Consultation on Changing facilities and One O'clock club in Peckham Rye Park

[Renata Hamvas]

If you haven't aready seen the posters:

Peckham Rye Park and Common are changing

Come along and share your views about:

* a new children?s playroom (One O'clock club)*

* new football changing rooms and facilities *

* a new play space *

Friday 11 April, 12pm to 4pm

fun day at the adventure playground (bouncy castle etc)

Saturday 19 April

11am to 1pm at the park football pitches

2pm to 4pm at the children?s play room

The Building Exploratory and Southwark Council staff will be available to talk about your thoughts

and ideas for the future of the park. Illustrations by local children from Peckham Rye Park.

If you would like to share your thoughts outside of these sessions please call 0207 608 0775

or email us: [email protected]

[first mate]

Renata,

When you say the 'future of the park' does this mean the whole of the park or just the areas that currently house the changing facilities, playground and one o'clock club. I have seen one poster and was left wondering what the term 'future of the park' meant....it feels a little vague and all encompassing.

[Renata Hamvas]

Hi first mate,

as the thread title suggests, it is about the changing rooms, One O'clock club, playgrounds and adventure playground, my post above publicises part of the poster you have seen. The One O'clock club is unfit for purpose (an old POW hut with poor insulation and being overtaken by tree roots from below, and therefore a new location is needed).

I hope this clarifies this a bit better and many users take part in the consultation.

Renata

[i*Rate]

Councillor Hamvas,

I would disagree with your point about the One O'Clock Club, in that, the staff working there now do a great job with a very old building. Inside it is in good condition, clean and tidy, with very good play and learning facilities for young children. Ok, so back in the 1980s it was even better with four staff and more facilities for the parents and carers, but it has certainly improved now that it is managed by a different department of the council.

What does need urgent attention and is not fit for purpose is the new playground in front of the One O'Clock Club. Someone must have pointed out to you that the costly 'Play River' never did work, as water simply doesn't not run uphill and that part of the facility proved to be a waste of money from the start! It might be an idea to get the architects (who have removed that project from their website) and/or the building contractors to put it right at their own expense before anyone starts considering spending large sums of money on more new buildings on the Rye.

Regards.

[PeckhamRose]

This was brought up at The Friends of Peckham Rye Park AGM the other day. Shame no-one could have come and talked through it with us, the Friends (and anyone can be a Friend of PRP obviously, it's not elitist). But unless I am wrong, it seemed as if it was a done deal. ie. consultation is being done because it has to be done but in actuality it will go ahead whether we hate it or not. Some People are going to be upset at the disposal of the last remaining prisoner of war hut. And as I said at the meeting, I couldn't care less about it. We have the history and photos of it and apparently it's pretty much falling down anyway.

[hpsaucey]

Hi there Renata - from what I've seen this sounds like a 'done deal'? I wondered how much consultation had been done with one o'clock club and adventure playground staff before the recent invitation to come along to 'consultation' meetings?

I really wondered if the ramifications esp: for the adventure playground have been thought through. Did anyone go along before the consultation to see just how busy they are on a sunny day and how well-used all the space is? If so, I wonder how anyone you envisage giving up the present football/basketball area, garden and some of the grass. Perhaps this is the wrong forum to write this in - I left my comments on a sheet in the Adventure Playground on Friday. It also looked as through the adventure playground present indoor area ends up outside the dotted line - does this mean outside of the present adventure playground??? If so - how would that work??

HP (concerned and getting on her high horse)

[PokerTime]

I haven't seen the plans etc but it does frustrate me that after thousands of tax payers money was spent on these facilities just a few years ago, we are now being told yet more money is to be spent. It's like road schemes that get done only to be dug up a few years later! The credibility of the councils planning department to design anything that works first time is very questionable imo.

[Renata Hamvas]

Hello again all,

this is not a done deal! That's what the consulation process is for, to find out all your opinions, so please do comment. The current One O clock club was used to house Italian POWs during WW2. Since then large trees have grown next to the hut making it impossible to use the same site. The plan is that the area around the adventure playground would increase. The basketball court would be shifted along. The picnic area would remain. There would be improvement to both the playground area near the cafe and the playground near the football pitches. As a local parent, I know the adventure playground well (our most recent visit was this week). The indoor play space for table tennis etc will remain. There is likely to be an outdoor table tennis table in the new area too. These are the current loosely determined plans. There has been comsultation eg with the Peckham Society about the hut. The one O clock staff (Ivydale children's centre) and the adventure playground staff do know about this!

There is another consultation date soon. I'll ask officers if more information can be made available on-line for those of you unavailable to attend.

Saturday 19 April

11am to 1pm at the park football pitches

2pm to 4pm at the children?s play room

Renata

[hpsaucey]

Hi there. Yes please re: info online. There wasn't much to comment on at the friday funday but maybe i missed the people to talk to?just a large plan there and feedback forms with no explanation. Hard to comment in those circumstances.

[LindsayJD]

Hi

Sorry, I still don't actually understand what is being proposed re the One O'clock club/Ivydale stay and play. Will there still be a children's play room in the park but at a different location? And if so, am I right in my understanding that the play room will be located in the adventure play ground?

Thanks

Lindsay

[katesonic]

Sorry, I may seem cynical but I believe this is an attempt to garrotte the common from the park in the same way the the land north of East Dulwich Road has been garrotted and is now being slowly and insidiously concreted over and used as a bus terminal. Commercial enterprise has been introduced onto the main common with the arrival of the cafe and obviously adjacent land now commands a premium, hence shunt the one o'clock club.

[edanna]

Hi Renata, surely all the plans could be online with the ability to comment if they are not there already - sometimes it's hard to make in-person consultation events. I'm pretty amazed that an online option wouldn't be available especially following the precedent of all the online info for the choice of sculpture for Dulwich park.

[Renata Hamvas]

Hi Lindsay, yes you're right. Katesonic, definitely not, plans are for specific areas, the main focus is a new One O'clock club building and improvemnent to play facilities in general, not negatively affecting a very important community green space! The reason why the one o'clcok club is being removed is due to the mature trees adjacent to the current building, they are taking over the space! Edanna, I'm getting this sorted,

Renata

[Dunraven]

Renata, apparently your information about the trees is incorrect, one of the 'consultants' and several other people in the know have informed me that there is no reason why the 1'0, Clock club cannot be rebuilt on the footprint it currently has. At the consultancy meeting at the Adventure, which only happened by the way because local people asked to see the plans,up until that there was no intention of coming to discuss the changes.Various and increasingly hilarious reasons for not building on the current site were put forward,-trees,common land laws,fencing, FA changing room rules etc, none of which were in the slightest bit convincing.I think if you ask people you will find that most of them like the way the play provision in the park is laid out as it is, most people don't want the football courts at the Adventure moved over as that impinges on the skate park,they do't want the Adventure extending around the corner and don't want to lose the nearby young children's play area either.Its a park it doesn't need a whole load of new buildings in it taking up even more of the green space.Why does the park need 2.2 million pounds spent on it and how much money has been spent on this so far? If it aint broke don't fix it.

[PokerTime]

Interesting post Dunraven. I think we all need to be able to see some plans online. I have the impression that the adventure playground is well used and a success. The childrens play area always seems to be well used as well. I also have the imperssion that young people are well served by the current facilities at the park. Can't see why any of that needs to change? I can though understand the 1.0 clock club wanting a better building or the football changing rooms needing to be in a better location (although given that they currently sit in the middle of pitches that are positioned at opposite ends of the park and common who knows?).

2.2 million though.....and how many educational and essential services have been cut back exactly?

[first mate]

Does seem an awful lot of money. Where has the demand from these services come from? The football/ sports changing rooms are temporary so that makes sense but thought it would make sense for a toddler play group to be close to the cafe.

The cynical side of me wonders if redevelopment of areas in the park enables the council to rewrite terms of use....sorry don't know the correct terminology?

As others have said if it ain't broke. It would be good to know who has been lobbying for these changes, is there huge public support or is it something the council has concocted...if so, who and why?

[hpsaucey]

Well - as nothing had been posted by anyone 'official' involved yet I googled and got this: http://buildingexploratory.blogspot.co.uk/2014/04/peckham-rye-park-common-proposals-to-be.html

Sounds like a 'done deal' in terms of happening after all given the 'The Project will' section below - so I guess people need to know what the 'consultation' is designed to do/contribute to plans and how much scope there is to impact on these plans.

Here's some of the text from it:

"We are working with Southwark Council to consult with local people in Peckham about the proposed changes to Peckham Rye Park & Common.

The proposals are to:

Build a new One O'Clock Club (now known as a play room) next to the adventure playground

Build brand new changing rooms near to the football pitches

Remove the existing playroom building and changing room containers to make way for a fantastic new open access play area for local children ."

Also quoted fmor the Southwark Council web pages:

' Final stage of ?2m Peckham kid's club re-vamp gets go ahead with council cash boost

Published 19 March 2014

Plans to revamp a popular children's play room on Peckham Rye are set to move forward after Southwark council agreed to invest almost a million pounds into the on going project.

The current play room is housed in an old prisoner of war hut on Peckham Rye Common. The building is on its last legs and discussions to replace it have been going on for some time, along with the need to improve nearby sports facilities and changing rooms in the park.

Earlier funding had been secured through the Cleaner Greener Safer (CGS) fund, but not enough to cover complete the project. However, the project is now being given a cash boost of ?995,000, announced as part of Southwark Council's capital refresh at this week's Cabinet meeting.

With the original CGS funding, plus previously secured money from Olympic Legacy funding among others, the total investment in the project will be around ?2m.

The project will:

Build a new One O'Clock Club (now known as a play room) next to the adventure playground

Build brand new changing rooms near to the football pitches

Remove the existing playroom building and changing room containers to make way for a fantastic new open access play area for local children

Cllr Dora Dixon Fyle , cabinet member for children's services, said: "I am so pleased that we have been able to commit real funds to this project which will provide a bigger, better, safer and much more suitable play and sports facility to the Peckham Rye community."

A planning application is expected to be submitted in Autumn this year and the project is scheduled to be completed by Spring 2016.

'

[Dunraven]

Exactly, apparently its a done deal,as this was announced on their website on the 7th of February way before they made any minor nod in the direction of pretending to 'consult' local people. The 'Building Exploratory'- I quote 'helps people discover the secrets of their local area and gain better understanding of the buildings and spaces that surround them' Ive lived here for 25 years I don't need someone from Hackney help me to discover my local area and tell me what they think should change- I digress furthermore, they claim to 'sepcialise(sic)-don't know what that means doesn't sound very nice 'in creating opportunities for people to engage creatively in changes taking place in their local area' well their you have it what a load of old tosh and this lot are getting funding from National Lottery and National Heritage for this!!!! Who thinks getting rid of play area and moving it onto the common is a good idea? anyone want to sit their whilst kids are playing with sound of traffic going past on main thoroughfare through park, much more convenient to have it near to Adventure where bigger kids can go independently, who thinks mixing provision for under 5's and 7-14 year olds,is a good idea? and why should Adventure which is well used lose its all weather courts, the only ones in the local area, this doesn't make sense, who gains from this? Any answers please people.

[Peckhamgatecrasher]

If anyone is interested in the POW huts (since the last one standing seems doomed), there is a talk by Peter Frost of the Peckham Society on Sunday, 27 April at 3.30 pm at the Goose Green Centre: The History of the POW huts on Peckham Rye Common.

[Renata Hamvas]

Hello all,

to update, the plans are being prepared in a format so that they can go up on the Southwark website and there will be the opportunity for anyone who has missed the consultation meetings to participate in the consultation process via the Southwark Website. I'll update when I know this has happened.

Renata

[Saffron]

The project will:

Build a new One O'Clock Club (now known as a play

room) next to the adventure playground

Build brand new changing rooms near to the

football pitches

Remove the existing playroom building and changing

room containers to make way for a fantastic new

open access play area for local children

Does anyone know if this will be employing local companies, builders, and tradespeople of East Dulwich and surrounding neighbourhoods?

[henryb]

Sorry to see the old hut go. Nice to have historical buildings/features about. What is exactly wrong with it?

[first mate]

This does feel like a done deal. A huge amount of money to be invested with seemingly very limited notice and very limited consultation.

What exactly is a 'fantastic new open access play area'? What will be in it. Why do we need it?

Isn't the whole of the park an open access play area? A new play area by the hut was only built a few years ago...how much did that cost?

[katgod]

I hope they will learn from the mistakes of the 'new' playground. It needs a fence/hedge/barrier to keep children in and dogs out. First mate that spending was badly designed and inappropriate for the ages of children it was said to be for, parts of it have never worked properly. Renata the plans need to be put online asap, so we can avoid the costly errors of the past.

[henryb]

You mean like the upward sloping stream?