 |
Association News |
We would welcome comments and contributions for future newsletters. They can be emailed to: |
Golden Jubilee year for TLERA! 1
Golden Jubilee year for TLERA!Fifty years ago, the Tewkesbury Lodge Estate Residents’ Association (TLERA) was formed by local residents to oppose the construction of a tower block of flats on the summit of the Hill, the site now occupied by Horniman School. At the time of its formation, a large proportion of the residents were original occupiers of the many 1930’s houses built as the Tewkesbury Lodge Estate. The area was pleasant, and the houses had lovely gardens and wonderful views over London. As a result of a well organised campaign by the Association, London County Council (LCC) refused planning permission for this development, but there then followed a series of further applications by various developers. It was not until 1966 that the Education Authority finally acquired the site to build the school. Soon after the first planning application for the Horniman Road site, came another high rise development proposal on the site of what was Honor Oak Station in Wood Vale. Although not able to prevent flats being built, the Association was successful in getting the height of the blocks reduced from fifteen storeys to eight. In 1960, local people thought the character of the Estate was clearly worth preserving, and this view has been passed on to their successors over the years, with preservation of the character of the area remaining a major objective of TLERA. Following the early successes opposing undesirable planning developments, the Association’s objectives rapidly broadened to encompass the protection of both the built and the natural environment. Since our formation, we have continued to take a keen interest in proposed developments in the area as well as other issues such as traffic management, crime and policing, and broader environmental issues such as re-cycling). As one of the largest lobbying group in the Borough we have a long record of co-operative contact with Lewisham’s Planning and other Departments, the local Metropolitan Police team, and the Horniman Museum. TLERA also organises highly successive social events for members and has a thriving gardening club. An update on some of these activities are reported in this newsletter, and over the next few editions we will be focusing on some of the more recent key successes of the Association, including a successful four year campaign to stop an extensive development of the old reservoir site enclosed by Canonbie Road, Horniman Drive and Liphook Crescent, and another long running campaign to reduce electro-magnetic radiation (EMR) output from the high powered radio transmitters on the mast in Horniman Drive which culminated in an 80% reduction in EMR in the area in which we live, and our children go to school. None of this would have been possible without individual members of the Committee taking up traffic, planning, policing, and other matters on behalf of members. It also relies on the support of our members. With your help over the coming years, the Association can continue to maintain the community in which we live – perhaps for another 50 years?
How it all beganIn 1960, residents received notification of a planning application to demolish houses at 40 and 42 Horniman Drive and build an 11 storey block of flats and 36 garages. Clearly, such a development would have been out of place among the largely detached and semi-detached houses built in the extensive grounds of Tewkesbury Lodge - a large house in Honor Oak Road near the bottom of Horniman Drive that had been demolished early in the 20th century. Concerned residents, led by Henry Broomfield, who lived at 32 Westwood Park, held a meeting to discuss the application, and agreed that a residents association should be formed so that collective action could be taken. Within a week, a letter of objection was drafted, signatures collected from owners of 105 households on the Estate, and the petition forwarded to a solicitor to submit on their behalf. At a meeting held at the Horniman Museum lecture hall six weeks later, the Tewkesbury Lodge Estate Residents Association was formed, with John du Fresne, who lived at 30 Horniman Drive, as chair. As a result of the campaign, the LCC refused planning permission for the development. However, developers then acquired 38 and 44 Horniman Drive and submitted another application for 20 maisonettes and 7 houses. This was subsequently withdrawn, only to be followed by a further four applications over the next five years – all of them unsuccessful. The land was finally put up for auction in 1966, and a few months later the then Inner London Education Authority visited the site with a view to building a single storey primary school of 280 places. The school, named after Frederick J Horniman (1835-1906) who donated the Horniman Museum and Gardens to the residents of Lewisham, admitted its first pupils in 1971 and was officially opened by Rolf Harris in 1972.
A short history of the Tewkesbury Lodge EstateTewkesbury Lodge was a large house in Honor Oak Road that had extensive grounds covering part of the hill that gives Forest Hill its name. It was built in 1855, with a folly at the highest point of the garden of the Lodge added in about 1880. It is now in the back garden of a house in Liphook Crescent, and has a grade II listing. Although little is known of the original owner, Charles Bayer occupied the house from about 1890, and by 1900 he had acquired land to the west and south of his property. He built Havelock House and Hamilton Lodge (now a nursing home) on this land for two of his children. As the founder of Charles Bayer & Co, a renowned corset manufacturer, his Victorian corsets were claimed to be “as easy fitting as a perfectly cut kid glove, with a complete absence of pressure upon the respiratory organs.” During 1927, the London County Council proposed the creation of an open public space on the Tewkesbury Lodge Estate ‘by reason of the situation of the grounds… and the view obtainable from there’. It would effectively form an extension of Horniman Gardens. However, when Charles Bayer died in 1930, the developers moved in and demolished the Lodge. Building began a year later in what the Estate agents advertised the area as one of the best spots in London. A sentiment that many of us would agree with some eighty years later! Three images available : Estate agents ad in 193o, The folly, Charles Bayer’s corset ad! PlanningThe Association tries to review all major planning applications that might have an impact on the character of the neighbourhood, and to comment on them when appropriate. This is often a difficult task. For example, we supported members to oppose the construction of a two storey extension to the side of one property on the Estate to provide two flats, the building of a three bedroom self-contained maisonette in the rear garden, as well as garages. The Planning Department agreed with us that this constituted serious over-development of the site and refused the application on the grounds that the overall height and bulk was obtrusive and detrimental to the street scene. However, sometimes we think the Council’s planning officers and the Councillors on the Planning Committees have not listened to our reasons for opposing an application. Indeed, some of their decisions seem to be at odds with their own planning guidelines. Sometimes we wonder if they have their own agenda. Sometimes when we lose, we feel that it is because the Council's Planning Committees are happy to ignore local opinion, even though we have to live with the consequences of their decisions. This is especially galling for us, particularly when the majority of the members of a Planning Committee do not turn up for the meeting and a decision is made by as little as four councillors. This is what happened when there was an application for what was considered to be an outlandish proposal to demolish and rebuild half of a semi-detached house in an entirely different style to the one it was attached to.
TLERA conducts environmental auditSome Committee members recently conducted an environmental audit of the roads and pavements within the Tewkesbury Lodge Estate with a view to improving the local surroundings for the day-to-day use of the community. As we are all no-doubt aware, issues such as potholes in the roads and uneven pavement surfaces have become more prevalent in recent times (exacerbated by the recent winter weather). The following areas of concern were audited:
We also highlighted any specific items as a result of litter or cleanliness, as well as those that were a potential safety hazard (for example, particularly deep potholes on the steep roads that we live on are dangerous to both cyclists and pedestrians). A full report of our findings will be published in our Summer newsletter. Meanwhile, we will be reporting these issues to Lewisham Council and reminding them of the need to deal with them as a matter of priority. Hopefully, they will be rectified as quickly as possible, and everyone in the local community can soon look forward to a much smoother drive in the car and walk along the pavements!
Forest Hill PoolsBy the time you read this, demolition work will probably be well underway on the old Forest Hill swimming pools. After years of campaigning, we will see the first real steps towards the delivery of a fantastic new pools facility on the existing site. The new design will make full use of the old red brick façade of the old buildings. Demolition is expected to take about three months, and then there will be a break before construction of the new building begins. In part this is because it isn’t possible to work out the full details of how the new building will join on to the old until the pools halls are demolished. The project team will be seeking planning permission for the new building during May. The new pools are based on a concept by architects Allies and Morrison who designed the Horniman Museum extension. Once Lewisham Council finally decided to rebuild on the existing site rather than Willow Way in Sydenham, the job of taking the initial concept forward went out to tender, and was awarded to architects Roberts Limbrick who have completed many public buildings including several swimming pool projects. They have worked hard to turn the concept drawings into a workable solution and have maintained close contacts with the stakeholder group on which the Association is represented. This group has contributed numerous suggestions based on early views of the design and we are pleased that the architects have been able to incorporate many of these. One fairly significant change from the original concept is that all access to the building will be from Dartmouth Road: access for service was originally to have been from the residential road at the rear of the site. The design was shown to the local community in a travelling exhibition during March and local people were able to give their own views on the design. From what I saw, most of the comments being received were very positive. Both the Council and the architects seem very confident that, with building work starting late this year or early in 2011, the new pools will open in 2012. The new building will provide a 25 metre pool for lane swimming and a 16.7 metre learner pool. The building has a café, multi-use studio space, and a community room. The 70 station gym on the first floor will be the largest in Lewisham. You can find the panels used in the travelling exhibition by searching for ‘Forest Hill Pools Exhibition’ on the Lewisham Council website. Image of architects drawing taken from Council website More information can be found at http://www.lewisham.gov.uk/LeisureAndCulture/SportAndLeisure/SportsFacilities/NewDevelopments/ForestHillPools/PoolsExhibitionMarch2010.htm Footnote
Transport and TravelTrain servicesThe East London Line is confidently expected to re-open on May 23rd providing us with an additional eight trains per hour for much of the day under the Overground brand. For most local users, the attraction of the new service will be an easy interchange with the Jubillee line at Canada Water, or direct access to the north east part of the City on foot from Shoreditch High Street. For some, four trains an hour to West Croydon will be attractive, and four trains an hour serving Crystal Palace will provide a much more frequent route to Clapham Junction and the Victoria. There has been some disappointment that the service frequency reduces to four trains an hour after 10 pm and that the last trains run soon after midnight, finishing earlier than Southern services from London Bridge. However, we envisage that if the demand for late services is high, it should be possible to slot additional trains into the timetable without too much difficulty. Our main concern continues to be the reduction of services to London Bridge. Charing Cross services were axed before Christmas and London Bridge services are being reduced when the new timetable is introduced on May 23rd. We will continue to have six trains per hour to London Bridge during the morning peak hours, and Southern have pledged that these will all be eight coach trains. However, for the rest of the day, including the evening peak hours, there will only be four trains per hour. Although the East London Line will provide significant additional capacity, we are far from confident that it will be enough. Local societies have been pressing hard for these cuts to be reviewed, a campaign which resulted in a 5500 signature petition being handed to Chris Mole, Parliamentary under Secretary for Transport, on 23rd March. At the time of writing, a response to this petition is awaited. Southern are committed to running 10 coach trains by December 2011 which should help alleviate over-crowding, providing Network Rail manage to extend the platforms by then and also that the longer trains are not used as an excuse to reduce service frequency. In the longer term, we believe the platforms will be extended to run 12 coach trains but a loss of platforms at London Bridge during the rebuilding of that station means that we may again be fighting not to lose services. Our local stations are all now managed by London Overground Rail Operating Ltd (LOROL) on behalf of Transport for London (TfL). We are promised that they will all see a deep clean and superficial rebranding with vinyl stickers before May 23rd. A fuller exercise to improve the stations is promised by the end of the year. This should include new platform surfaces, signs, public address and information systems etc. We look forward to these improvements. Meanwhile, Honor Oak Park Station has been the scene of much frantic surveying recently. Apparently the side of the cutting on the uphill side of the station has been slipping. This may be the result of clean up work on the old Southwark nursery site which has been used for illegal dumping. Whatever the reason, it is apparent that the wall at the back of the platform is breaking up and there is damage to the platform surface. We may well see major rebuilding works at this station. Forest Hill Station has a magnificent new footbridge and lifts providing step free access between the platforms. It would be great if the whole station could be rebuilt to the same standard as the footbridge. We are hoping that the platform extension to the south will one day provide level access to platform 2 from the Perry Vale Car Park. This would be a major improvement in the accessibility of the station. Image of new train taken from TfL leaflet According to TfL the new trains will be, fast, frequent and air-conditioned. ? image of Oyster card reader as a reminder TrafficWe recently responded to the Council’s consultation on implementing a 20 mph zone in the area – a plan which would have required the introduction of lots of unnecessary humps. Our comments were clearly taken on board because the zone was implemented on the other side of Honor Oak Road, but not this side. In April, members of the Committee carried out an ‘environmental audit’ of all the roads on the Estate noting, amongst other things, the state of roads, pavements and drains. The results have been passed to the Council for action and will, with luck, be acted upon promptly Free ParkingThe free parking period in both the Perry Vale Car Park and the car park behind Sainsbury’s has been increased from 30 minutes to 2 hours. Sainsbury’s are funding the cost of the additional free period. Initial indications are that Sainsbury’s have seen a significant increase in sales as a result. If this is maintained it is very good news for Forest Hill. The longer free parking period means that there is now time to visit other shops in the town centre whilst doing the weekly shop at Sainsbury’s. Don’t forget you still need to obtain a ticket to park in either car park in order to prove you haven’t parked for more than two hours.
Halloween on the HillTewkesbury Lodge Estate came to life on the evening of 31st October 2009 - Halloween. While it may seem a long time ago now, residents may remember lots of little horrors roaming the streets and knocking on their doors for a “trick or treat”. As a mother with two young boys (8 and 4) that evening on the Estate felt like a big party! The weather was good, the day fell on a Saturday and children were having such fun – even some of the adults were dressed up. But the reason for writing is really to say a big thank you! The extraordinary effort that many residents had gone to was truly amazing. We have always been rather good up on the Hill at celebrating this event and it has always been conducted in good nature with ‘treats’ given out rather than ‘tricks’. One resident (who happened to also be celebrating a birthday) had decorated the whole house which those invited in found utterly amazing! Another house was showing the film, Bride of Frankenstein with the whole window acting as a cinema screen. Many houses were decorated and we must have used up the local pumpkin supply! (Remember, if you don’t mind young visitors, the unofficial sign to put a lit pumpkin at the door or a window). One resident was even seen making an emergency trip to the local shops to stock up on sweets. The party was pretty much over by 9pm with all the little draculas, vampires and ghouls safely tucked up in bed. Can probably find image from previous Firework party photos. Garden groupThe Association set up a garden group almost 20 years ago and now has about twenty members, all of varying ages and occupations, but all with a common love of gardening. The group meets once a month and each member takes a turn at hosting the meeting, supplying a glass or two of wine and that all important tour around their garden. Not only is this a great social occasion but solutions to gardening problems can be found, and a good insight gained into how people have dealt with a problem in each individual garden. New members who have just moved to the Estate can get a wealth of information as to what particular plants and shrubs do well in the area and how to deal with the solid London clay that is a common problem in all our gardens. We also increase our plant stocks by taking cuttings and dividing up plants and distributing them amongst members. Not only do you get the plant but you get all the information and tips from its original owner as to how to get the best from it. Gardening within a group is also cost effective, as bulk orders of compost, spring bulbs and nursery plants can be heavily discounted by suppliers. The same applies to the hiring of equipment such as lawn scarifiers and aerators. These can be hired for a weekend and used by several members all paying a fraction of the cost. The garden group also visits many gardens, large and small, open to the public – it’s amazing how much more you get from a visit when it’s shared with other enthusiasts. So whether you’ve got a large garden or a window box, there are others with the same passion for plants to give you ideas for what to grow, and how to cope with difficult areas in your garden. My own garden for instance sits on the side of a very steep hill and brings problems that are only really understood by other hill dwellers trying to garden under the same conditions. So take advantage of all that knowledge and expertise that’s living just around the corner! Image of tulips in Rose’s garden Some of the tulips purchased by the Gardening group. The vibrant combination of orange T. Jimmy beneath purple T. Ronaldo really lights up the Spring garden. Garden OpeningThis year, five members of the Gardening Group will once again be opening their very different gardens for charity under the National Gardens Scheme (NGS). It is a really social occasion with local residents coming to see the gardens, as well as people from much further afield. Many have visited us several times before, but come back again to see how the gardens have developed - and this year there will definitely be something new to see. Rose Agnew has completely re-designed her garden to complement a new modern extension to the house, with traditional planting in a more contemporary style and a potager-style vegetable area. Frankie Locke has been persuaded to open her garden for the first time, and is also another keen organic fruit and vegetable grower, with raised beds, fruit cage, greenhouse, working and wildlife areas in one half of her garden, and deep informal flower borders under mature trees in the other. Many other members of the Association rally round to help by donating plants, baking truly delicious cakes, selling tickets, serving teas, and keeping the garden openers sane… This year the Council have agreed that we can use the Triangle at the junction of Horniman Drive and Liphook Crescent as a central point to buy a ticket to all five gardens, and sell plants. Sadly, there may not be as many plants as usual – the long cold winter has proved disastrous for the members who normally raise many of them from cuttings. Last year (our eleventh opening under the Scheme) was one of our most successive in terms of raising money for charities such as Macmillan Cancer Relief, Help the Hospices, and St Christophers in Sydenham. The small admission charge from almost 400 visitors, together with money from afternoon teas and the sale of plants, enabled us to donate over £2600. So do come and see the gardens and enjoy a glass of wine on the Saturday evening, or tea and homemade cakes on the Sunday. Opening times and combined admission: Sat 29 May, (5-9pm) £6.50 with glass of wine. Sun 30 May (1.30-6pm) £5. Homemade tea and cakes on Sunday. Free admission for accompanied children. Footnote Can probably find image from previous Opening.
Summer PicnicThe annual Summer Picnic will be held on 18th July in the Triangle between Liphook Crescent and Horniman Drive from 2pm. Bring some food to share with friends and neighbours, plus your own plates, glasses, and cutlery. The Association will, as always, provide the Pimms and other liquid refreshments. As this is our Golden Jubilee, we will try to make it a bigger and even better event in this, our 50th year!
RecyclingAs we reported last year, Lewisham Council were proposing to scale down the size of our 240 litre wheelie bins to 180 litre ones in 2010. Last month this was achieved by converting existing refuse bins into recycling bins and providing smaller bins for non-recyclable waste. The idea behind this was to encourage residents to recycle as much as possible. Back in 2007, a trial involving 1500 households resulted in an increase in recycling of 69%, and a 9% drop in waste sent to landfill/incineration. This clearly is good for the environment - and saves the Council money. Sam Kirk, Strategic Waste & Environment Manager at Lewisham Council is aware that there may be instances where the new arrangements are not practicable, and will happily arrange for a waste advisor to visit the household to discuss the options available. She can be contacted on 020 8314 2076. Footnote
Garden wasteHaving drastically pruned a very long cherry laurel hedge and many other woody shrubs, I ended up with a huge pile of branches to dispose of as well as other garden waste. Notwithstanding the fact that our large wheelie bins had just been downsized, it would take weeks to gradually get rid of it through out normal waste collection service. Burning it would not be very environmentally friendly and even if I accepted the loan of a shredder, it would take several hours to reduce the waste to a pile of chippings. Neither option was one I wanted to inflict on my neighbours. So even though it would involve several car trips, I decided the less polluting method would be to try the free green waste service offered by Lewisham Council. It is definitely to be recommended! With the help of a friend who was able to fold down the back seats in her car, we loaded the equivalent of about 15 or so large compost sacks full of the smaller branches, with the large ones (up to four inches in diameter) piled on top for the short drive to Girton Road car park in Sydenham (the service is also available at Laurence House Car Park in Catford). Two really helpful men were there to empty the waste bags into a refuse truck to be taken to a company in Bromley to be turned into compost. After another trip, the job was done. The whole process, including loading the car and the journey there and back had taken less than an hour. The service is available at four locations around Lewisham from 9am to 12noon Saturdays and Sundays until the end of November. So if you want a greener and much more efficient way of disposing of your garden waste, why not give it a try? Image of Council garden waste flyer Free compost binsIf you'd like to start composting your own waste, Lewisham Council is offering free composting bins whilst stocks last. For further information on this, and the garden waste service, contact Call Point on 020 8314 7171 or visit www.lewisham.gov.uk/recycling
Eco-cornerGolden-ringed Dragonflies Image taken from website available Cordulegaster boltonii
Horniman School updateWe are a small friendly oversubscribed school located on Horniman Drive with fantastic views over London. We run a breakfast club, after school club, holiday playschemes and many enrichment clubs, including a museum club, basketball, textiles, art, dance and tennis. There is information about the School activities on http://www.hornimanprimary.com We currently have a few spaces in Key Stage 2, and if you would like to register your child please contact the school office on 0208 699 3190. Images taken from School website The newly built amphitheatre
Police mattersA very unhelpful Help point! Local event Unruly school children Manor Mount one way system Bogus callers Changes to police team Any police matters can be conveyed to the local team by calling 8721 2723. If you have any difficulty contacting them, or they fail to respond to any message left on the answerphone, please let me know.
Key Developments at the Horniman Museum and Gardens The Horniman also ran a series of events and activities to celebrate the 200th anniversary of Charles Darwin’s birth. This included the development of a medicinal garden, a photographic competition running throughout the summer with the results on display from November through to March, and a series of lectures and other events throughout the year. Work continued on the development of the Gardens refurbishment project with the detailed design being developed during the summer and our Stage 2 application to the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) submitted in November. Several public consultation events were held during the summer months and detailed consultation was held with various local interest groups including the Tewksbury Lodge Estate Residents Association and the Forest Hill Society. Our planning application for the project was approved in December and our Stage 2 application to the HLF approved in March. Developments in the Gardens were boosted greatly by the addition of our Gardens Learning and Access Officer, who has initiated a range of projects over the year, including the new wild flower garden, the medicinal garden, bulb planting events, and afterschool club gardening activities. The Jerk Cook Out festival in August attracted about 20,000 people this year - over 10,000 more than expected. The event will be held in Brockwell Park in 2010 as its size has now outgrown Horniman Gardens. Looking forward to 2010/2011 The Horniman are fortunate to be involved with one of the 2012 Olympic Stories of the World projects London World City, and over the next year we will be working with other museums across London and with local young people to develop exhibitions and events focusing on Identity. This project will culminate in an exhibition about personal identity to be held during 2012 at the Horniman. Work will also continue on the Gardens project with the final phase of design development being carried out throughout the summer, and contractors appointed for the works during the autumn. We anticipate that work on site will start in January 2011 but we will not have an agreed finalised programme for the works until our contractor is on board. At the moment we do not anticipate that the Gardens will need to be closed during the works and we will provide regular project updates on the Gardens notice boards to keep Gardens users informed of progress. This year we are also piloting Allotment Life, a project combining the growing of food in the Gardens and a photographic exhibition of allotment holders in Gallery Square. There will also be works carried out in the Natural History Gallery throughout the year to improve the gallery lights and to carry out remedial works to the ceilings in that space. This work will cause some disruption during opening hours and the gallery may need to be closed to the public at some times during the autumn/winter. More information about this will be posted on our website www.horniman.ac.uk and in the gallery itself.
Choice of two images provided by Museum: Wildlife garden photo;Myths & Monsters dragon photo Empty Dwelling Management OrdersThey have been referred to as a sign of Gordon Brown’s all powerful centralised state! The Daily Mail referred to them as Councils having the power to “seize the homes of the dead”! What is the myth and reality? Are these new powers the start of a socialist revolution and the confiscation of property? Empty Dwelling Management Orders (EDMOs) - what are they and should I be worried? Why have works to repair and renovate 9 Ringmore Rise suddenly started? Repairs that will bring back into use and occupation this property after 25 years! Lewisham, like many other inner cities and London boroughs, faces an acute housing shortage. Less than two miles from the Horniman Museum, a large hotel in Crystal Palace houses over 100 homeless Lewisham families, costing almost £1.5m a year. Yet in the Borough we have over 300 long term problematic empty private properties, and approaching 500 properties empty for more than six months. In almost every street and neighbourhood in the Borough, the area is being depressed by long term empty properties, with perhaps up to 10,000 residents having their lives adversely affected by them. Lewisham has a very active empty homes strategy. We are keen to maximise all housing opportunities for local residents and tackle the eyesore properties blighting streets. Since their introduction in the 2004 Housing Act, EDMO’s are seen as a useful additional tool, and to date Lewisham is the leading authority in using them, having gained five orders. We lost one on a property in Catford – despite the property being empty for seven years. In reality, EDMO’s are a very prescribed and limited power that Councils have to tackle empty private residential property. Despite the lurid headlines, only 13 interim orders have been granted over the past two years. South Oxfordshire, hardly the hot bed of socialist revolutionary vanguard theory, was the first local authority to be granted an interim order, but they have run into problems in seeking to invoke a final EDMO. Council’s need to make a detailed application to their local Residential Property Tribunal (RPT), submitting a comprehensive bundle of evidence and a statement of reasons as to why the granting of an interim EDMO is the best course of action to assist in bringing an empty property back into use. A property must have been empty for a minimum of six months, any of 14 grounds for exemptions do not apply, and the property does not have a reasonable prospect of coming back into use. If an interim order is granted, the local authority has the power to invoke a final EDMO after an agreed period of time if the property remains empty and no work to repair, let, or sell the property has taken place. It must produce a detailed and costed management scheme, indicating what works it will undertake to repair the property, how it will be let, and how the property will be managed. The local authority has to insure the property and carry out the cost of works at its own risk, paying for the works from the rental income and return any surplus to the landlord. As you may have realised, some absentee owners of empty property may take the view – thank you very much Lewisham, please get on with the headache of repairing and letting my empty derelict home, and please forward my surplus rental cheque to my hotel at Coca Cabaña! In reality this is why so few Councils have not used this new powers and continued to use existing powers –compulsory purchase and foreclosure. Most interim EDMO’s that have been applied for have been from small rural authorities, keen to use these relatively cheap and cost effective measures to tackle empty properties blighting neighbourhoods and villages. Empty property can be the source of crime, anti-social behaviour, and provoke a fear of crime. In addition, empty property can devalue homes in close proximity by up to 20%. Following representation from the Tewkesbury Lodge Residents’ Association, I made an application to the RPT concerning 9 Ringmore Rise. Fairly quickly, the owner decided the best policy was to sell the house, resulting in the new owner starting work. What has happened to the property in Catford empty for seven years you may ask? The owner finally started work!
Dates for your diary15th June Annual General Meeting Your subscriptionsThe annual subscription remains at £5 per household for 2009/10, which we hope you agree represents good value for money. An envelope to return your subscription to your road representative is enclosed with this newsletter. Please save your road representative time and trouble by putting it through their letterbox as soon as possible, so they don’t then have to send out reminders. It is also a good opportunity to make any local directory suggestions – we always need more recommendations for good tradesmen, shops, and services. Directory UpdateNew recommendations: Home and Garden Maintenance Local Restaurant Closure of business: |