Brockley Station - The Future

Stuart from the Brockley Cross Action Group reports:

TfL have confirmed they they will be taking over the management functions at New Cross Gate, Brockley, Honor Oak Park , Forest Hill and Sydenham from the 20th September 2009.

When TfL assume control, the London Overground Rail Operator (LOROL) will deliver a programme of improvements including deep cleaning and refurbishment of stations, including floors, canopies and platform surfaces and station systems CCTV, PA , help points etc.

Please also note that BXAG members have recently:

Secured funding and volunteers from Goldman Sachs to develop 2 new stunning flower beds at the bottom of Mantle Road starting on the 11th June.

Secured the clearing out and fixing of drain in the old High level station entrance area by zebra crossing. Managing agents are open to us also softening the ghastly railings with some flowers or climbers.

Got the Brockley Common project back on track. All permissions are now secured and contractors should start on site in March. Most of the trees will be going, but the saplings we put in 3 years ago are all now doing well.

All of which is fantastic news for Brockley. With Brockley Common Phase 2 finally due to start and significant improvements promised for the station itself, Brockley's central gateway will be transformed for the better. The BXAG have been asked by TfL for their wishlist of improvements to the station and we will shortly publish their response and ask for reader views. There's also some exciting news about the next stage of their ambitions for Brockley Cross.

Thanks to Stuart for the update and for the hard work of everyone involved with BXAG.

Sim City: Bakerloo Line Edition

In question time with Mayor Boris yesterday he said: "We have got to improve the transport links in south London and we are looking at that now." Given that (having scrapped a couple of bridges and a couple of tram projects that would have helped) an extension of the Bakerloo Line is one of the most realistic ideas on the table and there was speculation in thelondonpaper yesterday that this is what Boris has in mind.

The project is uncosted and no preferred route has been identified, so an actual functioning line would be many, many years away.

Still, let that detail not stop us.

Above is a route preferred by the sort of people who enjoy discussing these sorts of things on specialist websites, heading south east from Elephant and Castle to Lewisham, via Peckham and New Cross Gate. This route would have the advantage that it would integrate with existing south east London transport hubs and serve a stretch of London with enormous regeneration potential (particularly along the Old Kent Road).

Lewisham publishes the North Deptford consultation report

Lewisham Council has just published a report on the local consultation process undertaken in North Deptford. You can download it here.

The area encompasses Convoys Wharf, which is arguably the Borough's most important development opportunity and the subject of a Richard Rogers masterplan that is currently on hold while the GLA conducts a review of whether the city's wharves merit greater protection as places of work.

It doesn't tell us what the results of the public consultation actually were, so we're not quite sure what the purpose of this particular document is, other than to reassure us all that the process was more involved that watching a copy of "The Tower". But it nonetheless provides a useful summation of just how much development is currently on the drawing board for this stretch of the Thames riverside.

The pictures they didn't want you to see

They all wanted 'em, but we've got 'em. Another Brockley Central photo exclusive. Revealed for the first time, for those who haven't already walked along Wickham Road themselves. The road markings that couldn't have caused more outrage if they'd been painted by Jonathan Ross and that 13-year-old dad themselves.

Now Brockley Central long-ago declared which side of the war on street clutter it would fight on, but we have to say this doesn't look as bad as we expected it would, based on the comments we've read here. Bearing in mind that fresh road markings always look migraine-inducing but quickly fade, it could have been worse. Having said that, the first photo does show a rather confusing jumble of lines and kerb.

We also agree with those who made the point that while they fiddle with Wickham Road alterations, Brockley Cross burns (literally at one point).

Thanks to Tressillian James for the photos.

The Standard: trains are crowded

The Standard carried a piece a few weeks ago telling us what we already knew about trains in Brockley, but this time giving us the bad news in graphic form. We thought it worth linking to.

In our experience, however, it has been a lot easier to board trains at Brockley since the New Year, we assume due to recession reducing the number of commuters.

Fire Engines at the Barge

BC regular Phil twittered us this morning to say that Fire Engines to say that Fire Engines had attended to a fire early this morning at the Brockley Barge.

By around 8am, there was little obvious sign of any problem, but we weren't really paying attention as we dashed for the train.

At 2.30pm we are finally getting around to writing about it. Sorry.

Yoga in Brockley

For Brockley Central, when it comes to Yoga, context is king. On holiday, overlooking a waterfall or a beach, good. In a Lewisham gym hall, staring at someone's sweaty back, less good.

But we've been meaning to create a thread to discuss the local options and when Joanna got in touch about her classes, it seemed the perfect excuse. Here's what she said:

"I run twice a week Yoga Vinyasa classes at Lewisham College (Tressilian/Lewisham Way building). Monday classes for staff (£10 membership from February till July 2009) 4.30-5.30pm and on Thursdays for students (free) 5.15-6.15pm."

"It's orgenised by myself and Students Union so I do it at as a volunteer. I am a contemporary dancer so I focus mainly on yoga asanas for people who are physically active but not only. I try to help people to improve their mental and physical abilities through the yoga practice. I am teaching my own style of yoga dance which fused both contemporary release dance techniques with Vinyasa/Ashtanga flow yoga movement. I teach yoga dance at Goldsmiths Club Pulse every Sunday at 10.15-11.15am. And I also give private yoga sessions, I can visit a customer or the other way around. A customer can come to my place.

"I organise once a month yoga thearapy workshops here in area (place tbc up to number of people who signed on). Usually the classes attendance variates between 15-25 people. I studied Yoga in India and Contemporary dance in London so I apply into my teaching practice both eastern and western influences in connection to the body movement and breathing (pranayama).

"I've got dance theatre company running with my dance partner who also lives in the same area. We occasionally organise the performances during the Brorckley Max Festival at Brockley Jack theatre."

If you have any recommendations for local yoga classes, please post them here. Joanna's websites are here, here and here!