Brunswick Park By-election

One week more of campaigning for the Brunswick Park by-election in Camberwell.

We have a great candidate in Kate Heywood. Campaign literature and canvassing have been going well. It has been a real shock at how crummy the Brunswick Park area feels. Really quite an unpleasant surprise how much graffiti, dog poo, and other eco crime around. I’ve reported over a dozen problems and gradually getting them fixed.

One good thing about by-elections is an area gets a lot of committed Lib Dems along to report all the problems they find. The fixes lag behind but the area will feel cleaner. If Kate wins this level of caring and fixing will become the norm.

Fingers crossed.

Nights Flights

A new report has been produced by Dutch economists CE DElft analysing the benefits and disbenefits of night flights arriving into Heathrow between 11pm and 6am. The current regime allowing night flights runs out October 2012.

Overall the report finds that the disbenefits out weight the benefits. Pretty obvious result really with millions of people having disturbed sleep under the flights paths contrasting with a few hundred people arriving in London in the middle of night. I suspect those passengers don’t feel that much ‘benefit’ arriving at that time in the middle of the night!

Other research shows that sleep deprivation isn’t just a matter of being a bit grumpy – its a killer drastically increasing the risk of strokes and heart attacks. So night flights isn’t some nimby issue its a public health issue on a vast scale.

Missing children

Some time ago Dulwich Park had a missing children’s post installed by the Pavilion Cafe. Nice and colourful and easy for kids and parents to find.

Talking to local Police a godsend seeing a dramatic reduction in call outs to find missing children in Dulwich Park. 

So successful that I’ve asked the head of Southwark parks if the same can be installed for Peckham Rye Park after another scare this weekend just gone. I can only imagine the fear when you suddenly realise you’ve lost a kid or in this example two young children 6 & 7.

East Dulwich street lighting modernisation

You told us in 2006 you wanted better lighting on the streets of East Dulwich because you said it would make you feel safer and reduce crime.

So your local Lib Dem candidates made an election promise to modernise all East Dulwich ward street lighting.

We have made sure that 62 of East Dulwich’s 65 streets now have modernised street lighting. The final three will be modernised in the next 4 weeks with replacement lamp posts taking 8-12 weeks to complete.

Friern Road – ALL 34 street lights will be upgraded to Cosmo bright white light and 1 structurally unsound lamp post will be replaced. Total cost £21,222.88.

Crystal Palace Road – Of the 44 lamp posts, 25 lamp posts will be upgraded to Cosmo bright white light, 7 SOX lighting heads which produce a dim yellow light will be upgraded to SON which produce a strong white light with yellow tinge and the other existing SON street lights will be left in place. Total cost £18,802.39

Dunstans Road – 11 SOX producing dim yellow light will be upgraded to SON strong white light. Total cost £3,374.12

Barry Road – 4 structurally unsound lamp posts will be replaced and their SON lighting heads reused. Total cost £6,600.61.

We’re really pleased we’ve delivered this last remaining outstanding election pledge. We have delivered all our other 2006 election promises.

One last note of thanks for all the officers who over the years have made this all possible.

Burgess Park – another step forward

Earlier this week the next step in creating a destination Burgess Park we can all be proud of took place – granting of Planning Permission.

I was first involved when the chair person of Southwark Cyclists when we obtained significant funding for the central avenue. My great aunt’s drapers shop is under Burgess Park along Albany Road and my great grandparents were born on streets where Burgess Park now is.

My Lib Dem colleagues had been trying for many years to obtain funding until successfully winning £2M from the Mayor of London and another £4M from Aylesbury New Deal.

£6M is a lot of money but to be honest is just the start. Ultimately Burgess Park will need £20M to £30M so it will continue to be a long journey before it’s truly finished.

By March 2012 Burgess Park will have improved entrances, redundant roads and pathways removed, more wildlife habitats created, and the lake expanded and improved. 

Northcross Road Market changes

During October a public consultation was undertaken about whether to expand this market from 20 to 30 pitches, add Sundays or keep it as it is now.

At the time I asked whether we could increase the Saturday market from 20 to 40 pitches which would have required closing Northcross Road between lordship Lane and Nutfield Road. The administration and officers decided they only wanted to ask about increasing to 40 stalls.

I had imagined that Sunday opening would be strongly opposed by residents affected – certainly nearby residents have brought up the disturbance when I’ve visited them. But of the 2,000 paper surveys 89 only were returned another 250 were completed online which seems rather curious. Unfortunately the online survey didn’t ask for names or addresses but I’ve been assured that via the IP addresses they must have largely been local residents.

Of the 339 responses 2/3rds were in favour of the market opening on Sundays. I’m genuinely surprised. A higher proportion agreed with increasing the stall numbers to 30.

The licensing committee this Wednesday will decide.

If you think it shouldn’t open on Sunday or only if later in the day from current early hours start please let me know.

Grit on?

Friday and two very conflicting views on whether London and Southwark had enough grit and salt.

We had the Mayor of London stating London has “prodigious quantities of grit”. Great news. But Labour Southwark Cllr for gritting Barrie Hargrove stated “We urge residents to look out for themselves” while stating “With current low stocks of grit we are being forced to reduce operations”. This reduction has already seen shopping high street such as Lordship Lane left unsalted or gritted.

In fact the first bout of snow had side roads and pavements left un salted or gritted so reducing the salting and gritting operations further beggars belief.

Last winter 80 hand propelled gritters were bought when the Lib Dems ran Southwark Council. But this winter has seen them languishing as salt is tightly rationed across the borough. If you live outside Southwark main through routes have been kept open. Mean while the borough is a complete ice rink for those that actually live here. Good luck out there. Keep safe.

Cherry Blossoms in East Dulwich

The last round of Cleaner, Greener, Safer funding East Dulwich councillors decided to allocate £12,300 towards more street trees.

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The previous year we funded lots of Cherry Blossom trees on Melbourne Grove near East Dulwich station. They looked wonderful in March for about three weeks when they all blossomed together.

I’m hopeful we’ll be able to extend this across other parts of East Dulwich.

The proposal is for 30 new streets at the following locations – if you have any locations in East Dulwich that needs a street tree please do let me know:

http://jamesbarber.mycouncillor.org.uk/files/2010/12/proposed-street-trees-for-east-dulwich.pdf

Southwark London Cycle Network fails

Snow arrived in Southwark over a week ago. None of the official London Cycle Network was gritted but fortunately warmer rain on Saturday resolved most of the snow and ice. No thanks to Southwark Council this time round.

But some key parts of that network still have snow and ice as they are over bridges – which stay colder as they have cold air above and beneath them. This is a picture of LCN23 on Greendale. This is the main spine cycle route south to north in Southwark. At this point you have to get of and walk.

How many car drivers does Sotuhwark expect on their main roads to be out of their cars and push?

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The problem with such bridges was raised last year and agreed they needed more priority.

I’ll be seeking a full review of the Winter Service Plan.

What do you think has gone wrong?

Platforms 17, 18 and 19 at London Bridge

Until the 1970’s London Bridge had 3 more terminating platforms.

You can see where they were in this photo taken recently. The station roof is still present.

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At the local history unit you can see old plans showing 9 terminating platforms.

Under the Thameslink changes at London Bridge 6 through platforms become 9 and 9 terminating platforms become 6. As a result the South London Line is planned to be CLOSED in 2012.

Its clear from the above picture that actually enough space exists to keep 9 terminating platforms – by reopening the three closed in 1970’s.

Hopefully, the London Bridge station redevelopment will need new planning permission at some point and objectors can suggest this solution and KEEP the South London Line open. Apart from keeping all those commuters with direct train services – it keeps three great hospitals joined together.