Pugwash

Some of the primary schools operate a catchment area - we are Barry Road and our eldest daughter went to Goodrich. When the youngest was born we found that Goodrich had changed their catchment area and we were now the wrong side of Barry Road. Our youngest went to St. Anthony's RC Primary but I believe they have tightened up entry 'qualifications'. Only one of us was Catholic and not a regular attender at Church, although the priests were aware of our names. I believe now that both parents have to be regular attenders and you need a supporting letter from priest. We had applied for Dulwich Village Infants for eldest but were told out of catchment area - hence the Goodrich entry.

Walking at dusk following a sunny day, especially in Dulwich Park, the stillness gets to you. Better still if you are with your dog(s). Sitting in my garden on a summers day listening to the sounds of people and music from the Plough pub.

We purchased a ex council house in Worthing area to be used by our daughter and boyfriend. She was a student in Brighton and paying ?650 for a tiny one bed flat per month. landlady was going to increase rent to ?750 pm. At the time of looking 1 bed flats were going for around ?80k with 2 beds around ?90 k. Within 3 months of deciding to buy a property - the prices rose to around ?90k and ?100K and kept rising. We eventually landed up in Worthing with a 3 bed exncouncil house. Boyfriend pays rent, and since we were committted to pay daughter's accommodation costs whilst at Uni - we paid rest. The aim was to rent property to daughter and boyfriend after she finished uni (to cover mortgage costs)and when they had a couple of years work behind them, sell them the house for the remaining mortgage. This way they knew that any improvements made was for their benefit. A second home as such but used 52 weeks a year. We also own our ED house but realised that daughter would have difficulty in getting on property ladder unless we helped her.

If it is overhanging the pavement and a danger to passer's by i.e. prickly leaves that could scratch a blind person's face. You can contact the council who will inspect and request owner/tenant to cut back. if they do not do this in a reasonable time,council will cutback and charge owner/tenant. Southwark used to have cards at the Library you could fill in and post off. I think it was the environment department -so long ago since I last did this.

Went to a party in Brockley the other week - a colleague put on a fund raising event in her house and garden, over 60 people there from babes in arms to OAP. Jazz group in the lounge till about midnight then on came the stero for dancing. She had catered for 100, so went around the next day and invited all the neighbours back for dinner and collected more money. She is aiming to have another do in August - no complaints from neighbours re noise. perhaps idea is to have plenty of young children around and a good mix of ages. A few people were merry but not overtly so. Was talk of the office for a few days.

There are many dietitians that work for NHS in GPs surgeries who can sometimes do non 9 - 5 hours. Check with your GP and they may have a contact. I do know a dietitian who works this way and does consultancy work as well.

Attended meeting in rear hall at church. 40 odd people there. Very orderly meeting - many objections to proposed development - traffic, subsidence, design of building, collapsing streets under weight of buses and heavy traffic, a very informative letter read out by a BARA Committee member from the Head of St. Anthonys school who was worried about the impact of a lengthly construction period would have on pupils and school generally. Child Protection issues raised as flats would overlook infants play ground, height of flats would restrict light into 3 classrooms - traffic, pollution, higher risk of accidents etc. One parent from St. Anthonys was present and she will talk to Fathers John and Roy at St. Thomas Moore's Church. Suggested by some attendees that Head circulated his letter to all St.Anthony's parents and ask them to write in. Also is this the correct financial climate to do new builds if other properties are not shifting Those of you who want to get details of plans/object/support quote 08/AP/1536 Planning Caseworker Rachel Gleave, Chiltern, Portland Street. SE17 2ES. objections by 25th July according to local notices) Alternatives - 2/3 bedroom houses, not higher than existing properties in street, with own car parking spaces on site. same financial risk but possible more pleasing design

Yes Mona Lisa film crew were based in the East Dulwich Community Centre (previously called Alleyn Community Centre) Darrell Road for a week or so many moons ago. Some of the car chase scenes were filmed in E Dulwich and a resident in Darrell Road was thrilled when his/her front door was featured in the film

I wonder if the planning department will check the covenants? I did hear that 21 Etherow Street was originally part of 259's garden. The owners of 21 Etherow lived in 259 whilst 21 was built.

WHERE WOULD YOU FIND SUCH A COVENANT? I ASSUME THIS WOULD BE IN THE DEEDS OF HOUSE? IF YOU DID A REGISTRY OFFICE SEARCH WOULD THIS SHOW UP?

No vouchers in Barry Road, but someone popped into the Fair Trade Centre at Christ Church on Saturday morning to collect her bags, forgot to ask he which road she was from. Bags look good by the way.

At the 'consultation' - attended by various residents of Barry Road and Etherow Street the objections to the scheme were; Design of building proposed, although we were informed that this was an artist impression and could change. Size being out of character with rest of street. Entrance for cars in Etherow Street which is one way, and very busy with not just the bendy buses every 5-10 mins. but nos. 40, 176, 197 and the odd 185. The mini buses (around 6 of them) in and out of Barry House Hostel, at least 100 vehicles using Etherow St between 8.30 - 9.15 for the school run , often double parked. Underground parking - this is a high subsidence area which has been made worse by the heavy traffic in Barry and Etherow, digging down this deep could have effect on foundations of other property. When Richard Balfe Euro MP owned house, he had some building work done and rubble entered into the sewage system causing other houses with cellars in Barry Rd to flood with raw sewage. Many of the top end of Barry have combined sewers (linking 3 houses with one sewage outlet) We not only had sewage in cellar, but because the main manhole was in our front garden, sewage spilled out into garden and into the road. I gather that St.Anthonys School, whose grounds back onto all three houses, are unhappy with the proposals as school will be overshadowed and lessons several disrupted during 15/16 months of constructions. The Barry Area Residents' Association also leafleted the area as they found some residents had not been informed of the proposals or the consultation meeting. If requested by local residents, they will call a public meeting. The problem is that Government Housing Policy is such that local councils cannot always turn down a scheme outright. There has to be an element of affordable housing ( which Bradfield properties say will be some of the 1/2 bed flats and the 3 bed units) There will be various eco features incoporated i.e. solar panels, sedum roof etc. From experience with other planning issues, local residents need to come up with alternative proposals as to what can be developed on site by Bradfield properties. The corner house (the ex Balfe/ex GP surgery) was on market for over ?800.000 and would imagine the other 2 houses (all with large gardens) would have cost at least another ?800.000 jointly. Bradfield currently have tenants occupying a couple of the houses, and will want to vastly increase their profit margins with new build. An alternative solution would be to have 3 bed houses there, I imagine you could proabably get 10 on that site - visually better than a solid mass of 3 storey flats, and probably more acceptable to local residents. Also, next to St.Anthonys on the Barry Road side there is an electricity sub station. The last major build in the area- henslowe/Underhill Road - the contractors managed to cut off the electricity and gas to an elderly tenant for several days, damaged the foundations of several houses in Henslowe , disregarded H & S with insufficient shoring up the excavations. And caused havoc with the water pressure.