The locations for the first Bus Countdown signs, which tell you how long you have to wait until the next bus will arrive and if there are any problems on the route, have been revealed.
Today is the tenth anniversary of the death of Arsenal, England and Brockley legend David Rocastle, a great footballer and one of life's good guys.
The Albany theatre in Deptford has been awarded funding from the Arts Council England which should help to secure its future for the next four years.
The renovation of the Holistic Centre on the corner of Cranfield and Brockley Roads has begun. Even boarded up, it already looks better than it did a week ago, when it was a mess of twisted metal and broken glass, that somehow managed to house a temporary junk shop.
Another of the most important aspects of Lewisham Council's long-term plans for Lewisham town centre is the creation of a new mixed development on a large chunk of land called Loampit Vale North, including the Thurston Road industrial estate, the strip of evangelical churches along Brookmill Road and the area currently occupied by the likes of Matalan. The plan envisages a counterpart to the Loampit Vale scheme currently shooting up.
Here's what the draft Area Action Plan says about the Thurston plan - click for details of the rest:
The Thurston Industrial Estate is allocated for mixed use town centre development. The Council will encourage development of this prominent and important site.
Proposals should incorporate the following principles:
- Create an active building frontage to Loampit Vale and Jerrard Street of a scale appropriate to this town centre location. New development should prepare the visitor for the scale of the development they will encounter in the Lewisham Gateway to the west;
- Ground and possibly first floor uses should ideally be retail, business and community spaces with flatted accommodation above, taking account of the southerly aspect available and the amenity provided by the new publicly accessible open space being created to the south of Loampit Vale;
- The use and design of any new building needs to take account of the impact of shadows cast from buildings on the south side of Loampit Vale on this site and the microclimatic impact of any proposals on Thurston Road;
- Support the improvement of the public realm adjoining the railway line and facing the Thurston Road Industrial Estate, in order to enhance amenity for residents on surrounding development sites;
- Enhancement of public realm on Thurston Road;
- Creation of generous tree lined pavements with a coordinated approach to public realm material treatment (width of 6-8m);
- Jerrard Street and Thurston Road will take on more importance as new low car-parking schemes encourage walking and cycling and the quality and width of the footways require improvement;
- The site is situated within Flood Zone 3a High Probability. Developers will be expected to work closely with the Environment Agency to ensure that appropriate flood mitigation measures are incorporated.
Here are a load of Lewisham Labourites in their civvies joining Saturday's march against public sector cuts. Given the intensive debate there has been on BC about how much the cuts in Lewisham are the responsibility of those in charge at the Council, we thought this might be of interest...
The Brockley Cross Action Group has written to Lewisham Council requesting that trees should be inserted in to the lovely new pavement that's emerging on Brockley Road. BC is not one to look a gift horse in the mouth and we're delighted with the work that's being done. Although we can see the BXAG's point, we'd be happy for that to be done at a later point - what do you think?
Lewisham's TRYangle centre, which offers counselling and advice to families experiencing domestic abuse, is closing.
Alan: [Arms folded, unimpressed.] Extraordinary. So, what do people think about the pedestrianisation of Norwich city-centre?Michael: [Very drunk] Eh – aye, I reckon it’s a really good idea, like.Alan: Mmm. You’re wrong…- I'm Alan PartridgeGreenwich.co.uk reports that the Council has put its plans to part-pedestrianise the town centre on indefinite hold.
The South London Art Map and Last Fridays present 'Live Window Dressing' at the Tea Leaf Arts gallery, 110 Endwell Road: Which is the most provocative: the curiosity to look into a neighbour's window, or the window which lures us to look in? See for yourself..... Friday 25th March, 18:30-20.00 Tea Leaf Arts, 110 Endwell Rd, SE4 2LS In conjunction with the south london arts map we inviting all comers to dress three live manikins and some dummies....ready for a short window display.
Freeman Lowell: It calls back a time when there were flowers all over the Earth... and there were valleys. And there were plains of tall green grass that you could lie down in - you could go to sleep in. And there were blue skies, and there was fresh air... and there were things growing all over the place, not just in some domed enclosures blasted some millions of miles out in to space.- Silent RunningGoldsmiths Interaction Research Studio is looking for volunteers from Brockley interested in being assimilated as part of a study of microclimates in the home. So say affirmative.It sounds cool and they can pretty much guarantee that you and your loved ones will not be turned in to Grey Goo:SEEKING LOCAL VOLUNTEERS FOR A 3-4 MONTH STUDY. We are a design team from the Interaction Research Studio at Goldsmiths, University of London. Over the last year, we have been working on various digital devices for reflecting on aspects of the home’s local microclimate, such as subtle variations in temperature, light, and air currents. These systems provide unique perspectives on the environmental profile of the home, without directly addressing issues such as energy usage or carbon footprints -- imagine something like an indoor weather station.We are hoping to attract some Brockley locals to live with these digital devices. If readers are interested and live in SE4, SE8, SE14, SE23 please respond by April 9th 2011. Contact: Kirsten Boehner at kirsten@legiblelandscapes.org or call 07779 168 516
The kerb just outside Pinnacle estate agents, on the corner of Cranfield and Brockley Roads is being built out as the next stage of the redevelopment of the Brockley Road pavement.
Delroy Grant, of Honor Oak, has been convicted of 29 separate offences, including rape, in a series of attacks between 1992 and 2009 that earned him the nickname "The Night Stalker". The Southwark man was found guilty of crimes across the capital and the south east, including Croydon, West Dulwich and Forest Hill.
'You have been convicted of 29 offences of the utmost gravity. I am not going to sentence you today because there are various matters that the barristers want to put before me. 'You should appreciate the sentence you receive will be what is called an indeterminate sentence. The term will be 'very long indeed'.
Boy, I'll tell you. They only come out at night. Or, in this case, uh, the daytime.
As part of the Council's cost-cutting plans, its local culture magazine is being cut from ten issues a year to four, a measure expected to save £100,000 a year.
None of you will be able to read this, but the News Shopper reports that the problems many of you are having connecting to the internet are the result of severed cables in Deptford, which may take until the 28th to repair fully.
On BC Facebook, Nicola is looking for people who want to get involved in a festival she's organising at The Albany, Deptford.
Brockley Jon spotted this clever widget which maps an area based on the geotags assigned to photographs by users of Flickr. In other words, when someone takes uploads a photograph and labels it "Brockley" it maps it. The result is this map, which shows some photographers think St John's stretches to Hilly Fields.
Martin's Yard, the Brockley Cross regeneration scheme from MacDonald Egan, gets underway this month. Formerly a scaffolding yard, it will be turned in to a mixed-use development, providing new homes and studio spaces and creating a new street in the middle of Brockley.
Tormenting Kid: Hey look, it's Clean Shirt!
Mark Corrigan: Clean Shirt? What does that mean? Isn't that good?
Tormenting Kid: How do you get that shirt so clean, mate?
Mark Corrigan: Look, I know it must be difficult being a kid, not a lot of... schemes, but, y'know, I'm not the borough. I wish I was, but...
Tormenting Kid: Fuck off, Clean Shirt!
Albert Einstein issued one of my most favourite quotes in the history of the spoken word. And it is as follows: In the middle of opportunity... 'scuse me. In the middle of difficulty lies opportunity. I'm going to repeat that so I have clarity tonight. In the middle of difficulty, lies opportunity. This is the opportunity we've been waiting for!The softer, gentler 484 buses have begun operation and Vesta Road resident 'Vesta Curry' reports:The new Enviro 200 buses have started plying the 484 route - very significant improvement in noise pollution! I live on Vesta Road and the buses gunning up the hill were very noisy. I would say 50% less noise.
Local blogger Bob from Brockley reports the Lewisham Islamic Centre's decision to invite violent anti-semite Muhammad Salih al-Munajjid to speak via satellite link at a recent event. The centre, located between Lewisham and Catford, was one of eight organisations chosen by Lewisham Council to act as community liaison for concerned residents to report hate crimes.
The Deptford Dame reports that the Deptford Deli has refurbished its basement and is now open in the evenings as a restaurant. She says:
Can Brockley Central come and sleep on your sofa during the Olympics? This modest Brockley home is available for rent during the Games for a mere £3,000 per week.
Air pollution in London is responsible for 4,000 premature deaths a year - the capital has the worst air quality in the UK and among the worst in Europe. Having failed to tackle the problem adequately, the Mayor of London has been given a three-month extension to introduce short-term measures to reduce pollution to avoid a fine of up to £300m from the EU (those meddling Eurocrats with their straight cucumbers and their clean air).
So this is a welcome and important initiative from Lewisham Council:
Lewisham Council is encouraging residents with vehicles to have their exhaust emissions checked in order to help the Council control the air quality of the borough.
The Council is trialling an emissions test event next week. It's taking place in the Council car park in Girton Road, Sydenham SE26 on 29 and 30 March between 10am-4pm. Residents can turn up at any point during the day and have their vehicle emissions tested.
Each test is free and will last approximately 10 minutes. Drivers will have the opportunity to talk to those staff present about their results. There will also be free leaflets available containing eco driving tips and information on air pollution.
On Facebook, Binita reports that Crofton Dry Cleaners on Brockley Road is closing down.
Pub-stalker Rosie has been chatting to Antic about their opening plans for the Ravensbourne Arms.
Having just returned from a planning meeting with the big Boss, I’m pleased to say that we are still looking at Mid April for an opening of the pub.
We’ll open the bar first with the Kitchen following in a couple of weeks. The Launch Party will happen when the kitchen is finished and we are ready to serve food. That should be at the beginning of May. I’ll let you know more as we approach the date.
Local masssuse Reiko will be giving massages at the Sunflower Centre to raise money for those affected by the recent earthquakes in Japan.
Early Morning Bubbles. Hilly Fields. London SE4 from Lionel Stanhope on Vimeo.
Here's Brockley resident Lionel blowing enormous bubbles on Hilly Fields. Not that he needs to explain himself, but he does:This is a sponsored video - Plumstead boy Tinie Tempah goes to The O2 by way of Claridges.
In return for initial investment the council could offer a long term lease with
an initial rent free period. This will be advertised in the first period to see if there are any objections. Should the council wish to progress then they will advertise for
expressions on their requirements. We were told there is no council money available for repairs and maintenance of the building or developing a Cafe." Friends of Hilly Fields. Minutes of meeting 8th June 2010].
This hopelessly rosy account of the Jubilee Line upgrade in Rail.co explains how the 33% capacity increase will be delivered when it's finally working properly:
853Blog reports on an interesting plan to create a summer festival for Greenwich Peninsula, starting this year with a city beach and growing for 2012.
The plans include a beach on the old Delta Wharf site, a music stage, sailing, a marina and camping.
The Crofton Park Transport User's Group is a new organisation that campaigns for better local transport options. The group has decided that their greatest priority should be to address the risible service of two trains per hour to Crofton Park at off-peak times and they believe a window of opportunity has opened for them. Organiser Ed writes:
One of the reasons for setting up a Brockley Central Facebook page was that it would provide fairly good insights in to the demographics of the BC audience.
Doggy fashions come and go it seems. Lewisham Council has opted to follow a model employed by Camden to deal with the problem of where dog-walkers can stash their stools.
Last ELL thing for a while, we promise, but we couldn't resist reporting that on Friday it won a couple of civil engineering awards for "Greatest Contribution to London" and "The Community Award." Building reports:
The surest way of killing off a discussion about why Brockley Central hasn't written about a particular subject is normally to suggest to the person asking that they write something themselves as a guest column. However, reader Kirsten Downer has done what almost never happens and written an article. So in the spirit of both plurality and laziness on BC's part, here it is:The plans for redevelopment of Surrey Canal (which includes approximately 2,500 new homes) that were submitted earlier this month are - I believe - seriously flawed, for the following reasons:- the level of 'social housing' - developers have recently switched to saying that provision of social housing with any scheme is within or close to guidelines by counting the number of habitable rooms - ignoring the fact that it is family units that require housing and therefore it is units of housing that are needed to make any dent in Lewisham's homelessness problem. Poor provision of social housing is an important issue to highlight because some people are hoodwinked by promises of extra housing.- Building heights. Many problems here - wind, interference with TV reception, sunlight (both for those in the new flats and those in the surroundings). Here the developers try to blind with science but there is usually some statement admitting that there is a problem (eg for the Gateway certain areas became 'dangerous' for cyclists due to the wind effects!)- Highways and congestion - TfL and the Highways Agency seem to bend over backward to permit these schemes, but there are usually increased levels of congestion and air pollution.- General lack of infrastructure. There will be increased pressure on medical facilities and schools and no provision in the schemes to provide it.Whilst it seems many Brockleyites see this area as a dump, people like me actually manage to live here and we don't feel that more concrete and glass will improve it. Why is it always assumed that more housing units are what is required to regenerate an area? The area could support some more housing but not on this scale. What it needs is clean air, more green spaces and more local independent useful shops such as a bakers, greengrocers etc. 300 small businesses exist on the development site already - why not keep these these and expand on them to create a new 'green industry' zone, for example. As for brownfield sites: they may not look so obviously pretty as woodland but they have been shown to be magnificent biodiverse urban habitats, especially for invertebrates. Those out there who share residents' concerns have til 14 March to make their opinions known, by contacting Chris Brodie, Principal Planning Officer The Council seems to be politically committed to this decision, as was the case with the huge Loampit Vale development - lessons learned from Loampit Vale campaigners is that the only way to stop developments like this are forming a campaign coalition early on to exert political pressure. If anyone out there has 5 minutes to set up a Facebook page about the Surrey Canal Road development concerns, then that could help galvanise such a campaign. Takers, anyone?
The Evening Standard has marked the ELL extension to Highbury and Islington with an article about the glories to be found along its route. It claims it's known as 'the ginger line', although we don't believe anyone has ever called it that, other than the mobile supper club of the same name operating along the ELL's route.
Lewisham council said since the system went live its spending on street cleansing has been held at 2003-04 levels, complaints about graffiti fell by 30%, and there had been an 87% drop in the time taken to respond.
The web portal also removes the need to set up a separate IT system, it added.
EDIT: Erm, it turns out that Microsoft technology had quite a lot to do with the development of this app, so we suppose we'd better declare an interest - Microsoft is a client of the agency (Edelman) Brockley Nick works for.
Antic, owner of local pubs Jam Circus and The Royal Albert, is getting ready to sprinkle its magic pixie dust on a Ladywell venue.
Following on from the Brockley Cross Action Group's spring clean on Brockley Common last weekend, the Ladywell Village Improvement Group is organising its own community planting day soon.
