Dulwich hospital development

[schokoschnecke]

Hi

Does anyone know when they?re going to start knocking down the rest of Dulwich Hospital? I can?t find a revised time scale for the project online.

Thanks!

[KidKruger]

is the entire hospital gonna be knocked down ? Shame - I thought it would be listed.

[first mate]

James Barber, the driving force behind change of use of hospital to school, always said the Chateau front would be saved. I agree, it would be a real shame if it was bulldozed.

In terms of the much smaller, modern health centre site ( half of which is now a GP practice) does anyone know when the hospital/community health element of this will actually be operational? One would have thought that in the middle of a pandemic this service would be rather important. It seems a number of promised services are not yet up and working.

[dc]

first mate Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> James Barber, the driving force behind change of

> use of hospital to school, always said the Chateau

> front would be saved. I agree, it would be a real

> shame if it was bulldozed.

To be accurate Mr Barber was the driving force behind getting an unwanted primary school approved for the site, the catchment area for which, rather bizarrely, would have been towards Nunhead.

A whole load of unravelling was required by committed parents? groups, councillors and the then MP, Tessa Jowell, to sort that one out so that the more appropriate secondary school, in terms of local need for our community, was built there instead.

As far as I am aware it has always been the plan to retain at least the facade of the ?chateau? former main entrance structure.

[James Barber]

Hi dc,

I was the driving force for the following schools:

- Harries Academy East Dulwich Primary School

- The Charter East Dulwich school idea and obtaining the site. Originally fought tooth and nail by the Labour council. The council officer in charge at the time literally said "over my dead guilt in East Dulwich.

I assisted:

- Belham school application

- proposing the site for the Judith Kerr Primary School

- Advice and putting SE1 parent campaign in touch with Haberdasher's resulting in Haberdashers' Aske's Borough Academy

For brief time the Hospital site was proposed to also house a primary school when it was unclear the NHS would build any health replacement facility on the site.

I believe you know this dc but you have a party political axe to grind.

[macutd]

Bring back James Barber

[Reg Smeeton]

Back on topic - the central 'villa' section of the hospital will be retained, and will become the school's library etc. The large buildings with the domes will all be demolished. Demolition was due to start at the end of term, slightly surprised the bulldozers aren't already at work.

[first mate]

So will it be that central bit with a small bell tower above and the two square towers either end?

[dc]

James Barber Wrote:

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> Hi dc,

> I believe you know this dc but you have a party

> political axe to grind.

Honestly, my political axes are ground out having worked for Tessa Jowell for 23 years until 2015 when she stood down as the local MP. I was speaking about the specific case of the hospital site and I?m sure you might understand that I?m not hugely keen to have my former boss written out of the history of that particular story. Especially when the record shows me to be telling the truth:

https://www.eastdulwichforum.co.uk/forum/read.php?5,1407450,page=1

https://www.eastdulwichforum.co.uk/forum/read.php?29,1405452,1408612#msg-1408612

[siousxiesue]

Sad to see the herb garden has been destroyed, wonder if any attempt was made to relocate or at least off the plants to people.

[first mate]

Oh, that is awful. So much work went into that little area.

[Sue]

siousxiesue Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> Sad to see the herb garden has been destroyed,

> wonder if any attempt was made to relocate or at

> least off the plants to people.

Oh no!

We ran a benefit gig to raise money for that little community garden, back in the day.

What a shame. I thought they had been promised that it would be kept.

[sand12]

I remember trying to see what could be done to get this listed, but sadly this isn?t any history that Dulwich wants to preserve. The site was a poorhouse, hospital, maternity hospital, and a lot could have been done to preserve the buildings and conserve the architectural fabric and repurpose it for use today. Sadly, like many things in this country, unless the object has value in an elitist version of history, it won?t be preserved. No matter the cost. Parliament is not for purpose, but billions will be spent on it.

The social history of the site is remarkable and worth preserving and included in the history lessons of local schools. There is plenty of reference to Dulwich, the art gallery, school, even Ruskin, but the fact that a poor house was on the site of the school should be important to talk about too. Poverty and deprivation are just as present today, but more concealed.

In any case, sad to see the garden go as well, I didn?t have much hope for it seeing how the developers were moving this past winter.

Charter East is another academy and the catchment is again very elite and just like charter north. Schools they are, but in the end, not true public schools, or the state schools up the road.

Also, no freaking clue why it is named after an MP whose record was riddled with controversy. Had to explain to a young person why the name of the stop changed and couldn?t bring myself to explain the erasure of a perfectly serviceable and historical name for the sake of memorialising a questionable figure. What do I say, a woman who was an MP whose claim to fame was the olympics, more gambling venues for the already poor, and Child centre program that barely lasted 10-15 years. A new labour acolyte. Profit above all. The history of this site could be a great example of how the next generation will be living the consequences of the greed and vanity of the past 40 years. Maybe I will start talking about the name change.

Who knows, it might be a poor house again considering the way things are going.

[dc]

It was named after Tessa Jowell because local people selected the name amongst many other options in a public vote. Obviously those who had a higher opinion of her than you did.

[Coach Beth]

It is a beautiful building and I'm glad the chalet will form part of the school. Firstly, full transparency: I'm a parent of a child at the school - part of the founding cohort. I just wanted to gently point out that under the Tories, no new school can open that isn't an academy or a free school so that would be the case of any new state school. The local parents who fought for the school had no choice. In terms of charges of the school being elitist, according to the last Ofsted report of Charter ED:

- Pupils come from diverse backgrounds and the proportion of pupils from minority ethnic backgrounds is much higher than average. (just over half students come from BAME backgrounds)

- The proportion of pupils eligible to receive free school meals at any time in the last six

years is much higher than average. (I believe the last stat I heard was 36%?)

- The proportion of pupils who have an education, health and care plan is broadly

average. More pupils than average are in receipt of SEN school support.

Many local children benefit from the school including children who go to the local Goose Green Primary School (a vibrant and diverse school) and also children who live in the nearby East Dulwich Council Estate. It's very different from the private schools just up the road... with their coaches bussing in children from all over London.

In terms of the physic garden the parent led eco volunteers group which has been led by parents spent alot of time to keep up the garden with monthly volunteer sessions open to all. Sadly, they found out a a few months ago the builders needed that piece of land.... not sure why and yes, parent volunteers were disappointed at this outcome. The volunteers spent a day salvaging what they could about a month ago and relocating what they could.

[creditwheredue]

James Barber Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> Hi dc,

> I was the driving force for the following

> schools:

> - Harries Academy East Dulwich Primary School

> - The Charter East Dulwich school idea and

> obtaining the site. Originally fought tooth and

> nail by the Labour council. The council officer in

> charge at the time literally said "over my dead

> guilt in East Dulwich.

>

> I assisted:

> - Belham school application

> - proposing the site for the Judith Kerr Primary

> School

> - Advice and putting SE1 parent campaign in touch

> with Haberdasher's resulting in Haberdashers'

> Aske's Borough Academy

>

> For brief time the Hospital site was proposed to

> also house a primary school when it was unclear

> the NHS would build any health replacement

> facility on the site.

>

> I believe you know this dc but you have a party

> political axe to grind.

You also wanted it to be a Haberdashers school rather than Charter.

[heartblock]

Very sad the physic garden is not going to be relocated, would have been good to be in the health centre grounds.... another cleaner greener space gone.

[kford]

What coach beth said. And well done James, I know you had a massive hand in bringing in a much-needed school. Signed off by Nick Clegg in the end, IIRC?

[cactus]

I agree with heart block, surely the physic garden could've been relocated within the health centre grounds, there's a vast space there, and way too much concrete/car parking space at present.

[shelly2106]

Wasn't it suppose to be? There was a thread on here about it ages ago, it was to be at the front of the health centre

[first mate]

I don?t want to divert from the physic garden and would hope that is reinstated. But, is the health centre bit operable yet? I know the GP practice part is up and running but what about the much needed health centre?

[shelly2106]

No official opening as yet by I know that health visitors etc are using the clinic for appointments etc

[first mate]

Hi, do you know what sort of appointments and what services are currently being offered? This is meant to be a community resource and under the current circumstances there may be value in having it open sooner rather than later. It certainly should not just be a private GP practice.

[ctovey]

I had a blood test there last week

[nxjen]

FM: It?s an NHS GP practice, albeit run by a private company, but all GP practices are privately owned. I also have to have a blood test next week and will be going there for it. Why don?t you pop along there and see which parts are open and report back to us instead of being so negative about a great new facility?