Reminder: Ladywell Forum this Thursday (tomorrow)

Just a reminder that tomorrow is our first Ladywell Ward Forum. Focus is on youth provision and we hope this will be a chance for local people, youth services, the Safer Neighbourhood Police team, housing associations and us to share ideas about what youth provision is needed in the area.

Ladywell Ward Forum
Thursday 9th November
Crofton Park Baptist Church
Brockley Grove
7.00pm - 9.00pm

Hope to see you there!

New School: Mayor does welcome U-turn

I've just got back from tonight's Mayor and Cabinet meeting where the Mayor took the decision to back down from building a new secondary school on the site of Ladywell Leisure Centre and opted instead for Lewisham Bridge Primary School as the new preferred site. This was following the motion proposed by Greens in July and supported by full council, which asked the Mayor to look again at alternative sites. It was a brave decision for the Mayor to make, and I welcome the fact that he has at last listened to the views of local people and the majority of the council. This means that there will not now be a 3 or more year gap in swimming provision in the borough and that Ladywell Leisure centre can stay open until new facilities are built.

The decision is dependent on a number of hurdles being cleared, including the revocation of the approval given by the Schools Organisation Committee to build a new school on the Ladywell Leisure Centre site. There will also now be a full consultation on the closure of Lewisham Bridge Primary school and the opening of a new school on that site. The council will also ask the Secretary of State to waive the competition requirements in order to help them meet the Building Schools for the Future (BSF) timetable. (Normally, when a school is built, there has to be a 4-month period during which interesed parties can bid to run the school. If this is waived, then we can opt straight for a community school, rather than having to open up the process to allow people bid to run it as an academy. My preference is certainly for a community school, not an academy.)

The option being suggested at the moment is a single 3-16 through school, with the primary school being reduced to one form entry rather than 2 form, and the secondary school being 4 form entry. Lewisham Bridge is officially a 2 form entry school at the moment, although it has on average 20 spare places per year, which means either very large classes, or small but expensive class sizes. With a through school, parents would have the choice of their children staying on at the school at 11, or applying to other secondary schools. A 3-16 school is fairly unusual in the state sector, but common and successful in the independent sector. I'm sure I'm not alone in wanting to find out more about the pros and cons of through schools versus separate primary and secondary schools, although Frankie Sulke, the director of the Children and Young People's Directorate, made a fairly strong educational case for them at the meeting.

I recognise that many parents at Lewisham Bridge Primary School have concerns about the impact these plans will have on their children, and the existing school community. Those of us who fought so hard to save the pool now need to work towards making sure the best possible school is built at Lewisham Bridge, with the minimum disruption to the education of existing pupils at the school. Lewisham Bridge is not a perfect site, but on balance I believe it is better than Ladywell Leisure Centre. It also offers the opportunity to replace the existing primary provision on the site with more modern, fit for purpose facilities.

The full report on the school sites can be found here.

Finally, well done to Max Calo and everyone else who worked so hard on the Save Ladywell Pool Campaign! Mission accomplished?!

Climate Change Demo

Took part in the climate change demo yesterday. Didn't quite get up in time to meet Lewisham and Greenwich cyclists at the Cutty Sark at 9.15pm, so did the Ladywell to Canon Street train ride instead, then unfolded my bike and joined the ride as they were just turning onto the Strand ;). Difficult to say how many cyclists took part, probably between 300-500, but it was great fun and definitely got noticed. Big bike rides like this and Critical Mass are always a good way to see London - you never get to see the tops of buildings from the pavement or when you are worried about getting knocked over by a van/bus etc, so en masse cycling is a great chance to take in the views. We went down the Strand, over Waterloo Bridge, along South Bank, over Westminster Bridge, around Parliament Square (several times, to say hi to Brian Haw and savour the moment of being allowed to protest there), down Whitehall, past Trafalgar Square and various other streets via Oxford Street to end up at the Climate Change Rally in Grosvenor Square outside the US embassy.

The square was packed and there were speeches from Green MEP Caroline Lucas, Lib Dem Norman Baker, would-be Tory MP and editor of the Ecologist Zac Goldsmith, Labour MP Colin Challen and George Monbiot, plus music from Seize the Day. Met up with loads of Greens from all over the country, a friend from Worcester who I hadn't seen in a couple of years, Lewisham WDM and Oxfam campaigners and even a 'Green Lib Dem' from Greenwich.

After the speeches we marched/ambled to Trafalgar Square. The square was packed and there wasn't room for bikes, so I had to chance it and lock my bike to some railings alongside a load of police and hope it would still be there when I got back (it was). The Trafalgar Square rally was organised by Stop Climate Chaos, a coalition of NGOs, as part of their I count campaign. Whereas the US embassy rally, organised by the Campaign Against Climate Change had lots of worthy speakers, the Trafalgar Square rally was going more for pop culture appeal and featured Razorlight, KT Tunstall and some bloke off the telly called Simon Anstell, whose risque jokes went down like a lead balloon with a crowd full of Christian Aid campaigners and eco-activists. I count is looking like it will be to the climate change campaign what Make Poverty History was to the drop the debt campaign, ie probably a good thing overall, which will get loads of publicity, but not everyone's cup of tea.

Big Green Party presence in the square (nice to have more banners than the SWP/Respect for once!), and at times people were clamouring for our membership forms and Green Energy Works leaflets, which was certainly a first ;).

And after the demo? Well, I, er, went to Blackheath Fireworks of course!

Full Council Meeting, Wednesday 1st November

The agenda for Wednesday's full council meeting looked relatively light and I thought we would get through things quickly, but that was not to be. I proposed the following motion, seconded by Darren Johnson:

“This council agrees with the Mayor of London’s reaction to the conclusions of the Energy Review (set out in “The Energy Challenge” published by the Department of Trade and Industry in July). The Council specifically endorses the Mayor of London’s stance that investment in massively reducing energy demand through improving efficiency and decentralising generation, together with a major increase in renewable energy is the way forward for London rather than a new generation of nuclear power stations.”

Labour councillors, who are normally whipped on most votes, were given a free vote, and they seemed to get quite excited at this taste of freedom and couldn't resist the urge to make speeches. There were a few technological problems and we didn't have the usual clock ticking down to show us how much of our 5 minutes alloted time we had left, so I charged through my speech fearful of getting cut off mid-way, though in the event I think the chair was a little lenient on timings anyway. The Deputy Mayor, Heidi Alexander, supported the motion, while suggesting it wasn't a Lewisham issue, while the Mayor, Steve Bullock voted against and revealed himself as a bit of a James Lovelock groupie. Lib Dem Cathie Priddey made a good speech in favour, Labour Cllr Alan Hall proposed a bizarre amendment to sabotage the motion by removing all references to nuclear, but then when that failed he supported it anyway. In the end, the motion was passed by 35 votes to 15, with Greens, Lib Dems and Socialists voting for, Tories against and Labour split for and against.

I do believe that the issue of nuclear power is of direct relevance to Lewisham residents, because if billions are spent on a new generation of nuclear power stations, there will inevitably be less money in the pot for renewable energy schemes in the borough, including microgeneration, which I think is a key way to reduce dependence on an ultimately inefficient centralised energy supply and to reduce fuel poverty. In addition, the more nuclear power stations we have, the more trains we may have going through Lewisham transporting nuclear waste.

The Mayor of London’s submission to the Energy Review can be read as a pdf file here. In it he argues that a 60% cut in CO2 emissions is possible by 2050 through decentralised energy and without nuclear power.

Other business: Lib Dems proposed a motion calling on the cabinet member for housing to be sacked for incompetence. While we shared their concerns about failings in the housing service, we weren't convinced that the motion was particularly constructive or in the best interests of the borough. When our (probably less than perfect) amendment to the motion fell, we abstained from the final vote and the motion fell. The other Lib Dem motion, proposed by Cllr Sera Kentman called on the council to increase its support to supplementary schools. Greens supported an amended version of this motion, which deferred the decision on the amount of extra money to be discussed in the round with the rest of the budget proposals. By the end of all the speeches and wrangling over these 2 motions, I was heartedly sick of the endless references to how good the yellow/red party was in Islington/Camden/Southwark/Lambeth (delete as applicable) - way too much political point-scoring. You would never get me trumpetting the achievements of Greens on councils in Kirklees/Norwich/Brighton/Oxford (delete as applicable) ;).

Main source of amusement at the meeting was the decision of the two Conservative councillors who previously sat between us and the Lib Dems to move over to the Labour side of the chamber. Apparently it wasn't intended as a snub to the Greens, or a hint for us to use less environmentally-friendly deodorant, but to do with a recent falling out between them and the Lib Dems, who have started delivering Lib Dem Focus leaflets in the Tory stronghold of Grove Park, how very dare they :).

Loampit Vale Consultation

I spent some time earlier this week putting together my response to the Loampit Vale development consultation. While the development is just outside the ward, it will have a significant impact on many residents, not least those living at that end of the ward eg in Algernon Road who are likely to be affected by construction traffic and an increase in traffic post-development, as well as all those whose children are at Lewisham Bridge Primary School and those who use the current Ladywell Leisure centre. Below are the comments I sent back, studiously ignoring the rather restrictive tick boxes and small space for comments on the consultation form.

1. In principle, do you agree that these sites should be developed for a high density, high quality mixed use scheme which includes new homes, new shops and community uses and a new leisure centre?
I don’t think a simple yes/no answer is appropriate here. Yes, in principle I agree with the above, but if Lewisham Bridge Primary School is chosen as the site for the new secondary school, then I think the first priority should be to make sure sufficient space is available, which may well mean including some of the adjacent land along Loampit Vale into the school site. We shouldn’t have a primary and secondary school squeezed into an unfeasibly small site, in order to build housing alongside.

2. Do you think a mixture of housing including one, two and three bedrooms and above should be provided on these sites?
Yes. While I recognise that there is a demand for more family houses in the borough, this site’s proximity to public transport and the town centre means that high density development is more appropriate.

3. Do you think the new pool should have six or eight lanes?
8X25m absolute minimum.

Ladywell Leisure Centre has a 33m pool with 6 lanes. A 6-lane 25m pool would be an unacceptable reduction in capacity. Given that there will be a increase in the area’s population with the new housing developments, plus the new pool will be more conveniently located for many more people near the transport hub, I would argue that the minimum we should be building is the equivalent size of the Ladywell pool, ie 8x25m. I understand this is also what the swimming club would like for galas. However, I have some doubts that this capacity will be sufficient, and would like to see further evidence to convince me that it is. Given that only 38% of Lewisham children reach the KS2 target for swimming, and just 11% in the north of the borough, we need to do everything we can to get more people taking their children swimming and increasing the use of borough swimming facilities.

I would also like to know if the council has looked into the funding possibilities for an Olympic sized swimming pool, given the lack of them in London and Lewisham’s proximity to the Olympic site?

4. Would you like to see conventional single sex or mixed 'village-style' changing facilities?
What a bizarre question to ask at such a preliminary stage in the consultation process! For the record, a mixture of both would be useful, to accommodate families and those who would prefer single sex facilities.

5. How do you think we could involve children and young people in the design of the new pool?
Talking to them and listening to them, having a consultation discussion with them before/after their swimming class, organising competitions for artwork to be displayed at the new centre, asking them to plan a ‘healthy menu’ of food that the café and vending machines should sell, looking at the renewable energy and energy efficiency features in a science class, getting them to design their dream leisure centre using a computer simulation programme, involving the swimming clubs, local Guides and Scouts etc.

6. Do you have any other comments that you would like to add?
Yes. Residents in my ward have expressed concerns to me on a number of points.
Firstly, they are keen to see all the facilities lost at Ladywell Leisure Centre replaced. This includes diving boards, the Turkish baths and sauna, a crèche, meeting rooms, and facilities for Lewisham Hospital to do hydro-therapy sessions. They are also worried that the swimming pool will be sited in a basement with no natural light. So please can we have natural light into the swimming pool, but with a degree of privacy from people looking in?

I would also like to see healthy fairtrade and organic food in any café and vending machines, not the junk food currently touted at Ladywell Leisure Centre. Also, easily accessible drinking water fountains and secure bicycle storage.

Residents are also worried that the leisure centre will not replace all the facilities that have been lost in the borough over the last few years. Specifically, residents have told me they are concerned that there are no ‘dry’ facilities planned eg squash and badminton courts and archery, which there were at Crofton Leisure Centre. However, I understand that Crofton Leisure Centre will be re-opening to the public in 2008, which alleviates some of my concerns, and if a secondary school is built on Elmira Street, there is also the potential for a sports hall there with facilities open to the public.

The development as a whole should incorporate the very highest possible standards of energy efficiency and produce a significant percentage of its energy needs on-site using renewable sources. Given the short time scale we have to reduce our carbon emissions by about 80% to avert global disaster, no development would be better than a development that failed to do this. It should also include brown or green roofs and grey water recycling. It should be a car-free development, given its proximity to public transport, with residents of the new homes understanding that they have no right to a residents’ parking permit. There should be a car club, for residents to use when public transport, walking or cycling are not possible. As for any retails units, I would like to see small local and independent retailers rather than the usual clone town Britain suspects.

In addition, while I accept that a significant percentage of the housing will be sold to pay for the social housing, I believe that we should be striving for as high a percentage of social housing as possible, which is where Lewisham’s greatest housing need lies.

I would also stress the need to consult fully and at an early stage with residents south-west of the proposed development re the impact that construction traffic, diverted traffic and any overall potential increase in traffic may have on their lives. Residents on Algernon Road in particular have expressed concern to me. I am also concerned that the existing poor air quality along Loampit Vale will deteriorate further.

Finally, while I appreciate that there were probably very specific reasons why the consultation document questions were worded as they were, many residents have felt that the questions were either unduly restrictive and either too vague or focussing on minor details rather than the bigger picture. Please can we have consultation documents that give residents sufficient space to say what they think, and a space for comments if they don’t want to just answer ‘yes’ or ‘no’. I appreciate the need to analyse results in an efficient manner, but when questions are so narrow and restrictive, residents feel they are being tricked in some way.

Tidal-powered Lunar Clock

Read about this in the London Paper the other day: plans for the world's first tidal-powered lunar clock. If the Aluna Project is realised, it will see a huge sculpture 5 storeys high, made from recycled glass and lit up with the energy from the tidal water of the Thames being built near East India Dock. The green hippy part of me likes the idea of a clock telling natural time and us 'reconnecting with nature's rhythms'. Depending on how people get to the site to visit it, it sounds like quite a sustainable project too. The article quotes a Carl Honere, author of "In praise of Slow" saying the project is "a call to arms against the tyranny of the digital clock" which will "help our speedaholic culture decelerate". At the risk of being accused of being a fluffy green, I rather like the sound of that.

Application for travellers' site withdrawn

I've just been informed that the planning application to build a travellers' site in Dressington Avenue is being withdrawn.

The Deputy Mayor, Cllr Heidi Alexander has acknowledged that the council’s usual procedures were not been followed in relation to consultation with current users of the sports hall. Officers will now be working with them to "identify suitable alternatives".

This doesn't mean that the application won't be resubmitted in the future, but the Deputy Mayor has undertaken to consult with local residents prior to any new application being submitted.

As I'm on a planning committee I've not taken a position on this application, but Ute (Cllr Michel) has been liaising with the Deputy Mayor, local residents and users of the centre.

Ladywell Forum - did you get a flyer delivered?

Hopefully everyone in Ladywell ward will have received a flyer this weekend advertising the forthcoming forum. I know that Adelaide Avenue was done, as I got mine yesterday. It would be helpful if you could leave a comment saying if your street did/didn't get flyers delivered. Just in case, forum details again are:

Ladywell Ward Forum
Thursday 9th November
Crofton Park Baptist Church
Brockley Grove
7.00pm - 9.00pm

Focus is on youth provision and we hope this will be a chance for local people, youth services, the Safer Neighbourhood Police team, faith groups and us to share ideas about what youth provision is needed in the area.

Electoral services organised the flyer delivery for us, which was a big relief as we thought we were going to have to deliver them ourselves. We have a Green News which will be ready in a few weeks, but we were told we couldn't deliver a council leaflet at the same time, and as a small party we didn't have the people power to do two deliveries to the whole ward within the space of a month.

I'm not going to Iceland!

Fancy an easy bit of online eco-warrioring? Take a look at thisGreenpeace campaign against Iceland restarting commercial whaling. I genuinely would like to visit Iceland and see the hot springs etc, and have even got as far as the shall I take 3 days to get there by boat or fly dilemma, but it's definitely on hold for now.

Richmond's plans to charge gas guzzlers more for parking

Richmond council's plans to link the cost of resident's parking permits to the emissions their cars produce has received massive publicity over the last few days and is a brave move. While anything which makes people think twice before buying a 4x4 or some other ghastly gas guzzler is to be welcomed, drivers should be taxed more on how far they drive as well as how energy-efficient their vehicle is. There is also concern that charging more for cars to park on-road, may encourage more people to concrete over their front gardens. This has serious environmental consequences including drainage problems and depriving London's sparrows of a vital food source. (The more paved surfaces there are, the less rainfall is soaked into the ground and the more London’s dilapidated sewerage system struggles to cope. As for sparrows; less front gardens means less insects and sparrow chicks starve, according to RSPB-funded research.) Darren wrote a report on this last year as chair of the GLA environment committee.

So while I think Richmond-upon-Thames should be applauded for this, David Milliband and Gordon Brown better hurry up with getting some serious green taxes in places before it's too late.

Ladywell Station gets Secure Station Status

Ladywell Station has been given an award for safety improvements. There certainly have been some improvement with the station, and graffiti, in particular, is being cleaned off quickly. It's also noticeably cleaner than other stations in the area (Crofton Park springs to mind as one that is always strewn with litter), although I would like to see the clear plastic bin bags being used again - can't believe they would be that much of a security risk. I know that local residents and Ladywell Society have in the past called for a community noticeboard at the station and I have recently contacted South-Eastern trains to see if this is possible. In the meantime, the station manager let me tape a poster advertising our Ladywell Forum to the wall of the waiting room.

There are regular transport liaison committee meetings between the council and the transport companies, so if you have any train/bus issues you would like me to raise, please do let me know.

Busy busy

Busy couple of weeks, hence the lack of blogging on my part. Lots of meetings and casework, plus I've been trying to redecorate my mildew-ridden bathroom (have now given up and called in the experts - over a week without a bath in my flat, has, on the upside, meant that I have been using Ladywell Leisure Centre slightly more frequently than usual so I can shower!).

New School Site - Lewisham Bridge Primary School? D-Day 8th November
On Wednesday 11th October, Mike and I had a meeting with Sue Sarna, the headteacher at Lewisham Bridge Primary School, one of the three 'sites' being considered for the new secondary school (the others being Ladywell Leisure Centre and some land round the back of Lewisham Hospital). She is understandably concerned that by referring to it as a 'site', people are forgetting it is in fact a school of 300 odd pupils. While none of the proposed sites are perfect for the school (no rolling plain fields or site in Deptford or New Cross unfortunately), Lewisham Bridge looks the least worst option at the moment. Much will depend on how much of the land around the school, which hasn't yet been redeveloped, will be allocated to the school. Lewisham Bridge Primary School has quite a big site for a primary school, but it's difficult to see how a primary and secondary could be squeezed onto the existing site and leave enough space for playgrounds. Sue Sarna wasn't opposed to the idea of a rebuild, as the classrooms in the current Victorian building are rather small, but she doesn't want her school and all its history to be subsumed into a new 3-16 super school. Although the school is in Lewisham Central ward, it is very much a Ladywell issue, as many of its pupils live in Ladywell ward.

I await the Mayor's decision on November 8th with interest. We haven't taken a group stance on the Lewisham Bridge School site yet, but if it is chosen, I expect we will support the decision, with certain caveats and pledges to support the existing school and pupils during the transition, that the new school(s) would be community schools not academies, the need to use the adjoining land etc. If the Mayor does do a u-turn and the leisure centre gets a reprieve, it will be a significant victory for people power.

Last week I attended the inaugural meeting of Ladywell Pool Users Group, a large part of which was spent discussing plans for the new swimming pool and the Loampit Vale consultation. Concerns were raised over whether the new pool would have facilities to replace all those lost in the area over recent years, in particular the squash courts etc from Crofton Park Leisure Centre and the Turkish Baths and sauna from Ladywell Leisure Centre. If Lewisham Bridge is chosen as the site of the new school, potentially there could be a sports hall with shared use between the school and community.

I also attended the public meeting organised by the planning department on the Lewisham Gateway development. A lot of people at the meeting were sceptical about the scale of the scheme, in particular the size of the buildings, provisions for cyclists in the new road layout and the aesthetics of the buildings. I suspect the architects behind the scheme have gone away with considerable food for thought. The Green Party stance on the development is that we don't oppose high density development in that area in principle, as it is so close to the transport hub. However, the party does have concerns over the percentage of affordable housing proposed, cycling provision, the renewable energy targets, the number of proposed car parking spaces and the possible loss of green space, particularly along the river banks.

Last week I also had a meeting with Rev David Garlick, the vicar of St Mary's Church. Strictly speaking, St Mary's Centre is in Lewisham Central ward, but it is used by many Ladywell ward residents. He is keen to see a youth club started up there again, as is the council, apparently, so I'm hopeful we might get some progress there.

Talking of youth clubs etc, we have finally fixed a date for our first Ladywell Ward Forum, which will focus on youth provision:

Ladywell Ward Forum
Thursday 9th November
Crofton Park Baptist Church
Brockley Grove
7.00pm - 9.00pm

Hopefully, this will be a chance for local people, youth services, the Safer Neighbourhood Police team, faith groups and us to share ideas about what youth provision is needed in the area, and then work out what we can do. The PCSOs will also have the results of the surveys they have done with young people in the ward, asking them what they want. Ladywell, along with Catford South and Blackheath, has been recognised by the council as an area with a lack of youth provision and I am hopeful that there will be funds/grants available to get something started.

Other meetings last week: I went to the House of Lords for a meeting with the Green peer, Tim Beaumont, to discuss the Green Party's international policy, which is in urgent need of some updating. I've never done any national policy work before, and felt a little under-qualified alongside the others at the meeting, who all seemed to work for development NGOs or have loads of experience, but it was interesting, very plush surroundings, and I managed to resist the temptation to shout 'warmonger' or anything about veils when Jack Straw walked past.

I also went along to the consultation on the extension of St Mary's Conservation Area last week, which most people I've spoken to so far seem to be in favour of. I don't think all shopkeepers along Ladywell Road are aware of the consultation yet though, so I have asked for some more copies of the document to be sent to me to hand out.

Very busy surgery at the Old Bothy last week, with 9 people attending on various issues, followed by a very quiet street surgery this Saturday just gone, on Sandrock Rd, Undercliff Rd and Overcliff Rd. No one had put the flyer in their window for us to call, so we just reported the fly-tipping, pot holes and graffiti.

Oh, one more consultation coming up (seemingly endless round of them at the moment!): following on from the initial consulation which was carried out a couple of months ago, there will be an exhibition to show proposals for the Crofton Park / Ladywell South Exhibition 20mph schemes at the following times and locations:
Friday 2-8pm Sat - 10-2pm - 27 28 October (half term) Stillness School - Brockley Rise
Friday 2-8pm Sat - 10-2pm - 3 4 November Baptist Church - Brockley Grove

Reponses to the initial survey were as follows:
Over 10,000 leaflets were delivered to the area for the first stage consultation and over four hundred returned. 67% of responses experienced problems with vehicles travelling too fast. 58% of responses experienced problems from volume of traffic. 58% of responses experienced problems from volume of traffic. 40% said that vehicles used their road to avoid delays most of the delay and a further 31% in rush hour. 31% reported heavy vehicles using their road occasionally and 35% regularly.

Slightly quieter week this week (phew!), with any luck, just a training day on pensions (I'm on the pensions investment committee) and a possible meeting with the Ladywell Centre Users Committee.

Over and out.

Road Resurfacing

The highways team has just released its list of roads to be resurfaced over the next 12 months. Out of the 25 roads down for resurfacing, 3 are in Ladywell, and they are
Adelaide Avenue(Eastern Road to Ladywell Road), Chudleigh Road (Dressington Avenue to Bexhill Road) and Montague Avenue. Additional roads will be added if funding is available, apparently. Chudleigh and Adelaide are bus routes, so I guess they get priority. This could be opening a can of worms, but any comments?!

Street Vibes

Very concerned to find out last week that Street Vibes have been given notice to leave their premises by 20th October. They were only officially opened by the mayor a couple of months ago and now they are facing an uncertain future. I've been in contact with the mayor's office, the cabinet member for children and young people and youth services urging them to see if they can help find alternative accomodation for this popular and much-needed local youth project.

Lewisham Green Party AGM

Monday 9th October, 7.30pm, at Brockley Social Club, Brockley Road, SE4 (corner of Foxberry Road). All members and supporters welcome.

Formal business 7.30-8.45pm
Food for thought: 8.45-9.30pm "International Migration - a Green Party response"
Presentation by local expert and Green Party member Jill Rutter, who will give an overview of migration to the UK in general and outline the situation in Lewisham in particular, followed by discussion.

Lewisham Gateway: Meeting on 17th October

I have received the following from the planning dept re the Lewisham Gateway application: "In view of the level of neighbour response in respect of the Lewisham Gateway planning application, we have organised a local meeting for all those who have made representations (72 letters of invitation have just been sent out) to discuss the various planning issues. The date of the meeting is 17 October 2006 at Lewisham Methodist Church Hall, Albion Way (7pm-10pm). The applicant and agents will be present at the meeting and Councillor Andrew Milton has agreed to chair the Meeting."

If you sent an objection but have not received an invite, or you didn't send a letter but would like to attend, pls call the planning office on 020 8314 9219 or e-mail them to check.

Visible Difference

As I was cycling down Gillian Street on Friday morning, I saw the 'Visible Difference' graffiti clean-up team painting over the tagging on shutter of the off-licence on the corner. Delighted it has finally been cleaned - we'd delivered a number of permission cards for them to sign, but it took a while to get a signed one sent back. Next target: the tagging on the empty shop between Masons and the hairdressers (still waiting for the permission card to be signed).

I'm on the planning committee, get me out of here!

Probably the most difficult week as a councillor so far. Lots of residents in Slagrove Place and Dressington Avenue are angry about the plans to demolish the sports hall at Ladywell Day Centre and relocate the travellers' site there. As a member of planning committee A, I can't express opinions on planning applications before the meeting - I have to go there with an open mind. As Mike is also on a planning committee, Ute therefore does all the liaising with residents on planning issues. Most residents understand this, but others think you are just sitting on the fence!

Anyway, all three of us went to a residents' meeting on the issue last Wednesday, which was attended by about 50 residents. Mike and I listened to residents' concerns and could answer some factual questions, but some of the issues raised really needed to be answered by the officers involved in the project, or the cabinet member responsible. Ute is attending a further meeting with the residents' steering committee and the project officers tomorrow evening. Any further questions/queries re the application should be addressed to Ute.

Climate Change

Local Friends of the Earth activists are lobbying Joan Ruddock about the climate change bill at 4pm this Friday in Toad's Mouth Too. If you are a Lewisham Deptford constituent and would like to take part, pls go along on the day or let Ted Burke from Lewisham FoE know in advance.

She is generally supportive and has already signed the early day motion calling for the Climate Change Bill to be introduced in this session of parliament (EDM), but there is no harm in reminding her of the strength of local concern on the issue!

More info about the Big Ask Campaign here.

Also, other climate change campaign events coming up:
Wed 4th October: Public Mtg on Climate Change - George Monbiot speaking
7.00 pm in the Conway Hall, Red Lion Square (Holborn Tube).

Saturday 4th November, National Climate March, 12 noon, rally at US embassy. Organised by the Campaign Against Climate Change.

PS: Do go and see 'An Inconvenient Truth' - an excellent film!

Quercus Project for Ladywell Fields

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

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