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Trust have announced that the application for the 100 hour pharmacy and needle exchange on Crystal Palace Rd has been withdrawn.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

You can have you say by clicking here

Liberal Democrats have succeeded in fighting off Labour’s worst plans for high density developments in
East Dulwich. 

As previously reported, we have been fighting off the Mayor’s plans for high density development coming to
East Dulwich.   The local Labour party said we were telling ‘porkpies’ but  recently, the Labour Government directed Southwark Council to designate our area as suitable for buildings up to seven stories high.  

The Lib Dem led Council refused to cave in to demands from Labour’s Ruth Kelly that high density developments should be allowed in
East Dulwich and recommended a legal challenge to the Government to force the Government to re-consider her decision. 

In a last minute climb down, the Government has now agreed an upper limit of four storeys – still one more than we wanted but a clear improvement on where we were just weeks ago.

We have secured the best deal we could for local people. The worst excesses of Labour high rise plans have been stopped. But I remain of the view that our case was sound and in a sane world we would have been able to come to our own conclusions without this ludicrous and politically motivated interference from politicians who should have more important things to do with their time.

***Sign the petition at http://campaigns.libdems.org.uk/southwarkissuburban***

I have started a petition on the urban/suburban issue.  Click on the link above or below!

Please help by signing  the on-line petition and forwarding the link to your friends. http://campaigns.libdems.org.uk/southwarkissuburban . 

The continued threat of large parts of Southwark being designated ‘urban’ by a combination of the Mayor and the Government has been a continuing feature of this blog. 

I reported that Labour’s Mayor has sought to impose an ‘urban’ planning designation on East Dulwich. Designating the area as ’suburban’ would mean that new developments would be 2-3 storeys high.  The Mayor of London, Ken Livingstone, objected to our proposed designation, arguing that the area should be categorised as ‘urban’ - meaning that 4-6 storey high buildings could be built.

That threat has now been realised. Ruth Kelly has written to Southwark Council directing us to change our main planning document so that East Dulwich,  Herne Hill, Rotherhithe and Nunhead are designated as urban.

So why might a Secrtary of State with so much to do and who has never visited Southwark to look atthese matters or has sought to speak to anyone at the Council about this think she knows. best. Why does she feel able to overturn the advice of her planning inspector. Why does she know better than the people who live here -  who have been consulted about this planning ndocument over a period of five years?

She has two reasons: 

1.She says if we do not will not meet our housing targets set out in the London Plan. But this contradicts the conclusion of her planning inspector who says we will meet our housing target ( and who spent months considering the evidence) She does not appear to have considered any new evidence that might explain why this position might have changed. 

2. She has had regard to the new definition of urban that Livingstone is seeking to push through in his new draft London Plan.  The draft London Plan is a ’material consideration’ but clearly it should not be given more weight than the actual plan which has legal status and has been consulted upon and agreed!

 The Council Leader Nick Stanton has already written to the Secretary of State seeking a meeting with her to persuade her to reverse this decision. Simon Hughes MP is also seeking a meeting.

The Secretary of State could reverse this decision if she wanted to.   She must be put under massive  pressure to do so. 

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.

Now that we have earmarked the money needed, we can start planning for the biggest investment that this pool has seen in over 100 years!

Labour’s Mayor has again continued to ignore the views of local people and and seek to impose an ‘urban’ planning designation on East Dulwich. Designating the area as ’suburban’ would mean that new developments would be 2-3 storeys high.  The Mayor of London, Ken Livingstone, objected to our proposed designation, arguing that the area should be categorised as ‘urban’ - meaning that 4-6 storey high buildings could be built.

Labour politcians are all over the place on this issue - claiming they support the ’suburban’ designation but delivering leaflets and making speeches supporting the Mayor’s arguments.  

The Council has confirmed its position at two council meetings since the Mayor last objected but again he has refused to listen.  The only person who now has the power to decide is Ruth Kelly, the Secretary of State. She will do so by 27th February.   The Mayor has  now written to her as follows: 

….my view is that the application of suburban density levels in a broad-brush manner across areas that are in fact urban in character represents a negative approach….  The adoption of the UDP without further amendment would therefore cause significant harm to the implementation of my London Plan, and in particular to meeting
London’s strategic housing needs…. 

I urge you to take into account my concerns and to direct the Council to amend its UDP to bring it into general conformity with the London Plan before adoption.” 

What the Mayor does not state is that an independent plannign inspector has already confirmed that Southwark can meet the important targets to build more housing without changing the designation of East Dulwich (and Rotherhithe, Herne Hill and Nunhead) in this way.Ruth Kelly can now either confirm the decision of the elected local council which has consulted widely with local people and whose views are endorsed  by her own Planning Inspector - or she can ignore all that and agree with  the Mayor.  I hope she will see sense.  

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!