Follow us on Twitter @DulwichSociety
THE DULWICH SOCIETY DRAFT MINUTES of the 58th ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING of the Society held on 14th September 2021 via Zoom
Present: 75 members, two non-members and three Southwark Dulwich Ward Councillors.
Apologies: Nichola McAuliffe; Councillor Andy Simmonds to attend part of the meeting.
1. Introduction by Chairman (Ian McInnes)
The Chairman opened with the following statement: “Good evening and welcome to this Dulwich Society AGM. The Society’s intention had been to hold the AGM in the function room at the Crown and Greyhound in Dulwich Village on 14 September.
Please join the meeting between 7.30pm and 8pm for registration.
1) Why is the AGM being held on Zoom?
The AGM will be held online. The Society’s intention had been to hold the AGM in the function room at the Crown and Greyhound in Dulwich Village on 14 September. The current rise in the rate of Covid-19 infections, and the knowledge that several residents who had been double vaccinated have still caught the virus, has led the Executive Committee to decide that a meeting in an enclosed room at this point would be inappropriate, consequently the AGM will be held on Zoom.
The 58th Annual General Meeting of the Dulwich Society will be held at 8pm on Tuesday 14 September 2021 via Zoom.
https://zoom.us/j/97735121186
Meeting ID: 977 3512 1186
Passcode: 592469
Members will be admitted to the AGM meeting from 7.30pm onwards and the meeting will start promptly at 8pm.
As announced previously, Ian McInnes will be standing down as Chair after 13 years and Colin Niven, the Society’s President is also standing down after ten years. Kenneth Wolfe (vice chairman), Sue Badman (secretary) will also be standing down from their current roles.
Read more: Proposed Executive Committee and Sub-Committee nominations
The Society’s intention had been to hold the AGM in the function room at the Crown and Greyhound in Dulwich Village on 14th September. The current rise in the rate of Covid-19 infections, and the knowledge that several local residents who had been double vaccinated have still caught the virus, has led the Executive Committee to decide that a meeting in an enclosed room at this point would be inappropriate and, consequently the AGM on the 14th September will be held online, on Zoom. The AGM Agenda is available on our web site.
The 58th Annual General Meeting of the Dulwich Society will be held at 8pm on Tuesday 14 September 2021 via Zoom.
https://zoom.us/j/97735121186
Meeting ID: 977 3512 1186
Passcode: 592469
Agenda
- Introduction and apologies for absence.
- Approve Minutes of the 57th Annual General Meeting held on 24th September 2020.
- Matters Arising.
- Chairman’s Report and Review of the Year.
- Approve accounts for the year ended 31st December 2020.
- Appoint Independent Examiner. Nominee: Sally-Anne Jeffries, Chartered Accountant
- Retirement of the President - Dr Colin Niven OBE
- Appointment of new President - Dr Kenneth Wolfe
- Elections for 2021-2022 - Officers and Members of the Executive Committee.
- Any Other Business/Questions - please raise with the Chairman (
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. ) at least 7 days in advance of the meeting, copied to the Secretary (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. ).
Note 1: Nomination forms for election as an Officer or Member of the Executive Committee can be obtained from the Secretary. Nominations must be submitted in writing to the Secretary by two Society members not later than fourteen days before the AGM (by 31st August 2021) and must be endorsed by the candidate in writing (Rule 9). Candidates must be members of the Society.
All meeting papers, including the Chairman’s and sub-committee Reports and Minutes of the 57th Annual General Meeting are available on the Society’s website
www.dulwichsociety.com
Susan Badman, Hon. Secretary, Dulwich Society,
Previously Issued Date: 1st June 2021 (with Summer Journal 2021)
The Society responded to the recent consultation over the redrawing of local parliamentary boundaries. In the draft plans the current Dulwich and West Norwood Constituency would disappear. While the Society accepts that some changes need to be made to make sure that all constituencies have roughly the same numbers of voters, it does not support the current radical plans to change the constituency boundaries of the current Dulwich and West Norwood constituency and put large areas of Dulwich into a Dulwich and Sydenham constituency. These are our reasons:
- The constituency has been called Dulwich and West Norwood since 1997. It was an amalgamation of the former Dulwich and Norwood Constituencies (both formed in 1885). The proposed changes would be a fundamental change to historical precedent.
- Dulwich and Sydenham are separated by a line of sports fields along the South Circular backed up by a large area of woodland (formerly part of the historic Great North Wood) extending from Lordship Lane though to Crystal Palace Parade. There is no road link between the two areas other than Sydenham Hill/Kirkdale and College Road (approximately a mile apart) and there is no direct rail connection between them. There are also no existing community connections between Dulwich and Sydenham, both see themselves as stand-alone centres.
- The proposed revised constituency cuts across existing community ties. Dulwich's community connections are with Norwood, Herne Hill and Brixton backed up by roads (and bus routes) and railways. Likewise for shopping, faith centres, G P Surgeries and the main cemetery. The Dulwich Society, the local amenity society in Dulwich works closely with the amenity groups in Herne Hill and Norwood.
- Parts of West Dulwich will be located within the new Streatham and Norwood constituencies and there are concerns that matters affecting West Dulwich will not receive the attention required.
- Herne Hill has developed a distinctive character within the current Dulwich and West Norwood constituency. The proposals mean it is now split between three constituencies which makes no sense, and which will cause problems when raising issues or concerns with MPs and authorities.
In summary, the plan to link Dulwich with Sydenham should be reconsidered and Herne Hill should remain with Dulwich; West Dulwich (Lambeth sections) should be in the same constituency as the rest of Dulwich.
The former SG Smith workshop site which was to be called ‘The Gilkes’ when it was owned by McCulloch Homes, is now to be called ‘Soane Place’. The new owners, Aquinna Homes, have renamed the site and have also applied to Southwark to remove the previously agreed affordable housing, offering a cash payment in lieu. A similar application by the previous owner was withdrawn after the Council indicated it would refuse. Southwark should say the same with this application (Ref: 21/AP/2458). The new owners also want design amendments which would impact on its appearance and the Society will also be objecting to those.
As part of the Great North Wood Living Landscape Project, the Society has recently funded LWT to build a replacement wooden bridge in Sydenham Hill Wood, linking it to Dulwich Wood. The Society has previously funded temporary fencing to reduce erosion, removal of invasive species and path consolidation. Lockdown has seen a huge rise in visitor numbers with further erosion of paths exacerbated by heavy rain.
The consultation closes on 11 July. It can be accessed here: https://tinyurl.com/42cwhx5c
Please make sure your voice is heard.
Peace & Riot, the new restaurant/café in West Dulwich is open. https://www.peaceandriot.co/
Megan’s Deli in the old S G Smith showroom site should open later this summer. https://megans.co.uk/
The two empty units next to Megan’s are now let, one is to be a wine specialist who is planning a sister site to Peckham Cellars. It will be a wine bar, deli, & coffee shop specialising in British produce & wine. The other a coffee shop called Redemption Roasters, a social enterprise founded by Alleyn’s old boy Ted Rosner, which runs a roastery inside a prison and trains young prisoners to become baristas. https://www.redemptionroasters.com/
Despite letters from Helen Hayes MP and Ellie Reeves, Lewisham West MP and the recommendation of Lewisham’s own Design & Review Panel for a reduction in height, Lewisham Strategic Planning Committee voted on 29 June to approve the Corporation of London’s application for 110 units of social housing on the Mais House site in Sydenham Hill.