burty

Trinidad, it occurs to me now that they didn't actually ask me to do the survey after they had finally left! We should all give Saltash a call and request to do this survey... Get it off our chests!

I am a survivor of this scheme too - on Bellenden Road - windows painted shut, work that did need doing wasn't done (eg, repointing of brickwork at the rear of the property), scaffolding up for a whopping 7 months and only came down after I contacted my local councillor. One of the most annoying elements was the sporadic letters from Saltash saying that they hadn't been able to contact us over various things and asking us to complete their survey now the works were all done (they weren't done!) - they just seemed completely and utterly inept at managing the works. We did have a new roof done and the roofing company were actually really good, did a good job, work completed quickly and they tidied up after themselves but I am dreading the bill we'll get for that... The working relationship between Saltash and Southwark is totally dysfunctional and we are all getting caught in the middle.

The colour shop is fab, it sells wonderful paint, there's often interesting art to look at and there is a spinning wheel of wonder onto which you can drip paint and create your own psychedelic masterpiece. I think the right shop could do well along there. Something a bit specialized that people will walk up from the lane to.

I totally agree with jimmyraj and david's comments, I bought a flat at the Grove Vale end of Bellenden about 18 months ago after renting in East Dulwich proper for several years and I way prefer it down here in SE15 in spite of not quite knowing how to describe where I live to people (see East Dulwich North/Peckham South debate elsewhere!) As far as shops go, recent casualty seems to be the pizza place on the corner of Choumert Road, it's a shame as it was a nice place to sit outside of last summer but never did seem to pick up enough (possibly because Il Mirto by East Dulwich station is so good?). But the chocolate shop, Melange, does pretty much the best hot choc I have ever tasted. Yeah a few of the shops are empty but there is enough going on to make it an interesting little local parade, and all the hustle and bustle of Lordship Lane is only a few minutes away... Check out the wildlife garden on Marsden Road too - it is lovely! I have definitely felt safe in the area and would agree there is good community spirit - I have got to know at least half a dozen different neighbours since I've been here. They also organize a Big Lunch street party thing too. Happy house hunting DLL!

Yes, I've just wandered past and what looked like a curb does in fact now look like the beginnings of a giant hump.... Wasn't that what was there already?! Oh well, at least we aren't losing one of the precious routes into the Bermuda/Bellenden triangle :)

Does anyone know what is going on at the junction of Copleston Road and Grove Vale? Is it being permanently closed to traffic? I live on the end Bellenden Road and the area is already like the Bermuda triangle to get to (and leave), closing off this road will make the area even less accessible! We had something through from the council about allowing cyclists to cycle the wrong way up Oglander Road but the plan did not detail closing off this road to traffic...