former East Dulwich councillor - how can I help?

[intexasatthe moment]

James - query about Street Leaders and mini graffiti kits ( as described on Southwark website ) .

Not your ward ,in Peckham ,any idea how I could access a Street Leader ,or a mini graffiti kit ?

Just want to deal with a tag on elderly mum's house .

Would like to do myself .

No luck phoning Southwark .

[James Barber]

Hi intexasatthemoment,

Good news is Dave Taylor is returning to organise the adult Street Leaders scheme. When he used to organise it, it worked really well. Hopefully he'll be at the next Dulwich Community Council Thursday 16 September to talk through the whole scheme at the United Reformed Church on East Dulwich Grove. So once he;s in place you could find a Street Leader via him.

So, in the mean time you need a mini graffit kit.

If you contact me direct via email or PM with your postal address and phone number I'll try arranging a kit to be depatched to you.

[James Barber]

East Dulwich station is to have a new shelter for passengers on the platform that serves trains into London Bridge - it'll be about 2/3rd of the way along from the entrance toward North Dulwich.

See attached for picture of an example of the shelter.

The East Dulwich councillors allocated Cleaner, Greener, Safer funds to match the train company.

[intexasatthe moment]

James - thank you very much ,very helpful .

Have emailed my details to you .

[James Barber]

I've reported the following tree pits that need refilling with soil:

68 Silvester Road

14, 48 Pellatt Road

1, 3, 15, 29, 2, 74, 78 Rodwell Road

87, 91, 97, 117, 121, 127, 78, 128 Landcroft Road

15, 21 Whateley Road

27, 55, 127, 135, 163, 52, 56, 74, 138, 142, 158, 162 Landells Road

37, 131 Melbourne Grove

Between 66 East Dulwich Grove and 61 Melbourne Grove (on Melbourne Grove)

If you know of any more please let me know.

[giggirl]

Hi James,

Advice please. I applied for planning permission in April for a really simple matter. The planning officer has been round and verbally said yes. I still haven't had anything in writing. The excuse being used is "backlog". My architect won't move without something in writing. It's August and this puts the council in breach of its statutory duty regarding planning (for an application that went in in April).

Who's bottom can I kick at the council to get something in the post yesterday?

Thanks in advance James.

P

[beaver14uk]

Just think of all the money being spent on replacing these buses - only glad that the London tax payer foots the bill and not me.

James Barber Wrote:

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

> Attached is bus route 12 consultation letter.

> What do you think?

>

> From November 2011 the bendy buses on bus route 12

> will be changed to normal double deckers. This

> will make the lives of those on Etherow Street far

> more bearable and something we've campaigned on.

>

> To compensate for smaller passenger loads per bus

> more buses will run. So overall slightly better

> frequency. Equally bendy buses have a reputation

> as ?free buses? so capacity can be marginally

> reduced as you can?t get on a normal double decker

> without paying.

>

> Only caveat I have is that countdown real time bus

> information wont be isntalled at all bus stops.

> Waiting around for 30 minutes at nighttime is bad

> enough but not having information if a bus is

> cancelled could see a wait of upto 90minutes.

> Having information means passengers can change

> their plans.

[ruffers]

This might have been mentioned earlier James when the water main replacement waterworks were in a different part of Lordship Lane, but do the council have any influence over issuing permits to place traffic lights at roadworks? At present at the Court Lane junction there's traffic lights on Lordship Lane as the works are narrowing the road. Thing is, given just a little more care from the contractors, there's room there for two way traffic with the bus lane going south and the other lane north if the barriers were level with the islands instead of sticking out into the road.

[James Barber]

Hi giggirl,

Appliying for Planning Permission and still waiting in August is ridiculous.

Can you email me direct, give me your full contact details, planning app reference/no., case officers and I'll contact the head of planning to ask about your case.

Hi beaver14uk,

I'm sure the bendy buses will be sold on a strong second hand bus market in the UK.

Hi ruffers,

Southwark council are rthe highway authority for that part of Lordship Lane and the utility and their contractors digging up the road will have had to explain the traffic management actions associated with the works. IF two way traffic could 'just' get by it will be signalised as the uncertainty you imply will potentially imperill people working within the conned/barriered areas. Please email me if I'm of the mark.

[Vickster]

Hi James

I am not sure if this is in your ward, but was wondering if you could point me in the right direction of the best person to speak to at Southwark about traffic calming on Underhill Road. In recent months the speed cars are travelling on this road outside my house (in the middle, up from the junction with Dunstans Road) has been quite frightening. The speed humps seem to make little difference, and we constantly hear cars scraping their chassis on them as they are going too fast. I have had to jump outof the way on several occasions while puttingmy son in the car as cars are going too fast and getting too close. Yesterday there was a serious car crash outside my house at rush hour, resulting in two cars being practically written off as the driver was travelling at such speed. Luckily it was a parked car and not a pedestrian that he hit.

I would be extremely grateful if you could suggest how best to get some help with this, perhaps a speed survey to see if our concerns are valid?

Many thanks

Victoria

[tiger ranks]

Good morning James

i am writing to ask if you could look into if there are any plans to some how re design the junction of BARRY ROAD/UNDERHILL ROAD there has been a high volume of accidents a few have been serious and i would not like to think if there was a serious accident involving a member of the public its needs to be addresses this is a accident hotspot

regards

THE TIGER >:D<

[TonyQuinn]

I would further that query and ask Mr Barber to alert again how all the junctions off Barry and Lordship can be made safer. Why no speed cameras, why no traffic calming measures....something please!

[James Barber]

Hi tiger ranks and TonyQuinn,

Barry Road/Underhill Road junction - from memory last autumn I ask council officers to look at collission stats for this junction. I met with them and they talked me through their analysis. The common theme was visibility. So they recommended changing single yellow lines to double yellow lines to reduce parked vehicles blocking sight lines. This was approved by local councilors at the Dulwich Community Council and implimented. Since that time I don't believe any further collissions have occurred. If you both feel it has'nt solved the issue I'm happy to reconfer with council officers about any further collission data.

Barry Road/Lordship Lane - funds were made available to review this junction. I can't spot any changes. The removal of bendy buses November 2011 will reduce the frequency of buses blocking the junction. At the next Dulwich Community Council meeting 16 September such traffic and transport issues will be discussed and the lead officer will be present.

[TonyQuinn]

Mr Barber.....I've not seen a single yellow line anywhere. The original query related to Underhill, I'm talking about most of the junctions off both Barry and Lordship. Particularly bad, I think is Lordship and Goodrich. So impossible to get any line of sight we have decided to avoid it altogether and go down to Lordship and Heber. Too many vans and stupid four by fours in Dulwich. While we're on about it, propose the biggest tax hike you can imagine for all four by four vehicles in inner London!

[Vickster]

Hi James

Any chance of responsing to my query, it was above tiger ranks and Tony Quinn's on the page before. Even just to say, I am looking into it, or it is not within my remit?

Thanks

Victoria

[James Barber]

Hi Vickster,

Apologies for missing your query.

Underhill Road cuts through or acts as the border for three wards - East Dulwich, Peckham Rye and College wards.

Eitherway, full speed humps, rather than the current speed cushions, would be far more effective at slowing traffic until such time that average speed cameras are type approved for such a road and 2mph speed limit and any fines are used to fund them. I'm afraid with the Tories in the national coalition are petrol heads and a real 'line in the sand' issue for them is cameras.

To compound things its the P13 bus route and buses and full humps really don't mix. Apart from the bus cmpanies and TfL objecting when humps proposed where we have big raised areas at junctions e.g. Barry Road with Goodrich Road neighbouring houses often get signficant jarring as buses and lorries go over them.

What to do?

Can you please email me your details and where the collission outside your house took place. I'll then follow this up by asking for collission data for Underhill Road and report back to you and more generally on this thread. It might be possible to change kerb alignments, chicanes, etc to relieve the problem.

[Vickster]

James

Thanks very much for your response. I will PM you my details.

Victoria

[James Barber]

Friern Road between Etherow and Goodrich will be closed to through traffic on 31 August to allow for Portacabins to be installed in St.Antonys School.

Presume this is related to it taking a bulge half class in September.

I've attached the notice which gives an alternative route from planet mars which I'll ask officers to correct.

[James Barber]

Had a PM about whether Southwatk Library services could email confirmation of ordered books being ready for collection. I'm assuered that this service is being developed and after testing all recorded emails via a Libraries bulletin will be rolled out. no timescales yet but on the way.

eBooks. Southwark Libsry services are keeping an eye on how borrowing eBooks is working in Bexley, Bromley and Cryodon where eBooks can be booked. Due to restriction no service via Amazon Kindle is possible by the iPaq is possible.

[James Barber]

I've had a query about how to arrange commemorative benches in Dulwich Park.

Attached is the policy which I suspect applies to other Southwark parks.

[louisiana]

James

Any news on the new library at 18-22 Grove Vale? Permission granted January 2008 after extensive discussions with St Aidan's.

[James Barber]

Hi louisiana,

The recession has not been good for that scheme.

I'm due to call the developers and will do so today.

[louisiana]

James Barber Wrote:

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

> Hi louisiana,

> The recession has not been good for that scheme.

> I'm due to call the developers and will do so

> today.

James, I'm tempted to ask: do you know of any St Aidan's scheme that the firm has actually delivered?

We're currently looking at St Aidan's schemes in various locations in the district (e.g. SE19, where the company has been trying to retrospectively regularise an unlawful and unsightly second-hand car dealership in the middle of a conservation area, which is no doubt generating funds to pay for things like Ivan Bateman's Channel Island hideaway *but.*...)

We can find little that this developer actually delivers to local communities. As far as I can see, St Aidan's specialises in selling on once it gets planning permission (basically: speculation), which does make me wonder how St Aidan's manages to get to sit at the table with councils in this fashion... So I'd be interested to any schemes you can point me to where St Aidan's has actually developed something - anything - lawful and with community support.

[James Barber]

For the last four years, May 2006 - 2010, the East Dulwich councillors Richard Thomas, Jonathan Mitchell and myself have provided two face to face surgeries per month except August and xmas week.

I remember my first surgery well. A dozen angry residents turned up with an awful lot of angst built up over some time. I was delighted to help them and being my first piece of juicy casework have a soft spot for the residents of Halliwell Court.

However, during that period the numbers turning up to face to face surgeries have declined. Every year we?ve hand delivered to every home in East Dulwich a surgery card detailing where and when we?re available to meet face to face without an appointment with a little map of where to find us. Quite regularly we now don?t have a single person attending.

So after a lot of soul searching we?re changing. This rethink is partly as it?s a new four year period with Rosie Shimell joining us and Richard Thomas standing down.

From now on we?re going to hold one face to face surgery session in East Dulwich - the 4th Thursday of each month (excepting August and xmas) at the East Dulwich Community Centre on Darrell Road. However we?ll be adding two mobile surgeries a month where we go knocking on residents doors, having alerted them we?ll be doing this with a letter in the preceding week. We'll also be available as ever for arrange visits for face to face meetings.

As ever we?re also available to receive casework, problems, ideas by email, phone calls, letters and facebook. Emails are quite often the quickest way for us to help you but all are effective.

[Amelie]

James

You could consider what the Councillors in Newbury do; each Saturday two of the Councillors stand on the steps of Newbury Town Hall and hold their surgery. Saturday is a market day in Newbury as well as being a major shopping day. It seems to be very successful.