Ladywell CPZ Consultation - coming through a letterbox near you any day now!

I've just heard that the long-awaited Ladywell CPZ (controlled parking zone) consultation documents are back from the printers today, and distribution to local households could start as soon as this weekend. Regular readers will know that this is something many local residents have been requesting for several years and we have been flagging up their concerns to highways and Mayor & Cabinet since 2006.

You can see the map of the area they plan to consult here, and the consultation document should also be available to download on the Council website soon. The form just says the rather vague 'return within three weeks' as they don't want to put off those who are on holiday from completing the form when they get back. I've been assured that they will accept forms right up until they start compiling the results, which will be in about six weeks time.

An exhibition of the proposals, where there will also be a chance to discuss them with highways officers, will be held next Friday and Saturday at the Wearside depot:

Friday 17 July 2009 from 10am to 8pm
Saturday 18 July 2009 from 10am to 5pm
at The Visitor Centre, Wearside Depot,
Wearside Road, London SE13 7BR

Previously I've been fairly ambivalent about CPZs, not being a car-owner myself, and I'm still not a staunch advocate, but over recent years I've become more convinced of the merits of a CPZ in the Ladywell area because:

• We get lots of complaints from residents who say they can't park in their street due to commuters parking in the area then going to the train station/hospital/town centre. We then get residents leaving out traffic cones to reserve 'their' parking space, causing conflict and tension between drivers.
• A CPZ won't magically enable residents to park their car outside their house, but it should increase their chances of being able to park their car somewhere near their house.
• While to an extent a CPZ simply displaces the problem to outside the zone, it may also prompt a few people to leave their car at home and use public transport.
• The extension of the Lewisham CPZ in the Loampit Vale and top of Algernon Road area a few years back has had a negative knock-on effect on the rest of Algernon Road and surrounding streets.
  
• The proposed developments in Lewisham Town Centre are likely to create extra pressure on parking spaces in the area, and if residents of the new homes can't park there (they won't get residents parking permits), they may well look to park in Ladywell.
  
• The consultation also asks for views on some extra short stay parking at the top of roads adjoining Ladywell Road. This is something that local shopkeepers often cite as being lacking and key to their business.
• The consultation also offers the opportunity to get more car club spaces in the area, which again has been shown to reduce car ownership and free up parking space on roads.
• The more CPZs we have in the borough, the more revenue in the highways budget to sort out the appalling state of roads in this area. Boroughs such as Camden which is almost entirely CPZ, have significantly more revenue to spend on resurfacing works than Lewisham does.
  

So I anticipate returning my form in favour of the CPZ, and in support of car club spaces and more short stay parking near businesses, but I will wait until after the drop in event to make my mind up for sure.

Whatever your views on CPZs, it's important that if you live in the area you respond and make your views known. Unlike some consultations where it seems that the decision has already been made, that is not the case with CPZs - Lewisham's policy is that they only go ahead when a clear majority in the area are in favour, so do make sure your voice is heard.

"Green Team for Ladywell for 2010?!"

Well, not quite, but it may have got a few people's attention! I thought this photo of Ute after judging the 'Best Scarecrow' competition at the Ladywell Day Centre Summer Fete today deserved a wider audience. Surely the one with the rather bling jewellery and leopard skin tights would be enough to scare even the most hardy of London pigeons!

As always, the fete was a great event, with users of day centres from across the borough coming to Ladywell for the day. There were a wide range of arts and crafts, plants and cakes for sale, many produced by centre users. I bought a few bizzie lizzies for my garden which were grown by the gardening group at the centre.

As for Green Party candidates for the May 2010 local council elections, we have now put out the formal call for nominations to our party members, with a deadline for the first tranche of wards at the beginning of September. We are keen to recruit a diverse range of candidates from all sectors of the community. If you're interested in finding out more about what standing as a candidate and (potentially) being a councillor involves, feel free to e-mail me with you contact details to discuss further. You would need to be a party member before the close of nominations and broadly agree with our principles and policies of course!

Mast Proposal: railway line between Foxborough Gardens and Prendergast Ladywell Fields School

I've received notification from Network Rail that they plan to put a 15m monopole mast on the stretch of line between Foxborough Gardens and Prendergast Ladywell Fields (formerly Crofton School).

The letter says that the mast is part of plans by Network Rail to "rollout a nationwide Railways Communications System across the entire network" and that this new radio system will for the very first time, allow direct and continuous communication between train drivers and signallers which will improve safety, reliability and punctuality on the rail network".

The letter says that they are aware that the construction of any mast may be of concern to residents who live nearby and that they plan to notify those residents before construction takes place, with information on the new system and a 24-hour helpline for any questions or queries. It also says that they are in discussion with Lewisham's Planning Department, but that they believe the mast falls within their permitted development rights to maintain and ensure the safe operation of the railway.

As far as I can tell from the map, the nearest homes to the proposed site are in Sinclair Place (just off Manwood Road) and the homes in Foxborough Gardens that back onto the railway line.

I don't have any more information about the type of mast being proposed or what the potential risks are, but I thought I should flag it up to readers, as I know that those concerned about the proliferation of mobile masts recently (eg of the Ladywell water tower in nearby Dressington Avenue) may want to be informed.

Who do you want to see running Lewisham Schools?

Lewisham Council has recently announced two consultations on major changes to how a number of schools in Lewisham are run.

Goldsmiths Education Partnership - this proposal is asking for views on three schools in the north of the borough (Addey & Stanhope, Deptford Green and Crossways Academy) joining forces with Goldsmiths to form 'Goldsmiths Education Partnership'.
Catford High and Colfe's Education Partnership - this proposal is asking for views on Catford High and the fee-paying Colfe's School forming an 'education partnership' (while remaining as separate schools).

In both cases, the consultation period is short, and responses need to be received by 20th July for the Goldsmiths proposal and 22nd July for the Colfe's proposal.

Why is the Council making these proposals?
The arguments being put forward by officers and heads of these schools (and presumably with the support of Mayor & Cabinet, although it hasn't been formally discussed by them yet, as far as I know) is that this is the best way to achieve rapid improvements in these schools, and that the schools will benefit from the resources of Goldsmiths and Colfe's.

There has been no debate or vote taken at a Council level on either of these proposals, and they haven't been looked at by the Children and Young People Scrutiny Committee yet.

And the other side of the argument?
I atttended a public meeting organised by the NUT and Defend Education in Lewisham about the Goldsmiths proposal earlier this week, which over 80 local residents, parents, teachers and trade union members took part in.

I don't think anyone at the meeting was opposed to closer links between the 3 schools and Goldsmiths, but there was considerable concern that the proposals would result in a reduction in community and parental say in how the schools are run.

Under the proposals, rather than each school having its own governing body, with a combination of local authority, parent and staff governors, there would be one overarching governing body.

Local blogger Transpontine has a good summary of what this would mean in the case of the proposed Goldsmiths Partnership:

"The Goldsmiths Education Partnership (GEP) will have two levels of governance - the GEP Trust itself and the federated governing body that will replace the three current school governing bodies. The Trust will have six trustees, three nominated in perpetuity by Goldsmiths and one each initially by the governing bodies of Deptford Green, Crossways and Addey & Stanhope Schools. Each of the three nominated by the present governing bodies will be replaced on resignation by a nominee of the federated governing body of the three schools.

There is no requirement that any of these Trustees will be parent governors or staff governors. In fact the proposal does not specify how many parent or staff governors there will actually be - though by definiton a single governing body for three schools will have less parents involved than three governing bodies. It is proposed that the Goldsmiths Education Partnership will nominate the majority of the governors to the governing body - so there is a circular process in which Goldsmiths dominates the Trust which in turn determines the majority of governors, who then nominate the non-Goldsmiths members of the Trust. The proposal does say that 'each school will be legally required to set up a Parent Council which governors must consult so that more parents can be involved than would usually sit on the governing bodies'. The problem is that being consulted is not the same as actually having seats at the table where decisions are taken.

The proposal also mentions that 'The Trust may include an additional partner from the public or private sector able to make a complementary contribution' and that this partner may also nominate one or two additional Trustees. Without knowing who this partner is it is difficult to say much more, but clearly this would build in an automatic majority for Goldsmiths and the partner on the Trust, further marginalising the already limited scope for parent governor influence on it."

I don't think anyone is arguing against improving schools, and building good links with other local institutions such as Goldsmiths, but not at the cost of reducing still further any democratic input that parents and the local community have into how our schools are run. What is basically being proposed is a hard federation, similar to what is proposed for the new school, and which we argued against, for the same reasons.

The Catford High/Colfe's proposal is slightly different. The consultation document states:

"Catford High School would be a Colfe’s Associate School. It would remain a state school and have its own governing body, constituted outside the requirements of The School Governance (Constitution) (England) Regulations 2007, to include the Head Teacher of Colfe’s, and to allow Colfe’s to appoint other governors to strengthen the governing body significantly. The reconstituted Catford Governing body would report into the main Colfe’s Board, which would have responsibility to steer it and offer advice. The Catford Governing Body would have representation on the main Colfe’s Board and would take account of its views in deciding the strategic direction of the school and in making key operational decisions. Catford High School would change its name to reflect its aspirations and the new partnership."

As I understand it, this proposal seems to be about rebranding Catford High by associating it with the name of a prestigious private school, and a small number of the most academically-gifted pupils from Catford High may get bursaries to study in the sixth form at Colfe's. A further argument put forward is that with the 'Goldsmiths Partnership' proposal and the Prendergast hard federation already agreed, Catford High will be left out in the cold and isolated if it doesn't jump into bed with Colfe's. The document doesn't say why Catford High couldn't work in close collaboration with any of the other schools in Lewisham, eg Forest Hill, Sedgehill, Sydenham or Northbrook. I'm really not convinced and am again concerned that it will result in less parental and community say in how the school is run, the perpetuation of an 'us and them' two-tier system and giving an elite, fee-paying school a big say in how a community school is run.

I'm deeply concerned by both of these proposals, and the Green Group will be submitting reponses to both consultations. Whatever your views, I would urge you to do the same and have your say. I am concerned that the timing of these consultations, just as schools are breaking up for the summer holidays, means they might slip through 'under the radar' of many local people and parents.

Sunninghill Road: CPZ Consultation

If you are a resident of Sunninghill Road, you should be receiving a consultation booklet in the next few days asking whether you would like the Lewisham Controlled Parking Zone (which currently abuts Sunninghill Road) extended to include Sunninghill Road. This consultation is being carried out in response to residents' concerns about parking difficulties in the road, which have been compounded by the opening of the new medical centre, as well as the adjacent CPZ. I know this is something that Ute followed up on residents' behalf.

Whatever your views on CPZs, it's important that if you live in Sunninghill Road you respond and make your views known. Unlike some consultations where it seems that the decision has already been made, that is not the case with CPZs - Lewisham's policy is that they only go ahead when a clear majority in the area are in favour, so do make sure your voice is heard.

If you don't receive a copy of the consultation, do let me know - it should be available on the Council's website soon too.

Response to Loampit Vale Planning Application

The application for the major redevelopment of part of Loampit Vale, adjacent to Cornmill Gardens, is going to strategic planning committee for decision in a couple of weeks.

I have submitted the following comments from Ute, Mike and me, which we hope reflect some of the concerns local residents have expressed to us about the impact this development will have on neighbouring roads and local facilities, as well as our own thoughts.

I should stress that these comments are just from the three of us and are not a formal Green group position, as our councillor who sits on strategic planning needs to be free to make his decision based on valid planning grounds and without pre-determination.

Planning Application DC/09/71246/X: Land South Side of Loampit Vale, London, SE13 - submission by Ladywell ward councillors

While in principle we welcome the building of a new leisure centre, new retail and housing units on this site, we have grave concerns about some aspects of the proposals.

We formally object to the height of the buildings proposed. 24 storeys is too high and will tower over Cornmill Gardens and the surrounding area. The fact that there is a very ugly tower (Citibank) adjacent to the site should not act as a precedent to build more. We are supportive of high-density developments in areas with such good public transport links, but would argue that this is overdevelopment.

In addition we would like to flag up other concerns about the proposed scheme, which we would like to see addressed:

1. The impact on existing services, in particular GP services: residents in our ward are concerned that the existing facilities at St John’s Medical Centre are insufficient to cope with an additional 2,000 patients. What work has been done on the impact this development will have on local health services, as well as school places?

2. The impact on neighbouring streets from increased traffic as a result of the development: a controlled parking zone is already in place in part of the surrounding area and a consultation on extending this to further parts of Ladywell is due to commence shortly. Would the stated principle that residents of the new flats will not be eligible to apply for permits for CPZs be confirmed in writing by the Council if the application was successful? What measures will be taken to prevent neighbouring streets such as Algernon Road, Ellerdale Street, Marsala Road, Sandrock Road and Undercliff Road becoming rat-runs and through routes to and from the development?

3. Low level of social housing: while we welcome the fact that a reasonable percentage of the social housing proposed comprises larger, family units, we are concerned that the overall level of homes for social rent in the development is only 19%, and affordable housing overalls is only 24% including intermediate housing. This is below the borough’s stated threshold for developments of this size and does not sufficiently contribute to addressing the dire shortage of affordable housing in the borough.

4. If the committee is minded to pass the application, we would request that S106 contributions for improvements to the railway bridges and the footpath on Loampit Vale are added as a condition. We are concerned that with the new development, the existing businesses further up Loampit Vale and Loampit Hill, which are already struggling, will become even more marginalised.

We would welcome efforts to improve the streetscape along the lower part of Loampit Vale, but urge that these improvements are carried out further up as well, as far as the junction with Tyrwhitt Road, to help connect the two parts of Loampit more successfully than is currently the case. We would suggest that this should include the planting of street trees, installation of cycle racks outside shops and funds for a community artwork project under the railway bridge arches, which are currently an eyesore.

5. We welcome the fact that the leisure centre will reach BREEAM excellent. We acknowledge that code for sustainable homes level 4 is better than many developments in the borough are currently reaching, but given this is such a landmark development and considering the lifetime of the building, we would like to have seen it reach level 5.

6. We welcome the CHP and the potential for this to be used in the future by the neighbouring school, but 11% on site energy generation is lower than the London Plan specifies and leaves future residents exposed to high levels of energy insecurity in a future with dwindling oil supplies and high energy prices.

7. Is there any provision for on site composting of food waste? The volume of waste generated on site will create considerable extra vehicle movements and carbon footprints if it is all to be processed remotely.

8. In the travel plan it mentions the provision of 8 spaces for car club cars – this is to be welcomed, but we would urge that at least some of these are in publicly accessible areas so the wider community can benefit, as suggested, not just in the private car park.

Exotic Ladywell!

Agapanthus, mallow, fig trees . . . plants more reminiscent perhaps of Cornwall, the Scilly Isles or somewhere more exotic, but all these photos were of course taken on Ladywell Road. Just a couple of shots of the planters LVIG volunteers potted up a few weeks ago, and below a few of the more recent additions from last weekend's follow up session, plus the rather impressive display of wares in front of Ladywell DIY at the moment.

Things are progressing along here, slowly but surely, and I'm particularly pleased with the way local businesses have adopted and are watering some of the planters. Still waiting for the long promised highways works to sort out the pavement on the corner of Algernon and remove the railings where safe to do so.

Coming up this week: Brockley Fun Run and Open Studios

Lots happening locally over the next week or so:

• Friday is the Broc Soc post-summer fayre BBQ by the Stone Circle, on Hilly Fields, 7.30pm onwards, for all those who helped organise the Broc Soc Summer Fayre.
• Brockley Open Studios is taking place this weekend from Saturday to Monday. This is when artists living and working in the area open their studios to the public. The event has been held annually since 1992. Enjoy the opportunity to meet and buy direct from the artist and viewtheir work in a relaxed and friendly atmosphere.
• Brockley Fun Run: Ute has already blogged about this - just a quick reminder that this is taking place this Sunday.
• Lewisham Green Drinks: Monday 6th July, 7pm onwards, Mr Lawrence Wine Bar, 389 Brockley Road. For anyone who lives or works locally and has an interest in green issues.
• See the calendar on the sidebar for more details and for a few events beyond next week.
  

BTW, for those not in the know, Moira's e-mail list is a great way to get regular updates on local art, music and cultural events: it's well worth getting yourself added to the list if you're not already on it.

Lewisham Greens call for tightening of licensing laws in proposals to Sustainable Communties Act

I've blogged before about the Sustainable Communities Act (Greens were active in lobbying for the bill before it came law, along with a host of NGOs, and pro-active in making sure Lewisham was one of the first local authorities in the country to sign up to the act). Over the past few weeks we've been mulling over possible proposals to submit under the act. The deadline for submissions to Lewisham Council (who appoint a Citizen's Panel to consider them) was today.

Ute worked with local residents who had been active in opposing the opening of the new betting shop on Brockley Road to look at loopholes in national gambling legislation and ways it could be strengthened to give local authorities greater control over the number of gambling premises opening in a particular area. The proposal was put before Ladywell Assembly on Tuesday and passed unanimously.

Meanwhile, spurred on by this, (although rather last minute) I contacted New Cross residents active in the campaign against the White Hart operating as a lap dancing club, to see if they were planning to submit any proposal under the act. We submitted a proposal today, based on suggestions made by OBJECT, with details of the local campaign as evidence of support. It was jointly submitted by members of the Stop the Strip campaign, myself and Ute, as well as the three councillors for Telegraph Hill ward (a rare but welcome example of a bit of cross party working between Greens, Socialists and Labour!). The gist of our proposal was a) to close the loop-holes that mean some sex establishments currently escape needing a licence and b) calling for applicants for new licences to give evidence of benefit to the local community from their proposal.

In addition, Transition Brockley have submitted a long list of proposals designed to help the local community become more resilient in the face of climate change and dwindling energy supplies, including proposals to support local food growing, small businesses and home insulation.

Now we need to wait and see how the process to decide which proposals Lewisham's Citizens Panel decides to submit to the Local Government Association, which proposals the LGA submits to the government, and if the government agrees to them or not!

Something for the weekend?

It's that time of year when there are loads of things happening and tomorrow (Saturday) is no exception with two excellent local events.

In the morning LVIG are having the second of their planting days. These will be using 4 planters that we previously bought with our localities fund for Loampit Vale and Loampit Hill, but which TfL said had to be moved. We will be looking at alternatives ways to cheer up the Loampit streetscape soon (eg trying to persuade TfL to plant some trees along there, or let us do so), but in the meantime look forward to brightening up Ladywell Road some more. To help with the planting day, meet outside Masons at 10am.

Hot on the heels of the planting day, comes Gordonbrock Primary School's Summer Carnival, which is being held at the school from 12-3pm. Friends of Gordonbrock (FOG) invite you to come along and join in the fun. Highlights will include: Bouncy castle, Beat the goalie, coconut shy, games, arts & crafts, music performances, Tai Kwon Do displays, International Cuisine. BBQ, tombola, community stalls, Pimms and strawberries and much, much more….

LVIG's planting day last month was a great success with lots of local residents flexing their green fingers.

Anyone want to buy a shop on Ladywell Road?

Regular readers of this blog will know that we've been pushing for some time for action to bring the empty shops along Ladywell Road back into use. Well, fingers crossed, our persistant nagging, together with the invaluable work of LVIG over the last year in raising the profile of Ladywell Road, and the scrutiny work my committee carried out into how the Council deals with empty properties, may have resulted in some progress at long last.

One of the properties that was causing particular concern was 46 Ladywell Road, the former 'Nightwatch' shop, which has been in a poor state for many years, with a pigeon infestation due to a hole in the roof and a very dilapidated shop front. After a number of attempts the Council made contact with the owner and a notice was served to repair the property or the Council would carry out the works in default and place a charge on the property. Given the cost and scale of the repair works required, the owner has opted to sell.

The property has recently been placed with King Sturge and is likely to be auctioned on 7th October. Anyone interested in viewing the property should in the first instance contact Felix Riggs at the Blackheath branch on 020 70875327.

It needs someone with a fair amount of money to invest in repairing it as it's in a pretty poor state, but I'm told that quite a few people have already shown interest. (NB: the residents of Ladywell would really, really like a shop selling decent fresh food please, or maybe a dentist, not a fried chicken place, money transfer shop or betting shop please!)

The second property that has been empty an awfully long time is the 'Snack Bar' shop at 40 Ladywell Road, next door to Masons. Lewisham's empty homes officer has now made contact with the owners of this property, who apparently are also keen to sell. If you're interested, the best way to contact them is in writing to 40 Ladywell Road.

Meanwhile members of LVIG have been working hard to try and find a premises to open a community shop. There are looking either for a landlord willing to let their premises on favourable terms for the first few months, while the business gets established, or alternatively, a landlord willing to consider a Meanwhile use, until they find someone to let the unit at market rate. There has been a lot of talk locally and nationally about encouraging shop owners to let community groups etc rent their shops until the economy picks up and other businesses come along, and LVIG are busy putting a plan together in the hopes of being able to pilot such a scheme locally.

63a Loampit Hill: the long-running saga with this empty property continues. The Council is pursuing legal action to recover its costs on this building (around £22,000) and to bring it back into use. The previous owner died intestate and all attempts to contact his estate had failed, but since Council legal proceedings commenced, there have been signs of someone starting to clear the premises . . .

Local funding, Ladywell Fields and betting shops

These are the main agenda items for the next Ladywell Assembly, which is going to take place on Tuesday, 23 June from 7-9pm at Prendergast School, in the new science block on Adelaide Avenue, SE4 1JL. The Assembly is open to anyone who lives, works or studies in the ward, so please come along and have your say!

Tomorrow the Assembly is going to decide on allocating part of the Mayor's Fund (£50k available for the ward) to local activities and improvement projects which have come out of round table discussions at previous assemblies and have been costed and worked up in more detail. Four proposals will be presented - three on youth provision and one to fund urban design work to develop plans to improve Ladywell Road. The Assembly is going to vote on which and how many of those projects should be taken forward with formal applications to be submitted to Mayor & Cabinet for final approval. A second round of proposals is planned for the September Assembly.

This will be followed by a presentation of plans for Ladywell Fields. Following the successful transformation of the north field thanks to EU funding (the QUERCUS project), an application for national funds to undertake work in the middle and south fields has also been successful. Initial consultation with stakeholders and public exhibitions are currently under way and this will be an opportunity to find out more. Technically Ladywell Fields aren't in Ladywell ward (the railway line is the ward boundary with Lewisham Central), but they are very much part of the community and used and enjoyed by residents, and this presentation should be very interesting.

A proposal will be submitted to the Assembly urging the government to change national legislation in order to stop the proliferation of betting shops that has set in in particular since the new Gambling Act came into force in 2007. Ladywell and Brockley's recent experience of unsuccessfully opposing yet another betting shop in the area has been replicated not only across London but also up and down the country. The Sustainable Communities Act now enables local communities, groups and individuals to make proposals for a change in legislation that, if agreed, would give communities more power to shape things locally and live in a more sustainable way.

The meeting will be rounded off with community updates with news of what's happening in the area.

Run and have fun!

Close on the heels of Brockley Max Festival and Hilly Fields Fayre comes another local highlight, the second Brockley Fun Run, which is going to take place in Hilly Fields on Sunday, 5 July.

It's a 5 km route, and runners, walkers and families are all welcome. My fellow councillor Dean Walton from Brockley ward and I have registered at Hilly Fields Fayre on Saturday, and we both hope that as many people as possible will be entering. We are starting with very different goals - Dean wants to beat last year's time, and due to an ankle injury earlier in the year and too much comfort food during my mother's long illness I am running just for the fun of it.

The event is organised by Brockley Cross Action Group and sponsored by both Ladywell and Brockley ward Localities Funds, which means children under 12 can enter for free. I am particularly pleased with this as it is such a great opportunity to be active and have fun without costing anything, right on the doorstep.

For anyone aged 12 and above the advance registration fee is only £5 (£10 on the day). Registration is online at http://www.runnersworld.co.uk/ or in person at the Broca coffee shop, 4 Coulgate Street, Brockley SE4 2RW.

I hasten to add that this is happening at the same weekend as Brockley Open Studios. Now in its 17th year, local artists open their doors again from 4-6 July to present their recent work. Quite a few artists are actually based in Ladywell, and all of the 42 participating artists are just a walk or a short cycle ride away. For further information and artists' details see http://www.brockleyopenstudios.co.uk/.