Today, Councillor James Barber and I gave evidence at the Caffe Nero Planning Appeal.   

Caffe Nero opened its premises without planning permission two years ago. Faced with the enforcement action by Southwark Council against this breach, Caffe Nero then applied for planning permission.  But they were refused because allowing another cafe would have broken rules designed to protect the delicate balance of shops and food and drink outlets in the area.  Southwark has a policy of making sure that at least fifty per cent of all shops units are retail outlets in order to ensure a vibrant high street. 

Caffe Nero continued trading without permission and in April  the Council took enforcement action in relation to both this issue and the installation (again without planning permission!) of noisy air conditioning units,  which sometimes operate around the clock. Caffe Nero installed these immediately outside some local residents’ bedroom window. Two local residents explained vividly the impact of this noise.

Since the council decision last year, a number of new shops have opened - this means that there is a healthier balance of shops (54%) to cafes then previously. The Planning Inspector will  take this evidence in to account (rather than just the facts the council considered at the time).  So even if she agrees with the decision the council made then, it is unliklely the Inspector will uphold the appeal based on the 50% retail rule.

Much of the evidence today focused on the air conditioning units and arguments about whether air-con is a necessary part of running a cafe and how the noise could be lessened. Caffe Nero admitted that it would cost just £5000 to address the problem.  But they could not explain adequately why they have chosen not to do so.

In our evidence James and I focused on the behaviour of Caffe Nero in willfully ignoring the need for planning permissions both to open the cafe and to install the air conditioning units. Certainly, their attitude to their neighbours is not a model of corporate social responsibility.    

The Inspector said she would make a decision by mid-to-late February.

I spent Saturday afternoon helping at the Goodrich School Christmas Fair and as always there was a wonderful atmosphere with staff, parents,  children and former pupils  all having a great time. 

I had volunteered as a mulled wine assistant, but my talents were quickly recognised and I was promoted to Mulled Wine maker.  A thoroughly enjoyable afternoon!

It was great to go to the official opening of the Halliwell Court Community Garden on Sunday with Councillors James Barber and Jonathan Mitchell.

The sun shone despite it being the coldest day so far this winter and there was a great turnout of residents wanting to celebrate the new facility.

Fittingly, the ribbon was cut by the oldest and youngest residents in the block.  

This was one of the first schemes that local councillors promoted through the popular  ’Cleaner Greener Safer’ scheme - which gives the local community, through the Community Councils, a fund  for projects in their own area. It used to be so difficult to get money for these sorts of schemes when everything was decided in Peckham.  The ‘local’ was usually over looked in favour of the ’strategic’.  The Lib Dem approach of devolving powers to community councils has made a real difference.

Southwark Primary Care Trust have announced that the application for the 100 hour pharmacy and needle exchange on Crystal Palace Rd has been withdrawn.

This is a sensational turn around due, in large part, to the hard work of local people, notably the Barry Road Residents Association (BARA).  East Dulwich Lib Dem, Cllr Jonathan Mitchell,  also deserves credit.  Apart from speaking out at the public meeting, manning campaign stalls,  making the case against the government sponsored plans in the press, he also put in hours behind the scenes working with local campaigners.

Local Pharmacies to extend opening times

Of course, lots of people do want extended pharmacy opening hours. Existing local pharmacies are organising a rota for extended opening hours, matching GP opening times. This will mean that members of the public will still be able to obtain their prescriptions directly after visiting the doctor.    

 An accountable health service? 

So much of this could have been avoided if the health bosses had consulted local people properly.

This latest failing comes hot on the heals of the scandalous decision to close the Maudsley emergency clinic and the imposition of massive budget cuts locally. We are told that all of these government led decisions are opposed by our local Labour MP  - but it seems she has no influence in Government to get her own way.

It’s yet another example of the need for a locally accountable health service that has to listens to the views of local people – not Government ministers in Whitehall.

Last night Dulwich Community Council agreed this year’s Cleaner Greener Safer grants. For me the highlight was the relatively modest £16k allocated to the Say NO to Plastic Bags  campaign.  This is a community campaign, supported by locals and traders, to promote cloth bags in and around Lordship Lane.  The East Dulwich councillors have been involved from the beginning. We gathered signatures in support at the Dulwich Green Fair and  I am on the SNUB committee. Hopefully we can agree a design quickly and and make a real impact reducing plastic bag waste as soon as possible. The aim must be to make Lordship Lane the greenest shopping street in London!  

The council is consulting on what we should do with Goose Green roundabout. It’s already a landmark but the idea is to build on this to make it a real community focal point.

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The East Dulwich councillors were out in force at the Dulwich Green Fair on Sunday.  It was a great event largely organised by the Friends of Dulwich Park.  

We have been talking to various locals and traders and the East Dulwich Forum members about the idea of a plastic bag free Lordship Lane – as has been introduced to great effect in Modbury in Devon.  

The idea certainly caught the imagination of the Green Fair punters – perhaps as you would expect. We collect hundreds of supportive signatures and Friends of the Earth and Dulwich Going Greener  as well as the Southwark Council waste minimisation officers all showed interest in getting involved in the project. Watch this space for more news. 

All the political parties were invited to attend. Three out of the four did. The only party missing was Tessa Jowell’s Labour party.  It’s a bit pathetic that the party with the local MP is the only one that can’t muster a few people to staff a trestle table for a few hours! Still it’s a long way from North London…. The Green Party were there – cunningly having disguised themselves as a tea stall - I suppose that carrying the urn will be their excuse for arriving in a big truck!  Also present were the Conservatives. No truck for them, they came in a car and spent the afternoon giving away blue carnations.  Now I can’t prove that the carnations were grown in a hothouse, flown in from Kenya and dyed in non-biodegradable blue dye – but I have my suspicions! No doubt any left over will be composted in the council’s weekly garden waste collection!

We had a marathon session of the Dulwich Community Council this evening.  I always enjoy these sessions and I am very proud that the Liberal Democrats  have ensured that planning decisions are made locally by councillors who know the area and issues involved.  Bizzarely it is still the position of Labour councillors that all planning decisions should be made by a central planning committee in Peckham.   

Anyway, an application was heard for a change of use for the site occupied by Caffe Nero on Lordship Lane.  They currently occupty the site anyway but they are in breach of planning rules because it should be a shop (A1 use)  rather than a cafe (A3 use).

Southwark’s new planning policies are clear that we should not allow the number of shops, (as opposed to other uses like offices and restaurants) to drop below 50% in a parade of shops.  The planning officer gave clear advice that the result of this application would have that effect and in the view of the committee that would effect the position of Lordship Lane as a vibrant trading area.

I very much doubt that will be the end of the matter; as Caffe Nero are already trading they will be sure to appeal the decision.  But I am convinced the right decision was made.

Cllr James Barber took me and Jonathan out this week to witness the installation of a second round of ‘Alert Boxes’ in stores on Lordship Lane and Northcross Road thanks to Cleaner, Greener, Safer money from the Dulwich Community Council

Alert Boxes are a simple means of helping local stores to warn each other about shoplifters and other trouble in their area.

Alert boxes work like a small digital radio. If a shopkeeper wants to warn others about potential shoplifters or to issue a distress call then they simply press a button. Experience has shown that their neighbours will be very quick to come to their aid. 

As well as boosting the fight against crime, these boxes help to build relations between local stores and are especially useful in helping stores run by just a single person to feel safer.  Its ba practical way of cutting crime and supporting localshops.  Well done James!