Mattsoper

The main Nunhead forum is on South East Central - which tends to be busiest in the Nunhead and Brockley sections but isn't quite as active as the East Dulwich Forum. There's a forum for Peckham on there too, as well as for New Cross, Deptford and Lewisham among other parts of southeast London.

Thanks Nununoolio. I took a walk through the park shortly after I posted on here and sure enough spotted the 'No fires or BBQs' sign on all the notice boards. Seems people either aren't aware of this rule or are ignoring it, though I would always assume that BBQs weren't allowed unless I'd heard otherwise.

I'm pretty sure I've never seen a sign saying BBQs are not allowed on Peckham Rye Park/Common, though I have seen the wardens telling people to damp down their unauthorised hot coals. I think a BBQ area would be a good idea as I'm never pleased to see those burned patches on the grass where someone has placed their tin foil model directly on the ground. Perhaps a dedicated area would make the rules clear and give people a place to cook their food outdoors if they aren't able to do so at home - or even if they are but fancy a trip down the park instead.

Thanks for the update, Renata. I'll keep an eye out for updates on the plans.

It won't help with September 2013 admissions but it seems plans are under way for Ivydale School to expand, as revealed by Peter John, Leader of Southwark Council, on Twitter yesterday: "Delighted that Ivydale School will be expanding onto the Bredinghurst site to provide more primary school places for Peckham Rye & Nunhead." What that means for the Victorian buildings on that site remains to be seen as they seem far from ideal to be converted for primary school use.

Muriel Spark - author of The Ballad of Peckham Rye - once lived in Camberwell.

Charles Dickens reportedly rented a house on Linden Grove for a time, as mentioned on the Southwark Council website. http://www.southwark.gov.uk/info/200159/history_of_southwark/1020/dickens_southwark/1 "Dickens is also known to have rented a house, under the pseudonym Charles Tringham, for himself and his mistress Ellen Ternan in Linden Grove, Nunhead between 1868 and his death in 1870."

The share issue is now closed and the latest total of contributions is an incredible ?144,500. Update on http://www.ivyhousenunhead.com says: "Our Community Share Issue closed on 31st May 2013. At the time of writing, we have received ?144,500 of share orders, of which ?118,500 has been confirmed as paid. We had 53 new share orders in the last day alone. We are overwhelmed by the level of support we have had from the local community; now our focus has to be on getting the work done to get the pub ready to welcome the public once more!"

As someone who lives just round the corner from The Ivy House and who's been following the campaign to bring it back into use since just before its closure last year, I think that it does have a viable future, whether the existing business plan works out or needs to be revised. That's not blind optimism as I appreciate all the challenges mentioned in this thread so far, though I do think the venue is distinctive enough to draw people in from the surrounding area as it's very different from all the other pubs nearby. I've bought my shares in hope that The Ivy House remains a pub long into the future. I didn't do it to make a profit and I accept that it's money I won't get back if for any reason the business fails. Anyone who isn't comfortable with that risk or expects a financial return: buying these shares isn't for you. However, if you care enough about keeping a unusual London pub in business then come along as often as money allows to have a few drinks and a good time - even if you can't afford or don't want to buy shares. I'm sure it won't be an easy ride keeping the place going but the team working on its rescue have overcome some pretty huge obstacles so far and are not going to give up without trying everything possible. It's not too much to ask for the rest of us to do our bit by turning up and drinking booze.

Seems odd to me that the developers would want to build a bungalow when a two-storey house would presumably offer more in the way of profit, unless, of course, a bungalow was the only way they could get a fourth building past Southwark council. It's no particular loss for those crumbling garages to be demolished but shouldn't the plans for the new buildings be available for local people to see? There have been a few examples of poorly designed developments being proposed for nearby streets in recent years so it would be good to get an idea of what's in store before the building works begin.

Thanks for the update, Vandam. I've looked at the planning application you mentioned above and it says that Southwark refused permission in 2008, though there are details mentioned about an appeal in 2009. Do you know if this means it's been approved? Compared with the development of the old H R Denne building and the new Bredinghurst School, this one seems to be happening without much notification - apart from the burning beacon, of course!

Hi Renata, Do you know what's happening at this site? I've checked the planning applications on the Southwark Council website and the last mention of 85 Stuart Road was back in 2009, though there doesn't appear to be any update since then. Thanks, Matt

That's not a primary school - it's the new Bredinghurst School (soon to be known as the Newlands School). Its purpose remains the same as it was in the original building so it won't make any difference to overcrowding in regular state schools in the area.

I've just arrived home from the lunchtime adult swim session and would agree with Chocoholic. Today was the first time I'd used the Dulwich Leisure Centre and the new pool and changing rooms are good enough to make me consider cancelling my private gym membership which is costing me far too much. I'd looked inside the old reception area before so I know that the new one is a massive improvement.