mikeb

@ Abe - do you have a link to these pre-application meetings?

The choice is between it remaining derelict and / or not fit for purpose, or being demolished and replaced with new public buildings - the school and health centre.

Saviour Health Centre - a nod to the history of the original hospital but without the explicit link to Christianity http://www.workhouses.org.uk/StSaviour/

And that's kind of the point - noise has got worse not just with Heathrow but also City - and it's a one-way street. Heathrow's raison d'etre is to spend money on capex so that it can receive its regulated equity return. More capex = more return.

My wife said she saw one a few weeks ago in our back garden, not far from Alleyns. If they are indeed "rare to non-existent" then I shall have to tell her that it was a slow-moving rat.

@Seb - how did you find that ??

My wife saw a hedgehog this evening in our garden - first time ever

Mr Dude, I know you are right: Heathrow would rather spend ?20bn (and be remunerated for this) than think more imaginatively and long-term about what might actually work for this country i.e. an airport north west of London. By the way, I have complained to CAA, NATS, Heathrow and City about the particular situations that result in both Heathrow and City planes overflying us. On Tuesday, this reached 90db and was so continuous that holding a conversation in the park was difficult. CAA has written back saying it's down to NATS. I will report back. Finally, can anyone understand what this is about? https://airspacechange.caa.co.uk/PublicProposalArea?pID=131

Amazing how quickly parking changes are implemented versus something which is actually required to prevent loss of life.

@Humdinger, thank you for taking the time to comment. It is true that some birds have the ability to sing at unbelievable volumes - see here: https://www.newscientist.com/article/dn4964-urban-nightingales-songs-are-illegally-loud/ but I think more commonly aeroplanes are typically louder. It is also true that aircraft flight paths are changing to increase the noise whereas sadly I think bird numbers are declining.

Birdsong on Green Dale this morning was amazing, wasn't even spoilt by the Heathrow jets landing overhead.

I think the pubco is / was Mitchells & Butler.

I can also recommend the woods on the Greensand Way east of Ide Hill. Grab a coffee and cake at the community shop while you're there.

let's agree that we'd rather the flight paths for both airports didn't overfly millions of people at low altitude.

Cheeky bonus today - westerlies yesterday afternoon but reverted to easterly overnight! honestly, I would much rather have the City landings every 5 minutes than Heathrow every 40 seconds. I wonder if the westerly preference has anything to do with HM Queen's residence in Windsor? From personal experience, Windsor is completely intolerable when planes are landing overhead.

Still quiet in the mornings. I?m lovin? it!

James, thank you for engaging on this. I would suggest that, instead of answering questions piecemeal, you and your fellow councillors host an hour or two open session where these things can be discussed - genuine engagement. I think you should come clean and acknowledge that the consultation exercise did not give you a mandate for change - any change. You have not consulted on the new proposals. Unfortunately, the effects of a CPZ on one street do indeed spill over to other streets (an externality) so it is undemocratic to use the views of one street to propose changes that will impact many other people. The diesel differential pricing is leftfield and makes a mockery of the whole thing - makes me believe you are all idealogically (or fiscally) motivated and not responding to the whole consultation. Did you really mean to say that some proposals are based on your "instinct"? You cannot justify (with evidence or democractic mandate) your proposals at all! I would respect you more if you openly aknowledged what is clearly the case, that you are against car ownership and that you intend, step by step, to make it more difficult / expensive to own and use a car.

This isn't Brexit: there was a very clear vote against change. If Southwark had thought the constituency was wrong or too large, then they should have settled this before seeking views. Reprehensible gerrymandering. And while we're at it, charging diesels more demonstrates that this was never about parking problems.

WTAF about charging more for diesel? Just shows that this has nothing whatsoever to do about parking pressures.

Gerrymandering

It's been a great week for noise. Although my kid did complain that the birdsong was waking him up - no pleasing some people!

I think Clause 9 of Sch 4 of the 1992 s106 deed says that the responsibility lies with Kings and Sainsbury's. This is on numbered page 29 here: https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B4Ht_hAPixkZM0xZM1dkdWJqbmc/view, taken from here: http://www.friendsofdkhwood.org/greendale/green-dale-past-planning-applications/ The "Public Open Space" is St Francis's Park, as shown on the plan at the end. But the point is a little wider than that: clause 3 sets out the obligations in respect of the park - shrubs, grassed areas, bins, fountains, statues (??). And yes the park has "shrubs" but only in the most basic sense - I think the whole park is covered by that ground hugging evergreen shrub. I can't believe the park represents the hopes and visions of the councillors at the time. Does anyone believe Meadow will be less cynical?

Today was glorious - no City or Heathrow flights. Even my kids noticed (unprompted) that they could hear more birds singing than normal.

Those are pretty cynical proposals. I do wish they would stop calling a path ?a public realm? or ?linear park?. Why are we planning to give a property developer a windfall from rezoning public land? Southwark Council already did this in the 1990s when they last approved the redevelopment of DHFC?s ground, and a reduction in local green space. How many times do we need to do this? until there is none left? By covenant, in the control of Southwark Council, the land for the ground can only be used for sporting and recreational purposes. I don?t even know why we are contemplating changing this. It only gives Meadow more hope that they will succeed. We may as well be discussing the redevelopment of Goose Green. While we?re at it, St Francis?s Park - which is the main community improvement from the last redevelopment - just shows how cynical this whole business is. I can?t think of a less appealing local park, or one which is looked after with less love. Even Nunhead Green is now a more pleasant place to spend time.

Not sure I feel much differently about foxes than rats