ed_pete

Northlonder - Boy it's more complicated than you might think: Firstly only about 75% of your council tax bill goes to Southwark - the other 25% goes to the GLA. Secondly the 75% only contributes to 30% of the overall council budget of ?308m, the remainder being centrally funded. The Council's budget for Refuse collection and disposal (which may or may not include street cleaning) is ?28m which is about 9% of the overall budget. Therefore the proportion of your council tax bill that goes on Refuse collection and disposal is 6.75% or about ?82 a year for a Band D payer.

the-e-dealer Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > Apples will ripen on the window sill. Indeed however M&S are going to need to an extremely large window sill for the amount of apples they sell.

I'm eating a tree ripened apple from M&S. Are there people out there that were unaware that apples grow on trees or is there an alternative method of ripening that I'm unaware of ?

What kind of shower you can have in the loft is dictated by what kind of hot water system you have. If you have a conventional system with a cold water tank (in the loft) and a hot water cylinder then you can have a normal shower valve but it would need to be boosted by a shower pump because the shower head is likely to be higher than the height of the cold water tank (assuming that you keep that and it's relocated around the conversion) as the water from the tank can't flow upwards ! If you have a combi boiler then you may get away with a normal shower valve depending on the flow and pressure you achieve in the loft. If the flow/pressure is not good enough then you may have to opt for an electric shower unless you are prepared to change your hot water system to one that supplies mains pressure hot and cold water - one commonly adopted solution to this is to install a Megaflow system but that is quite expensive. Hope that helps.

There's no easy answer other than applying ! However you can seek free advice here http://www.rtpi.org.uk/planning-aid/planning-explained/ and/or Southwark offer a paid pre-application advice service but at ?750+vat it's probably OTT for your needs http://www.southwark.gov.uk/downloads/download/512/request_for_pre-application_planning_advice

Aslo see http://www.eastdulwichforum.co.uk/forum/read.php?9,902051,902216#msg-902216

I've never been asked for ID, even when Vale St was meant to only be used by Lambeth residents. If you worried then take along your Council Tax bill or some other form of proof of address.

Vale Street in West Dulwich do indeed accept Southwark residents but it is recycling only. Best to check the Lambeth website for what they will take - it is quite wide ranging. It does get busy at weekends but I find that if you are prepared to get there early ie before 8am, then it's OK. Southwark's facility in Devon St will accept anything. I don't know how busy it gets as I've only been a couple of times and they were fairly early. HTH

Increasingly I've found our family laptop (Lenovo Thinkpad) used for listening to radio or watching streamed TV and DVD's. The one problem however is the sound quality which is pretty poor. I don't think it's specifically the model of laptop as in my experience all laptops suffer from sound quality that varies from OK to mediocre. However I have now solved this problem with the purchase of the Logitec Z305. It's tube with speaker at each end that hooks over the top of the screen and plugs into the USB port. Frankly I'm really impressed and not in the least bit disappointed. The sound quality is tons better. Best of all if you buy it from Logitech direct they are ?24.99 as opposed to ?34.99 on Amazon. What's more the delivery is free (as it's over ?20). In fact they are ?22.49 at the moment as they have an extra 10% off in a back to school promotion. (use the code BACKTOSCHOOL2012). It's a steal. Buy one, I promise you'll wonder how you managed without it. Logitech site ==> http://www.logitech.com/en-gb/notebook-products/speakers/7363 YouTube review ==> (I have absolutely no connection with Logitech and sadly stand to make no money at all from the recommendation).

I don't profess to be an expert but I think you are asking too much ! Most flowering plants now are into their last couple of months be them annuals or perennials so planting something now that'll last all winter - especially if you want it to be a foot high - is going to be tricky to find. Here's a suggestion: first plant a number of spring bulbs (tulips, aliums, snowdrops, crocus - even daffs) reasonably deeply in the beds. You don't need to do this yet but during October/November and watch out for squirrels as they can dig up the bulbs. Secondly have another go with winter pansies and/or violas. If you're suffering from slug/snail damage then I'm afraid I'd go heavy on the slug pellets in order to protect your investment. I know there are a couple of local garden centres - the one near the station, and there's one over in Croxted Road as well - but for variety/range I've become a fan of Shannon's in Forest Hill, just off the South Circular or there's always Columbia Road though it might be as well to wait for the Paralympics to be over before paying it a visit.

Hmm, not sure that's right: From the Highway Code: When taking any intermediate exit, unless signs or markings indicate otherwise select the appropriate lane on approach to the roundabout you should not normally need to signal on approach stay in this lane until you need to alter course to exit the roundabout signal left after you have passed the exit before the one you want

Very nice.

You could try the Constitutional Club on East Dulwich Grove. I beleive they have function rooms for hire.

Bit off topic but I found these pic's of the old Odeon. East Dulwich Odeon

I know that in the past Godden's have been recommended highly when it comes to structural issues. Their website is www.goddenstructural.com Could be worth contacting them if you want a second opinion.

OK not East Dulwich, but the Year 7 footie team from neighbouring Forest Hill Boys school have a won a the Danone Nations Cup and will represent England in the Nations Cup World Final in Poland in September ! http://www.slp.co.uk/news.cfm?id=18748&headline=School team lifts cup in national footie contest at chelsea ground

@Carrie - thanks fro the info.

James - if you get a chance can you take a look at the Coplestone/Oglander junction with Grove Vale. It's being re-paved and the kerb stones replaced. In doing so they have removed the dropped kerb which means cyclists will fine it hard to join the paved area - which as you know they are legally entitled to do following the changes introduced earlier this year (or was it last year).

Ooh no, I'm not brave enough for that, besides I'm happily married.

Is this one ?

Regarding the Sports Ground proposal - planning permission has been refused by Southwark Council according to an email I've just received.

Perhaps a few emails to Veroncia Ward, Cabinet Member for Culture, Leisure, Sport and the Olympics, CC'ing the East Dulwich Councillors might help. Also: Fusion Complaints Southwark Council Complaints

Article in the Guardian today that talks about the London house price bubble and East Dulwich gets a mention.

Anyone know if fibre-based broadband is available in the Dulwich area from Plusnet / Tiscali /Talk Talk ? I'm currently with Virgin Media and I'm thinking about switching... (For the techies, I think I mean FTTC)

Hi - I'm guessing that you've happened upon this forum because of the word "Dulwich" in the title. DCPS / Gallery Road is in Dulwich Village, which as a neighbourhood very close to East Duwlich but it is a different area. The closest station to DCPS/Gallery Road is West Dulwich however this is not on a line to London Bridge, trains go to Victoria. You could change one station down the line (Herne Hill) and go to Blackfriars/Farringdon but you might consider that too faffy. For London Bridge via rail then you're better off looking for places not too far from North Dulwich station. Unfortunately for you this is at the northern end of Dulwich Village whereas DCPS is at the southern end. This means dropping your son at DCPS then heading to the station is going to be a long walk (I'm guessing about 15 mins walking from DCPS to North Dulwich). In terms of rentals I'd suggest that you contact the numerous estate agents in Dulwich Village and see what they have in your price range. They are: Hamptons, Harvey & Wheeler, Spencer Kenedy, Pedders, Kinleigh Folkyard and Hayward. Hope that helps.