TfL Presentation to the Forest Hill Society

Meet the Manager - Southern Railways

This Thursday, 15th October, Southern Railway are organising one of their regular 'Meet the Manager' sessions on the London Bridge station concourse from 7:30am - 9:30am. We would like as many people as possible to join us to explain to them why cuts to services is unacceptable. We hope that a large number turn up so that Southern Railway management will see the strength of feeling from their passengers. Additionally we have invited the press and local politicians to join us to hear the views of passengers.

Please join us on Thursday in opposing these cuts.

In December 2009 Southern Railways plan to cut our direct evening service (and Sunday service) from Charing Cross, running all trains from London Bridge. This is a well used service and provides a direct connection from the West End after 7:30pm. As this is an off-peak service we reject Southern Railway's claims that there is no capacity through London Bridge.

In May 2010 Southern Railways plan to reduce evening peak services and daytime services from London Bridge by over 30%, from 6 trains per hour to just 4 trains per hour. They will continue to run 6 trains per hour in the morning, meeting the demands on the line, but will not provide a similar service in the evenings, hoping that customers will switch to East London Line services or put up with serious overcrowding.

You can also join over 1,200 other people and sign the petition at http://nototraincuts.notlong.com

Campaign Agianst Rail Cuts hits the front page

Front Page story in the News Shopper

BBC Online article

South London Press

Sign the Petition at http://nototraincuts.notlong.com

Horniman Gardens Redevelopment

Below is the Forest Hill Society response to the planning application submitted by Horniman Gardens:

Members of the executive committee of the Forest Hill Society met with representatives from the Horniman to discuss their plans. As a result we would like to provide some feedback on the planning application.

We generally welcome the the planning application for Horniman Gardens which will improve many aspects of the gardens. The changes to the bandstand and the surrounding area will substantially improve the views across London which make the gardens so special. The improved access and integration of the animal enclosure will also enhance the gardens particularly for visitors with young children.

However there are some comments that we would like to make that may further improve the plans for redeveloping the gardens.

1. The positioning of the new community education building appears to leave a narrow path to the west which leads to the entrance to the animal enclosure and to the meadow field. Due to the topography of the area and the trees and shrubbery this narrow path may look as if it goes nowhere, despite being a major route around the park. This could present some safety and security concerns, as well as obscuring the entrance to the enhanced animal enclosure. We would recommend adjusting the positioning of the education building so that it is slightly higher up the hill (to the east), leaving more space for this path.


2. The sunken garden is an important feature of the park and is enjoyed by older members of the community, who are able to sit on the many benches available and enjoy the flowers. It is important to continue to provide a bright, well planted, space in this section of the park that can be enjoyed throughout the spring and summer. A water feature in the centre of the sunken garden is most welcome but should not be to the detriment of the high quality planting that has long been a feature of the gardens.


3. There are some concerns about the number of trees and lampposts positioned around the bandstand which may obstruct views of the bandstands from the avenue leading from the museum and London Road, the trees may also limit the views of the bandstand during concerts. Some trees in this space will help break up the large empty space, but putting lamppost between them seems to turn the area into an obstacle course. A better solution would be to provide lighting incorporated into the branches of the trees together with less obtrusive lighting around the edges of the area.

We hope that Lewisham planning department, together with the Horniman Gardens, can consider these issues and whether the implementation of this development may be further improved in line with our suggestions. Subject to these points, we recommend that the planning department approve this planning application and we wish the Horniman great success in raising funds to make these enhancements to the gardens, which are well loved by all in Forest Hill.

Tyson Road Application Rejected Again

We are pleased to report that following our objection to the proposed development on Tyson Road and almost 350 letters of objection from local residents, that Lewisham council planning department have rejected this development for the following reasons:

The outline proposal, for which scale, appearance, layout and access fall to be determined would, by reason of the layout, height, design, fail to complement or, moreover, be compatible with the scale and character of the surrounding environment, resulting in an un-neighbourly form of development contrary to URB 3 Urban Design, HSG 5 Layout and Design of New Residential Development and HSG 8 Backland and Infill Development in the Councils adopted Unitary Development Plan (July 2004).

We applaud this decision by the planning department but there is a strong possibility that the developer will now appeal to the planning inspectorate. We hope that, should this happen that the inspectorate will reaffirm the decision of the planning department and back the views of local residents.

Many thanks to all those who wrote to object to this planning application.

New Gate for Devonshire Road Nature Reserve

Saturday, 3^rd October – 5pm. Official opening of the new fencing and gate at the Devonshire Road Nature Reserve.

Do join the Friends of Devonshire Road Nature Reserve as they celebrate the culmination of several years’ hard work. No longer will this fantastic piece of urban nature be hidden behind tatty, municipal fencing. It now has an entrance to be proud of, designed by Jacob Twyford and hand made in wrought iron and welded steel by local blacksmith, Steve Capper. The reserve will be open from 3.00pm and there are plans for a party with music and more after the opening. There is an exhibition of children’s drawings and a sculpture in lead made by girls at Sydenham School - all used as inspiration for elements of the gate design.

DATES FOR YOUR DIARY

AGM

Thursday, 15th October at 7.30pm

upstairs at The Hob opp. Forest Hill Station.

Guest Speaker from Transport for London.

Croydon Canal Bicentenary Celebrations.

Saturday, 24th October, 11am at Sydenham Station.

see below for further details

Forest Hill Ward Assembly

Wednesday, 7th October 7.30-9.30pm

Living Springs International Church, 8-10 Devonshire Road, SE23 3TJ

Perry Vale Ward Assembly

Thursday, 15th October 7.30-9.30pm

Forest Hill Methodist Church, Normanton Street, London SE23 2DS.

23 CLUB

(book direct with restaurant mentioning 23 Club/FHSoc)

Saturday, 24th October at approximately 2pm: Dartmouth Arms. PLEASE NOTE THE CHANGE OF DATE as we come together with the Sydenham Society for the Croydon Canal bicentenary celebrations.

7 Dartmouth Road, SE23 3HN, 8488 3117

Monday, 23rd November at 8pm : Honor Oak Pub.

1 St. German's Road, Forest Hill, London, SE23 1RH.

Tel 8690 8606

From Strength to Strength

Forest Hill is changing fast and the Forest Hill Society is now truly part of the process of making Forest Hill an even better place to live. As he prepares to step down after a busy year as vice-chair and acting chair, Michael Abrahams assesses the role of the Society in SE23.

Over the last few years, we have had victories on train services, on defeating and supporting a number of planning applications and, most recently and most importantly, on keeping swimming at the centre of Forest Hill. We have worked to form a better sense of community in Forest Hill and Honor Oak Park. The 23 Club has created a monthly event for people to share a meal and conversation with others in the area and to support local restaurants. We have also had nature and history walks opening up areas that none of us had previously visited.

October sees an important milestone in the history of Forest Hill since it is exactly 200 years since the London to Croydon canal came through the area and Forest Hill came into being. We are celebrating this with our most exciting event to date. You’ll find details in this Newsletter but, basically, it’s a walk, some nature, a bit of local history, and some food - a great day out in your local area!

But before that, we have our AGM which will take place on 15th October upstairs at the Hob, opposite Forest Hill Station. This is a chance to hear our guest speaker from Transport for London who will explain the plans for our local stations now that TfL controls them and the East London Line that will be running through them from next year. This will be followed by elections for the Forest Hill Society Executive. There are up to twenty-three places available on the Executive all of which will be up for election. There are also roles on sub-committees looking at Development, Transport, Environment and Green Spaces and Events and Communications. With so many positions available, we hope that you will consider getting more involved and helping the Society to continue its run of successes over the last few years. Every year, new people join our committee bringing fresh ideas and energy to the Society. Without them and people like you, the Society would not be able to function, let alone succeed time after time.

Unfortunately, our Chairman, Peter Irby, has not been well this year and will be resigning at the AGM. I, in my capacity as vice-chair, have been running the Society in his absence but work and other commitments mean that I am unable to continue next year so we are looking for somebody to take over and shape the direction of the Society.

If you are interested in joining the committee, please contact Michael Abrahams or come along on the 15th October and throw your hat in the ring!

Train Services

The East London Line is creeping closer to Forest Hill and changes are already underway. From 20th September, Transport for London will take over the management of the stations on our line including Honor Oak Park and Forest Hill. Already at Forest Hill we are seeing the old footbridge replaced with a new one with lifts to both platforms. But the picture is not all positive.

Most importantly, we are expecting East London Line trains to start running to Forest Hill from June 2010 or possibly a bit earlier. We expect these to comprise four carriages from the start of operations.

But on the railway system every silver lining appears to have a cloud and we have learnt that Southern Railways intends to cut some services from Forest Hill and Honor Oak Park from December this year. This is in spite of intense lobbying by the Forest Hill Society and Sydenham Society over the last two years.

From December 2009, we will no longer have any services to or from Charing Cross. All trains to Forest Hill will start or terminate at London Bridge. Southern claim that their sister company, South Eastern, requires the tracks between Charing Cross and London Bridge for Kent services. But at off-peak evening times there is clearly spare capacity on these lines, just as there is today for our direct services from Charing Cross.

From May next year, Southern is planning to reduce daytime off-peak services to Forest Hill from 6 trains per hour to 4 trains per hour. This is not a disaster as it is relatively recently that these services were increased to 6 per hour, and at off peak they are not entirely full. However, in the last month we have confirmed with Southern that it is not just the off-peak services that will be affected - THEY ARE PLANNING TO CUT PEAK EVENING SERVICES AS WELL. This decrease to 4 trains per hour will hit passengers travelling all day after 9am, right through the evening peak. Frequent users of these evening services will confirm that they are already running at maximum capacity, and the removal of 30% of trains is likely to be a real problem for passengers from London Bridge.

The Forest Hill Society has asked Southern to reconsider these cuts to our services and we have been speaking to politicians to see what can be done before the all important date of May 2010, when we lose 30% of our trains.

Sign the Petition at http://nototraincuts.notlong.com

Transport News

Forest Hill Station - Perry Vale Entrance Open Till Late !

We finally get Network Rail approval to have the new automatic ticket and Oyster machine access via the Perry Vale entrance to the Forest Hill Station open until the last train leaves from the station. We wish to thank all those groups and volunteers who campaigned with us and lobbied for this to happen.

Disability Access Challenge – Perry Vale Car Park & Post Office

After much expense to try and improve access to the Perry Vale Car Park and the entrance to the Post Office Delivery Depot, someone has forgotten to make the facility easily available for all. Someone else has decided to locate the Car Park Ticket Machines at one end of the Car Park in the middle of an island that is extremely difficult for anyone in a wheelchair to use. The Forest Hill Society will be pressing Lewisham Council to come up with reasonable alternatives.

Honor Oak Road Traffic Light Phasing

We received news last month that, following our representations to Transport for London regarding the junction between Honor Oak Road and London Road, the traffic lights and traffic management system have been adjusted to allow a more responsive green time for Honor Oak Road. Hopefully this should remove the excessive queuing on Honor Oak Road.

Controlled Parking Zones – Perry Vale Consultation Not Going Ahead

The Forest Hill Society does not support Control Parking Zones in principle, unless the majority of local residents wish for them. It was good news, therefore, to see that Lewisham Council has listened to the views of local residents in the Perry Vale area and voted down any new Controlled Parking Zones in that area. Controlled Parking Zones, albeit useful in some situations, normally push any parking problems to local neighbours and neighbourhoods. The annual hike in permit costs is normally well above inflation.

If you have any comments or views about the above, please contact Tony Petim, Chair of the Forest Hill Society Transport Committee.