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.”