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Following his recent successful interview on BBC Radio London, Brian appeared on the BBC London TV news on 14 November talking about the fencing made from old WW2 stretchers in East Dulwich.
Ian Wingfield, Southwark Council’s cabinet member for the environment approved the plans for the new Quietway on 11 November subject to statutory procedures and a detailed design and safety review. There were also 9 conditions/comments which were as follows:
- That TFL have agreed to meet with officers, residents and local councillors in Dulwich to discuss working with Southwark on a holistic review of traffic in the Dulwich area and that any funding needed to undertake such a review will be made available by the council through the LIP funding, be noted.
- That some of the proposals require a traffic management order prior to implementation and that if any objections to the related statutory consultation cannot be informally resolved, then consideration of those objections and a decision on whether to proceed with that part of the scheme will be subject to a further report to the Cabinet Member for Environment and Public Realm, be noted.
- That the section through Burgess Park, between Portland Street/Albany Road and New Church Road/Edmund Street, is subject to a separate approval process as this part of the route is not on public highway, be noted.
- That officers are aware of the proposals by Gipsy Hill Federation to run a new secondary school on the Paxton school site at Woodland Road for at least 2 – 3 years from September 2017, and any impact on parking in the area is carefully monitored with remedial steps being taken if deemed necessary.
- That the impact on parking stress of the proposals in Village ward continue to be monitored.
- That the holistic traffic study in Dulwich area commences before the end of the current financial year.
- That the recent improvement to public transport options in Dulwich Village with the extension of bus route 42 be noted.
- That community proposals for an alternative junction layout in Dulwich Village be noted, and that officers and Transport for London consider such alternative proposals in parallel with preparing for implementation of the schemes currently designed.
- That officers be instructed to work with Transport for London and other stakeholders to work towards implementation of the priority actions from the Foundation Schools Coach Study in parallel with the Quietway implementation
Several Dulwich Village Residents Associations have lobbied Village Ward councillors to have the decision called in for review on the basis that it does not reflect local people’s objections and concerns. They are also crowd funding on a new website to fund an alternative proposal for the design of the main junction in the centre of the Village.
The pub is due to be handed over to the operators for fitting out at the end of the November. The current mid-January date for re-opening looks unlikely to be met.
Shepherds Foods has restructured its operations and decided to focus on its other stores in Chelsea and Kensington and around London. The store in Dulwich Village will therefore close at the end of November 2016. The Dulwich Estate has taken a surrender of the lease and has said that, initially, it is looking to let the premises on a short-term tenancy whilst it considers the best options for the longer-term.
A seven page long illustrated guide to the old Crystal Palace building and grounds has been published online with stunning views and explanations of the interior of the building - see https://sydenham.org.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?t=1500
The Society has agreed to match the Dulwich Park Friends’ contribution towards the replacement of the cherry laurel hedges in Dulwich Park with native species. The total cost of the work is just over £3000.
After 15 years running the Park café, sisters Tarka and Domani are leaving at the end of October to concentrate on their new bistro café in West Norwood. Southwark Council have now awarded the café concessions contract to Colicci ECSI Ltd. They are a family run business that currently operates cafes in 8 other parks in London including Richmond Park and Kensington Gardens. Formal handover meetings have been held to ensure that there is a seamless transfer of services. The contract will commence on 1 November for a period of seven years.
The pub will not open before mid-January at the earliest and it may be later, as practical completion of the hotel block at the rear is unlikely to be before 30 November.
Brian Green joined Robert Elms on his morning radio programme on Tuesday 25 October to talk about Dulwich – as part of the programme’s Tuesday theme looking at different areas of London. The programme can be heard on iplayer on the station’s website - Dulwich on Radio London.
Last week, MP Helen Hayes chaired a meeting between McCullogh Homes, Village Ward Councillors, and local Resident Association representatives to discuss the development of the former S G Smith workshop site. The RAs were looking for reassurances that the building work will be well managed and cause minimum disruption to the area - and take account of the safety of the children who go to the schools nearby. Many points were discussed and it was agreed to set up a small contact group (of local RA street reps) to monitor and direct queries, concerns and complaints.
Work is due to start on site in the summer of 2017, with a contract period of 18 to 24 months. This will include 6 to 8 months of enabling and ground works including demolition, removal of contaminated ground, excavation and piling.
Applications have been made to Southwark to install 3 electric car charging points at each of the following locations:
- Woodwarde Road - 16/AP/3942
- Eastlands Crescent - 16/AP/3905
- Half Moon Lane – 16/AP/3911
- Pickwick Road - 16/AP/3933
- Ruskin Walk – 16/AP/3926
- Townley Road - 16/AP/3933
- Crescent Wood Road at Sydenham Hill - 16/AP/3903
- Hunts Slip Road - 16/AP/3913
- College Road at Grange Lane - 16/AP/3901
- College Road outside Breakspeare - 16/AP/3900
Many residents are concerned over the lack of consultation and the apparently random placing of the new points in the roads. Councillors have been involved and are seeking further clarification and discussion before any decisions are made.
Paul Highman, the Park Manager is taking redundancy from the end of September. The new manager is Will Walpole who is also responsible for Peckham Rye Park. The Council is cutting back on funding to parks, understandably perhaps in these more stringent times. There is currently a government survey on the future of parks at http://www.smartsurvey.co.uk/s/HO3PU/
There is still no confirmation that the new tenant for the Dulwich Park Café will be in place when the current one leaves at the end of October.