Brockley's 11-feet-wide house sells for half a million quid

Game over. This house, nicely designed to make efficient use of available space but nonetheless tiny (84 square metres) and wedged in an existing terrace, on a main road, next to a supermarket - has sold for a mere £490,000.

In the context of the current London market, the price is profoundly unsurprising. But it is the final proof, if further proof were needed, that Brockley is officially no longer a relatively affordable part of London.

Coogan targets values voters in Brockley

@brockleycentral Choosing those tricky marginals then MT @winstonwes Coogan and @tom_watson campaigning in Brockley pic.twitter.com/XS5RVTokuN

— Peter T (@Chimpman) May 4, 2015

Last night, Steve Coogan starred in a brilliantly effective party political broadcast on behalf of the Labour Party, asserting his values and asking those who shared them to vote Labour. During the day, he hit the campaign trail with his ally from the phone-hacking campaign, Tom Watson MP, passing through Brockley and addressing passers by on Coulgate Street.

In a safe seat like this, we get relatively little campaign action, so this was a rare moment. The call to vote based on values is a noble one, but we're not sure if values are quite the defining issue that this ad suggests. When you're talking about broad tent parties, pinning down a coherent and distinctive set of values is as tricky as defining "Britishness" and having the right goals and motives is one thing - having the right ideas to achieve them is another matter. Here's the ad, we'll do a round-up of all the Lewisham Deptford candidates tomorrow:

Junior Parkrun at Hilly Fields - launches May 10th

Local blogger and runner Neil Gordon-Orr has written about the launch of a new regular Parkrun event just for kids. He says:

Parkrun has grown to be a massive phenomenon. In the UK alone there are now 320 free, timed 5k runs taking place every Saturday morning, with up to 68,000 taking part each weekend. Many children and young people take part, but there is a limit to children's participation in the 5k events.

This is where Junior parkrun comes in - over the last couple of years, parkrun has been developing a series of events specifically for children and young people aged 4 to 14. The runs are for 2k and have a higher concentration of volunteers, with every child visible at all times to at least two volunteers.

I volunteered this morning at a test run for the launch next week of Hilly Fields junior Parkrun. The idea was for a group of children to try out the course and for the marshals to test the systems. It all went fine which means that the first Hilly Fields junior Parkrun proper will take place next Sunday 10th May at 9:30 am, and every Sunday thereafter.

All welcome and no charge, though you should register as a one off before starting - full details here.

The Brockley Deli at the Conservatoire

More evidence that this area is a foodie centre of excellence: Brockley is exporting its deli expertise to Blackheath with the opening of The Brockley Deli at the Conservatoire in Blackheath. Ahead of yesterday's launch, founder Zoltan explained:

"The Brockley Deli at the Conservatoire' is now open for business! We are really pleased to be working in conjunction with the Blackheath Conservatoire to provide excellent coffee, food and goods to the people of Blackheath and those studying at the Conservatoire.

"We are excited that we have the opportunity to serve a much greater range of food as we'll be operating out of our own kitchen there."

Food Assembly named Best British Food Initiative by BBC

Congratulations to the team behind The Ladywell Food Assembly, which has just won the BBC Food and Farming Award for Best Initiative in British Food 2015. The Food Programme explains:

"The Food Assembly is a social enterprise that enables direct trade between local food producers and customers through an online market. After buying online, customers pick up their food from a pop-up market where they get to meet local producers, as well as their neighbours. It not only meets needs of producers (who receive 83.3% of every sale compared with 10-15% with supermarkets), but also growing demand for local food."

Forest Mews wins property gong

The winners of the "Oscars of the London property market" have been announced. No, not the Stirling Prize. Not The Sunday Times, AJ or Evening Standard awards either. The RICS Awards 2015!

Anyway, it's a reputable prize and a Forest Hill development collected residential building of the year 2015 at the ceremony last night.

Forest Mews (off Rockbourne Mews) is a beauty, comprising three homes and studios set around a central courtyard and designed by Jessica and Robert Barker. The other winners included Heathrow Terminal 2 and the British Museum's new exhibition centre.

The judges said: "A brownfield site set behind Victorian houses and a parade of shops has been redeveloped into a small communal mews. A private drive leads to a triangular area that previously contained a converted lock-up, derelict store and textile print studio.

"The site was landlocked and overlooked by a patchwork of properties. Each of the three new houses is provided with a workspace, creating a live-work community within the mews, and the buildings are set around a shared central courtyard. The carefully considered design enables light into the houses and maintains privacy, while a sensitive approach was required to manage no less than 32 Party Wall Awards and to achieve a contextual solution."

Badger badgers badgers

Phil Badger is the Parliamentary candidate for Lewisham Deptford, standing on behalf of the Democratic Reform party. Campaign team member Robert wrote this article explaining why he's on team Badger, and since Brock is of course the olde-Englishe word for badger, we're happy to provide a platform for him to share his thoughts. Here you go:

When Phil listened to Marie, he was sad to hear a story that he has heard many times before – one of injustice. Marie suffered abuse at the hands of her husband, who she rightly feared to leave. Having found the bravery to do so, Marie is now homeless, jobless, and opportunity-less. Being of South African origin, she has been denied a visa to stay, but is also of such poor health that she cannot be deported.

Like cutting foreign aid and expecting it not to increase immigration, does it not contradict common sense to deny people like Marie a voice? 

In 2003, a BBC documentary reported two Brockley families living side by side, but separated by an insurmountable gap in wealth and opportunities. Then, Debbie Brett opined to be treated as an individual, and not simply a statistic. Whether they come from polls like IPSOS MORI, official GLA reports, data gathered by local charities and businesses, or even from journalists, the statistics were well known then, and are well known now.

Phillip Badger is campaigning for meaningful relationships, built upon the principle of an inclusive democracy. An inclusive democracy means acting on local demands for affordable housing, food, justice, and the ability to participate not just in politics, but in the workplace too. But more than that, it means reaching out to people and groups throughout the constituency, and ensuring that no-one gets left behind.

Phil is practical in his pursuit of these goals, and it is why a vote for Phil counts for more than it would with anyone else. In an ultra safe seat such as Lewisham Deptford, the winning candidate is already chosen. But especially when that candidate has never stood for election before, your vote has a huge ability to influence. 

To those ends, Phil’s core campaign goals in Lewisham Deptford are to affect:

1. Increased local consultation
2. A shift in the focus of relationships, from MP-Westminster to MP-constituent
3. Introduction of permanent online democratic initiatives
4. Commitments to end injustices such as homelessness and food poverty

These goals are strongly voiced by people up and down the constituency. Moreover, our campaign has good chances of seeing them achieved.

If you don’t agree with us, then use your vote to support someone else. But if you do agree with us that these campaign goals will improve the quality of life, then voting for us will send a strong message of support to whoever wins the election. Most of all, please do not waste your vote. Thanks for reading!