gm99

Spider, it's advertised on the same Southwark consultation page as ed_pete posted at the top of this thread, which you joined on the 24/12. https://consultations.southwark.gov.uk/environment-leisure/cyclingandwalkingimprovements/consult_view Genuine Q: where/how in your opinion should the consultation have been advertised?

Reminder that there is a drop-in session about the proposals this evening from 5-8pm at St James RC Church 45 Elm Grove London SE15 5DD https://consultations.southwark.gov.uk/environment-leisure/cyclingandwalkingimprovements/events/bellenden-road-holly-grove-lyndhurst-way-cycling-2

For those claiming to live in the area affected but not to have known about the consultation: there's a large banner on the railings of Warwick Gardens opposite Holly Grove, which has been there since before Christmas.

I walk (school run) and cycle (from school to work) through this area daily, plus drive it fairly frequently. I am a confident cyclist. I would make the following observations, about the current road layout and the proposals, taking them roughly from north to south: - Both Lyndhurst Grove and especially Lyndhurst way (Holly Grove to Peckham Road) have dreadful road surfaces for cycling. - The junction between Lydhurst Grove and Lyndhurst Way is tight. Exiting LG there is poor visibility, especially for drivers (it can be hard to see cyclists who hug the curb heading N along LW). Turning into LG the junction/corner has very little room and drivers frequently cut the corner. As a cyclist exiting LG and turning right onto LW that can mean encountering cars driving at you in your lane. None of that will change - and frankly I can't see that there is any room to improve that situation. - The intersection between Bellenden Road and Holly Grove is a bit of a shambles for pedestrians, who are definitely lowest in the pecking order, and not brilliant for cyclists. As a cyclist heading towards the shops on Bellenden Road I have to be confident to hold the centre of the lane to avoid cars trying to undertake me - I don't find that a big problem, but can cycle fast enough to avoid drivers growing too impatient. My feeling is that the junction could probably be improved by being redesigned without the wholesale new plans. - The left turn from Bellenden Road onto Chadwick Road, heading north (away from the shops) is very tight and seems to be being made even tighter in the proposed plan, which shows the pavement being built out. That would be both a traffic pinch point and a real concern for all road users. As a pedestrian this junction can be hard to navigate safely because road traffic converges from three directions. In the proposed plans, I would like to see a pedestrian crossing across Chadwick road, between Bellenden Road and Lyndhurst Way. - The current gyratory suffers from two problems in my opinion: relatively high driving speeds and cyclists needing to use (including cross into) the right hand lane. The latter is problematic because of speed differentials between cyclists and drivers. The two-way layout may be one solution, but I wonder if there are alternatives that focus on reducing driving speeds? - The worst part of Bellenden Road from a traffic and road user point of view is the section past the shops, which these plans leave unaddressed. I wonder if there would be scope for moving the short stay park and shop bays into side streets, and making this stretch much less dominated by parking and traffic, improving visibility, reducing congestion - perhaps with a 10mph section? On balance I find myself coming down in favour of the proposed plans. That said, I would like to hear from the council why the gyratory was introduced in the first place, how the proposed plans won't reintroduce things that were wrong before, and what they intend to do about the section of Bellenden Road past the shops. GM

Credit to Southwark's school's admission team. E-mailed then earlier to find out about our waiting list position and got a reply in under 2 hours.

Just log on to the eadmissions site (where you applied) - your result will be there waiting for you.

I would like to second the recommendation above for Voysey & Jones, from whom we recently bought a new front door and fanlight to replace the worn out Victorian originals. The door has given the house (outside and in) a massive lift, and a real sense of security. The whole process went really smoothly (e.g. everything happened exactly when we were told it would) and their attention to detail was really impressive (including the carpenters who fitted the door, who spent a total of around 14 hours getting everything as close to perfect as possible). No question it is a big investment, but in our case it worked out around 1/3rd cheaper than the London Door Co directly equivalent product (same design, same locks etc). Very happy.

The order in which you list schools matters for two reasons. (1) if you meet the entry requirements for more than one on your list you would be offered the one you ranked highest. (2) In the event that you get offered a place at a school that was not your #1 preference, you go on the waiting list for any schools listed above the one you get offered. So if you get offered your 4th preference you go on the waiting lists for the 3 that you ranked more highly.

Renata, just a thought, but the Southwark 'starting primary school' brochure could definitely be a bit clearer and more comprehensive on a number of points. Perhaps this is something you could feed back, with reference to the kinds of questions being raised here? E.g. from my perspective the brochure: - has nothing on how the waiting list system works for parents whose child is offered a school from their 'preference' list (that isn't their first choice) - the 'waiting list' section seems to refer only to the case that a place is not offered at any of the 'preferred' schools; - uses some confusing terms (see references to 'ranked lists' and 'ranked order' at the bottom of p.11 - referring, respectively, to lists of applicants to individual schools and the list of preferences indicated by parents on application forms); - there is nothing on having your name added to a waiting list for a school not included in the initial preferences (as you mentioned above) - only for out of borough schools; - it might usefully be illustrated with some examples.

Thanks Renata - that's really helpful and greatly appreciated.

If you don't want something too big, have a look at the Honda FRV, which has 6 seats in 2 rows of 3. I believe you can get 3 isofix seats across the back.

Hi All, I would be really grateful if anyone can help answer a question about how the reserve system works. (I tried calling Southwark and am not confident that my question was understood.) It is conceivable that we live close enough to get a place at any of the nearest four primary schools to our house on the basis of distance (given what we know about where children who live very close to us go). The closest school is probably our least favourite of the four. I understand that in the event of being in the top 60 (they are all 2 form schools) at more than one school on April 16th we would be offered a place at the one we ranked highest on the application form. Can someone shed some light on how the reserve list process works in the scenario that we apply to all 4 and only get our 4th choice school in the first instance? Would our child go on the reserve list for all of our 1st, 2nd and 3rd choices, or just the 1st? (One snippit I did get from Southwark - if correct - was that you don't go on the reserve list for schools that you have ranked below the one offered initially.) One other thing: does anyone know if info about previous years' 'furthest distances' are available anywhere (Southwark only seem to make available the figures for last year)? Many thanks, gm99

Hi EDFers, I work for a small charity and we are having to move offices as our current building is being turned into flats. I would be very grateful for any recommendations for an office planner/designer. I'm very keen we get the design/layout right, particularly as we are down-sizing in terms of space. Many thanks for any recommendations/advice, gm99

For a more cost effective option, have a look at the Yale wireless systems, eg via Screwfix. No wiring needed, DIY installation, and some can eg be set up to alert you to the alarm being activated via your mobile.

Montpelier Rd, SE15 Dec 2013: ?450k http://www.rightmove.co.uk/house-prices/detailMatching.html?prop=45688139&sale=50666948&country=england Tarted up May 2014: asking ?800k http://www.woosterstock.co.uk/details/11765

One thought on all of this concerns the surveyors doing valuations for mortgage lenders - who should surely be the voice of reason when everyone else is losing their minds (or are all of these purchases primarily cash?). At what point does short-term market behaviour outstrip middle to long-term fundamentals and result in surveyors down-valuing? Any surveyors reading this and can offer an informed opinion?

House prices (and rents) across London have risen rapidly - it's not just an ED problem. The use of UK housing as a reserve currency could easily be addressed by policy changes. Incidentally, there was a very good programme about London on BBC2 at 9pm last night - called 'Mind the Gap' and presented by Evan Davis.

This might be of interest: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-26407415 Part of the complaint from residents interviewed on the news yesterday was that they are shelling out for the scaffolding while nothing happens (and indeed that renovations have taken much longer than new builds nearby). Looks like further evidence of gross incompetence at best.

Could I recommend this: http://www.theguardian.com/books/2014/mar/02/all-that-is-solid-review-house-prices-danny-dorling

Small brown bin for the front garden plus green waste (paper) bags free from the library for when you get the urge to do some gardening.

I have recommended http://coresashwindows.co.uk/ elsewhere on the Forum, having got them to fit new double glazed sashes into our existing frames, which they refurbished (new cills, some other new timber spliced in to replace rotted timber, 2 yr guarantee on the refurbished carpentry) - 7 windows in total. They have also done some windows for friends who were very pleased, and I know of two other neighbours in the area who have had work done by them. We found them reasonably priced and straightforward to deal with. They do refurbishment, draught proofing, replacement sashes, full new windows, doors etc. Draught proofing is only 5% VAT by the way - always worth asking/checking with companies.

Should have said dial 101, which is the police non-emergency number (not 112 - sorry for the confusion).

The most effective 'police' are often members of the public, given that the formal police largely rely on public information to guide their activities. In the cases described above, it would, for example, almost certainly make a difference if everyone spotting suspicious activity reported it straight away (dial 101 if it's not an emergency). If you see someone acting suspiciously and can observe them without putting yourself at risk, specific details of clothing and shoes can be very useful to the police (and make sure that only the right people get stopped and asked to account for themselves). E.g. a case I know of, having done some work alongside the police in another part of London, where a rapist was initially identified as a suspect on the basis of his baseball cap, which was distinctive and had been reported earlier by a PCSO in an intelligence report. You may also find that calling the local Safer Neighbourhoods police team directly can be helpful, as they tend to be have the best local knowledge and be most responsive to local concerns - and you can generally talk to someone with a name and face rather than a more distant call centre. http://content.met.police.uk/Page/TeamFinder?scope_id=1257246764302