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Dulwich Estate Press Release
The Dulwich Estate is the freeholder of the land at 62-68 Half Moon Lane, part of which is currently leased to the Centre for British Teachers (CfBT) Education Trust for the Judith Kerr Primary School.
In response to the recent public consultation on the Southwark Plan it has submitted representations to the Council concerning the future of the land at 62-68 Half Moon Lane for possible use as subsidised sheltered housing (almshouses) for elderly people.
Commenting today (15 February), James Williamson (PR and communications adviser to The Dulwich Estate on the project) said “The Dulwich Estate will be engaging with councillors, community leaders and stakeholders to understand their views over the future of 62-68 Half Moon Lane.
After undertaking consultation, The Dulwich Estate will carefully review all the feedback received before deciding how best to move forward.”
Dulwich College have now confirmed that the chestnut trees along the pedestrian route, known as ‘Chestnuts Avenue’, that leads from the South Circular to the heart of the College campus, are to be replaced. Most of the trees are in an unstable and unhealthy diseased condition - and several have come down in recent years.
Southwark Council has approved the removal and, after much discussion with specialist arboriculturalists, it has been agreed that there is sufficient doubt about the future of chestnuts as a species to recommend that they should be replaced with a more resilient alternative. The consensus is that the most appropriate tree to reflect and enhance the grandeur of the Avenue, and the heritage of the College site, is the Small-leaved Lime (Tilia Cordata Greenspire).
Felling will be carried out over the Easter holidays, and the new trees will be planted in the summer holidays - to allow sufficient time between felling and planting for the ground to settle before new planting takes place. The summer term at the school will therefore be unique in the College’s history on this site (since 1869), in that the avenue will be denuded of trees.
The Local Government Boundary Commission has published its initial proposals for consultation - until 4th April. Final recommendations will be out in June. The changes reflect the relative populations. www.lgbce.org.uk/..
Dulwich & West Norwood at a glance:
- Village Ward is split into two one-member wards (Half Moon and Dulwich Village) losing most of the Village electoral area;
- College Ward becomes a two member ward (Dulwich Wood) based on largely the same boundaries, but loses the residential area north of Melford Road;
- East Dulwich is Split in two: one-three member ward centred on Lordship Lane (Goose Green), and one two member ward taking in the areas that College Ward loses (Dulwich Hill). Both new wards have been extended north to take in parts of Camberwell and Peckham.
The Society has been shown a rent review letter sent to a shopkeeper in the village from Daniel Watney, the Dulwich Estate’s surveyor, which says that the Estate intends to raise the rent by 60%. This is very worrying as there is reduced footfall in the area and it could be a further threat to our independent shops.
To be fair, it appears that the Estate is not the only landlord looking to raise rents. A current article on the Herne Hill Forum confirms that the landlord on the north side of Half Moon Lane is trying to impose an 80% increase on the cycle shop Bon Velo.
Quietway 7 - Elephant and Castle to Crystal Palace via Calton Avenue, Dulwich Village, Turney Road & Rosendale Road. Public consultation will take place from Monday 15 February 2016 to Sunday 13 March 2016. Leaflets will be posted by Royal Mail to residents. See also www.consultations.southwark.gov.uk. There will be 3 open drop in events as follows:
- East Dulwich Ward: Tuesday 23rd February, 5 to 8pm - Dulwich Library Hall, 368 Lordship Lane, London SE22 8NA
- College Ward: Saturday 27th February, 9am to 12pm - Kingsdale Foundation School, Alleyn Park, Dulwich, London SE21 8SQ
- Village Ward: Saturday 5th March, 9am to 12pm - Dulwich Sports Ground, Turney Road, Dulwich, London SE21 7JH
TfL is consulting on the proposed new 42 Bus route. They are intending to use double deckers - which is good news for capacity along East Dulwich Grove. They are asking for comments on the route extension to Dog Kennel Hill here: https://consultations.tfl.gov.uk/buses/bus-route-42
R Durtnalls have been appointed as the contractors for the work. They are reputed to be the oldest builders in the country and also worked on both the Dulwich Picture Gallery modernization in the 1990s and the reconstruction of St Barnabas Church. The contract is planned to last 70 weeks and, if everything goes according to plan the surgery and the pharmacy should open in the early summer of 2017, with the other shops, and flats, following on shortly afterwards.
Following an application by Dulwich Safer Routes to Schools, the Council has awarded £40,000 of CGS funding for a new pedestrian crossing at the junction of Burbage Road with Half Moon Lane.
Southwark is introducing a landlord’s licensing scheme for rental properties. There is a 6-month window which started 1/1/2016 for landlords to register. The initial license period is 5 years. Owners should contact their letting agent or
www.southwark.gov.uk/..
Townley Road Junction Works: The phased cycle lights are now operational but further adjustment is needed as they do not leave enough time for cyclists to turn right. There is still no confirmation on the date for the commissioning of the other facilities and Southwark has still not responded to the concerns raised in a recent safety audit.
The Planning Applications for the Half Moon pub can now be viewed on the Southwark web site - references 16/AP/0167 and 0168. Fullers are likely to challenge the Asset of Community Value status as the ACV was awarded in relation to one of the pub’s previous ancillary functions as a live music venue and Fullers want to install a restaurant and kitchen in that part of the pub. The focus of the local Herne Hill campaign has thus switched to retention of the live venue inside the pub building. www.brixtonbuzz.com/...
It’s good to see the opening of the new “Poisson de Mer” deli in Dulwich Village and the brand new post office at Rumsey pharmacy but in Herne Hill things are less optimistic and many people are concerned about the future of their favourite shops in Herne Hill. “Just Williams”, the toy shop on Half Moon Lane closed its doors on 24th January after 10 years “due to high rent increases”. The reason given initially was that that the Dulwich Estate, its landlord, had raised the rent level to renew the lease by 70%.
There was a highly critical article on the Herne Hill Forum website and a considerable number of negative comments on other internet forums and Twitter - and an on-line petition asking the DE to reconsider the rent hike has already attracted over 1700 signatures.
The Dulwich Estate responded quickly with a factual note which suggested a rather different scenario, refuting the 70% increase claims. On 22nd January in an article in the South London Press, John Major of the Dulwich Estate explained “it is the policy of The Dulwich Estate not to discuss arrangements with its tenants since these are considered to be private.
However, the facts of the situation in relation to the property occupied by Just Williams are that the tenant was offered in October 2014 a new lease from July 2015 with a rent increase equivalent to 5.8% per annum from that fixed for the five-year period from July 2010 to July 2015.
The rent from 2010 to 2015 was £22,000. The rent for the new lease was £28,400.
The tenant failed to take this up but remained in occupation from July 2015 until January 2016 at an interim rent which reflected the then market level”
Vicky, the owner of “Just Williams” toyshop has robustly countered the Estate arguments online stating that Dulwich Estate representatives failed to respond to her emails and requests for negotiation.
The debate continues but has widened to include other local landlords such as Network Rail. There will be a protest march on Saturday 30th January from 3.30pm outside Herne Hill station in support of the “Save our Shops” campaign. The petition can be found here - www.change.org/..
It is no secret that the Estate is looking to raise its shop rents on review; there are rumours of substantial increases in the northern part of Dulwich Village and West Dulwich. Given the substantial reduction in footfall due to the Herne Hill Flood and the temporary closure of the Crown and Greyhound in the Village, increasing rents would seem counter intuitive. But then both Dulwich and Herne Hill are attractive and popular areas for families and young professionals, and it is therefore no surprise that there is increasing competition for commercial units. It is worth remembering too that The Dulwich Estate seeks to manage its endowments in the long term interests of its beneficiaries which include several state schools & almshouses, and its contributions to the Foundation schools help to support bursaries.
There are plans afoot to set up Neighbourhood Forums in both Herne Hill and Dulwich which will give both areas more teeth on planning and community issues. With the live music campaign at the Half Moon Pub, concerns about the green space at the Judith Kerr Primary School and now with local shops the Herne Hill campaigners are urging The Dulwich Estate to consider the long term impact on the community of the decisions they make.
What do you think about the range of independent shops in Herne Hill and Dulwich? What would you like to see in the area and is the mix right?