In response to the strong objections raised by residents about the planning application to build 12 housing units in 4-storey blocks on land adjacent to 114 Woodland Road SE19, the developers Metropolitan Housing Trust have announced plans for a public meeting on Tuesday 8 December 2009.

Residents raised concerns about the substantial impact on parking, the street scene and housing density arising from the development at a public meeting earlier this month.  Like many others, Andrew submitted a letter of objection on behalf of Gipsy Hill’s three ward councillors. CLICK HERE to download a copy of the letter.

Earlier this week, like many other residents, we received an email from the architects HTA.  They are acting on behalf of Metropolitan Housing Trust and confirmed the details of the meeting:

“In response the  number of objections that have been received regarding our proposals for the site at 116 Woodland Road our client, Metropolitan Housing Trust, has decided to hold a public consultation event so that we can discuss your concerns with you prior to the scheme being heard at the Dulwich Community Council in the New Year.

You and your neighbours in the immediate vicinity of the site will all shortly be in receipt of a flyer to advertise this event but, in the meantime, I thought I would let you know the details.

We will be holding a drop-in session at the Upper Norwood Library, 39-41 Westow Hill, between 4.30pm and 7.30pm next Tuesday 8th December.”

If you have any questions or views about the proposal, please do attend if you can.  Alternatively, if you are not able to attend in person, please contact Andrew on agibson@lambeth.gov.uk or Carl on carlbelgrove@gmail.com and they will represent your interests when they go to event.

We will post a review of the event on this site next week.

Paxton Primary School’s Christmas Fayre will be taking place on Saturday 12 December from 12.00-3.00pm at its site on Woodland Road SE19.

The whole school will be filled will be a great selection of hot home made food and cake stalls with a huge selection to accompany a cup of tea, coffee or a glass of mulled wine.  This year there will also be Christmas trees for sale.

Children’s entertainment – from face painting and story telling to crafts and a Santa’s Grotto with gifts – will also be available.

CLICK HERE to view a location map for the school.

Emmaus South Lambeth is opening a new superstore at 9 Beadman Street, West Norwod SE27 on Saturday 5th December and everyone is invited.   The store will be open from 10.00am ’til 5.00pm with mulled wine and mine pies on offer throughout the day accompanied by a musical entertainment with composer and saxophonist Jason Yarde.

The Mayor of Lambeth, Councillor Christopher Wellbelove, will officially open the store at 12 noon.

The new superstore sells recycled furniture for the home and office, white goods, and homewares.  The first floor is a treasure trove of antiques, pictures, frames, curios, and books old and new.   There is even a boutique selling clothes, shoes and accessories, including a collection of hats.

The superstore is open Monday to Saturday 10am to 5pm.  We hope to see you there!

CLICK HERE to find out more about Emmaus South Lambeth and its existing shop on Knight’s Hill.

CLICK HERE to view a location map for the superstore.

We receive numerous complaints about flytipping from residents of Knollys Road, in the north part of the ward. We pushed the Council hard for action to clean up the mess and secured some important promises, such as increased street sweeping.

Unfortunately, the problem persists. Sometimes residents are unaware that the Council can collect bulky items of waste. Call 020 7926 9000 to arrange a collection.

However, this does not excuse the Council’s lack of action. Residents report street cleaners walking past large piles of rubbish without picking it up. This is unacceptable and we will be pressing for more to be done.

In the meantime, if there have been incidents of flytipping near you please get in touch and we will arrange for it to be cleared.

Father Christmas will switch on West Norwood's lights after 4.30pm on Friday 4 December

Father Christmas will visit West Norwood’s festive celebration during a tour across Lambeth’s six town centres on Friday 4 December.  He is due to arrive between 4.30 and 5.30pm outside St Luke’s Church.

Santa will be traveling on top of a big red bus and stopping off during the procession to switch on the town centres Christmas lights in style. Assisted by a band of helpers including hip hop pixies, musicians and carol singers there will be a range of activities for kids of all ages -  from face painting and cookie decorating to roasted chestnuts and snow making.

Christmas hampers will also be given to a chosen charity and local school children will be leading the carol singing.

We hope to see you there.

As a local bus user, I know how frustrating it can be to stand in the cold not knowing
if or when a bus is going to turn up. We want this constituency to be top of the list when TfL
introduces these news signs.

Kemi Adegoke, our parliamentary candidate for Dulwich & West Norwood is campaigning
for Transport for London (TfL) to provide new bus countdown signs for buses P4,  P13, 196, 3, 315, 322 37 and 415.

The new signs will be based on GPS technology making them more reliable than existing radio based signs.

As local residents we need to show Tfl that there is support for this measure.
Please sign the online petition for the new countdown signs and email or write to us if you have any information or concerns about buses that you would like us to feed through.

What The New Countdown Signs Mean For You

• No more standing in rain or cold not knowing if or when a bus is coming
• No more waiting ages for a bus only
• No more blank countdown signs

Please sign the petition here

<p>When I’m out and about talking to people in Knights Hill, the issue that is most often raised is the problem of dogs fouling on the West Norwood’s pavements. It’s a disgusting problem. It’s unhygienic and unsightly, and residents are right to complain that something should be done.

<p>The trouble is, Labour-run Lambeth Council is showing little sign of activity. Months ago local Conservatives delivered letters to a large number of streets in West Norwood asking people to name hot-spots where the problem was especially bad. We had a fantastic response and took the list to the Council who had promised to put up signs in the areas nominated by residents.

<p>It’s almost a year later, and nothing has been done despite repeated calls for action from local Conservatives and West Norwood residents. My suggestion that Lambeth talk to other boroughs to find out how they deal with this issue was met with indignation.

<p>We will keep up the pressure, and hope that the new year brings some sign that Lambeth are serious about tackling this problem.

The proposed development viewed from Woodland Road

Last week Andrew and Carl attended a meeting with residents living in the Woodlands area of Upper Norwood to discuss the planning application to build 12 housing units in 4-storey blocks on land adjacent to 114 Woodland Road SE19.

The site is at the bottom of Woodland Road and located in the London Borough of Southwark – just over the boundary from Lambeth.  This development would have a substantial impact on parking, the street scene and housing density.

Andrew has now submitted a letter of objection on behalf of Gipsy Hill’s three ward councillors.  The reason for their objections are set out below or CLICK HERE to download a copy of the letter.

To: Southwark Planning

I would like to formally object to planning application AP/09/2130 on behalf of myself and my fellow Gipsy Hill councillors.

My objection is based on a number of planning grounds.

The housing density of the proposals give rise to many problems and as such the application represents an attempt at over-intensive development.

First, parking.  This area is already subject to tremendous parking stress.  Many commuters park-up for the nearby Gipsy Hill train station.  This will be made worse by the large development on Cawnpore Street currently being built, which has little provision for parking for its residents.

Please check when parking stress was measured and how it was measured, as I am concerned that the peak parking stress has not been identified properly, and in any event parking stress will worsen when the new Cawnpore Street block opens.

Related to parking stress is congestion and accessibility.  When nearby Paxton School was closed recently due to asbestos, the pupils were bussed to Streatham.  Such is the congestion in these streets due to parking that the bus did not come to the school but waited at nearby access points.  There is real concern that emergency vehicles cannot access this area.  The scale of the proposed development in Woodland Road would exacerbate this problem.

Next, the applicant is trying to get too much onto a cramped, sloping site next to a railway line.  As a guide one should not approve such dwellings one wouldn’t want to live in.  The homes are pushed up against the pavement at the front and do not have much space behind.  Nor are the internal proportions very generous.  The applicant would have been much better advised to propose fewer housing units.  While I understand the commercial pressures to go for more units, the number would have a detrimental effect on the putative tenants and should be rejected.

Planning Policy Statement 3 puts good design at the heart of good planning.  This is a national policy and weight must be given to it.  Yet the design of this application is lacking in many respects.  It does not follow the street contour (like the rest of the streets in this area) but instead rises to a fourth storey: it is thus out of keeping with the area.  (The applicant benchmarks the plans against the modern blocks opposite, but interestingly these blocks are, I think, less intensive in design than Woodland Road.  Also, planners should be aware of the nearby Gipsy Hill Conservation Area, which must be preserved or enhanced by any later developments).

The height, design, and massing of the proposed development are incongruous and unsightly,  The roofline is out of kilter with its surroundings (despite assertions to the contrary) and the materials are dark and grimmer than their surroundings.

Finally, the applicant says it has sought to incorporate the views of neighbouring residents.  However, its quite cursory consultation was for very different proposals and in any event many of the original objections remain.

Regards, Cllr Andrew Gibson

We will continue to keep residents informed about any further developments.

Proposed elevation for the development on Woodland Road

A planning application has been made to build 12 housing units in 4-storey blocks with no off-street parking on land adjacent to 114 Woodland Road SE19.

The site is at the bottom of Woodland Road and located in the London Borough of Southwark – just over the boundary from Lambeth.  This development would have a substantial impact on:

• Parking
• Street scene
• Housing density

You can find more information about the planning application on Southwark Council’s website:  CLICK HERE for details.

There is still time to have your say on this development if you live in the ‘Woodlands’ area of Upper Norwood.  The deadline for submissions to the consultation is, effectively, Friday 13 November 2009.

Local residents from the Woodland Hill Residents’ Association and Gipsy Hill ward councillors are holding a public meeting to share information and advise on how to submit views formally next week.

Location: The Railway Bell PH, Cawnpore Street SE19
Date: Tuesday 10 November 2009
Time: 7.30pm

Refreshments will be available at the cash bar.

If you cannot attend, but would like more information on this matter, please contact Andrew (agibson@lambeth.gov.uk) or Carl (carlbelgrove@gmail.com).

The Mayor of Lambeth speaks att his year's Remembrance Sunday service

More than 80 residents from across Norwood and West Dulwich attended this year’s annual Remembrance Day Service at the recently refurfurbished Vincennes war memorial this afternoon (Sunday 8 November).

The Mayor of Lambeth and his consort attended the service – one of five official events across the borough.  Wreaths were laid by councillors from Gipsy Hill, Thurlow Park, Knights Hill and Streatham Hill, the Vincennes Estate Tenants and Residents Association, Emmanuel Church and members of the community.  Music was provided by the Upper Norwood Salvation Army Band.

We would like to thank everyone that gave their time to help organise the service.

- – - – - – - – - -

Order of Service

Upper Norwood's Salvation Army Band.

Introduction and Opening Prayer: Rev’d Canon George Ansah (Emmanuel Church West Dulwich)

Hymn: Praise my soul, the King of Heaven

Words of Civic Support: Cllr Andrew Gibson (Gipsy Hill ward)

Speech: Cllr Mr Christopher Wellbelove (The Mayor of Lambeth)

Hymn: O God, our help in ages past

Laying of wreathes: The Mayor of Lambeth, Gipsy Hill Ward Councillors, Knights Hill Ward Councillors, Streatham Hill Ward Councillors, Vincennes Estate TRA, Emmanuel Church West Dulwich, Members of the Community

Order of Silence

Words of comfort: Read by Leslie Griffiths

Poem of Violette Szabo: ‘The Life That I Have’ Read by Cllr Andrew Gibson (Gipsy Hill ward)

Hymn: Fight the good fight

Prayers: Rev. Andrew Rumsey (Christ Church Gipsy Hill)

Hymn: Dear Lord and Father of mankind

Closing prayer: Rev. Canon George Ansah (Emmanuel Church West Dulwich)

Carl, Andrew, Kemi and Suzanne in Norwood Park

Norwood Park has topped the poll in a Lambeth-wide vote to win an extra £75,000 for the water play project in Norwood Park.  When we asked residents to give their support we knew they would rally round and were delighted by the magnificent response.

The existing paddling pool had fallen into a state of disrepair after years of neglect, but after a lot of hard work by the Friends of Norwood Park a grand total of £225,000 has now been secured from different funding sources to create a children’s water play area closer to the children’s playground on Salter Hill.

This latest victory means that a play area and other facilities can be developed for children of all ages and abilities, without cutting any corners.  The architects are taking on board the views of residents at the open day held of over the summer.  We will be pushing for the final design to blend in with the park and reflect the needs of local families.

We will continue to keep residents informed of developments and post any future news on this site.

Cllr Lewis Robinson and Kemi Adegoke at the dangerous junction of Lordship Lane and Dulwich Common.

That’s what local residents are telling us about the junction at Lordship Lane and Dulwich Common by the Harvester Public House which has no “pedestrian phasing” to enable residents to cross the road without the fear of oncoming traffic.

Your local councillors, Kim, Lewis and Michelle, together with Kemi Adegoke, Conservative Parliamentary Candidate for Dulwich have launched a petition calling on Transport for London (TfL) to introduce a “pedestrian phasing” as soon as possible, and we’re pleased to let you know that TfL have agreed to do this, but have yet to give us a date for the works. Our petition will be presented to TfL in order to demonstrate the local support to make the crossing safer and calls for them to get the works done as soon as possible.Cllr Michelle Holford said“We’ve been calling on TfL for several years to do these works. Many elderly residents have told me its like taking their life into their hands crossing the junction, and I’m delighted that under Mayor Boris TfL have finally seen sense.”

We also hope that TfL will modernize the light signals at the same time to ease the congestion around this junction. You can add your support to our petition by e-mailing Lewis at: lewis.robinson@southwark.gov.uk

 Millions of pounds lost as houses left to rot

 A 1000 Lambeth owned properties are being left vacant, resulting in £3.5m lost rental income every year.

 “I am shocked by this level of mismanagement,” says Conservative Parliamentary Candidate, Kemi Adegoke. “The £3.5m in lost rent is just the tip of the ice-berg in Labour’s failed management of our housing, locally and nationally. This could be spent on reduced rent and service charges. Local residents are punished for Labour’s incompetence.”

These properties could have been redeveloped to create homes for the 14,000 people on the housing waiting list. If they sold the properties this would have raised up to hundreds of millions of desperately needed funds.

 Letting properties become derelict makes streets ugly and increases antisocial behaviour. The council will not invest in developing these properties and refuses to sell them off swiftly, just leaving them there to rot.

“The Audit Commission has rightly fingered Lambeth Council and Lambeth Living,” says Kemi, “but the real problem lies with a Labour government obsessed with new and shiny things. Their high taxes on refurbishment have made it cheaper to build new than fix derelict properties and they restrict funding to new buildings.”

 Labour Lambeth Rewards Incompetence:

• Director of Housing Management – £100k per year + benefits
•  Director of Lambeth living £120k per year + benefits
• Consultants earning between £500 to £900 PER DAY – up to £4,000 per week!

The scandal in figures:

• 1,000 empty homes worth hundreds of millions of pounds.
• £3.5 million lost in rent EACH year.
• £9.9 million in uncollected tenant arrears.
• Doc1£20k added to postage costs this year after huge blunders with all of the borough’s leaseholders.

John (left) and the Veolia crew doing the rounds in West Norwood

Lambeth Conservative Group Leader John Whelan “wheelie binned” it for a day on October 30 to raise money for the children’s charity Barnardo’s. He volunteered for a shift as a bin man to raise money for the charity. And Lambeth’s waste contractor Veolia fixed for him to empty his own bin and those of his neighbours. They include two other West Norwood councillors—David Malone from Labour and Irene Kimm from the Conservatives.

Cllr Whelan has already raised £700 in sponsorship from friends, colleagues, and family for doing the round and has emerged with a new respect for the “professionalism” of Lambeth’s waste collectors. “The crew (see picture) were absolutely brilliant and incredibly caring,” he says. “Apart from one load of abuse from an impatient white van driver in Avenue Park Road which is a one way street, we only had compliments from the public. Or at least those residents of West Norwood who were awake at 0600 in the morning, or later on making their way to work.”

The fund raiser is part of a “team building “ task set by Cllr Whelan’s day time employer to send a team to run the Barnardo’s charity shop in Lambeth for a day on Thursday November 5. Already in the frame to visit the shop on Bonfire Day are local MP Kate Hoey, Conservative Parliamentary Candidate Glyn Chambers, Borough Commander Chief Superintendent Nick Ephgrave, and the Mayor of Lambeth Councillor Christopher Wellbelove who will preside over the drawing of a raffle.

A teenager was shot a few weeks ago on Norwood Road opposite Brockwell Park.

 “There are great things about Herne Hill. It is a shame that persistent issues of crime and antisocial behaviour are holding our community back” says Kemi.

 There are no quick fixes for addressing issues of violent crime. Already the Met’s Safer Neighbourhood Team is doing a great job.

 Many of the problems we face here are a result of failed licensing laws brought in by Tessa Jowell. Unfortunately for us, she does not live in the area and does not feel the effects of her policy decisions on local people.

 Many people feel helpless that there is nothing they can do to stop the increase in gun and knife crime in this community. The law does not allow local councils to reject applications even where there are too many late-night bars in an area. It is extremely difficult to change licenses even after complaints from residents and the police.

One way to address the problem is to give local residents direct control over the types of businesses that open up locally in order to ensure we develop a local night culture that is welcoming to all the people who live in Herne Hill.

 A Conservative government would give people the power to instigate referendums on local issues such as this and give more freedom to the local councils who are accountable to the people.

Vincennes war memorial on Carnac Street

We hope that residents will join us for this year’s annual Remembrance Day Service at the new Vincennes war memorial on Carnac Street SE27. The service will take place on Sunday 8 November from 3pm, followed by tea and biscuits at the nearby Emmanuel Church on Clive Road SE21.  The Upper Norwood Salvation Army Band will attend, in the presence of the Mayor of Lambeth.

The service is organised by the Emmanuel Church, Vincennes Estate Tenants and Residents Association and the Gipsy Hill Councillors.

CLICK HERE for a location map of the Vincennes war memorial.

An ‘Anti-Social Behaviour Surgery’ is taking place on Wednesday 4^th November from 3.00 to 6.00pm and provides an opportunity for local residents to come and talk about any concerns and fears concerning crime and anti-social behaviour to a council or police officer.  The venue will be:

Upper Norwood Resource Centre
Units 3-4 High Limes
Northwood Way
Central Hill Estate
London
SE19 1EX

The surgery will be an informal discussion so residents can drop in whenever they are able to and do not have to attend the whole event.  Andrew will also be present.

For more information call Lambeth Council’s Anti Social Behaviour Team on 020 7926 2836 or pwhite4@lambeth.gov.uk.

The No. 68 bus route is currently being reviewed along with 5 other routes in our area

Have your say on local bus routes

Transport for London (TfL) has started a review for some of the bus routes that serve our area – and we’d like to hear your views before the deadlines passes in November.

There are six routes that run through or around parts of Gipsy Hill ward in the review:

• 68
• N68
• N137
• 315
• 468
• 196

CLICK HERE for a map of these, and all other,bus routes in south east London.

The feedback will be taken into account when the existing contracts come up for renewal in 2011, so this is an ideal opportunity to have your say on what changes are needed to improve local bus services.  For example, does the frequency of a particular service need to be increased or a route changed to meet demand?

If you would like us to raise any specific issues with TfL about these routes, please get in touch with Carl no later than Wednesday 18 November. You can get in touch by email (carlbelgrove@gmail.com), phone (07900 958348) or write to our FREEPOST address:

GH Bus Review
FREEPOST SE5180
London SE27 9BP

Lambeth Council is proposing a 20mph zone in part of Upper Norwood

An opportunity to have your say on proposals for a 20mph zone

We have been urging the council to take the problem seriously and at last the council has listened to our concerns by considering the introduction of a 20mph zone in part of the Upper Norwood area within Gipsy Hill ward.

The council has now published the consultation documents with details about the new zone and the traffic calming measures that will accompany it.  Hard copies should be delivered to residents from the week beginning 2 November 2009, but you can also download copies from our website by using the links below.

• Background information and map of proposed speed humps
• Consultation questions
• Road safety leaflet

We understand that not all traffic calming measures are popular and therefore urge you to have your say in the consultation.  We will work with council officers to ensure that the views of all residents are taken into consideration and that road safety in the area is improved.  Let us know your views on the proposals by contacting Carl on carlbelgrove@gmail.com or filling in the reply box below.

Please note that the Council has set a deadline for responses on Friday 4 December 2009.

There are displays in Brockwell Park and Crystal Palace Park this year

For an exciting and safe fireworks night, this year there will be two public firework displays to the north and south of Gipsy Hill ward.  Both are taking place on Thursday 5 November.

Lambeth Council is organising a free display in Brockwell Park SE24.  Meanwhile, in Crystal Palace Park there will be two fireworks displays charging an admission fee – starting with a children’s display early in the evening and a funfair until 10pm.  Details are below, but do visit the respective websites for full details.