Honor Oak Pub to reopen in March 2014 (Updated)

East London Lines is reporting that the Honor Oak pub, on Brockley Rise, will reopen in March 2014.

A statement from Punch Taverns said: "With the Honor Oak currently being closed for trade, we are aware that there may be some concern regarding the future of the pub. We can re-assure the community that we see the pub very much part of the long term future of Punch Taverns and we are planning a £350,000 investment and refurbishment beginning in January with a gala reopening in mid March."

After closing in May, The Honor Oak was the subject of a campaign by the Forest Hill Society to turn the business into a co-operative pub. The co-operative would have required Punch Taverns to consult the group on any sale, giving the community the option to take over the pub before it could be sold to another buyer.

Richard Hibbert, the chairman at the Forest Hill Society, said: “That’s excellent news. A much-loved pub by the locals and one that was very good at one stage. I’m sure it will have a bright future.”

Update: The Forest Hill Society has received confirmation from Lewisham Council that on 13th November 2013 the Honor Oak Pub was added to the council's list of assets of community value.

Now that the property is included on the Council’s list of assets of community value, if the Owner subsequently decides to enter into a relevant disposal of it, it will be required to notify the Council in writing under Section 95(2) of the Act. For the meaning of “relevant disposal” and for when a relevant disposal is entered into, please see Section 96 of the Act.

On receiving notice of a relevant disposal, the Council will then update the entry in the list for the property to reveal that notice has been received, give written notice to the Forest Hill Society (as the community nominee who originally nominated the property to go on the list) and will also publicise the proposed disposal in the locality. 

Honor Oak Park Christmas Celebration

Forest Hill Society AGM 2013

Thursday 12th December, 7:30pm
Upstairs at The Hob (opposite Forest Hill Station)

The Forest Hill Society AGM is a chance to elect the new executive and set out our priorities for the year ahead and beyond. We have some great ideas and want to hear all suggestion for ways to improve SE23.

We welcome members and non-members to our AGM.

Update: We have now confirmed our guest speaker: local resident and PhD student Jacob Phillips will be telling us more about Dietrich Bonhoeffer, the local resident (80 years ago) and German pastor who opposed the Nazi regime in Germany. This follows on from Jacob's article for the newsletter earlier this year.

Day of the Dead Late, at the Horniman

Thursday 7th November, 6-9pm 

The Horniman’s next after-hours party for adults, Day of the Dead Late, is inspired by the annual Mexican festival. Follow a procession of fluorescent skeletons and Mexican musicians through the galleries, dance with a giant skeleton, experience a magical puppet performance with Theatre of Dolls, join in a Day of the Dead party with DJ Stylus in the Conservatory, discover fascinating skeleton facts, and enjoy short films. Food and bar open including Mexican street food and Day of the Dead cocktails.

Find out more about Day of the Dead Late at http://www.horniman.ac.uk/visit/events/day-of-the-dead-late. Tickets are £3. Over-18s only due to the nature of the events.

Hat  Tip: Brockley Central

Forest Hill Food Fair - Sunday 3rd November

Horniman Halloween Fair - 26th and 27th October

In addition to their weekly Saturday Farmers' Market the Horniman will be hosting an Arts and Crafts market on Sunday 27th October.

There will be a 'spooky trail' through the gardens, some haunting melodies from the bandstand, and a talk about weird animals in the museum.

More details at http://www.horniman.ac.uk/visit/events/horniman-halloween-fair

Tales for October

Tea at the Opera

Project:Opera, The People's Opera Company brings you piano accompanied extracts from a variety of works in local venues, keeping ticket prices low and offering ideal tasters for people new to Opera and fans alike, with 50% of their proceeds going in direct support of the local community - in this case, the community of St Saviour's church and the Lewisham Food Bank.

On Sunday, 20 October, they will be performing an Italian inspired program of Verdi, Puccini and Rossini, from Gilda's death scene (Rigoletto) to Rossini's hilarious Cat Duet. True to Project:Opera's style, their artists' passion will make you laugh and cry, wishing you could come back and hear it all again!

Tickets are available through their home-page or for on-the-day purchase. Tickets are priced at £10 for Adults, £5 for Concessions and children under 12 go free.

Performers:
Angela Pascale (Piano)
Annalisa Vaughan (Soprano)
Colleen Nicoll (Soprano)
Ian Pope (Bass-Baritone)
Yuri Sabatini (Tenor)

Meet the Bouncers

Allow me to introduce Les Judd, Ralph and old hand Lucky Eric. They've seen it all. On Club night, they'll be there, checking out the action. Looking cool. Stepping in to break up a fight. Just don't get them started.

From 16 October to 2 November, Spontaneous Productions will be bringing their unique style of size-specific theatre to the authentic atmosphere of Zanzibar Nightclub and Restaurant on Kirkdale.

In this all new, updated version of John Godber's timeless comedy, four nightclub bouncers portray more than 20 different characters (giggling girls, lads on the make, pogo-ing punks and a smooth talking DJ) set against the tatty, glitzy glamour, flashing lights and pulsating beat of the dance floor.

“It's easy to see why Bouncers remains John Godber's most successful comedy.”(Liverpool Post)

Tickets (£12 - £8 concession) are available from Kirkdale Bookshop, 272 Kirkdale, Sydenham. SE26 4RS. Phone: 020 8778 4701. Book early to avoid disappointment!

The Honor Oak

The Honor Oak on St German's Road was one of Forest Hill's better pubs until recently. Unfortunately, the last tenants ran the pub into the ground and have allegedly stripped it bare - including removing all the radiators.

After being approached by several members of the Society who were concerned that The Honor Oak might follow the same fate as The Windmill and The Forest Hill Hotel and be converted into flats or a mini-supermarket, we recently applied for the Honor Oak to be listed as a community asset.

If approved, then should Punch Taverns decide to sell the property, the community will be offered the right to buy the building. If you'd like to get involved and hear about the journey, please join the mailing list at www.thehopeandhonor.com.

The table below summarises the ‘assets of community value’ nominating and bidding process in four simple stages.

Stage one: Identify an asset for nomination
If an eligible community or voluntary group thinks that a local asset meets the definition of an ‘asset of community value’ they can fill in an application form and ask the Council to list the property as an ‘asset of community value’. If the nomination meets the relevant criteria and is approved by the Council, the asset will be included on the list. A list will also be compiled for any unsuccessful nominations that do not meet the criteria.

Stage 2: The owner wants to sell their asset
If the owner wants to sell their asset they must notify the Council, which will then notify the community group that nominated the asset and publicise the proposed sale to the wider community. If within six weeks of informing the Council of their intention to sell their asset an eligible community interest group does not come forward, the owner is free to sell their asset for a period of eighteen months from the date that they notified the Council of their intention to sell the asset.

Step 3: A designated community group wants to bid for the asset
If an eligible community interest group does express an interest in bidding for the asset, this group or groups will be granted extra time to prepare a business plan and gather the finance needed to purchase the asset. All in all, the time-frame for groups to put together their bids is six months starting from the time the asset owner informs the Council of their intention to sell the asset.

Step 4: The point at which the asset is to be sold
The six month window of opportunity is only for eligible community interest groups to put their business plans together and gather necessary funding. Once the six month window has expired, the asset owner is free to sell their property to who they want. They are under no obligation to sell the asset to any eligible community interest group or groups who bid to purchase the asset.