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Author: Chair

Bromley council plan £40m cuts

Bromley have unveiled a plan to slash £40m from their budget over the next four years. The proposed cuts include:

  • Closing either Anerley or Penge library
  • Shutting 20 out of 23 children’s centres
  • No more school lollipop crossing patrols
  • Scrapping grants for school uniform purchase for the borough’s poorest families
  • Volunteers in Child Protection scheme part of the Bromley Children’s Project axed
  • Park security patrols will be reduced
  • Park toilets to be closed
  • Introduce car parking charges at countryside sitesReduce councillors from 60 to 40, but this can’t be done until elections in 2014
  • £800,000 will be stripped from sheltered housing

    • The largest cuts in the borough’s budget in living memory – yet you’d struggle to find any news about this on the Bromley website

    http://www.bromley.gov.uk/

Waterlink Way – car-free cycling heaven!

Like cycling but don’t like traffic? Then why not take advantage of one of the south-east’s best cycle paths? It’s right on your doorstep and almost all the route is off-road along well-signposted tarmac and concrete paths.   

The Waterlink Way allows you to cycle north from SE26 to Greenwich along the banks of the Pool and Ravensbourne rivers all the way to Greenwich. Head south, in the other direction and the route takes you through Kelsey Park to South Norwood Country Park and beyond – all the way to Eastbourne if your legs can carry you that far! 

Access the park from the end of the spine road to the left-hand side of the Savacentre at Bell Green or further north at the end of Selworthy Road.   

The Waterlink Way is part of  National Cycle Network Route 21. From Greenwich you can access Route 4 (the Thames Path) or push your bike through the Greenwich foot tunnel to join more car-free cycle routes on the Isle of Dogs. 

For further details of the Waterlink Way see: 

www.sustrans.org.uk/sustrans-near-you/london/easy-rides-in-london/waterlink-way 

Main photo courtesy of Pollards Hill Cyclists 

www.flickr.com/photos/pollardshillcyclists/

Lewisham’s Mayor – January enewsletter

As I mentioned in my last e-news before Christmas we will be reducing the number issues of Lewisham Life this year. The Council will be supplementing the printed editions of the magazine with a much improved electronic newsletter, which we will launch in April. This will highlight important news and service updates and help you get the very best out of living, working and learning in Lewisham.

 New Cross Fire

Tuesday 18 January marks the 30th anniversary of the New Cross Fire, one of the most tragic and painful events in Lewisham’s history, which resulted in the loss of the lives of 14 young people.

A number of events are taking place to commemorate this significant anniversary. A special memorial service will take place at St Andrew’s Church in Brockley on Sunday 16 January and it will be my honour to lead the borough in remembering the victims of the fire at this event. On 18 January, a commemorative plaque will be unveiled at the site of the fire – 439 New Cross Road, SE14.

In 2006 I established a lasting memorial to the young victims of the fire. The annual New Cross Bursary Scheme helps two young people achieve their potential at university, something, tragically denied to the fire victims. Each year the bursaries are awarded to Lewisham educated students to support them through their study at Goldsmiths, University of London. The latest recipients will be receiving their bursaries at a special ceremony at Goldsmiths on 18 January.

The memorial service, the plaque unveiling and the bursary scheme are all significant ways that will ensure we continue to remember and I hope all residents will join me in remembering and reflecting upon these tragic events.

More new schools

During these difficult times it’s a welcome change to let you know about a good news story. Unlike many other local authorities the Building Schools for the Future programme was not cancelled in Lewisham due to the fact that we were so advanced in the scheme. Just before Christmas contracts were signed as we reached financial close on the fourth phase of the scheme.

The signing of these contracts means that work will begin this year on building a brand new special school for pupils with autistic spectrum disorder (ASD), a new all-age school (Prendergast Vale College), and the rebuilding of two secondary schools, Bonus Pastor Catholic College and Prendergast Hilly Fields College. I remain determined to provide our younger residents the facilities they need to achieve their goals and aspirations. I look forward to keeping you updated  on these exciting developments.

Greyhound pub wall competition entries now on view at the Kirkdale Bookshop

The developers of the Greyhound site in Sydenham have incorporated in their plans a bespoke design and installation of a piece of public art to cover the north elevation wall of the refurbished Greyhound pub. This wall will form one side of a public walkway from Spring Hill to the public space around the pub.

A competition to design the public artwork is being organised by the Sydenham Arts Festival (Visual Arts Team) in association with the Sydenham Society.

Entries for the competition are now on view at the Kirkdale Bookshop and there is a book for visitors to make comments. The entries will be judged by a panel in the next few weeks.

Sydenham Road Improvement Scheme delayed yet again. No work on Sydenham Road until 2012

The long-awaited Sydenham Road Improvement Scheme, first proposed by the Sydenham Society in 2001, has been delayed yet again. At the Sydenham Assembly, a report from council officer Andy Frazer was presented. The report  states that no work would start on Sydenham Road until 2012 and that work on Sydenham Approach would not now start until August/September 2011.

Work on the scheme had already been postponed for a year  at the end of 2009 due to water and gas repairs on Sydenham Road.

For full report see:

TN 35-02 Sydenham Assembly update 130111

Could Crystal Palace athletics stadium be redeveloped as part of Tottenham FC’s Olympic Stadium bid?

Tottenham FC will offer a 20,000-seat redevelopment of Crystal Palace as the legacy component of their bid to occupy the Olympic stadium after the 2012 Games.

Spurs are bidding against West Ham for the arena, and want to demolish the £500 million 85,000-seat stadium and rebuild a 60,000 football ground from scratch without a running track.

With West Ham promising to retain the athletics track in a mixed-use community based stadium, Tottenham’s plan falls well short of the athletics legacy promised by the 2012 Olympic bid.

But while West Ham remain the first choice of many stakeholders, doubts over the financial strength of their offer have increased in recent weeks, and senior figures in government and the Olympic project are now open to the athletics legacy lying outside the stadium.

Photo coutesy of diamond geezer http://www.flickr.com/photos/dgeezer/271726811

http://diamondgeezer.blogspot.com

Tree planting in Horniman Gardens to celebrate Jewish New Year for Trees

On Sunday 30th January, Bromley Synagogue is planting a tree in Horniman Gardens to celebrate the Jewish New Year for Trees (Tu b’Shavat) and to remember Janusz Korczak.  This year is the 100th anniversary of the visit to Forest Hill of Janusz Korczak who, together with the children in his care, perished in the Holocaust. More details of Korczak visit to Forest Hill can be found at http://sydenhamforesthillhistory.blogspot.com/2009/08/who-was-janusz-korczak.html

Bromley Synagogue would like to welcome the local community to join us for a short ceremony planting the tree at 2pm on Sunday 30th January in Horniman Gardens (close to the Sunken Garden – see map).

For further details please contact Michael Abrahams 07740-449234

The photograph above shows Rabbi Tony Hammond and Hilary Jarrett, Chair of Friends of Mayow Park planting a tree in Mayow Park in 2010

Events for adults and kids at Mayow Park Community Garden

The attractive community garden at the rear of the pavilion in Mayow Park is running a number of events for adults who want get their hands dirty and for children to learn about gardening and nature:

KIDS NATURE WATCH CLUB Theme: Make winter bird feedersEvery first Sunday of the month – Starts Sunday 6 February 2011
10am – 12pm
Sessions cost £1 per session.
Kids ages 3 to 12
Parents and grandparents join free

  
PROJECT GROW: CHILDREN’S PERMACULTURE CLUB  

Every last Sunday of the month – Starts Sunday 27 February
Time 11 -1pm
£ 3 p child/ £2 consessions
children ages 8 to 12

GET YOUR HANDS DIRTY

Tuesdays & Thursdays – Volunteer workdays 9-3pm

Just turn up and we will show you around, take your details and get you gardening!

Please wear suitable clothing and sturdy footwear. Refreshments & protective gloves will be provided.

Celebrate Burns Night – All In One 7.30pm Tuesday 25 January

The Forest Hill Society are helping to organise this always popular annual event and will provide an authentic Forest Hill Scot to address the haggis.  If you’d like to wear a kilt or recite some Burns poetry, then that would be great.

Book directly with the pub on 020-8699-3311. £14.95 per person   All Inn One (The Foresters)

Here’s the menu:

Cock – a – Leekie Soup orVegetarian Scotch Broth  

****

Haggis, Neeps and Tatties

(Traditional or Vegetarian Haggis)

****

Cranachan

****Complimentary nip of scotch whisky to toast the bard

Willow Lodge, 11 Westwood Hill, to be refurbished for housing

Willow Lodge on Westwood Hill which has lain redundant since 2008, is to be brought back into use for housing. Owners of the site, London and Quadrant, plan to reconstruct and refurbish the existing building to provide a one bedroom and 9, two bedroom self-contained flats. The rear of the existing building will be  demolished and  a new three storey “villa block” constructed which will provide 3, two bedroom self-contained flats and 3, three bedroom houses.

Frontage main block
Main block from communal garden
Villa block from communal garden

For full details of the planning application see:

http://acolnet.lewisham.gov.uk/LEWIS-XSLPagesDC/acolnetcgi.exe?ACTION=UNWRAP&RIPNAME=Root.PgeResultDetail&TheSystemkey=61765