Camberwell Village Hall update

Written by monkeycat | Filed under Development, Politics.

Dear all,

This is a quick new post. Basically, we have had a fantastic response so far and we have had about 600 people sign a petition to object to the change of use of the Bingo Hall to a church within a week. Most of these people come from Camberwell and most people are upset that there has been little or no consultation with people from Camberwell, and also that there is are no guarantees that the building will be available in any meaningful way for the community. There is a lot of rhetoric in the planning application about serving the community but it doesn’t amount to a “hill of beans” as some wise chap once said (Humphrey Bogart I think). In other words, it’s hot air and there are no guarantees that they will help or facilitate access for community activities.

On top of this the plans allow for a seating arrangement for 1500 people, with around 450 cars being used, if the place is at capacity, to bring them here. This most certainly is against planning regulations.

Add to this the loss to the local economy since there are no guarantees that the money generated by the church will stay here, and the fact that a lot of the potential congregation will not be local and you start to see that there is no way that this planning application should be allowed.

The Camberwell Village Hall Campaign has written its objections which you can see here. There are three parts, with parts one and two below. They are long, but there is much to object to!

http://bit.ly/objectionletterpart1

http://bit.ly/objectionletterpart2

So what can you do?

In theory, the consultation period has ended, but according to the head of planning at Southwark and the planning officer, it is still possible to send your representations to them. Here is a link to the Camberwell Village Hall campaign. In it you will find all the documents and information you need to make more objections to the change of use and letters you can send to planning. The quicker you do it the better and the more of you who do so the better too.

http://bit.ly/CVHletter2

There is also a petition you can sign which is at

http//:bit.ly/camberwellvillagehallpetition

Thank you everyone who has helped so far. I think we have a very strong case and hopefully soon we will have a building that the whole community can use.

India comes to Camberwell

Written by mumu | Filed under Eating & Drinking, Events.

I picked up a flyer in the fabulous Minet Library the other day which I thought would be of wider interest.

Its about an event in Myatt’s Fields Park between Camberwell New Road and Coldharbour Lane in the Lambeth part of Camberwell.

The park, as I’m sure you’re aware, has undergone a transformation over the past few years with a new children’s playground, new children’s centre, new cafe and redevelopment of the grounds. The transformation is almost complete — with the last few buildings opening in September. This is a great Camberwell success story achieved by local people working with Lambeth Council with funding from the National Lottery.

This Saturday 14 August in Myatt’s Fields Park there will be Indian barbecue with music, dance and food. Come along to the area around the bandstand 5-7pm — flyer below.

Music every Sunday
At 2pm every Sunday though the summer there is music in the bandstand — this week Javanese band Siswa Sukra will be playing. The Little Cat Cafe is open Wednesday — Sunday selling snacks, home made cakes and other refreshments.

And also this Sunday Come and volunteer in the park: wildlife area gardening day
This Saturday 14 August 11am – 3pm volunteers are needed to help us maintain the wildlife garden. Everyone and all ages welcome. Meet at the wildlife area. Wear suitable clothing

This is Camberwell at its best.

The Myatts Fields Park Group’s website doesnt seem to have been updated for a while — if you want further information your best bet is to sign up for the email bulletins from Victoria Sherwin at Lambeth (email vsherwin@​lambeth.​gov.​uk)

Burgess Park Latest

Written by Peter | Filed under Development.

Following public consultation, the plans for the regeneration of Burgess Park have been modified. You can read the full results of the consultation on southwark.gov.uk, but here are some of the key changes (taken from the press release:

• adjusting the locations of the reshaping of the park’s landscape
• keeping the cherry trees along Canal Walk
• keeping the trees along St George’s Way and Cobourg Road
• changing the location of the BMX track
• retaining the dry grassland near Canal Walk.

You can also read Southwark’s response to the Burgess Park Action Group.

I think it’s good that people are holding the Council to scrutiny, and good that the Council are listening and responding. I hope this way we’ll end up with a park that caters to everyone’s tastes.

Update: The following text is from Ruth Miller, Burgess Park project manager, and was left as a comment. I thought it deserved more prominence.

Throughout July we’ve been gathering your views on the latest proposals for Burgess Park, and incorporating them with the extensive consultation we’ve been doing over the last 16 months (more than 25 events and over one thousand responses in various forms). Some proposals have been supported, but there are others you were concerned about, and we have listened to you.

We’ve proposed some changes and you still have until the end of this week to have your say.
Tell us what you think by Friday 30 July.

Send comments to: des.​waters@​southwark.​gov.​uk

View the proposed amendments set in the final consultation here: http://www.southwark.gov.uk/downloads/download/2418/burgess_park_presentation.

The Big Lunch — Sunday 18^th July

Written by Graham | Filed under General.

Just a very quick note to say that The Big Lunch is happening this Sunday, 18^th July. So what is The Big Lunch? Well, completely plagiarising the website “It’s a one-day get together with your neighbours on Sunday 18^th July 2010. It can be anything from a simple lunch to a full-blown street party with DJs and a home cooked feast.” A quick search on their website shows a number of parties in the SE5/SE15 area including two hosted by “local” pubs The Gowlett and Hoopers (yes, yes, I know they’re technically not in Camberwell). The one on Ivanhoe Road even has donkey rides and a fire engine.