Charter East/Dulwich Hospital

[ed_pete]

Has this project run out of money ?

It's looking like it'll never be finished and a bit like before when one of the wings was demolished and the rubble left to create a wasteland for years, this'll go the same way and the building will become more and more dilapidated. Shame as the outside space would be useful for the school but it's not looking like they'll get their hands on it anytime soon.

 

[legalalien]

I think the final phase has ended up being retendered (poss around cost issues)? Will see if I can dig up the link.

[legalalien]

There’s this decision due December, Inthink there is some more background info somewhere

https://moderngov.southwark.gov.uk/mgIssueHistoryHome.aspx?IId=50030449&PlanId=739&RPID=6240051

ETA: report as of December last year

https://moderngov.southwark.gov.uk/documents/s103674/Report%20Gateway%202%20-%20Contract%20Award%20Approval%20to%20award%20the%20main%20works%20contract%20to%20deliver%20phase%202%20of%20T.pdf

Will try and look later and see if any docs since last Dec

[ed_pete]

So from the Dec 21 document it looked like there was a budget shortfall, even based on the lowest tender, that requires more money from the DfE. Hopefully this has been resolved and they're going to crack on soon.

[legalalien]

The decision on it has gone into the Forward Plan this month, with decisions due in December and March

https://moderngov.southwark.gov.uk/mgIssueHistoryHome.aspx?IId=50030449&PlanId=739&RPID=6242954

https://moderngov.southwark.gov.uk/mgIssueHistoryHome.aspx?IId=50030452&PlanId=739&RPID=6242969

(As well as a decision on the supply of temporary teaching accommodation)

https://moderngov.southwark.gov.uk/mgIssueHistoryHome.aspx?IId=50030451&PlanId=739&RPID=6242966

[elfg1972]

This is the latest update on the school website

https://www.chartereastdulwich.org.uk/page/?title=Phase+2+Build+Update%3A+October+2022&pid=308

[heartblock]

ED Grove residents have lived with the mess, noise, dirty netting and HGVs delivering building material for years now. Southwark and the school need to get this project completed and give the residents a break.

I also note the main gate will be on ED Grove - does this make it a school street? Can we have it closed to vehicles every week day from 8:00 to 9:15 and 3:00 to 4:00 then please? As that is the 'excuse' for closing half the roads coming off polluted and ignored ED Grove.

[first mate]

Heartblock,

I feel for you, especially as part of the reason for making Melbourne Grove a blocked off LTN was because it has the school entrance. Mind you, I suppose they would argue that the 'market' they insisted on foisting on the street gets in the way now.

The little chess moves on their board are so obvious.

[first mate]

Just reading. Was anyone aware of the Chateau being used in the Pandemic as a vaccination site? I thought that was done at TJ.

Is the Chateau going to be retained? I hope so.

[OutOfFocus]

Was anyone aware of the Chateau being used in the Pandemic as a vaccination site?

 

I wasn't aware and it seems unlikely. Someone has been on a creative writing course perhaps :-)

[first mate]

Well, it is being given as a major reason for the delay in building work through the Pandemic. I stand to be corrected; does anyone recall getting a vaccination at the Charter School/ Chateau site during lockdown?

[heartblock]

No it wasn’t used as a vaccination centre. It was retained to become part of the school. The delay was due to Southwark and the school’s mismanagement and errors in budgeting and planning.

It’s a good thing they ripped up the physic community garden to make room for the 12 month delay. The garden that Southwark promised ED Grove residents would be kept as a community asset… never, ever believe anything this Council tell you..

….in a few years they will be MPs or working for one of the property developers that have been awarded contracts.

It’s historically a Council that acts as a long interview process for a future lucrative career. Residents who have lived here for 40 ish years have witnessed the revolving door of shame from all political spectrums 🤢

[Dogkennelhillbilly]

The little chess moves on their board are so obvious.

 

What I love about this conspiracy theory is that it simultaneously requires Southwark Council to be totally inept and a cabal of scheming geniuses.

[heartblock]

If you think being financially and organisationally inept, was a barrier to becoming an MP or a head of communications for a property developer, then you haven’t been paying attention.

[first mate]

The little chess moves on their board are so obvious.

 

What I love about this conspiracy theory is that it simultaneously requires Southwark Council to be totally inept and a cabal of scheming geniuses.

 

Scheming, yes; geniuses...err, no.

[first mate]

If you think being financially and organisationally inept, was a barrier to becoming an MP or a head of communications for a property developer, then you haven’t been paying attention.

 

Pretty shocking (or maybe not) they would lie so blatantly about reasons why building work was held up at Charter.

I had to ask because it seemed so unlikely that the partly dismantled Chateau site would have been used as a Pandemic

Vaccination and test site.

[Curmudgeon]

Just reading. Was anyone aware of the Chateau being used in the Pandemic as a vaccination site? I thought that was done at TJ.

Is the Chateau going to be retained? I hope so.

 

There were tents at the back and it was a testing centre for a while in the early days

[Natty]

The building is too expensive/bad repair and risky (no one really knows the state it’s in or what they might fib) for anyone to take on. Rather than be allowed to knock down this eyesore and put something made for purpose up that would benefit the children, who have to put up with flooding and not being able to access their lunch hall without walking all the way round on the pavement, this horrible facade will carry on rotting away, while students don’t have room or will have to be put in prefabs.

[first mate]

Saving the facade was meant to be part of the plan from the outset. It is a local landmark and part of local history.

Sounds like yet another example of poor management of building work. Had bulldozing the whole lot been on the cards from the outset it is unlikely the new build for the school would have garnered enough local support to get underway. Perhaps leaving the facade until last was a deliberate approach and there was always an intention to get rid of it?

With other schools in the borough closing because of dwindling roll numbers we should not be in a hurry to lose the chateau. The new build is functional but hardly of any architectural merit.

[legalalien]

Update based on what is in the most recent Forward Plan:

Decision due next month on supply of temporary “modular” teaching accommodation

https://moderngov.southwark.gov.uk/mgIssueHistoryHome.aspx?IId=50030451&PlanId=748&RPID=7198025

Decision on Phase 2 building contract still due next month

https://moderngov.southwark.gov.uk/mgIssueHistoryHome.aspx?IId=50030716&PlanId=748&RPID=7198027

As well as an additional

decision on increasing value of demolition and strip out works

https://moderngov.southwark.gov.uk/mgIssueHistoryHome.aspx?IId=50031194&PlanId=748&RPID=7198031

Looking at the forward plan more generally there are quite a number of new items relating to variation of various housing construction contracts to increase contract values, so seems to be a significant (and unsurprising) inflationary increase in construction contracts going on.

[legalalien]

Update on plans for building works at Charter ED, two stage tender process for the remaining part of the site , with actual construction contract to be awarded towards end of this year and works completed by August 2024 as I read it. Southwark stumping up an additional £6.5 million (including £1.5 million for a specialist 20 place ASD resource) and negotiating with DfE to get the rest of the additional funding needed (about £4 million more) out of them.

https://moderngov.southwark.gov.uk/mgIssueHistoryHome.aspx?IssueId=50031696&OptionNum=0

Pics of temp layout and final design are in the Appendices.

[schokoschnecke]

Hi all, does anyone have an update on this? I live opposite the building site and was hoping they’d use the summer hols to make some form of progress… Thanks!

[ed_pete]

From Dulwich Society:

Charter East Dulwich School: contractors working on incorporating the old hospital buildings into the school demolished walls that turned out to be structural. Construction methods used on the ‘chateau’ building made it difficult to determine which walls were structural. Temporary props have been installed and are being monitored.

[wordsworth]

Wow! 

[ctovey]

Just a by-the-by, my office was in that building and its sad to see how it is now.  I loved working at Dulwich Hospital.