Brockley Footpath needs lighting ASAP

[mynamehere]

The Brockley Footpath needs lighting! It's a wonderful wild and very long footpath which runs North to South between Nunhead Cemetery along one whole side and Allotments and the Thames Reservoir along the other.

Police are constantly dealing with anti-social behaviour in the dark, dealing with people causing trouble breaking fences into the Reservoir.

This is the turf of Councillors Edwards, Hamvas and Mills and MP Jowell (who has stopped taking questions I believe)

What do the Friends of Nunhead Cemetery think?

I hope this is a good place to get the ball rolling on this. The issue of lighting was raised at the Peckham Rye Ward Meeting by the police themselves.

[Blah Blah]

Lighting won't make any difference to any of the above issues. Police don't patrol it and there is no CCTV. The reservoir area itself is now fenced off anyway.

[Andrew1011]

And Tessa Jowell wasn't the MP for that area, it is in Harriet Harman's constituency.

[mynamehere]

Blah Blah it's the police who have asked that this be taken to the public. I have it from a woman officer that she feels very exposed when she has to work there and she's has to help parents with children negotiate the path in the dark. The police cannot ask for something like lighting, it has to come from the public and other stakeholders through politicians and applications for money. Maybe this could be cleaner greener safer in the area? Renata?

[jctg]

I would dispute that the police are "constantly" having to deal with antisocial behaviour there. I live right next to it and don't see the police that often. As a previous poster there is now a huge new fence around the reservoir. Also, the police escorting parents with children along there in the dark?!? I don't understand that.

[mynamehere]

I take the police and their concerns at face value: a female officer at the Ward Meeting across from the path said she works that patch and she said she finds the lack of lighting makes the area feel unsafe and makes her job harder. Other people at the Ward meeting agreed.

jctg you seem to live right there and from your post I assume you use the path with some frequency including in the dark, you directly dispute this police officer and it seems from your post you do not want to have the area along the path lit.

That's great input. The reason I've posted is to get comments and hopefully Renata will weigh in on this. While I wish we lived entirely with nature and dark and light as the earth revolves and winds its way around the sun, in reality in a city I will not go down a dark street at night. I accept without comment a police officer telling me that she needs light to do her work and she needs the public to ask for it to be installed by the relevant authority.

[aquarius moon]

I think it will be just as creepy in the dark, whether it's lit or not.

I walk through there in the daytime and it's fine. However, the bit in the middle when you get to the top of the hill & before it slopes down again feels quite lonely & a potentially bad section for people nervous about walking alone.

It's so narrow & secluded, it's just a shame it couldn't be widened/opened up instead.

I haven't seen the police there very often either.

[mynamehere]

Thanks aquarius moon, that opens up some ideas: levelling and a light at the top?

[Siduhe]

What I find interesting and a bit concerning, is that a serving police officer thinks the only way to get lighting put in is to ask someone else to post it on a message board to get public support. If the police think it's needed, I'd like to think that they should have plenty of other avenues to ask/pressure for these sort of improvements. I'd also like to think they have regular contacts with local councillors to discuss things like CGS funding allocation. Am I just out of touch with how modern policing works?

Edited to add - I'm not being snerky about the officer requesting this post on here at all - it sounds like a good idea - I genuinely would be concerned if a police officer didn't feel there was any official avenue to go down for this sort of request.

[James Barber]

In the past applications to use Cleaner, Greener, Safer funding have been made to light this path. It was refused on the basis of public safety!

If the police have changed their minds then a CGS application in the Autumn when the next round will open for application would be one was of making this happen.

[mynamehere]

Siduhe at the Ward meeting at the Ivy House last night, Wednesday the 1st (omg it's all a hoax!) a lot of police were present and there are usually the ward councillors but there's a political rule that close to an election they don't promise things they might not be able to deliver as they might be voted out. It's called purda!

As this forum can deliver a range of voices I took the initiative to post here rather than email "privately" . In fact, I don't live right there and I was rather hoping that someone who felt galvanised might run with this as a bite sized improvement whose time had come.

[Sue]

James Barber Wrote:

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

> In the past applications to use Cleaner, Greener,

> Safer funding have been made to light this path.

> It was refused on the basis of public safety!

>

You mean they said that lighting the path would make it more unsafe for people??

How come??

[Mugglesworth]

Lit or unlit, the path is cut off from dwellings and there are no routes to deviate from the path should you see a suspicious person ahead. From memory, the police were previously against lighting the path on the grounds that it might give people a false sense of security and make them more likely to use it at night. Demands for lighting would inevitably be followed by demands for CCTV, police patrols and nervous pedestrian holding bays (OK, I made that last bit up).

The path has been there for much longer than most of the surrounding features (including the cemetery) and it will never be a pleasant, leafy stroll that's free from stranger danger anxiety. Perhaps best to leave it as is rather than just add more light pollution?

[mynamehere]

EDF has provided exactly what everyone praises it for across London (seriously!) A Complete Picture. I'm going to copy and paste for the police involved.

Thank you James and Mugglesworth now I know the history and I see all the conflicts. I can imagine some ways round that might strike a balance and it could be in a new application to CGS a balance might be struck that preserves rare and valuable wild and dark space and a bit more just a bit more comfort if that's the word

[Blah Blah]

So we need to put lights everywhere now so that Police Officers don't have to go anywhere in the dark?

What when Police have to go into any of our parks at night? Is this Police Officer going to ask the same of those areas? If this Police Officer is scared of the dark then maybe she should change career. They are btw equiped with powerful torches, pepper spray, radios etc and they also travel in twos, so it's not as though she ever has to negotiate this path alone after dark.

Am I the only person somewhat bemused by this?

[Sue]

Blah Blah Wrote:

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

> So we need to put lights everywhere now so that

> Police Officers don't have to go anywhere in the

> dark?

>

> What when Police have to go into any of our parks

> at night? Is this Police Officer going to ask the

> same of those areas? If this Police Officer is

> scared of the dark then maybe she should change

> career. They are btw equiped with powerful

> torches, pepper spray, radios etc and they also

> travel in twos, so it's not as though she ever has

> to negotiate this path alone after dark.

>

> Am I the only person somewhat bemused by this?

No, me too.

Seems like she's in the wrong job.

[PeckhamRose]

I was there at that meeting mynamehere. Which police officer was this? I spoke to the women officers.

[mynamehere]

Very tall and in her 20's

[pipsky2008]

mynamehere Wrote:

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

>

> ath,+London+SE15+3BF/@51.4610684,-0.0531165,17z/da

> ta=!3m1!4b1!4m2!3m1!1s0x487603b18b499b1b:0xec21758

> bd03719fb

>

> The Brockley Footpath needs lighting! It's a

> wonderful wild and very long footpath which runs

> North to South between Nunhead Cemetery along one

> whole side and Allotments and the Thames Reservoir

> along the other.

>

> Police are constantly dealing with anti-social

> behaviour in the dark, dealing with people causing

> trouble breaking fences into the Reservoir.

>

> This is the turf of Councillors Edwards, Hamvas

> and Mills and MP Jowell (who has stopped taking

> questions I believe)

>

> What do the Friends of Nunhead Cemetery think?

>

> I hope this is a good place to get the ball

> rolling on this. The issue of lighting was raised

> at the Peckham Rye Ward Meeting by the police

> themselves.

Hi

If you want to raise this issue and haven't done so already, email the councillors and the L.P.T directly. Cllrs Edwards and Mills don't post here, as far as I'm aware and Cllr Dr.Hamvas may not pick up your thread. Copy in James Barber also as he has offered some background.

[email protected]

[email protected]

[email protected]

[email protected]

Can't think of Peckham rye police email off hand.

[Renata Hamvas]

Hi there was a CGS application some years ago. I do know that there have been crimes committed on the footpath in the past. I would suggest a new CGS application for this, in the next round of applications so that we can look into the feasibility of this.

Renata

[mynamehere]

As you weigh all the facts Renata and Gavin and Victoria and James try to find some wonderful middle ground of wild and wildlife and safety (is it possible? I hope so)

What about lights just before the crest of the hill both sides? That might reduce light pollution

Thanks for picking up on this. When the police ask for help I think we need to listen

[Blah Blah]

The Police haven't asked for help though. One officer (who needs to question the job she's in if a dark footpath frightens her) made a comment at a ward meeting, I am assuming as part of a general discussion.

Let's think about this. Who walks that path in the dark? Will lighting suddenly stop people trying to get into the reservoir grouds for the view etc? Lighting won't change a thing, but it will waste electricity and the money it costs to implement it. It would be different if it were a heavily used footpath. But it's not.

[lofty23]

I expect it's the Water company who own the resevoir want the lighting as their property is being broken into and trespassed on and are pressing the police to do it.

Sod them.

[Renata Hamvas]

I will be discussing this with my Ward Colleagues. Lofty, I don't think this has anything to do with Thames Water. In winter Nunhead Cemetery shuts at 4pm so it's a long way round via either Solomon's Passage or Ivydale road if you want to go down into central Nunhead.

Renata

[Mccarthymac]

I live next to it also 1st I never seen any police lady unless she is on the other end of it as I am on linden grove and they used to having lights up there years ago back they all got broke and I don't think light will help anyone in danger up there as I was attact in early eve ( around 7pm ) on consort Rd with my 4 year old this man attact 22 women. Like someone else said you need cctv and lights that can not be smash up but our lovely youger people whom don't seem to have anything else to do other than drink and smash up the place.