Category Archives: Politics

Revamped farmyard at Surrey Docks Farm opened by Val Shawcross

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Val Shawcross, London Assembly member for Lambeth & Southwark, has officially opened the revamped farmyard at Surrey Docks Farm.

“I was delighted to be invited to open the new-look farmyard at Surrey Docks Farm,” said Val.

“The farm is a fantastic local charity and a real jewel in Rotherhithe’s crown. It’s fascinating fun to come and watch all the animals, and this morning as usual there were a number of children having a great time making friends with the goats. T

“he new surface in the yard will make cleaning and drainage easier and makes it very clear that visitors need to wash their hands after being in the animals’ area.

“Gary Jones the farm manager and his team have done a fantastic job – this project has been a real team effort, with input from staff, volunteers and farm committee members. Everyone has shown a great deal of perseverance which has paid off today.

“If you’ve not visited the farm before I highly recommend it – it’s a great day out for anyone of any age.’

The farmyard refurbishment project was funded by the Biffa Award scheme, the Worshipful Company of Farmers and British Land/Surrey Quays Shopping Centre who donated the proceeds of their 2012 Christmas Appeal.

 

£5k boost for Salter Statues fund

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Bookmakers Ladbrokes have donated £5,000 towards the campaign to create new statues of Alfred and Ada Salter to replace the statue of Dr Salter stolen from the riverside in 2011.

“We were delighted to receive such a generous donation of £5,000 from Ladbrokes community fund,” said Gary Glover, chair of the Salter Statues appeal.

“Along with donations from other local charities and from the many people moved by the terrible theft of Dr Salter, we are now well over half way towards our target of £50,000.

Catherine Dale, treasurer of the Salter Statues campaign, said: “We have fund-raised £29,400 which is being match-funded by Southwark Council, meaning we need to raise another £20,600 to reach our target and see new statues of Alfred and Ada reunited with Joyce and the cat on the Bermondsey riverside.”

You can donate online at salterstatues.co.uk.

Richard Royal of Ladbrokes added: “We believe in supporting local communities in the neighbourhoods that we are represented within.

“Our Community Fund supports specific localised causes that have a strong community link, and the restoration of the Salter Statues which are symbolic of the history of this area, is a prime example of this.”

Barry Albin-Dyer diagnosed with brain tumour

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From the blog of well-known local funeral director Barry Albin-Dyer:

I have personally also had some difficult news as I have been diagnosed with a tumour in the brain. Initially the news was not good but it improved greatly yesterday when the surgeon gave me hope after telling me that he will operate and remove as much as possible and anything that is left will be treated accordingly. So I will be out of action now for a while as I am going into hospital to have the operation next Tuesday (9th), but with God’s help and your best wishes which I am so grateful for, I will as ‘The Terminator’ says ‘return’ after some recuperation.

In the meantime the business will be in the very capable hands of my two sons Simon and Jonathan and my wonderful staff who are lovingly supporting me at this very difficult time. Huge thanks to the staff and especially to my sons and to Jackie who have as ever been by my side.

 

Albion Street Steering Group update

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A meeting of the Albion Street Steering Group took place on Wednesday 5 June.
The ASSG is a group consisting of local representatives that was created by Southwark Council in April 2011 with a remit to influence the development of Albion Street in a way that reflects the needs and aspirations of the local community.
Any queries should be directed to the secretary to the group at [email protected].

Southwark to investigate cycle hire expansion to SE16

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Boris Johnson

Southwark Council is to spend £15,000 to investigate the possibility of extending the Barclays Cycle Hire scheme beyond its current coverage area in the north-west of the borough.

The council has allocated £10,000 to identify cycle hire docking station sites beyond the current scheme area in Southwark.

At present, there is only one docking station east of Tower Bridge Road.

The council says that this work will investigate possible extension options towards Burgess Park and along the river. The findings of the study will be used to cost and plan future scheme expansion.

The recently approved redevelopment of the Biscuit Factory in Bermondsey includes provision for a docking station as part of the planning permission.

The council will also spend £5,000 on a collaborative study with a leading academic to investigate cycle hire usage patterns and identify barriers to usage. This information will also be used to put together a case for extending the cycle hire scheme.

Controversial Rotherhithe New Road homes and schools scheme turned down by council

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Rotherhithe New Road

Plans for a 19-storey tower in Rotherhithe New Road have been turned down by Southwark Council’s planning committee.

The scheme included 158 homes, new accommodation for the Southwark Free School and a sixth form centre for the City of London Academy.

Officers had recommended that the scheme be refused on the basis that it would leal to the loss of industrial and warehousing land in a designated area.

Planners also warned that the scheme “represents an overdevelopment of the site” and criticised the 19-storey tower for its “inappropriately large scale, architectural expression and the form, massing and design of the building”.

The level of affordable housing in the scheme had also been a point of contention, with just 10 of the 158 homes designated as affordable.

That the developers SCCD pressed ahead with the application despite the clear steer from planning officers suggests that they are hoping that Mayor of London Boris Johnson will ‘take over’ the case from the council – or that the application will go to appeal and a planning inspector will decide.

Council and Lib Dems set out Chambers Wharf supersewer objections

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Southwark Council has voiced its strong opposition to proposals to use Chambers Wharf for the Thames Tideway Tunnel superseder. The council has set out its objections in its first formal response to the Planning Inspectorate on the impacts of the proposal.

“We strongly believe that Chambers Wharf is the wrong site for such a disruptive, major piece of construction like the Thames Tideway Tunnel,” said Cllr Peter John, Labour leader of the council.

“The proposed location is in the heart of a heavily residential area and very close to three of the borough’s schools. The round-the-clock noise, vibrations and traffic pollution caused by the construction work will blight the lives of these residents and children for years not to mention create significant safety concerns, making living and learning around Chambers Wharf an absolute nightmare.

“Any consultation by Thames Water has been ineffective and flawed at best, and at worst dismissive of the council’s genuine concerns. There has been a lack of information available on how the route of the tunnel and the affected sites have been chosen along with a lack of real opportunity for those affected by the proposals to influence site selection. Furthermore, Thames Water has failed to respond to our concerns about the potential impact of this project on our residents.

“In our opinion, there are better alternative solutions for the construction of the tunnel that would have significantly less impact than the proposals at Chambers Wharf. We will continue to oppose plans until we have achieved the best possible outcome for our residents.”

In a response on behalf of the Southwark Liberal Democrat council group, Riverside councillor Anood Al-Samerai said: “The impact of the proposals on our residents would be enormous – with six years of work, including 90 lorry movements a day and round the clock noise for the first three years, it would be impossible for them to carry on with their lives as normal.”

Councillor Eliza Mann added in her own response: “There are 150 residential properties in very close proximity to the proposed site, mainly on the nearby Dickens Estate which is home to 800 residents, all of which would be very badly affected by the plans.”

The Save Your Riverside campaign is holding a public meeting at City Hall this Thursday

 

A civic society or urban parish council for Rotherhithe?

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Time and Talents has been asked by the Bermondsey and Rotherhithe Community Council to investigate the interest in setting up a civic society or urban parish council for Rotherhithe.

For the purpose of this activity  Rotherhithe is defined according to the historic boundaries of St Mary’s parish, bounded by Southwark Park Road in the west, the river to the north and east and South Dock in the south.

A civic society is a community-based organisation made up of a diverse group of active local citizens and organisations who share a sense of pride and local community spirit and who wish to contribute to improving their locality. There are already several such civic societies in Southwark such as the Walworth Society, The Camberwell Society, The Peckham Society and The Dulwich Society.

An urban parish council is a more formal arrangement with elected representatives and decision-making powers.

Fill in the online survey to give your views.

Time & Talents is hosting an open meeting on Thursday 30 May to discuss  the results of the survey and to work out the next steps. Please let Alyson know if you would like to attend.

Southwark Civic Awards for Rotherhithe & Bermondsey Choral Society and Bede House

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Southwark Civic Awards 2013

The Rotherhithe and Bermondsey Choral Society was awarded the Liberty of the Old Metropolitan Borough of Bermondsey at the Southwark Civic Awards held at St George’s Cathedral on Saturday.

The award was collected by Sue Heath-Downey and Prem Goyal.

Pearly King of Camberwell and Bermondsey Jimmy Jukes received the same honour.

Bede House Association was presented with a lifetime achievement award.

Barry Noon, a local architect who has been involved in both the Brunel Museum and the Canada Water Campaign, also received a lifetime achievement award.