former East Dulwich councillor - how can I help?

[James Barber]

Hi peckhamrose,

Delighted to hear you attend the Peckham Rye Safer Neighbourhood Team ward panel.

the Community Speed watch does'nt issue fines, etc. If a pattern is proven then action is taken. So I don't see the risks you believe.

You might like to ask why the East Dulwich ward police stats INCLUDE 1/4 of Peckham Rye ward, 1/8 of Village ward and 1/8 of College ward. Your Police stats doen't reflect your ward. Trying to get the Police to fix this but amazingly hard as at central level. This is one of the reaon the East Dulwich team has so many officers - nine.

[James Barber]

Hi Steady Eddy,

GRove Vale crossing. A new zebra crossing will be installed on the Grove Vale exit from Goose Green Roundabout. The other two zebra crossings will be improved to ensure they work even better. The public conulstation for these changes took place earlier this year and involved letters to residents for some distnace around this site.

Hope that clarifies things.

[James Barber]

Hi huncamunca,

The Controlled Drinking Zone was agreed at full council assembly. The local councillors for Peckham Rye ward voted for the CDZ if memory serves me correctly. They din'nt ask for exceptions. However, I would hope that the Peckham Rye Safer Nrighbourhood Team would be more considered. Perhaps something for Peckham Rose to take up at the next Peckham Rye Police ward meeting.

So having a picnic in Dulwich Park doesn't run any risk of PCSO's taking a bottle of wine away.

As for inconsiderate licensed premises in East Dulwich. I suspect the establishment you're thinking about owns the land this is taking place on. The local MP Tessa Jowell instigated new licensing laws where it has to be proven a license request will cause harm. Reversing the previous burden of proof and making all licences have to be reappleid for has caused reall harm across Southwark and the country.

If you email me the specifics I'll see what can be done - potentially seekin a licence review [email protected]

[James Barber]

Hi Loz,

will ask why this is happening. seems pretty silly from what you've described and creates avoidable work.

[James Barber]

Primary School Places

This summer has seen problems with Primary school places in London as a whole and the Dulwich area. It?s believed that changes in London?s demographics, combined with the impact of the recession, have led to an extraordinary rise in demand for new reception places, leaving many schools with little or no capacity to take on extra pupils.

Southwark purchases school population predictions, as do 25/33 London Boroughs, from the Greater London Authority and have done so for a number of years. The models appear suddenly wrong. The figures were revised by the GLA on 7 April, then 18 May and then 17 June. Each time upwards. This is unheard of.

But how has this impacted on how things have gone overall as only unhappy families contact local councillors?

This was the first year East Dulwich families had reported problems. Frankly, it came as a bit of a shock.

For the Dulwich area and Southwark overall 304 and 2,370 applications respectively from Southwark residents on time with further 45 and 556 late applications. For the Dulwich area and Southwark 90% had schools offered and accepted within 1 mile of home for on time applications. For late applications the percentages fell to 80%.

Of those who didn?t get a school within 1 mile of home many were from choice - attending religious schools or the same school as siblings.

This appears a success but I dont? yet know how many families had their first or second choices. Once we have that information we?ll have a clearer idea how successful things have really been overall.

BUT to make this happen in the Dulwich area an emergency extra class has been created at Goodrich. HUGE THANKS to Goodwich School.

Lots of efforts behind the scenes to work out is this a blip? how long if a blip? how to prepare for next year? how long would a new school take to build? is it necessary? where would you build one if necessary? government rules would probably result in a religious school and would an Islamic, CoE or Catholic school solve things? These questions if acted upon in series would normally take 7 years before a new school opens due to government rules and procedures.

What do you think has caused this blip and is it long lasting?

What do you think would solve the problem?

[Gimme]

Hi Councillor Barber,

I'm cynical about the use of signs alone to slow traffic as I cycle on 20 mile an hour routes all the time (often at about 18mph) and see cars and buses flying along at much higher speeds. I think speed humps certainly slow traffic down.

I'm all for traffic calming in our street but you haven't recognised the point I've been making that the main problem in our street isn't necessarily speed, it is volume. We live on a rat run created by council planning. The council has had this identified to them a year ago and hasn't done anything. It needs not just to slow the traffic on a rat run but look to eliminate the causes of that rat run (as per Southwark Road Safety report).

So no, I've not had a change of heart and any measures will be welcome but think that there's probably a bit more thinking involved in this specific problem. And I do still think that just putting a sign up, giving residents speed guns and thinking the problem is solved, is not the right answer. Speed signs plus speed bumps would however make a difference.

JBARBER Wrote:

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> Hi Gimme,

> I'm sorry to see you being so cynical about the

> work we've been undertaking to bring 20mph speed

> limites to East dulwich streets that want it. This

> work is likely to result in your street having

> this limit and potentially speed humps etc that

> you've been pressing me for for some time.

>

> If you no longer want this and have had a change

> of heart please do tell me.

[sian]

Posting for the third time in the hope I get a response..

Please tell me why Southwark sends so many letters re electoral registration ? I have had 7 letters. Replied to the first with all details and then I continue to receive these.

Also why has so much money been sunk into a brand new town hall at one end of the borough on prime development land>? Couldnt this money have been spent on services for council tax payers? Say on increasing school places?

[Gimme]

Not wishing to do the Councillors work for him Sian, but....he did reply to you at 1.38pm today. You maybe want to read up a bit...

[Steady Eddy]

-

[fredricketts]

Ashbourne Grove Tenants have been involved with Mr J Mitchell and Southwark Council for the a couple of years trying to sort out problems in Ashbourne Grove , and to be quite honest we have found that you are a waste of time. Rubbish placed outside the flats above Somerfield?s on the pavement in Lordship Lane every day for the last four years, you have done nothing what?s so ever about it in fact you have been deceiving us, but letting us think that you were doing something, when in fact you have been doing nothing. You gave planning permission for the Offices above Somerfield?s to be converted into 10 flats, without any where to put there rubbish and no where to park their cars, because you also allowed them to build on their car park. When Mr J Mitchell was dealing with us, he knew that the offices above Somerfield?s were in fact an HOSTEL not flats, which he could not or would not tell the residents, as he knew there would be uproars in Ashbourne Grove, especially when it turns out that there is rapist in the hostel.

Conditions and Reasons for Application Number 04-AP-1067

the dwellings hereby permitted shall not be occupied before details of the arrangements for the storing of domestic refuse have been submitted to (2 copies) and approved by the local planning authority and the facilities approved have been provided and are available for use by the occupiers of the dwellings. This has never been carried out and you knew it, your party and the Council gave a lot of rhetoric to us about taking the owner to court for not complying with these conditions, knowing full well that nothing would be done about, properly because the Council is renting the property as a Hostel. One law for the Council and another for the public.

What`s the point of imposing Conditions when you know that you can break them but we cannot.?

I give Mr Mitchell his due he has tried, but not hard enough or fair enough.

[kford]

No average speed cameras, please. I'd rather ED motorists have their eyes on the road, not on their speedos. These devices don't stop drivers talking on their phones, drink or drug-driving or driving without due care and attention, which as the DoT's own figures suggest, are the main causes of urban accidents.

I'd sooner you lobby for the police to use ANPR to weed out the uninsured, untaxed and unMOTed motorists in the area. According to safety campaigners, they are 10 times more likely to drink and drive and more likely to crash: http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/article4535423.ece

[PeckhamRose]

Ditto hear hear etc. More excuses to take our eyes OFF the road and on to the countless signs and so on are not good. Not to mention more signage 'furniture' on the pavements - we don't need it!

[James Barber]

Hi fredricketts,

The planning permission to convert the premises above the Somerfield on Lordship Lane was granted by the previous Labour councillors for East Dulwich BEFORE 2006 when East Dulwich voted in Lib Dem councillors.

I'm amazed you didn't realise this.

The planning permission granted appears to have wholly insufficient thought given to rubbish and recycling facilities for the residents of those flats.

You will be aware that my colleague cllr Jonathan Mitchell has been persevering with officers and various enforcement actions have been taken. He hasn't finished and we will reach a successful resolution.

[Gimme]

Councillor Barber,

There is a small plane flying back and forth across East Dulwich and quite frankly causing unacceptable levels of noise and disruption to those of us trying to enjoy the sunshine in our gardens. We already have a Heathrow flightpath and a City Airport flight path overhead and have to deal with that noise pollution on a daily basis.

This isn't the first time it has happened but I don't know if it was the same plane as previous occasions.

How do you stop these inconsiderate idiots in the small plane from adding to the aviation noise pollution?

Or who do you complain to to stop this from happening?

And do you know whether anyone is doing anything to persuade City Airport to route their flights elsewhere?

[Amelie]

Dear Gimme

I think your first route of complaint is the Civil Aviation Authority.

[Rockets]

Gimme,

The plane is doing a photographic survey and has been doing it for weeks.

Unfortunately, ED is under the flightpath of two airports and there's not a huge amount we can do about it. It's going to get worse from Tuesday from City airport as BA is starting flying Airbus planes from City to New York and unlike the current planes flying from City, they are not designed with quietness in mind. Gotta hope they get routed over north london rather than south.

[James Barber]

Hi Gimme,

I'm afraid as an East Dulwich councillor I don't hold much if any sway with the CAA.

BUT I'm personally a member of HACAN (Heathrow Action Campaign Against Noise). IF the Heathrow flights paths bother you do join.

I've encouraged Southwark Council to join the 3M groups of local authorities campaigning against a 3rd runway, night flights and more flights generally at Heathrow.

I've been pressing Southwark Council to formally object to London City Airport expansion and that is being worked on. London city airport plan to increase flights form 80,000 pa to 120,000 pa and are already thinking beyond these numbers.

[eater81]

Mr Barber. I do declare that you have made a rod for your own back by coming on this forum!!

Ignore the posters hassling you about all these petty issues and you loose votes for apparently 'not caring'.

Attend to any of them in a half hearted manner and you risk losing votes for apparently being inept.

Attend to the concerns of your friendly subjects and you'll be here till next Christmas!

Good luck on the campaign trail!

[*Bob*]

Dear Mr Barber,

Shortly after leaving the house, my girlfriend often worries (unnecessarily) that she might have left her hair straighteners on. As I'm sure you can appreciate, it can be annoying if we get halfway down the street and then have to come back and check!

What do you suggest?

[Jeremy]

Tell her to get a perm instead! Problem solved.

http://cecilvortex.com/brian_may_23.jpg

[Administrator]

Please stay on topic

[nutty]

JBARBER Wrote:

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> Hi Tobester999,

> Hmmm. Those posts etc are intended to demarcate

> the properties border.

> This shop owner used to illegally try selling cars

> outside this shop.

> council officers have formally stopped this and

> allegedly this was perilous.

>

> What I find truly amazing is that someone is so

> rich that they don't need such a prime shop site

> to be a successful shop, or rent it out, etc.

> Bizarre.

Funny how he seemed to by selling a car parked outside the shop again this weekend....

[m7post]

Dear Mr Barber - Thank you for your reply - sorry, I hadn't seen it till this point.

I'm sure you will agree that employing some consultancy company to provide 3 times a year just some really fairly meaningless data is really of little use to us. It really only takes a council employee half an hour to walk up and down each side of Lordship lane.

The shop keepers of Lordship Lane as I'm sure you are more than aware pay high business rates - this is the centre of our community - a lot of the shops are food based - the condition of the surroundings needs, and should be for the level of rates and council tax paid, at a minimum hygienic. Out side all the takeaway type places the level of grime as it is at most of the majour bus stops is pretty rank - as well as the beginning of Northcross Road, late night shops / bars and especially round East Dulwich Station. Please could you look into on our behalf - how money could be diverted from paying companies to tell how clean or not the place my be - to actually the council actually doing something about it . We need to take some pride in where we live, other boroughs that have high usage centres wash their streets and pavements as needed - really we should at the minimum be looking to do the same - shouldn't we?

Thanks again and best wishes,

Martin.

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

JBARBER Wrote:

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

> Hi M7Post,

> Funnilly enough I'd felt the same about the

> streets in East Dulwich getting grubbier than

> normal.

> I've asked council officers about this.

> Apparently street cleanliness is measured by a

> company called Encams 3 times a year. The last

> full years results for Southwark (lower results

> mean cleaner streets) 08/09 were:

> Litter 6%, detritus (eg.leaf material) 12%,

> graffiti 3%, Fly posting 1%

>

> A Southwark street cleaning inspector has just

> found for East Dulwich:

> Litter 2.4%, dtritus 22%, graffiti 0%, Flt posting

> 0%

>

> As a result more attention will be made to

> clearing Detritus in East Dulwich.

> However, we don't have the mechanisms for washing

> all our streets. In the future if very dry periods

> without any real rain continue e.g. global warming

> we'd have to review setting up the infrastructure

> for street washing.

>

> Hope this answers your points.

[2Sheds]

Hi James

Fred Ricketts is right to 'jump up and down' about the continual leaving of rubbish outside of the Somerfields store. It is a constant eyesore.

Not 20 paces from the 'Somerfield dump' we also experience the constant dumping of rubbish at the junction of Matham Grove and Lordship Lane on a daily basis. Black plastic bags along with old furniture, plus the fact that the two restaurants at the end of the street fail to maintain the exterior of their bins make for an unsightly, often smelly area that we all must walk past, at close proximity, to access Lordship Lane.

The rubbish is being dumped by some of the residents of the flats above 34 ? 44 Lordship Lane. It has been going on for 4 years and I have a good collection of photographs to prove it. I have sent many letters and photographs to the various council departments asking for action but still it continues. In particular I wrote to the Planning Department asking for copies of the Planning Documents and the arrangements for the storing of domestic refuse at 38. (This was the first building to be granted planning permission for conversion into 2 flats in the block.) They were deliberately obstructive refusing me access to the documents with a variety of excuses. After 4 or 5 attempts I gave up but believe that the planning process was not followed. Can I demand to see the relevant documents under the Freedom of Information Act?

[fredricketts]

Hi Mr JBarber

I beg to differ, Mr J Mitchell did know about the hostel, as he hinted to me that there was something he could not say. You are in power in the Council, are you telling me, that a change of use was done without the Council knowing, it would appear that everyone else in the Council knew about it except you and your councillors. When a developer breaks the planning rules the Council are down on them like a ton of bricks. When the Council break the rules you just fob people of with stage 1, 2, and 3, of the complaints procedure and when that is finished your answer is you can now take it to the Ombudsman, you never put your house in order and be seen to do something, about the mistakes that Councillors? and staff make, in fact you give them a another job somewhere else, and more pay, LETS SEE SOME SATISFACTORY JUSTIC DONE whoever is to blame. You have had a petition from the residents of Ashbourne Grove for several problems related to speeding, Arctic lorries coming down the road, parking, rubbish etc, and the only thing that you have decided to deal with is 20 mph speed limit, which will be Nye on impossible to enforce, this is not only my opinion but that of most of the residents of Ashbourne Grove.

I did not say the management was placing plastic bags outside the premises, I said the tenants were, and they are only collected once a week, which someone in the Council hastily put in place, to shut us up about the conditions of planning being broke, and to probably cover up, the fact that it was turned into a hostel, as before this for the last four years the rubbish has been left on the pavement in Lordship Lane, and because of years of complaints. Picked up wily nilly by the Council, with promises that the management company for the flats would be prosecuted, NOW we know why there were no prosecutions. The resolution was quite simple the planning committee broke the rules by allowing the residents to move in, without any where to put there rubbish, now do the right thing and move them out, they should not have been there in the first place. We know it?s very hard to resolve, because for the last four years they have had no where to put there rubbish and they still haven?t. The fact is that since this has been a hostel we are now getting graffiti up on the roof of the building and several shops have been broken into.

I give Mr J Mitchel his due he has tried to resolbve the problems, but has not tried hard enough, if the rubbish department knows its a hostel, how come you lot dont know.