Brockley Central

Brockley Open Studios 2008 round-up

2008-07-06T16:40:00.007+01:00

As promised, here's a round-up of the Brockley Open Studios 2008, kindly penned by BC regular Brockley Sarah...

Lets get the confessions out of the way first - this is in fact our third year attending the Open Studios, and we have kept notes on each year's entrants! Dedicated to the cause, hey?!

We were certainly not disappointed with the standard of art on show. Don't forget that not only do the featured artists pay to exhibit, they allow complete strangers to roam freely about their studios and on many occasions their own homes!

We can't give all the artists involved a mention, as we'd be here for sometime, but here are some highlights:

Our first stop was Toni McGreachan with her Subbuteo inspired canvasses and local Lido studies. Her work showed such skill and surely found many admirers over the course of the weekend.

Martin Davidson's work is quite unique, as he prints on his own exquisitely handmade paper. Some might see paper making as being a little staid, but Martin's bold imagery and clever compositions will soon win you over.

Open Studios wouldn't be right without the usual suspects, such as Biddy Bunzl's candy coloured canvases that adorn her incredibly inspiring home.

No 42 & 94 Manor Ave always put on a fantastic show, especially Jeff Soan's hugely tactile wooden creatures, and we would have gladly given one of Julia Darke's beautifully crafted wooden dogs a home! Mimi Soan also deserves a mention with her kooky Tim Burton-esque portraits and knitted characters.

Nobuo Okawa's studio is a real treat, as we were given a full tour and instructions on how his painfully intricate work is produced.

Ruth de Monchaux is an absolute must. We are now proud owners of two of her prints and every time we've been there her studio is bursting with visitors. And we know it isn't just the great selection of drinks and nibbles on offer that tempt the crowds!

Finally we most certainly have saved the best 'til last! What a thrill to enter Jolyon Dupuy's garden on such a stunning summer's evening. Every inch of his house is adorned with fabulous 'beings' that have been constructed from found objects. The success of his art is that all of his pieces work so beautifully together. The best way to describe our experience was as if we'd snuck behind the stage of an exciting new theatre production, with all the props and costumes ready for action.

For more information on all the artists mentioned and links to their own websites, go to the Open Studios website.

Wonderwall: update

2008-07-04T15:34:00.002+01:00

Not much of an update, this, but we thought it was worth following up our previous post about the parlous state of the wall on the corner of Wickham Road and Cranfield Road.

It's still collapsed, and it's still an eyesore - absolutely nothing has visibly changed. However, Cllr Darren Johnson - who has been making enquiries on BC's behalf - has wrestled the following information from the council's customer services department:

'Officers from Building Control carried out a site visit on 16 May 2008 to inspect the wall in question. The loose brickwork was subsequently taken down and we are advised that there is no structural danger at the present time. Building Control are also going to make contact with the owners of the wall and request that they facilitate the necessary repairs as the wall is unsightly and children can easily gain access.
'The Council will keep this situation under review, and take further action if and when deemed necessary.'

BC first wrote about this at the start of May - some weeks after the wall fell down - and it is now July. When we first enquired, we were told that responsibility for the wall fell to PFI contractor Pinnacle, so BC isn't sure why the council intends to contact the wall's owners - we thought they were the owners. Meanwhile two months on and it's still an eyesore.
BC fervently hopes that the council, Pinnacle, and (if relevant) any other organisations involved get their act together soon. It's only a wall, after all. Maybe BC readers could find a decent brickie for them?

Bin there, done that

2008-07-04T12:26:00.005+01:00

Brockley's new bins are officially "launched"

Following a rather heated debate about the artistic merits of Brockley's new bins, we thought it would be pertinent to post this press release from Lewisham Council about the initiative. Perhaps this will lead to a reappraisal of the project, perhaps not! But in any case, congratulations to Millie:

New recycling bins, made to look like parcels, were launched yesterday at Brockley Cross, by the young designer who came up with the idea.

Millie Goslyn-Jones, aged 11, invented the design within 30 minutes after being set a design challenge at her school to find new ways of making recycling bins more interesting.

The new parcel bins follow on from the hugely successful “Moo Cross” cow bins (in New Cross) and calf bins placed in schools, which saw recycling in the area increase by 60% after being turned into ‘cows’.

Millie, from John Stainer Primary School in St Asaph Road in Brockley, said: “It’s really exciting to see my design on the bins, I walk pass them every day to go school and all my friends think it’s really cool and make the bins look much smarter than before.”

Councillor Susan Wise, Cabinet Member for Customer Service, said: “Well done to Millie for coming up with such a fun and exciting way to make recycling more interesting and noticeable.

“I want to encourage everyone to do their part by posting all paper, cardboard, glass, tin and plastic bottles into these new bins.”

Local artistic design company, Artmongers, turned Millie’s idea into a reality from her original design drawing. The company, formed by artists Patricio Forrester and Julian Sharples, produces artistic interventions from customised wheelie bins, cars and clothes to large-scale murals and art-on-trees, specialising in colourful, approachable, comical artworks.

Artmongers collaborates with artists, designers and members of the public, to produce artworks that genuinely improve the urban environment and create a sense of pride and ownership.

There are 8 ‘parcel’ recycling bins at Harefield Road in Brockley.

The unveiling of the bins coincides with the introduction of timed collections, which has eliminated the need for a recreation of a Red Square victory parade on our high street pavements. A source at the Council explains:

"The timed collections began on 16th June and have made a real impact on the street scene in Brockley. As you will know there's usually fly tipping and dumped bags around the old bins and a lot of litter along the stretch of shops. Whenever I've passed it's looked much better (I'm a Brockley resident so pass frequently). Businesses and residents and all seem to be adhering to the new system."

The Eltham Centre

2008-07-03T12:05:00.006+01:00

Yesterday, forced to look further afield for swimming options, Brockley Central visited the Eltham Centre, Greenwich's latest community pool.

The Eltham Centre replaces Eltham's old, urine-coloured baths that have now closed down. The pool is dedicated to proper swimming, with none of the slides and rapids to be found at Woolwich Waterfront.

Squeezed just behind the high street, on to a site that, parking included, is probably equivalent to the Brockley Cross timber yard, it includes an 8 lane pool, a children's pool, a 100 station fitness centre, a creche and a spa, as well as the area's Citizen's Advice Bureau, a library and a coffee shop. By combining these facilities, the Council has created a genuine community centre that reduces the cost of providing these separate but vital functions:

The CAB and Library means that there are additional reasons for people who might not otherwise step inside a sports centre to give it a go.
The creche means that carers have the opportunity to take some exercise
The cafe makes it more likely that parents will be willing to hang around while their children take a swim.

In other words, it's designed to maximise usage and opportunity, while minimising the public cost.

For a variety of obvious reasons, we couldn't get a photo of the pool area, but it's light and includes a viewing gallery. The children's pool is a few feet from the main pool, so parents can move between the two easily. The changing rooms are large, with good facilities for families and baby-changing.

This hastily-grabbed shot is the central atrium, from which all of the facilities lead. It gives a good impression of the design aesthetic that runs throughout.

We visited the pool at 6pm on Wednesday, at which time it was well-used but not packed. There were swimming classes taking place in half the lanes, with a further four lanes for general use.

There's been a lot of discussion on this thread about sports facilities in Lewisham and what the Council should be aspiring to. In our view, The Eltham Centre is a good model for Lewisham to study while planning the new pool in Lewisham town centre. It even has an "active frontage" for - a decked sun terrace.

The Eltham Centre

2 Archery Road
Eltham
SE9 1HA
020 8921 4344

http://www.gll.org/

BrocSoc barbecue

2008-07-03T11:46:00.003+01:00

Fans of outdoor cooking will be thrilled to hear of an upcoming opportunity to scoff some sausages in the classy surroundings of Hilly Fields.
The Brockley Society are holding a barbecue by the stone circle in the park tomorrow (Friday) from 7.30pm and all locals are invited - so dig out your super-sized tub of ketchup and bring something to throw on the grill. Who knows, maybe you'll bump into some BCers there too!

The Crofton Park Local Assembly

2008-07-03T11:10:00.002+01:00

Patrick1971 not only attended, but went to a lot of effort to write an account of the evening, dedication like that deserves its own thread:

The Crofton Park Assembly was on last night; were there any other BCers there?

There was a pretty good turnout, over 100 people I would have thought.

The format was that everyone was on a table of about eight people. You had to say two things you liked about the area and two things you didn't, then, from the resulting lists, select the main issue that you didn't like and discuss how it could be improved. Then each table presented its issue and solutions.

The two main issues in Crofton Park appear to be lack of stuff for kids to do (which I personally am fairly sceptical about, but there you go), and dog mess! One of the councillors there, Jackie Addison, is apparently spearheading an anti-dog poo initiative, and promised to let us know "how far in it" she was...

There was a paid facilitator for the evening, which I think worked really well; he kept things moving along and got attention back when the crowd started chattering. There was a good mix of people although not enough younger ones; at the age of 36 I was one of the youngest there. Not sure if the Crofton Park ward is demographically older or not.

It'll be interesting to see how these assemblies progress and how much actually gets done. What was quite striking was how much people didn't know; one chap on my table said he'd never seen any plans for Honor Oak Park station, when they're freely available online. Another woman claimed there was no disabled access to Crofton Park station, when there is. Someone else wanted free bags handed out to dog owners to clear up mess, and apparently Lewisham Council already offers this service. And so on.

The next one's on 13th October. We got a free shopping bag this time, so there's a free gift incentive to attend! Would be interesting to hear if anyone else was there and what they thought.

The Hillaballoo Two Interview

2008-07-02T11:20:00.005+01:00

The Brockley Central Interview: Bridget McKenzie

Bridget McKenzie is a Telegraph Hill resident and the driving force behind Hillaballoo, the area's main summer event.

Last year, we went along and confessed to being a bit perplexed about what kind of a thing Hillaballoo was meant to be.

It turns out, that was the desired effect.

"Although it is loosely themed around Telegraph Hill's communications heritage [she cites the views from Telegraph Hill as the best thing about the area], it's not meant to be that structured. Originally, I just wanted to feel like a spontaneous picnic - the community coming together for a relaxed day out. I have some friends who organised a small-scale arts event for customers at Jam Circus - it was that kind of spirit I wanted to capture.

"But the process of applying for funding turned it in to something bigger. Last year, we didn't succeed in getting any money from the Localities Fund, so I decided to fund it myself. If I have to sum it up in one sentence, I'd say it's a community fete with a difference - an event that draws lots of different groups together to showcase local talent."

Although badly affected by rain last year, Bridget says it was successful enough that the people involved wanted to do it again. And this year, it raised £700 from the Localities Fund.

"This year, there are some really exciting things happening. The Camera Obscura, which was one of the successes of last year, will return. I hope there will be a big turn out for the Brief Encounter night, with everyone coming in 40s period costume. And I can't say too much, but during the day, there will be an unveiling of a giant mystery sculpture - it will be made and hoisted in to place on the day!"

When Bridget left her job two years ago to set up her own consultancy, Flow Associates, she began by meeting local freelancers and forming what she describes as a 'loose network' called Hill Business. She also played a key role in the Save the Livesey Museum campaign network and she explains that Hillaballoo too is network-driven:

"There are a lot of different groups involved this year. Each of those groups will bring something different to the day and will help to promote it and spread the word to their members.

"I'm pleased to say that Tea Leaf Arts will be involved this year, the artistic communities of Brockley and Telegraph Hill shouldn't regard themselves as separate - the area's not big enough to start drawing boundaries. I hope that a lot of people from Brockley and Ladywell will come this year."

Hillaballoo takes place on Saturday, July 19th. For full details of the programme, visit the Hillaballoo website.

Jerk Garden, 394 Brockley Road

2008-07-02T10:26:00.002+01:00

BC review to follow, please post your reviews and comments here.

Chicken and Pizza?

2008-07-01T14:01:00.004+01:00

"There are many options available for dangerously underweight individuals like yourself. Remember, if you're not sure about something, rub it against a piece of paper. If the paper turns clear, it's your window to weight gain."

Dr Nick Riviera

The owners of the shop at 95 Endwell Road are applying to convert the basement and ground floors for restaurant and takeaway use, according to this application.

Lewisham's local priorities

2008-06-30T10:27:00.004+01:00

What would you like Lewisham Council to prioritise, and do other people agree with you?

The Department for Communities & Local Government has just released the results of a national process to draw up priorities for each local authority for the next three years. These 'Local Area Agreements' are negotiated between the council, public sector organisations such as the NHS and the police, and central government. The idea is that councils will now use these priorities to guide their allocation of funding and focus their efforts.

The outcome for every council in the country can be viewed at the DCLG website; here are Lewisham's target priorities* ...

* = Many of these are couched as percentages; the idea is that over time the percentage changes, reflecting an improvement/deterioration.

% of people who believe people from different backgrounds get on well together in their local area

% of people who feel they can influence decisions in their locality

Environment for a thriving third sector

Adult participation in sport and active recreation

Serious violent crime rate

Serious acquisitive crime rate

Rate of proven re-offending by young offenders

Dealing with local concerns about anti-social behaviour and crime by the local council and police

Repeat incidents of domestic violence

Number of drug users recorded as being in effective treatment

Ethnic composition of offenders on Youth Justice System disposals

Services for disabled children

Obesity in primary school age children in Reception

Stability of placements of looked after children: length of placement

Achievement gap between pupils eligible for free school meals and their peers achieving the expected level at Key Stages 2 and 4

First time entrants to the Youth Justice System aged 10-17

Under 18 conception rate

Substance misuse by young people

16 to 18 year olds who are not in education training or employment (NEET)

All-age all cause mortality rate

Stopping smoking

Achieving independence for older people through rehabilitation / intermediate care

Carers receiving needs assessment or review and a specific carer's service or advice and information

Percentage of vulnerable people achieving independent living

Adults with learning disabilities in employment

Overall Employment rate (working-age)

Working age people claiming out of work benefits in the worst performing neighbourhoods

Number of affordable homes delivered (gross)

Number of households living in temporary accommodation

% non-decent council homes

Number of Level 1 qualifications in literacy (including ESOL) achieved

Percentage of small businesses in an area showing employment growth

Per capita reduction in CO2 emissions in the LA area

Residual household waste per household

Improved street and environmental cleanliness (levels of litter detritus graffiti and fly-posting)

The picture this paints probably isn't too far from the truth: an urban population with relatively low average incomes, lacking recreation opportunities, worrisome yoof, and high concern about crime. However it could be argued that the council has missed a trick here in focussing on the symptoms rather than the cause. There's only one employer-related priority here, and that focusses on small businesses. Where are the job creation measures which would help Lewisham's population to improve its lot? Who are the borough's major employers and what do they make of these priorities? What can we do to attract more sizeable firms?

Taking our Telegraph-reading hat off and putting our Brockley Central hat on, we note there's nothing in these priorities about transport. This is bad news for those who believe the Brockley Cross roundabout desperately needs to be re-worked. But what else does this mean for Brockley - what do BC readers think?

Street Fighter

2008-06-30T09:08:00.005+01:00

In our recent interview with Cllr Alexander, we discussed planning enforcement on our main streets, using the case of Speedicars on Coulgate Street as an example. She promised to look in to the case and keep readers informed, which she has. Here's what she's found out, so far:

Following receipt of three separate complaints a letter was sent to the occupier of 6 Coulgate Road (trading as Speedicars) on 14th May explaining that an illuminated fascia sign and a new shop front, both recently installed would require consent. The premises lie within the Brockley Conservation Area.

A written response was received on 21st May from a Director of Speedicars indicating that, as he understood, the Council had previously granted permission for the shopfront and the sign is a like for like replacement.

The council wrote back on 29th May stating that records do not indicate that any permission was sought let alone approved. The relevant forms were enclosed with the council's response requesting that the necessary submissions be made by mid June.

On receipt of the letter the Director then telephoned asking for an extra 4 weeks to put together an application. The planners agreed to this.

This means we can expect a formal application in mid-July. Given that it seems a clear breach of planning rules, we struggle to imagine on what basis it would succeed, and we hope the Council team work with Speedicars to find a more appropriate solution.

We hope that the combination of the residents' protests and the fact it's on the Councillor's radar will have a Double Impact and that the lopsided plastic sign will receive its Death Warrant soon. But it has proved a Hard Target thus far.

With thanks to Luc Deveraux.

Brockley Open Studios - the agony and the ecstasy

2008-06-29T18:32:00.010+01:00

If you want to feel bad about your crappy house, your unkempt garden and your unrewarding desk job, then Brockley Open Studios is the event for you. It is also one of the finest ways to spend a sunny afternoon:

Strolling around Brockley's beautiful, sun-dappled streets, popping in to any doorway with a poster outside, appraising their work, nosing around their amazing houses and gardens, chatting to the uniformly charming hosts and eating their crisps.

We had been aware that Brockley is an artistic community, largely because people kept telling us it was so. But we never really felt it. Today, we did. Some of the work is fantastic - all of it was pretty good (although we seem to be more generous in these matters than some). Biddy Bunzl could charge admission for her technicolour beachcomber house.

Monday is the last night of this year's event. If you've not been, go. You may hate yourself if you do, but you will hate yourself a lot more if you don't.

Click here for details.

...

Walking along Wickham Road, we bumped in to Brockley Sarah, who had a map of the event, with notes from the last two years' events. She's seen nearly every artist and we are hoping to persuade her to write a comprehensive review.

Cafe Orange, Telegraph Hill

2008-06-29T11:59:00.004+01:00

Cafe Orange is due to close in November 2008, but in the mean time, please leave your comments and reviews of its current form here.

Lewisham Labour

2008-06-27T09:22:00.004+01:00

How will Brockley's next generation of yummy mummies be catered for? Brockley Central went gonzo to find out...

Lewisham Hospital's Maternity Ward encapsulates much of what is good and bad about the NHS.

At first sight, it's fairly grim. On a pre-birth tour of the facilities with a host of mums, you could see smiles of first-timers drop as they inspected the rooms where they would have to undergo "the magic of childbirth". Despite being refurbished in 2003, the ward isn't pretty, the hospital is fraying at the edges and, currently, the delivery rooms overlook a building site, which means they're very noisy during the week. There's only one birthing pool, so your chances of getting in are slim.

However, the battle hardened labour-veterans, who knew the visceral truth of what lay in store, were more pragmatic.

When the reality is more Dante than Disney, you want to know: Are the rooms clean? Are the staff competent and properly resourced? Are there plenty of doctors on-hand? Is there somewhere comfortable for the dad to sit?

We're conscious that the childbirth experience is highly personal (and the greatest tragedies that have befallen our friends have happened is some of the most reputable hospitals) so we can't offer a definitive answer to any of these questions, except the last one, which is a resounding no.

In our own experience though, all of the staff were calm, professional and didn't patronise - the mother's wishes came first and the father was made to feel welcome, even when he sat in the wrong place.

The rooms are decent-enough; brighter and seemingly cleaner than the rooms to be found at Woolwich and Sidcup.

When we arrived, we were made to wait for over an hour before we could be seen, but it was clearly a very busy time for the staff who were coping with a glut of deliveries. From the point they finally got around to seeing us, we were well-attended to.

This standard of care followed us home, with regular visits from midwives, who were friendly and professional.

Bin and gone

2008-06-26T17:38:00.005+01:00

Compare and contrast our cuddly new dumpsters with those they replaced. Artmongers (creators of New Cross' cow parade bins) have worked their magic again.

If the sight of the old wheelie bins isn't seared on your retina, click here to see what this scene used to be like.

It's smart little changes like redesigning and rearranging our bins that can make a huge difference to our daily lives.

Well done to everyone involved. More please!

Brockley Bites

2008-06-26T10:06:00.003+01:00

Ladywell Assembly Meeting tonight

The Ladywell Assembly takes place tonight, from 7pm-9pm at St Andrew's Centre on Brockley Road.

Residents of Ladywell ward are encouraged to attend the public assembly and air their views about the key issues facing the area. The Brockley Assembly attracted a big turn-out and you can read about it here if you want to know what to expect.

Burned-down house rises from the ashes

The house on the corner of Upper Brockley Road and Geoffrey Road that burned down last year, killing one person, is now almost completely rebuilt. However, some residents have expressed concern that the addition of side windows, facing on to the site of the neighbouring MOT garage, could hamper plans to redevelop that site. Any new application for housing on the garage would be restricted by the need to avoid blocking the new windows.

Ecosium under new management

Well, not that new. But one of the partners in the Harefield Road restuarant has taken outright control, installing a new menu and focusing on the service problems that have blighted the business. Given that much of the criticism it received from Brockley Central readers pre-dates the takeover, it could be worth a reappraisal.

There's no such thing as virtual society

Who better than the harmonious folk of Brockley Central to take part in an experiment about online co-operation?

The Department of Psychology at Goldsmiths, University of London is looking for volunteers to take part in a trial of a new online social game.

Whether you are into online gaming or not, this is a great excuse to play games whilst contributing to valuable university research. The game involves creating an online persona, or 'Familiar', for yourself and then creating and collaborating on various tasks with other players through your in-game character.All you need to do to take part in the trial is to play the game for 6-8 weeks, but this means you will need internet access.

All players taking part in the trial will be entered into a prize draw to win a £150 voucher redeemable at Currys.digital, PC World, or the Link, and after the trial has finished you will be asked to fill in some questionnaires. Goldsmiths is looking for 100 volunteers from all walks of life - you don't need to be an experienced gamer. If you are interested please contact Dr Elaine Beattie on 020 7919 7338 or email e.beattie@gold.ac.uk

Little treasures: #1 Equiano

2008-06-25T08:17:00.003+01:00

Besides a bed of African plants in Telegraph Hill's lower park, sits a bust of 18th Century writer and abolitionist, Equiano.

The plinth was created this year by children from Edmund Waller School, with the help of a grant from Lewisham Library.

Oil certain to hit $200 per barrel

2008-06-24T13:43:00.004+01:00

The Big Mac index, the Pants-per-Share index and the Hemline indicator. There are plenty of unusual ways of reading the economic runes.

To this list, we'd like to add the Brockley Central Window Rattle Index.

For if we ever doubted Goldman Sachs' prediction that Oil prices could hit $200 a barrel, that was put to rest by the number of times a day our windows are rattled by boy racers driving pointlessly round and round the streets of Brockley, with their sub-woofers juiced to military levels.

Soaring prices don't seem to have affected the frequency of rattle, which suggests there is still plenty of room for prices to rise.

Brockley Nature Reserve open this weekend

2008-06-24T13:28:00.003+01:00

Just off Vesta Road, running along the railway line between Brockley and New Cross Gate, is a narrow but deceptively large strip of wooded land. Left for years to do as it pleases, it now forms Brockley's very own nature reserve.

The reserve is open on Sunday from 2pm - 5pm and last time it opened its gates, more than 40 people explored its beauty.

Despite there being only really one route round the place, you can still lose yourself once inside. As it's not open on a regular basis, it is completeley undisturbed. There are no surfaced paths, benches, or litter bins here. These photos, taken last year, give you a taste of how tranquil and unspoilt the place is.

The Brockley Central Interview: Cllr Heidi Alexander (Part II)

2008-06-24T09:33:00.005+01:00

A few weeks ago, we had the opportunity to interview Cllr Heidi Alexander about some of the issues facing our area. You can read the first part of our interview with Cllr Alexander here.

What are the big development opportunities in Brockley?

Aside from the Martin's Yard site, the Timber Yard at Brockley Cross is a key priority for us. We hope to redevelop it as a mixed use site, but although we have held discussions with a number of potential developers for a number of years, there are currently no active discussions.

That's bound to disappoint people who've been waiting many years for something to be done to Brockley Cross. The Tea Factory will hopefully play a positive role in the area, but there are a number of semi-derelict buildings there - right in the middle of Brockley, next to what will be a tube station in a couple of years. If the developers aren't biting at the moment, it's presumably got a lot to do with the terrible road layout at Brockley Cross. Are there any plans to finally sort out the traffic system there, if only because of the high number of road accidents it currently creates?

As you may know, the Council did investigate the options a while back [alternative layouts can be seen on the Brockley Cross Action Group website, in the masterplanning section]. Before we can make any changes, we need to properly understand the impact this will have on traffic in the area more widely - changes to the system can have profound knock-on effects. Unfortunately, we don't have the budget to commission that work at the moment. We need to raise it from Transport for London and, at the moment, the Council's priorities are the New Cross gyratory system and the roads in Sydenham.

It's a difficult decision and I agree that the road system in Brockley Cross is far from ideal. I would love to tackle it - along with many others in Lewisham. I can't make any promises today, but we are very aware of the issue and will address it as soon as possible.

It's impossible to keep everyone happy when you have to prioritise, but many people we've talked to and who have posted on Brockley Central in the past feel that the Council places too much focus on Lewisham and Catford town centres, to the detriment of other parts of the borough. What's your response to those concerns?

Lewisham Borough is absolutely not just about Lewisham and Catford. But they are our two largest centres, both of which need significant investment, and it is right that they should be a key focus for us. Brockley is an exciting opportunity, thanks to the arrival of the East London Line and our challenge is to help add to the interest that the project will generate.

Which brings us back to Lewisham Way and Brockley Road. One recent application to redevelop a car dealership on Brockley Road was turned down. In rejecting it, the Council highlighted concerns about the quality of design. But it also suggested that any non-residential-led development on that site would be inappropriate, because there are a number of empty shops in the area and the size of the site might lend itself to something like a chain restaurant, which would not primarily cater for "local" people and might therefore add to parking problems in the area. But isn't there a case to suggest that a "destination" restaurant might help to draw new people and therefore new businesses in to the area - to take up some of the empty shops? And isn't it reasonable to assume that a lot of people in Brockley might want a few more options to eat out locally? Or that visitors might come by public transport, especially when the ELL arrives?

I can't comment on that particular proposal, but we're not opposed to bringing in chains or larger restaurants to Brockley. It's true that commercial space is currently confined to a number of clusters along the road and our preference is that we develop those existing clusters, rather than stretching them.

Beyond Brockley, what are the most significant developments in Lewisham?

In Lewisham Town Centre, we are currently awaiting a detailed application and we hope that work will start next year on the road layout, rivers and services. At the nearby Loampit Vale Site we are currently working with Barratt on pre-application consultation to create new homes, a community swimming pool and leisure facilities. We're really determined to create a top-quality swimming pool facility. Currently, the plan is to create a swimming pool with an 'active frontage' - large windows that look out over Cornmill Gardens and on to outdoor space, where people can get a coffee or something to eat. It will be a very accessible site.

At Convoys Wharf in Deptford, the GLA were initially very supportive of our plans, but during the planning process, they changed their position on safeguarded wharves and the landowners News International were asked to carry out additional work on this issue. That work has only recently been finalised and the GLA are now considering it and we're waiting to hear whether the application can proceed.

And in New Cross, we're in discussions about the site currently occupied by Sainsbury. There are a number of options being considered at the moment, including rebuilding New Cross Gate Station and bringing the store forward, closer to the road, to create more space for new homes.

[Click here for more information about developments in Lewisham]

Thanks to Cllr Alexander for her time. During the interview, she offered to go on a walk-round of Brockley with some BC readers, to understand the issues that concern them most. We will be publishing details of that initiative in the coming days...

Hilly Fields Summer Fair

2008-06-23T13:13:00.002+01:00

This year's Hilly Fields Summer Fair really lived up to the memory of previous years. Even the weather was an improvement on last year's showers ...
We've run some pics already but here are some more, taken by Brockley Jon.

The mini-train.

The judo exhibition.

The human fruit machine (one of the 'joker' cards was a picture of Boris Johnson!)

Particular highlights for BC were the falconry display, the dogs' parade, the cake stand (of course!) and the vast range of shopping opportunities from plants to retro patterned crockery to handmade jewellery.

A joker's entry for the cake competition (theme: The Olympics)

All the entries for the cake competition.

Then there was the make-your-own-pot stall, the petting zoo, salsa dancing, a mini-fairground for the kids, and the tea tent for the adults.

A local copper takes a break at the ice cream van.

The 'Extreme Falconry' dude.

What was your favourite bit of the day?

Brockley Open Studios, June 28th - 30th

2008-06-23T11:22:00.003+01:00

Brockley Open Studios takes place this weekend, beginning Saturday at 2pm and running through to 8pm on Monday.

The full list of participating artists is available at the Brockley Open Studios website. Manor Avenue would appear to be the epicentre of Brockley's artistic community, with no fewer than six different artists displaying their work.

You can read more about the history of the Open Studios here.

All the fun of the Fair

2008-06-22T11:00:00.015+01:00

Some pics from yesterday's Hilly Fields Summer Fair. Full report to follow!

Lewisham's grand designs

2008-06-20T13:34:00.006+01:00

As longterm BC readers will be aware, big plans are afoot for Lewisham town centre. But you may not be aware that the council has similarly ambitious ideas for other parts of the borough. BC recently stumbled across a feature outlining the council's regeneration plans in Estates Gazette (unfortunately no link as the article is behind a paywall), and thought our readers would be interested in some of the detail ...

As part of the Thames Gateway housing growth area, northern/eastern parts of Lewisham borough should see 1,000 new homes delivered per year for the next 10 years. Specifically, this means Deptford, Catford, New Cross and Lewisham town centre. These areas, therefore, are where the council's major regeneration projects are focussed.

Lewisham Gateway
This £240 million scheme aims to transform Lewisham into a 'metropolitan' shopping centre on a par with Croydon and Bromley. To do this it must deliver more than 215,000 sq ft of retail floorspace.
Funding-wise, it's heavily leveraged, with only £16 million of the total being public money. That makes it seriously vulnerable to the ongoing liquidity squeeze.
John Miller, Lewisham council's head of planning, told Estates Gazette: 'Many of our schemes rely on housing to make them happen. We are very much in the hands of the private sector and the banks in terms of bringing regeneration forward.'
The key project here is a partnership between Muse Developments and Taylor Wimpey to deliver 1 million sq ft at the northern end of Lewisham high street. The application for outline planning consent is underway now and permission is 'almost delivered', EG reports.
The first stage of the scheme will deliver 150,000 sq ft of retail space, 80,000 sq ft of leisure space, some offices and 800 homes. There will also be an urban park, a new town square and potentially an extension to Lewisham College.

The Gateway plans have attracted other developers to sites around the town centre's margins. These include the former silk mill on Conington Rd, which is being converted by St James Urban Living into 270 flats and 5,000 sq ft of office space; and Barratt Homes' £226 million regeneration proposal for Loampit Vale involving up to 800 homes, a leisure centre and a cultural centre incorporating office space for arts industries.

Deptford town centre
As reported recently on BC, the area around Deptford train station is to be re-developed to create a public piazza on the existing goods yard. According to EG the former Princess Louise community centre will also be replaced by offices and flats.

Catford greyhound stadium
Over 7,500 sq ft of shops and offices and 600 homes have been proposed by Countryside Properties and Hyde Housing Association for the 10-acre site of the former greyhound stadium. Lewisham Council is currently scrutinising the planning application for this scheme.

Other projects :
Large residential-led schemes are also under discussion for the 40-acre Convoys Wharf site in Deptford, and the area around Millwall FC's current site. Southend Village (between Catford and Bromley) is another area identified as offering development potential.
These are all considered by the council to be long-term projects that would take 10 to 15 years to come to fruition.

All this work will require a lot of private investment, something which can't be taken for granted in the current economic climate. Whether Lewisham can deliver large-scale regeneration depends on whether developers can secure funding. And that brings the global credit crunch home to Brockley Central's doorstep.

Ladywell Tavern - grand re-opening

2008-06-19T12:56:00.001+01:00

The Ladywell Tavern is under new management, and flyers are doing the rounds offering a free drink and nibbles from 4pm on the day of the grand opening, this Saturday 21st June.

We never visited the pub in its previous incarnation, and we've yet to talk to the new owner, but there is a note on Beerintheevening stating their intentions:

"...a lovely traditional english pub with a modern twist selling a good selection of our favorite beers, ciders and guest ales. We have a top kitchen and are hoping to provide good old simple grub daily and a smashin sunday lunch. Our philosophy is all about good drink, good food, good music and good times."

Families are welcome to the opening day, but it's over 21s after 8pm. A note on the flyer also states "no sportswear or dirty work clothes", which implies an upmarket feel. BC has never been a fan of dress codes since we spend most of our life in trainers, but this sounds like a simple "no scruffs or chavs" rule (classism? - discuss).

BC readers have been crying out for a decent gastropub for years, so get along there after the Hilly Fields Fayre to find out if it's up to the task.

The Ladywell Tavern, 80 Ladywell Road, SE13 7HS.