Where should SE16’s new leisure centre be located?

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Southwark’s cross-party overview & scrutiny committee spent nearly two hours debating the future location of a leisure centre to replace the current Seven Islands centre on Monday night.

The meeting followed last month’s decision by regeneration boss Cllr Mark Williams to designate a strip of land to the west of the current Surrey Quays Shopping Centre car park – next to a realigned Deal Porters Way – as the preferred location for a new leisure centre.

The committee heard from Pauline Adenwalla of the Canada Water Consultative Forum as well as Lower Road resident Tom Holder and Catherine Whitaker of the newly formed Canada Water West Action Group.

Cllr Mark Williams and council officers Jon Abbott and Tara Quinn also addressed the committee.

The council will consult local residents on the proposals during the autumn.

You can watch the whole session online, courtesy of the Southwark scrutiny team.

Part one:

Part two:

The Boatman: another SE16 pub faces demolition

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The Boatman pub in Jamaica Road (latterly the Royal George) is the latest SE16 hostelry to be under threat of demolition.

Southwark Council has received a planning application – 15/AP/3523 – for the demolition of the pub and the construction of a five-storey block of flats with retail at ground floor and basement levels.

A previous planning application – submitted two years ago – was withdrawn before a decision was made.

According to the latest planning application documents:

The current owner occupiers and applicants have run the premises as the Boatman public house since 1986. The public house has been struggling to make revenue in recent years and as such has become financially unviable as a business.

The proposed redevelopment of the site facilitates their plan to bring their wider family back into the area and live in the new development, whilst removing a financial strain

It adds:

Due to cultural and social changes The Boatman public house has experienced a steady decline in trade over the past five years and is no longer a viable commercial enterprise. The building is not of great heritage value to the site. The existing design does not lend itself to change of purpose and does not offer significant potential in terms of efficient land use. The building has limited scope to offer significant benefits to the broader requirements of the area in the longer term. It is therefore a desire for the owner to redevelop the site and replace the existing building with a high quality contemporary development.

The applicants also point out that there are eight other pubs within a 600 metre radius.

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Hot coals from BBQ blamed for Rotherhithe fire

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‘Cool your coals’ is the advice from firefighters as a bag of hot coals was to blame for a garden shed blaze on Timber Pond Road in Rotherhithe on Wednesday morning.

The brigade believes that coals used in a barbecue on Tuesday were bagged up while still hot and when the owner woke up he saw his shed alight. The fire completely destroyed the shed and nearby fencing. It also spread to a neighbouring fence and partly damaged another shed.

“Fires involving barbecues don’t only come during cooking but long after you’ve polished off the bangers and burgers,” said aLondon Fire Brigade spokesperson.

“It’s important that you cool your coals and ash before you dispose of them. Also make sure the barbecue is cool before you try to move it.”

The brigade was called at 9.01am and the fire was under control by 9.50am. Fire crews from Dockhead, Old Kent Road, Deptford and New Cross fire stations attended the scene.

Rotherhithe Primary School expansion plan revealed

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Southwark Council’s cabinet has agreed to launch a formal consultation on the expansion of Rotherhithe Primary School in Rotherhithe New Road  from two to three forms of entry.

The expansion is to be part-financed by community infrastructure levy (CIL) payments from the major developments at Canada Water.

An extract from the cabinet report discussed on Tuesday:

An analysis of existing application and enrolment trends, as well as pupil projections and recent engagement with the developers has evidenced a need for additional provision in the Rotherhithe peninsular area.

To this end, we have engaged with schools in the area and have ascertained that Rotherhithe Primary School would be suitable for expansion – presently, the school is a 2FE school housed in a variety of buildings that are in a state of poor repair.

A rebuild of the school – full or partial – would allow us to be able to expand the school to contribute to meeting the needs of the new communities anticipated by the Canada Water development.

Therefore, Cabinet approval is sought to proceed to formal consultation for the expansion of the school from 2FE (60 pupils per year group) to 3FE (90).

The school will temporarily expand for 2015-2016, and 2016-2017, with a target for permanent expansion of September 2018.

The school was rated “Good” by Ofsted when inspected in 2014. This would be financed in part by the Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL) deriving from the Canada Water development on the peninsula.

Bermondsey Community Kitchen seeks first students

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Newly launched social enterprise Bermondsey Community Kitchen (above Dunn’s Deli at The Blue) is now ready to enrol its first batch of students.

The age group they are looking for currently is 16-24, interested in cookery and would like to gain a City and Guilds qualification.

The contact details are:  [email protected] or call 020 7232 5111.

More details available on the Bermondsey Community Kitchen website.

 

Boris “very interested” in Brunel Bridge from Rotherhithe to Canary Wharf

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Question to the Mayor from Caroline Pidgeon AM

I am pleased to see that planning for a pedestrian/cycle bridge between Rotherhithe and Canary Wharf is progressing with support from TfL. Will you include proposals for further development and planning work for the bridge in TfL’s upcoming business plan to ensure that the next Mayor follows through on this important project?

Answer from Boris Johnson

I am very interested in this idea and TfL is in the early stages of a feasibility assessment to look into the project.

The feasibility work, including the preparation of a business case, will be completed by the autumn.

Should the scheme prove viable and have a strong business case, then full consideration will be given to how best to go about implementing the project, including possible funding options.

This first phase of work is being funded through a partnership between TfL, Sustrans and the private sector and I would expect funding for any future stages to follow a similar approach.

Frequency boost for C10 bus route

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C10 bus

The frequency of buses on the C10 route (Canada Water to Victoria via Elephant & Castle) is to be increased.

Transport for London has re-awarded the contract to run the route to Abellio London.

Under the new contract which begins in March 2016, a new fleet of single deck buses will be introduced.

The number of vehicles required to run the route at peak times will be increased from 15 to 19.

At present the C10 runs every 10 minutes at peak times and every 12 minutes during the day.

Launch for Galleywall primary school plans

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Plans for a new primary school on the site of the old Galleywall Primary School (which closed in 2005) have moved a step closer to reality with a launch event held last week at the City of London Academy in Lynton Road.

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The event marked the launch of a formal consultation on the plans for the new school – which like Redriff Primary School will be sponsored by the City of London Corporation.

The consultation will run from until Thursday 20 August and will give the local community the opportunity to comment via an online questionnaire at www.galleywall.co.uk and also via consultation surgeries to be held at the City of London Academy (Southwark) on Tuesday 11 August and Friday 14 August 8.30am-10.00am and 2.30pm-4.00pm.

Executive headteacher Mickey Kelly said: “I am delighted that the celebration launch event was such a resounding success and look forward to opening our Admissions to prospective parents on the 1st September 2015. Children are at the heart of our values and we look forward to welcoming new pupils in September 2016 to our outstanding new primary school at the heart of Bermondsey.”

The new school will open in temporary buildings September 2016 with an initial intake of 60 reception students and reach full capacity of 420 students by 2022.

Building works will cost up to £5.5 million and are due for completion in 2017

Prospective parents can register their interest in admissions at www.galleywall.co.uk, via telephone on 020 7252-3494 and email on [email protected]