Peckham Rye Labour

Many local residents may well be wondering what is happening with the previously proposed development of the toilet block near the junction of Peckham Rye and East Dulwich Road. Before Renata, Victoria and I were even elected as councillors, this had become quite a lively issue. I recently asked officers at the council what is going on, because nothing appeared to be happening with the block. Well, since the last update, this is what has happened: 1. The last proposed tenant - a not-for-profit gallery offering outreach programmes to local schools and groups - dropped out of the process without having made the required planning application. 2. The property is now under offer to a new proposed tenant. They run a children's nursery and wish to expand. 3. They have already made a planning application for a change of use. 4. We are currently waiting for a formal decision from development control so that the lease can proceed. I'll update again here as soon as I have further news. Sp...

(Click on the picture for a larger version) For those following the plans for a new One O'Clock Club on Peckham Rye Common, and new changing facilities and pitches on Peckham Rye and Homestall Road, above is an amended plan of 'Option 2' which proved the more popular scheme with residents. At the last consultation meeting I attended, the majority of people I spoke with favoured this option, though I know many involved with the One O'Clock Club and local sports teams have reached the stage where they just want these new facilities delivered! Option 2 will locate the new changing facilities in the parks maintainance area - there is more space here than is currently needed for the maintainance team. It will also see a new 'green' car park on the silt mound and the current car park will return to being part of the Common. Amendments to the original Option 2 are a 'green' access road to the cafe and a footpath has been reinstated against the park boundary nea...

I've just arrived back from the latest Nunhead and Peckham Rye Community council meeting. It was, once again, a lively meeting in which a number of important local issues were discussed. However, there was one piece of news which will give rise to significant concern among local residents. The meeting was addressed by Cllr Tim McNally, the Lib Dem Executive Councillor for Resources, on the council's policy on community buildings. A very revealing moment came when Cllr Gordon Nardell asked Cllr McNally if a group of local residents concerned about local community buildings (which he chairs) could have some information. Cllr Nardell asked for a list of non-housing properties in the area which the council is considering disposing of. That was all he wanted. A list of local, publicly owned properties which the council is thinking of selling or renting out. As the representative of a party which claims to support openess and accountability, you'd think Cllr McNally would have ag...

This evening, Victoria went along to the sub-group set up at the last Nunhead and Peckham Rye Community Council. This group was initially set-up to discuss how the closed public toilets on Peckham Rye Common might be put to a more appropriate use than that originally suggested by the council. Between the decision to set up the group and tonight's first meeting, things have changed significantly To cut a long story short, the council's preferred commercial tenant pulled out and a much more attractive bidder (in local community terms) in the shape of "Peckham Rye Projects" moved to the front of the queue of potential tenants. Peckham Rye Projects are a not-for-profit gallery offering outreach programmes to local schools and groups. Their intention is to restore the building, maintain the gardens and to open the gallery toilets to the public. It was confirmed tonight that Peckham Rye Projects (PRP) have now signed the lease on the building. However, this does not quite...

An important development regarding the former toilets on Peckham Rye Common. It seems we may have had some success in convincing the council that this shouldn't be a commercial enterprise. We've just received an e-mail from "Peckham Rye Projects" saying that the council have now offered them the contract to restore and maintain the toilets building. For those who haven't previously heard of Peckham Rye projects, I'm sure they won't mind me briefly quoting their e-mail here: "We are a not-for-profit gallery offering outreach programs to local schools and groups. We intend to sensitively restore the building, maintain the gardens and to open the gallery toilets to the public. We also intend to offer the building to community groups for use when the gallery is closed for business. We are aware that M.O.L and common land restrictions apply to any alteration of the building." They applied for a Cleaner Greener Safer grant to restore this building befo...

As I've mentioned in a previous post , last Wednesday's Nunhead and Peckham Rye Community Council passed a motion regarding the former public toilets on Peckham Rye Common. The motion set up a group, lead by local Labour Councillor Gordon Nardell, which will make suggestions to Southwark Council on alternative uses which might be made of this building. Those present at the meeting rightly felt that local people should come up with some alternative proposals to the current plan: Southwark Council seems hell bent on renting the building out as a shop, despite the fact that it's on common land. In case you're not sure which building I'm writing about, it's located near East Dulwich Road here . At the meeting I asked Councillor Nardell if I might become a member of this sub-group. He agreed, and I think membership is open to anyone who is interested in joining. The group will be coming together in the near future to hold the first meeting. Personally, I'm ...

The Kafkaesque saga of the former public toilets on Peckham Rye Common (East Dulwich Road) continues unabated. For those of you not familiar with this situation, here's a very brief summary. Earlier this year, Southwark Council decided to rent out this building as a commercial venture. Without stopping to check if they were allowed to do this with a property that is situated on common land, they advertised for tenants. Someone responded saying they wanted to open a cycle shop and the council agreed. Since then little has happened and the building remains closed. Four months ago at Nunhead and Peckham Rye Community Council, a number of local people, including myself, Victoria and Renata asked officers why they had not checked on the legal status of the common land and why the building could not be put to community use or even reopened as toilets. " We'll come back to you " they said. Since then they have consistently failed to give a straight answer to these questions....