Dr De Soto

Were you - or was somebody you know - in the first cohort that went to the Charter School back in September 2000? I'd love to hear what it was like being the pioneering group at the school: was it an adventure, or did you feel like a guinea pig? Was there a clear vision, or did you feel you were making things up as you went along? Do you think it was a benefit or a drawback not having older year groups through your secondary years (compared with your peers in other schools)?

Thanks. According to the Southwark site, they've had the meeting but no announcement yet of the result.

Thanks, Nunheadmum, for the information. I find it bizarre that it's not on website as past info on Red Post Hill is up there. DDS

Can someone help me find the planning application info for the Charter School East Dulwich on the council website--basically has it been approved. I can find all about the hospital and what Red Post Hill is up to, but nothing on the new school. Am clearly missing a trick. Thanks in advance!

Has anyone tried bus to Denmark Hill, train to Victoria, Circle Line?

I recommend Daisylets - local and very professional.

Syd53 Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > Dr De Soto Wrote: > -------------------------------------------------- > ----- > > Dear Gudi, please note it was Dulwich VILLAGE > (and > > the rest of SE21) that scored so high in the > > reported burglaries table. East Dulwich was a > > long way down the list. Don't want BBC London > > tarnishing SE22 with the same brush... > > I thought SE21's Dulwich Park was viewed as a key > benefit of living in ED. > > Isn't this statement therefore akin to claiming > Andy Murray is British when he wins, but Scottish > when he loses? > > :-p I thought it was the other way round, Dulwich Picturehouse is a key benefit of living in Dulwich Village. Anyway, Dulwich Park separates us from that SE21 den of crime :-)

Dear Gudi, please note it was Dulwich VILLAGE (and the rest of SE21) that scored so high in the reported burglaries table. East Dulwich was a long way down the list. Don't want BBC London tarnishing SE22 with the same brush...

I've always found them quick, efficient and friendly, and very convenient if you suddenly discover you have a flat.

claphamMover Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > Uh oh. We - family of 3 - are thinking of moving > to East Dulwich from Clapham and have been worried > the transport into the City isn't great. Is this > is new phenomenon or something recent?!! We have > been spoiled living next to a tube station but > can't afford the hefty price tags of houses around > here and you get much bigger gardens it seems in > ED. Does anyone cycle down to Herne Hill station > and use the Thameslink? Or is that just too much > effort? Worse recently I think, but there have been periods of disrupted trains all year, related to the rebuilding of London Bridge station. That work still has a year to run, but there's reason to be hopeful that when the next phase is complete (September 2016?) things will begin to get better.

A typical one bed flat round here now seems to be about ?400k. After costs you might get ?12k in rent per year, at most. So that's a 3% return at best. And that's ignoring the stamp duty/buying costs you have at the beginning. You'll be paying at least 3% in mortgage costs - I think the best current APR's are around 4%. So for this to be an investment, you are entirely dependent on capital growth - on which you will pay CGT which ignores inflation. And while property prices are forecast to go up (I remember the same view in 2007), as soon as there's a stock market scare or rising interest rates or a big incident in London they will go down, maybe dramatically. So as a pure investment, I'd say BTL in London now looks like a mugs game even before the ?12k stamp duty extra you would pay on a ?400k flat after next April. And that's before we get into any moral issues people may have about BTL as an investment. (If the purpose of the investment is partly emotional - to keep a foothold in East Dulwich, or to give you options for where to live in future years, then it might be worth doing, but then you would need to buy somewhere that you could imagine you or relatives wanting to live, rather than something that is ideal for tenants.)

A huge thank you to Alan 07870199771. A housing association neighbour somehow locked herself out this evening and came to our door in some distress with her toddler. No neighbour has a spare key, and the housing association is not responsible for sorting lock-outs. I called Alan based on forum recommendation, and he came out and sorted the door within 20 minutes, and (because of the circumstances) didn't charge. Really appreciated.

Endorse all the above. No nonsense, arrived on time, good quality service.

The dogs above the garage, corner of Colwell/Lordship, often bark a lot, it wasn't one of them was it?

Special screening of the recent documentary on corruption in cricket tomorrow afternoon at the Picturehouse, followed by Q&A with the Director Jarrod Kimber. Still a few tickets left: https://www.ourscreen.com/screening/39888

.

Ditto for fast, good, friendly service. So good to get something repaired instead of replaced!

Used them a couple of times for new roof etc about 15 years ago, were good roofers then, haven't had need to use them more recently but thought I'd add balance to negative experience mentioned above.

We've just had Joe and his team from Patchworks landscaping our garden. This involved: - building a wall - laying some artificial turf - laying a patio - moving a small tree - advising on plants They were excellent on all the above. Joe had lots of practical suggestions in helping us come up with a design, and we found all the team to be polite and flexible,tidy, good workmanship. Overall, good value. Very happy to recommend them. Joe is based in Herne Hill. Here is their website: http://www.patch-works.co.uk/

Of the ten times I've been to ED station recently I think the train has been on time once, usually at least 2 minutes late. Today the 7:50am was cancelled which meant 30 minutes between trains to LB Then from London Bridge the 11:40am became a 'fast to Tulse Hill' because it was so delayed, with the 11:55 being a mere 5 minutes late.

Signal failure at north dulwich may have been later than 9 04. Anyway the '10 20' was 13 minutes late. 10 06 was cancelled I think. May now miss connection at euston

It is 10 20 and I'm about to catch the 'delayed' 8:30 train . This is beyond a joke especially as national rail 10 mins ago said 'no delays'

Thanks for that detailed answer Billy, very helpful.

We currently have a regular condensation boiler, with a water tank in the loft and a hot water tank in an airing cupboard. We want an extension and the builder has advised us to switch to a combi boiler and get rid of the water tanks in the loft and airing cupboard (it will create storage space, for one thing). Are there any disadvantages to combi boilers? Are these now the norm in houses, or do lots of people still have hot water tanks?

Hi InTexas - I don't know how it works, but my phone lines are dead yet my broadband (BT infinity) has been working fine throughout. Presumably the broadband cables weren't nicked...even though broadband uses the same socket as the phone...as I say, all a mystery to me.