Forest Hill Pools Update

Mounds of rubble lie on the site of the pocket park. Buddleia sprouts from the superintendant’s house. Thomas Ardwinckle’s Forest Hill Baths are no more. But in late 2012 we will have two new pools, a gym, a community room and a cafe on the site.

Planning permission was granted on 22nd July at Lewisham Town Hall. Concerns remain in a number of areas. Local residents are worried about the impact of pool users parking on surrounding streets. The internal lift is planned to be one person only. The pedestrian versus coach access at the front entrance is confusing and the mass of plant block beside the superintendent's house will probably intrude unattractively on the streetscape.

But in spite of these problems, the Forest Hill Society believes that this is easily the best proposal Lewisham Council has put forward since they first started consulting on the issue in 2005. It is on the better site (not Willow Way!) and we will have two pools (only one was proposed in 2005). The conservationists are in part satisfied by the retention of the superintendent's house which, together with Louise House and Forest Hill Library forms the Victorian “Face of Forest Hill” and behind this façade, we will have a modern facility built to twenty-first century standards.

Tour de France

Every July, Philippe and Odette Grelat leave their home near the Horniman Museum for three weeks to join the huge support team which keeps the Tour de France on the road. They provide the catering for the TV crews and commentators who follow the cyclists for thousands of kilometres around France. We caught up with Philippe on his return to Forest Hill.

How did a French chef end up in Forest Hill?
We’re from the French Alps and Lyon originally. But eighteen years ago, I simply tossed a coin between going to Austria or England…adventure, adventure! Then ten years ago we found a flat on a hill surrounded by trees with no cars around to bother us!!!

How did you get involved in catering at the Tour de France? We approached the US, British, Danish, Belgian and Swedish television crews directly to see if they were interested. At that time, there was no catering and the organisers thought food service was far from essential. But now the Tour has become so big and everyone is too busy to leave the compound so they do need to be able to eat on site. We’ve been doing it for fourteen years.

So what’s a typical day on the Tour? An early morning to have the continental Petit Dejeuner ready by 07.00/07.30. Then lunch to be served by 12.00 until 15.00. Then, loading by 17.00 so you can hit the road to get to the next stage, to be on site for the next morning. Plus we have to fit in the food shopping every 3 days!!! An average of 16 hours a day for 21 days.

The driving is a killer really, covering a total of 5500/6000 km. But the thrill comes from knowing that for those three weeks, you are the key to survival for the 100 guys you are catering for.

What is the most popular dish you serve? I shall say Duck Confit. We tried this year a vegetable “toad in a hole” and this was very successful.

Are you a big cycling fan? Yes I am, Odette not that much!

What do you do for the other 49 weeks of the year? I am a freelance chef working in the UK and abroad and Odette a therapist

Do you have a favourite place in Forest Hill? Energie Fitness Club

Planning Applications on Dartmouth Road, London Road, Canonbie Road

The Forest Hill Society has responded to three planning applications in the last week. Full details of our responses are available on request but below are the main points:

DC/10/75105: Hoarding to front of 79-81 London Road
We have objected to the size of this proposed hoarding in front of the flats on London Road. The initial response from the planning officer is that he will be recommending refusal.

DC/10/74442: 20-28 Dartmouth Road (above the former Post Office and Paddy Power)
We have objected to the addition of a 6th storey on this building due to the height, scale, and overbearing nature of this proposal.

DC/10/73762: 74 Canonbie Road
We have asked for further information regarding the loss of trees and biodiversity on this site due to the proposed application.

The council has informed us that the application for 29 Ewelme Road has been rejected in line with our recommendation. Details of our objection can be read in a previous post.

Shipman Road planning application

There is a planning application for 27 Shipman Road which the Forest Hill Society objected to, see response below:


We are concerned about the principle of infill development generally and particularly whether any proposal is appropriate for its surroundings and the impact it has on its neighbours is not unreasonable.

Whilst we are aware that this site has previously had a house on it (pre-war?) in the recent past we understand it has been used as private garden for the adjacent house at 57 Siddons Road. For this reason and in accordance with the latest version of PPS3 it should be considered greenfield land, that should only be used for development once it has been demonstrated that there is no more available brownfield/previously developed land.

In this case the proposal is contrary to the following two planning policies:

• HSG8 Backland and In-fill Development
Backland and in-fill development will be permitted provided the following criteria are met:
(e) there should be no appreciable loss of privacy and amenity for adjoining houses and their back gardens

• HSG 5 Layout and Design of New Residential Development
The Council expects all new residential development to be attractive, to be neighbourly and to meet the functional requirements of its future inhabitants. The Council will, therefore, only permit new residential development which:
(a) provides a satisfactory level of privacy, outlook and natural lighting with appropriate provision of private amenity space

This proposal significantly increases the overlooking and overbearingness on adjacent properties to the rear. This is particularly the case as the development comprises flats, rather than houses which would have a more equitable arrangement with the surrounding houses in terms of overlooking and would not need to be as tall or so far back in the development plot.

Forest Hill Promenade

You may have probably noticed that the London Road stretch of the south circular has been closed since the weekend after drains collapsed?! It's caused big problems for traffic and for the businesses along there.
...
We could moan.
We could fret.
OR we could organise a PARTY!
London Road is quiet and (virtually) car free for perhaps the only time we'll ever get to experience it. So join us at 1pm, this Sunday 22nd August for a coffee and stroll along the NEW Forest Hill Promenade.

We'll keep it very informal. Just turn up, grab a coffee or lunch from the Lemon Grove or the Teapot or Wetherspoons, and meander. Perhaps you'll bring a deckchair, perhaps you'll show off your breakdancing skills, perhaps you'll turn up in fancy dress, perhaps a gentle game of boules will arise spontaneously. Who knows?

So, transform a major inconvenience into a social event and join us on Sunday.

Forest Hill Assembly Feedback

We were asked by Lewisham Council to gather the views of local residents about the effectiveness of local assemblies. These are the results of that survey:

Top Priority: Town Centre

Weighted Priorities (100% = everybody's top priority):

• 84.3% - Town centre (empty shops)
  
• 59.4 % - Lack of community facilities
  
• 56.5 % - Environmental issues
  
• 49.3% - Parking and traffic enforcement
  
• 41.7% - Youth provision
  
• 8.7% - Other
  

Other priorities

• Safer pedestrian crossing over the A205 by WH Smith. It is very dangerous and unpleasant crossing this road, particularly with children.
  
• A)Fastfood restaurants/ restaurants and their rubbish. B) Public waste being removed from the bins and then the plastic bag left overnight to be ripped open and spread over the streets again.C)High quality Secondary school provision.
  
• crime and youths/gangs loitering by chicken shops etc.take away cartons and empty drinks containers being discarded in the street
  
• Ease of crossing the main roads (which are very dangerous) to the town centre.Smartening up the whole area! They did it in East Dulwich, thy can certainly do it in FH!
  
• Enforcement of planning restrictions.
  
• Enter Forest Hill in 'Lewisham in Bloom'. Get Greenscene/Enviroworks to grow 15000 plants for free distribution
  
• It is about time Lewisham stopped Developer's destroying Forest Hill's distinctive character. In particular the Planning Department should be clamping down on garden grabbing and overdevelopment.
  
• It would be good to have a regular visible police presence
  
• Less traffic enforcement, more parking spaces. More parking spaces will stimulate trade.
  
• more seating on pavements for older folks who need to sit and rest a while when out shopping etc.
  
• Pedestrian crossing in Perry Vale near shops and near station.
  
• Pedestrian crossing places at all sets of traffic lights across the borough: two crossings are particularly dangerous: Lewisham High Street crossing Courthill Road, and Sydenham High Street crossing Newlands Park.
  
• Potholes
  
• Provision of local tennis courts in the area
  
• south circular!
  
• stopping developers converting gardens into houses, and large houses into multiple flats - our local primary fairlawn is massively oversubscribed also - speed controls/enforcement on honor oak road - traffic still very fast
  
• The condition of the roads around Honor Oak Park (eg. Tyson Rd, Dunoon Road, Devonshire Road, Honor Oak Rd) and the constant increase in street furniture.
  
• Lack of GP surgery in Forest Hill ward and the largest area in Inner London without close proximity to a GP.
  
• Public art in the town centre
  
• Town Centre – improve streetscape and reduce street clutter
  
• Personally, I think there are other pots of money providing youth opportunities, and I think doing something about the empty shops should take higher priority. An idea about having pictures in the empty shop windows advertising the Horniman is the sort of thing assembly funds could cover. It is also a way of lobbying or putting pressure on the town centre manager. it all relates to the immediate environment too - though by environmental issue they could mean things like recycling. It is not clear. Parking and traffic are also environmental issues.
  
• Lack of community facilities will be partly addressed by the new Pools!
  
• Overall appearance of the town centre: dirty and cracked pavements, litter, uncoordinated, unnecessary and repetitive signage.
  
• Street cleaning. The cleaning of roads and pavements, particularly the south circular.
  
• Refurbishment of the railway bridge.
  
• Implementation of the recommendations in the street furniture report and a widening of the scope of the survey to the surrounding town centre streets.
  

Comments about Forest Hill

• Why can flower troughs not be placed on the railings in the town centre to enliven the otherwise dreary entrance into the centre of Forest Hill? I have been told that flowers were not allowed because the south circular is a red route. But the main traffic junction at Camberwell Green is a red route and the railings there are covered in flowers. Flower boxes are also attached to the railings at the Crystal Palace main traffic junction, near the bus terminus.
  
• 1 The attempts over the years by local councillors to ensure that local shops are occupied has met with limited success and I feel that we should now encourage the landlords to convert the shops into residential accommodation. 2 Continue to exert pressure on the council to ensure that wheelie bins are not left on the pavements in Dartmouth and London Roads.
  
• A butchers, bakers and greengrocers!
  
• A quick look at the empty car parks tells you everything you need to know! Things should improve now that the free parking period has been extended behind Sainsbury's, this needs to be implemented south of the Railway station, too. Discussions with local shop-owners always come back to unaffordable business rates and limited parking. The new pools may help to revive our town centre, but Lewisham needs to commit to this and invest more in what could be a green jewel in the borough's crown!
  
• Already mentioned. More parking facilities so that people can more easily shop in FH than anywhere else.
  
• Am very exercised by the issue of litter. LBL is doing a grand job, but we've got to persuade our young people to use the bins. Could this be tackled through primary schools? Y6 children allowed to act as litter ambassadors/persuade local fast food outlets and shops selling sweets/crisps/coke etc. to provide bins/sponsor more litter bins.
  
• Attracting quality businesses to the centre is key to regenerating the area. Forest Hill should be drawing in the types of small scale local retail outlets that East Dulwich now has in abundance, particularly food shops (butcher, fishmonger, delis, greengrocers, etc).
  
• Believe a more varied choice of shops would be better - too many estate agents and hairdressers. Would not like any further 'supplementary' businesses being tacked on to shop fronts in London Rd,and do these have planning permission?
  
• Better connections to the West End.Increase buses; set up a non stop bus service from Charing Cross, along the 176 route, with first stop at Goose Green and fewer stops on Lordship Lane.
  
• Better public transport facilities late at night
  
• Build an improved station at Forest Hill with more facilities.
  
• Building local networks - various groups already in existence and helping them to interact or at least be aware of each other and able to work together as appropriate. Build a virtual Forest Hill on the Internet as a connection / information point.
  
• Could the parking on the Perry Vale side of the station be free so that shopping could be made easier
  
• Ensure local historical landmarks are retained,like Louise House, and trees planted to keep the area attractive and to attract new businesses, pubs and restaurants.
  
• Forest Hill is already lovely, but what a pity the Cinema was turned into a Weatherspoon Pub. As it would have been a great cinema now and could have been like the cinema in Greenwich which has a cafe attached and a couple of cinemas within it. The cinema was a great loss to Forest Hill.
  
• Forest Hill is one of a few places divided by the south circular. It also suffers by being chopped in quarters by the railway too.Because of the very real importance of the south circ to Forest Hill there NEEDS to be MORE OBVIOUS PARKING for passing traffic - to help small niche businesses thrive.Whilst it's all well and good for the eco-fascists trying to force everyone to walk, cycle and get on the train - that is not sufficient to encourage business to FH.Forest Hill should be treated as an exception to the general thought about discouraging car use - because cars are unfortunately so important to FH.
  
• I chose parking as the most important issue because parking is needed for businesses to thrive and all else will struggle without thriving local businesses.
  
• Ideally Forest Hill would be allowed to declare independence from Lewisham and be given control of its own destiny.
  
• Improving the parking,continuing with the swimming pool refurb,having creative ideas about providing more youth facilities
  
• Increase the little buses that come through Perry Vale to Station and onto Upper Sydenham. We still need an entrance for wheelchairs onto the station from Perry Vale side.
  
• It has been good to see the Community Police Officers out and about. I hope this continues.
  
• It would be good to get the commercial centre of Forest Hill looking like it was a thriving and interesting place to shop. Fewer closed shops, and more non fast-food shops would be great.
  
• It would be worth seeing if anything can be learnt from the success of Lordship Lane - not sure if that area developed without any assistance from the council but it has made a huge difference to the area. Also, the main centre of the Forest Hill shopping area is around the station yet it is an ugly and depressing excuse for a building with an ugly car park attached - if something radical could be done to improve this (and I don't mean cosmetic things like flowers) it might start to act as a focus for regeneration.
  
• it's a good place to live - but not yet a good place to shop. business rates need to be proportionate to turnover - shoestring start-ups and family-run businesses need to be sustainable, and high overheads are prime reason why they fail. how many years do we have to continue to walk past empty shops while just down the road east dulwich does it so much better??also - it's a good place for families so pls ensure that family homes are not continually converted into flats
  
• Keep publicising regular arts events to draw people in. Have more craft or market events. How about a Forest Hill Festival?
  
• Look at Lordship Lane and how that has transformed in 15 years. How can we do that here - sad though it may seem, being able to park briefly near the shops you want without getting a ticket helps. The darned south circular doesn't go through East Dulwich - can we minimise its impact somehow? Bulldozing the station and starting again?! Trees.
  
• make entering F Hill from the south more enticing - we asked at F Hill assembly for signs on the railway bridge. Encourage small shops - butcher,baker, greengrocer and possibly upmarket charity shops. At present it looks pretty dreary to a newcomer, though the new coffee bars/deli add a welcome touch. Make it clear that parking at Sainsburys is now very cheap (or free!) Publicise Havelock Walk artists
  
• More hanging baskets would cover the facades of empty shops. Encouraging more unique shops to take up the empty shop spaces.
  
• More tree planting. Encouraging in people to create nice shops (and not burger joints). Mooted long ago, but the use of sculpture/signs/maps to lead people up to the Horniman museum.
  
• More visible neighbourhood police at night as the Devonshire Road area, in particular, the bottom of Benson Road, car loads of black youths gather in their cars and in the spare land at the bottom for music and conversation sometimes way into the hours and keep the residents awake and the road is full of fast food rubbish and empty drink bottles.
  
• Need to turn the South Circular into an asset rather than a liability; advertise what is available in Forest Hill, publicise locations and cost of parking using Lewisham banners and hoarding above underpass. Get shop owners to take responsibility for the areas in front of their premises (weeding, painting, litter)
  
• Redevelop the town centre (i.e., intersection of London and Dartmouth Roads) to provide a public space that would become the centre of Forest Hill.
  
• Regeneration of the centre of Forest Hill must be a key priority. Build on the Horniman Museum and Gardens and make the route from the station to the Museum a real focus. Once the new Pools come on line do the same along Dartmouth Road.
  
• Reopening of Forest Hill Pools as a matter of urgency.
  
• revisiting the improvement plan done some years ago, which had some good ideas. Walking around as a pedestrian can be unpleasant do an effort to make this better eg the connection between the two side could be some use the new railway bridge as a community crossing?Prioritise walkers when trying to cross the road. Until the pool rebuilt concentrate on the bit near the South circ. People do use sainsburys how can they be enticed to go elsewhere, ease of walking may help. Havelock Walk is a good example of improving the environment, I believe the Owner has some good ideas, eg removing unnecessary street furniture as it does feel cluttered. I know there have been experiments about taking out traffic lights, oxford street regent street junction.
  
• Smaller estates should benefit from green spaces funding
  
• Speed cameras and speed reduction measures (Your speed is XX, slow down!) on Perry Rise, behind the station where the sharp bend is.Letting derelict shops along Dartmouth Road and London Road out at cheap rents until market recovers.Pedestrianising (with bus and bike access) Dartmouth Road.
  
• The balance of the shops is wrong.Lots of places to eat and drink but not enough shops that sell things.For example, I remember when we used to have a shoe shop.Part of the answer lies in our hands. We've got to use the shops that exist.I hope the new flats along the railway line will produce customers.
  
• The most serious problem for me and for anyone who isn't a sprinter is to sort out the traffic lights at London/Dartmouth Rd junction of South Circular so that pedestrians can cross safely at the corner with the laundrette. More generally, the South Circular is an environmental hazard (not to mention its other evils which would require huge sums to sort out) so it should be a low-emission zone and that should be enforced.
  
• The pavements could be better maintained and kept cleaner; shopfronts could be tidied up; and the station yard would be improved by planting trees.
  
• Traffic in Woolstone is dreadful since the new health centre was built parking for residents is a nightmare.Where you have a amp drivers park so close up that it is almost impossible to drive out safely especially when vehicles have blacked out windows as does one car that is regularly parked outside our house. I even came home one day to find someone parked ON the driveway and was quite upset that I was annoyed
  
• Trees more trees at the station not plastic hanging baskets!!I hate the flytipping there seems to be more and more of it ever since they ask a charge for collection.
  
• Using the old fire station in Perry Vale as some sort of community cafe room.
  

Assembly Feedback

• I think it is also good to take the opportunity of the ward assembly to learn about other things which are going on. I have already suggested that in Perry Vale we might invite someone from Hexagon Housing to talk about the time bank they are promoting for SE23, SE26 and I think SE22. The local credit union might be of interest to people too.
  
• Timing of meetings - seems fine to me.
  
• Would like to see town centre manager at more assembly meetings as I feel the empty businesses must be a key priority
  
• Listen to what people who have lived in Forest Hill all their lives would like to see
  
• make more order at meetings.people inclined to shout and chat!!
  
• Make sure that known gasbags among community groups get the final slot! Evenings or Saturdays are good. Chairs need to be strict on time.
  
• Needs to be in an evening after 7
  
• Not attended yet, rather than never.
  
• Nothing to offer
  
• Preferably not in churches.
  
• The meetings that I have attended have been well organised and have taken place at a convenient time (19-30). I prefer a location in the centre of Forest Hill.
  
• The meetings that I have attended have been well organised and at a convenient time (19-30). The central location near to Forest Hill Station is a good venue.
  
• These assemblies need child friendly supported areas,they need to be outside of working hours at the weekend.If these issues amongst others are addressed the assemblies may be better attended.Plus advertising in local shops etc.
  
• They are fine. Maybe an odd weekend meeting would be easier to get to.
  
• Vary when meetings are held eg different days of week including weekends
  
• Very well organised; time and venue convenient.
  
• Weekday evening is the best time - preferably starting 7.30 or 8.Good to advertise a few issues on which the Assembly will concentrate but have time for discussion of 'AOB'
  
• well-run and relevant - only quibble some questioners occasionally ignored in favour of the more vocal - generally male
  

World City - Music Village Festival at the Horniman

Cultiural Co-operation, a London-based arts and education charity with an internationally respected history of innovation and achievement, is bringing their World City Music Village to London this weekend and next.

The Music Village is Europe’s longest running festival of world cultures and the 23 Music Villages since 1983 have provided a public platform to over 3,000 world class artists from 80 countries, and a safe, yet fertile, ‘contact zone’ in which audiences of all races and faiths can learn about and openly celebrate each other’s cherished artistic traditions. Its abiding principle of free admission to all its events has enabled over 2 million people to attend.

If you want to enjoy the full flavour of their festivals, then go the main event in Victoria Park this weekend (July 3/4 - catch the Overground to Hoxton and then a bus) or Hyde Park next weekend (July 10/11).

However, they are also running a smaller show (aimed at families) in the Horniman from 1 pm tomorrow. There will be music in the Bandstand and dancing in the Gallery Square as well as various craft stalls.

Music on the Bandstand

1.30 – 2.15 pm Sumaya
Thrilling contemporary flamenco.

2.45 – 3.30 pm Hai La Drum
Hai La Drum (Let’s Hit the Road) are led by violinist Baz Stanescu with Pete Watson on accordion,Jason Henson on guitar and Dan Sheppard on double bass together they perform infectious Romanian and Balkan folk music and Gypsy jazz.

4 – 4.45 pm Mauricio Velasierra
Virtuoso flautist Mauricio Velasierra fuses the rhythms and melodies of the Andes and Africa.

5.15 – 6 pm Harare
Led by highly energetic ex-Bhundu Boy Kudaushe Matimba, Harare bring an eclectic mix of Zimbabwean styles from Jit Jive to the traditional hypnotic rhythms of the mbira (thumb piano) which reflect the different backgrounds of the group.

Dance in the Conservatory

1.15 – 1.45 pm Baila Peru
The UK’s longest running Peruvian dance group bring their Amazonian rhythms and carnival spirit to the Horniman having previously delighted audiences at the Thames Festival and Carnival del Pueblo.

2.15 – 3 pm Beeja
Classical Indian dance.

3.30 – 4.15 pm Deborah Alleyne-Degazon
Deborah Alleyne-Degazon’s high-energy Caribbean dance is complemented by live drumming.

4.45 – 5.15 pm Jose Navarro
Master puppeteer Jose Navarro.

In the Gardens

Children’s Area
Drop in for art and craft with Makendoo and facepainting from Face/Off, Hands On Masks at 1 – 1.45 pm and Storytelling from 2.15 – 3 pm and 3.30 – 4.15 pm

Food Stalls
Pizza in Piazza serve up authentic Italian delicacies, Bhangra Burger give quarter-pounders an Asian twist, plus Caribbean Jerk.

Youth Yurt
A chance to see a display of work by the Horniman youth project that explores the theme of teenage identity. Come along to the Youth Yurt to see the display, meet members of the project and find out about how to join the brand new Horniman Youth Panel that is being launched this summer!

Wildlife Garden
Meet Perrymount Primary School Museum Club and enjoy a tour of the Wildlife Garden. Drop in between 1 - 3 pm.

Gallery Square

Museum Club showcase activities 11 am - 1 pm
Meet Horniman Primary School and Eliot Bank Primary School Museum Clubs and find out some Horniman history. Make a Horniman tea packet and enter a competition.

Blythe Hill Fields Festival

The Friends of Blythe Hill Fields are holding their annual fair this weekend on Saturday 3 July, from 11:00 am to 4:30 pm.

As well as the usual stalls (cakes, plants, crafts, Punch and Judy, bouncy castle), there will be family games, sports, live music, drumming workshops and dance from local artists. Come along and see us there.

Time	Group	Type of Music
1130 - 1150	Dads Aloud	Classic 50s, 60s and 70s R&B and rock n roll from local dads.
1155 - 1215	The Artie Fufkins	Grown up pop - think Crowded House.
1220 - 1240	The Lost Cavalry	Indie folk band - mellow sound. Local drummer.
1250 - 1310	Dorian and the Modes	Traditional Irish folk music from the Blythe Hill Tavern
1315 - 1335	Brockley Rise Singers	Choral a capella from Brockley Rise Centre
1340 - 1400	Frank and Annie	Rootsy folky blues duo
1405 - 1425	The Hankdogs featuring Piano	Local folk group - with Andy Hankdog, Nunhead's easycome acoustic legend.
1430 - 1450	Sucker	Festival stalwarts with a fun punky sound.
1500 - 1520	Sid Sings	Blues acoustic three piece band from Catford.
1530 - 1600	Nzinga Dance	African dance and drumming.
1600 - 1630	Brockley Ukelele Group	A mix of songs from punk to pop to hip hop is given the uke treatment.

If you haven't been up already, go and look and try the new playground! Many months of planning and construction has finally come to fruition and there is now a brilliant new resource for children and parents to enjoy for many years to come. It is a fantastic addition to the Fields and is a major achievement which the Friends are delighted with.

Location, Location, Location...?

We may not all be fans of property shows on TV, but when they feature Forest Hill we feel obliged to take a peek. On 3rd June, Channel4’s “Location, Location, Location” featured arty couple, Ben and Lucy, who thought they wanted a flat in East Dulwich only to discover that SE23 offered a whole lot more.
We got in touch with Lucy to find out what changed her mind.

How did you get involved with the show?
We never really had a huge desire to go on telly to be honest. We just wanted help finding a house but the filming was really fun! The production team looked at loads of properties for us – they really work hard at finding you good places.

You seemed pretty negative about Forest Hill when presenter, Phil, first suggested it. 
I guess we just didn’t know the area that well and I had kind of set my heart on East Dulwich. We were worried that it might not have much of an atmosphere or community feel.

So what changed your mind?
What was great about doing the programme was that we got to spend a few days in the area cycling about and checking out the feel of the place. We went into some nice pubs and shops and went up to the Horniman Museum gardens which I really loved. We got the feeling that this was a friendly place and that people who lived here seemed similar to us.

You missed out on the house on Shipman Rd.  Are you still looking? 
We are actively looking again and have set our sights on moving in the autumn. However, we are finding that prices have gone up quite a bit in the last six months and we may not be able to afford Forest Hill now!! Competition for properties is insanely fierce with many places going within 2 or 3 days of being on the market. It’s really tough but we are trying to stay optimistic!

And our favourite question here in SE23 - which is better, Forest Hill or East Dulwich?!! 
Ha ha, Forest Hill of course! Now someone sell us your 2 bed flat/house pleeeeease!!

Transport - Not Everything is Rosy

We have the London Overground AND geraniums outside Forest Hill Station (thanks to Shannons Garden Centre) but problems still remain, as Andrew Reid of our Transport Committee explains.

TRAINS Following assurances that peak hour London Bridge trains would be eight coaches long from the introduction of the new timetable, we were surprised to see four and six coach trains running. We were told these were planned and not the result of rolling stock failures.  This makes a mockery of the stated intent to extend platforms to run ten coach trains by the end of next year. 

The petition protesting against cuts in our rail services both to Charing Cross and during the evening peak from London Bridge gathered well over five-thousand signatures and was presented to the Minister then responsible for rail services, Chris Mole, on 23rd March.  We received the standard response that with an additional eight Overground trains an hour, we do not need this capacity to London Bridge.  We disagree and will bring this to the attention of the new government. 

ROADS The results of the Perry Vale Traffic Study are now on our website.  It came up with little hard information on problems, but recommended further studies to analyse the accidents which had occurred, measure traffic and count pedestrians crossing in various locations. 
Many local residents have concerns about traffic in Devonshire Road and we have discussed possible solutions with TfL and Lewisham Council. 

PARKING The plans for Forest Hill Pools provide only a single disabled parking bay. Any further parking will have to be in local roads.  The lack of on-site parking was an inevitable consequence of the cramped site available for the development. We sympathise with local residents. Clearly this is a fine balance and the situation will need to be reviewed once the Pools open. 

...and the London Overground does have some problems which we are hoping to have rectified. The air conditioning seems unable to cope with high external temperatures. Whilst TfL were aware of the problem, they were surprised that it had failed on three of the four trains we sampled on the first day.  They are working on a fix – one test train has been running already.   

We have told TfL that we’d like the Overground to run later in the evening – at the moment it stops running from Canada Water earlier than Southern trains from London Bridge.   We are confident that later trains will be timetabled in future if there is a demand.

There are now only four Southern trains per hour from London Bridge and we do know that this has caused problems for many of you. Others have said that whilst the reduced service is an inconvenience, the opening of the London Overground has meant the trains are less crowded and the journey more comfortable as a result. We shall have to see how people’s travel patterns adapt to all the changes over time.

Pecks in the City

When our Membership Secretary, Belinda Evans, was offered chickens as a birthday present, she immediately jumped at the idea. Fresh eggs for breakfast! Slugs and snails eaten up from the garden! But is the Good Life really possible in SE23? Belinda shares her experience:

After a little research, we decided on a traditional wooden coop and run and found ‘Ark birds and bees’ in Charring, Kent www.arkbirdsandbeeskent.co.uk for hybrid hens and all the chicken paraphernalia we would need for happy, contented hens. 
So Milly, Molly and Mandy came to live in Forest Hill.

Amazingly, one of the hens (we have since found out it’s Milly) laid an egg in the car on the way home. So even before we had unpacked ‘the girls’ from their cardboard box, we were tucking into the freshest boiled egg.  

The girls settled in well and we have had an egg a day since arrival, thanks to Milly.
Every evening when I return from work and during the day at weekends, the girls are out in the garden scratching around, destroying bedding plants and eating my new veg.

But disaster struck early one Sunday morning when an urban fox managed to push through the mesh on the run and carry off Molly. It was really sad as the chickens were showing their personalities and Molly and Mandy were inseparable. But chickens don’t seem to care and an egg was laid within 20 minutes of the massacre and I can be content in the knowledge that Molly’s last day in Forest Hill was a pleasant one.

In typical modern style we have created a spreadsheet that calculates the ever diminishing cost per egg (cost of outlay divided by the number laid). You’ll be pleased to know that as of today every egg has cost us nineteen pounds! That means that last Sunday’s delicious omelette cost us £114 even before we’d added the cheese.

May Day at Millenium Green

Despite inclement weather, May Day was celebrated in style at the Millenium Green off Albion Villas Road. The quagmire of the day before had dried out with the help of the sun enabling the planting of six heritage apple species providing the foundation of the Millennium Green Community Orchard. 

The Forest Hill Ward’s Localities Fund had provided the money for the purchase of the trees, support stakes and mulch mats and with the planting holes pre-prepared, on May Day Shaun Spiers (Chief Executive, Campaign for the Protection of Rural England), John Thompson (Director, Lewisham’s Green Scene), our respective Chair and Vice Chair Richard Hibbert and Michael Abraham, Tim Lund (Chairman, Sydenham Society), and Bruno Roubicek (local resident and AMG prime mover) popped the trees into the ground.

Work with Lewisham’s Nature’s Gym and many other volunteers over the previous months had cleared the undergrowth in preparation for the Great Day and already damson, plum, greengage and a mulberry tree had been planted.
The planting was followed by an auction. The local artist, Maria Strutz, had generously donated an apple- themed original art work entitled ‘Labyrinth’ which had been kindly framed by Jacob Twyford.  Tim Lund auctioned his backpack of freshly-picked heritage rhubarb and a collection box was passed around – all of which raised a total of just over £200. This will go towards redirecting the Green’s naturally rising spring water into the creation of a small wild life water feature.

A picnic lunch (with a shower of hailstones) was followed by a performance by the Dacre Ladies’ Morris Dancers.  Spectators were invited to join in – an invitation eagerly taken up by those whose feet were not numb or encased in mud.

Tyson Road - Developers win appeal

The long running battle to save the Tyson Road green space was effectively lost after the Planning Inspector allowed the Developer’s appeal on its 2009 planning application.  However, the Society was vindicated in its opposition to the 2008 planning application as the Developer’s appeal on that scheme failed. 

We are very disappointed with this result but taking this planning battle to the very highest national level has proved a valuable learning experience.

One of the very good things about a public inquiry is that all sorts of information becomes public knowledge.  In the run up to the Tyson Road hearing it became clear that there had been very extensive discussions between Lewisham’s Planning Department and the Developer prior to the 2008 planning application being submitted.  Now, it is perfectly right and proper for a local planning authority to provide guidance to developers but at no time during the period between November 2007 and June 2008 did it seek the views of the local community or consult with the local amenity societies on the proposed scheme. 

Lewisham also agreed a ‘statement of common ground’ with the Developer.  This was so wide ranging that it left very little scope on which to challenge either the 2008 or 2009 applications. 

However, the Forest Hill Society applied for permission to contribute to the public inquiry as a third party and was able to cross-examine members of the developers’ team. We were not bound by the tight reasons for refusal that the council was arguing and were able to present local residents as witnesses giving the inspector a better understanding of the site. This resulted in further concessions by the developer.

Plans for Dartmouth Road Post Office

When the Post Office closed, many of us worried that this large, empty site on our high street would become an eye sore. But the owners of Jam Circus in Brockley (pictured below) think the site has potential and have submitted a “change of use” planning application. Jam Circus is a café by day and a lively bar by night and is one of ten such venues across London owned by Antic Ltd (www.antic-ltd.com).

The director of Antic met local residents recently to discuss his plans informally with them. Not surprisingly, some local residents – especially those living above the site – are concerned about noise levels.

Forest Hill Pools - We're getting closer

Following two major steps forward, everything is on schedule for the 2012 opening! In April, parts of the old building were demolished. Then in May, Lewisham submitted the planning application.

The application is on the Lewisham website and the Committee is likely to make a decision on it in mid July. Following the April consultation exercise the main changes are to the frontage material, and to the landscaped areas along Dartmouth Road and the former pocket park. As we had expected, the building will contain:

• A main pool and a separate learner pool
• A café overlooking part of the retained green space and Dartmouth Road
• A gym with a large fitness suite and two studio spaces
• A community room 

Overall we are pleased and have registered the Society’s support for the plans.  We have raised some concerns including: the height and ‘blockiness’ of the café; planting on the frontage; and access. We are particularly concerned about the coach pull-in at the front of the building and the amount of space left for pedestrians. 

Some of the nice ideas for getting light into the building and between spaces may have disappeared, possibly due to cost cutting to keep the building within budget. 
There’s also a missed opportunity because there is no proposal to connect the space in front of the three Victorian buildings together – the pools, Louise House and the Library.  But overall, we are confident it will be a good building and an asset to Forest Hill and hope that it can be further improved. 

Pending planning permission, the next steps will be detailed design work and the appointment of a contractor to build it. With luck, the building project will start before Christmas. 

[Ed: The Pools will be going before Planning Committee B on 22 July]

We're On The Tube!

It was a festival of balloons, dancing and a cappella sea shanties as the London Overground opened on Sunday 23rd May. Our party started on the 14.11 from Forest Hill Station to Dalston Junction with over a hundred of you joining in the celebration.

Jim Dowd, our re-elected MP, was on board and said he’d started campaigning for the East London Line Extension when he was first elected to Lewisham Council in 1974! So it’s taken a while.

But it’s not just about commuting. It’s culture, darling! Ten museums and galleries located along the line (including our very own Horniman, of course) have joined together to form CultureLine (www.cultureline.org.uk) which has been busy promoting the weird and wonderful treasures waiting to be discovered. So we hope many more people will discover the arts and culture of South East London.

So now that we’ve finally got the Overground, what do we do with it? We asked Forest Hill Society members how it had changed their lives and you’ll find some of the replies dotted around this Newsletter together with pictures of a number of happy punters. We hope they inspire you to explore and enjoy a whole new swathe of our great city.

Chair's Report

The last quarter has been very busy with elections, planning and transport issues.  I should like to thank all those who give so freely of their time for all their efforts.  I would especially like to thank former Councillor, John Russell, for his hard work for the benefit of Forest Hill.  We wish him well and look forward to building a relationship with his replacement, Anne Affiku, and the other councillors who now represent us. Those of you who attended our General Meeting at the Hob on 10th June had a chance to meet Anne in person and we’re delighted that she addressed our members.

I should also like to thank all those who fought so hard against the Tyson Road development.  While disappointed with the ruling, it has proved a valuable learning experience for us and we hope that we can work constructively with the developer to minimise the impact on local residents.

Much of this issue is taken up with the London Overground and its impact on our lives.  We have not forgotten the campaign for better services to London Bridge and Charing Cross, so please keep us informed of any issues you may have.

It will soon be time for the Annual General Meeting and I would like to encourage all of you to consider how you can contribute to the Society.  We will be losing some committee members as they move on and will be looking for a new Newsletter editor. 

Public Meeting - Forest Hill Pools

There will be a public meeting to discuss the planning application for Forest Hill Pools because Lewisham council have received 14 objections. The majority of these objections relate to parking issues, but there are also some objections to the size and design of the extension which houses the Café and air handling equipment.

The meeting will be held at the Christian Fellowship Centre, 39 Honor Oak Road, SE23 3SH at 7 pm on Tuesday, 22nd June 2010.

Tuesday's meeting will be a chance for the developer to explain their plan, followed by a question and answer session. Councillor Philip Peake will chair the meeting and the developer will be represented by Savills (Lewisham's agent).

The aim of the meeting is to see how the concerns of the objectors can be mitigated. While our own submission was in support of the application, it did express some reservations about the scale, bulk and design of the extension as well as concerns for pedestrian safety in the coach drop off and disabled parking area among other points. Local residents are also understandably concerned by the lack of on site parking.

Planning Application: Former Post Office Dartmouth Road

A planning application has been made by the owners of Jam Circus for the former Post Office on Dartmouth Road. Below is the response from the Forest Hill Society.

On behalf of the Forest Hill Society I would like to recommend approval of this proposed development which will bring a new restaurant/bar to a key location in Forest Hill.

As has been recognised in the application, some noise prevention measures should be considered to protect residents living directly above the restaurant. We are pleased that this has been included by the applicant.

We additionally believe that this location would be ideal for a few tables to be located in front of the restaurant during the summer months, adding to the vitality of the high street and making best use of this empty area during the day time. We hope that this is something that can be considered by the applicant and by the council.

We wish every success to this business which has a good reputation across South East London and will help enhance Forest Hill town centre.

Rose Award for Photography

We would like to offer our congratulations to Paul Murphy, local resident and member of the Society, on winning the "Rose Award for Photography" at this year's Royal Academy Summer Exhibition. Paul is only the second person to win this award.

The Royal Academy's annual Summer Exhibition, which opens today and runs until 22 August, is the world’s largest open submission contemporary art exhibition and attracted over 11,000 entries this year.

Now in its 242nd year, the exhibition continues the tradition of showcasing work by both emerging and established artists in all media including painting, sculpture, photography, printmaking, architecture and film. This year’s co-ordinators, Royal Academicians Stephen Chambers and David Chipperfield, have selected works for the exhibition around the theme of ‘Raw’.

The winning photograph, which was taken in Idaho in the USA, is from a series on Backyards which looks at how we use our outdoor garden spaces and how they describe the owners of the attached property.

Planning Application: 29 Ewelme Road

A planning application has been submitted for 29 Ewelme Road.

View Larger Map

The Forest Hill Society has objected to this development on the grounds of over-development and concerns relating to car and cycle parking.

You can read the full objection here.

Forthcoming Events

Open Day, One Tree Hill Allotments site, Honor Oak Park - Sunday 13th June. 12 to 6pm.

If you didn’t fancy the crowds at Chelsea this year, this is the next best thing! You’ll see a variety of gardening styles from formal allotment layouts to cottage style. There are grand views over South East London from the top, ponds & beehives. There will be three guided walks by allotment members and they start at 2.00pm, 3.00pm & 4.00pm. or you might prefer to do one of the self guided walks.

The main entrance to the allotment site is in the Recreation ground Car park just off Honor Oak Park SE23. The site is 2 minutes walk from Honor Oak Park Railway station. P4, P12, 122, 171, 172 buses. Admission is free but donations welcome. Refreshments will be available. Please wear stout footwear, as it can be slippery if it has been raining and due to the uneven parts of the site some parts are not accessible for Wheelchairs, Buggies or People with walking difficulties although the lower part is. There is a compost toilet on site.


Sydenham Woods walk - Sunday 20th June, 3pm.
Meet at the gate in Crescent Wood Road. This is a guided walk led by Ashley White, the Conservation Projects Officer for Southwark. The local historian, Steve Grindlay, will also give a short talk about the history of the area. The walk will last about1 hour. We would appreciate small contributions for this walk.


Forest Hill Assembly Meeting – Monday, 21 June 2010, 7-9pm.
Sydenham Secondary School, Dartmouth Road, SE26 4RD


The Sydenham Arts Festival’s Summer Season 2010 - has over sixty events during the three summer months (and a little bit of September!) - diverse music, dance, drama, comedy, film, poetry, visual arts, children’s events and workshops – utilising a variety of local venues and parks. It’s a fantastic community event and we really do encourage you to support it. There’s far too much going on to include details in this eNewsletter so please go to their wonderful website www.sydenhamartsfestival.com

Festivals Galore!

Living on the 'Culture Line', we really are spoilt for choice. Not only do we have excellent Museums to visit, but we have a wonderful selection of local festivals to choose from. The Sydenham International Music Festival is in full swing at the moment and runs until 27 June, while the Sydenham Arts Festival kicks off this Sunday and runs until September 11. Slightly further afield, Brockley Max draws to a close this weekend having been running since 27 May.

The Sydenham Arts festival has over 90 events scheduled, featuring dance, drama, poetry, film and comedy as well as workshops and childrens events.

The backbone of the International Music Festival meanwhile is the amazing, virtuoso St Bartholomew Festival Orchestra that gathers together the most prestigious players from London‘s internationally recognised orchestras. Together with Festival Director Robert Trory, their reputation is now well established. This year is the seventh anniversary and presents a real feast of live music to match anything on offer in London with a stunning lineup including international opera star Susan Bullock. All concerts are held at St Bartholomew's Church unless otherwise specified.

The festival was opened on 23 May by the ever-popular virtuoso Russian violinist Sergey Dogadin who gave a performance of Brahms' Violin Concerto. He also teamed up with Martin Roscoe on piano for a further recital last Sunday and there have been two other concerts; EMMA SELWAY - mezo-soprano performed at St Christopher's Hospice and the FIDELIO PIANO QUARTET made its fourth appearance in the Sydenham Festival.

However, worry not! There are still plenty of gems still to come.

On Tuesday 8th June at 7.30pm the LONDON CONCHORD ENSEMBLE will be performing at the Dolphin (£10). This fun evening with an American flavour (and some Mozart and Beethoven thrown in for good measure) is given by London’s leading mixed instrument group that has toured the UK, Europe and North America.

This is followed on Sunday 13th June - 7.30pm - by the SUSAN BULLOCK CELEBRITY CONCERT (£18, £12 concs.). Recognised as one of the world's leading Wagnerian sopranos, Susan Bullock will come together with Maestro ROBERT TRORY and the stunning ST.BARTHOLOMEW FESTIVAL ORCHESTA in Wagner's 'Wesendock Leider' and Cantaloube's 'Songs of the Auvergne'.

The ever popular CHILDREN’S CONCERT (£6) returns on Saturday 19th June - 11.00am and features 'The Carnival Of Animals' narrated by Jamie Ripman. This is a lively working of Scottish Dances with bagpipes for good measure and is a fun-packed concert for children of all ages. Children are encouraged to come dressed as one of the Animals in the Carnival (a fish - a lion - a donkey - an elephant - a kangaroo .....) for a Fancy Dress competition.

Also making a welcome return is the young Serbian cellist MAJA BOGDANOVIC who stunned the audience in 2009 with her performance of Shostakovich Cello Concerto. Maja will take part in the FRIEND’S EVENING on Friday 25th June - 7.30pm, an evening of talk with music, hosted by Noel Craven with MAJA BOGDANOVIC & ROBERT TRORY (£10 - free to Friends of Sydenham Music) before finally closing the Festival with Elgar's Cello Concert on Sunday 27th June - 7.30pm at the CLOSING CONCERT (£18, £12 concs.)

Forest Hill Day, Sunday 6 June

We are pleased to announce that we have been allocated a stall at this weekend's Forest Hill Day, which is being held at the Horniman Gardens from 1 pm to 6 pm on Sunday, 6 June.

As well as over 40 stalls selling a variety of crafts and food, there will be plenty of entertainment for all the family including an inflatable slide and assault course, donkey rides, face painting, Punch and Judy and birds of prey. Live music will be provided by the Ian Petrie band and Rough Justice.

Forest Hill Day is organised by the Forest Hill Traders Association and supported by funding from the Mayor of Lewisham and the Town Centre Management team.

Planning Application for Forest Hill Pools

The Forest Hill Society has submitted a response to the planning application for Forest Hill Pools.

We have been through the application in some detail and write in support of the proposals. To a great extent we think this is a very good scheme, in a good location, and in particular:

1. The general arrangement of the two pools works well and appears to allow a good level of natural side lighting into the main activities of the building
2. The retention of the superintendents’ house is a strong element of the scheme and helps to tie together the three ‘civic’ buildings of the Pools, the library and Louise House
3. The approach to the scheme from Forest Hill Town Centre is effective and the two entrances are well located.....

You can read the full response here.

East London Line Arrives at Forest Hill

Tewkesbury Lodge garden opening 2010

A group of five very different gardens will be open to the public under the National Garden Scheme, to raise money for cancer, caring, and gardening charities. The gardens are within a few minutes walk of each other.

Opening times and combined admission: Sat 29 May, (5-9pm) £6.50 with glass of wine. Sun 30 May (1:30-6pm) £5. Free for accompanied children. By a ticket on the Green at the junction of Horniman Drive and Liphook Crescent.
Refreshment: Homemade tea and cakes on Sunday. Plants for sale on both days.
NB. Sorry, wheelchair access not possible. Well- trained dogs on leads welcome.

Coach House, 3 The Hermitage.
Mature courtyard and roof garden crammed full of unusual plants and the artist's ceramics and sculptures. The aim is a wildlife garden of interest and productivity twelve months of the year. Water features, decorative plants and vegetables in containers large and small. Art work for sale, pottery demonstrations.

30 Westwood Park
A garden designer's sloping creation, full of unusual plant combinations to suit a variety of conditions in the borders, a herb garden, water features, and winding paths. Featured in The English Garden, Gardeners' World magazine, Homes & Gardens, and House Beautiful.

27 Horniman Drive
Traditional planting in a re-designed contemporary setting to complement modern extension and emphasise long-reaching views to North Downs. Below and beyond there is a potager-style vegetable haven. Small, low maintenance, north-facing front garden with shrubs creating a tapestry of green.

28 Horniman Drive
Garden in two sections, evolving from the owner's love of growing vegetables. Raised beds, fruit cage, greenhouse, working and wildlife areas. Deep informal flower borders under mature trees. Some uneven paths. Newly planted front garden designed for low maintenance.

53 Ringmore Rise
Corner plot with spectacular views over London. Front garden inspired by Beth Chatto's dry garden, with stunning borders in soft mauves, yellows and white. Mature rear garden is on three levels, with themed beds of herbaceous plants and shrubs, some shady, others sunny. Large pond, terraces and pergola.

Forest Hill Clean Up

Lewisham's Environment and Community Development team are organising a series of clean up sessions in the area as part of the London-wide Capital Clean-Up campaign.

The Capital Clean-Up Campaign aims to make London a cleaner, safer, greener capital fit to host the Olympics in 2012 and is supported by Keep Britain Tidy, 31 London boroughs, McDonald’s and sponsors Enterprise.

Previous campaigns saw Londoners initiating and taking part in clean-up activities including Thames riverbank and canal clean-ups, litter picks and graffiti removal. Over the past two years, the campaign has coordinated over 500 clean-up events. This year’s Capital Clean-Up will take place between 12 May and 23 June. Over the six-week clean up period, people from across the capital will be involved in making London a place to be proud of.

The clean-up involves removing overgrown vegetation and weeds, cleaning off graffiti (where possible), removing flyposters and clearing and sweeping litter. Lewisham council will provide necessary PPE such as hi-viz jackets and gloves but please bring your own sturdy boots and old clothes. The following local clean up sessions are planned

• Friday 11 June, 10 am - 2 pm, Earlsthorpe Mews, Sydenham SE26
  (Earlsthorpe Mews is the alley which runs parallel to, and between, Earlsthorpe Road and Sydenham Road)
• Monday 14 June, 10 am - 2 pm, Willow Way, off Kirkdale, SE26
• Friday 18 June, 10 am - 2 pm, Forest Hill Footpath (off London Road) SE23
  (Directly opposite Sainsbury's)

If you would like to help or require any further details please contact Colin Sandiford by email or using the information below.

Colin Sandiford
Environmental Projects Officer,
London Borough of Lewisham,
Wearside Service Centre,
Wearside road,
Lewisham,
London, SE13 7EZ
Tel: 0208 314 2295
Fax: 0208 314 2128

Local Plant Sales

It's that time of year again when all those gardeners who failed to plant their seeds in time can buy ready grown plants from the Friends of the Horniman and .

The annual Book and Plant Fair is being held at the Horniman today from 11am to 3pm

Sydenham Garden, an award-winning community garden on your doorstep, and are launching a new garden stall! The stall will be open every Wednesday from 19th May 2010 until the end of September. All proceeds from stall sales will go to the charity to support their work in the community.

Why not pop down, spend some time enjoying their garden oasis and pick up something fabulous at the same time! They will be selling

• Plants grown in their garden
• Home-made jams & chutneys
• Hand-made cards
• Arts and crafts
• Fresh, locally grown produce

The entrance to the garden and stall is via a wooden gate in Holland Drive, SE23. A map is available on their website.

Fundraising Dinner

Sydenham Garden and Ponte Nuovo (in Crystal Palace) would like to invite you to join them for an evening of fine dining, entertainment and great company on 16 June 2010 at 7.30pm

You'll meet lots of interesting new people, including many of their regular supporters, volunteers and staff. You'll also get to enjoy Ponte Nuovo's wonderful culinary delights in a spacious, modern Italian restaurant.

Tickets are available in advance at £25 each. The ticket price includes a fabulous two-course meal and a complimentary glass of wine. All proceeds raised on the night will go directly to supporting the charity's work.

They are busy planning some fun activities for the evening, so do make sure you book your ticket in advance as places are limited (only 100 tickets available). Book your ticket via the Sydenham Garden website

LOROL Passenger Board

We were recently invited to the LOROL Passenger Board. While there were no agenda items for the East London Line, we were able to raise various points with them.

TVM Displays

LOROL have received a lot of complaints about the lime green colour scheme they chose for the Ticket Vending Machines outside the stations. As a result, they will begin down loading an improved colour scheme for the TVMs on Monday, which should make ticket buying easier. This is an interim change whist they continue to develop an optimum colour scheme and they would value any input to help them get the final solution right for their customers. Please provide feedback to us and we will forward it to them. The interim screens are shown below

Oyster Travelcards

LOROL has inherited the current ticketing system from Southern Railway. As a result, they have to operate two system; FasTIS on the core section (all stations north of Surrey Quays) and FAST on on the mainline section (all stations south of New Cross Gate). LOROL have just paid Shere the licensing fee to allow them to sell Oyster cards, weekly travelcards on Oyster and PAYG topup at the Ticket Offices. However, they will not be able to sell Monthly or Annual travelcards on Oyster unless you go to a station in the core section. This situation is most unsatisfactory.

Timetable

Peter Latham,(Head of Train Performance and Planning) from LOROL told us that the ELL service would reduce from 4tph on each route to 2tph after 2200. We raised the issue of evening trains with LOROL, especially our surprise that the ELL stops running before Southern service from London Bridge. At a meeting in 2009, we were lead to believe that the last TfL service would allow us to leave central London at about 0030. The current timetable shows that while the last Southern train will now leave London Bridge at 0036 instead of 0026 (Mon-Fri), the last train from Canada Water will be at 0017. LOROL pointed out that their services would be in addition to the 4tph that Southern currently run. They also stated that they would like to run later services, but would not do so until the Engineering and Maintenance strategy had bedded in. The earliest that they would expect a change was May 2011.

LOROL also announced that there would be 8 tph running to Highbury and Islington after May 2011. These would probably be the services from West Crotdon and Crystal Palace.

Station Upgrades

David Timmins spoke about the station upgrades. 'Phase Two' upgrades will be complete by 23 May at stations previously managed by Southern. This involves a deep clean, removal of grafitti and scratched paintwork and rebranding of the Station Name signs by temporary vinyl ones. Four stations had been signed off by RfL, with four still to be done (Forest Hill, New Cross Gate, Norwood Junction and xxx)

'Phase Three' will be started in July and hopefuly completed by December, although past experience has shown big overruns due to uncovering unexpected problems. 'Phase Three' aims to improve ambience and Systems.

Ambience improvements will improve signage, platform surfaces, seating and lighting. The new signs will be spaced every 30m on alternate sides of the train and should be more legible than the temporary signs. They will be large roundels, with the station name on the crossbar. Lighting levels will be 150 lux in 4 car area and ticket office, 100 lux elsewhere (similar to bar/restaurant lighting levels).

System Improvements will involve the installation of CCTV (with 90% coverage), Customer Information Screens on each platform, Summary screens in the Booking Hall and Help points and PA with induction loops. The PA System will also adjust its volume level based on ambient noise.

May eNewsletter

GENERAL MEETING
Forest Hill Society’s next General Meeting will be on Thursday June 10th at the Hob, opposite Forest Hill Station. We’ll be getting an update from the Horniman Museum on their plans for the gardens then we’ll move on to Society business and an informal discussion of the key issues facing SE23. We look forward to seeing many of you there.


FOREST HILL STATION
Following the cosmetic upgrading of Forest Hill Station, the Society initiated contact between the station’s Delivery Manager, Alan Jessop-Peacock, and Shannon’s Garden Centre with a view to removing the plastic flowers and greening up the station. It has now been agreed that Shannon’s will plant up and maintain tubs of real plants on the platforms, once the station has supplied the containers. Meanwhile, the tubs either side of the station’s main entrance will be given new plants donated by Shannon’s. We hope the floral results will put a smile on your faces as you run for your trains.

EAST LONDON LINE
Trains start running on Sunday, May 23rd. There is a rumour (from TfL) that they will be giving away 10,000 free tickets on a first come/first served basis. If these plans go ahead, the tickets will be distributed across the ELL stations according to “ridership patterns.” Those with Annual/Monthly/Weekly travel cards will be able to collect a souvenir ticket, rather than a free ticket.

23 CLUB DOES THE EAST LONDON LINE
If you’d like to celebrate the ELL’s first operating day, then do join the 23 Club on Sunday, May 23rd as we ride the rails.

The plan is to meet on Platform One at 14:00 and catch the 14:11 from Forest Hill Station with Sydenham Society, enjoying their theatre performance on the way. They will be going to Dalston and back. But the 23 Club would like to recommend getting off at Hoxton Station at 14:36 for a visit to the fabulous Geffrye Museum (www.geffrye-museum.org.uk). Opening hours on Sundays & Bank Holiday Mondays are 12 - 5pm. Admission to the museum's eleven period rooms, special exhibitions and herb and period gardens is free. The restored historic almshouse, in the south wing of the museum buildings, will not be open.

Pools Planning Application

The planning application for the new pool can now be found on the Lewisham Council Website.

Havelock Walk Open Days

A total of over 20 local artists, including the Havelock Walk community, will be exhibiting their wares as part of the Dulwich Festival's Artists' Open House event starting today. The exhibits will be open from 11am-6pm on Saturday & Sunday 8-9 May and 15-16 May 2010. Some venues are only open on the first weekend and these are shown in green on the map below.
Click on a pin for details of the Artist and their work.

View Dulwich Festival - Artist Open Days 2010 in a larger map

The Dulwich Festival runs from 7-16 May and consists of walks, concerts, films, exhibitions and dancing. Full details can be found on their website DulwichFestival.co.uk

Mayoral Elections - Liberal Democrat Reply

1. After a hard fought local campaign, the council has agreed to fund and build a new swimming facility in Forest Hill on the site of the old baths. These plans have now reached the stage where they are due to be submitted for planning approval at the end of May and the construction contract has been put out to tender. What commitment will you make to the future of these pools and what guarantees will you give that the pools will be built and will not fall victim to any budgetary cuts after the election?

I am completely committed to the future of Forest Hill Pools, and making sure they are rebuilt now that the council has finally come around to the community's way of thinking on them. When they are completed in 2012, Forest Hill will have been without swimming pools for six years, which is an improvement on the ten years it took Labour to rebuild the pools at Downham, but still far too long. The cost of the delay to taxpayers like you and me has been horrendous - the existing building has needed securing and heating, and inflation has hit the construction industry - this project has cost millions more than it should have done. As well as being committed to making sure the pools are finished efficiently, I want to make sure that Lewisham Council learns lessons about both costs and dealing more straightforwardly with the public so such a shambles doesn't happen again.

2. At 70%, Lewisham has the highest proportion of residents that work outside the Borough of any Borough in London. What will you do to attract employment to the south of the Borough?

We need to look at the types of employment which will provide long-term growth. While Lewisham has been treated as a dormitory borough by successive planners, we can recognise that Forest Hill in particular has a particularly large single-person business sector. Not enough has been done for either high streets or newer hubs as Havelock Walk, and this can be as simple as making sure that other council services such as road repairs and refuse are prioritised. We need to support the local shopping areas, and build on opportunities provided by future trends - while 'chore' shopping is likely to move increasingly online, smaller local parades are likely to be successful and town centres where they provide a pleasant leisure destination. There are examples of successful small industrial areas at Malham Road and at Willow Way, and there are opportunities around Bell Green. Certain forms of employment have not sat happily as immediate neighbours in residential streets, but many of the industries we are likely to see growth in do not share this problem.

3. Approximately 30% of Lewisham's commuters use the train service to London Bridge along the Sydenham corridor. While welcoming the introduction of the East London Line and the new travel opportunities it presents, we recently presented a petition of 5800 signatures to the DfT and are greatly concerned by the reduction in service to London Bridge. The timetabled services due from May 2010 are predicted to be severely congested at peak times from day one. What will you do to lobby the DfT, TOCs and National Rail and achieve increased capacity to London Bridge?

The hugely complicated and bureaucratic system for dealing with the rail system that the Labour government has set up masks the fact that civil servants and ministers have more control over day-to-day services on the railways than they had in the days of British Rail. Yet changes to service levels are poorly consulted when they negotiate the new minimum timetable with the train operating companies and network rail. Nowhere has this been more apparent than on the Sydenham line, where the public were not invited to the decision on removing the requirement on Southern to run so many services to London Bridge or any to Charing Cross. To no-one's surprise, Southern have chosen not to run a train they don't have to when ministers failed to press them to and commercial realities dictate otherwise. The ministers' response to the local campaign and petition has been the shockingly high-handed strategy of 'lets wait and see how the new service pattern beds in' - in other words, to fob local people off. At the same time, Lewisham Council announced that their outgoing Mayor decided that this wasn't a campaign they wished to press the government on just a week-and-a-half after he supported the full Council in a strong message to his friends in the government. I can assure you that I will always stand up for local residents in this sort of situation and will make sure that the council is paying attention across the web of responsibility the government has set up.

4. According to Lewisham's LIP, Forest Hill Town Centre has had the highest vacancy rates in the Borough for at least 15 years. What will you do to revitalise the town centre?

There' currently quite a significant shift in shopping patterns taking place. No-one knows exactly where it is leading, but we can be sure that past performance can only be a limited example of future success. What we can be sure of is that town centres which are successful are those which are convenient to get to and pleasant to visit. On the former, the footfall around the railway station is not sufficiently expanded upon, while the car parking situation has only just begun to be dealt with (thanks to money from Sainsburys rather than any direct investment from the Council). On the latter, the town centre has undoubtedly been damaged by the absence of the pools and the signs of neglect are everywhere, from broken pavements to bins left out and street clutter left for years. With the new pools campaigners have won there is an opportunity for further development, and building on the survey which the local assembly and your Liberal Democrat councillors commissioned, we have the chance for some exciting work.

5. The success of the Beach in the Horniman Triangle highlights the need for better youth provision in the ward. How will you address the needs for primary school places and extra curricular youth provision?

The success of the Beach has been fantastic. Your councillors have been campaigning to improve the play park since 2005 and the Beach, demolition of the old toilet block and new cafe have transformed it. The new toilets near the cafe are a success which can be traced to the money which the local assembly invested in it. The Beach, does however, provide facilities for a quite specific age group and it will be one of my six priorities to invest more in providing extra-curricular activities for young people right across the age spectrum.

Whoever you choose as Mayor tomorrow, the crisis in school places in Lewisham is going to be probably the biggest single issue facing the Council over the next four years. For a variety of reasons, this is a problem affecting all of London, but Lewisham is expecting one of the highest increases in demand of any borough. This is at least partially down to poor planning by the outgoing administration: figures three years ago highlighted this was going to hit Forest Hill, Lee and Sydenham particularly badly but the Mayor's managers pooh-poohed the figures when they were raised by Liberal Democrat councillors. The result is a shortage of over 500 places next September, rising to a shortage of over 3000 places in a few years' time. This means children in emergency accommodation: schools expanded so fast that children are in overcrowded conditions which affect their learning. When the Labour candidate promised a new secondary school in 2002 which he's still promising and on which a brick has still not been laid, residents can perhaps be forgiven for lacking confidence in his ability to deliver for our children. I will have an urgent programme of sensible expansion of schools, reopening some schools closed under the present administration, and building new schools.

A little background...

I am a Blackheath councillor. Before living in Lewisham I was a Bromley resident and local councillor. Between 1998 and 2001 I was Leader of Bromley Council, so have some experience and knowledge about leading a local authority. The Liberal Democrats are opposed to the system of directly Mayors - we do not feel it gets the best decisions for the local community. A system where views are exchanged, opposition can challenge and scrutinise leads to better decision making. If elected I will strengthen ward assemblies and devolve power and some budgets to local communities, I think many issues should not need to decided by officers in the town hall but are better decided at a ward level.

May Day at Albion Millennium Green

Dacre Lady Morris Dancing


Tree Planting