Forest Hill Society Response to the Pools Consultation

You can read the Forest Hill Society response to the May 2009 pools consultation by following this link.

CONCLUSIONS

5.1 We fully support the Council in a decision to return swimming and public leisure facilities to Forest Hill in the near future.

5.2 We continue to believe that the Dartmouth Road site is the most deliverable and appropriate site for this facility.

5.3 We believe that the recent Consultation supports the need for swimming in Forest Hill and that most people who would make use of the facility believe that this should be located on the existing Dartmouth Road site.

5.4 We would like to see a robust reconsideration of the delivery programme and budget requirements of this project, including consideration of any phasing potential of the development in order to provide a facility that the people of Forest Hill can make use of at the earliest opportunity.

5.5 We would welcome the opportunity to work with the Council to demonstrate the potential for live/work development on the Willow Way site.

Pools Consultation Results

The results of the consultation were presented to the Stakeholders group yesterday evening. You can view the results on the Lewisham Council web site.

Although total numbers are not given we understand that the result is just over 51% in favour of the Willow Way pool in Sydenham (slide 14), although the margin of error makes this a statistical draw and it is difficult to weigh up the differences between schools who may or may not use the pool and individuals who may or may not use the pool.

Of key importance to people in favour of both options is an accessible location (slides 15 and 16). A key consideration for those who voted for Willow Way was that they want to see a pool in the area as soon as possible, and the consultation told them that Willow Way could be delivered faster than the Dartmouth Road pools site.

One clear message (slide 18) is that in all groups people are more likely to visit the site if it were built in Dartmouth Road and the groups who are most likely to go swimming are also those who most preferred the Dartmouth Road site.

Online respondents were the most Forest Hill based group (slide 10), and out of this group a massive 66% favoured the existing site, and an enormous 93% would swim there, compared to only 38% if it were in Willow Way. Taking this into account we believe that the Forest Hill Society has accurately reflected the views of local people and will continue to push for the pool to be built in the Forest Hill town centre, not in an industrial estate in Sydenham.

Please feel free to add your own comments below.

Proof that the Community Can Win - Tyson Road proposal defeated

Written for the Forest Hill Society Newsletter by Cllr John Russell and Cllr Philip Peake

It doesn’t often happen so when the community comes together and wins a significant victory against overdevelopment, we should all take note and learn lessons for the future. When Loromah Estates put forward a planning application to build nine blocks of flats on a backland site behind the Christian Fellowship Centre on Honor Oak Road and to the rear of Tyson Road, local residents refused to accept the odds stacked against them and came out fighting. The Forest Hill Society supported them all the way as did their local councilors, John Russell and Philip Peake. We asked the councillors to explain why this victory matters.

In our short number of years as councillors, we have frequently come up against that bane of local campaigners’ lives: the English planning system. Particularly at Lewisham Council, it is very difficult and rare to be able to defeat a developer’s proposal once it has the support of the Council Planning Officers.

Yet on 31st of March, that’s exactly what we all did at Planning Committee ‘B’ – not just marginally, but entirely: members of the committee voted unanimously to turn down officer advice and reject Loromah Estates’ application to build 74 flats on predominantly ex-garden land between Tyson Road and the Christian Fellowship Centre on Honor Oak Road.

The community, Forest Hill Society, and we councillors can all be proud of ourselves. But celebration should be tempered by caution. Draft documents in the council’s new planning policy – the ‘rules’ committee members have to consider – still allocate the site for 80-odd flats. Loromah may not appeal but instead present another plan: it remains to be seen whether any new ideas will genuinely address local people’s concerns.

Now is a useful time to look and see what happened: just why did the residents, the Forest Hill Society and ourselves working together manage to win this one? We can all learn lessons and apply them to future planning applications.

In this case, the developer was his own worst enemy. In an attempt to maximise profit, his team had introduced a fundamental design flaw. All car movements would have had to go underneath the blocks as there was no space for roads elsewhere. And despite extensive use of public relations consultants, it was clear that the development would not feel like a “woodland glade” after most of the trees had been removed and bat-boxes and green/brown roofs had been used as eco-sticking-plaster.

The obvious flaws created a vigorous residents’ campaign. Three-hundred-and-thirty-five objections must be a record for this borough. Led by Andrew Wood, residents did their homework and fought a very informed and highly effective campaign. The secret to their success was not to object saying “we do not like this,” but in properly studying and understanding the Lewisham Council planning policies and the London and national planning frameworks.

Campaigners were then able to argue from a postion of knowledge, putting together a coherent argument, based in planning law. This is a position which has to be taken seriously. Backed up by the strength of local feeling, residents, FHS and councillors were able to pull this together into an argument that ultimately won over the committee.

It is a powerful example of what local residents can do when working in partnership with the FHS and ourselves in a common cause. We should be proud of what we have done and ready to start again at a moment’s notice when necessary.

Chair's Report

Unfortunately, our Chairman, Peter Irby, has been unwell for a few months now. We all wish him a speedy recovery but until then the honour of writing the Chairman's report has fallen to our vice-chair, Michael Abrahams.

We have had an eventful few months with visits to areas of nature conservation, a pub crawl, a general meeting plus our regular events from the 23 Club. Behind the scenes, we have had lots of meetings about swimming pools, planning issues, transport, swimming pools, improving the natural environment, and ... swimming pools.

All these issues and more came up at our General Meeting at The Hob on 7th May. Thank you to everyone who came along and shared their views. You can read the full minutes on our website www.foresthillsociety.com.

Beyond the Forest Hill Society, we have seen some great things happening in SE23 despite the gloom of the global recession and the flu pandemic raging around us. There’s investment going into our parks and gardens (see below) and, although we have seen a few shops closing recently, we have also seen some new shops opening including a gym in the former site of McDonalds, and Tapastry is now twice as big but with the smaller name of Try. This bodes well for developments in the coming year as we see TfL take over the station this Autumn and the East London Line starting next summer.

We are particularly pleased to see fewer bins in Dartmouth Road and London Road with daily collections being arranged by Lewisham Council. Honor Oak Parade is looking better than ever thanks to the support of the Friends of Honor Oak Park.

So this Summer, don't fall for all this gloom in the outside world. It's a bright future in Forest Hill - we might even have a swimming pool one day!

Thanks to everybody who has continued to support the Forest Hill Society. Attending events and helping out in any way allows us to do so much more. So if you would like to get actively involved, please let me know - don't leave it all for others to make Forest Hill an even better place to live.

Improvements for Forest Hill Parks

We’re not short of green spaces in SE23 but some of our parks have been neglected over the years. Now, thanks to extra funding, the Horniman Triangle and Mayow Park are getting the tender loving care they deserve.

Horniman Triangle

.... or Forest Hill Beach, as we like to call it! Yes, it’s just a sandpit at the side of the noisy South Circular but this is no ordinary sand pit. It’s got climbing frames and a water pump and the children love it. It has been packed since it opened in early April thanks, no doubt, to the unexpectedly warm weather this Spring. There’s also a little café with outside seating BUT there are no toilet facilities and this is a regular complaint. The swings are also missed especially by people with very young children. Nothing’s ever perfect, unfortunately.

Mayow Park

The Friends of Mayow Park (FOMP) put in a bid to Lewisham Council for ‘Playbuilder’ funds to create a new space where older children could socialise and exercise. That bid has now been successful and the park will receive the funding in 2010-2011. The new space is intended for young people of around 10 to 14 years old.

Even before this exciting news came through, FOMP had started talking about the scheme with some of the Lewisham Young Advisers to the Young Mayor. They are keen to take a lead with planning and development of the proposed new area and a committee has been formed with some Young Advisers, the Council Officers who support them, Green Scene officers, Councillors and FOMP members.

Meanwhile, a revised version of the plan for the Bowls Club accommodation has been submitted to Lewisham Planning Department. Plans were available for viewing in the Bowls Club Pavilion on Saturday 16th May. If the Bowls Club can vacate the present pavilion, it would be available for refurbishment and potential use when cricket restarts in the Park, it’s hoped in Summer 2010.

May Bank Holiday Revels on our Millennium Green

Some places celebrate May Bank holiday with parades, or dancing, maypoles and ribbons. Forest Hill and Sydenham Societies decided to join forces to celebrate with.... a group litter clear-up.

Millennium Gardens, a little visited green oasis at the end of Albion Villas Road, off Sydenham Park Road, was the venue. And, true to Bank Holiday tradition, on a grey, overcast day, enlivened with occasional drizzle, a small group of stalwarts turned up armed mainly with eagerness to sort out any mess.

If that all sounds a bit grim, well, it really wasn’t. With a freshly mown grass meadow, a copse of deciduous trees, bluebells, lilac, frothy masses of mayflowers and the remains of a tennis court with benches, we set to hacking through stinging nettles to retrieve the miscellany of rubbish which had been dumped over the perimeter wall. An hour or so later, a now warmed-up people-chain had passed old sofas, defunct computers, bags of domestic and garden refuse and other junk into a clearing near to the exit from where it could be collected.

It’s amazing what people throw away – and where they choose to throw it. Why would anyone dump their junk into a lovely public space like Millennium Gardens? But discarded old chestnut paling was quickly identified by gardeners in the group as recyclable for bean or netting supports. And a couple of wooden pallets, separated by bricks and stuffed with other debris, were reconstructed into a bug hotel.

There were about thirty of us for the picnic lunch, tucking in with a satisfied air after a job well done. Revels it wasn’t, but a junior cricket match on the meadow green and senior boules on the old tennis court rounded off the afternoon.

Maybe next year we could have dancing and ribbons and maypoles?

23 Club Update

June 23rd is the first anniversary of the 23 Club. It’s really taken off and exceeded our expectations. Thank you to Mary who organises the venues, thank you to Rob for coming up with the idea, thank you to all our members who’ve supported the event and thank you to the local restaurants who’ve given us a great welcome and twelve enjoyable evenings of good food and good company.

A quick recap of where we’ve been since the last Newsletter:- In March, the 23 Club went to the Old Bank restaurant in Honor Oak for some excellent, authentic Italian food. You can see your food being prepared as the main kitchen area is in full view. With the restaurant busy, the service was a little slow, but the results were worth waiting for!

On April 23rd, we celebrated St George’s Day and Shakespeare’s birthday, choosing from an excellent and imaginative menu at the Dartmouth Arms, a gastropub with car park in Dartmouth Road. One member, Bernard Keeffe, rose to his feet and recited the topical passage from Henry V, getting a round of applause from everyone there!

We hope you’ll continue to support the 23 Club in its second year. The restaurants we have chosen for the Summer months feature delicious dishes from Bangladesh, Spain and England at reasonable prices. And please note that because August 23rd falls on a Sunday, we’ve turned it into a family-friendly Club event and we’ll be meeting at 1pm.

Tuesday June 23 at 8pm : Elachi – (Bangladeshi) 16-23 Sunderland Road SE23 2PR : Phone 8699 0866

Thursday July 23 at 8pm : Try (formerly Tapastry) - Spanish tapas 39 Honor Oak Park SE23 1DZ : Phone 8291 2822

Sunday August 23 at 1pm : Forest Hill Tavern – lunchtime, family friendly get-together 108 Forest Hill Road SE22 0RS : Phone 8693 0338

Just to remind you, the 23 Club is open to Forest Hill Society members and their guests. Please make your booking directly with the restaurant, saying you want to be seated with the Forest Hill Society or 23 Club group. Everyone orders and pays separately for their meal. Do please book so that the restaurant can arrange the seating in advance – thank you.

The Third FHS Pub Crawl

It may have been only April, but it was a lovely, warm evening for a stroll through SE23. It was also the first real opportunity to celebrate the refusal of planning permission for the Tyson Road development.

We started with a small crew at the Railway Telegraph, recently taken over by the new landlady, Pam, who kindly brought over a large plate of hot dogs to help line our collective stomachs. The Telegraph is a fine, large, old pub serving Kentish Shepherd’s Neame beers. We wish Pam the best of luck and hope that members will try it out – maybe even the poker table!

More people joined us at our next pub, the hidden back street gem, the General Napier, on Bovill Road. On the walk over, we passed the Stanstead Road Community Garden – immaculately tended - and an assortment of interesting, small businesses including one that makes large models for the performing arts. The Napier just seems to get better and better – on first viewing you may find it a little old fashioned but then it simply grows on you. And it is not featured in any pub guide or blogs on the area. Maybe it is best kept as our secret.

Onto the refurbished Tapastry for the grand reopening, no less, now that the owner, Jason, has expanded into the old video shop next door. But the name has truncated to ‘Try’. It was buzzing, so much so that we sat outside in the still mild evening. There were new beers to try from the Meantime brewery in Greenwich (a note for your diary is the Greenwich Beer and Jazz fest on 8-12 July at the old Royal Navy College, where the brewery will soon be located.) Our agenda would have had us crossing the border into Crofton Park to check out the refurbished Brockley Jack and onto a fave, Mr Lawrence’s Wine bar, but we couldn’t face leaving Honor Oak so left these exciting venues for another crawl.

Friends of Honor Oak Park

There are some very energetic, creative, dedicated people here in SE23 working hard to make our community an even better place to live. Take Fiona Hull. She’s one of the founders of the Honor Oak Park Action Group (HOPAG) which has made a big difference to the high street there already. HOPAG has now changed its name to the Friends of Honor Oak Park. Fiona would love to inspire some of you to set up similar schemes around SE23 so she passes on these tips.

Why we set up the group
After walking past this kind of mess for the umpteenth time, I thought to myself enough is enough.
I’m lucky that I have a close friend who lives in Honor Oak Park whom I could moan to about the state of our neighbourhood. Eventually, we decided to stop moaning and do something about it. We gave ourselves a name - Honor Oak Park Action Group - and we started the slow, painstaking process of finding out whom to talk to about the things we wanted to change. Recently, we changed our name to Friends of Honor Oak Park. This way we will be able to work more closely with Southwark and Lewisham Councils and residents on larger projects.

Rule 1: Getting started
We contacted our station manager, sent him photos of the mess outside the station and asked him to come down and pay us a visit. Seeing that we were passionate and determined, he agreed to give us £250 to plant up a drought-tolerant garden in front of the station. He arranged for the railings to be painted a nice, pale green and removed all the fly tipping and rubbish.

Rule 2: Get to know your local councillors and Council
We held a planting a planting day at the station, invited local councillors and raised money and awareness of what our group was trying to achieve.

Rule 3: Get to know your members
We set up a blog www.honoroak.blogspot.com where we could let our members know what was going on and ask them what they thought. We told them about the cleverly designed Moo Moo recycling bin. We decided we wanted one because, apart from its funky design, it increases recycling rates by 66%. We put a paypal donation button on the blog and had raised £200 in less than two weeks. We were amazed and excited. Lewisham council agreed to contribute the rest so that we could have our own Moo Moo bin.

Rule 4: Create partnerships with people who are in a position to help you
We invited Joan Ruddock MP to come down and have a look first hand at what we were trying to achieve, particularly the fly tipping issues and overflowing refuse bins in Honor Oak Park. We spoke to the Head of Environment who encouraged our non municipal approach and we now have a lovely, clean high street.
We spoke to a Director at O2 as we have an O2 phone mast painted navy blue and a cabin outside Honor Oak Park station painted dark green. We asked him to come down and see our Moo Moo bin and how we wanted the O2 mast and cabin painted black. Not only did he do this, but he put us in touch with his community funding scheme at O2. Encouraged, we applied for funding and were recently awarded £750.

Rule 5: Get informed and involved and don’t take no for an answer
Find out what’s going on at all levels, locally and nationally. There’s so much going on now at a grass roots level and we firmly believe that this is the way things are going to change. This is the way to keep inspired and motivated because you have to have a huge amount of energy and determination to get things done as some projects are not easy to get off the ground.

Devonshire Road Nature Reserve Open Day

Devonshire Road Nature Reserve Annual Open Day takes place this Sunday, 14th June 12:30-17:30

• Enjoy the Woodlands, meadow, wildlife garden and ponds
• Exhibition of drawings for the new gates
• Blacksmith and mobile forge
• Guided Walks
• Plant and craft stall
• Live amphibians & reptiles
• Refreshments

The reserve is also open on Saturday 13th June - 12:30-16:00 as part of th Open Garden Squares Weekend

DATES FOR YOUR DIARY

Sunday June 7th – 1pm-6pm. Forest Hill Society picnic in the Horniman Gardens. We should be easy to spot so do bring your picnic hamper and join us on what is absolutely bound to be a gloriously sunny day.

23 CLUB - Tuesday June 23 at 8pm : Elachi 16-23 Sunderland Road SE23 2PR : Phone 8699 0866

Saturday 27th June 2009 – Blythe Hill Fields Day. Fun community event with music, a wide variety of stalls and donkey rides. The Forest Hill Society will be there with a stall selling our popular SE23 cakes!

Sunday 5th July and Sunday 12th July - Craft and Design Fair at The Hob.

4th, 5th, 11th and 12th July, 11am to 7pm – Havelock Walk Open Studios. Part of Sydenham Arts Festival.

23 CLUB Thursday July 23 at 8pm : Try (formerly Tapastry) 39 Honor Oak Park SE23 1DZ : Phone 8291 2822

Saturday 9th August, starts at midday – Jerk Chicken Cook Out at the Horniman Gardens. The Forest Hill Society will be there with a stall.

23 CLUB Sunday August 23 at 1pm : Forest Hill Tavern – lunchtime, family friendly get-together 108 Forest Hill Road SE22 0RS : Phone 8693 0338

Sunday 13th September at 3pm— Green Chain Walk Festival - walk via Horniman Gardens, One Tree Hill, Nunhead Cemetery and Peckham Rye Park
Meet at Horniman Gardens, by the museum gate. Duration 2 hours. Led by Peter Frost.

Planning for a Pool on Dartmouth Road

Below is the content of the proposal from the Forest Hill Society to Sir Steve Bullock regarding bringing swimming back to Forest Hill as soon as possible.

A sketch of the proposals for the site can be viewed here.

Dear Sir Steve,

We have given careful consideration to the various options that are around about the use of the existing pools site and the alternative site at Willow Way. We are concerned that the potential of achieving planning permission is not being realistically stated and that alternative options for funding a pool, on the pools site, are being ignored.

Firstly we are concerned that the potential of achieving a pool on the Willow Way site is being overstated generally and particularly in the current consultation. A pool on this site is strictly speaking contrary to the UDP and a leisure use does not meet many of the criteria set out as mitigating reasons why non-employment uses would be considered. Pushing ahead this option could be problematic for the council. Legal guidance has already stated that residential would not be allowed on the Willow Way site and such an option has been removed from the consultation, however, it remains questionable whether a swimming pool would be suitable for the location.

As well as resulting in a loss of employment, moving the swimming pool from the Dartmouth Road site would also be contrary to regional policy intended to retain leisure uses in town centre locations. This location is not recognised as meeting most of the criteria for the location of a swimming pool – specifically it is outside a designated town centre and is not correctly located to provide the maximum level of access to swimming within a 20 minute walk from their homes. The location is within a 20 minute walk from the Crystal Palace pool, which means that half the catchment area is already served by another pool. This calls into question the long-term viability of this site for leisure use.

There is a similar planning problem when considering the loss of a pool and park from Dartmouth Road for conversion to residential. This will have a detrimental effect on the town centre and specifically on the library, which will no longer be adjacent to a leisure destination. This will again require a major change of use of the land, and with the density of housing proposed, close to existing housing and two grade 2 listed buildings, is likely to meet resistance from local residents.

We understand the financial problems that you have in providing the pool on the existing Dartmouth Road site but the Forest Hill Society have been working on a proposal for Live/Work development to cross-subsidise the pool on the existing pool site. The would comprise approximately 50% live/work units providing 25-30 jobs, and just under 50% residential units above the live/work units. We believe that this option will maximise the employment available on the site (greater than for the likely use of the site for pure employment as either B8, B1, or B2, or for the pool). However, we recognise that this does not fit with the 100% employment use that is outlined in the UDP and in the draft core strategy options produced in 2009, although it does achieve the objectives for flexible, creative employment accommodation.

The use of Willow Way as a mixed site for employment and residential is actually a very good use of this site that assists with the regeneration of the area, maximising employment (and possibly a small amount of residential use), whilst maintaining additional employment in leisure services at the existing pools site. It has to be done in the right way to create a viable live/work community, but the residential element will positively assist in this desire. We recommend that the council consider the Wilow Way site as a suitable site for mixed use development, allowing such a development in the south of the borough as well as a number proposed for the north of the borough. This is the best use for this site independent to any consideration of the pools location.

There should not be any significant problem in designating Willow Way as a mixed development in the Core Strategy and Spatial Strategy that are being produced and this would allow for the building of live/work units plus residential on Willow Way in the same timeframe as the alternative idea for housing on the existing pools site. The council should then be able to move forward with plans for the development of the new pool on the Dartmouth Road site, knowing that approximately £2m can be realised from the sale of the Willow Way site (our conservative estimates show a minimum of £1.5m land value based on 2009 property values).

Unfortunately Willow Way cannot completely cross-subsidise the estimated cost of the pool if it does cost £12.5m, with a shortfall of £5m from the funds the council have earmarked for the Forest Hill pool. We believe that most of the remaining £3m shortfall can be addressed by the reduced cost of building over that last two years, and by careful consideration to reduce costs on the site.

The current plan for option 2 is to push ahead with building a pool on the Willow Way site prior to approval for building housing on the existing site. We believe that if this can be done for option 2, a similar process can be put in place for option 1, allowing for the building of the new pool on the existing site to commence in the same time frame.

This option, of pools on the current site and mixed use on Willow Way should result in less risk to the project as a whole, by a minor and justifiable change to the designation of Willow Way, rather than significant changes to the designation of both sites of proposed development. This will provide for swimming facilities at the earliest possible opportunity in a site favoured by residents, planning and leisure guidelines, and by council officers to whom we have spoken.

We believe that an Outline Planning Application on this site may be a good way of testing and determining the future of the Willow Way Site and would be happy to help you wherever we can in the preparation of such an application.

I look forward to your response on this proposition.

Minutes from the General Meeting - May 7th 2009

The minutes from the Forest Hill Society general meeting are now available.

Please feel free to add you comments using the link below.

General Meeting, Picnic, and the Pools

Thank you to everyone who’s been supporting our social events recently. There have been a lot of them and we know you can’t get to them all. There are still more events to come this month. We always like to see new faces so do take a look at what we’ve organised.

Most importantly, we have our General Meeting on 7th May at The Hob. This is a chance to discuss the major issues facing SE23 (I guess the Pools might crop up) and the way forward for the Forest Hill Society. If you’d like to become more actively involved in the Society’s work – in whatever capacity – do make yourself known to us at the meeting.

You should all have received a consultation form the Council asking for your views on the future of Forest Hill Pools. At the end of this email, we’ve included a message from Hilary, one of our representatives on the Stakeholder Group, explaining more about the Society’s position.


Monday 4th May - May Bank Holiday Revels on our own Millennium Green
The Forest Hill and Sydenham Societies are joining forces for the Bank Holiday on the 4th of May. We'll be celebrating spring with a day at a hidden green space on the border of Forest Hill and Sydenham - the Albion Millennium Green.
The Green, formerly a tennis club, was landscaped into an attractive, informal park at the turn of the century under a government scheme to develop 'Millennium Greens.’ Its entrance is at the end of Albion Villas Road (just off Sydenham Park Road), one of the prettiest streets in the area.
It's a haven for flowers and wildlife but it does need a little sprucing up. So we'll start the day with a group tidying up session and then savour the fruits of our labours with a picnic (please bring your own), games and traditional May Day activities for all the family.
So mark your diaries now. It'll be a great Bank Holiday day out - just around the corner.


Thursday 7th May - General Meeting. 7.30pm at The Hob pub opposite Forest Hill Station.

We’ll be upstairs and the bar will be open so there’ll be plenty of opportunity to socialise as well as take part in the more formal part of the evening. Doors open from 7pm. See you there.


Saturday 9th May – Dawn Chorus Walk, One Tree Hill - 5am
This is organised by the Friends of One Tree Hill. At this time of the year, the air is full of birdsong as each bird gets up in the morning. This annual, guided walk is an experience everyone should have at least once in their lives! So wrap up warmly and come and see how many different birds we can identify. Meet at 5 am at the gates to St. Augustine's Church, One Tree Hill, Honor Oak Park SE23. If you wish to find out more about the walk on their website


Saturday May 23 at 8pm – 23 Club

The Thai Orchard, 3 David’s Road SE23 3EP Phone 8291 3901. Please book directly with the restaurant making it clear you’re with the 23 Club or Forest Hill Society. We look forward to seeing you there.


FOREST HILL POOLS CONSULTATION STARTS
By now all of the households in Forest Hill, Perry Vale and Sydenham Wards should have received Lewisham Council’s latest questionnaire on the future of Forest Hill Pools.

This consultation is about whether people think that a pool is better in Dartmouth Road (with a bit of a wait) or Willow Way (which they think can be delivered sooner). It also asks questions about how often people use the pool and their age group etc.

If you have lost, recycled or someone else in your household has already filled in the printed questionnaire, then it is available to complete online.


The Society’s Forest Hill Pools Stakeholder Representatives are generally of the view that:
• A new pool should be built on the existing pools site as a way of helping regenerate the town centre and attract a wider range of shops and services; and
• That the pool should be delivered as soon as possible, and certainly much before the 2015 date that the Council set out in the questionnaire.

The Council says in the questionnaire that the Willow Way site can't be used to cross subsidise the pools on the Dartmouth Road site because housing is not going to be an acceptable use for this site, given its current designation as an employment site.

So this leaves us with a bit of a difficulty as neither of the options as they are presented in the questionnaire really meets the needs of Forest Hill. A number of the FHS Executive have been working to try and get the Council to reconsider the current options as they stand. The work that has been done indicates that it may be possible to redevelop Willow Way for live/work development or mixed uses including employment and that this development COULD then be used to cross subsidise a new swimming pool on the Dartmouth Road site. It may not meet the whole funding gap that has currently been identified but it may well go some way towards doing so. In that case, it may be possible to deliver a new pool on the current site much sooner than 2015.

We also think that if the responses to the questionnaire support the idea of a new pool on the current site then it may be possible to persuade the Mayor to reconsider the current options on the table and work to find a solution that delivers it sooner.

If anyone has any questions about the Pools project and the Council’s current consultation then please let us know. We are very keen that Forest Hill has a pool back soon and that it is in the best place for the majority of residents of this part of Lewisham and for the regeneration of our town centre.

Cleaning up the Streets of Forest Hill

Lewisham joins the Capital Clean-Up Campaign

Press Release from Lewisham Council:

Lewisham is taking part in London’s Capital Clean-Up Campaign which starts on Monday 27 April and runs until Friday 5 June.

Clean-up events will be taking place around the city, and Lewisham has arranged its own local initiatives to help keep the borough’s environment clean and tidy.

Residents and organisations are urged to get involved.

Lesley Seary, Executive Director for Customer Services, said: “Lewisham is recognised as one of the cleanest boroughs in London. Local clean-ups like these are really worthwhile. They help improve the environment and provide a great opportunity to get involved in your local community.”

Projects planned for the coming weeks involve cleaning pathways, removing overgrown vegetation, graffiti and fly-posting. They all run from 10am – 2pm and are taking place at the following locations:

* Thursday 30 April: Bramdene Road, Bellingham, SE6

* Thursday 7 May: New Cross Road, opposite New Cross Gate station, SE14.

* Friday 15 May: the access road behind Somerfield store, Girton Road, SE26.

* Thursday 28 May: Ivy Road/St Norbert Road, SE4.

* Friday 29 May: London Road footpath, SE23 (opposite Sainsbury store).

* Wednesday 3 June: Perry Vale car park, Forest Hill, SE23

To get involved in any of these clean-up events or for further information call Colin Sandiford on 020 8314 2295 or email colin.sandiford@lewisham.gov.uk

The borough’s rivers are also being targeted in the clean-up campaign. The Three Rivers Clean-Up runs from Saturday 30 May – Sunday 7 June.

Clean-up sessions will be taking place daily throughout the week in different venues along the rivers Pool, Quaggy, and Ravensbourne. The sessions will be an opportunity for local people to meet new people as well as doing something worthwhile for their local environment.

Everyone is welcome. No experience is needed, and full training, supervision, clothing and equipment will all be provided.

For more information on the programme of events and on how to get involved visit www.thames21.org.uk/3riverscleanup.

What's On In April

There’s a lot going on at the moment so we thought we’d better send out a mid-month reminder of what’s happening so you can get involved in whatever takes your fancy. That’s if you can drag yourselves away from Forest Hill Beach, of course, which seems to be the big attraction at the moment. OK, so it’s just a big sand pit by the side of the South Circular but it’s proving very popular along with the rest of the renovation work at the Horniman Triangle play area. There’s even a welcoming café so make the most of it whilst the sun is shining!

23 CLUB

This month’s 23 Club coincides with St George’s Day and Shakespeare’s Birthday so definitely a reason to celebrate. A number of people – regulars and first timers – have already said they’ll be attending so do book your seat at the table.

Thursday, April 23rd at 8pm - The Dartmouth Arms pub, 7 Dartmouth Road SE23 3HN Phone 8488 3117. Please book directly with the restaurant making it clear you’re with the 23 Club or Forest Hill Society. We look forward to seeing you there.

PUB CRAWL

Thursday, 30th April.
We’ll be starting at 7.30pm at the Railway Telegraph, 112 Stanstead Rd, SE23 1BS. We’re aiming to get as far as Mr Lawrence's Wine Bar, 391 Brockley Road, SE4 2PH but that may be a bit ambitious. Anyway, we’ll certainly make a point of trying out the new Stone Bar in Honor Oak Park. There’ll be more details of the route nearer the time on our website.

MAY BANK HOLIDAY REVELS ON OUR OWN MILLENNIUM GREEN

The Forest Hill and Sydenham Societies are joining forces for the Bank Holiday on the 4th of May. We'll be celebrating spring with a day at a hidden green space on the border of Forest Hill and Sydenham - the Albion Millennium Green.
The Green, formerly a tennis club, was landscaped into an attractive, informal park at the turn of the century under a government scheme to develop 'Millennium Greens.’ Its entrance is at the end of Albion Villas Road (just off Sydenham Park Road), one of the prettiest streets in the area.
It's a haven for flowers and wildlife but it does need a little sprucing up. So we'll start the day with a group tidying up session and then savour the fruits of our labours with a picnic (please bring your own), games and traditional May Day activities for all the family.
So mark your diaries now. It'll be a great Bank Holiday day out - just around the corner.

Forest Hill School Report

Recent report from Forest Hill School for BBC Schools' News Reports.

SUPERMARKET SHAKESPEARE

Shakespeare in your local supermarket - another way to celebrate the Bard’s birthday this month. Brighten up your shopping trip at Sainsbury’s, London Road, by watching Teatro Vivo present its theatrical performance inspired by Shakespeare’s Sonnet No 91.

Some glory in their birth, some in their skill
Some in their wealth, some in their bodies' force...

According to the press release, there’ll be six performers who will create “contemporary characters that have intertwining stories and these will be performed all around the supermarket. Performed whilst the supermarket is open, these stories will show the contemporary relevance of Shakespeare’s work in an accessible and everyday environment.

Shoppers can follow the individual characters and hear how their stories unravel whilst filling up their trolley and choosing their dinner.”

Supermarket Shakespeare is FREE to attend. There is no need for audiences to book; they can just turn up.

DATES:-

Tuesday 28th April - Friday 1st May 6.30pm
Saturday 2^nd May 12pm & 6pm
Sunday 3^rd May 12pm & 3pm

Performance Length: 1 hour.

www.teatrovivo.co.uk

Sunderland Road Planning Objections

Two more objections to planning applications from the Forest Hill Society, both on Sunderland Road.

139 Sunderland Road details of the application for 9 flats to replace an existing house can be viewed on the Lewisham council website and you can read our objection here.

35 Sunderland Road details of the application for continued D2 use by a church organisation can be viewed on the Lewisham council website and you can read our objection here.

Lewisham Councillors Reject Over-Development in Forest Hill

Lewisham’s Planning Committee last night voted to unanimously reject the recommendation of planning officers and refuse a planning application to build 74 flats on a backland site in Forest Hill. The councillors agreed that the proposal put forward by Loromah Estates was over development, poorly designed and could become a magnet for criminal activity.

The local community, supported by Forest Hill Ward councillors, organised a vigorous campaign to oppose this development and appeared in force at last night’s Planning Committee. The Council received about three hundred objections and five petitions, reflecting the strength of local feeling.

The planning application proposed building nine blocks of three to four storeys on land behind the Christian Fellowship Centre on Honor Oak Road and to the rear of Tyson Road. A previous attempt by Loromah to gain permission for a dense housing development here was rejected. This new application featured some superficial modifications and a slight reduction in density but was, to all intents and purposes, the same proposal. Planning officers, who had worked with the developers on this new application, recommended approval. However, in an unusual move, they noted on their report that “a lower density development in this backland location would lead to an improved scheme.”

The Committee quickly decided that the development was indeed too dense for the area. It was also concerned about the heavy loss of mature trees.

The councillors were particularly concerned about the proposed undercroft parking in the development. The councillors believed this would encourage crime and would quickly become littered with waste. Providing security gates, as suggested by the developer, would mean the residents of the furthest block having to drive through three or four sets of locked gates to reach their parking space which was clearly impractical, according to councillors.

The Forest Hill Society praises the decision by the Planning Committee to overturn the planning officers’ recommendation. The Vice Chair of the Society, Michael Abrahams, who spoke on behalf of the local community, pointed out;
“Loromah Estates was proposing a very high density development in a backland site on one of the steepest hills in London. Not surprisingly, the result is a very poor design which has been strongly opposed by the local community.”

Dacres Wood Nature Reserve

The Forest Hill Society had over 80 people of all ages visit the Dacres Wood Nature Reserve.

Information was provided by Alona Sheridan and Steve Grindlay about the history and natural features of the area. Steve Grinlay has kindly made his notes and maps available to us and they can be viewed here.

Below are a few pictures from the afternoon.

Alona speaking	Reflections...
Toad Spawn	Information and Activities

Lewisham PCT Consultation

Lewisham PCT is presently running a consultation (until April 6 2009) regarding the new GP-led health centre in the borough. The consultation document suggests that the new GP-led health centre should be located at the north of the borough at The Waldron health centre, New Cross.

The Local Medical Committee is concerned that this site may not be in the best interests of the majority of Lewisham residents, and risks harming existing patient services.

Local GPs have started a petition saying that any extra investment in GP and community services should benefit ALL patients in Lewisham by being easily accessible from all areas of the borough, with any new GP-led Health Centre being more centrally located.

The Forest Hill Society urge members to respond to this consultation and consider how the location of the new GP led health centre will affect people in Forest Hill.

More details from a local resident and Lewisham GP can be viewed here.

Forest Hill Society eNewsletter - 21st March

A busy week in Forest Hill with the 23 Club, the Ward Assembly, and a visit to possibly the last section of canal in Forest Hill!

'23 Club' at The Old Bank – This Monday, 23^rd March, 8pm

This Italian restaurant is situated close to Honor Oak Park Station. Booking is not necessary for this evening but do look out for other SE23 Club members. The Old Bank, 76-78 Honor Oak Park, SE23 1DY, Phone 8291 1738

View Larger Map

Dacres Wood – Sunday, 29^th March, 2pm (BST)

As British Summer Time begins (at last) join us for a fantastic opportunity to take a look round this site which is not normally accessible to the public. As well as interesting flora and fauna, you will see one of the last surviving parts of the Croydon Canal. The tour will be led by Alona Sheridan and the local historian, Steve Grindlay. Sturdy shoes and appropriate outdoor clothes are recommended.

Meet in the grassy area in front of the reserve gates, (junction of Silverdale and Dacres Road).

View Larger Map

Forest Hill Pools

Over the next few months the council will be consulting about the future of the Forest Hill swimming pool. At present they are proposing two options;

1. Move the pool to Willow Way SE26 in 2011 and sell off the existing site for housing, or
2. Put the project on hold until 2012 before looking again at Option 2 (new build on existing site, retain Victorian frontage, cross subsidise from Willow Way) with possible delivery in 2015.

The Forest Hill Society favour the development of Work/Live units on the Willow Way to help fund a pool development on the existing site, but want this to happen considerably sooner than 2015. A petition has been put together which supports 'Keeping Swimming in Forest Hill ' which you may wish to sign at http://keepswimming.notlong.com. We understand that this petition has already collected over 170 signatures online and well over 1,000 on paper. More about this campaign group can be found at http://ksfh.notlong.com/

Forest Hill Ward Assembly - Wednesday 25th March, 7:30pm

The Forest Hill Ward Assembly is an opportunity for residents living in Forest Hill ward to discuss issues that effect the local area, including the pools which is one of the items on the agenda. Further details of the Assembly can be found on the council website.

Venue: Living Springs International Church, 8-10 Devonshire Road , London SE23 3TJ (see Google StreetView)

DATES FOR YOUR DIARY

Wednesday 25th March 7.30-9.30pm
Forest Hill Ward Assembly Meeting. Living Springs International Church, 8-10 Devonshire Road, London SE23 3TJ

Thursday 7th May - 7:30pm
Forest Hill Society GENERAL MEETING - The Hob, 7 Devonshire Road SE23 3HE

OUT AND ABOUT
Sunday 29th March at 2pm
Nature and history walk at Dacres Wood Nature Reserve. Meet in the grassy area in front of the reserve gates, (to the left of Homefield House.) Led by Alona Sheridan & Steve Grindlay.

Thursday 30th April - Pub Crawl.
Starts 7.30pm at the Railway Telegraph, 112 Stanstead Rd, SE23 1BS. Ends at Mr Lawrence's Wine Bar, 391 Brockley Road, SE4 2PH

Monday 4th May from midday
May Day Tidy plus picnic. Albion Millennium Green. Entrance at the end of Albion Villas Road, off Sydenham Park Road.

THE 23 CLUB
Monday March 23 at 8pm - classic Italian.
The Old Bank, 76-78 Honor Oak Park SE23 1DY Phone 8291 1738.

Thursday April 23 at 8pm
The Dartmouth Arms pub, 7 Dartmouth Road SE23 3HN Phone 8488 3117

Saturday May 23 at 8pm
The Thai Orchard, 3 David's Road SE23 3EP Phone 8291 3901

Environment and Leisure Committee

We love being close to the big metropolis and having all the amenities that come with urban living. But we also love the tranquil, green spaces that make SE23 so special. James Marmion is on a mission to make Forest Hill a community we can all enjoy and we’re delighted that he’s volunteered to chair the Society’s Environment and Leisure Committee. We asked him to set out his vision.

I’ve lived in Forest Hill for ten years and in southeast London for twenty. Before coming to London, I lived in Liverpool, overlooking a lovely beach now filled with figures made by Anthony Gormley, the Peckham sculptor (which makes it even lovelier).

In SE23 we benefit from all the good places to go out that come with being close to a big metropolis. But the main reason I became involved with the Forest Hill Society was to try to round off some of the sharper urban edges that come with being next to that great metropolis. So what do we need to do?

We need to foster our green spaces. It’s been great to see the continuing development of the green chain walks and we have an active community presence at our several local nature reserves at Devonshire, Garthorne and Dacres Roads. We’ve organised a walk around Dacres Road reserve to raise its profile, stimulate involvement and, not least, admire the last remaining remnants of the canal that preceded the railway line. We’ve also combined volunteering with relaxation by organising a tidy-up followed by a picnic in one of our hidden away green spots. Elsewhere, I’d like to build support for the excellent community idea of using the vacant lot next to One Tree Hill allotments as a family allotment space.

We should promote green issues too – such as supporting the Eco Street project running in the “Rockbourne Triangle” and persuading the council to rollout benefits such as improved recycling schemes across SE23.

We need to smarten up our streetscape and immediate surroundings. The Honor Oak Park Action Group has performed wonders to improve the look of Honor Oak’s Parade and station. Wouldn’t it be good if we could have a similar, community driven group to smarten up London Road and Forest Hill station? Friends and neighbours often complain about how development of our area is handicapped by the presence of the South Circular Road. So how do we turn a handicap into a virtue? Can we improve the road with street art or planting? The railway bridge too is in desperate need of smartening up - a shame as it has the potential to provide a wonderful welcome point to Forest Hill with a good clean, a lick of paint and a well-designed sign.

Most of all I’d love to see children and families get involved – harnessing that sense of civic pride for those growing up or settling down in the area – and having our local schools and youth clubs join in with environmental projects.

I need to hear your ideas too. If you want to drop me a line about them, or if you’re inspired to get involved with what we’re doing, you can write to me at james@foresthillsociety.com.

Development Committee

The Forest Hill Society has considered a number of planning applications for developments in SE23 over the last few months. It's also looking at ways to make our town centre more attractive to shoppers, browsers and socialisers.

For the first time, we took the opportunity to support a planning application. This was the application to convert the former McDonalds site in London Road into a gym, which, perhaps thanks to our support, was approved very quickly by the planning committee.

The council granted permission for a new modern house to be built in the Sydenham Park conservation area, just on the edge of Forest Hill. The Forest Hill Society submitted an objection to this proposal which we felt was not in keeping with the conservation area. However, this issue was not discussed by the three councillors who turned up to the planning committee to discuss the matter. With no discussion of the impact on the conservation area, the councillors passed the application by two votes and one abstention.

A much larger development is still being considered by the planning department on the site of Tyson Road. The Forest Hill Society has written a detailed objection as have more than 300 other people! This development would place 75 flats on an area of green space resulting in a density in excess of the recommended maximum in a suburban context. To make matters worse, the latest draft from Lewisham of the local development framework recommends building 87 flats on this site, well in excess of the recommended maximum density. Our understanding now is that the council officers will be recommending approval for this development but councillors will have the final say at the planning committee on 31st March. We will keep you updated at here.

The development committee does not only consider planning applications. We are also looking at the longer term development of Forest Hill and Honor Oak town centres. One of the key objectives that we have is to increase the period of free parking in the Pearcefield Road car park (behind Sainsbury’s). We understand that Sainsbury’s are willing to help fund this and that the council and the Forest Hill Traders back this plan. We are just waiting for all parties to reach an agreement so that this can be implemented. We are looking for two hours of free parking so that shoppers coming to Forest Hill will be able to visit more of our shops and cafes rather than rushing to beat the parking limit. With better parking in the town centre, more people will shop in Forest Hill rather than travelling to other town centres with better parking.

One other important improvement to the local shopping centre has been arranged by the Forest Hill Traders, the town centre manager, and other council officers; Dartmouth Road now has daily rubbish collections. This has removed all the wheelie bins from along the shopping area, making it easier to visit the shops and presenting a much better face of Forest Hill.

If you have suggestions about ways to improve the town centre, or if you'd like advice on planning issues affecting you, please contact Michael Abrahams, Chair of the FH Society Development committee.

Transport Committee

Forest Hill Station is to get a new Footbridge to link the platforms. Yes, it really is true.
The Forest Hill Society has been working closely with Network Rail and Lewisham Council's transport planning department recently and, thanks to the "Access for All" funding programme, a new footbridge design to link the two platforms is almost complete.

This new design will replace the existing footbridge and make it covered, brighter and safer, as well as having a lift. There are many more planned improvements, especially as the Forest Hill Station and Honor Oak Park Stations change management ownership to Transport for London (TFL), as part of the East London Line tube extension.

Tenders are due to go out in the middle of this year to seek a contractor to construct the new footbridge. The plan is then to choose a contractor quickly and look to start the work by June 2009 and complete it by May 2010 (subject to tender responses).

There will be a period of disruption to the station, including a period when there will be no bridge and, on some occasions, the South Circular (A205) may also need to be closed at Waldram Crescent for a few hours very late at night for a very short period. Because of the obvious disruptions, The Forest hill Society will be working closely with Network Rail, Lewisham Council and TFL to ensure these are kept to a minimum.

The Forest Hill Society Transport Committee is looking at ways to improve roads and transport in SE23. We are pursuing various ideas with Lewisham Council, TFL, Network Rail and Southern Rail. These include Forest Hill and Honor Oak station improvements, OysterCard points, extended bus services, sensible traffic light phasing, better pedestrian crossings (Perry Vale), parking and many other issues.

BUT, we need your input and ideas so that we truly reflect a balanced view of what locals want. Contact Tony Petim, Chair of the Forest Hill Society Transport Committee, and have a chat.

The 23 Club

The 23 Club got off to a flying Highland start this year with nearly 30 people coming to the Burns Night evening at the Honor Oak on January 23rd – a record attendance. This year marks the 250th anniversary of the birth of Robert Burns, widely regarded as Scotland’s national poet.

When approached about the 23 Club idea by Rob McIntosh, publican, Jamie, rose to the challenge magnificently. We were particularly impressed that he managed to trap enough wild, local haggis to give us all a free taste, together with the classic bashed neaps. Rob’s father, Alan, recited Burns’ Address to a Haggis beautifully before plunging into it with the dirk.

If you have suggestions for the 23 Club (people to join the e-mail list, places to go, things to celebrate, anything else, including criticism!), please let us know. P.S. Some e-mail addresses collected that night have bounced back. If you have not had a follow-up e-mail, contact us and we will correct the database.

Forthcoming 23 Club Venues Monday March 23 at 8pm – classic Italian. The Old Bank, 76-78 Honor Oak Park SE23 1DY
Phone 8291 1738.
This is a converted bank close to Honor Oak Park Station.

Thursday April 23 at 8pm – an opportunity to mark St George’s Day. The Dartmouth Arms pub, 7 Dartmouth Road SE23 3HN
Phone 8488 3117

Saturday May 23 at 8pm –Thai cuisine. The Thai Orchard, 3 David’s Road SE23 3EP
Phone 8291 3901

Just to remind you, the 23 Club is open to Forest Hill Society members and their guests. Please make your booking directly with the restaurant, saying you want to be seated with the Forest Hill Society or 23 Club group. Everyone orders and pays separately for their meal.

Finally, please send details of anyone who wants to be added to this 23 Club e-mail information, and also any suggestions you may have for restaurants in the Forest Hill area, to mary@foresthillsociety.com.
Bon appetit!

May Bank Holiday Revels on our own Millennium

The Forest Hill and Sydenham societies are joining forces for the Bank Holiday on the 4th of May.
We'll be celebrating spring with a day at a hidden green space on the border of Forest Hill and Sydenham - the Albion Millennium Green.

The Green, formerly a tennis club, was landscaped into an attractive, informal park at the turn of the century under a government scheme to develop 'Millennium Greens.’ Its entrance is at the end of Albion Villas Road (just off Sydenham Park Road), one of the prettiest streets in the area.

It's a haven for flowers and wildlife but it does need a little sprucing up. So we'll start the day with a group tidying up session and then savour the fruits of our labours with a picnic (please bring your own), games and traditional May Day activities for all the family.