Lark in the Park - 30th June

Planning Application: Hotel on the site of Coop

A planning application has been submitted to build a Holiday Inn in Forest Hill on the site of the Coop shop at 1 Waldram Park Road. Details of the application can be viewed on the Lewisham Council website.

The Forest Hill Society has written in SUPPORT of this application but with a request to consider certain aspects of parking, servicing, and high-quality design for the development, if it is approved.
 

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

Edible Plant Giveaway - 12th May

The Forest Hill Society’s annual Edible Plant Giveaway:

Come to Forest Hill station’s forecourt at 2pm on Saturday, 12th May, to collect your FREE edible plant. Working with the Horniman Gardens we distribute edible starter plants and herbs to encourage people to grow their own and think green. You don’t even need a garden!

Any container on a window ledge will be fine so long as you remember to water the plant regularly.

Planning: Bampton Estate - 50 new homes

Lewisham Homes have submitted a planning application for the construction of one part four/part five storey building to provide fifty over 60s dwelling units. Details of the application can be viewed here.

The Forest Hill Society had submitted an objection to this development as we have concerns on the impact of existing and future residents. Of particular concern are:

• Impact of daylight for existing residents
• Lack of daylight in units in the new development
• Overlooking & Loss of Privacy
• Over-development of the site
• Lack of details for the Northmoor blocks within the Bampton Estate

You can read the full response here.

Havelock Walk Open Studios in May

Election Hustings for Mayor of Lewisham 2018

The Forest Hill Society and The Sydenham Society invite you to ask your questions to candidates for Mayor of Lewisham on Monday 23rd April at 7:30pm. At the Sydenham Centre, 44 Sydenham Road.

A Better Crossing for Perry Vale

The Forest Hill Society have started a petition for a new crossing on Perry Vale.

 Many passengers exiting Forest Hill station wish to cross Perry Vale to go home and to visit local shops. Site lines are poor for pedestrians close to the station and shops, and the nearest safe crossing point is beyond all the shops (beside Perry Vale car park). This is not appropriate for a busy crossing point used by all sections of the community, including children and elderly people.

A light-controlled pedestrian crossing (pelican or puffin crossing) would provide a safer crossing point for pedestrians and better manage traffic on the junction with Waldram Place.

With the 20mph speed limit on this road, we believe that a light-control crossing at this location would provide greater safety for all road users. We ask that Lewisham prioritise the installation of a formal crossing at this location.

If you agree, please add your name to this petition.

Environment Report

By Quetta Kaye, Chair of the Environment Committee

The winter seems to have been a long one, but the Forest Hill Society’s Environment committee has been active, working with Energy Gardens in the area behind the bike stand on Forest Hill station’s Platform 1, with the installation of a ‘bug hotel’ and two new compost bins so that we can create our own compost. A new container of bamboo on Platform 2 helps to screen the metal railings as well as absorbing pollutants.

We suggested to Lewisham Council the need for a footpath across the Horniman Triangle park, from the café to the play equipment area. Our idea was agreed by the Forest Hill Ward Assembly and work is now in the planning stage. Broken play equipment has also been mended and repainted.

Concerned residents raised the problem of trying to use the path at the bottom of Horniman Gardens alongside the nature trail, which is almost impassable after heavy rain. Lewisham’s Highways Department has agreed to look into this and bring it up to standard.

We have been in contact with our new MP, Ellie Reeves, who has forwarded our photographs (see inset) of the area beside the underpass, which gives access to the railway path to Network Rail, in the hope that this town centre eyesore can, at last, be dealt with. Fingers crossed that something can be done, sometime soon.


Diaries Out for Spring Events:

Saturday 28th April, 2.00pm:  Call for gardeners, young and old(er), to help create exciting new planters for Perry Vale. We will also have a general post-winter planting spruce-up session to ready this year’s entry to the RHS’s “It’s your Neighbourhood” contest. Meet in Forest Hill station forecourt and bring gloves, a trowel and secateurs, if you have them — if not, we have a few spares.

Saturday 12th May, 2.00pm: Our popular Edible Plant Give-away. Once again the Forest Hill Society will be giving away starter food plants donated by Horniman Gardens to encourage growing your own, saving money and thinking green. Venue to be announced, but will probably be the station forecourt.

SE23 Whisky Club

By Nikola Runev, Founder of SE23 Whisky Club

The SE23 Whisky club has been going for over three years. We meet every two weeks on Tuesdays at 8pm, in a pub in Forest Hill. Between 10 and 15 people usually attend each meeting to learn about whisky, understand more about how it is made, and which flavours we most enjoy.

At most meetings we sample six small whiskies with a particular theme, and in doing so we learn more about the process of making whisky — including the water, the barrels and the shape of the stills.

Many of the meetings are hosted by brand ambassadors, and we have had visits from ambassadors from Macallan, Suntory, Benriach/Glendronach, Chivas/Glenlivet, Whisky Exchange, Maverick Drinks, Paul John and Port Askaig. We look forward to welcoming Phil Huckle on the 3rd April for a Longmorn tasting.

Within the club are a few very knowledgeable individuals (with rather impressive personal whisky collections), but most are novices who just want to know more about whisky and explore the vast range of whiskies available.

The club is open to anybody: You just need to join the group at www.facebook.com/groups/se23whiskyclub/ for updates about forthcoming events. Some events are free, and some have a charge of £10 to cover the cost of the whisky for the evening.

For further information, visit the Facebook page or Twitter @se23whiskyclub.

Local Police Patrols on Twitter

Forest Hill, Perry Vale and Crofton Park Safer Neighbourhoods Teams are our local police teams, reporting to Sergeant John Biddle.

As well as working hard to keep our streets safe, they provide regular updates on Twitter (@MPSPerryVale, @MPSForestHill, and @MPSCroftonPark) and on the local forum — SE23.life.

Regrettably, the police have recently reported a rise in house burglaries, thefts of mopeds and thefts of items from vehicles in the SE23 area. Nevertheless, some successes have been achieved in arresting suspected burglars in the local area, as well as dealing with drugs offenses and anti-social behaviour, and working with residents on crime prevention.

At present all three teams are based at Catford Hill police station, but the Metropolitan Police have plans to close this station (as well as the main Catford police station) and deploy officers elsewhere. The current thinking is that the Perry Vale, Forest Hill and Sydenham teams will be relocated to Newlands Park, just inside Bromley Borough, with the Crofton Park team either joining them or being relocated to Lewisham or elsewhere in the borough.

Each ward has a Safer Neighbourhoods Panel that includes representatives from local neighbourhood watch groups, residents’ associations, civic societies, councillors and traders. These panels help set the priorities for the police in their local areas, so that the concerns of residents can be dealt with.