Easy to Love: The Brockley Street Art Festival 2016
This photo came via organiser Lionel Stanhope. Follow him on Twitter here for updates.
This photo came via organiser Lionel Stanhope. Follow him on Twitter here for updates.
Against All Odds, The London Theatre
"In Too Deep is the most moving pop song of the 1980s, about monogamy and commitment. The song is extremely uplifting. Their lyrics are as positive and affirmative as anything I've heard in rock. Christy, get down on your knees so Sabrina can see your asshole. Phil Collins' solo career seems to be more commercial and therefore more satisfying, in a narrower way. Especially songs like In the Air Tonight and Against All Odds. Sabrina, don't just stare at it, eat it."
- Patrick Bateman, American Psycho
Brockley Max 2016: Opening Night
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| Art in the Park, Hilly Fields |
Tonight's event goes on until 10.30pm and will feature SE Dub Collective, Ras Keith & The Vibration – Live Vocallective, Nocturne, Yasu, Peppermint, Paper Fish, Los Domingos, Ailsa Tully, The True Believers, Leila McNeelance, Creekside, Jay Johnson, and the Hummy Mummies choir. It will be hosted by MC Dre and produced by Ben and Richard Swan.
For the next nine days, local pubs and cafes will be packed with musicians, and parks will be littered with craft activities until everything collides into the Art in the Park closing party in Hilly Fields on June 4th.
To download the programme click here.
Free drawing classes and portrait sessions at PLACE / Ladywell
You can find the dates of the sessions at Ali's website here.
The workshops are part of a season-long effort to include the Lewisham community in the grand opening of PLACE/Ladywell, early July.
PLACE/Ladywell’s ground floor will host the enterprise hub: offices and shops for creative
professionals, services and start-ups with residential units above. The office spaces and boutiques
will be filled by hand-picked painters, sculptors and designer/makers.
PLACE/Ladywell’s cafe and screening rooms are set to offer the local community and people from further afield a creative place to meet, eat and shop.
Greenseers
“No one truly knows, Bran. The children are gone from the world, and their wisdom with them. It had to do with the faces in the trees, we think."
- Master Luwin, Game of Thrones
If you're involved with this project(?) please let us know what's happening. Thanks to Dianne for the photo.
Save Deptford Cinema
Campaigner Sam writes:
About two years ago, I saw a post on the Brockley Central blog advertising a new community project. Lewisham was one of only two London boroughs with no cinema at all and Deptford Cinema was a not-for-profit community project looking to rectify this and it needed volunteers to make it happen.
Deptford Cinema aims to provide affordable access to cinema and the arts for the people of Lewisham. Anybody is free to get involved in whatever capacity they want. The project took a building on Deptford Broadway that had been empty for 20 years and has turned it into a thriving arts venue in Lewisham.
The cinema is incorporated as a Community Interest Company (CIC), a type of company designed for social enterprises that want to use their profits and assets for public good. Despite this, Lewisham Council treat our community project - run by local volunteers - exactly the same as a company designed purely for profit. As a result, the Council are applying an unpayable business rates bill to the cinema. Some boroughs give relief to CICs; Lewisham Council does not.
Over the last 6-9 months, we have been in constant communication with Lewisham Council to alleviate this problem via the proper channels of relief, whether it be small business relief or hardship relief, both of which we believe to apply to us. Lewisham Council disagrees.
Lewisham Council advised us to become a charity to automatically get the 80% rates relief applicable to charities. This wasn't immediately undertaken due to various factors, such as the ongoing relief applications, third-party advice that CIC was the correct form for the organisation and support from Steve Bullock, the Mayor of Lewisham, who, over this period, has twice stepped in to support the cinema - by putting a 6 month hold on Deptford Cinema's rates status.
When all our relief applications had failed, with no solid explanation why, and apparently, with no appeal process available, converting to a charity became our only option, one that would reduce future rates by 80% but would not solve the unfair and unpayable historical bill.
Then we received a letter, the best letter we could hope for, from the Business Rates Manager at Lewisham Council. If we converted to a charity, the council would retroactively apply the statutory 80% charity relief to our existing account.
Great right?
But then the Council told us that the letter was a mistake and they would not be honouring this promise. Back to square one...
But worse: the Council wants Deptford Cinema to pay the outstanding business rates (£5,400) over three months and the rates for 2016/2017 in one payment (£6,897). Both of which will bankrupt and destroy a community asset.
We are now faced with a deadline for payment, after which the Council will send round the bailiffs and destroy a project run by the community in Lewisham, for the community in Lewisham. A community you would hope the council sees themselves as part of and representative of.
We want Lewisham Council to honour their promise of retroactively applying the 80% statutory charity relief to Deptford Cinema when the transition to a charity is complete in the next month or so.
Please support us by clicking here to sign our petition.
Brockley Max 2016: Story Sessions - Asylum
Saturday 28th May 3.30pm in St Hilda’s Church, Courtrai Road Crofton Park SE23 1PL
Asylum – stories and poems and music around the concept of safety/sanctuary or the need for it. This is partly to showcase the Refugees Welcome anthology (not published by us, raising funds for Red Cross Refugee work) and will include stories from the book. Stories will be read by a mixture of authors and actors – where the author’s name is in bold, they are reading.
Refreshments avilable from 3pm. (if you have the stamina there’s a singing workshop with Various Voices on the same theme at 6:45 in the undercroft.)
The line up:
- Music & story from Matthew Crampton from his book & show – Human Cargo
- Story Mouse by David Mathews, which is featured in last year’s Solstice Shorts and will be in the forthcoming anthology Shortest Day, Longest Night Read by Alix Adams
- Story Queues from Cherry Potts, from the Refugees Welcome anthology
- Story This England by Oscar Windsor-Smith from the Refugees Welcome anthology Read by Alix Adams
- Poems Roots and Jail Break by Kate Foley* read by Katy Darby
- Story Etymology of Happiness by Jane Roberts from the Refugees Welcome anthology read by Katy Darby
Brockley Max 2016: Mini Music Fest at the Brockley Deli
The first of many highlights to share from this year's Brockley Max arts festival.
Fred's, 358 Brockley Road
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| Inside and outside at Fred's |
Please post your reviews here.
The Lewisham 3 Peaks Challenge
One of the best things about a walk up to Hilly Fields is the view out across to Lewisham's other green peaks when you get there. So this charity walk is a stroke of genius. The team explains:
Meet Lewisham's very own 3 Peaks Challenge in support of For Jimmy & The Stephen Lawrence Charitable Trust. Saturday 16th July Hilly Fields Park, SE4 - 11.00am Join the launch of the new ‘3 Peaks Green Walk’ and take part in a sponsored walk in aid of two charities supporting young people.
A new five mile circular walking route links local green space (Hilly Fields, Ladywell Fields, Blythe Hill and One Tree Hill) with cafe-and-shop-lined streets. The walking route is designed to encourage anyone to explore and enjoy the local neighbourhood. For Jimmy and the Stephen Lawrence Charitable Trust are joining with local residents to promote the very first fun hike along the new route. Our message is that our streets and parks are for everyone to enjoy, and we all benefit from making our neighbourhood a safe place for children to grow up in.
To find out more and get involved, click here.
Stygian Dump
Commercial unit for let by the station
The new commercial occupants at 180 Brockley Road are a little disappointing - another supermarket, estate agent and architect - but there is a possibility that we may get something more fun next to the station thanks to Speedicars' decision to stay put rather than relocate to larger premises.Commercial unit to let (so Speedies not moving here after all?) @BrockleyCentral pic.twitter.com/rGVMJR2d1o— James (@se3james) May 21, 2016
No trash talk, no back walk
East London Line night time service doubled
TfL has doubled the number of East London Line trains running each hour between 10pm and 11.30pm.
Services to and from New Cross, Crystal Palace and West Croydon have been increased from a pitiful two trains per hour per route to an acceptable four trains per hour per route.
Not one of those who can easily hide
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| Photo by Rob Agrawal |
The News Shopper reports:
Pop superstar Elton John wowed patrons at a News Cross pub when he dropped in to relieve himself.
Staff at The Rose Pub in New Cross Road confirmed today they played host to the acclaimed singer-songwriter yesterday afternoon.
Rob Agrawal was enjoying lunch at the establishment when he noticed the Rocket Man, reportedly with partner David Furnish.
The Rose was previously The Hobgoblin, beloved haunt of Shia Labeouf. Having been given a refit, it's now Elton John-ready. For an in-depth account of his toilet break, click here.
Fitology Hub opening party, May 22
Come join us for an afternoon of Workouts, Prizes, Competitions,
Healthy BBQ food & Drinks
Sunday 22nd May, 3-6pm
15:00-15:20 - Free Core Workout 1
15:20-15:40 - Free Core Workout 2
16:30-17:00 - Opening Toast and Photo Shoot
Exclusive offer to new customers available only at our launch event.
1 FREE Session, 10% off your First Month Package & 1 FREE FitHit Class
Although the service is not for smelly old manspreaders, the open day presumably is, since I got an invite.
White Hart gains approval
Alterations to the front elevation and the bar, the laying of new floorboards, the re-location of a fireplace, the restoration of original internal features including columns, panelling and lime plaster to internal walls, and the retrospective removal of non-original features at ground floor level.
The building work had ground to a halt with most of the hard work seemingly already done. So a grand reopening should not be too far off.
Thanks to Danja, who clocked the news.
The Bike Angel returns
Nestor, the Brockley Bike Doctor, has returned to Hilly Fields. A velocipedal angel, he offers maintenance and advice workshops every dry Saturday throughout the summer.
Nestor offers drop-in sessions up by the tennis courts between 11am and 3pm. The one-to-one "Fix Your Bike" sessions are a chance to learn how to offer your bike TLC and fix most common bike problems under guidance of a experienced bike mechanic in a fun, informal environment.
The sessions are free, although donations are accepted (since the enterprise is self-funded). If you can't pay, it's just free.
If you have any questions about his service, you can email him here
Ashby Mews stable conversion planned
An application has been submitted to convert the site of a dilapidated stable to the rear of Upper Brockley Road into a live/work studio.
The building will be entirely demolished and the stable will be rebuilt with a handsome new extension bolted on as part of a wider redevelopment of the light industrial units in Ashby Mews.
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| The current 'studio' |
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| A model of the new building |
Rebuild the Peckham Lido
The team behind the project says:
"Buried beneath the grass, in an underused corner of Peckham Rye Common, lies the old Peckham Lido. Once a well loved 50 metre outdoor swimming pool, it served the swimmers and sun-bathers of South East London for over 50 years. But by 1987 it had fallen into disrepair and it was closed and filled in. Now all that remains visible of the once great Peckham Lido is a crumbling blue fountain.
"We think it’s time to bring the lido back again. And we’re not alone. Up and down the country, from Saltdean to Tarlair, many of Britain’s lidos are coming back to life. We think South East London should be part of this great movement to bring outdoor swimming and sunbathing back. So, we’d like to rebuild the Peckham Lido on the same site as the original, using the existing mature trees to frame the new buildings. But we’re not just creating a replica. We want to make it better than ever!"
To support the fundraiser, click here.
Just Thai Thai closes
Brockley Road restaurant Just Thai Thai has closed. BCer Jennifer reports:
"I noticed that the restaurant was listed as closed, so I phoned the owner, who confirmed the news. She closed on May 3, she said her landlord would not renew her lease."
The depressing decor, sour atmosphere and rank food offered by Just Thai Thai won't be missed. When not closed, the place was empty. It hogged a Midtown restaurant space that should be put to good use - and when budding restaurateurs approached the owner to buy her out of her lease, they were asked for silly money.
I suspect the landlord has been waiting for the lease to expire so that they can lease it out to someone who can afford more than the peppercorn rent Just Thai Thai must have been paying.
It would be wonderful if someone opened a decent Thai restaurant on the same spot. It's an obvious gap in the local culinary landscape and it would right a terrible wrong that has been inflicted on the reputation of Thai food.
Wala!
Thanks to Monkeyboy, who spotted these plans to give Masala Wala Cafe in Brockley Cross a sexy new look.
Mayor considers Ultra Low Emissions Zone for the South Circular
London's planned Ultra Low Emissions Zone could be expanded to cover the South Circular (which grazes the bottom of Greater Brockley as it travels through Catford and Forest Hill).
The new Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, has announced today that he will launch a formal policy consultation on a major package of measures to tackle air pollution in London, which is one of the biggest challenges facing the capital.
If mishandled, the implementation of an ULEZ on the South Circular could funnel polluting traffic on to minor roads, but the ULEZ will play a major role in reducing the number of heavily-polluting vehicles on London's streets.
As much as anything, it's just nice to see a Mayor trying to do things other than position himself as the future leader of his party.
Announcing the consultation, the Mayor said: "I want to act before an emergency, which is why we need big, bold and sometimes difficult policies if London is to meet the scale of the challenge.”
Almost 10,000 Londoners die every year because of polluted air according to the latest medical research. London does not currently meet the legal requirements for pollutants such as Nitrogen Dioxide (NO2) and new research published by the World Health Organisation just yesterday (12 May 2016) showed that London has breached safe levels of pollutant particles known as PM10.
The proposals in the consultation will include:
•Extending the Ultra-Low Emission Zone (ULEZ) to the North Circular Road and the South Circular Road and the possibility of bringing forward the introduction earlier than 2020. Under current plans the ULEZ will only operate within the Congestion Charging Zone and it is due to come in from 2020.
• Implementing an extra charge on the most polluting vehicles entering central London using the Congestion Charge payment and enforcement system from 2017 (this would not mean an increase in the Congestion Charge but just the method for collecting the extra charge from people driving the most polluting vehicles)
•Introducing ULEZ standards for heavy vehicles London-wide from 2020
•Giving the go-ahead for Transport for London (TfL) to start work on the costs and challenges of implementing a diesel scrappage scheme as part of a wider national scheme delivered by the Government
• Proposals to work with the Government to tackle air pollution on a national and international level.
Proposals for TfL to lead by example:
•Introducing self-imposed ULEZ standards a year earlier for TfL double decker buses
•Implementing clean bus corridors – tackling the worst pollution hotspots by concentrating cleaner buses on the dirtiest routes
•Expanding the ULEZ retrofit programme to 3,000 buses outside the central zone (up from 2,000)
•Purchasing only hybrid or zero-emission double-decker buses from 2018.
Two new hangouts on the horizon
Brockley's bumper year of new openings looks set to continue. Gerri writes:
"The cafe on the corner of Tyrwhitt Road and Lewisham Way [which enjoyed a brief life as a pop-up furniture shop that never opened] is tantalisingly close to being finished. Builders say two to three weeks 'or maybe four'. [Typical] Decor is top notch, beyond what is required/expected to make it pleasant. Was trying to take a sneaky pic but got busted."
Meanwhile, I've just been invited to a hard hat tour of The Brookmill in St John's (65 Cranbrook Road), ahead of its opening later this month. Owned by the same pub group as The Great North Wood in West Norwood, the team have got ambitious plans to turn it into something very cool.
The Brockley Grill, Brockley Cross
Hopefully others will share their reviews of the food here, but it's great to see another place with a bit of ambition open in this spot. On a summer's evening, the Brockley Grill and Masala Wala side-by-side are a joyful sight.
Free Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe
My friend and former Brockley resident, Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe, is in solitary confinement on unknown charges in an Iranian jail, separated from her 22-month baby and denied legal or Red Cross access.
I have known Nazanin for 10 years. She lodged with us for three years in Tyrwhitt Road from 2006 to 2009. Some of you knew her. She took part in the Hilly Fields Fayre. Her mother stayed with us during a visit. We went to her wedding in 2009. I was at her ceremony for British Citizenship. Her 22-month-old daughter has British Citizenship and her husband Richard is British.
I am hoping you will sign and spread the petition, which has already reached 21,000. Her husband has now been advised that maximum publicity is vital to win her release. Whatever charges the Iranian government may claim they have against her, the treatment meted out to her and her daughter is absolutely indefensible.
Please click here to sign the petition.
The Plant Fairs Roadshow, May 21
The Centre will also host a Garden Party in the Cloister Garden from 1pm to 3pm.
Bestival At Goldsmiths
On 17th June, Bestival, the UK’s official Best Major Festival, will team up with Goldsmiths, University of London to host a unique public celebration of music, arts and culture.
Bestival at Goldsmiths will bring the excitement of one of the world’s best festivals to the university’s New Cross campus – and will feature a series of talks, music from established stars and the most exciting up-and-coming acts and delicious street food.
The day will also celebrate Goldsmiths’ rich cultural heritage as well as showcasing the new creatives emerging from the university. Final-year music students will be playing throughout the day and visitors will also be able to take in a range of Degree Shows which are running across campus.
It will also be a family affair for Bestival founders Josie and Rob da Bank – who are Goldsmiths graduates and were made Honorary Fellows of the university earlier this year.
Bestival Curator Rob da Bank says: “What a fantastic collaboration for us! Josie and I met at Goldsmiths when we were young and reckless 18-year-olds and had an amazing four years there together hatching many of the creative plans and madcap ideas that have forged our careers in party-starting and mass gathering creations. We’re very proud to come back a few years later with some of our musical mates and some inspiring talks and performance. I hope you can join us.”
Patrick Loughrey, Warden of Goldsmiths, University of London said: “Goldsmiths’ alumni are the jewels in our crown – and Josie and Rob are real diamonds. They have bottled the lightning that is Goldsmiths, mixing creativity, dynamism and an entrepreneurial spirit to create something which engages with and entertains tens of thousands of people every year.
Crofton Park knife fight hospitalises a 12-year-old
A 12-year old boy has been hospitalised after a knife fight in Crofton Park. The News Shopper reports:
A 12-year-old boy and a 14-year-old boy were arrested after a knife fight in Crofton Park. Police were called around 3.55pm yesterday to reports of boys fighting in Brockley Road.
Khan vs Goldsmith - Boris' last flop
Tomorrow, Sadiq Khan will comfortably beat Zac Goldsmith in the race to become Mayor of London. Lewisham voters will back the Labour candidate in their droves. So it is written.
In their lacklustre manifestos we can see Boris’ true
legacy. During his eight years of grandstanding to no great effect, we forgot
that the Mayor matters. Johnson’s pitiful two terms have delivered a
nice-but-expensive new bus, a cable car that may one day be a useful connection,
the bare bones of a segregated cycle network and little else. His only big
idea, the night tube, became snarled up in union disputes and he abandoned his
post months ago.
But the Mayor, whose powers are growing, does have the
ability to transform the city. From Oyster to the TfL cycle stations, our daily
lives were once reshaped. The clusters around Victoria, London Bridge and Kings
Cross, the Olympic-scale redevelopment of Stratford and the new life along the
route of the East London Line are testament to the Mayor’s power to redraw the
map. Even a modest bit of pedestrianisation helped us reimagine the role that
Trafalgar Square could play in civic life.
So what about this time?
There are three big issues that
dominate London’s future: The supply of housing, transport capacity and air
quality.
Rising housing costs are making us poorer, capacity constraints are
packing us in ever tighter and the stuff we breathe is killing us. But on these questions, there’s little to divide them
and still less to inspire.
On housing, both men are opposed to compromising the greenbelt
and building out, while Zac’s opposed to building up. Khan plans a new
organisation, Housing for London, which would co-ordinate strategy across the
capital. This idea has potential, but his target of making 50% of new homes affordable is
either fantasy stuff or would kill off a good chunk of the house building
pipeline - as could both manifestos’ commitment to offer homes to established Londoners
first.
The only real solution to London’s housing shortage is to
build more homes but there is no comprehensive plan on offer. Instead, they
focus on regulating rents, which is welcome but risks creating all kinds of other
distortions in the market without addressing the imbalance of demand and
supply.
As Zac’s manifesto makes clear, transport and housing
strategies intersect. New links are key to encouraging brownfield development. And
yet, he quickly forgets his own analysis. The Thames Gateway, he says, could
play home to an additional population the size of Glasgow. But his manifesto
omits any mention of the new transport infrastructure required to unlock that
potential.
Neither candidate has any new ideas about transport and in
terms of new capacity, their plans barely differ. Zac supports the Silvertown
Tunnel. Sadiq mentions the Rotherhithe pedestrian bridge. They both back
Crossrail 2 and the Bakerloo extension, promise modest expansion of electric vehicle
infrastructure and oppose Heathrow. Both pander to the black taxi lobby with wholly
unnecessary regulation of Uber and minicab rivals. Their manifestos amount to little
more than a rubber stamp for TfL’s existing commitments. The only real
difference is that Khan expects TfL to do it all without raising fares and has
never been able to explain how he’ll plug the yawning financial gap, especially
since he demands “efficiency savings” while simultaneously suggesting that mothballed
ticket offices could be reopened to placate the unions.
You might expect air quality to be an overriding concern for
environmentalist Zac, but his plans are pretty timid. Retro-fitting diesel
buses would be welcome, but it's an idea reliant on central government support. The loan scheme
to taxi drivers to convert to LPG is a neat idea, as is the promise to review
the Lorry Control Scheme to limit peak time deliveries – but there’s little
promised action on pollution from private vehicles. Sadiq, by contrast, promises
a consultation on accelerating and expanding the Low Emissions Zone roll-out.
If neither candidate grapples properly with these
fundamental issues, nor do they offer much of a sense of fun. Where are the
ideas to make London a more thrilling or charming place to live? Zac talks airily of pocket parks and
wetlands, Sadiq promises to deliver on the long-mooted pedestrianisation of
Oxford Street and revive the plans to remodel Parliament Square. And that’s
your lot.
With little to choose between them and few ideas to debate,
it’s no surprise the campaign has descended into identity politics, with Zac
blowing an Islamicist dog whistle and Sadiq chucking chum to social justice warriors.
How then to choose between them? I think it must come down
to their leadership qualities. Sadiq seems like a pragmatist, who’ll backtrack on his dangerous commitment to freeze fares and get stuck into the
detail of the job. Zac appears alarmingly aloof and erratic, with little love
for our city.
The likely winner is the right choice in a poor contest. Thanks Boris.
Crofton Books, 375 Brockley Road
The shop recently reopened after a temporary closure to install a new heating system and it is now open Monday - Saturday (excluding Wednesdays).
Click here to follow them on Twitter.
Applications open for Art in the Park
Art in the Park is the final day of the Brockley Max arts festival (May 27 - June 4). Hilly Fields will host a live music stage, food stalls and a craft market.
If you'd like to run a stall on the day, click here.to apply.
The London Radical Bookfair, May 7
Ridicule is man's most potent weapon.
- Saul Alinsky
There will be 100 different book and zine stalls and presentations from shortlisted authors.
Separately, the Student Union will feature music from Sharon Gal, Marlo Eggplant and Sly & the Family Drone, as part of the “Fringes, Outsides and Undergrounds: The aesthetics and politics of unpopular music” conference.
Click here for the website.
Happy Mondays Edinburgh Previews at The Amersham Arms
This term will feature comics preparing for Edinburgh and tickets are still only £5 in advance, £7 on the night. Here's the line-up:
9th May
REGINALD D HUNTER & JARLATH REGAN
23rd May
TONY LAW & FINN TAYLOR
6th June
SEANN WALSH & KERRY GODLIMAN
20th June
SUSAN CALMAN & JOHN GORDILLO
4th July
SHAPPI KHORSANDI & JOE LYCETT
18th July
KATY BRAND & PAUL McCAFFREY
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