get our first councillors elected (5 in Glasgow and 3 in Edinburgh). Didn't make any breakthrough in Wales, in fact were beaten by the BNP in a number of regions (ouch).

Won't say anymore, as Natalie, Jim, Peter, Andy, Philip and Matt have all already posted on the results.

This is not a plastic bag

Following hot on the heels of Anya Hindmarch's highly-sought after designer bag and the announcement that Modbury in Devon has just become the first plastic bag free town in Europe, Lewisham town centre management team are about to launch a range of cotton bags, with the double aim of both promoting local shops and reducing waste.

The idea started out as a Green budget proposal. When we first discussed the idea with town centre managers, they liked it so much that they decided to spend a small amount of leftover cash from last year's budget on it straightaway. The first batch have just arrived back from the manufacturers and will be hitting shops soon. I believe the first bags are earmarked for the bigger shopping centres in Lewisham (ie Lewisham, Catford, Brockley), but as our budget proposal also went through, more bags (this time in fairtrade (and I think organic) cotton, as stipulated in our budget agreement) have been ordered, which I believe are going to be aimed at smaller shopping centres (I'm hoping this will include Ladywell, but I have no say over this).

The town centre managers will be offering the bags to shopkeepers at just above cost-price , who can then sell the bags onto customers at £2 each. This means that the scheme should be self-financing (ie sustainable in more ways than one!), as well as making the shops a small profit, and any profit made by the town centre managers will be ploughed back into buying more cloth bags or on other improvements to shopping areas.

So buy them quickly before they are snapped up and put on E-bay for extortionate prices. Could soon be the must have accessory for all shoppers in Lewisham!

New Activities for Young People in Ladywell Ward - Ta-dah!

Following on from my earlier post on extra youth provision for the ward, it's taking a little longer than planned to get everything finalised, but I think it's ok to reveal now that the following activities are in the pipeline, barring any last minute hitches :

Film-making course at the Tabernacle, Algernon Road
Greenwich & Lewisham Young Peoples' Theatre (GLYPT) are going to be running a film-making course on Monday evenings at the Tabernacle on Algernon Road. Still waiting for final confirmation, but hopefully this will start Monday 14th May at 7pm.

New multi-media viewing zone for St Andrews Centre
St Andrew's Centre, where so much of the existing youth provision in Ladywell ward takes place, have been given funding to refurbish a room to create a Multi Media Viewing Zone. This will enable them to hold film and discussion evenings for groups of 12 young people. Part of the deal is that the local Safer Neighbourhood Police, among others, will be able to use the facility occasionally to show films on issues such as carrying knives, drugs etc and lead a discussion with young people.

Nail Art and Dancercise
Crofton Park Baptist Church is going to be the venue for two new activites; Nail Art (2 hours, one evening per week for a 5 week course, to be repeated throughout the year to different young people) and Dancercise (Caboodle, two hours one evening per week throughout the year).

Football, football and more football
Hilly Fields Football (Brockley County Football Club) is (fingers crossed) getting a little extra funding soon to enable them to extend their work and coach over 12s football on Saturday afternoons, in addition to the under 12s they currently coach in the mornings.

These activities have been selected based on the feedback we received at the Ladywell ward forum last November, the surveys the Ladywell Safer Neighbourhood Team carried out with young people in the ward, the discussions of the Ladywell Youth Provision steering group and the bids submitted by service providers. We've also tried to spread activities out geographically in the ward. It's something of a stop-gap measure, to get something in place asap, but once these activities are up and running, the Youth Steering group plans to look at longer-term options for youth provision in the ward, making it more sustainable (ie financially viable) and engaging young people more in the process. If you'd like to get involved with this, please get in touch.

Everyone welcome at climate change pub quiz

From Greenwich & Lewisham Friends of the Earth:

South East London people can have fun, win prizes and help save the planet all at the same time this month – by taking part in a pub quiz designed to help people understand how to combat climate change.

The quiz, which will take place at Deptford’s Dog and Bell public house at 9pm on Sunday 13 May, has been organised by Lewisham and Greenwich Friends of the Earth. Winning teams will receive a range of great prizes including bottles of wine, energy efficient light bulbs and cash.

Explains spokesman Ted Burke: “After more than 100,000 UK voters called on their MPs to support legislation to reduce the UK’s man-made greenhouse gas emissions, a climate change bill is finally passing through Parliament.

“Now we’re keen to raise the public’s awareness of what the Bill does – and doesn’t – deliver in its current form. We believe the Government must set annual targets for reducing carbon dioxide (CO2), the main gas responsible for man-made climate change. Our politicians’ votes can help produce and approve a binding law that’s strong enough for our country to play a real role in stopping greenhouse gases rising to levels that will be disastrous for the planet and for humanity.”

Low-lying and densely populated cities like London were particularly vulnerable to the rise in sea level that a now overwhelming majority of climate scientists expect climate change to cause, says Ted.

Location

The Dog and Bell public house is located at 116, Prince St, London, SE8 3JD. Tel: 020 8692 5664. Cut and paste the postcode into www.streetmap.co.uk

Want to find out more?

Please feel free to email event organisers Sarah Delamer or Ted Burke.