former East Dulwich councillor - how can I help?

[James Barber]

Hi Zenoria,

An application for a restaurant has been suggested again by the owners. This idea was rejected some years ago. They're trying to reframe it as saying really the site is part of Lordship Laneand would have zero impact on this residential street. Clearly cloud cuckoo land.

Hi worldwiser,

I agree and will find out.

[Zenoria]

Thank you for the reply, James. Cloud cuckoo land indeed - a restaurant would be intolerable, so let's hope the idea gets kicked out again.

[James Barber]

Hi worldwiser,

Talking to the workmen this morning today they anticipated finishing half of the remaining works outside East Dulwich station at the bus stop and the remainder on monday. The temp traffic lights will be in place over the weekend.

Does seem terribly poor planning and needless levels of disruption. Sadly our time has zero value to the council officers planning such works and the political direction they've been given.

[worldwiser]

The bit they've done looks excellent. Although there's a huge section of potholes literally a couple of metres beyond where they downed tools. For goodness sake, why didn't they repair that section at the same time? The cost would have been negligible and they'll inevitably have to attend to it in the long run. It'll cost the taxpayer disproportionately to start up the site again and again cause us massive inconvenience. Absolutely no long-term thinking by Southwark - did they find a small pot of gold they had to spend before the end of the financial year or something?! Grateful if you could extract a response to this James.

[James Barber]

Hi worldwiseer,

I think they concentrated on the patch of road where the weight of buses stopping has broken up the roads foundations.

But yes it now really highlights the other areas that need work and yrs it wouldnt have cost much to resurface those other patches at the same time.

[Hawley]

Hi James

Talking of potholes, is there any news as to when the proposed resurfacing on Pellatt Road will take place?

Thanks.

[James Barber]

Hi Hawley,

It was meant to take place during January/February. Let me chase council officials and ask what the new revised dates are.

[ianr]

The thread I opened in the General ED Issue section today, about an apparent error on electoral registration forms, and about whic I also emailed James, has now been moved to the Lounge. http://www.eastdulwichforum.co.uk/forum/read.php?20,1272263

[James Barber]

Hi ianr,

Problem over election database now resolved.

Hi Hawley,

Both Goodrich Road from its junction with Barry Road to its junction with Friern Road

AND

eastern end of Pellatt Road

will be resurfaced w/c/ 4 March.

Letters to residents from council officer/contractor will be going out in the coming week.

[KalamityKel]

James,

I appreciate this is perhaps not your area of expertise but...How would one go about setting up a NCCCZ (No cold calling control zone) with in the local area?

[first mate]

I wonder if you also had multiple cold calls by the organisation called ADT, same people, same evening. Odd. How many times do a group of people have to be told you are not interested in their product? Why would they keep calling round on the same night? Why does it need four of them?

Does anyone know if ADT are legit?

[James Barber]

Hi KalamityKel,

I invstigated this several years ago. We'd need Southwark trading standard and the local Police to say that we have a problem with cold callers.

We certainly have the cash in our East Dulwich Crime Prevention fund to make this happen.

Are you aware of any local problem I could ask trading stanadard and the police and whether they felt it was now appropriate to have such a zone?

[KalamityKel]

ADT is probably one of the most nuisance type of caller - I reported them to the safer neighbourhood team yesterday to which we're currently awaiting a response. These in particular, if you check the ADT thread, cause a lot of bother with intimidation and make residents feel uncomfortable especially, and I say this on pure speculation yet the feeling is there amoungst residents, when visits with ADT usually coincide with spats of burglaries/attempted burglaries.

Other types of callers are charities or children, not from neighbouring streets, knocking wanting to be sponsored for some sort of event or other.

I do believe this would be something worthwhile to invest in.

[James Barber]

Hi KK,

I have formally asked both the local Police and TRading standards.

This assumes anyone reports when they feel intimidated to the Police non emergency number 1010 or trading standards. We do have several streets with higher proportions of more vulnerable residents so suspect any zone would start with a few streets.

[James Barber]

Landcroft Road will be resurfaced 5-6 March (weather permitting) from just its junction with Crystal Palace Road to just north of its junction with Goodrich Road.

See attached for more detials.

[James Barber]

All of Silvester Road will be resurfaced (weather permitting) 7-10 March.

Please see attached.

[fazer71]

James FYI

Getting the measure of aircraft noise

(This email received by Wandworth Council today. They are taking action against Heathrow expansion)

?Yesterday Wandsworth Council and the all-party 2M Group launched an independent noise report in the House of Commons which challenges the way Sir Howard Davies and his Airports Commission are measuring the impact of aircraft noise.

?The 'ANASE update study' highlights the inadequacy of the existing 57 decibel noise benchmark which the Commission is using as the basis for recommending additional runway capacity.

?According to this benchmark Putney, Wandsworth Town and Battersea are not affected by noise from aircraft. We all know this is complete fantasy

We first submitted the updated ANASE study to Davies In September 2013. We have also highlighted the volume of noise complaints from residents in Wandsworth and other places outside of the 57 decibel area.

?The Commission has not engaged with us over this crucial evidence. As a result it is able to propose more night flights over Wandsworth as well as shortlist Heathrow as a potential site for a new runway.

?Our launch of the ANASE report at the Commons will make it harder for Davies to ignore its findings.

?We now need residents to join our campaign for a fair deal on noise. You can write to Davies, write to the Transport Secretary, come to our public meetings and ask your neighbours to do the same.

?It was public pressure that forced the abandonment of previous runway plans in 2010. Send your first email today and we can win this battle again.?

Ravi Govindia,

Leader of Wandsworth Council

[singalto]

Hawley Re resurfacing of Pellatt Rd: we've all had a letter about it.

James: re ADT: I have had a cold call from them but was aware that they are in the area. I rang ADT to find out if these guys are genuine and was told that they should all carry ID. My cold caller did not offer any ID. Although I said I was not interested, she still carried on talking so I shut the door. They are clearly a nuisance in ED at the moment.

[James Barber]

Hi singalto,

WRT cold calling - please tell Southwark Trading Standards when it occurs - especially if they don't have ID.

The number ot call is Tel: 020 7525 2000 I'm afraid this is a call centre so might be clunky also you can email them at - [email protected]

Thanks for confirming you've recevied rthe resurfacing letter. Sometimes they don't get delivered before the work.

Hi fazer71,

Interesting. Thank you.

[TE44]

James, I take it you know the thread in family room, new school, is no longer a sticky, did you ask admin to reemove it as one. Do you no longer feel there is any need for it to be, regardless of the fact, from what you've said, it is only at the stage where sponsers are being approached.

[James Barber]

Hi TE44,

We're very close to our target now, apart from the odd bit of news it will be some months before a public consultation. We now have a twitter feed and Facebook page.

Also it also helps to move the campaign beyond being seen as run solely by Lib Dems. Hopefully other partisan will come out and support it shortly.

But you're always very welcome to email me about this at any time.

[wavyline girl]

Hello James

I would like to draw your attention to the noise & pollution from the constant stream of planes that cross over this area each day. It has got increasingly worse over the years, and I understand that there are plans to allow more flights into Heathrow overnight. To my mind this is wrong on a number of different levels.

Thanks

[James Barber]

Hi wavy line girl,

I agree.

I would counsel joining the Heathrow Action Campaign Agains Noise HACAN. The more members they have the stronger their voice on our behalf and the more resources they'll have to fight for better conditions keeping excessive noise at bay.

Airport noise is a regional issues outside of normal councillors spheres of influences BUT we have in the past used a small amount of Southwark council money with others to fight a court case about a previous government not listening to residents views. I hope the council will do the same again.

[Vanessa3]

Hi James,

Is there any chance of Southwark looking into a pedestrian crossing on Whately road at the Felbrigg/Cyrena Road junction? It's a popular route for school children heading to/from Heber Road & can be quite tricky during the school run.

Vanessa

[fl0wer]

Dear James, may I draw your attention to the discussion on a thread here in the EDF http://www.eastdulwichforum.co.uk/forum/read.php?5,1278691

My note (at the end) is about getting the Trading Standards officer if that is the right person? - to work through all the cleaning firms being employed by estate agents in our area.

It appears that a large proportion of the fly-tipping we endure comes from vacated flats which means that cleaners and maintenance firms, staff perhaps not understanding how to clear up efficiently even with the Council's free service, are pocketing the estate agents fee for going to the tip, and instead dumping again and again in the same sites....a security camera should be installed on Dunstan's Road beneath the Dawson Hill footpath to act as a deterrent and I am sure the Council waste teams could name several other regular tip places.

It's a fact that in ED many private tenants move into flats that have been inadequately cleaned & repaired.

Even though local estate agents promise "the highest standards" on their literature, it's a lie which distant landlords never find out. By employing cheapest-of-cheap cleaning firms, the property middlemen maximise profits and probably sponsor the shadow economy = illegal terms of employment etc.