first mate

Think offering opportunity to win a cash raffle prize if you sign up and participate is a bit rum.

What a mess. At another, hitherto excellent surgery the advice is to book two weeks ahead. However, when, as for many, there is no crystal ball with which to predict acute episodes of illness it seems one must first ring to make an appt to speak to a Doctor, having spoken to the Doctor there is every chance you will then be referred on to the Lister Centre. The local Doctor's surgery has become a kind of medical call centre with Doctor's making decisions on the 'phone (what a waste of all that training). This whole process can take 2-3 hours, no wonder many will give up and simply go to A&E. Something is desperately wrong with the health service and the way it is being re-modelled. Aside from the likes of Concordia (who, in former years, with city boys at the helm, chose to pilot this brave new face of healthcare)many local surgeries were offering a decent, reliable service. What has gone wrong in the last 4 years?

Woodwarde, Many thanks. This lack of transparency is concerning. James Barber are you aware of plans for the Southwark Spine? What comments do you have about Woodwarde's observations and concerns?

Bengals are known to be capable of being much more territorial and aggressive than many other cat breeds, especially if left intact...how utterly irresponsible of the owner. I would recommend rehoming the Bengal to somewhere that he has a large enough range to satisfy his territorial instincts, as well as neutering him immediately.

I have also reported poor/dangerous pavement areas and absolutely nothing done. However, plenty of money available to make the junction of Nx rd and LL look less 'unsightly'. What an odd sense of priorities our Council folk have.

Healey, I posted in response to your dismissive reply to edhistory's cautionary observation about the sewage system - 'something to moan about'. Given the rate of development in the Capital, together with Thames Water's own warnings about overloading the system, I think his comment is worth some thought. I'm not clear that anyone has said these houses should not be built...have they?

Healey, re Sewage read the Thames Water link I posted before.

I think it's a lot tamer than it used to be,espcially since some of the big beasts of the forum (Hugo et al) have retired or wandered off to other virtual hunting grounds. Most people get the odd pasting but you do find that any real nastiness and others will normally help you out. Go on, have a post or two, you might be pleasantly surprised.

In future follow Sec of State for Health Jeremy Hunt's lead and go straight to a&e, as he said, he didn't want to have to wait for a GP appt.

nxjen, yes, fair points but see http://www.thameswater.co.uk/about-us/10092.htm All your sanitary waste (dishwasher, washing machine, baths, sinks, loos etc.. ultimately drains into the sewers). Not many of those in days gone by.

There was a large burst water main flood towards Dulwich Village a few years ago. Around 2006 there was a case of at least one street flooding so badly that multiple cellars were awash. There are others but cannot recall details. I very much doubt that Victorian engineers had any idea of how the population might explode in the future nor that every family would have sometimes multiple bathroom, washing machines and so on.

What fun. Shame the Huskies and Santa could not be enticed to do a stint on Northcross Road closer to Christmas. All we need is some heavy snow and I'd pay good money for a Husky team and sled ride across Peckham Rye!

It is being made into a rather dense development of houses, the row continuing along on the land behind it. There is another thread on it which also has a link to the plans. These days any spare land will either be crammed with new housing, made into a Harris Academy or a new supermarket.

James, Re the proposals for the junction of Northcross rd and Lordship Lane, I'm not sure I understand your point about currently redundant tarmac, which cars cannot use, being made more useful by building out the pavement. I may have completely misunderstood but is is not the case that the areas you refer to are covered on one side by white zig zag lines and the other by double yellow lines? Cars cannot park on those areas but they are able to move forward both ways when the lights change. If the pavement is built out won't this reduce traffic to a single line at that point? You also have a bus stop either side as well as traffic lights, so the sum total could be massively reduced traffic flow. Won't this simply cause people to find more rat runs?

I agree with ITATM, the matter has not been debated on here at all, the issue has been raised because many are not clear where the idea came from or of any consultation on the matter. Thank you for engaging providing some information but absolute clarity is necessary. I have also noticed double yellows suddenly springing up where there used to be none- presumably all part of the agenda by some to further reduce parking? It makes no sense to on the one hand urge on developers but also systematically introduce a variety of measures that incrementally reduce parking space...where will that lead, oh yes, CPZ.

James, Re the refurbishment of the carriageway table at the EDG Melbourne Grove junction, could we find out more about the reason/need for this work? It is literally only months ago that work was carried out on this same area. If that original work was faulty/substandard then a fine should be made, if it is something else then why was it not identified and carried out at the same time? For me the term 'refurbishment' is incredibly vague. Is this yet another example of the great CONway gravy train, all at the taxpayers expense?

This is worth a read http://www.theguardian.com/society/2014/nov/18/one-in-six-gp-surgeries-england-risk-patients-poor-care Note that Melbourne Grove- a dire example of the preferred model of super-chain GP Practices (Concordia owned)- has not yet been looked at.

It's bonkers. The main road through ED should not be narrowed, this will lead to more congestion and pollution at busy times- for instance imagine an Iceland/M&s juggernaut one side and a bus the other. Don't accept entrance to Nx looks a mess. Don't see how placing a load of bike racks and widening the pavement will turn an alleged 'mess' into a thing of beauty. At the only time of the week the entrance is busy the whole of that part of the road is closed off and pedestrianised. For the rest of the week it is not especially busy. Placing a whole load of bike racks in one area will add to congestion of pavement. It would make more sense to spread them along LL.

It's just the relentless cramming of every tiny bit of space. Next we'll have cases made for building up since there'll be no horizontal space left-especially if back gardens begin to be sliced and diced by developers. Recently went past Nine Elms and shocked to see Boris' grand vision if a skyscraper tunnel rapidly realised. No more views of the river-all sold up to international developers.

The primary stated aim us to make it look better because currently it looks a mess.

And not supporting the Harris bid to open a primary school on the Dulwich Hospital site.

So, on that basis, you have to wonder what the real agenda driving this is? Sometimes it feels like there is this overarching vision for ED that is held in the brains of certain Councillors, which is not shared with voters, but where that vision is achieved piecemeal by driving through changes by whatever means possible. Sorry if I sound deeply cynical.

Mustard for those of us that own pets and have seen the effects that impromptu banger fests can have, there is, be assured, real sympathy for you.

James, who says it looks a mess? If you were the person that asked for these works to be done you would have known that safety was a marginal issue yet at first you offered this as justification along with the aesthetic point.

I may be way off but I wonder if this has anything to do with the proposed M&S and flats above and possible planning conditions- remember how there was all that stuff about no pressure on parking because everyone will walk or come on bikes/ public transport? Hard to know why a sudden need for all this investment at LL/Nx.