fishboy

I've managed to edit a video I took the other night to isolate the calls - any ideas anyone? (Yes I know I should've used an audio recorder but I didn't have one on my phone and didn't want to miss it!) VID_20240113_004128878.mp4~2.mp4 VID_20240113_004128878.mp4~3.mp4

Has anyone else heard a strange animal call over the past few nights, near the junction of Colyton & Dovedale? Very distinct, four or five throaty chirps every few minutes, almost sounds tropical. First thoughts were a pheasant or some type of owl, could possibly be foxes but haven't ever heard them make a sound like this before. Very odd...

A reminder that the deadline for the consultation is this Monday 8th January at midnight. Please make your voice heard. https://www.southwark.gov.uk/events-culture-and-heritage/events/large-and-major-events/gala-music-festival-peckham-rye-park-and-common So many empty promises from the organisers in the 'Community Benefits' section it's just depressing - "Opportunities" for local businesses / traders / artists / creatives / employment. The word "opportunities" here is meaningless, it just means giving them a chance to apply along with everyone else! And "additional funding...for biodiversity projects" but no mention of how much, and at the bottom they admit they have no idea what this entails as they are actively asking for suggestions! How about just not holding it on this site (let alone for twice as long) which would do wonders for the biodiversity in the whole park? Also they say only 239 of the 500 FREE tickets were taken up last year - shouldn't this be taken as a good indicator of how popular it is for the local community? But there will be an increase in resident tickets available - 500 - which is 14% more than last year. For an event that they want to hold over 100% more days. Thanks, Gala, you're all heart!

Before 24 hour opening, the general rule after price changes on the system was for the EPoS staff to replace the shelf edge labels for every item that had gone up first, before the store opened; that way no one would be overcharged. Then, when they had time (and usually while the store was open) they would replace the labels for the items that had gone down - the logic being that customers would be charged less at the till than they expected, so not a trading standards issue, and happy customers! No idea what the procedure would be in a 24 hour store, but there must be one...

I've been reliably informed by a local publican friend that it's going to be an independent cinema...

If there were any jobsworth assistants in there then you wouldn't need to! I don't think you'd get into trouble for doing their job for them?

DKH Sainsbury's are one of the worst for incorrect pricing, I have to pick them up on at least one almost every shop. I used to train staff (from other supermarkets, not Sains) on Electronic Point of Sale (EPoS) process & procedure, so I know it's just down to sloppy practices, usually not removing shelf edge labels after a promotion ends. Used to be (maybe still is?) that if Trading Standards turned up they could issue a £1k fine for every instance of incorrect pricing, so the stores used to take it very seriously. I've pointed this out many times to many managers there, but they don't seem bothered. And if I do see a clearly incorrect price then I do take a photo to show the checkout staff, they usually then will charge the lower price. I also often remove the shelf edge label or turn it around so that other shoppers aren't caught out...

No, not at all. I'm trying to express that inconsiderate idiots riding e-bikes shouldn't be considered "cyclists". They're just inconsiderate idiots who happen to be using a form of transport. Just as you wouldn't call inconsiderate idiots driving cars "motorists". It may be considered semantics, but the constant negative, anti-cyclist narrative is very tedious & unwarranted - the vast majority of people who enjoy cycling are considerate, law abiding folk. Let's not turn this thread into yet another smearing of all cyclists - this is about one inconsiderate idiot who happened to be riding an e-bike dangerously & illegally.

If you wade through the documents on the council website, it would appear that this is a Flood Alleviation Scheme, to protect properties to the North of the Rye from a 1 in 75 year (or 1 in 30 year, it's not entirely clear) flooding event. The plan appears to be building some 'bunds' (banks or mounds?) along the North & West sides of the common to create a sort of temporary collection / storage area for flood water, which can then be drained in a controlled manner. There will also be a semi-circular 'bund' in the NW corner of the park, near where the fence has been removed for Gala. This is where the mature trees are due to be felled, but it would appear that it's only because of site access reasons, not because the trees are where the 'bund' is due to be built. The image below shows where flood water is projected to go, and therefore the locations for these 'bunds'. There's lots of stuff about landscaping & replanting, but it seems such a ridiculous thing to do, cutting down perfectly healthy, environmentally important trees just because they will make it a bit tricky to get diggers in...? It's very odd that there's been zero notification from the council, one would presume they have to publicise and hold consultations etc? So it seems very important to spread the word, especially as the cutoff for objections / comments is before 16/6!

We seem to get parcels delivered roughly on time, but letters are clearly held back until RM decide there are enough to justify posting. So zero letters for about a week, then a huge pile arrives. 1st class regularly take a week from postage date.

Surely using this analogy if you ride a cycle you'd be a rider? My point is that someone who has an interest in, or passion for, cars is generally termed a 'motorist'. So the term 'cyclist' should really be used only for those with a genuine interest / passion for cycles and cycling, rather than anyone just riding a bike as a means of getting from A to B. Earl is spot on above - the issue is with antisocial people in general, it's irrelevant what form of transport they use.

Apologies for dragging this thread back to Gala, and for being late to the party (I was away for half-term with family) but would like to make my observations, for what they're worth. My issues have always been with the private annexing of the best part of a public park at the best time of the year for three weeks, the thoughtless & careless actions of many of the festival goers, the impact on wildlife, and the damage & littering left behind afterwards. I have nothing against the festival per se, it's just clearly in the wrong location. Being probably one of the closest residents to the site, I thought the noise was just about tolerable. A sound engineer regularly came to take measurements outside our property, and contacted the mixing desk(s) if & when the levels were above thresholds, which was reassuring. The most annoying noise for us was from the diesel(?) generators for two large refrigeration units which were left running 24h a day from the Weds onwards - a constant background hum which sounded like a digger / tractor running at 1000rpm. The organisers hadn't considered the impact of this at all, and admitted there was nothing they could do. Another annoyance which hadn't been considered was the light pollution from the many floodlights left on all night, which effectively lit up our front rooms (we're on the second floor so don't need curtains...). The organisers had assured residents that toilets & extra bins would be installed on the route through the park to the entrance. I happened to be going through the area an hour or so after it had opened on the Friday afternoon and there were no toilets, no extra bins. Unsurprisingly there was a huge amount of discarded alcohol containers all along the route, and many people ducking into the bushes to relieve themselves. It was depressing to see young children playing in & around these same bushes, as they always do on their way back from school, presumably brushing through & stepping on urine etc. When approached about these issues, the site manager said the bins & toilets were being delivered / on their way, but the damage had already been done. Gala is no longer a small event, and having been run for several years now these types of issues just shouldn't be happening - there is no excuse, but it would appear there is also no comeback or sanctions to enforce improvements. It's also not a 'community event', however much they try to spin the benefits to local businesses / artists etc. It is a money making venture and the park is just a necessary resource to them. I can't see any justification for extending the annexing and increasing the disruption to enable the organisers to make more money under the guise of providing a beneficial service to the local community.

So was it a LimeBike or similar, or a privately owned e-bike? Either way I'm not sure the person should be labelled a 'cyclist' as such; they generally tend to be 'users', with no awareness or consideration for others. I haven't seen or heard of any similar incidents, but have seen more than enough of them dumped in the most thoughtless & obstructive places, which again illustrates the sort of mentality of the users.

Sounds of plant machinery coming from the event site after the promised cutoff time of 8pm on build days. Called the hotline to be told it is the generators for two refrigeration units which can't be turned off now they've been installed. So on a lovely summer's evening we can either close the windows or have an irritating drone in the background. I don't recall constant low level noise for two days before the festival being mentioned in any of the propaganda meetings?

Received this email yesterday. I'd forgotten there had been a consultation - possibly because of the inevitability that it would have little or no effect on the council's position on the park trashing event. Interesting that they "consulted more widely than in previous years" - to get more positive responses from people not directly affected, maybe? ------------------------------------------- Dear Peckham Rye Park Stakeholder, Re: Event Application: ref number SWKEVE000569 GALA Music Festival - Stakeholder consultation Thank you for taking the time to respond to the consultation we carried out for this event. We apologise that we are issuing this report later than planned. In addition to our usual practice of conducting the event consultation online and via email with those registered on our Event Stakeholders List for Peckham Rye Park & Common, we also contacted 4,800 properties surrounding Peckham Rye Park by letter in January, directly inviting a much larger number of people than usual to share their thoughts with us on GALA’s proposals. As a result of consulting more widely than in previous years, we also received a greater number of responses than usual. It has therefore taken officers longer to ensure that all responses were adequately addressed in the mitigation measures negotiated with the event organiser. The consultation findings report is attached. The report will also be published on the council’s stakeholder engagement web page: www.southwark.gov.uk/PeckhamRyeParkEvents Key mitigations and improvements that the event organiser is proposing to make to the delivery of GALA music festival 2023, informed by the comments received during the consultation period, include: · Reducing the format of the festival to 3 live event days instead of 6, in line with previous years · Rectifying all historical ground damage from 2021 and 2022 as well as reinstating the ground from any direct impact of the 2023 event; GALA will be employing landscaping company BW Services Ltd to undertake the works · Improving the waste management operation during the event and the post-event clean-up by working with specialists Greenline Waste Management; the Friends of Peckham Rye Park will be invited to attend the final site check to ensure the clean-up is satisfactory · Compliance with the council’s new Events Environmental Sustainability Guide, newly introduced for 2023/24 and designed to ensure events actively contribute to the council’s commitment to being carbon neutral by 2030 · Increasing the number of free and discounted tickets available to local residents and charities. If you have any questions about the information provided, or wish to add further comment about this application, please don’t hesitate to contact us by 12 noon on Friday 12 May 2023. Best wishes, Charlie Simm Senior Events Officer On behalf of the Southwark Events Team

Just received an 'Invite' (what's happened to the word "invitation"?) to the next / last Gala propaganda show... Gala Community Invite - 11th May Hi all We wanted to hold a repeat of the last meeting that took place on 24th April, for those who could not attend. This meeting is to inform the local community of the specific measures in place around security, noise, traffic, waste, wildlife and ground reparations. It will also inform of communication methods and reporting procedures. There will be an opportunity for questions. Meeting details are: Thursday 11th May 18:30 - 19:30 The Clockhouse (the snug) 196A Peckham Rye, London SE22 9QA or via Zoom Please RSVP your attendance back to this email address ([email protected]) to receive the Zoom link or confirm your in person attendance - we have limited in person space, so please do confirm in advance. Many thanks, Yas & the Gala team.

We've seen them every time we've been to the pond / lake for 10+ years. I think they haul themselves up on to the coots' nests as they're some of the only places to get out, as the perimeter is like a foot high wall. I've seen a coot pecking at one to try to get it to vacate her nest, to no avail. Back in the seventies there was a health scare that terrapins (which were very popular pets then) could pass on diseases to humans, so they were dumped in ponds everywhere. I suspect this may be how these got here - they do live a long time! Another question is how the huge carp(?) got in there too...

This email just arrived from "GALA Community Team" [email protected] I love how it says "a reminder" when it's the first I've heard of it! I don't think I can attend, it would be great if some here could (esp in person) to ask some pertinent questions and report back? Dear all I hope you are well. I just wanted to remind those who have not already RSVP'd that we are hosting the final Gala stakeholder meeting this evening. This event is intended to provide local residents with useful information about the event, that could impact on them and the detail of final measures to mitigate impacts as much as possible. There will be a short presentation, followed by the opportunity for questions. You can attend either in person or via Zoom. In person: Old Nun’s Head 15 Nunhead Green, London SE15 3QQ 18:30 – 19:30 Zoom: Join Zoom Meeting https://us06web.zoom.us/j/87471841870?pwd=dDNCYnh4RllWb0pKaTlkOTk4NE5aUT09 Meeting ID: 874 7184 1870 Passcode: Peckham Please do RSVP if you have not already by replying to this email, listing either 'Zoom' or 'in person'. If you are unable to attend but would like to book in another meeting, please reply to let me know as we plan to book in another Zoom Info meeting prior to the live event to walk everybody through the final plans. The content will be the same meeting as this one. Many thanks, Yas & Cornelia

I'm sure they are, and I accept it probably is, but still worth highlighting & documenting the detrimental aspects in the hope someone might take notice? I think most people have nothing against the festival per se, just the location - why oh why can't they hold it on the Rye?!? Out of interest, where are they advertising a six day event? And surely not for this year, as I thought they'd retracted the event(?) licence application as there wasn't enough time to organise the second weekend this year?

Very disappointing that the Premises licence has been approved. Presumably the 56 supporters were friends, family, employees & fans / followers of Gala, rather than "hyperlocal" residents. But my understanding is that the Premises licence only gives permission to use the land, and they will still need to apply for an Event licence to hold next year's event, and possibly all future events? So it may need a more concerted effort to publicise the increased disturbance & damage the extra days will cause local residents to get maximum objections. A good way to start this process would be to document / flag up / report / complain about EVERY negative aspect of this year's event, as it would appear that Gala rely on facts & figures like number of complaints to support their applications. One thing I'd like to do after the event is a scientific(ish) analysis of the litter left behind. I'm thinking one of those 1 meter square frames laid down and count / collect all the litter in that area, repeated at random all over the site. That way the true picture can be reported accurately, and will hopefully stir up some reaction - a bit like the Lego Lost at Sea Twitter account?

Going back to the Gala Zoom, one thing that grated was their stat that there were only 9 complaints during the festival. I think a lot of people (myself included) didn't call the hotline as they had resigned themselves to three days of disturbances, and felt nothing would happen if they did. Or they went away to avoid the whole thing, which is also a stat that should be recorded! But it's now clear that if those stats are being used as evidence of an overwhelmingly content local population, then this year they should more accurately reflect the true picture. As such, I hope everyone fully utilises the hotline to report any festival related disturbances, no matter how small, from the first day of set up to the last of break down - or beyond, as is likely with the inevitable state the site will be left in... I'm fairly sure the much mentioned hourly sound / noise level readings will be taken at ground level beyond the (now much higher) hoardings, which probably dampens & reduces the readings. I'll be curious to know what the readings are from, say, a second floor flat facing the park, and will be requesting these more realistic readings on a regular basis.

It is a relief, but the barriers will still be going up for a couple of weeks, the grass is still going to get churned up, the litter will still be spread far & wide, the wildlife will still be disturbed, the noise will still be barely tolerable. The pleasant & peaceful community atmosphere will still be shattered on what should be a lovely summer weekend. How did it ever get permission to be held here?!?

Reading between the lines, this appears to be an acknowledgement that it's not been well thought out, with maybe an unexpectedly high level of opposition, so possibly won't gain permission at the moment. But in true corporate style, and with a complete lack of consideration for the local community, they'll spend more time and money trying to spin, persuade & PR everyone into thinking it's a great idea next year and forever more. I would still like a definitive answer from someone as to why it isn't held on the common, where all the other large events (Circus, Funfair etc) have always been held, without issues?

There is now a link on the Southwark site to the recording of the Gala zoom presentation / meeting which took place on Weds Jan 25th - http://www.southwark.gov.uk/PeckhamRyeParkEvents A shame it wasn't available before the deadline for the consultation period, but there you go. Apparently it is still possible to make representations for or against the granting of a premises licence, which is for permission to sell alcohol, performance of dance and playing of live & recorded music. The application had to be restarted due to errors with the initial application, so any representations made prior to this will need to be resubmitted. The new application reference is 879391. Probably worth the effort to try to make your voices heard with this too...

I completely agree, it would be amazing to have all three sides closed off for the short periods of drop off & pick up, but persuading the council to pay for an extra member of staff to deploy barriers when they can actually generate income from cameras? It would be great to have a lollipop person on the junction of Dunstan's & Underhill too - like most / all of the other schools...