former East Dulwich councillor - how can I help?

[James Barber]

Hi DawnSE22,

I know little about the topic, no correction nothing, of birds attacking and if we have a local problem.

Someone has suggested it is a problem someone else has suggested it isn't. I've never heard of an urban bird cull.

Eitherway both have agreed to collect their facts and air them here.

Saying no, knowing nothing about the subject isn't my style.

So many thanks for pointing me to peer reviewed research that indicates they're not a problem. I've even learnt a new word corvid

[Dulwich Born And Bred]

Is it possible that we could get someone to patrol Fellbrigg/Cyrena Road as there is a severe dog poo issue there , it's obviously a repeat offender as its every single day there is poo on the pavements , road , people's front yard and by the trees . It's disgusting and a popular route for the children .

[Jules6862]

James .

you ask for my contact details re Oap living conditions. I sent them to you.Have not heard from you

[FHRoad]

Hi James.

I love my local chippie on Forest Hill Road (sea Merchant), they have this week erected a massive bright flashing neon sign (on the edge of their land practically on the pavement). It is on 24hours per day. I am mostly concerned about the light pollution coming from the sign at night. My second concern is that it's pretty ugly and does not fit in with character of the street.

Would such a sign require planning permission, and of so did they properly apply for it?

I don't want to prevent enterprising businesses, and as I said I love the chippie being there, but the sign? It feels too much.

Thanks

Anthony

[James Barber]

Hi FHRoad,

It may require planning permission or more likely advertisement consent.

You should look on the Southwark Council planning portal for this address and see if they've applied or not and if they did were they granted.

If you get stuck let me know.

[James Barber]

Hi jules,

Apologies for delay. I have called you and started fighting for your Peckham aunt.

Fingers crossed we can get some common sense on this. I've a number of similar items of casework for the same issue of council street properties with rotten windwos that they refuse to replace despite them not meeting any realm of decent home standard.

Jules6862 Wrote:

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

> James .

> you ask for my contact details re Oap living

> conditions. I sent them to you.Have not heard from

> you

[James Barber]

Hi DB&B,

We'd need to be much more precise for someone to be sent out and sit in wait.

OR do you know where they live? Please don't answer here but email me.

DulwichBorn&Bred Wrote:

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

> Is it possible that we could get someone to patrol

> Fellbrigg/Cyrena Road as there is a severe dog poo

> issue there , it's obviously a repeat offender as

> its every single day there is poo on the pavements

> , road , people's front yard and by the trees .

> It's disgusting and a popular route for the

> children .

[intexasatthe moment]

Forest Hill Rd - blimey I see what you mean about the fish and chip shop sign !

You can look by location etc on the map here http://maps.southwark.gov.uk/connect/southwark.jsp?mapcfg=Planning&banner=planning&tooltip=Plan_tips ,you need to tick a box under the legend column ,eg decided applications without legal agreement and then go to the geographical location on the map .

I've never had any luck by typing in the address ,I don't know why .

I did look for you but there are multiple applications for advertising by the Fish and Chip shop ,mainly some years ago but the link to the actual case won't open so it's not possible to tell whether this latest sign has been approved or not .

[edanna]

Hi James, just reposting this in case you missed it - have you noticed the extremely uneven pavement on Lordship lane going from the junction of E Dulwich Grove towards Goose Green, outside the CMHT and Chener Books? I took a bit of a tumble there last week and it looks like it could be quite dangerous - I don't know what's causing it - doesn't look like tree damage. I think this stretch could really do with repaving but it looks like there might be an underlying issue to address to avoid it happening again. Thank you.

[Eos]

Hi Anthony

We are in agreement with you in regards to the new erected neon sign at the Sea Master. We have spoken to the environmental department at Southwark this morning and they are on the case, and will get back to me by the 31st March. If you need there number its 7 525 2000.

Eos

[Extend10]

Hi James

The alleyway that runs behind the small parade of shops on East Dulwich Road is constantly having rubbish dumped at the end of it which spills out onto the pavement at Gowlett Road. Some of the rubbish has personal letters with people's names and addresses so that might be a lead as to where the rubbish is coming from.

The council have cleared it a few times before but people just keep dumping stuff there. I have rung the council and they have logged my call. It is dirty and unsightly and frankly not fair as the rest of us take our rubbish to the dump!

There are gates on the alleyway but they can't be closed as residents and workers need access through the alley, but couldn't there be a pin access pad or something? I know it is a fire exit from the shops so getting out of the alley would need to be easy, but it is constantly filled with rubbish and it is disgusting.

I would really appreciate some feedback.

With many thanks.

Sent from my iPad

[intexasatthe moment]

James - back to my concern over double yellow lines 2 metres either side of dropped kerbs ,can you help mw with the following

How did this policy come into being with no one seemingly aware of it ? My reading is that there should be consultation which at a very early stage involves Community Councils . Did this happen ?

Given that DCC have already tried to have applications with this rule modified approved and failed ,what are the chances of it being reviewed ? And the time scale ? And how can we influence this process ?

Thanks

[sanity girl]

James Barber Wrote:

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

> Hi lpool,

> I have immiedately requested this be fixed as

> clearly it gets dangerous when people may start

> ignoring these lights.

> Huge thank you for reporting them to me. Mondays I

> don't go near that part of East Dulwich.

These lights still don't seem to have been fixed. Have you had any response to your request?

[savage]

Hi James

Following the secondary school allocations a couple of weeks back, I asked if it was possible to provide a breakdown for the East Dulwich ward the number/ percentage of children that got their 1st, top 3 and top 6 choices and the number/ percentage offered none of their choices. Any chance of providing this information now that the councils have had time to deal with pressing enquiries?

Regards

Kate

[chazzle]

Hi James, I posted a request on the "Old Garden Centre" thread.

[James Barber]

Hi Savage,

I have the data for SE22...

245 places appleid for.

115 obtained 1st preference 46.9%

39 2nd preference 15.9%

26 3rd pref 10.6%

22 4th pref 9.0%

10 5th pref 4.1%

7 6th pref 2.9%

10.6% were offered place the family had expressed no preference for.

26.5% not offered one of their 3 main preferences

The Sothwark wide averages for these respecitvely 6.0% and 12.6% so SE22 families really suffering from not having enough secodnary school choices.

really explempl;ifies why our campaign for a new East Dulwich secondary free school so important. It wont open until Sept 2016 but should transform loca choice and people getting admissinos to schools they want.

Hope this is the data you wanted?

[savage]

Yes, thank you James.

I thought it would be pretty low! It would be really interesting to see a map of where these people live as I'm sure this will highlight any black holes.

[intexasatthe moment]

James - back to my concern over double yellow lines 2 metres either side of dropped kerbs ,can you help mw with the following

How did this policy come into being with no one seemingly aware of it ? My reading is that there should be consultation which at a very early stage involves Community Councils . Did this happen ?

Given that DCC have already tried to have applications with this rule modified approved and failed ,what are the chances of it being reviewed ? And the time scale ? And how can we influence this process ?

Thanks

[MarkT]

James,

DCC Agenda 17th March Appendix 1 and Appendix 11 are Sections from the Streetscape Design Manual, from which I quote:

DS132 "Vehicle Crossings" paragraph 3.7:

"Broadly, in most instances restrictions are needed through and to 2m either side of each crossing"

DS114 "Highway visibility" paragraph 1.2a: "research now suggests that providing excessive visibility can also introduce dangers as it may increase the speed that people drive or ride at"

Southwark's general strategy is to reduce speed on roads. Why should it ever apply a measure that may increase the speed that people drive across a pavement?

MarkT

[James Barber]

Hi ITATM,

2.5 years ago Southwark council issued the Southwark Street Design Manual.

At DCC we agreed to ask the Director to attend the next DCC and explain why 2.0m was so critical. It is clearly an arbitary value being stuck to before the borough was made 20mph. Hopefully they'll have the sense to say it can be drastically reduced for 20mph streets.

When my lot lead Southwark Council again we will scrap such sillyiness.

Hi MarkT,

Yes, it is a very silly design manual in a number of ways.

[intexasatthe moment]

James as usual you skirt round actually answering the questions asked .But never miss the opportunity to try and make political points .

So depressing . You'll be glad to learn I'm washing my hands of directing questions to you .You carry on you're own sweet political point scoring way .

Politicians !

[landsberger]

It could also of course be that (cough) "aspirational" (read pushy) parents are applying for schools in areas where they don't have a hope in hell of attending.

This is particularly true of the many parents who apply to Bacons from the south of the borough. Whose fault is it if they don't get their 'first' choice. Ask how many parents put all 6 choices down ? How many outborough kids applied to the school (for Kingsdale - read - the majority). My guess is that less than a third of parents put 3 or more choices down, and if they are completely unrealistic, what can the Council (or indeed the schools) do ?

There are *15* secondaries within 2 miles of the centre of East Dulwich - do we REALLY need more than the ones listed below and the new Charter School on the East Dulwich site ?

The Charter School

Kingsdale Foundation School

St Martin in the Fields High School for Girls

Evelyn Grace Academy

Haberdashers' Aske's Hatcham College

Harris Academy Peckham

Harris Boys' Academy East Dulwich

Harris Girls' Academy East Dulwich

Deptford Green School

Forest Hill School

Sydenham School

Prendergast Ladywell School

Prendergast School

The St Thomas the Apostle College

The Elmgreen School

[Lowlander]

Hi James

I overheard on the train yesterday that come the annual May train timetable change, the frequency of trains on the East Dulwich branch will go down to 2tph in the peak?

This is because Southern are looking to reinstate the trains they cancelled on the Sydenham line in January?

I couldn't find anything from official sources, is this something you are aware of?

[James Barber]

Sorry ITATM, I was answering your questions during lunch and should have read your request more thoroughly:

How did this policy come into being with no one seemingly aware of it ? My reading is that there should be consultation which at a very early stage involves Community Councils . Did this happen ?

I am not aware of the design manual being consulted upon at any community council. I came across it when an approved Cleaner, Greener, Safer bid for new cycle parking was refused by officers after approval by local councillors as the design manual didn't allow them - this would have been circa 2 years ago.

It might have come through as an email to all councillors when an IDM is made. But we get 5-20 of these a day each linking to web pages with multi page documents - so we don't always spot the item. It might also have been in the forward plan.

Given that DCC have already tried to have applications with this rule modified approved and failed ,what are the chances of it being reviewed ? And the time scale ? And how can we influence this process ?

I think their is a good chance itwill be reviewied. We have lots of mechanisms to beaver away at changing it and I know of several Labour councillors who also agree the manual isn't fit for purpose.

Hi Landberger,

True but you'd expect that also of Village ward and College ward families and the stats don't bar this out.

You've listed a number of schools but all the popular one's have admissions radii of around 1km. Harris Boys isn't that popular yet. I'm sure it will become really popular as in its first year it acheived stunning GCSE results.

So big hole between all the schools you listed in SE22.

Hi Lowlander,

I'm not aware of this. I've just checked the rail timetable online and 3-5 trains per hour depending on when you measure. Not great. Really should be more.

[Lowlander]

Thanks James.

You may have mis-read my post - I know the current times off my heart. Have you heard of the rumours to change the frequency in the May timetable change to 2tph PEAK to/from East Dulwich? So that Southern can reinstate the West Croydon via Sydenham trains?

This would mean close to an hour's wait if one were cancelled!