former East Dulwich councillor - how can I help?

[James Barber]

Hi Coccinelle,

Landcroft hasnt been completely resurfaces. Each of the last two financial year a different third of Landcroft Road has been resurfaced.

Which bit of Barry Road are you thinking of. Cycling along it at the weekend I didnt spot anything as bad as Pellatt Road or Goodrich Road going east from Barry Road.

Sure others can highlight other part of roads that are in desperate need of maintenance.

Weirdly at the Dulwich Community Council meeting 25 June council officials told us no roads in East Dulwich ward need urgent maintenance. Jaw dropping.

Please tell me exactly which bit of Barry Road and perhapds we could meet up there tonight or tomorrow night around 8pm?

[Coccinelle]

PM sent

[fl0wer]

Look: everyone: sorry to have to repeat - the simple issue I am raising is the TIMING of the interventions.

Nobody is taking responsibility for choosing to do the "essential maintenance" at the most intrusive season possible for the wildlife[late April through to the end of July, for most small birds]... And no wonder. The Council is ultimately guilty of wildlife harm and no admissions can bring back the peace and quiet the emerging creatures needed at the beginning of their nesting/breeding cycles. The damage is done.

The tree surgery firms, Council managers and landscape staff had months of wintertime when the "dangerous" fungus-weakened trees were just the same. SOMEONE okayed this job and could have insisted on a more favourable date - at least whilst wild things were dormant. Horrified at this degree of carelessness towards the beleaguered biodiversity. To get a better handle on what's required for protectiveness in future, I would like the Council to get advice from a proper Natural History team. They could start by accepting visits from the London Wildlife Trust, the RSPB, Butterfly Conservation, and Plantlife. It would soon become clear that Camberwell OLD cemetery is well on its way to becoming a genuine haven.

The Tree Section wrote back to James Barber as follows:

"Southwark Council - Member enquiry

Our Reference: 299218

Subject: Felling trees at Camberwell Cemetery

________________________________________

Dear Councillor Barber

Thank you for your email of the 30th May regarding the removal of trees in the cemetery.

The tree section are in the process of surveying all of our parks and cemetery trees to asses their current condition and for these trees to then be included in our cyclical programme going forward. Due to the enormity of the task we have procured a consultant to assist in this process.

Two of the areas we identified for a survey were Camberwell New and Old cemeteries. The survey identified a large number of trees that needed removing due to the fact that they were decaying as a result of a fungus that alters the strength of the wood. Parks tree officer worked closely with the consultant to review his work and recommendations made.

Unfortunately the risk presented by these trees requires that they are removed to protect the public. In some cases the work to the dangerous trees means that other trees in a reasonable condition are subjected to the effects of wind for which their root systems and stems have not been exposed to before. This can cause further failures of trees and a risk to the public.

We have consulted with some of the friends of Honor Oak Park and I have been in contact with interested residents about the work. We have also put up enhanced felling notices for information.

There are a number of works still continuing with further felling of trees. However I can advise that all of the work is being done to address health and safety issues.

Following the felling we will be identifying areas for re planting which will be undertaken in the next planting season Winter of 13/14.

Please do not hesitate to contact me should you require any further information.

Yours sincerely,

Gary Meadowcroft

Tree Services Manager"

________________________________________________

[James Barber]

Hi flower,

Can you please email me at [email protected] so I an pass your offer onto the lead councillor Barrie Hargrove.

[Zebedee Tring]

Good morning, James.

Beauval Road is currently virtually a building site, with vans and lorries taking up a great deal of the parking space during the day, though there's nothing that one can do about this.

However, what I am concerned about is that there are now two portaloos placed in the roadway in the upper part of the section of Beauval Road that ends at Milo Road. Apart from taking up much needed parking spaces, they are beginning to smell and may well be a health hazard. I'm not sure whether the portaloos are being used by one set of builders or two.

Leaving aside the question of why the builders have not placed the portaloos within the curtilage of the property or properties) on which they are working, I have a number of questions:

(1) Do they have the legal right to place the portaloos on the roadway?

(2) If so, do they have to obtain permission from the Council to do so?

(3) If so, have they obtained permission?

(4) If they do not have the legal right to place the portaloos on the roadway or they haven't obtained permission to do so, what action will the Council be taking to get them to remove them?

[James Barber]

Hi ZT,

Yes they do have the ability to place on highway. Always a little risky n case someone topples one over. Not nice.

My understanding is they just need to notify the southwark highway licensing dept.

If you email [email protected] they should be able to tell you.

They wild ask them to get a licence.

[Bessie1974]

Hi James,

I left you a post a few months ago regarding the possibilty of having permanent ping pong tables erected in Peckham Rye, or/and Gouse Green. I hope you remember. Would you kindly let us know if it has been approved, and if so when can we expect to enjoy them.

Thank you for your enthusiasm and help getting this thing completed.

PS: anyone interested in outdoor ping pong tables let yourselves be counted by voicing your support.

[Sue]

I'd deffo be interested in outside ping pong tables :)

[James Barber]

Hi Bessie1974,

Apologies I missed this.

They appear to cost around ?2,250 including delivery but not including a levelled base. So I'd guess around ?3,000 including everything.

Best mechanism for this to apply for Cleaner, Greener, Safer funding. Te next round should come out in January for a decision around Aril/May time and such simple schemes could be implemented before summer 2014.

I'll make a point of asking for bids on this thread then and I'd be more than happy to support such a bid and walk you through how to fill in the forms.

For both areas you would dearly contact the respective friends groups asking their opinions and seek their agreement on where you'd like to place them.

Hi Sue,

Yes I also think the is a great idea.

[UncleBen]

Peckham rye is not east dulwich ward. Get your own funding!

[James Barber]

Hi UncleBen,

Peckham Rye Common and Park are indeed in Peckham Rye ward and they have their own CGS funding. But many East Dulwich ward residents use both open spaces so we've used our CGS capital funds to help improve things.

Equally Dulwich Park is in Village and we've helped fund things there as well.

[UncleBen]

Hi JB. Well you never asked me! If you are going to throw away 3k then I propose they go in Goose Green or park near sainsb'.

[Sue]

James Barber Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> They appear to cost around ?2,250 including

> delivery but not including a levelled base. So I'd

> guess around ?3,000 including everything.

>

xxxxxx

???????????????????

For one table?

That's extortionate!

Somebody is making an awful lot of money out of this, surely.

Is this coming out of our council tax??

:(

[Bessie1974]

Thank you James,

I appreciate you helping push this initiative and will look forward to bid and fill whatever form is necessary.

you are welcome to PM me.

In the meanwhile I shall look at CGS. And perhaps take it up with the Peckham ward regarding table in the Rye. As for Goose Green let's get the ball rolling so to speak.

Thanks again.

[steveo]

Hello James

I can't see what's what on the hospital thread. Would you kindly let me/us know if there really is a proposal to knock the building down?

If so, I might have to start mobilising the troops

Thank you

Steve

[GinaG3]

Hi James,

I know its out of your area as its College ward but wonder if you can pass on details to get the ball rolling. I rang the council over a month ago about an erupted drop kerb at the small island crossing on Dulwich Common (directly to the bottom of Firemans Alley), they logged the works to be looked at quickly. After 10 days or so I called again as council had been out to install a lamp post on the island itself but did nothing to the pavement. It was then logged as an urgent matter, still nothing done. It has been like this for over a month, all the kerb flags have lifted and the pavement has fully erupted from the ground. Being in the location it is, on the busy south circular with myself and other parents walking and crossing there to get our children to school/pre-school it is highly dangerous. This is a fast moving road and you need to be quite quick to cross it. My concern is if a lorry or any other vehicle for that matter is speeding (as they do regularly along here) and knocks just a bit of the kerb causing it to veer into the island while someone is waiting to cross. Someone has put cones and tape around the area but it has still been left despite numerous calls about the danger of debris spilling into the road and making crossing less safe. I'm sure other people have probably called as well.

If this something you can look in to or pass on please?

Thanks in advance.

[James Barber]

Can you please email any references you've been given please [email protected] clearly this should have been fixed by now but it also suggests a generic issue.

[Renata Hamvas]

Hi Bessie,

sorry about posting on James' thread but to let you know a table tennis table was funded by CGS funding for Peckham Rye Park. Peckham Rye Ward (my Ward!)come under Peckham and Nunhead Community Council. The table hasn't yet been installed as the position of the One O'Clock club is being discussed which could indirectly impact on the location of the table.

Yes Sue, concrete table tennis tables to use in public places do come in at around 3k for table, installation etc

Renata

[James Barber]

Thank Renata.

Suspect one wont be enough but great start for Peckham Rye Park.

Hi Bessie,

So we just need to think about Goose Green.

Please do contact the Friends of Goose Green [email protected] to check they'd be happy.

[James Barber]

I'm back from holiday.

If anyone has any issues please email me directly or post them here.

This Thursday I'm covering surgery from 7pm at East Dulwich Community Centre if anyone would like a face to face chat.

[LKR]

Are there any plans to bring in permit parking to East Dulwich. I live in Matham Grove and parking outside my house or even in my street is a nightmare. It is getting more and more difficult.

[James Barber]

Hi LKR,

About two years ago and 12 years ago proposals were made for controlled permit parking in the areas. The earlier one asked residents on every SE22 street and the more recent one the area around Grove Vale.

The SE22 study was emphatic that overall SE22 did not want controlled parking.

The more recent study was clearly against once all respondents were included. a very few streets were in favour but insufficient for it to proceed. What didnt help was that the permit costs rose at the time from ?99.30 to ?125 per permit. Some who were against were against becase it wouldnt operate 24 hours a day. Many that it would displace commuter parking. OThers that their wasnt a problem - generally those that didnt live on a street being consulted.

Interesting test case of Barnet residents fighting a permit fee increase from ?40 to ?100pa. They won earlier this week in the High court with the judge being clear that permit fees should only be at a rate to cover costs. Barnet council has been given leave to appeal. We know that until recently parking permits of Southwark council estates cost ?25 so reasonable for Southwark to believe that this is the actual cost of providing them.

I don't think it would radically change local peoples views but it would help avoid such proposals being seen as money making schemes which they clearly are to some degree as things stand.

The only way this subject would come up again is if a very large resident petition were organised showing clear majorities of homes on a large number of adjoining streets wanting it.

[worldwiser]

Hi James,

Referring to the council meeting - the state of our road, Crawthew Gv, is hilarious. Covered in ugly patch repairs and attempts at line repainting - the latest ones to the pavement only just last week look like they were done by children. And the entire length of the road is strewn with potholes. The recent street repair survey that came through our door was completed and returned with relish!

Re. the parking permit scheme - real shame it was never introduced. Other parts of London that seem like carbon copies of ED in various states of evolution (Muswell Hill, Crouch End, Chiswick, Highgate, Finchley - I'm sure there are others) seem to do incredibly well with a 1 or 2 hour restriction somewhere in the middle of the day to deter long term/commuter parking but retain the facility for shoppers/local visitors. At the very least, it would be worth having marked parking bays. People park so inconsiderately and I'm sure parking capacity could be increased by doing this alone. Oh, and by charging builders a punitive rate to park their Portacabins on the public highway so they actually have an incentive to use them sparingly.

Best wishes

[ed_pete]

worldwiser & LKR - I take it that you weren't around during the great CPZ saga of 2011/12 - if you fancy trawling through a mountian of posts on the subject the take a look here.

http://www.eastdulwichforum.co.uk/forum/read.php?5,772215,page=1

[James Barber]

Hi worldwiser,

I'll ask officers to add Crawthew Grove to the roads they're assessing to advice us which ar the most pressing ot resurface.