Author: NickW

Help crowdfund the Coal Line

My Camberwell friends, I may have a part of the cycle solution (certainly to Millwall, Dagmar) – but we need your help! The Peckham Coal Line is now Crowdfunding through Spacehive. Take part and help this resident-initiated project move one step closer to creating an urban linear park that would connect South London. An oasis of greenery soaring high across the rooftops of Peckham on a disused rail siding. A route as useful as it is beautiful, unlocking dormant Victorian infrastructure to connect neighbourhoods and high streets, and people to work.

More than a park – a vital connection: The 900-meter link will be for walkers and cyclists and will bridge a gap in a wider network of greenways that would run largely traffic free across South Camberwell to Greenland Dock where Sustrans are planning a new bridge to Canary Wharf. The campaign needs to get out to a wider audience so if any of you know of someone who might be interested please forward the website to them.

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Revitalise Camberwell

So there was a fairly good turn out at the Camberwell meeting, about 40 local folk I reckon, including Mark & Barbara from SE5 forum for Camberwell as well as Nick Holt from Camberwell Society and Val Shawcross our local London Assembly member. There has been a lot of study over the last 5 months about how Camberwell is used – traffic, crime, noise, shops, pedestrian flows, accidents etc. All these stats have been collected by the council so that they can use the findings in future planning options for the town centre. There are no plans yet as they are still in the data collection stage but there should be three options on the table, which we will all be consulted on, in about another 5 months.

At the end of the session there were 4 workshops: Buses, wasted space, cycling and Danville Road. Perceived problems and suggested solutions where written onto maps in these four areas. The findings from this exercise along with the piles of stats will be used by planners to produce the three scheme options.

Its slow, massively bureaucratic and there is no fixed timeframe (talk of 2014 for possible delivery depending on complexity) but we are lucky in that the people working on this, Sally and her colleagues seemed to be enthusiastic and switched on. They are trying to understand the complex area and they seem to genuinely care and want it to be a success.

Camberwell Information Day

Yesterday the green hosted Camberwell Information day. A collection of marquees and gazebos housing plans and projects for the area. There were councilors, volunteers, architects and consultants all there to talk to residents about the schemes and proposed buildings within SE5, including the new library, Burgess Park, Nottinghill Housing Trust for the Elmington Estate and consultants from both hospitals.

The library plans were a bit of a shock. Gone are the plans to bring over the Bermondsy Spa pavilion and instead a new 1980’s style angular red and black shed is proposed to occupy the site. It will sit at a jaunty angle producing corners of unused wasted space around the triangle structure; also almost all the trees will need to be chopped down to accommodate it.  Attached are a couple of renders of the plans by Cazenove Architects.

Next were plans for the Elmington plots. There wasn’t much detail about these but the council are also planning to knock down or refurbish allot more buildings in this area as soon as the Elmington project is finished. The current proposal is mostly 3⁄4 story terraces following the street layout and with more walkways and cycle-ways. At present it is planned that Edmund Street will have parking on both sides, this will obviously narrow the road so it isn’t good news for cyclists that use that route into London.

Both Maudsley and Kings have building projects on the go. The Maudsley is going to start a new training centre on Grove Lane later this year and due to be finished by 2013. Plans look good from the renders and model (photo attached). Education consultants were also the event to talk about the plans to redevelop the schools in the area including St. Michael & All Angels and Highshore School on Wyndham Road.

Finally the council are getting peoples emails because I think they are planning an event to discuss the road layout around the green. Oh and there was a band playing jolly music. I will update the Camberwell development map with more information on these new projects.

The all-new South London Gallery

“Cross Kettles Yard in Cambridge with Barbara Hepworth’s studio in St Ives, throw in a quirky café and you’ll have the latest addition to the Camberwell Art Scene: the all-new South London Gallery.”

Friday saw the long awaited opening of the new SLG extension. The Matsudaira Wing now seamlessly extends into the once dilapidated neighbouring terraced house increasing the size and scope of the exhibition space along with the addition of a funky new café and an artist is residence apartment.

On the other side of the original 1891 Victorian gallery is now a large garden courtyard. To the right the huge floor to ceiling doors of the Clore studio swing open while a ceiling lantern runs the length of the building allowing more natural light to flood in. The outside tables and chairs are overlooked by the Marie Curie block of Sceaux Gardens, devastated by fire in 2009 the high rise has found a new lease of life with a bright buoyant mural by Yinka Shonibare.

Through the Clore Studio a beautiful brick path weaves through the newly planted Fox Garden back towards the back of the house where a new Atrium furnished simply with a long wood table stands beneath a sumptuous golden work by Paul Morrison. Beyond waft the smells of the ‘No. 67’ café. The ‘front room’ is taken up with tables and chairs and the neutral sludge colours sit well with the bulb lights and rough wood floor. Out front are more tables and chairs with a fine vista across the Peckham Road!

Upstairs are three more small exhibition rooms while the top floor has been transformed into an apartment with roof terrace. 6a Architects have striped and hacked illuminating the fabric of the building removing the ceilings to reveal the roof joists and do away with plasterwork to expose brick walls. From October the outset flat will be used for artists in residence.

The current exhibition ‘Nothing is Forever’ aims to seamlessly marry art and architecture; works have been made directly onto the walls to become part of the fabric of the building forever.

The SLG hosts five contemporary art exhibitions each year. Exhibitions and many of the SLG’s events are free. There is also a shop selling books and magazines relating to the works on view as well as those covering art theory and philosophy, artist monographs, live art, film and music.

I think the gallery is a great addition to our area and would recommend everyone visit.

Opening: Tuesday – Sunday, 10am‑6.30pm, Wednesdays, 10am-9pm

www.southlondongallery.org

more photos at: flickr.com/photos/nickwoodford/sets/72157624357938986/