Devonshire Road Open Day

The Friends of Devonshire Road Nature Reserve will be having an Open Day from 11AM - 6PM tomorrow, Sunday 15 July.

There will be a chance to meet the bees (which are now safely in their new home), go for nature walks and listen to live music from Shadrack Tye, Flaky Jake, Matt Allin, Fox and the Feather, Felix Glenn and the Forest Hillbillies while enjoying plenty of Food and drnk.

1st July - Summer Food Fair

General Meeting - Saturday 23rd June 2012

On Saturday, 23 June we will be holding a General Meeting from 5pm at the All Inn One (53 Perry Vale).

The meeting will start with a brief presentation from Fusion Lifestyle on the new pools in Forest Hill.  The latest we have heard is that they will open on 9 July, but it may be later in July. Following the presentation will be a barbecue where you can enjoy meat or vegetarian option.

Planning Application: 120 Stanstead Road

The Forest Hill Society has objected to the planning application for turning 120 Stanstead Road into a Domino's Pizza take away. You can view the application on Lewisham website.

The concerns of the Society focus around the impact of the eight moped that will be used at peak times, particularly in terms of noise, parking, and disruption to pedestrians.

Full details of the objection from the Forest Hill Society can be read here.

Newsletter: SUMMER OF EVENTS IN SE23

JUNE
Sat 2nd, 10am to 4pm: Living Roof workshop at Devonshire Road Nature Reserve.
Sunday 3rd, 10am to 3pm: Food Fair at Forest Hill station. 13 stalls, a wide variety of local produce.

Mon 4th, Noon to 5pm: Living Roof Celebration at Devonshire Road Nature Reserve. Plant the roof while enjoying some music, food and drinks.

Sat - Sun 9th -10th June: Horniman World Music festival in the gardens 1-8pm both days

Sun 10th, 2pm to 4pm: Bird Boxing- a new comedy. Ross and Bruno return to rummage in Albion Millennium Green. Audience members can build their own bird boxes in a race against tine. Suitable for families, foragers and freeloaders

Sun 10th, 5pm to 6pm: Find a Theatre. Are you excited by the idea of a new open air performance space in Forest Hill? Come along and explore Albion Millennium Green and share your ideas and opinions about how we can create something wonderful.

Sat 16th, 2.30: Gardening afternoon to extend our entry in the RHS ‘It's Your Neighbourhood’ competition and ‘Lewisham in Bloom’. Meet in front of the Job Centre, Dartmouth Road, to dig out and plant up the tubs around the trees. Bring gardening trowel and a carrier bag.

Sat 23rd, 5pm to 7pm: Foresters/All in One, General Meeting and Barbeque.

Fri 29th, 6pm to 9pm: Alhambra, free sangria, tapas and discount evening, launch of one week exhibition by Sydenham portrait artist Pawel Wasek


JULY
Sun 1st - 17th : Sydenham Arts Festival (various locations)

Sunday 1st, 2.30: Forest Hill Station forecourt: Tidy up of the station beds in advance of our RHS judgement day on Monday 2nd . Bring gloves etc.

Sat 7th, 11 - 4.30pm: The brilliant Blythe Hill Festival. FHS stall. Celebrate Blythe Hill Tavern local pub of the year (normal pub hours).

Sun 22nd: Spanish wine and food tasting, Alhambra (ticketed event, modest cost)

AUGUST
Fri 17th, from 7.30: Stone Bar, members’ social,

SEPTEMBER
Saturday 22nd: Forest Hill Pools re-opening event.

Sunday 23rd: Open House
Sunday 30th: Dacres Wood Open day

Funds Found for the Subway

Last week we heard from Lewisham Council that the total funds required for the refurbishment of the Forest Hill pedestrian subway have been safeguarded. This now includes improvements to the steps and handrails as well as wall and ceiling cladding, proper drainage, and lighting.
The extra £28,000 was made available by Lewisham Council as part of monies that were set
aside for improvements to the East London Line Extension.
In total over £150,000 will be spent to on the subway starting in September, finally bringing the subway up to the standard that Forest Hill residents and visitors deserve.

Newsletter: Tube Could Come to SE23 (Again)

Following an earlier article on a possible DLR connection Michael Abrahams gives our views on how we could be connected to the Bakerloo line.

The first option for the Bakerloo Line is the Honor Oak Park route. This would be underground as far as Catford Bridge and then join the line at Lower Sydenham. This route has the added benefit of adding new stations in areas with relatively poor train connections (Burgess Park and Peckham Rye Common).

While this could come into conflict with the DLR plans, this is one of our favourites and would relieve pressure on our increasingly crowded existing services.

Option 2 is a less favoured Tulse Hill route.

Option 3 is the preferred route for Lewisham Council. It provides a new underground route to Lewisham from where it would follow the Hayes Line via Catford. It is possible that as part of this route there could be an interchange with New Cross Gate and a new station at Bell Green, so this route could be adjusted to be of benefit to Forest Hill residents.

There are two further routes to which we would like to see consideration given. A route via Crofton Park would be the shortest tunnelling option, extending the Bakerloo line to south of Camberwell, where it would join the existing train line from Denmark Hill, via Peckham Rye, Nunhead, and Crofton Park, to Catford. This would make better use of the Crofton Park line, and allow for a possible extension to Bellingham and Bromley North.

A reliable tube service from Crofton Park would reduce demand at Honor Oak Park and Brockley, which would help slightly with the capacity. Unfortunately an interchange station between the Forest Hill line and the Crofton Park (Bakerloo) line is unlikely.

A fifth option could be best for us. This would loosely follow the 176 route from Elephant & Castle, stopping at Camberwell, Denmark Hill, East Dulwich, Barry Road (either end), Forest Hill, and Bell Green (and possibly beyond). Here it could interchange with the DLR line allowing both lines to go south of Catford without using the same track. This option provides the most interchange options of all routes. It has the potential to make more difference in journey times and options for the largest number of South East Londoners, relieving congestion both on our existing train line and buses. It surely makes sense in terms of regeneration. On the downside the length of tunnelling could be prohibitive.

The DLR and the Bakerloo extensions will significantly improve public transport in South East London. This is a discussion that will continue – please tell TfL and the Society what you think!

Newsletter: Underpass Impasse

Please note: This article was written before the most recent news on the underpass, which can be read here.

The condition of the underpass in Forest Hill has long been a thorn in the sides of local residents. Despite campaigns progress has been slow. We have managed a few patches in the footpath and to get the lights reconnected.

At a recent meeting with the Council, it was finally decided that they should proceed with refurbishing the subway. Lewisham has a budget of £126,000 (including monies from the developer of the flats on Perry Vale). This will not meet our expectations.The approved works include: installation of new drainage channels to pathway and track bed, resurfacing of the footpath, cleaning, repairing and painting over the mural ready for fresh artwork, and cladding the walls and ceiling of the section under the tracks (the part currently painted white).

The works will be carried out at the same time as the lighting is replaced under the Skanska PFI contract. At the moment, this is envisaged to happen some time after September, but the schedule for Year 2 of that contract has not yet been agreed. In the meantime, Lewisham will keep the pressure on Network Rail to come up with funds to refurbish the steps at both ends, to include repairing and renewing the treads and replacing the handrails with DDA compliant grab rails at both ends of the underpass. You can help by writing to Jim Dowd at dowdj@parliament.uk or House of Commons, London, SW1A 0AA, letting him know your feelings and urging him to raise the matter with the Chief Executive of Network Rail. Here is what we sent:

Dear Jim (Dowd)

I am writing to you as the Chairman of the Forest Hill Society concerning the refurbishment of the pedestrian underpass which connects Perry Vale with the London Road side of the railway station in Forest Hill (National Rail code FOH). The Forest Hill Society is a local amenity group representing residents of Forest Hill, SE23 and its environs with some 400 members and over 1000 followers through social media.

As you may be aware, the Sydenham Society was campaigning to improve the subway long before the Forest Hill Society was formed in 2006. Since then, we have both been working with Lewisham Council, trying to make progress.

We have found it impossible to deal with Network Rail. None of our letters or phone calls have been responded to. The only time we have had any success is by working through LOROL and yourself, when we managed to get the graffiti removed from the railway bridge over the A205 - graffiti which had been there for at least 10 years.

Our dealings with Lewisham Council on this matter have been much better, but they too have had a frustrating time, repeatedly blaming Network Rail for the delays to progress - something we have been unable to contradict due to Network Rail's determined silence.

I realise that the state of the underpass may seem to be small fry to Network Rail, but this dilapidated tunnel serves to undermine the good work residents are doing to improve the Town Centre and make it more inviting for shoppers. Lewisham Council have recently invested over £10 million in a new leisure centre and the condition of the underpass is a major obstacle in the way of regenerating the area. Network Rail own the right of way, but share responsibilities for maintenance with Lewisham Council.
 
Lewisham allocated funds to refurbish the underpass before the last election in May 2010, before finally issuing provisional drawings in June 2011 after protracted dealings with Network Rail.

At a meeting on 14 May 2012, we finally agreed that Lewisham should proceed with some works, including cladding and relighting parts of the underpass, repaving the footpath and improving the drainage, but their budget will not stretch to include more parts which are Network Rail's responsibility. It has always been the ambition of Sydenham and Forest Hill Societies that any refurbishment of the subway should include renewal of the staircases at both ends and modern handrails. Not only can these works not be done within Lewisham's budget, they are Network Rail's responsibility.

Network Rail have already tacitly acknowledged that the handrails are unsatisfactory. When the lifts were being installed at Forest Hill Station, Network Rail installed temporary handrails on the staircases. These have since been removed.

Lewisham cannot afford to pay for handrails which meet 21st century regulations, nor to resurface the treads. Both of these tasks need redoing and I would urge you to press Network Rail to attend to these with urgency. Doing the works at the same time as installing the other tasks (expected sometime in September or October) would save time, money and inconvenience.

Richard Hibbert, Chair, Forest Hill Society

The Future of Louise House

The first stakeholder consultation meeting to find out about plans to invite proposals for the future of Louise House in Forest Hill is taking place on Wednesday 13 June 17.00-19.00 at Forest Hill Methodist Church, Normanton Street, London SE23 2DS.

Staff from the relevant Lewisham Council departments will be present and the agenda for the meeting will focus on an overview of the tendering process, with an opportunity to ask questions.

Please RSVP to louisehouse@lewisham.gov.uk if you would like to attend.

New Plans for Sydenham School

As you may be aware, Sydenham School is due to be re-developed as part of the London Borough of Lewisham’s Building Schools for the Future Programme.

The developers are in the process of putting together proposals for the site and will display the current plans at an exhibition for local residents and community groups. You will hav ethe chance to view the designs and meet with members of the project team. The exhibition will take place on Monday 11 June, from 4-8pm at the Svdenham Girls' School, Dartmouth Road, London, SE26 4RD and will be facilitated by Quatro Consults.

This will be an opportunity to provide feedback and ask any questions regarding the new school prior to finalising the scheme and submitting the planning application to the London Borough of Lewisham. Refreshments will be provided.