AndySkip

Complete mystery - someone left a bicycle by our dustbins & we're wondering whether it has been stolen or just dropped off at the wrong house (in Ardbeg Road, Herne Hill). Anyway if you think it may be yours then please message me with colour and make and with any luck we can return. Thanks - Andy

Unfortunately the Dulwich Estate are there to make money first and foremost:

http://www.dulwichestate.co.uk/about/objectives

In the petition we estimate 2,000 ?truck journeys? i.e. journeys to and from the site.

Excavation: we?ve assumed 18 tonne trucks with 11.5 tonne load capacity, 1.7kg/m3 density -> 826 trucks.

Concrete: 1,100 m3 (slabs, internal & external walls) -> 180 trucks

Total c. 1,000 trucks overall, 2,000 truck journeys in and out of the site.

NB this only covers excavation and concrete, and only considers the basement on the basis we?re asking the developers to scale back the development and specifically reconsider whether a basement is sensible.

Whilst we can improve the above figures I believe they are ball-park right. And the 2,000 truck figure understates the total level of disruption given this just gets us back to ground level.

Thanks James... it's important to validate the figures. So I'll post up the calculations in a moment.

You also make a very good point about the construction management plan. The local schools have repeatedly asked for clarity from the developers and have so far heard nothing back. Zip.

A 'draft outline' CMP was written in March 2014 (attached here). It contains no figures whatsoever regarding the scale of construction, just general comments, highlighted placeholders and a promise to consult before publishing a final version.

From a safety perspective this is probably the most important document and I believe we should question whether a planning decision can be made before we are clear on the impact it will have on the local community.

Figures to follow - all the best - Andy

Well clockworkorange thanks for that. It's just a question of balance. It makes sense to redevelop the site. However a few of us think the plans need scaling back a tad. all the best! Andy

Thanks DaveR. Yep absolutely the schools (and us lot) are making formal representations. However the whole planning consultation process really does feel like a silent vortex sometimes with zero feedback. So the objective here is to add to the official efforts and to make sure our decision-taking councillors are able to hear some grass-roots opinion.

Thanks healey. Call it SLIMBYism = 'something less in my back yard" :)

Hi Jeremy you are absolutely right, and the local schools are making that exact point. However in this case we have the Dulwich Village Infants' School, which is split-site, who take their kids back and forth for lunch straight past this site. Add to this the pre-school care and after school clubs and you have a very narrow window. Thanks for your comment.

Please sign this petition and help us raise awareness:

https://www.change.org/p/the-dulwich-estate-sg-smith-child-safety-before-profit

More information below.... thanks very much - Andy

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Current plans to redevelop the SG Smith (Audi) garage in the centre of Dulwich Village include a 5,000 cubic metre basement to create underground snugs, utility rooms and parking for 12 new homes.

The works will involve over 2,000 multi-axle HGV journeys: tipper trucks to remove the soil and aggregate lorries to supply the concrete. And that's just to create the proposed basement.

That's ONE HGV, EVERY 10 MINUTES FOR TWO MONTHS, right into the centre of the village, on local, residential roads that are already dangerously congested.

There are 14 schools with 7,000 pupils within 10 minutes walk of the proposed construction site as well as 40 pre-school nurseries.

Parents and children walk, cycle and scoot to school every day and their routes take many of them straight through Dulwich Village.

As well as local residents, school children walk straight past the site throughout the day - to and from lunch, and on local outings.

Petitioning the Dulwich Estate (land owner) and SG Smith (their co-developer):

We believe that the scale of the proposed HGV movements poses an enormous risk to our community: of the 20 cycle deaths in London last year over half involved tipper trucks and skip lorries.

We urge you to consider a scheme that excludes any basement excavation. This would significantly reduce the associated HGV traffic.

We believe that the safety of our children and local residents should be prioritised, rather than maximising the scale of the development and your financial returns.

THANKS FOR YOUR SUPPORT!