Southwark New Parking Standard Chaos

Southwark Council have changed it’s planning rules around car and bicycle parking for new developments. The overall aim is to ensure better provision for cyclists and more sensible car parking levels.

All the speel within the documentation talks about more cycle parking and sensible car parking levels.

But then when you look at the details it clearly is worse in a number of places – while still saying it’s better. Not newspeak and parkingspeak

Come on Southwark correct these whoppers:

B1 offices cycle parking – described as “Double the number of spaces compared to FALP and increased provision compared to existing policy” short term cycle parking currently 1 space per 250m2. FALP stated as 1 per 500m2. New Southwark proposed 1 per 500m2.
So its now x2 worse than current parking levels.

B1 light industrial – this is x4 worse than current parking levels.

B2-B8 is x2 worse than current parking levels.

Do we think the following makes sense whatever FALP says:
D1 university/colleges long-term 1 space per 20 students. This expects 5% of students to cycle. But Southwarks short-term cycling targets are higher than this. In fact current rates of cycling are higher than this.
I would have thought D1 other was a more applicable standard?

Amazed at the new residential car parking standards for lower PTAL areas. Min of 1.5 car parking spaces. And no mention of spaces reserved for car club spaces.
Which areas are PTAL1, 2 and 3 ?
The description is the new Southwark standards are tougher than FALP but for PTAL 1 FALP says up to 2 spaces, whereas Southwark says min 1.5 to max of 2. Clearly worse than FALP.
Why haven’t we adopted FALP?

New East Dulwich Cinema

I’m sure almost all East Dulwich residents are aware that a new cinema is being constructed on Lordship Lane – the East Dulwich Picturehouse Cinema – at number 116A Lordship Lane.

It is now proposed to open in March.

A key aspect will be how this cinema will operate. Today I was notified that their proposed Cinema Management Plan has been submitted to Southwark Council planners – it is a planning condition that this plan is agreed with Southwark Council officers.

I’m really keen that local residents have an opportunity to look at this plan and tell council officer Michael Glasgow (michael.glasgow@southwark.gov.uk) and fellow East Dulwich Cllr Rosie Shimell (rosie.shimell@southwark.gov.uk) and myself whether you think this plan is fit for purpose – has it missed anything?

Rosie and I look forward to hearing from you.

Dulwich Hospital Spare Land RELEASED

A year ago I submitted a Right to Contest the spare land at the Dulwich Hospital site. This right was created by Lib Dems in the coalition government.

Please see the letter from the Rt Hon Francis Maude MP – Minister for the Cabinet Office – NMP625917

I’m delighted at last to report that as a direct result of my request the spare land has now been added to the Register of Surplus Public Land. This is a key pre requisite for any new use such as new schools.

NHS property have held back 11,300m3 of the 28,300m2 for the new health centre. So I will check whether more than the 17,000m2 can be released at this point. In public meeting they’ve said they’ll only need 7,000-9,000m2 for the new health centre. I suspect they’re being ultra cautious.

Patience is a virtue I have little of but I’m delighted that all the chasing by myself and Lib Dem colleagues at all levels of local, regional and national government and the support of the Cabinet Office has been successful.

This prepares the ground for the Educational Finance Agency to tell us its decision of whether they’ve selected either The Charter School or Haberdashers’ Aske’s Federation to open a new secondary school for us and have a site to house it in.

East Dulwich New Capital Projects

2002 Southwark Lib Dems initiated the Cleaner, Greener, Safer programme where each ward in Southwark gets a pot of capital money to allocate to new projects.

Last night we decided which projects to support in East Dulwich ward – ED CGS 15_16

Safer: Fencing between Dulwich library and St.Thomas Moore RC Church, Library Annexe opened as new space for Police surgeries and the like, More Crime Prevention, Norcroft Gardens fencing and lgihting.

Cleaner: Friern Road estate play area renewal, Goose Green School entrance, East Dulwich Community Centre new flooring.

Greener: Lots more trees locally, Physic GardenHeber School Upcycle Garden.

Our next funding decision will be our £25,000 of revenue funding in March. If you have any ideas to make the area better please let us know.

New Dulwich Hospital Plans

Today Dulwich councillors were sent confirmation that new health facilities will be constructed on the Dulwich Hospital Site. The new health centre will be a new build and initially house the existing facilities provided at the Dulwich Hospital with the capacity to deliver more.

After 22 years I’m chuffed that a coalition government involving Lib Dems finally have decided what to do with this site and the re-provision of more health services. Hooray. Just the boring details of making it happen!

Dulwich HospitalWhen Cllr Rosie Shimell, Jonathan Mitchell and I were elected in 2010 we made it one of our priorities to get things moving on the Dulwich Hospital. We ran a survey of over 25,000 local residents, street stalls, knocking on local residents door to find out what people think and wanted. This built on the sterling work Jonathan had done in helping to stop the things just being closed and sold.

15-01-16 Brand new health centre to be built in Dulwich FINAL

The full details will be released 22 January to the CCG Governing Body. The announcement I’ve received makes it clear NHS Property are now looking to sell the surplus land i will do everything in my power to ensure all the spare land is used for educational purposes.

What is troubling is that any money from the sale of land will be used nationally and not ring fenced to Dulwich. The Dulwich Hospital was paid for by public subscription by former Dulwich residents. It speaks volumes that such monies donated to health causes and charities could be ultimately used outside the area the donors could reasonably ever have expected.

 

 

School Admissions and Congestion

The biggest industry and businesses in the Dulwich area are in education. Not just the required schools for local children  – the 3 out of the 4 state secondary school or 11 infant and primary schools but also the private schools – 3 secondary schools and 5 infant and primary schools. (Kingsdale with it lottery admissions is no longer a genuinely local school).

These private schools and Kingsdale do attract many local children but they also have huge catchment areas. They support a private school bus network required to support such hugely expanded schools. And their expansion has been marked over the years.

I don’t blame the parents or children coming so far. We have great local schools but with so many now coming from so far it is contributing to serious local congestion.

The irony of those private schools being the core of a the Dulwich and Herne Hill Safe Route to School group while contributing so much to the congestion this worthy group wish to reduce won’t be lost on local residents. This group is now supporting measures to limit local junctions to try and reduce local congestion.

Southwark Council needs to find ways to reduce these attractive schools catchment areas and the congestion large catchment areas is causing.

I Southwark Council will use the planning process to impose new admissions conditions to further this aim.

This would be the route to minimising congestion and the harm and danger this causes local school pupils

Do you agree?

Short changed Bakerloo Line Extension Stations

TfL are currently consulting on extending the Bakerloo line via one of two routes – Old Kent Road or via Camberwell. Please whatever you do respond to the public consultation tell TfL that both routes are required.

They propose two station on either route, Old Kent Road 1 & 2 stations on one route, and Camberwell and Peckham on the other route. That’s 2 stations over 5km on the Old Kent Road route or 6km on the Camberwell route.

South Londoners are being seriously short-changed with only two stations being proposed for each branch.

The Bakerloo line is 23km long with 25 stations. That means both proposed branches of an extended Bakerloo line should have 5 stations over the first branch and 6 over the latter proposed branch. Any less means South Londoners are being taken for ride.

Kensal Park and Kilburn Park are no more populous than Camberwell or Peckham.

Please tell TfL in the public consultation that they need to ensure we get a fair number of stations.

 

EU Migration

It has been worrying over the last couple of years to hear so many concerns and fears about migration into the UK that felt really OTT. This has been used as the main part of the argument against remaining part of the European Union (EU).

So how bad is it – migration of EU citizens into the UK? 

Lib Dem Lord Oakeshott has asked a formal questions about this.

British figures indicate 2.3 million EU citizens living in the UK. This figure is pretty reliable because without a National Insurance number people are outside of reciving NHS treatment, being employed legimately, etc.

British consular authorities estimate that 2.2 million registered Britons live in the other 26 EU countries, excluding Croatia, which joined in 2013, with 400,000 of them being pensioners. Brits abroad don’t need to register with British consular authorities to work in EU countries, receive medical help, etc. The countries are stable so little risk to people so they don’t feel the need to register with British consular authorities.

The country breakdown says over 1 million British people live in Spain; France (330,000); Ireland (329,000); Germany (107,000); Cyprus (65,000); the Netherlands (48,000); Greece (45,000); Portugal (39,000); and Italy (37,000).

The government reply also indicated the real numbers could be much higher, due to “a high evidence of non-registration” in France, Portugal and Spain.

So the reality is more Brits living in Europe than EU citizens living in Britain.

What would happen if we left the EU? Would Brits have to return to the UK or do we think EU countries would still be happy seeing a mass exodus of their citiziens being kicked out of the UK. Could our NHS cope with an extra 400,000+ forced repatriated UK pensioners to the UK. Would those pensioners be able to afford a return to the UK property markets or would councils have a mass homelessness issue on a scale never seen before. Do we think EU countries would be gracious with Britain leaving the EU or follow narrow national interests even if BRtish citiazens suffer?

Clearly the free movement of people isn’t the problem it has reputed to be. BUT the ending of this free movement could be huge headache for the UK citiziens both here and abroard.

Longest Ever

The UK and Norwegian governments have agreed to the UK National Grid and Norwegian electric distribution company Statnett constructing a 450mile long electricity interconnector between the UK and Norway known as NSN Link.

It will connect the electricity systems of the two countries via a subsea cable, allowing the UK and Norway to trade power. When completed it will be the longest subsea interconnector in the world, passing through British and Norwegian waters.

An outline planning application to Northumberland County Council has already been submitted so it’s all systems go.

Why the interest? It will carry Norwegian hydro electric power. It can supply electricity for 4 million homes and hydro electric is ideal to be switched on and off very quickly. So the ideal compliment to all the wind and solar power that Lib Dems in  government are making happen. Another step to rebalancing out economy to be greener.

 

 

Roundabout Repeated Mistakes

Transport for London with Southwark Council are consulting about changing to the northern Elephant & Castle roundabout.

They plan to remove the SE corner. It will mean everyone has to travel a lot further to get from A to B around this area. For the life of me, and it might mean my life as the roundabout is that dangerous, I can’t see how making cyclists travel through so much more traffic to get somewhere will be safer.

Overall it looks a terrible missed opportunity. Take a look for yourself and tell me what you think CONSULTATION.

What they should do is move the Faraday electric substation dimpled structure somewhere else and turn the whole thing into a proper traffic light junction. It would create much more new public space. Traffic light cross road junctions offer the most direct route. Segregated cycle paths become much simpler to install and for people to understand.

Instead TfL are making the same mistake as the Waterloo roundabout and the south side of Westminster bridge.

It’s as if they don’t want safe cycling or is it that a nice simple totally legible junction just isn’t challenging enough for them?