I am so pleased that we are hosting a screening of the Documentary
TORY BOY – THE MOVIE
I’m doing a Q & A with John Walsh after the film

Call or email me for a ticket

I wrote to the paper to try to get Southwark Labour to help stop the problem with children drinking around Bermondsey.

I’m trying to get the Police, Southwark Housing Dept & Southwark’ s ‘Anti-Social Behaviour Unit’ to get stuck in.

Before

A local resident had his rotten old fence blown down.
I got it sorted.

After

The fly-tipping appears to be getting cleared up in Acanthus Drive SE1 5HH.

I have been in touch with the housing officer at The Notting Hill Housing Trust,
and the cleaning contractors appear to doing their job (at last).
I noticed today that someone has stuck the new cleaning rota on the front doors of all the blocks of flats.
The start of the cleaning rota was just a few days after I contacted the Housing officer to tell him how messy the hallways were.
No coincidence I think!

This is it just a few weeks ago

I finally got to the bottom of the “ghost scaffolding” at Thorburn Square.
a council officer was kind enough to explain what it was doing there:

I hope locals will understand ….

A project was therefore devised to jetwash the bridge, install new lighting, and remove the cycle barriers that were currently in place. We had a very limited budget for £43K to do anything more. Before jet washing took place local residents were notified of the works, we did not receive any comments. Although jetwashing has been successful on a number of bridges in the area, such as Bermondsey Street Bridge and St James Tunnel, it has failed to have a real impact on Rolls Road tunnel. We have been advised that specialised grit blasting could produce more desirable results as a stronger but more expensive method.

Match funding sort through this report would enable grit blasting to take place and complete the project. New lighting is also scheduled to go in following the works.

Traffic calming at Lynton Road

This project was also approved as part of the Bermondsey Streetscape improvement programme on the October 7 2008. The report requested the following improvements;

‘Installation of a raised zebra on Lynton Road to improve community safety and pedestrian access as part of the Connect 2 cycle route and other transport improvements on Lynton Road in association with the public realm improvements (project 17) between Camilla Road and Galleywall Road. ’

Consultation with transport planning indicated that a raised zebra was not necessary on this road.  A survey was then carried out to investigate alternative approaches to provide traffic calming, public realm improvements and improve pedestrian and cyclists safety. The the layout of the road with trees lifting up the pavement made it difficult to install any other greening in the area. This would have also had maintenance issues. Measures such as chicanes would also reduce parking availability for residents on Lynton Road to park there. Following recommendations based on a site survey with internal engineers; the decision was made to implement raised tables with build outs at key junctions on Lynton Road. These measures will help to slow down traffic at key junctions to improve cyclists and and pedestrian safety.  The build outs at the key junctions will also help improve the visibility for pedestrians and cyclists.

The yellow lines at the corner junctions will go ahead as planned, these will complement the build outs proposed ensuring that  illegal parking does not take place.

The plans for these projects were sent to ward councillors and local residents for comment. I received one comment from councillors which was positive. I did not receive any other comments from local residents or ward councillors and proceeded on this basis.

Implementation works have begun and works are going well. I actually received a request for a raised table on Cadet Drive to be included in the scheme by a local resident however the budget will not stretch to this and would also need additional consultation.

Match funding  is being sort to undertake footway improvements and supporting drainage works in the Lynton Road area.

Kind regards

Yvonne Sampoh
Project Officer
Southwark Council
Regeneration & Neighbourhoods
PO Box 64529
London SE1P 5LX

Like many councillors I regularly get complaints about people drinking and causing havoc.
Last night’s Newsnight spelt out the cost to us all:

This £2.7bn doesn’t include policing & crime costs.

When you include the wider costs of crime and sick pay, the figure is a staggering:

Meanwhile the number of hospital admissions, as a direct result of alcohol has shot up:

The alcohol companies do not want us to have a discussion about the social costs of alcohol.

SELCHP (the incinerator) with a northerly wind blowing smoke over Peckham
photo taken from my kitchen

SELCHP website here –     Greenpeace website here