former East Dulwich councillor - how can I help?

[Fuschia]

Is it possible to get big bins for recycling? We fill several of those little crates etc and they look very messy in our garden

[James Barber]

Hi Fuschia,

I've before and the answer was no but you can have as many boxes and bags as you like.

Order away via 020 7525 2000.

[Fuschia]

James Barber Wrote:

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> Hi Fuschia,

> I've before and the answer was no but you can have

> as many boxes and bags as you like.

> Order away via 020 7525 2000.

We have loads. Just they fill the garden. I have noticed some flats with large blue paper bins. It woud be great if we could have one like that to share with the upstairs flat and a similar one for glass and plastic etc..

[Peckhamgatecrasher]

Vote Fuschia for Mayor! Agree - large recycling bins would be useful, especially as we no longer have to separate stuff.

[SeanHitz]

Sorry if this has been asked before, but does anyone know when the road works will be finished on Peckham Rye Lane? They're bloody annoying and the disruption they're causing on the buses is a real pain in the a*s!

[KestonKid]

We are in the pilot rubbish recycling scheme. We have received a brown bin (large) and some compostable bags. I have sent 2 emails to Southwark explaining that as a 2 person household (one veggie)with a compost bin in our back garden, we do not have a great deal of food waste and don't want to have another large bin cluttering up our tiny front garden.

Could I use the kitchen caddy for the kerbside collection? I have asked for one but so far it has not arrived. If they can sort this out and remove/recycle the large brown bin then I will be very happy with the new system. Ironically we have only recently managed to get a small green bin.

[Fuschia]

Peckhamgatecrasher Wrote:

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> Vote Fuschia for Mayor! Agree - large recycling

> bins would be useful, especially as we no longer

> have to separate stuff.

Do we not? My sister in Herts has 3 bins

Recycling

Rubbish

Food waste/green waste

[Peckhamgatecrasher]

@ Fushcia - with the new pilot scheme, we no longer have to separate newspaper/plastic & metal/bottles. They all get thrown in together.

[elloriac]

@KestonKid We are in the exact same situation. I emailed Southwark last week when our huge brown bin arrived and they replied very quickly saying that bin would be removed & replaced with a smaller one. The big bin was removed yesterday but we haven't received the smaller one yet. Neighbours who didn't have room for the big bin have already received the little one - it's the 23L one on James Barber's post above about the pilot scheme.

no idea whether you could just use the kitchen caddy. We wanted something a little bigger for garden stuff that we couldn't put in the compost, like woody stuff, but the 23L bin may struggle with that... we'll see how it goes

[pebbles]

Hi James, I don't know whether this has already been spoken about but 2 recycling bins have appeared on Lordship Lane outside Bells (corner of Whately) and it has become really difficult to turn out of W onto LL as you can't see any cars coming. Is there any chance of these being moved further in or on the other side of the road? Many thanks

[Carrie]

Kitchen caddies are being delivered today - mine has just arrived on Oglander Road

[James Barber]

Hi Kestonkid,

I'll happilly ask for the big brown bin to be removed and replaced with 23L one. Email me you full address.

I'd suggest using the kitchen caddy just in the kitchen else it will get wet being outside on rainy days etc.

Hi pebbles,

Have asked whether they can be relocated to avoid blocking sight lines.

Hi Fuschia, Peckhamgatecrachers,

Email me with your full address and I'll plead for you both to have big blue recycling bins.

[pebbles]

Thanks James

[EDmummy]

James, any news on my recent request for information on future funding for STAX music centre? Is it threatened?

[James Barber]

Hi EDmummy,

Well yes and no. I received an email late yesterday from Southwark's Head of Music Service. Sadly I didn't know such a post existed. They assured me the division lead officer will be in touch with me about STAX.

[James Barber]

If you want to check if your property is in the recycling pilot of weekly food waste collections and fortnightly regualr rubbish collections please follow this link - you wont find it easilly on the Southwark council website as its really well hidden:

http://wasteservices.southwark.gov.uk/index.asp

My laptop doesn't like it but sure it will work for most people.

[James Barber]

New Grove Vale library

In 2005 I spotted that developer had made a Planning Application for 18-22 Grove Vale where the Dulwich Garden Centre is. The scheme look at best dull. Equally the Grove Vale library is two small shops unit poorly linked together. Great library in terms of children?s books etc but poor building to provide library services.

So I approached the developer and suggested that if they included a new Grove Vale library their scheme would be more successful. That turned into a long two years working with the developer, council officers and colleagues to incorporate a new 230m2 Grove Vale library which gained planning permission January 2007.

Then the recession hit. BANG. All property values slumped but more importantly since then it has become REALLY hard to borrow money. One surveyor told me you can?t borrow money outside London and in London banks expect 35% margins to borrow ie a big cushion just in case.

So I?ve had many conversations with the developer about what might be possible. I?ve spoken to Southwark libraries about what could/would work to give a great new library. Various rules around insulation are now much tighter - new part L building regs today, Southwark Core Strategy where all rooms have to be bigger, etc.

After a lot of soul searching I?m hopeful we?ve sailed a route which should give us a new 250m2 +50m2 ?winter garden? Grove Vale library. It would be behind a new retail unit at the front with library accessed via a 3 metre wide corridor at the back. The residential flats above would reduce to 21 units.

Yesterday I met with the developers team and Southwark Planning officials to witness the hurdles and issues the developer needs to bridge before submitting a full Planning Application. I?m hopefully these wont take long and a scheme can be submitted in November or January.

If you have any questions or thoughts about this please get in touch.

Hopefully I?ll have some images to share soon.

[apmuso]

Hi James

You've been very helpful in the past keeping us informed and keeping the pressure on the relevant people with regard to pavement and carriageway improvements on Melbourne Grove in East Dulwich, which have broadly-speaking been successful in reducing the flow and speed of traffic on the road. I wonder if you can be as helpful and influential again? What is becoming increasingly frustrating is the situation with regard parking. On a number of occasions in the past few weeks, I have spent anything up to 20 mins trying to find a parking space within a mile of our house. If anything, the problem - which has always been bad, is getting worse. Neighbours are now resorting to putting bins in front of their houses to reserve a spot and stop railway station users clogging the road.

Is there anything we can do? Whatever happened to the survey with regard residents' parking? We've just redone our front garden and don't feel it's fair to sacrifice that space to off=street parking just so we can have the car in front of the house - given that it's non-residents using the road for all day parking for the station. There was talk of implementing a 12-2pm meter system, which, with one fell swoop, would immediately solve the problem. There is metered parking at Denmark Hill, so why not East Dulwich?

Thanks in advance for any advice you may give.

Andy

[James Barber]

Hi apmuso,

Watch your letter box in the next 2-3 weeks on Thursday evenings.

Regards james.

[Marmora Man]

James,

Back in April I asked if the council could be asked to clear up / remove the memorial at the Peckham Rye / East Dulwich Road crossroads. It is now over nine months since the accident and sad death of a child. Most of the "memorial" is now very sad, untidy and is obviously uncared for - nothing has been added to it since February. I acknowledge your earlier concerns, tho' I didn't agree, that it was too early back in April.

[ruffers]

I drove through that junction for the first time in a while today and the exact same thought occurred to me.

Perhaps if someone wants a memorial then it can be done properly with a small plaque or something but it's just a mess now.

[James Barber]

Hi Marmora Man & Ruffers,

This memorial isn't in my ward and really don't want to interfer with something like this.

if you feel strongly then please use 020 7525 2000 to resolve.

[.......]

Is there going to be resident parking on Melbourne Grove? I can't afford that if there is! Hell we pay enough as it is. I've never had a problem parking in Melbourne Grove, there are always about 3-4 spaces around my flat. I guess maybe up by the station, but at the other end it's fine.

[James Barber]

Hi Squ1rr31,

No current plans to impliment controlled parking on melbourne grove - but many residents at the East Dulwioch end have asked for it. So likely we'll test the water of residents feelings.

[tfayers]

I find it extremely difficult to find a parking space near my house (near East Dulwich Station / top end of lordship lane), especially during the daytimes. I really hope they will make the area a controlled parking zone (residents' parking) soon.