Bring bike-hire revolution to London

I mentioned in a previous post back in April about a new bike hire scheme called Bicing that is being rolled out in Barcelona. I was delighted to learn that the Mayor of London is considering a similar scheme, possibly integrated with the Oyster card. Rumour has it that when Greens first started to push this one a year or so ago he was only lukewarm, but when it was quietly suggested that he might want to get it into his manifesto 'before Boris did' he was more receptive to the idea ;).

While I'm in a swiping mood, isn't the Tory London Assembly member Brian Coleman missing the point slightly in having a go at Blue Peter's Connie Huq for taking part in the launch of London Freewheel? No doubt Ken Livingstone did get political mileage out of the press launch, but surely this bike ride is something that should be attracting cross-party support, or is Brian Coleman scared it may make it more difficult to get around by taxi on that day?!

Anyway, enough sniping from me, press release from Green London Assembly member Jenny Jones below.

Bring bike-hire revolution to London

Welcoming the Mayor of London’s announcement that he is considering a plan to introduce a London version of the bike-hire scheme that is revolutionising public transport in Europe’s major cities, Jenny Jones, Green Party London Assembly Member, has called for the scheme to be in place as soon as possible.

“I have been working to get support for a London wide bike hire system for the last 12 months, and am delighted that the Mayor is now considering such a scheme. A London scheme could be self-financing, or even profitable. But to make sure it gets off the ground within the next year I will make it part of my budget negotiations with the Mayor. Cities like Paris, Barcelona, Berlin, Brussels, Vienna and Oslo have all recent! ly introduced bike hire schemes, and have had huge success, with millions of hire trips being made in the first few months.”

“Because bikes are often the quickest and most sustainable way to travel in cities, it makes perfect sense to provide them as a new form of public transport, integrated with the Oyster car system, especially when the bikes can be used as part of a longer journey by bus, tube or train. The more people that we can encourage to cycle this way, the more pressure there will be to provide better cycling facilities and infrastructure, paving the way towards truly making London a cycling city.”

Notes

• Jenny is the Mayor’s Green Transport Advisor
• In Paris, the Velib scheme started last month, and already offers 700 bike stations with 10,000 bikes. When the scheme is fully rolled out, it will offer a total of 1,451 bike stations (compared to 298 tube stations in Paris), with 20,000 bikes. Bikes are free for the first 30 minutes, then prices rise afterwards.
• In Barcelona, the Bicing scheme was launched in March, and offers 100 bike stations (with 1,500) bikes across the centre of the city. In 6 months, the cycles have already been used 1,000,000 times.
• In Berlin, cycles are activated with an Oyster-card equivalent, then may be left on any street corner within the city centre.
• Schemes (often linked to outdoor advertising) are also running in Lyon, Rennes, Seville, Cordoba, ! Giron, Brussels, Vienna and Oslo, soon to be joined by Marseilles, Mulhouse and Besançon.
• London already has one small scheme – the Oybike scheme – but this is small scale and the only bike stations are in Hammersmith and Fulham. A London-wide scheme, with TfL backing, would be more effective.

Lewisham '77

It is thirty years to the day since Lewisham residents came out in force to try and stop the National Front from marching through the borough. Although the march took place, the NF members were vastly outnumbered by local residents and anti-racist campaigners.

The official council commemoration of the events of '77 took place today with the unveiling of a plaque in front of a tree in Cornmill Gardens, which I attended.

Transpontine and friends have set up a blog, Lewisham '77, to share memories of the day and publicise other events planned.

I was only 3 years old when it all took place, and not living in Lewisham, but I am grateful to all those who stood their ground on that day and refused to let racists intimidate residents of the borough.

Lewisham Green Group LDF submission

Over the last few weeks I have been working with Dean and Mike to put together and submit a Green Group response to the public consulation on the Local Development Framework. It was a huge group of documents to digest and even though we restricted our response to certain key areas, it still ran to a fair few pages. Edited highlights of our response below, happy to send a full copy on request:

Housing and energy

• 50% of new homes to be affordable housing, with developers obliged to open up their financial calculations to public scrutiny if they say they cannot afford to build 50% affordable homes for local people
• New developments to be as close to zero-carbon as possible
• Homes to reach ‘excellent’ instead of ‘very good’ energy efficiency standard – and targets to be set out as a guide to meeting government’s zero-carbon policy by 2016
• Council to produce borough wind map so householders don’t waste money on wind turbines in unsuitable areas
• Developers to use recycled construction materials and low-carbon materials

Business in our communities

• Lewisham to be earmarked as a hub for the ecotech ‘green’ industries of the future, encouraging expertise, training and job creation in the borough through the establishment of a green business park or centre of excellence
• Local parades and neighbourhood shopping areas recognised as vital community hubs and prioritised for help over ‘destination’ shopping and out-of-town shopping
• Measures to stop multiple betting shops or other non-retail uses squeezing out vital shops and killing off local parades

Community composting / Waste

• First choice for dealing with household waste would be neighbourhood re-use, recycling and community composting schemes like the popular Pepys estate project that turns local people’s kitchen waste into a valuable compost instead of sending it to a landfill site or to burn at the incinerator – such facilities would become commonplace in large developments
• All homes to have dedicated space for recycling or composting

Biodiversity and natural assets

• Trees felled as part of a development to be replaced and native hedgerows encouraged as boundaries and habitats
• Lewisham from the air will become a patchwork of greenery and wildlife with 50% of new building roofspace as living roofs
• Protection against building on backland, infill and garden sites
• The council would use its compulsory purchase powers to buy land necessary to complete the Thames path and other river walks as close to the riverbanks as possible so our riverbanks are open to everyone to enjoy

Water / Floods

• Developers would have to install water saving devices, water harvesting systems, living roofs, cisterns, water sinks and SUDS
• Developers would have to build homes with safer power and water supplies in the case of flooding and design them to increase flood victims’ safety and comfort
• Developers to underwrite flood insurance for 20 years from occupation
• Local rivers would have naturalised flood defences and flood plains to lessen the danger from flash floods
• A new rule discouraging the paving of gardens as driveways

Transport

• The Council will actively support service improvements for orbital rail routes across south London
• More home zones and 20mph zones identified to keep children safe
• Easier for developers to build car-free developments
• Active support for car clubs from council and developers
• Cyclists’ needs prioritised and cycle improvements compulsory in new developments instead of token gestures

The Launch of Brockley Housing PFI

For all council tenants and leaseholders in the properties transferring to B3 (most council properties in Brockley and Ladywell wards and a couple of streets in Crofton Park). Hopefully you have already received an invitation through your door, but just in case:

Regenter B3 invites you to the launch of Brockley Housing PFI

Thursday August 16
2.30pm – 7.30pm
Drop in any time between times shown

St Andrew’s Community Centre
Brockley Road
Brockley
SE4 2SA

Find out who Regenter B3 are and how the PFI affects you, including;
· Meet the team
· Meet your housing manager
· See an example kitchen and bathroom
· Meet the refurbishment team
· Ask questions
· Get involved with a Tenants Association
· Tell us what you think
· See the refurbishment program
· Ask about local community initiatives

Tetra Pak Recycling in Lewisham

I was pleased to learn today that special collection bins to recycle Tetra Paks are to be introduced to 5 sites in Lewisham.

Ruscombe Green blogged last year about a scheme whereby individuals could post their cartons back to Tetra Pak to recycle. More recently I found out about a scheme Tetra Pak are investing in to introduce recycling facilities into various local authorities . I contacted Lewisham's Strategic Waste & Environment Manager to ask if we could also apply for this, but she was already on the case!

The cartons can be recycled through special collection bins at 5 sites in the borough:- Sainsbury, New Cross Gate- Sainsbury, Forest Hill- Laurence House car park, Catford- Grove Park Bus Garage, Baring Road- Tesco, Lewisham. Hopefully a site a bit closer to Brockley or Ladywell will be added soon - by the existing recycling bins outside Brockley Sorting Office might be handy.

It's good that Tetra Pak are putting some money into this, and not before time. Perhaps it is a sign that the packaging industry as a whole is slowly waking up to its environmental responsibilities? A cynic would argue that it's great value PR for a highly profitable industry under increasing pressure to clean up its act.

It is probably still greener and less energy intensive to avoid Tetra Paks where possible, eg by getting your milk delivered in reusable glass bottles and getting bottles of Kent Apple Juice from Hilly Fields Farmers' Market as opposed to cartons of juice from the supermarket, but recycling Tetra Paks is still better than incincerating them, in my opinion (the more we can starve SELCHP, the better).

Further details, from the council's press release:
Each year, UK beverage carton manufacturers produce approximately 55,000 tonnes of paper-based cartons for milk, juice, sauces and other liquid foods/drinks. This equates to around 2.3kg of cartons per household which could be recycled instead of thrown in the rubbish bin. In response, Lewisham Council, in conjunction with Tetra Pak Ltd and the carton industry body ACE UK (Alliance for Beverage Cartons and the Environment), has established carton collection points at key locations around the borough for residents to take their empty cartons to be recycled.

Once collected they can be taken away to be baled and transported to a recycling mill. They can be recycled into a number of different products, ranging from plasterboard liner to high-strength paper bags and envelopes.

Carton Recycling Process
Beverage cartons consist of up to three main materials:
Paperboard (typically 70-90%)
Low density polyethylene (typically 10-25%)
Aluminium foil (about 5%, only in long-life or aseptic packages)

The carton recycling process is essentially quite simple. Baled cartons are dropped into a pulper, similar to a giant domestic food mixer, filled with water and pulped for around 20 minutes. This delaminates the packaging, breaking down the package to produce a grey-brown slurry. The aluminium foil and polyethylene are separated from the fibre, which is recovered to make new paper products.

Wood fibres become shorter and lose some strength every time they are recycled, and can only be recycled about five times. This means that there always has to be an input of virgin material into the papermaking process to maintain quality.

The long, high-strength fibres of these cartons means there is a reduced need to buy virgin pulp. In the UK, the recovered fibre is used to manufacture new high-strength products such as paper carrier bags and envelopes.

New Blog: Friends of Brockley & Ladywell Cemeteries

Following our successful first meeting on 11th July, Patrick and Polly have set up a blog for the new group 'Friends of Brockley & Ladywell Cemeteries'.

Please take a look, it's got lots of useful links, some great pictures from Polly, some history and info about famous people buried in the cemetery and details of the next meeting. Polly has also set up a flickr site with more photos.

Next meeting: Wednesday 8th August, 7.30pm, Brockley Grove Depot, ( on Brockley Grove, next to the cemeteries and opposite Crofton Baptist Church) All are welcome

Childrens' holiday money stolen from St Andrew's Church

I was saddened to read in the South London Press today that St Andrew's Church on Brockley Road has been broken into twice in the last fortnight and that a safe containing money parents had paid for their kids to go on a week-long activity holiday was stolen. The children were due to go to Macaroni Wood in Gloucestershire, but the trip may have to be cancelled now. Video and computer equipment was also stolen. Anyone interested in helping St Andrews get back on its feet can e-mail Johann saintandys@aol.com or call 020 8314 5118. According to the article a 16-year-old has been arrested in connection with the burglaries and bailed, but it doesn't mention whether the cash was retrieved.

Update 7th August: very pleased to read in Friday's SLP that thanks to donations from the council, Brockley Society, Brockley Police and Community Advice Centre and a personal donation from the Mayor, the children from St Andrew's Youth Club will be going on holiday afterall.

Lewisham Green Drinks - coming soon to a pub near you!

After a bit of discussion with other local greenies (not just political greenies but Friends of the Earth and others) we have decided to set up a Lewisham Green Drinks, rather like the London Green Drinks, if you've heard of them, but more local. The idea is that anyone interested in discussing green issues/networking with other green-minded people can meet up in a pub once a month. So far we've settled upon the third Monday of every month, with the first meet-up being on Monday 17th September, and we've got a yahoo group and a Facebook page. Send an e-mail if you'd like to be added to the yahoo group. What we haven't done yet, which is possibly the most important bit, is chosen a venue.

Ideally, we'd like to go for somewhere with some green credentials, ie selling some organic/locally-produced beer, fairtrade tea & coffee and perhaps some good food. Any suggestions? I think I need to spend more time researching suitable venues ;).

Planning Application: Ladywell Water Tower, Dressington Avenue

A planning application has been submitted by T Mobile for Ladywell Water Tower, Dressington Avenue.

"Listed Building Consent for the replacement of three steel panels on the water tank with glass reinforced replica panels at Ladywell Water Tower, Dressington Avenue SE4, together with the installation of three telecommunication antennae inside the tank. (This is a duplicate of the application for Listed Building Consent dated 9 May 2006, ref. DC/06/62509, which has still to be determined)"

Anyone wishing to comment on this application should do so as soon as possible (the official deadline has passed but any comments received before it goes to planning committee will still be taken into consideration) by e-mailing planning and quoting the application reference DC/07/65919/FT.

A meeting has been organised by planning for representatives of objectors to meet with the applicants. This is taking place tomorrow (Tuesday 31st July). Ute will be attending.

Comments on revised Lewisham Gateway Proposals

Artist's impresssion of the Gateway from Cornmill Gardens

Below is a response from the five Green councillors not on strategic planning committee, to the revised planning application for Lewisham Gateway. This is a slight revision of our earlier statement. If you would like to comment on the application, you should send comments to planning, quoting the application reference DC/06/62375/X, by 8th August.

We support in principle the regeneration of Lewisham Town Centre to improve the pedestrian links from the rail station to the town centre; to make the river more accessible and a key feature in the town centre; and to provide high-density housing given that good public transport links make this a suitable site for accommodating Lewisham’s growing population. We believe that making Lewisham a more attractive shopping venue will help encourage more people to shop locally and reduce the number of journeys to other town centres and out of town shopping centres. We also welcome plans to improve bus facilities to help accommodate the expected increase in bus usage. However, we have a number of serious concerns about the current proposals that need to be addressed:-

1. We are concerned that currently only 20% of housing is proposed to be affordable, way below the Mayor of London’s overall target of 50% and Lewisham’s target of 35%. We call for the level of affordable housing to be significantly increased and with an appropriate mix of social housing and intermediate housing in line with the policies on affordable housing within the London Plan.
2. The plans need to ensure the provision of safe cycle routes around the Gateway. We also call for an increase in the level of non-residential and residential cycle parking and are concerned that the Supplementary Transport Assessment is underestimating the number of cycle trips in its predictions.
3. Given the air quality monitoring reports and future air quality projections for the site a development with extensive car parking provision will merely add to traffic problems and exacerbate the already poor air quality in the area. We therefore call for a significant reduction in the 500 private parking spaces, given the location next to Lewisham’s main public transport interchange. We would welcome a car-free development, but plans for a car-club, car sharing, cycle user facilities and a green travel plan must be required as a planning condition.
4. We call for exemplary standards in sustainable design and construction. Ideally, we wish to see such a landmark development be a zero carbon development but at the very least the Mayor’s London Plan policy of at least 10% on-site renewables (due to be increased to 20%) must be delivered.
5. We support high density housing on this site in principle but this is subject to being convinced by full daylight, shadowing and wind reports and the buildings being of high quality and sustainable design. Planting and other mitigation measures such as terracing to deal with excessive windiness must be required in the Confluence Park. We also require further clarification about whether the proposed level of housing density can all be accommodated given the range of different facilities planned for this site.
6. We support proposals to remove parts of the rivers from concrete channels and place them in a natural setting but we share the concerns of the Quaggy Waterways Action Group that the opportunities for improving riverside access have not been maximised and the plans need to be modified to improve upon this. It is important that there is no overall loss of public open space, and specifically that levels of accessible green space should at least be comparable to existing levels.
7. We support improved shopping facilities but do not wish to see Lewisham just becoming more of a “clone town” and therefore wish to see start-up premises for small businesses included in the overall plans. We want to see planning conditions used to ensure a diversity of retail outlets.
8. We are very concerned by the loss of the children’s play area in the Shopping Centre. We support the Mayor of London’s demand that provision in the Gateway needs to be made for children’s play space but believe indoor as well as outdoor play facilities are required.
   
   Regards
   
   Cllr Darren Johnson
   Cllr Sue Luxton
   Cllr Ute Michel
   Cllr Romayne Phoenix
   Cllr Mike Keogh

A new friend for the cow bins?!

The cow bins at 'Moo Cross' have apparently been a huge success and have now also been rolled out to schools across Lewisham. Yesterday I went on the Lewisham Green Party outing to Yalding Organic Gardens in Kent, and came across a possible friend for the cows.

Introducing, Alys the Rolypig compost bin:

What do you think?!

Rolypig's website says the composter "turns a chore into a pleasure with its simple operation and attractive appearance. Never again will you dump green waste in the dustbin to be expensively transported to the landfill site [incinerator, in Lewisham's case] . . . Just think how much fossil fuel energy is wasted in this way to bury a potentially useful garden fertilizer. . . Every time you roll your Rolypig onto its next flat side, you aerate all the contents automatically, simple, no complicated mechanism."

The price quoted on the Rolypig website is rather steep, but perhaps if the council went the 'whole hog' (sorry) and bulk ordered one for every school, we could get a special deal. Sounds like an excellent way to get children (and adults) converted to the joys of composting! So how about it, Nigel, can we have our very own Lewisham waste-eating urban farms please?!

Lewisham Oxfam Campaigns - Ladywell Meeting

Quick plug for Lewisham Oxfam Campaigns' meeting in Ladywell next Wednesday:

Could you be involved with Oxfam’s campaign to end poverty?
Come and meet the Lewisham Oxfam Campaigns group and Oxfam's Activist Support Team Leader Adam Askew

Wed 18th July, 7.30 pm, Life Café (downstairs)
71 Ladywell Road, SE13.

Friends of Brockley and Ladywell Cemeteries

Thank you to everyone who came to the meeting on Wednesday night in the cemetery chapel - about 25 people in total - not bad at all for a first meeting with limited publicity.

There was general enthusiasm for starting up a Friends of Brockley and Ladywell Cemeteries group, although a wide range of views were expressed on how the cemeteries should be maintained. A wide range of interests and connections brought people to the meeting - some were interested in the historical importance of the cemeteries, others in the wildlife, some in photographing the memorials, some in the Commonwealth war graves and some in particular in the graves of loved ones.

Special thanks should go to local resident Jeff Hart, who shared with the group his extensive experience in setting up Friends of Nunhead Cemetery and gave us lots of useful advice and food for thought.

A follow-up meeting has been arranged for Wednesday 8th August, 7.30pm, this time in the Brockley Grove depot, next door to the cemetery. The aim of this meeting will be to decide what people want the group to achieve, how to set it up and hopefully people will start work to move things forward.

I've got the minutes to type up over the weekend and will try to post them here. Hopefully a couple of people (our 'IT sub-committee') are setting up a FOBLC blog and an e-mail list very soon.

Green Waste Collection Pilot (brown bins)

As already mentioned by Robert and Andrew , a green waste collection service is currently being trialled in Lewisham. This was one of the Green Party budget amendments accepted by the Mayor earlier this year. The pilot will run for four months and will cover 5,000 households, who will be offered brown wheelie bins and information leaflets explaining what can go in them. There will also be a number of free compost bins available. The aim of the trial is a) to get residents composting what they can in their garden b) use the brown bins for garden waste they can't easily compost themselves (eg hedge clippings). If this proves to be an effective way to reduce the volume of waste in the black bins and increase the borough's recycling rate (yes, apparently it can count towards the recycling target), then funds permitting, the programme could be rolled out to more homes. At least one street in Ladywell ward, Marsala Road, is taking part in the pilot.

There are a number of issues with introducing a third bin that need to be considered, not least space in people's front gardens/on the pavement, as well as the extra lorries on the roads to collect the waste, but hopefully in the longer-term the black bins can be replaced with smaller bins, as is already happening in parts of the borough. We need to look at ways of dramatically increasing the borough's recycling rate as well as reducing the overall volume of waste produced, and introducing a green waste collection service is one way of doing this. Some residents have apparently complained that they don't like the colour of the new bins - guess you can't please everybody all of the time :)

Clean and Green Schools Awards

A number of people have asked me recently whether I am enjoying being a councillor and my answer is generally something along the lines of 'most of the time, yes, but sometimes it's incredibly frustrating'. Yesterday afternoon was definitely one of the fun bits of being a councillor, when together with Deputy Mayor Heidi Alexander I was handing out the awards for the Clean and Green Schools awards.

Before the winners were announced, there was a brilliant and exceedingly loud workshop by Big Beat, a group who make music using percussion instruments made from junk. The councillors and officers present loved it and thought it would be a good to have a session before/after full council meetings, and the children seemed to enjoy it to.

Anyway, congratulations to all the schools who took part and won awards, though special mentions should go to St Stephen's CE and Stillness Infants, who scooped the top two prizes. In addition to recycling, the schools were involved with all sorts of projects including wildlife ponds, composting, reducing waste, freecycling, litter picks and litter surveys, collecting unwanted items to donate to charity, to designing 'rubbish monsters'. Very inspiring. I hope they go home and nag their families to do the same.

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.

Licensing Application: Cafe Neu

FYI, from the licensing team:

The following premise has applied for a NEW / VARIATION Premises licence under the Licensing Act 2003.

Café Neu
300 Brockley Road
London
SE4 2RA

Applied for live music Friday –Saturday 19:00 – 23:00 & sale of alcohol Monday – Saturday 12:00 – 23:00 & Sunday 13:00 – 20:00.

Prevention of Crime and Disorder.
1. Protection of Children from Harm
2. Public Safety
3. Prevention of Public Nuisance

Any representations should reach licensing by 9th August 2007.

New School for Lewisham - a community school please, NOT another academy

New School for Lewisham - mininster for education refuses to give Lewisham exemption from competition process.

Following the Mayor's decision to build the new secondary school at Lewisham Bridge, instead of at Ladywell Leisure Centre, the council applied to the secretary of state for education for exemption from competition rules, ie permission to go ahead and build a community school instead of having to organise a competition allowing any organisation who wanted to bid to run the school as an academy, foundation school or similar. Unfortunately, the secretary of state has turned down that request. A report going to Mayor & Cabinet tonight outlines various options for the Mayor, including asking for permission for Lewisham to take part in the competition process for a new school (yes, that's right, ask for permission to build our own school in the borough), persuading Leathersellers (who run Prendergast School) to ask for exemption from the competition process allowing them to open a foundation school or going ahead with a full competition process in which any interested organisation could bid to run the new school (ie as an academy and anyone from McDonalds to a religious group could decide to bid for this).

I strongly believe the council should stand its ground and seek permission to bid for a community school. I'm not convinced the council should have to ask permission from the government for this at all, but that is how things stand (ironic in the same week when the government announced pilots to devolve more decision-making powers to local communities). There has been cross-party consensus within Lewisham Council on the desire for a new community school, not an academy or foundation school and I hope this continues to be the case. I believe a community school would best serve the needs of local people and I am concerned that an academy would be less accountable to local residents and the local authority.

Update (11.15pm): the Mayor approved the recommendations he was given in the report, which means that the council will see if Leathersellers get exemption from the competition process and then go for a foundation school. I would like to have seen the Mayor fight for what I thought was the consensus within the council and seek permission to bid for a community school as Haringey recently successfully did and won. Very disappointing.

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.

Privatisation of Lewisham and Forest Hill Crown Post Offices

In May we passed two motions at full council expressing concern at plans to merge Lewisham High Street and Forest Hill post offices with branches of WHSmith and asking the Mayor to '"convene a meeting with key stakeholders" to discuss these proposals. Councillors have today received the following response from the CWU.

From: Communication Workers Union - 28 June 2007

Privatisation of Lewisham and Forest Hill Crown Post Offices

Further to your letter dated 4 June 2007 regarding the above.
Please convey my thanks to the councillors of Lewisham for their support in our campaign to defend Post Office services. The council add their name to hundreds of others, including MPs and the Mayor of London who are supporting our campaign and the provision of local services.

The Communication Workers Union is very keen to meet with the Mayor of Lewisham, along with other stakeholders, to discuss the proposal privatisation OF Forest Hill and Lewisham Crown Offices to WH Smith.

To this end, I have copied this letter to Mr John Denton, Regional Secretary, London, and Graham Henson, Territory Counters Representative, Eastern Region, who will be in touch with the Mayor’s office in due course to make the appropriate arrangements.

As you may be aware, we are currently in dispute with POL due to plans to cut our members’ pay and privatise 85 Crown Post Offices with the loss of up to 1500 jobs nationally. As part of this dispute, we have launched a boycott of WH Smith and are calling on all supporters of Post Office services to support us in our endeavours. I have enclosed a copy of the leaflet we have been distributing for the aforementioned purpose.

If you would like further information about our boycott campaign, please do not hesitate to contact me.

Signed

Ian Ward
Acting Assistant Secretary

B3 Housing Open Day: 19th July

B3, the consortium that will be managing council housing in the Brockley and Ladywell area for the next 20-odd years, are holding a project launch/open day for all council tenants and leaseholders in the area on Thursday 19th July, from 2pm until 7pm in St Andrews Community Hall (corner of Brockley Rd with Wickham Rd).

This is an open day to introduce the new management team to residents, explain the refurbishment programme, choices for kitchens, bathrooms etc.

Higgins (the contractor carrying out the refurbishments to bring all properties up to decent home standards) will also have their Community Action team there who will be talking to anyone interested in employment opportunities.

Previous post on Brockley PFI.

Betting shop application - new date for hearing

Ute's just told me that a new date has been set for the conclusion of the part-heard hearing regarding the betting shop licence for 329-331 Brockley Road (formerly Homeview Video Shop). Friday, 7 September 2007 at 10.00 at Bromley Magistrates Court, London Road, Bromley, Kent BR1.

Loampit Pool: ground floor with windows

Further to the questions I asked yesterday, I've had a reply back from the council officer responsible for overseeing the pool project. Pasted below FYI:

1. Please can you confirm whether the plans are for the pool to be in the basement or on the first floor.
The new pool has not yet been designed. However, the brief includes a requirement that it should be at ground floor with level access.

2 Will it have windows?
The brief requires that the pool should be glazed in accordance with standards for pools regarding water surface glare. The solution will therefore be similar to Downham Lifestyles and other modern pools. The purpose of the Allies and Morrison report was to provide a diagram of how the site could be arranged and an indication of the capacity of the site. It was intended as a technical document for use by architects when they come to the final design. They were also asked to produce an indicative sketch and, unfortunately, it is this sketch that has been misinterpreted as a "design". If we do proceed with this site then the final design is unlikely to look anything like the A&M sketch, especially in view of the negative feedback.

3. Health spa - please can you provide more details of the spec. for this. ie will there be a replacement for the much loved Turkish baths, as well as a sauna, steam room etc?
The brief for the health spa is 3 treatment rooms, a steam room and a Sauna as well as a reception area. It must be DDA compliant.

4. A number of residents have expressed concern over the loss of diving facilities. Please can you outline the reasons behind this.
Diving and swimming in a shared pool creates a conflict of uses. This results in management and supervision problems. A shallower pool is safer for swimmers and provides better visibility for lifeguards. The limited demand for diving facilities suggests that it can be dealt with on a sub regional rather than local basis and this requirement is met at Crystal Palace.

5. Please can you provide a more detailed breakdown of the costs given in the table on p5 of the report to Mayor & Cabinet on 16 May 2007 – what does refurbishment include? Can you confirm that the cost of asbestos removal has been subtracted from this, for example? Does it include any new provision/buildings at Ladywell, or purely refurbishing the existing facilities?
The cost estimate provided in the M&C report was based on a cost study carried out in 2000 and that would address the key condition and suitability work required, at the time the estimated cost was £9.5m. In 2002 the Centre was closed following the identification of asbestos in the ceiling areas. The work then undertaken involved the removal of asbestos from the ceilings, public areas and ductwork and other work to the plant including concrete repairs. The site re-opened in 2004. This work was sufficient to deal with risks related to asbestos but did little to address the refurbishment needs of the building.

6. At the Overview & Scrutiny business panel mtg to consider the Loampit Vale report, the officer said that the new pool will be a zero carbon building. Can you confirm that this will indeed be the case and if so, how will that be achieved?
The brief for the new pool, along with the proposed adjoining residential development, is an aim to have zero carbon emissions. This would be achieved by a combination of low energy demand design (insulation, ventilation, etc) and a single energy source that exploits the balanced energy demands between the pool and the housing. If the energy is generated on site then the fuel source would need to be bio diesel and / or woodchips. Electricity generation would from a Combined Heat and Power (CHP) boiler or wind turbines or solar panels. If it is decided to proceed with a new pool at Loampit Vale this will be reported on in more detail when considering the developer submissions. It is difficult to provide figures prior to this more detailed report but it is an issue that will be addressed.

7. The M&C report says that there will be 250 spectator seats alongside the new pool. How does this compare with the provision at the existing pool?
The existing pool has 520 seats. The new pool brief is for 250 seats is the result of the leisure needs report.

8. How will the pool be financed? Receipts from the sale of Aragon Tower, Loampit Vale developers contributions, the sale of Ladywell Leisure Centre site? Can you confirm how much you estimate the new pool will cost the borough, where this money will come from and what any leftover money from the Aragon Tower sale and the anticipated sale of the Ladywell site will be used for? Could the developers subsidising the pool mean that we ultimately get a lower percentage of affordable housing in the development?
The new pool will be funded from a combination of an allocation in the capital programme (part of the Aragon receipt) and the developer's own funds. It would form part of the developers payment for the Council's land. There remains an aim to achieve a level of affordable housing in accordance with the UDP (35%). Details of this are commercially sensitive and if we proceed with a new pool this will be reported to the Mayor on part 2 of the agenda. Any capital surplus will go back into the capital programme.

9. I have assured residents that all views will be noted in the report that the goes to M&C, and that the consultants are recording all comments, including those who ask for refurbishment. Please can you confirm that this is still the case.
The report to M&C on the consultation will include feedback from consultees who expressed the view that Ladywell should be refurbished. The results of the Consultation are likely to be reported to Mayor & Cabinet on 17 July 2007.

I asked one more question that I expect will take a bit longer to respond to:
Residents are unconvinced when I suggest that in this case a new build could be more energy efficient than refurbishment. It would be v useful if you could provide further information about the approximate annual carbon emissions and energy usage at Ladywell and how the new pool would compare to this (including construction – ie carbon used in concrete production, construction transport costs etc). What will the payback period be before the new pool becomes 'greener' than keeping the existing one?

Thanks for the comments on my previous post on this topic, I suspect this may prompt more. I'm a bit tired to comment in much more detail now, but I am increasingly inclined to support the proposals for a new pool at Loampit.

New Pool Consultation

A quick reminder that the deadline for responses to the new swimming pool consultation is this Wednesday, 4th July.

The consultation

A number of residents have contacted me about this, to express concern that there is no 'third option' of refurbishing the pool on the consultation. I have already conveyed local residents' frustration at the lack of a 'refurbishment' option in the consultation to the officer leading on the consultation. He contacted the consultants carrying out the surveys and confirmed that they are "capturing the views of those people who favour the refurbishment option" and has assured me that all views will be included in the report to the Mayor on 11 July 2007. The reason they are only consulting on the two options, is because following officer advice on the cost-effectiveness of refurbishment versus rebuild, the Mayor & Cabinet ruled out the refurbishment option at their meeting on 16th Mayor. The full report prepared for that meeting can be found here.

A meaningful consultation needs to note the views of all residents, yet it would be similarly meaningless to offer residents the option of a refurbishment if the Mayor has already ruled it out on cost grounds.

I have asked for further breakdown of their cost estimates. If it would indeed be cheaper (including running costs) to build a new pool, rather than refurbishing a 30 year old pool and there would be no gap in provision, then this may make sense for the borough.

The Save Ladywell Pool campaign have their own suggestions on how to fill in the consultation.

What facilities will the Loampit pool have?
There seems to be some uncertainty amongst residents (and to an extent councillors!) about what facilities the new Loampit pool would have.
In brief, it will have:

• 8 lane 25 metre competition pool
• 20 metre teaching pool with moveable floor
• Dance, exercise and aerobics studio
• 100 station fitness suite
• Health spa
• Crèche
• Cafe

So on the plus side, it will have a considerably bigger gym than the one at Ladywell.

The new pool will be 8 x 25m lanes, rather than the current 6 x 33m lanes. ie the same swimming space, if not v slightly more than the existing pool at Ladywell. This is so that it will meet Amateur Swimming Association and Sport England competition standards and would be available for County level competition. Sounds reasonable to me. The 33 metre 6 lane pool at Ladywell cannot currently be used for such competitions, having a non standard length.

Other points
I have asked for further information from officers on a number of points, including:

• What facilities will be provided in the health spa, and whether this includes a replacement for the much-loved Turkish baths.
• Further details on why there are no plans for diving facilities at the new pool.
• Windows: my understanding following a conversation with the Mayor is that the new pool will be built on the ground floor and will have windows providing natural light, but again, I've asked for further assurance on this point.
• Funding: I have also asked for further clarification on the funding of the new pool and how any surplus receipts from the sale of the Ladywell site will be spent. Some of the money from the sale of Aragon Tower on the Pepys estate was apparently put aside for a new leisure centre, and the argument for selling the Ladywell site is to pay for the new pool, yet it is also possible that the developers will foot a large part of the bill for the new pool (financed by the flats above it), so I am waiting for further information on this. What I wouldn't want is a trade-off which meant very little affordable housing in the flats above, because of the cost of the pool.
• Energy-saving/carbon-emissions for rebuild vs refurbishment. I've asked for further clarification on the energy-saving/carbon-emissions argument behind building the new pool - how much more energy efficient will it be versus the energy costs involved in building it - how long will it take for it to start 'saving' energy and carbon emissions compared to Ladywell, once construction was taken into account. At a recent meeting I attended, the officer present told me the new building would be zero carbon, but I am awaiting further details on how this will be achieved, if it is in fact the case. Normally, it is considered greener to refurbish buildings than rebuild, but the huge energy use of swimming pools, particularly those built 30-odd years ago, mean that this might not be the case in this instance.
  

I'll post any response I get to the above points (assuming it's not confidential).

When we were elected last year, we stood on a platform of opposing the closure of Ladywell Pool until a replacement with equal or better facilities had been built and that remains the case now. We were delighted the Mayor agreed not to build the new school there and not to demolish the pool before a replacement was ready. I'll reserve my final opinion on refurbishment vs new pool at Loampit until I have answers to the points I raised above, but at the moment, I do think that building a new pool at Loampit Vale could be the better long-term option, in terms of financial cost, energy savings and provision. I don't think building a new pool at the Ladywell Leisure Centre with a minimum 2- year gap in swimming provision would be a good idea (look how long Downham had to wait for their new pool). Loampit Vale will be a bit further for those of us close to the current site, but perfectably walkable/cyclable and with better public transport links than the current site (ie DLR and train as well as being served by buses) for more residents of the borough.

A couple of ward events

A couple of events happening in Ladywell ward over the next few weeks, which may be of interest (from the Brockley Max e-mail list).

Brockleywood Nights
5 July 2007 – 8-10pm
@ Elastic Productions
286 Brockley Road, SE4 2RA
(Across the road from Moonbow Jakes)

FREE ENTRY!
Come and enjoy an evening of South London shorts at Brockley’s only open air Summer screening! See a variety of film styles right in the centre of this buzzing neighbourhood. In conjunction with Elastic Productions and Moonbow Jakes a great (and Free) time will be had by all.

Please email Declan for info and to reserve a place… or just turn up!

TASTER AFTERNOON ~ SATURDAY 14TH JULY ~ 2 to 6PM SUNFLOWER CENTRE
Choose from the following:

Pilates Studio
David Canevaro will be offering 15 minute taster sessions in the new pilates equipment studio on the top floor of the Centre.

One to Ones (up to two per person)
Rieko Oshima-Barclay; 20 minute aromatherapy massage - body, or facial (face, neck and shoulders).
Isabel Sheridan; 30 minute massage therapy taster.
Sophie Evans; 20 minute aromatherapy sessions.
Nicky Jarrett; 30 minute Reiki taster sessions.
Eileen Reynolds and Rupert Lander; 15 minute mini consultations to discuss your health issue with one of our acupuncturists.

Group tasters
Tania Pearce will be doing a talk and short practical on Hypnobirthing.
Sophie Evans will also be running a 45 minute demonstration of baby massage, for babies over one month and under a year old.
Ella Titman will be holding yoga sessions to talk about what yoga is about and what it can do for you; some practice will be included. These sessions will be suitable for beginners as well as those who have done yoga already.

1-1's & pilates £10, group tasters £5 each. To book call 020 8694 2714. For more info on any of the therapies, go to www.thesunflowercentre.co.uk

Localities Fund 2007/8

Once again, each ward in Lewisham has a £10,000 fund to spend on community projects within the ward. Last year it was all a bit of a rush, but fortunately this year we are being given more time to consult local residents.

Last year's Ladywell fund was spent on new playground equipment for Gordonbrock Primary, street planters for Loampit Vale, additional Christmas lights, a Christmas tree and street planters around the Ladywell Road/Algernon Road junction, a pool table for the youth club at Crofton Baptist Church and bat and bird boxes for Hilly Fields.

I'll be posting more info on this soon, but in the meantime, if you have any thoughts on how the £10,000 for 2007/8 should be spent, please leave a comment.

Brockley Open Studios - last chance Monday!

Had an interesting afternoon combining delivering our latest Green News with stopping off to look at various artists' work as part of the Brockley Open Studios weekend.
First stop was to see the Brockley Murals in Prendergast school, which are considered to be a supreme example of 1930s neo-romanticism, apparently. The more you look at them, the more details you spot in them. Well worth a visit.

Then I popped to see Maria Strutz on Montague Avenue - lots of bears, goddesses and labyrinths. Then (after dully delivering newsletters to Comerford Rd, Howson Rd and Kneller Rd), I got to what is (by my unscientific reckoning) the second most artistic road in Ladywell ward - Braxfield Rd, where there were four artists taking part in Brockley Open Studios - Marisa Renzullo, Benjamin Glean, Elizabeth Nicholson and Caroline Underwood.

Brockley apparently has the highest concentration of artists anywhere in Europe after Montmartre. 39 artists have taken part in Brockley Open Studios this year, including an incredible 7 artists along Tyrwhitt Rd and 8 on Manor Avenue, arguably the epi-centre of all things artistic in Brockley. The last chance to get to see their work is tomorrow (Monday 2nd July) from 5pm-8pm!

BTW, if anyone would like to help deliver any of the remaining Green News, please drop me a line. All offers of help gratefully received.

(I wonder if anyone's ever investigated how many musicians live in and around Brockley, I'm sure there's loads of them too, I know a harpist, 2 composers and a trumpet player for starters!)

London Freewheel

Details of the big London bike ride, which is taking place on car-free day (Sunday 23rd September) were announced earlier this week. I like the website - it massages your ego nicely when you sign up by producing a newspaper article saying "another big name signs up" and "we need a few more people who'll look good in lycra"! Anyway, it sounds like it will be an excellent day and I'd recommend everyone to sign up. Cycle around London seeing the sights, without any cars!

Friends of Brockley and Ladywell Cemeteries

Friends of Brockley and Ladywell Cemeteries Group, 7.30pm, 11th July, the old Chapel inside the cemetery.

A number of local residents have contacted me recently about Brockley and Ladywell Cemeteries. Some were keen to see the cemeteries' carefully managed as a nature reserve, while others were concerned that their loved ones' graves had been allowed to become overgrown. Clearly there is a need to find a balance between the views and expectations of all visitors to the cemetery; to keep tidy the more recent graves but also to protect as a wildlife and nature area some of the older parts of the cemetery and in particular the woodland burial area. There are also some concerns about the state of the footpaths.

Anyway, having talked with local residents, the cemetery management and people from Friends of Nunhead Cemetery, I have organised a meeting at 7.30pm on Wednesday 11th July in the old chapel of the cemetery for anyone interested in setting up a 'Friends of Brockley and Ladywell Cemeteries'. Come along and discuss what you would like the group to do, raise any concerns you have about the way the cemeteries are maintained, suggest future projects the group could get involved in etc. A number of people have said that they feel the cemeteries are an under-appreciated local gem, and I think it would be great if we could get a group going to champion their protection and improvement, in a similar way to how Ladywell Fields and Hilly Fields park users groups work. I'm publicising the first meeting, but I'm very much hoping that local residents will take things forward from there. Representatives from the cemetery management team will be there and hopefully someone from Friends of Nunhead Cemetery.

Streetcar behind Ladywell Leisure Centre

I've just found out that there is now a Streetcar in the car park behind Ladywell Leisure Centre. I think that brings to 10 the number of Streetcars in Lewisham now, and there should be more coming soon hopefully, if the council goes ahead and introduces some on-street spaces for Streetcar. This is great news, because research shows that for every car club car on a street, an average of 6 cars are taken off the road (people decide they don't need to have their own car). Given the parking problems in a few streets in Ladywell, that could only be a good thing. Streetcar on Marsala/Malyons/Chudleigh/Gillian Street anyone?

If you have an allocated parking space that you don't use, you could get free membership of Streetcar in return for letting them use your parking space (not many allocated spaces in Ladywell that I can think of though, besides Keswick Court).

Brockley PFI signed

One of the many things I meant to post on before I went on holiday:

The Brockley PFI housing contract was finally signed on 4th June. This is a contract to transfer the management of 1,800 council homes in the Brockley and Ladywell areas over to a private consortium, B3.

B3 will be responsible for the day-to-day management of council houses in the Brockley and Ladywell area over the next 20 years, as well as for carrying out work to bring the homes up to the government’s Decent Homes standard by 2012.

The agreement was due to be signed in January, but was pushed back 6 months due to protracted legal negotiations between the council’s legal team and B3.

I am relieved that after lengthy delays much-needed investment will finally go ahead in Brockley and Ladywell, but I am not convinced PFI offers value for money. What residents need is direct government investment in council housing, rather than private companies profiting at taxpayers’ expense.

Nevertheless, I hope to work constructively with B3 to ensure council tenants and leaseholders in Brockley and Ladywell get the best possible deal and that their views are heard. Residents have waited years for improvements to their homes and Green councillors will be keeping a close eye to ensure tenants are not ripped off by this PFI as they have been elsewhere.

While there will be some improvements in home energy efficiency, the Brockley PFI doesn’t go far enough and represents a missed opportunity to reduce carbon emissions. Double glazing will make homes warmer, which is great, but the decision to use UPVC, rather than wooden frames, is a false economy and bad news for the planet.

The latest council newsletter on the Brockley PFI, which should be being delivered to residents very soon, can also be read here.

Further details:
1. The Brockley PFI scheme will include 1,852 dwellings in the contract area (which covers most of council housing in Brockley and Ladywell wards), of which 1,366 are tenanted and are 486 leaseholders. The proposed duration of the contract was originally 25 years, but this was reduced to 20 years.
2. The B3 consortium consists of Higgins, who will be carrying out the initial improvement works, Equipe, who will be responsible for ongoing repairs over the lifetime of the contract and Pinnacle, who will be responsible for the housing management.
3. Following the signing of the contract, there will be a 3-month transition period before B3 takes over the day-to-day management of council houses in the Brockley and Ladywell area. They will also be responsible for carrying out improvements to bring the homes up to the government’s decent homes standard by 2012. Depending on the condition of properties, the work to bring the council’s housing stock up to the government established decent homes standard may include new windows, kitchens, bathrooms, boilers and rewiring.
4. The total legal costs for the council for the Brockley PFI scheme came to over £2 millions pounds.
5. Green opposition to PFI in a nutshell: the government claims that PFI improves the public finances, but often it costs more. It is claimed that it can get investment for projects which would otherwise not be funded, but the lack of funding for public projects is merely due to Treasury rules. PFI is often portrayed as a way of getting private funding into the public sector, but private companies don't become involved for altruistic reasons, only to make a profit. The reason the government has been able to gain acceptance for so many PFI schemes is that they are often portrayed as the 'only game in town'. Defend Council Housing also has a good summary of arguments against PFI.
6. Home energy consumption currently accounts for around 37% of carbon emissions in London, but the Decent Homes standards for England are weaker on sustainability than those in Scotland and Wales.
7. UPVC windows vs wooden windows: Wooden frames last much longer than UPVC if properly maintained, and cost much less to dispose of at the end of their lifetime, as they don’t contain the toxic materials that UPVC windows do.

June report

I'm aware that I haven't posted a great deal lately - basically because I've been very busy. June seems to have passed in a whirl of meetings and I also had a week's holiday in the Highlands (Inverness and Rockness Festival - the only festival with its own monster - v good).

Anyway, I thought I'd post a summary of some of the things I've been upto in the last few weeks, adapted from the monthly report I give to the local Green Party. I will hopefully post some more detail on some of these soon.

Recent Meetings:
Sustainable Development Committee – drew up work plan for the year. Main scrutiny will be on ways of promoting alternatives to car use, other on empty and under-used properties. In addition to these 2 pieces of work, we will be looking at the LDF (local development framework). At last Thursday's meeting we scrutinised the draft parking strategy and the air quality action plan. These can be viewed on the council's website if you are interested.
Housing sub-committee – went on a visit to Canning Town to see the work carried out under the PFI project (the same companies that will be running the Brockley PFI). Still can’t scrutinise Lewisham Homes business plan as they have yet to submit it! Not v productive committee so far! Brockley PFI was finally signed 04/06/07 and improvement works should start in 3 months.
Planning Committee C – v light agenda this month.
Lewisham Parochial Charities – attended a garden party to celebrate the new residents’ garden at Lloyd Court which was officially opened by the Bishop of Woolwich. Named after Rev David Garlick who is retiring soon. It was good to finally meet some of the residents there!
Mayor's Commission on empowering communities and neighbourhoods – we submitted our proposals to change from area forums to ward assemblies, and pending approval by the council and supportive public consultation, this will hopefully kick off in the Autumn.
Pensions Committee – had presentations from the various fund managers. Got quite excited when one of the private equity funds listed was called the 'Green Fund, but it turned out it was just set up by a Mr Green! Oh well, you live in hope. Council Pension Fund members will be surveyed on their views on socially responsible investment issues in the Autumn, at my suggestion.
Ladywell SNT Panel – Sgt Dave Deuchar has unfortunately moved on to another role within the Met, but we have a new Sergeant, Jim Clarke, starting tomorrow. Good luck to David in his new role and welcome to Jim.
Other:
Met with Sarah Pfeiffer, Brockley Town Centre manager – discussed various Brockley and Ladywell shops issues; v constructive.
Pepys Community Recycling Open Day – went to see how they compost food waste from the Pepys Estate (very inspiring project).
Have been working on the Green group's LDF (Local Development Framework) submission with Dean and Mike.
Casework
Recycling provision for closing night of Brockley Max, illegal use of garages on Braxfield/Howson by skip hire company, housing repairs, parking, plus other stuff that I can't really mention here.
Questions to Mayor & Cabinet
I asked questions about what controls are in place to monitor the levels of particles smaller than 2.5 microns (known as PM2.5s) emitted by the SELCHP incinerator (the answer was none as yet), the statementing of young children with special needs, and the council policy on residents being rehoused after eviction from temporary accommodation.

Arguably not my most exciting post, but there you go . . .

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).

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.