Petition re Dulwich Hospital site

[first mate]

James,

Again, "Can you disclose if Harris make any financial contributions to you or your party?"

[LondonMix]

James, I have never said that the zoning issue may not in fact be real but that has nothing to do with if the site should be shared with a Harris Primary and is being used as a means of distraction by you to change the topic at hand.

The petition is clearly for a secondary school on site so your suggestion that the petition risks the authorities ignoring the stated aim of the petition in favor of a primary school which the petition specifically asks not to be put on site is ludicrous and designed to scare and confuse your constituents.

Please answer the following questions yes or no:

1. James do you deny that both you and Harris have stated that the Harris Nunhead was designed specifically to meet the projected shortfall in Nunhead?

2. James are you claiming that the DfE approved the application for a second primary serving East Dulwich rather than Nunhead?

3. Do you deny that current pupil forecasts from Soutwark already show a surplus of primary school places based on the new openings in the Dulwich area?

4. Do you or your party receive financial contributions from Harris

[James Barber]

The hospital site is 28,300m2.

Health people say they expect to need 7,000->9,000m2 for new super duper replacement facilities including parking for at least 100 cars.

Haberdashers' Aske's believe they would ideally have 19,500m2 for a new secondary school.

A primary school would need minimum 1,800m2.

I would prefer the primary school to be elsewhere but without Southwark Council zoning another site, such as 520 Lordship Lane for educational use, the maths for boths schools and a fab new health facility do work on the hospital site.

[LondonMix]

James please answer my questions.

There is no need for another primary school, certainly not one for Nunhead in East Dulwich. The questions above a very simple and your refusal to answer them is alarming.

[Dulwich Born And Bred]

We also already have two primary schools opening , Harris Dulwich and The Belham.

I am actually quite angry that we have been duped somehow into signing for two Harris schools when we signed up for one Harris school only .

It's the reason I am not supporting Habs as James is behind it and I don't trust anything he champions and Charter is my school of choice .

[James Barber]

Hi LondonMix,

How do you know we don't need more primary school places?

Clearly Southwark and the DfE/EFA also think we need more school places. They've both approved schools since the second Harris free primary school was approved - Belham and Ivydale doubling.

Why would they do that if they didn't think we need the extra school places?

Why would they do that AFTER the second Harris was approved?

[LondonMix]

James, please answer my questions previously posted and stop trying to deflect.

I can very easily answer your questions with the official Southwark documents already posted on the Family Room forum but I can see you are trying to avoid answering my questions by changing the topic and so won't engage with any deflections until you honestly answer the 4 questions posted earlier.

ETA questions below again:

Please answer the following questions yes or no:

1. James do you deny that both you and Harris have stated that the Harris Nunhead was designed specifically to meet the projected shortfall in Nunhead?

2. James are you claiming that the DfE approved the application for a second primary serving East Dulwich rather than Nunhead?

3. Do you deny that current pupil forecasts from Southwark already show a surplus of primary school places based on the new openings in the Dulwich area?

4. Do you or your party receive financial contributions from Harris?

[Otta]

Dulwichborn&bred if you support Charter thatsr cool, but you shouldn't not support HABS because James is "behind it" because he's not really behind it as such.

A parents steering group came to the conclusion that it was their preferred provider.

[first mate]

first mate Wrote:

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

> James,

>

> Again, "Can you disclose if Harris make any

> financial contributions to you or your party?"

[samstopit]

Thanks Otta. That's true.

[Dulwich Born And Bred]

He seems focused on Habs so that hadn't helped at all .

Charter is my preference, not that it matters as it seems just like Harris was the chosen provider so will Habs be the chosen one especially with James support .

[James Barber]

Londonmix

I can categorically state I and the lib Dems have not and I doubt will ever receive any support of any kind from Harris in any aw shape or form.

Lord Harris is a Tory lord. It pained me and my colleagues to go cap in hand to a Tory led and funded charity in what must have been 2011 but it was the right thing to do for East Dulwich.

[LondonMix]

And the other 3 questions that came before that?

[James Barber]

I'm on a packed bus and wanted to respond to the slur immediately. I've a meeting from 7-9+ pm and then home.

I will respond when I'm physically able to.

[LondonMix]

It wasn't a slur it was a question for transparency.

I look forward to your concise and direct responses to the first 3 questions raised when you a physically capable of doing so.

[buggie]

I do recall there being some talk of a Harris primary school for Nunhead during the original collection of names to show interest for Harris primaries as I signed thinking that any potential 2nd school would be sited at Homestall Rd/south end of Dulwich where black holes were evident from previous research.

Being in catchment of Ivydale, it seemed logical at the time that this could help improve the situation at Ivydale regarding it's shrinking catchment & increasingly high numbers of places going to siblings.

However, since then (despite James' disquiet) Ivydale has started formalising plans to expand (thus helping the shortfall), and then suddenly the plans appeared for the hospital site in Nunhead's name - not what was originally thought & a wholly unsuitable site given the poor public transport links between Nunhead & ED, the 484 isn't fit for purpose at the moment, let alone if it was being used to ship kids around for the school run.

Am very disappointed to see the tone of James' posts & the lack of appreciation of what the communities concerns are.

I don't understand how such high figures can be put on land for sale from those providing public service to those providing public service - is someone trying to catch up after the Heygate scandal?!

[Belle]

Dulwich Born & Bred - it's over to the Department for Education now to pick an appropriate provider from the two bids (if it in fact chooses one at all - that's all in their gift) - it's nothing to do with James now, so whatever you think of him (and though I'm in complete disagreement with him over this site dispute/Nunhead primary fracas, I do still give him credit for getting the secondary campaign going in the first place) - he is not 'behind' Habs as such, that would be a group of parents (of which I'm a member), who felt Habs had the best offer.

[Otta]

buggie Wrote:

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

> I don't understand how such high figures can be

> put on land for sale from those providing public

> service to those providing public service

Until I read the next line I was about to say "this is Southwark we're talking about, the council responsible for Heygate".

And then you wrote

> - is someone trying to catch up after the Heygate

> scandal?!

In seriousness though, in my experience, a local authority is far from being one big happy family, and different departments will happily mug other departments to balance their own books. And that's within an authority, so to expect them to be different for anyone else (whilst desirable) is probably a pipe dream.

[ram001]

James, will the hospital building itself stay intact? and more importantly what will the architecture of the new school be like?

[Dulwich Born And Bred]

I don't really have much faith in Government departments after working for one and seeing families with children who have no special needs, looked after children etc from Camberwell getting into Dulwich schools whilst kids near the Dulwich schools have to travel further but that is another thread .

As long as we get secondary school that isn't a Harris and a health centre I am happy .

[James Barber]

Hi ram001,

It is hard to say whether the existing buildings will remain intact. BUT Haberdashers' Aske's charity board are keen if possible to keep as many buildings as possible to from day one give the school the feeling of stature a (my words) and feeling of substance. BUT the place is riddled iwth asbestos. The wings were build often with single brick skins. So I personally doubt if the wings can be kept. I hope the central Chateau style can be kept - the NHS Property people are reported to have a quote to remove asbestos from thos central buildings alone of ?1M.

Sorry I can't be clearer but serious crystal ball needed.

Hi buggie,

I was also alarmed when the Met Police Property peopel held an auction for the former East Dulwioch Pilice station and then allowed the Department for Education EFA people to buy it at that housing development pricing. Having met and spoken with NHS property people a number of times they are crystal clear school places isn't their problem and they will extract the highest possible price. NHS Property have soft marketted the whole Dulwich Hopsital site earleir this year to understand the prices national house developers would be willing to pay. Hence my vehement concern that we're all about to not get what we want due to Southwark Council zoning of the hospital site and currently no actions despite repeated requests to change this dire situation.

The ball is clearly with Southwark Council but people are being pointed at govt minister David Laws for some bizarre reason.

Hi LondonMix,

I've responded to other peoples comments first. I'm now at work, and then family celebration tonight so will respond tomorrow to you or Thursday.

[Penguin68]

the NHS Property people are reported to have a quote to remove asbestos from thos central buildings alone of ?1M.

There is no need, or even requirement, to remove asbestos. Asbestos must be marked and a proper record kept, (and any staff exposure to asbestos dust properly recorded and the records kept for a long time) but it is entirely safe if undisturbed (and there are treatments to stabilise surfaces). It is only when a building with asbestos is being torn down (or significantly altered) that asbestos is an issue - then of course it must be worked with (or removed) with great care.

When already in place (and not being disturbed/ drilled etc.) then asbestos is a very effective substance - a good fire retardant and insulator.

[LondonMix]

Okay, I look forward to your response tomorrow or Thursday to the questions below James.

1. James do you deny that both you and Harris have stated that the Harris Nunhead was designed specifically to meet the projected shortfall in Nunhead?

2. James are you claiming that the DfE approved the application for a second primary serving East Dulwich rather than Nunhead?

3. Do you deny that current pupil forecasts from Southwark already show a surplus of primary school places based on the new openings in the Dulwich area?

[EastDulwichLabour]

As an East Dulwich Labour Councillor I will continue to campaign for a secondary school on the Hospital site along with a new medical centre. We will have plenty of primary provision in the near future so I am not sure what James Barber's Tory friends are up to trying to impose a primary as well as a secondary school on the site. They should be listening and talking to local parents. I would urge as many people as possible to sign the petition. I find it very alarming that Mr Barber will not answer First Mate's question. Come on Jim boy, a simple yes or no will do.

[Otta]

Wehey, party politics on the EDF.