turtledove

I went to that meeting too and feel so strongly that we must take a stand to stop the doubling of this festival. Please, everyone, email [email protected], quoting GALA consultation SWKEVE000569, to make your objections. We have until 7th February to do so. For what it's worth, these are some of the points I raised. - I enjoy music festivals, in the appropriate setting. But I've never been to one which is fewer than 30 metres from many people's bedroom windows, across six nights, two weekends in a row. That experience is genuinely torturous to inflict on a community. - Gala's event is entirely unsuitable for a residential neighbourhood which is predominantly populated by families with young children. During a Zoom call on the evening of 25th January, the organisers admitted that only 12 per cent of festival goers came from SE15 and SE22 postcodes. Of course, Southwark should be a welcoming borough, but it is effectively being asked to host a party for 42,000 people (up from 27,000 last year), aimed primarily at 20-30-year-olds from other boroughs but impacting hugely on 0-10-year olds and people aged 40+ living in SE22 - The roads closest to the park are populated by many families with young children. 10.30pm might seem like an early finish, but that's three hours after most young children's bedtimes - three hours in which the music is so loud in our house that we can't even hear each other speak. It might be possible to go away for one weekend, as we have sometimes tried to do in the past, but two weekends in a row is unaffordable and unreasonable. Every child in the vicinity is therefore looking at 18 hours of broken sleep in a week - Gala's application describes it as 'an increase of 3 days of event activity'. In reality, there would be at least 25 days where access to our local park would be ruined. These are often some of the best days of the calendar, straddling the June half-term and the beginning of warm weather. This will have a hugely negative impact on all local residents. The organisers say that it's only 12.5 per cent of the park, but it's 100 per cent of the park that we use. It also ruins the enjoyment of the rest of the space, which is very difficult to access for the thousands of families who live on the west side of the park - To make matters worse, Gala has a poor track record of clearing up their damage afterwards. It has taken months for repairs to be carried out, with the result that the park is less enjoyable throughout the rest of the summer and early autumn as well. Gala leaves, with their profits; we live through the results of their negligence - In Southwark's Notice of Decision of 19th May 2022, the committee heard from "the applicant's legal representative who advised that the application was amended to read the maximum capacity would be 9,999 and would take place for a maximum of three days for each calendar year". - I would probably support a weekend festival on the main part of the Rye, where the circus and the fair appear each year; I will just about tolerate one weekend a year in its current spot; but two consecutive weekends... never!

I'd like to add another heartfelt recommendation for Niko. We'd had problems with a bedroom radiator for ages, which another plumber had struggled to fix. Niko came round straight away and solved it. He also gave some very useful longer-term advice. We'd definitely use him again.

Another recommendation for PJ from us. He undertook a really big project, installing a new kitchen from scratch following an extension. Tasks included everything from floor laying to painting to unit assembly. He?s a really nice and friendly bloke and was happy to make return visits to fix any snagging items.

Another vote for Tony: he was really quick and responsive when I contacted him via text message; the quote was reasonable; and he cleared and fixed our guttering and drainpipe very promptly. A really nice bloke, too. We'd definitely use him again.

Hello, we're looking for a cleaner to come for three hours every week. We live in a four-bedroom house on Friern Road. Do please get in touch if you have any recommendations.

Hello, anyone know of any shops in the area which repair Henry Hoovers? I've spent a few hours fumbling with YouTube videos and screwdrivers and think it's time to call in the professionals. Many thanks.

I'd recommend Atanas and his team without the slightest reservation. They did a big project on our house in two stages - painting and plastering from top to bottom; and later refurbishing two bathrooms and a downstairs loo. Atanas is very knowledgeable and honest and a delight to deal with, while all his men are polite and very hard-working. Pricing was competitve and straight-forward and the work was done to a very high standard. We'd definitely use him again.

I can't recommend Maurice enough. We've just moved to the area and he came round straight away and checked all our plumbing, including the cold water tank in the loft. He made a number of rapid repairs, and he was very friendly and professional and reasonably priced. I now have him on speed dial.