Local funding, Ladywell Fields and betting shops

These are the main agenda items for the next Ladywell Assembly, which is going to take place on Tuesday, 23 June from 7-9pm at Prendergast School, in the new science block on Adelaide Avenue, SE4 1JL. The Assembly is open to anyone who lives, works or studies in the ward, so please come along and have your say!

Tomorrow the Assembly is going to decide on allocating part of the Mayor's Fund (£50k available for the ward) to local activities and improvement projects which have come out of round table discussions at previous assemblies and have been costed and worked up in more detail. Four proposals will be presented - three on youth provision and one to fund urban design work to develop plans to improve Ladywell Road. The Assembly is going to vote on which and how many of those projects should be taken forward with formal applications to be submitted to Mayor & Cabinet for final approval. A second round of proposals is planned for the September Assembly.

This will be followed by a presentation of plans for Ladywell Fields. Following the successful transformation of the north field thanks to EU funding (the QUERCUS project), an application for national funds to undertake work in the middle and south fields has also been successful. Initial consultation with stakeholders and public exhibitions are currently under way and this will be an opportunity to find out more. Technically Ladywell Fields aren't in Ladywell ward (the railway line is the ward boundary with Lewisham Central), but they are very much part of the community and used and enjoyed by residents, and this presentation should be very interesting.

A proposal will be submitted to the Assembly urging the government to change national legislation in order to stop the proliferation of betting shops that has set in in particular since the new Gambling Act came into force in 2007. Ladywell and Brockley's recent experience of unsuccessfully opposing yet another betting shop in the area has been replicated not only across London but also up and down the country. The Sustainable Communities Act now enables local communities, groups and individuals to make proposals for a change in legislation that, if agreed, would give communities more power to shape things locally and live in a more sustainable way.

The meeting will be rounded off with community updates with news of what's happening in the area.

River Channel in Ladywell Fields

We've been informed that the new river channel in Ladywell fields has run dry. It seems that the weir was breached on Sunday, the river dried up very quickly and sadly many fish have been found dead in the channel.

It is not entirely clear how this has happened, but Council officers believe a combination of causes may have contributed:

• High flows over the previous weeks weakening the dams structure by dislodging smaller rocks
• Vandalism - some smaller rocks may have been taken - quite possibly for garden rockeries….
• The Environment Agency's river works - a huge amount of debris has piled up on the weir following the river works. This will put greater stress on the weir, and it is possible that a large trunk flowed down and dislodged rocks in the weir.

Although the site of the breach is quite small, the result has been severe.

The weir, which was part of the recent Quercus works, was built to the Environment Agency's specifications, and strengthened in the spring, as they were not happy with the initial specifications. A further review was planned for the coming spring.

Council officers are working together with the Environment Agency and their works contractor to put this right. They hope to get an interim solution in before Christmas, and to rebuild the weir early in the new year. They have been advised to stick to the same approach, but that the weir will need to be considerably larger - 5+m in the direction of flow, so that a riffle effect is created rather than a waterfall, and larger boulders will also be used.

Notices have been put up in the park to explain what has happened.

Tree Works in Ladywell Fields

I have been informed by Council officers that unfortunately a number of trees need to be felled in Ladywell Fields. This is because they are diseased and pose a health and safety risk to park users. These are works that were identified as necessary during a survey carried out by an independent tree consultant in 2006, but it was agreed to leave them until after the QUERCUS project was complete. The Council has now revisited the survey with the help of another tree expert.

The aim is to minimise the works required, for the sake of the park as well as the budget, but the arboriculturalist has confirmed that several mature trees will have to be felled (most notably a number of Ash by the main path running parallel to the railway line in the northern field) as they pose real danger to park users. However some other trees in less prominent locations, e.g. on the river bank and/or behind railings may be allowed to die naturally, and remain standing or fall as deadwood.

Council officers had a walkabout this morning with representatives from Ladywell Fields Users Group and Ladywell Society to point out the trees in question and explain why the work was necessary. My understanding is that all trees felled will be replaced, but I will check this with officers.

Ladywell Fields Fun Day

There's going to be a Ladywell Fields Fun Day on Saturday 10th May, to celebrate the completion of the QUERCUS projects physical works in Ladywell Fields. There are going to be guided walks, stalls, displays' and activities to do throughout the day. The event is going to be held in the Northern field of Ladywell Fields from 11am to 4pm. More details to follow!

Coming up this week . . .

A number of interesting events coming up this week in and around Ladywell:

Sunday 9th March 11am-1pm River Clean Up in Ladywell Fields. Meeting at the Environmental Classroom, come and take a wade along the new river channel and help keep it clear of rubbish and debris. Everyone is welcome including children that are accompanied by an adult. Refreshments will be provided for all.

Wednesday 12th March: Ladywell Fields Users Group Meeting (7pm in the Civic Suite, Lewisham Town Hall). LFUG secretary Robert Shepherd writes that there is a full agenda which includes:

• Alison Taylor, QUERCUS project manager, floating plans for a Launch and Fun Day event;
• Dann Jessen of East (Architecture, Landscape & Urban Design) talking about their feasibility; study on the future of our Park;
• David Dyer from the Youth Service talking about the adventure playground proposal; and
• Carole Crankshaw, the Council's Sustainable Transport Officer

Also on 12th March and unfortunately clashing with the above is Brockley Cross Action Group's AGM. Duncan Law from Transition Town Brixton is giving a talk. For those of you who don't know much about Transition Towns (and those who do!) I would very much recommend listening to him as he is a great and inspiring speaker. Transition Town Brockley/Ladywell anyone?

However, most excitingly for Ladywell, is the planned public meeting on Thursday 13th March to set up a new community action group for the area, which I think deserves a bit more details in a seperate post.

Do you enjoy . . . . hammering, digging, nailing, building?

I've received the following from Nick Harvey, one of the Waterlink Way officers working on the Quercus Project in Ladywell Fields:

Lewisham’s Quercus Project are working to improve access to the nature area in Ladywell Fields.

They are doing this by creating a natural gravel path and need your help by becoming a volunteer on this project. You don’t have to be skilled in these area’s and all age groups are welcome including children. (Although must be accompanied by an adult)

The work will be commencing on October 20th and November 25th 2007 between 11.00am and 3.00pm and refreshments will be provided for all volunteers.

If you are interested in helping, please confirm your place by contacting Nick Harvey on 0208 314 2172 or email .

Work to begin on Ladywell Fields

From the council press office, FYI:

Work is about to begin on enhancing and improving the north end of Ladywell Fields. Over the next few weeks, areas of the park will be fenced off and works machinery will be delivered.

The work to be carried out will include:
1. Making the park more attractive by:
planting a greater diversity of trees and riverside plants
creating an additional stream through the centre of the park with surrounding trees
creating open spaces at entrances so they are more welcoming.
2. Improving access by:
creating a new accessible path to Ladywell station
creating wheelchair/buggy access to the new stream
reducing the slope of the path along the northern river bank
improving signage.

The tennis courts, children’s playground and skateboard park will remain open throughout the course of the works.

The regeneration of the park is being carried out through the QUERCUS Project and will cost £460,000 with most funding being provided by EU LIFE, the European Commission’s environmental fund.

Previous posts on Ladywell Fields and the Quercus project.

The Balsam Battle

SUSPECT A (picture right)

The ‘Quercus Project’ is looking for volunteers!
We need your help to: Uproot and destroy the quickly spreading and very invasive ‘Himalayan Balsam Plant’
The reason for this urgency: It suffocates other plants, leaving river banks bare in the winter and prone to erosion.
When we need your help: We will be meeting at the classroom on Sun 8th July at 10am-1pm with a bring your own picnic after, all welcome!
For more information and to confirm attendance:
Contact Nick Harvey on 0208 3142172 Or e-mail nick.harvey@lewisham.gov.uk
(Nick is the Waterlink Way ranger who among many other things runs the new Wildlife Club for Kids in Ladywell Fields. He asks that if possible people confirm their intention to attend (and shoe size) by email or phone so he can get some idea of numbers).

In a nutshell . . .

It's been suggested that my previous post was a tad too detailed, so here is an attempt at a more concise response to the Ladywell Rose:

The Ladywell Rose story 'Greens back tree massacre' was an ill-informed pack of lies by an ex-councillor who frankly should know better and I take it as a slur on my integrity. The article claims that at a 1st February public meeting to discuss the planning application for Ladywell Fields, Green councillors "defied local people and gave their backing to the tree cutting plan". This is untrue. I was the only councillor present (from any ward or political party) and as such was asked to chair the meeting. As the chair of the meeting I did my utmost to remain impartial, to refrain from expressing an opinion either way and to give all those present an opportunity to speak. Local Labour representative Paul Newing attended the meeting, but did not speak.

For the record, I was uncomfortable with the idea of 68 trees being felled, but also keen that the opportunity the EU money provided to improve the Northern Field was not lost. I was therefore pleased when following the walkabout with park users and officers, a revised plan was drawn up which resulted in a reduced number of trees being lost, and an overall gain in the numbers of trees after replanting.

Cllr Mike Keogh has been heavily involved with Ladywell Fields Users' Group and the QUERCUS project since its inception. As he has been so heavily involved in the project, and as the company he works for are contracted to carry out some of the work in the park, he quite rightly took no part in the planning decision when it was considered by his planning committee on 15th March 2007.

It is always sad when trees are cut down, but there are sometimes valid reasons for doing so. In this case, as I understand it, some are being removed to enable the river to be moved to the centre of the field (a key part of the project, which in my opinion will enhance the park for both local people and wildlife), some are diseased, some are too close together and need to be thinned to enable them to flourish and some non-native species are being replaced with more native species. If the plan was to stick a motorway through Ladywell Fields, I would be the first to chain myself to the diggers. This is not the case. There will be a short-term loss in biodiversity while the work is being carried out, but I honestly believe this will be outweighed by the longer-term improvements in wildlife habitat and attractiveness of the park to local people.

"Greens backed tree massacre" (according to Labour Ladywell Rose)

I generally despise tit for tat party political point scoring, and get fed up in council meetings when parties start off on how good Labour/Lib Dem/Tory controlled such and such a borough is, or how low their council tax is compared to Labour/Lib Dem/Tory controlled XYZ. Maybe when Greens control a council, we will end up doing the same, but I'd hope not. In our newsletters, we prefer to focus on our achievements, and if we are critical of other parties, to suggest constructive alternatives. However, having read the Ladywell Labour Rose that came through my door today, I am rising to the bait, gloves are off, and I'm furious at the misrepresentation, if not downright lies it contains.

In brief Labour's leaflet says that Ladywell's Green Councillors "backed a tree slashing programme to cut down 68 trees" in Ladywell Fields. It goes on to say "at a special consultation meeting in Ladywell on 1st February, Green Councillors defied local people and gave their backing to the cutting plan. Thankfully, Council planning officers could see the strength of local feeling and revised the plan so that 31 of the trees were saved and a tree planting programme was increased from 20 to 49. Questions are being asked about why Green councillors are not representing the views of the local people who put them in office and why they are so eager to cut down trees in the park. Local Labour representative Paul Newing, who attended the meeting and backed local residents said: "The behaviour of Green councillors in Ladywell is a long way from the soft and cuddly image they like to portray" [not quite as cuddly as the last Ladywell cllrs, IMHO ;)] "The Greens need to learn that they can't just make up their minds - they should listen to local people. What are councillors for, if not to represent the people in their ward? Labour Action Team Members are keeping a close eye on things in Ladywell and will continue to step in when the Greens decide that they know better than local people."

OK, now for a bit of background info and some facts.
1. The plan to which they refer is the QUERCUS project, which involves £460,000 of EU money being spent on improvements to the north field in Ladywell Fields. The Labour run executive of Lewisham are fully behind the scheme, as reflected in Cllr Susan Wise's comments in this recent press release. The planning application details can be found on Lewisham's planning website.
2. Ladywell Fields are actually in Lewisham Central ward, but as a lot of residents from Ladywell use the fields regularly, we take an active interest in them and Mike has been an active member of Ladywell Fields Users' Group for many years.
3. Ladywell Fields Users' Group and a number of other stakeholders were closely involved throughout the development of the plans for the Quercus Project.
4. When the planning application was submitted, members of Ladywell Society, Ladywell Fields Users' Group and residents were somewhat shocked to find it involved the removal of 68 trees of various species and age, which was not mentioned during earlier consultations. As a result of this, 12 objections were received by the planning department, compared to 3 letters in favour. When there are more than a few objections, it is common practice for the planning department to arrange a public meeting so that residents and applicants can discuss the application further, prior to the application going to a planning committee.
5. The public meeting was arranged for 1st February, which unfortunately clashed with planning committee B, which Mike is on, and the Ladywell Safer Neighbourhoods Panel meeting, which Ute went to, so I was the only one of us able to go to the public meeting on the Ladywell Fields application.
6. A few weeks before the meeting, a planning officer asked me if I would be willing to chair the meeting. I said I could, but wouldn't it be better if one of the Lewisham Central ward councillors chaired it, as it was in their ward. However, none of them could make it to the meeting (probably for perfectly good reasons) so when I got there I found out that I was chairing.
7. 16 people attended the meeting on 1st February, included ex-cllr Paul Newing, who is quoted in the Labour Ladywell Rose. I was careful to remain strictly neutral both as chair and because I am on a planning committee (you can't have made up your mind about an application before it comes to your planning committee, you are expected to keep an open mind).
8. Council officers outlined the application details, including what trees they planned to remove and why they felt it was necessary. There was then time for residents to comment on the scheme, and the vast majority of those who spoke expressed concern about the tree loss. As far as I remember, ex-cllr Paul Newing did not speak at all, either for or against, but another former Labour councillor, Nick Taylor, who is currently chair of Lewisham Environment Trust, made a number of constructive comments.
9. None of those present at the meeting expressed outright opposition to the QUERCUS scheme as a whole, the sticking point was the number of trees earmarked to be cut down. In the hope that a compromise could be reached, it was agreed that officers and objectors would meet at Ladywell Fields the following Saturday and have a walkaround to look at the trees together, and see if any compromise could be reached. 7 residents and 3 officers took part in the walkabout, neither ex-cllr Paul Newing, Vikki Mills (pictured holding a "protect Ladywell trees" placard on the Labour leaflet) or Cllr Edward Mark (Labour councillor for Lewisham Central) attended.
10. After the walkabout, which both sides felt was constructive, a revised plan was submitted which involved 37 trees being removed, rather than 68 and extra replanting so that there would be a net gain of 10 trees. Not all objectors were happy with this, but others felt that a reasonable compromise had been made, and the chair of the Ladywell Fields Users' Group commented that he felt it had resulted in a better scheme overall, as did Lib Dem councillor for Lewisham Central Andrew Milton.
11. The application went to planning committee B on 15th March and was passed. As Mike has been so involved with Ladywell Fields Users group, Ladywell Society and Lewisham Environment Trust over the years, as well as the fact that the company he works for, Envirowork Lewisham had the contract for some of the work for the QUERCUS Project, he withdrew from that part of the meeting and took no part in considering the application.

So, just to clarify, at no time have the Green councillors in Ladywell been pushing for 68 trees to be chopped down in Ladywell Fields and there was no gallant intervention by Paul Newing or, for that matter, the Lewisham Central Labour councillor to save 31 trees from the clutches of evil chain-saw wielding Greens, far from it. At the 1st February meeting, NO Green councillors "defied local opinion and gave their backing to the tree cutting plan"; I was the only one of us at the meeting, and as chair and a planning committee member, I remained strictly neutral.

We have been broadly supportive of a scheme that is likely to improve the north field of Ladywell Fields considerably, as are the Labour Mayor and Cabinet and Andrew Milton, the Lewisham Central councillor who takes an active interest in Ladywell Fields. I think we were all pleased that the council officers listened to local people's concerns at the 1st February public meeting.

Mike is an ecologist by training, has been heavily involved with the Ladywell Fields Users' group for many years and was involved with the QUERCUS project from early stages. He is 100% committed to working to improve Ladywell Fields and has worked closely with officers and LFUG at every stage of the project. Mike knows his stuff on biodiversity, much more than I do, and I'm happy to trust him on these matters. Precisely because of his involvement over the years and his job at Envirowork, he was right to withdraw from the planning meeting for this application.

We recently received a letter from a local couple expressing concern at the "environmental vandalism" they felt was taking place in Ladywell Fields, with shrubbery where song thrushes nest being cut back. Mike was on holiday at this time and as the work had been carried out by the company he worked for, Ute and I thought it best to go and take a look ourselves. A small area of shrubbery had been cleared, but we were assured that the area was checked for birds nests beforehand and no nests from this year were found. I accept this explanation, as does Cllr Susan Wise according to her press release. Envirowork Lewisham are doing great work training up young people for jobs in parks management and conservation work and I have no reason to believe they would be destroying birds nests. I accept that there will be a short-term loss of wildlife habitat and biodiversity while the project is in progress, but I am optimistic than there will be a significant long-term gain, both to wildlife and local residents.

This latest Labour Ladywell Rose is the cheapest, most underhand and most inaccurate bit of political propaganda I've come across in my (admittedly fairly limited) time in politics and Paul Newing should be ashamed of himself. As for the line "What are councillors for, if not to represent the people in their ward?" - exactly - isn't that a lesson the previous Ladywell ward councillors learnt to their expense on election day last year?

Having got that off my chest, I'll now get back to the serious business of representing the views of residents in Ladywell, dealing with casework enquiries, pushing for better youth provision and the countless other things we do as councillors.

Oh, and by the way, the Ladywell Fields Kids Wildlife Club last Saturday, that Green councillors helped to set up, was a huge success, with more than 30 children turning up and all enthusiastically saying they would be back next month.

Lewisham Walking Festival 2007- Ladywell Walks

The programme for the 2007 Lewisham Walking Festival is now available and it has more events than ever before. There are a number of walks in Ladywell, including one that Mike and other members of Ladywell Society are leading on May 22nd:

Where has all the Water Gone in Ladywell?
Where Is It Going?
Find out with the Ladywell Society

The Ladywell Society guys lead this informative tour around the damper parts of Ladywell, the original heart of Lewisham, keeping close to Ladywell Road. The walk and talk will feature the mineral springs, the ditch, the Lady’s Well, Playtower, the Ravensbourne, QUERCUS Project and the Water Sculpture at the hospital. Despite the aquatic nature of this walk, you won’t actually get wet unless it rains!

Linear walk of 2 hours, 1.5 miles taking in local history and nature. Suitable for all ages and abilities. Toilets at points on the walk. Bring a drink. Dogs on leads ok.

Meet at 19.00 outside the café on the corner of Algernon Rd and Mercy Terrace, just off
Ladywell Road past the railway line.
Bus: P4, 284, 122, 484 Rail: Ladywell
Finish: Lewisham Hospital, Riverside Block, William Carver Bridge
Rail: Ladywell Buses: 436, 75, 47, 199, 54, 208, 136, all from Lewisham High Street.

FREE

Plus the regular Out and About in Ladywell Fields Healthy Walks.

Ladywell Fields Project: Public Meeting

Thursday 1st February, 7pm, St Mary's Centre, Ladywell Road.

You may be aware that a planning application is currently being considered for landscape improvements to the North Field of Ladywell Fields which falls on the boundary between the Lewisham Central and Ladywell wards. This is part of the EU funded Quercus project. The scheme includes proposals for a larger entrance area, terraced lawn, improved pedestrian access to Ladywell Station, creation of a secondary river channel, incorporating bridges, street furniture and associated signage. However, a particular concern of some local residents has been the proposed removal of 68 trees in connection with the works. Due to the degree of local interest, in line with Council policy, planning officers have arranged for a local meeting to take place on the evening of 1st February between 7 and 8.30pm at the St. Mary's Centre, Ladywell Road. A summary of the issues raised at the local meeting will be included in the planning officers' report to the Planning Committee.

Quercus Project for Ladywell Fields

Went to see the plans for the Quercus Project this evening. This is an EU-funded project to improve Ladywell Fields. Some info here, although I hope more detail will be posted up to the site soon.

Basically, the aim of the project is to improve access to the river to make it more of a feature of the park, rather than hiding it behind railings. The plans I saw today included adding a second channel to bring the river out across the section of the park nearest Ladywell Road, and incorporating a wildflower meadow and terracing. Difficult to explain without the pictures, but it sounded good.