James Barber

Hi Cllr Hamvas, I'm sorry that Peckham and Nunhead Community Council finds planning applications quite so painful. Last night Dulwich Community Council decided three planning applications - two very contentious ones from the Kingswood area and met locally in Kingswood House. Over 50 residents attended. Your proposals, decided at February budget setting Council assembly, make the hurdle for residents to object to a planning application much higher. Planning applications will more often be decided by unelected council officials even when people have objected. That where councillors are involved the vast majority will have no local knowledge of the area affected. This is centralising and further stacks the planning system against residents and civic society groups. Renata Hamvas Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > James, > what you don't point out, is that the current > planning system was wasteful in terms of time and > resources. I know certainly for my CC area > (Nunhead and Peckham Rye) on several occasions > planning meetings were cancelled at short notice, > or they were opened for five minutes and closed > again (one application, withdrawn or additional > information required). This means councillors and > council officers went going to meetings where > nothing was achieved, rooms were being paid for, > papers being prepared and sent out to (costly in > terms of officers' time and resources.) Subject to > approval ny Council Assembly, what will happen > now, as at present, minor and undisputed/very low > objections number applications will be decided > directly by council officers. Large applications > will still be decided by the full planning > committee. Those that would have gone to community > council planning will go to one of two committees > for intermediate applications or more minor > applications where residents have objected. This > means that planning applications will still be > loosely be divided up into small medium and large, > but we won't have five minute meetings, as there > will be more applications per meeting to decide. > The current government, your Government, James has > slashed the council's budget. Cuts have had to > have been made across all departments. This has > meant trying to find the most efficient way of > doing things at the least harm to services. Yes, I > appreciate it will mean residents travelling a > little further to planning meetings, and there may > be some unfamiliar faces on the planning > committee, but as we all already deal with > planning and we should be impartial if sitting on > a planning committee, I am comfortable with this > decision. > > In terms of this thread in particular, It is good > to see so many local residents engaging in this > discussion, however, planning officers don't (I > think!) read the East Dulwich forum . I would > suggest that residents actually post their > opinions, look at the application here: > southwark planning > > email: [email protected] > > with your name,address and application no: > 12/AP/1340 > > > Do particularly consider how the development may > impact on your everyday living if you live close > to the proposed development, parking, noise, > deliveries, etc Positive comments can also be > submitted! It would be good if local businesses as > well as residents respond to the consultation > too. > > Renata

Hi eddie, Labour Southwark who run the council are removing local planning committees and centralising them into the Tooley Street HQ. Its also changing the threshold for when planning applications are not decided by council officers. I've heard two versions of this - 1. that the new threshold will be 5 objections for an application to be heard by the planning committee, 2. that only large schemes can be objected to. Wont know for sure unti lthe final Council Assembly papers are publishing next week. So this scheme will not be decided locally. I hope to remain a reserve planning committee member but it is rare I'm called upon to cover for a colleague. Hi the-e-dealer, Planning committees are quaisi judicial committee and I would only ever sit on a committee and help decided an item I had not preconceived views or interests in.

Please see attached crime stats from the local Safer Neighbourhood Teams for East Dulwich ward and Village ward. Any ideas to reduce crime please get in touch.

hi First mate, It does appear some overlap with Council Planning Officers arranging and holding meeting while the CPZ was being decided.

At last feedback about Dulwich Leisure Centre phones. "In the short term the centre have arranged training for all staff involved in the telephone answering procees, to ensure they have a full understanding of the customer and Fusion's expctations. It is also important for us to resolve the issue on a more permanenet basis, and for this a review of the staff deployment and queue management will be completed. This will allow the centre to support both the customers queuing and those wanting to book or enquire over the phone." I haven't yet got timescales to this but definately progress.

Hi alice, The freeholder who has applied for planning permission talks about M&S. Seperately I know the Iceland lease is close to ending. I'd be amazed if Iceland would offer as much rent as M&S would/have. I'm also clear that Waitrose would like the site as is without the extension - and I've spoken at length to them about options. Hope this helps.

A new planning application 12-AP-3773 has been submitted: http://planningonline.southwark.gov.uk/AcolNetCGI.exe?ACTION=UNWRAP&RIPNAME=Root.PgeDocs&TheSystemkey=9547620 The Iceland lease is close to ending. M&S have an option to take the site over. Clearly the freeholder would prefer a more successful shop leasing the site generating far more rent. The freeholder have applied to extend the Iceland store and rent it to M&S - this would result in no customer parking on site - PLANNING APPLICATION DETAILS. Building on the car parking will have a very negative affect on local residents and parking generally in the area vs. a potential anchor shop for the high street. The freeholder would obvious prefer rentable retail space than the provision of free parking. The proposed 8 extra flats above the shop - replacing office space - would also increase parking pressures on surrounding streets. Planning officers have suggested removing the customer car parking would reduce the numbers driving to this site - but have failed to take into account how many more people would like to shop at M&S rather than an Iceland. I suggest the latter will far out weigh the former. If you think this is a good or bad idea tell the Southwark planning team case officer - [email protected] and copy local councillors so we can represent you as well - [email protected] , [email protected] and [email protected]

This needs a new thread to ensure everyone reads it.

Confirmed date for North Cross Road resurfacing is week commencing 21 May - but it is weather dependent. Letters to all residents agreed.

Hi sb, Fusion recently had their contract renewed. I've complained about the phone issue and waiting a response from officers. This isn't the first time I've complained. The last time things did improve but disappointing to see things deteriate again. It shouldn't take much to have the phone answered in a reasonable number of rings with a helpful person on the end AND to have messaging system to confirm things running to plan AND to SMS text/email people changes to plans.

Hi DulwichDeviant, I think Labour Uncut provide the clearest reason why Ken's tax affairs were so 'unfortunate'. It is crystal clear that Ken avoided tax and National Insurance to the maximum extent he could get away with. If he hadn't he'd probably now be London Mayor. Very sad to see his political career end in this way.

Did you note the number plate and report it to the Police?

A lot of people on te doorstep echoed your view the-e-dealer with a sizeable number not voting at all who traditionally said tey voted Labour. 2008 it felt like many more were happy to say they were voting for Ken. Non of that yesterday but the official result will come soon enough.

I've had two people contact me who haven't received polling cards. IF you're missing a polling card you can still vote. But can I ask if one never arrived that you email me so I can try and get to the bottom of why they've gone missing.

I've highlighted this to the head of the service. It's a pretty basic ask to pick up the phone politley within a few rings.

Many thanks mynamehere. Different issue but well done the whole school community and indeed supporting federation for the East Dulwich Harris Girls Academy for achieving an outstanding Ofsted inspection. What is so especially remarkable is the inspection regime is getting tougher but that Ofsted thought it was outstanding throughout all the categories they assessed.

Early morning to Glasgow or Edinburgh - take the sleeper train leaving 11pm the night before. I get loads done, sleep ok, cooked breakfast at the other end and arrive early.

Draft date for resurfacing all of North Cross Road is w/c Monday 21 May.

Hi Cora, I share your concerns. I also think we possibly have a hidden number of secondary school demand fulfilled by accessing non Southwark better schools. Clearly with increasing primary schools numbers they need to move onto increasing secondary school places! as soon as I have any data I'll share it here.

But governors select all heads including the current one and previous ones. Schools are very complicated beasts.

JFYI - Sainsbury's on Dog Kennel Hill have a 'bring site; for small eletrical items to be recycled.

If a short day or overnight business trip I'd cycle to Paddington and then Heathrow Express. If longer minicab to Paddington.

Hi esme, Thanks for this feedback. Junction of lordship Lane with Dulwich Common. For many years TfL have been promising to add a pedestrian phase to this TfL controlled red route junction. Even with a Tory London Mayor and tory local councillors (College ward) it never happened - and the local tories really campaigned for it. With now 2 Labour cllrs and 1 Tory cllr it stands even less chance! What's so particualrly sad abotu this is a house with local blind people. How on earth they're meant to get about safely when it feels like you're taking you'r life in your hand fully sighted and mobile is beyond me. Junction of Lordship Lane with Barry Road. This relatively recently had a major refit to make it safer! Plans are afoot that a new Cycle Superhighway will pass through. If it does then this junctiopn and many others will be calmed. We await the London Mayoral elections to see how that pans out. New secondary school. So far I've been able to get confirmed pupils numbers and forecasts to show a sdhortage of local primary school places. So currently that's my priority. Having ensured a new secondary school (Harris Boys) in theory we shouldnt need another. BUT I've been unable to get pupil predictions for our local area. Council officials only do the figures borough wide. So I have the borough wide figures. I'm now in a long ping pong with the same officers to find out how many Southwark children are aschooled outside the borough and vice versa. MY hunch is many children are schooled elsewhere BUT as Southwark secondary schools improved parents are increasingly seeking school places in southwark. So although it appears the same number of children and school palces the press is rapidly rising. It's a really good problem in theory to have but so far the administration appears to be hiding from the impact. What makes it worse is the stupid Gove academy policies copunding the stupid Blair education bill - this makes it really hard to local authorities to just decide to build a new school and the money be made available for them to do this.

I'm delighted the school is on a clear trajectory of improvement and as I said I can now see it reaching even higher Ofsted status than Good. I have read the Ofsted report in full and would encourage others to also do this. It shows clearly wheere further work is required and the whole school family can help with that endeavour.

Landcroft residents. The removal of the reserved parking behind the Police station for horszes boxes - which last visited over a decade ago - have been removed allowing parking. Apologies this took so long to make happen. Apparently cars turning into Landcroft Road from Whateley Road are now an issue as northbound Landcroft Road cars are further into the middle of the road due to the newly allowed parking. New road marking have been orders to make the junction clearer and hopefully resolve the problem. These new refrshed road marking have been delayed due to the inclement weather. Any day now...