Ladywell Arena to be transferred over to community group?

A couple of weeks ago the South London Press reported that the Council was looking for community and sports groups to take over the management of Ladywell Arena (the athletics track and gym on the Catford side of Ladywell Fields).

I was a bit alarmed about what this meant – was the Council still committed to keeping the arena open, or was it planning to offload it in a bid to cut costs, along with the libraries, children’s centres etc? So I wrote to the Council and asked for a bit more information - whether the article was just testing the water or if a formal decision to transfer the management had been taken, how the proposal fitted in with the Council's Leisure contract and what the cost of maintaining the facility at Ladywell Arena is. I received the following response:

“The Council is currently out to tender for its main leisure contract which expires in mid October 2011. As part of that tender we are asking prospective leisure operators to cost the operation of the Arena along with other leisure centres. However, there has been interest from local organisations in the principle of the Arena being managed by a locally based organisation, given its specific focus on athletics and football. The Council is therefore running a parallel process and asking if there is interest from local organisations with both bidding processes ending around the same time, so giving the Council an opportunity to assess the value ( in terms of best value), of both.

The leisure procurement process was agreed by Mayor and Cabinet contracts on 3rd March 2010 and that is underway. This additional proposal to undertake a parallel process in terms of the Arena has been highlighted in the Invitation to Tender to Leisure contracts so that bidders for the main contract are aware.

So, in that way we are 'testing the water' on this. The potential community lease of the Arena does include the Gym. The current cost to the Council for managing the facility is approximately £185,320 per year (this changes with GDP each year).”

Meanwhile, local residents concerned that this might be a backdoor way of closing the arena to public use (although I'm not sure that it is), have set up a Facebook page with a “Petition to save Ladywell Arena”.

Ladywell Fields: Big Plans in the Pipeline - Consultation Event on 4 April

The Council has secured nearly £2m in funding from the LDA (London Development Agency) to carry out major improvement works to the middle and southern fields in Ladywell Fields. The feedback I've received from residents about the works to the northern field that was carried out a year or two back has been almost entirely positive, and there's been a noticeable increase in the number of people using the park, so I think it's great news that the other two fields are also in line for a 'makeover'.

The plans for the other two fields include:

• Improving biodiversity and access to the river, including building a series of timber viewing platforms along the riverside
• Creation of a series of new wetland lakes including riverside planting, ponds, reed beds and wet grasslands
• New bridges will connect the river to increase use and access
• Work to existing and new entrances, to connect residential areas with the green space and adjacent town centres
• New lighting and street furniture

There are also plans for clearer signage and improvements to the Waterlink Way cycle path, which runs from Deptford Creek to Beckenham Place Park, totems to mark the Waterlink Way, cycle parking, the creation of a new meeting point, resurfacing of footpaths, new rubbish and dog waste bins and improving the sports facilities.

A public consultation event to seek the views of local people on the proposed plans is being held on Saturday 4 April. The event will run from 10am to 12.30pm and will feature a walkabout showing where developments are planned, as well as a workshop on proposals so that people can not only learn more about the development plans, but also give their own thoughts and suggestions.

To get involved contact Alison Taylor, Project Manager, on 020 8314 8758 or email alison.taylor@lewisham.gov.uk or meet in Ladywell Fields park, by the entrance on Bournville Road, Catford, at 10am.

Of course in addition to this, and with separate funding, there are also the plans to build an adventure playground in part of the middle field.

Nature's Gym: January Events

I just wanted to give a quick plug to Nature's Gym, the volunteer conservation workdays in various parks and open spaces in the borough that are run by the Council. It's a great way to keep fit and do something to improve the local environment too.

The January events can be viewed online here, and include a number of workdays locally. I'm really pleased that for the first time, we've managed to get a day in Brockley & Ladywell Cemeteries in the schedule. A few of the local events planned:

Sunday 18th Jan: Brockley & Ladywell Cemeteries workday (organised by FOBLC). Meet by the old chapel in Ladywell Cemetery at 10am. See FOBLC website for further details.

Thursday 22 Jan: Nature’s Gym in Ladywell Fields, 11.00am-2.00pm. Various nature conservation activities in the park, anything from river clean-up to shrub clearance. Meet at the environmental classroom just off Ladywell Road.

Saturday 24 Jan: Bird Watching Event at Hilly Fields, time TBC. Take part in the RSPB Garden Birdwatch by surveying the various bird species in Hilly Fields. Meet by the park keepers office.

Saturday 31st Jan: 11am-2pm, Nature's Gym, Blythe Hill Fields: Planting a native hedge around the perimeter of the field.

Thursday 26th Feb: Nature’s Gym in Hilly Fields, 11am-2pm, . Meet on Eastern Road off Adelaide Avenue. Look out for the white van.

Saturday 28th Feb: Natures Gym in Brockley & Ladywell Cemeteries, 11am-2pm.

For further details on any of the Nature's Gym events, contact Jess Rushton(020 8314 2119) or Lara Al Jabi (020 83183986).

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.

New Adventure Playground for Ladywell Fields

Ladywell Fields Users' Group are meeting at the Civic Suite, Lewisham Town Hall this Wednesday, at 7pm. Among other things on the agenda is a presentation from youth services on plans for a new adventure playground on Ladywell Fields. The Council has successfully bid for lottery money for this and the site they are proposing to put the playground is the area of Ladywell Fields near Malyons Road (by the spiral bridge), incorporating/replacing the disused changing rooms and around there.

There are currently 4 adventure playgrounds in Lewisham which are very popular, and this would be number 5. I think it is a great idea and would provide a much needed facility for young people in the Ladywell, Crofton and Catford area. Not sure if many residents on Malyons Road or Dressington Avenue are aware of the proposals yet, although some people might have seen the plans at the recent Ladywell Fields Open Day. I have suggested putting the plans online and some kind of consultation/leaflet drop in the area so people can have some say prior to any planning application being submitted.

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.

Ladywell Fields Kids Club Restarting in March

Very pleased to hear from Nick Harvey, the Waterlink Way officer, that the Ladywell Fields Kids Club, which started last year, before being temporarily stopped due to the river channel in the park being diverted, is restarting.

The first club will be on Saturday March 15th from 10 till 12 and then the 3rd Saturday in the month from there on in.

Nick says:

"Each month we will have different activities based around the environment with the main aim being having fun in the park. The club is aimed at children aged 6 to 13 and it is based in the Environmental Education Classroom located in the Northern Field off Ladywell Road
Link for Map showing the location of the classroom.

If you have any children that you think would be interested in coming along, please let me know via email or phone giving me the child's name and age, we charge a nominal fee of 50p a child to help with the cost of materials.

The Club is only possible with the help of volunteers who help run it. So I would be very grateful to anyone who could give some time in helping to run the club, this help can be through actually helping on the day through to suggesting activities/game for the Club. Please contact me on
0208 3142172 or e-mail if you think you maybe able to help."

Other bits and bobs

Ladywell Fields
On the way back from the TOTAL protest on Saturday, I cycled through Ladywell Fields and met Nick Harvey (Waterlink Way Ranger) and the volunteers working in the St Mary’s triangle. The Northern Field and the new river channel is starting to take shape and I think it will look great by next summer, when the planting has had time to establish. The next volunteer day is 25th November. 11:00am to 3:00pm, further details here.

Cemeteries Open Day and litter-pick
Brockley & Ladywell Cemeteries are having an Open Day on Tuesday 30 October, from 12.00 – 1.00pm, when you can "visit the Brockley vaults and see how they operate. Members of the public are very welcome to come along, look round and ask questions. At 12.15pm cemetery staff will demonstrate how the Vaults are opened to allow the internment of a new coffin.
The Vaults were installed two years ago by Welters, a specialist Vault makers based in Carlisle. There are 140 chambers in the area. Each chamber can accommodate 2 coffins, or caskets" (from the Council press release).

Members of Friends of Brockley & Ladywell Cemeteries are also organising a litter pick-up in the cemeteries on Remembrance Sunday. Further details on Patrick's FOBLC blog.

Former Catford Dog Stadium Site
Those interested in the plans for the former Catford Dogs Stadium can take a look at a website set up by the developers. In addition to a large number of new homes (590, according to the site, 336 of them either social rented, shared ownership or keyworker housing) there are plans to improve the area around the stations, to build a new plaza (plazas seem to be the big thing at the moment), to renaturalise that section of the Ravensbourne River, a new cycle and pedestrian route into Catford, a new footbridge, and “better linkages with Ladywell Fields”. Apparently a planning application will be submitted fairly soon.

Next Lewisham Green Drinks
Quick reminder that the next Lewisham Green Drinks will take place on 5th November at Mr Lawrence Wine Bar, from 7pm onwards and anyone who lives or works in the borough and has an interest in green issues is welcome. This third get-together is guaranteed to go with, er, a bang (sorry).

Energy Saving Week
This week is Energy Saving Week and Tracy on EcoStreet has an excellent post on ways of doing your bit.

Green Bloggers
Finally, should you feel so inclined, there's still time to vote for me in top twenty Green Bloggers over on The Daily (Maybe) (not that I'm being wildly competitive or anything).

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 .

Greens Back Ladywell Fields Himalayan Balsam Massacre

Mike, me and local volunteers in the River Ravensbourne on Sunday pulling up the dreaded Himalayan Balsam. If not removed, it covers the riverbank to the detriment of native species, then when it dies off in winter the banks are left bare and prone to erosion. Hence Nick Harvey organised 'Operation Sam' to try and get rid of as much of it as possible before it seeded. It grows incredibly quickly. We were clearing it from the recently planted river bank by the new hospital building, where the native plants were already in danger of being completely obliterated by the balsam. Hopefully the yellow flag iris etc will now reassert itself. Really enjoyable morning splashing about in the river. Sorry, couldn't resist the little dig in the title.

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.

New Wildlife Club for Children in Ladywell!

Following our planning meeting on Saturday, I'm delighted to confirm that a new wildlife club for children is being set up in Ladywell Fields. It is going to be run by Nick Harvey, one of the waterlink way rangers, with the help of local volunteers, including me.

The club will meet on the 3rd Saturday of the month, from 10am-12pm. The first meeting will be on Saturday 21st April.
Meet outside the old waiting room, Ladywell Fields, at 10am.
It is aimed at 5-12 year olds, though under 5s can come if accompanied by an adult. There will be a small charge of 50p/meeting to contribute towards materials costs.

Plans for the group include wildlife walks, pond-dipping, making collages from natural materials, helping to put up bird and bat boxes, possibly some day trips (eg to Woodlands Farm). The group will generally meet at the old waiting room, but they also hope to do activities in Hilly Fields and Brockley Cemetary.

If you are interesting in helping out, or would like your child to join the group, please contact Nick.

Activities in Ladywell Fields

I received the following info from Ladywell Fields Users' Group and thought I would spread the word:

Ladywell Fields Volunteering opportunities

There is a regular volunteering session every 2nd and 4th Tuesday of the month from 10.00 a.m. Meet at the old railway waiting room/ticket office in the 'wildlife area' in the northern field by Ladywell Station.

Also keep an eye open for posters advertising weekend volunteering sessions.

In addition, Nick Harvey, one of the Waterlink Way rangers,is also looking to set-up a monthly Kids Wildlife Club in Ladywell Fields, so anyone interested in helping with this should contact him.

River Clean-Up - 29 April
The next River clean-up will be 10.00 a.m. to 1.00 p.m. on Sunday 29 April. Meet at the usual place - in the Park at the far end of Malyons Road.

Fitness Work-out with the Wardens
This takes place every Monday and Friday 5.30-7.30 p.m. Meet by the cafe. Everyone welcome. Please call Jason on 020 8314 3842 for more information.

Youth Provision Update

We had a very constructive follow-up meeting a couple of weeks ago to the ward forum on youth provision. Ladywell has been identified, along with Catford South, as an area with a shortage of youth provision, and a small amount of funding has been identified in this year’s budget to be spent on increasing existing youth provision. Proposals are currently being submitted and we will have a further meeting with youth services and extended learning in March to decide how to spend that money (which has to be allocated before the end of the financial year). It is likely to go on increasing existing provision, ie either more football on Hilly Fields/Crofton Baptist Church Youth Club/St Andrew’s Youth Club/something at St Mary’s Centre. Once this is in place, the steering group will look at a longer-term plan for youth provision in the area. The keyword is that it has to be “sustainable”. Sustainable in this context, I’ve learnt, means self-financing, ie there will be a charge, but it should also be inclusive, so those on low incomes should not be excluded.

I’m also hopeful, after discussions with the Waterlink Way Rangers that a monthly Wildlife Watch Club for younger children will be set up soon in Ladywell Fields, to tie in with the plans for the park, and potentially also exploring the local wildlife in Hilly Fields and Brockley Cemetery. Enthusiastic volunteers who are interested in helping with this (and are either CRB checked or willing to be CRB checked) are wanted to help make this happen. Please let me know if you are interested.

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.