Greendale Scout Hut closure by JAGS - what to do now?

[flanter]

JAGS are finally building their new music school and so are kicking out all the groups that use the Old Scout Hut in Greendale. We were given 11 weeks notice, and are hastily looking for a home for the four groups we run each week. Finding somewhere is hard, is anyone else affected by this? We would be prepared to share resources in the search for new premises.

simon

[macutd]

can't Jags do something for the local community?

[BrandNewGuy]

Well, JAGS says it's a 'community music centre'.

"The Music Centre is designed for use by both JAGS and the wider community. We know we can significantly improve the music-making facilities for the people of south-east London."

http://www.jags.org.uk/community/community-music-centre/

We need to hold them to that promise ? and not just for the local Bach Society, like Alleyn's got away with when they said much the same thing.

Here's what JAGS said to Southwark Council:

http://planningonline.southwark.gov.uk/DocsOnline/Documents/349676_1.pdf

[bawdy-nan]

Oh dear - that's the youth club gone then ...

[minder]

What a shame about all the local groups that use the scout hall. I've been to the toddler groups over the years and my kids have gone to the youth clubs and parties etc. and the space could do with a re-vamp but we just got on with it.

According to the JAGS musical centre they will have so many parking spaces, including 30 overspill at the North Dulwich Tennis Club. Do the NDTC know anything about this?

Flanter, I know of a great hall space nearby.

[intexasatthe moment]

Minder - is it actually stated that the overflow parking ia at the NDTC .I can only see the statement " tennis court area " .

The NDTC doesn't have any parking as far as I know .

[dontpanic]

Have you considered registering it as an Asset of Community Value (Community Asset) This might slow them down at the very least:

http://www.southwark.gov.uk/info/200501/community_right_to_bid

The Assets of Community Value (England) Regulations 2012 came into force on 21 September 2012 bringing the Act into effect.

Their purpose is to give community groups a right to nominate property that is believed to further the social interests or social wellbeing of the local community,and gives them time to make a bid to buy the property on the open market if the property owner decides to sell.

Only eligible community groups, local parish councils or local neighbourhood planning forums and charities can nominate properties.

[James Barber]

They mean the JAGS tennis court area accessed via Red Post Hill.

Have you asked if they could host any of these activities in other parts of JAGS or their sport centre?

[Pugwash]

The East Dulwich Community Centre in Darrell Road may have a few slots available for community group hire - they prefer regular groups to lots of private hirers as they want to retain the 'community aspect' of the centre.

Have a look at their web site

[bawdy-nan]

These are the patrons listed on Jags website who are charged with helping to raise the money needed for this "community" enterprise - I wonder if they have any suggestions - we could ask them on twitter ...

Patrons: Angela Gheorghiu (opera singer), (twitter @angelagheorghiu)

Camila Batmanghelidjh (KidsCompany), (Kids Compnay twitter @KidsCompanyUK )

Charlotte Ritchie (All Angels), (twitter @Charitchie)

Jenny ?clair (comedian & broadcaster),@jennyeclair

Jeremy James Taylor (National Youth Music Theatre),@NYMTuk

Lady Annabelle Weidenfeld,

Lord Lester of Herne Hill, http://www.parliament.uk/biographies/lords/lord-lester-of-herne-hill/2037

Lord McColl of Dulwich,[email protected]http://www.parliament.uk/biographies/lords/lord-mccoll-of-dulwich/1892

Richard Stilgoe (Youth Music & Music Therapy) @RichardStilgoe

Sally Hawkins (actress),

Sir David Willcocks,

Sola Akingbola (Jamiroquai).@solasco

The main CMC Committee is chaired by Sarah Tunstall @Tunsty

an alumna and governor of JAGS. Many other supporters are working with us.

[bawdy-nan]

This is the organisation that runs the youth club http://www.redthread.org.uk/

[flanter]

Regarding asking them if they have other spaces available, I can only speak for the Dulwich art Group but they (JAGS)say that they have nothing for us. It's odd really because as we built up the membership of our groups we sought repeated assurances that they would find us another space when the time came for redevelopment. They always told us that whatever happened they would make sure we had a place to be. Feels a bit shabby to us.

Thank you to those who are suggesting alternative locations by private message.

[Hazel H]

The Dulwich Artists Group will sadly miss this great community asset. I have refound my love of life drawing through these sessions amongst some lovely people. I do hope it will not be lost forever.

[bawdy-nan]

Well, Sola Akingbola (Jamiroquai).@solasco wonders why they can't share in the "interests of social cohesion"

[flanter]

They've actually been pretty good at sharing up until now, reasonable rates, flexible, excellent facilities manager, which makes the suddenness of this all the more inexplicable.

[blueblazes]

Nothings forever, but you would have thought that Jags would honour their promise, or give good notice if they couldn't. Bad form.

[rch]

I liaised closely with JAGS when the Sea Cadets defaulted on their lease with a view towards making the Hut available for the Youth Club (which is now run by Redthread) and the Pensioners Club that I raised the funding for.

It was always understood that the use of the Hut would be temporary, mostly because of the extremely poor condition of the building. JAGS actually spent quite a lot of money stabilising it enough for temporary use, although the back of the building isn't accessible because it's still in pretty bad shape.

As a back-up, I raised the funding (with CGS funding) for the conversion of the TRA hall on the Dutch estate so that the estate residents would have a fall-back when the Hut was eventually demolished. This was a mind-bogglingly complex process, but we got there in the end.

About a year ago, I found an alternative location for the Youth Club (which is too large for the TRA hall), so I contacted Redthread yesterday and gave them the details again as the staff has changed around, but it's up to them what they want to do. For the moment, I think they're going to take a break from June-Sept.

[rch]

But what we really need in this area is a council-run community centre with a small council housing office, One Stop Shop, meeting rooms (which can also be used for Community Council and Planning meetings), and a Police Contact Point run from the same location, sharing running costs.

Since Crown House and the Police Station were both closed, we have a Black Hole in community facilities in the Lordship Lane/East Dulwich Grove area.

The Darrell Road community centre is doing an excellent job, but it's too far for residents on this side of East Dulwich to get to... and the local church facilities are brilliant, but hard to book to coincide with council events.

A perfect location would either be on the Dulwich Hospital site, in tandem with the new medical facility, or maybe the Fred Francis Centre on Lordship Lane, when the facility there is moved to Camberwell.

[flanter]

What *we* need is a purpose built arts centre...(can dream) When we were driving around looking for new premises it was amazing how quickly things don't feel 'local'. The Scout Hut feels local to Dulwich and East Dulwich but you only have to go half a mile in any direction and it feels like you're somewhere else. We have quite a few artists who walk and others who take trains and buses and some who drive. The Scout Hut has parking, is on a bus route and around the corner from a couple of railway stations, which makes the location ideal for us.

The Dulwich Hospital site would indeed be ideal as would the Fred Francis Centre. Can you make it happen RCH?

Bawdy-nan you clearly know which levers to pull, very impressive.

[bawdy-nan]

RCH - that's really good to hear about your efforts - thank you so much for replying and for all of your efforts in this area.

I do hope that the new JAGS music centre is "for the community" but on the website it seems to imply that "community" is the (very expensive) classes that are held there on Saturdays and the (very expensive) orchestra courses that are run there.

There's almost nothing for young people to do round here ... and its grim for them.

[bawdy-nan]

flanter - re levers - not at all - just a bit of google foo and then a bit of tweeting

[BrandNewGuy]

bawdy-nan Wrote:

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

> I do hope that the new JAGS music centre is "for

> the community" but on the website it seems to

> imply that "community" is the (very expensive)

> classes that are held there on Saturdays and the

> (very expensive) orchestra courses that are run

> there.

>

> There's almost nothing for young people to do

> round here ... and its grim for them.

As I mentioned, their proposal to Spouthwark Council explicitly states: "The Community Music Centre... will be open to people of all ages and backgrounds who live in the local area, i.e. in Southwark and in those parts of the neighbouring boroughs of Lambeth, Lewisham and Croydon which are relatively close to North Dulwich."

We just have to make sure we hold them to that. Eternal vigilance, as always...

[first mate]

Let's hope this does not, in reality, mean open to anyone, but only if you can afford it.

[BrandNewGuy]

No, if you read the document, they have 'community' criteria for use rather than commercial ones. It's actually a pretty good project on paper - we just have to make sure they stick to it in practice.

[bawdy-nan]

Well the website info isn't very inspiring - cites the sports club as an example and the expensive Saturday classes as examples of excellent community use ...

http://www.jags.org.uk/community/community-music-centre/