Calendars and coffee morning invitation being delivered

Labour's 2011 calendar is beginning to be delivered by volunteers across SE11, along with an invitation to our annual community coffee morning.

The calendar is a handy size for fridges and noticeboards, and contains contact details for all of your Labour representatives, along with other useful numbers.

The coffee morning will be held on Saturday 29 January, from 11am to 12:30pm, at St Anselm's Church Hall, Kennington Cross. All residents of Prince's ward are welcome. Councillors Lorna Campbell, Mark Harrison and Stephen Morgan will be joined by Vauxhall MP Kate Hoey, London Assembly Member Val Shawcross, and Leader of Lambeth Council Steve Reed.

(Unfortunately the calendar's designer has introduced an unfortunate typo - we are aware and it wasn't possible to get it changed!)

Community engagement meeting on Vauxhall Nine Elms Battersea Opportunity Area

Lambeth Council are seeking the views of the local community on future developments within the Vauxhall Nine Elms and Battersea Opportunity Area, and are inviting representatives of local organisations to an initial community engagement meeting.

The meeting is taking place on Wednesday 12 January 2011 from 6.30pm until 8.30pm. If you a representative of a community group who would like to attend please get in touch with your councillors.

The purpose of this meeting is to decide how the voice of Lambeth's communities affected by proposed developments in the Vauxhall, Nine Elms, Battersea development area can be heard, and how local community in put into future development and change can be most effectively made.

The Vauxhall Nine Elms and Battersea Opportunity Area stetches from Lambeth Bridge to Battersea Power Station, and has been earmarked by London's Mayor for major redevelopment - including 16000 new homes and 25000 new jobs. Major investment in infrastructure will be required to make the plan a reality. A Strategy Board for the project has recently been set up, consisting of the Greater London Authority, Transport for London, Lambeth Council, Wandsworth Council, and major Nine Elms landowners.

2011 Community Coffee Morning announced!

Local Labour councillors have announced the third annual SE11 Community Coffee Morning, after successful events in 2008 and 2009.

Residents of Prince's ward are invited to a community coffee morning on Saturday 29 January, from 11am to 12:30pm, at St Anselm's Church Hall , Kennington Cross.

It will be a chance for residents to meet their neighbours and local councillors, and to discuss issues affecting the area. Kate Hoey MP, London Assembly Member Val Shawcross, and Leader of Lambeth Council Steve Reed will also be attending. (If you have an issue you which you want to discuss privately, it might be better to attend one of our surgeries.)

We hope to see many residents there!

Maintenance works to Lambeth Bridge

Ringway Jacobs on behalf of Transport for London (TfL) has been appointed to carry out essential night time maintenance works on Lambeth Bridge from the 27 to the 30 December 2010, subject to weather conditions.

The works, which have been scheduled to occur overnight, have been planned to take place between Christmas and new year, when traffic levels are around 20 per cent lower, to ensure that disruption is kept to a minimum. These essential works will not only give road users, especially cyclists, a smoother drive, but they will also help reduce carriageway noise and the need for disruptive maintenance closures, benefiting local residents and businesses.

The following work will take place:

27 and 28 December 2010
Essential structural and maintenance repairs will be undertaken to the bridge. Lambeth Bridge will be closed to vehicular traffic on the 27 and 28 December 2010 between 8pm and 5am on each day.

To maximise the use of the above traffic management, TfL will also be carrying out other maintenance works on each bridge, including graffiti removal, lamp column maintenance and paving works.

Signed diversions will be put in place to enable vehicular traffic to continue their journey. Buses which use Lambeth Bridge will be placed on diversion during the overnight closure. Passengers should check information at local bus stops for diversion details.

TfL is also currently planning to carry out additional work on Lambeth bridge during early 2011 to replace the expansion joints along the structure, helping to extend the life of the bridge. TfL will work to coordinate these works to ensure that any closures take place during the least disruptive times and do not clash with other works on the nearby road network.

Pictured: Parliament View residents might be affected by the necessary nighttime works

Juxon Street resurfacing

Lambeth Council have announced they will be resurfacing Juxon Street and Pratt Walk in March 2011.

The works will create a smoother surface for cyclists and motorists.

Letters will be sent to affected residents in two weeks' time - the work is expected to last a week.
Councillors have welcomed the news but are still pushing hard for resurfacing of other local streets in a poor condition - namely Stannary Street, Wincott Street, Reedworth Street, and Chester Way.

Pictured: Ingram Close, with Juxon Street behind.

Newport Street nightclub rejected after residents' objections

Lambeth's Licensing Committee have backed local residents by rejected an application for a nightclub in Arch 145 Newport Street.

18 objections and two petitions against the application were received. Three residents joined Councillor Mark Harrison to speak at the meeting.

The Committee agreed that the pavement area adjacent to the venue was indistinct and inadequate, and was therefore not suitable for the number of people able to attend the venue to queue and go through the security procedures safely.

They also agreed that the arrival and departure of guests would result in noise causing a public nuisance to residents in Newport Street and Lambeth Walk.

Southwark Labour approve plans for swimming pool at Elephant & Castle

A period of public consultation for the proposed new Elephant and Castle leisure facility took place between 23 August and 8 October 2010 when Southwark Council asked local residents and leisure centre users what amenities and services they would like to see in a possible new facility. This resulted in an outstanding 1,300 responses from residents, leisure centre users, schools, and special interest groups.

Six months into the new Labour administration, Southwark is making another major step forward for the regeneration of Elephant and Castle by giving the green light for a new swimming pool and leisure centre.

The consultation on new leisure facilities at the Elephant and Castle has been a huge success. What people said they really want is a new swimming pool. The next most popular facilities were a gym, exercise studio and sports hall.

In the light of the consultation results the Southwark Cabinet has given approval to progress plans for a new leisure facility with a six lane 25m swimming pool, a learner pool, a four court sports hall, a gym, an exercise studio, a crèche and a café.

The regeneration of Elephant and Castle is a priority for Southwark Council and they are determined to keep up the momentum and deliver the transformation that local residents deserve.

To see the full results of the consultation or if you have any questions about the proposed leisure facility please visit www.southwark.gov.uk/elephantleisure

A new pool at Elephant & Castle will be a fantastic facility for residents of Kennington. It will add to the swimming options for North Lambeth residents; who currently can use Brixton Rec, will be able to use a brand new pool in Clapham which opens in November 2011, and who can look forward to a new pool built as part of the Doon Street development on the South Bank. Residents of Vauxhall and the riverside might find that the Queen Mother Sports Centre over the river on Vauxhall Bridge Road is the most convenient swimming pool close by.

Strong local reaction against proposed Newport Street nightclub

Local Labour councillors are supporting residents objecting to a nightclub opening in Arch 145, Newport Street.

The applicants have applied for a licence allowing alcohol sales, music, refreshments and entertainment until 6am at weekends and 4am on weekdays.

Councillors alerted local residents to the application by sending a letter. Lambeth's Licensing Department have received 18 objections, as well as a petition with 24 signatures, ahead of next Tuesday's Licensing Committee meeting.

Councillor Mark Harrison is planning to speak against the application next week. He said:

'Newport Street is a quiet residental street and is not appropriate for a late night club. Noise from the club and its customers risks disturbing residents of Newport Street, Lupino Court, Whitgift Street, and Gabriel House. I'm a supporter of our Vauxhall nighttime economy, but nightclubs can't be allowed to spread into quiet residential areas like this.'

New leaflet from Labour - 'Coalition Cuts Special'

Labour volunteers across SE11 are currently delivering a new leaflet, explaining the scale and impact of the government's cuts to Lambeth Council.

Everybody was expecting cuts to council funding, but the harshness with which the Lib Dem- Tory Coalition has targetted local government has taken everybody by surprise.

Lambeth will have to find £90 million in savings, from a budget of around £300 million. To make matters worse, the cuts are 'frontloaded' to the next financial year, meaning £40 million will have to be taken out of the budget by April 2010.

Labour councillors will be doing everything in our power to mitigate the effects of the cuts, but it is inevitable that there will be reductions in services, job losses, and difficult decisions.

Distressingly, cuts on this scale are not even necessary or sensible. As Lambeth's finance chief Paul McGlone explains:

'Like other countries, Britain has big debts from bailing out the banks to save our economy from collapsing. All parties supported that. But while Labour wanted to pay off the debt at a rate the country could afford, the Lib Dems and Tories have pushed through plans to cut services hard and deep - creating the risk of another recession and higher unemployment. It's like trying to pay off a mortgage in five years instead of over 25 - you wouldn't do it, and nor should the government'.

Suggestions for the Cycle Hire docking stations

Lambeth Council has received a large number of suggestions for new docking station sites. Dawn Rahman has kindly provided us with all of the suggestions and the outcomes, below.

To clarify, as requests went out to residents Dawn was already making site visits based on areas where she was aware that there were gaps in the current area and also where usage figures from Transport for London were extremely high. It has been good to see that in many cases residents were suggesting the same areas, or streets in close proximity. This helped to confirm that the Council was looking in the right area.

Before coming up with proposed sites Dawn was also bound by the following criteria:

1) Sites must be within the existing zone. Initially TfL had said they could consider small deviations from the zone, however this was later retracted due to various reasons which meant only the existing zone could be considered.

2) Any new site must be able to accommodate at least 20 docking points. This equates to a footprint of approximately 18m by 2m.

3) Extensions to existing sites must be able to accommodate at least 15 docking points.

4) The location of docking stations must not impede pedestrian flow

5) Lambeth's tree officer must be consulted about possible tree roots in close proximity to proposed stations, as these can cause problems at construction phase

A number of sites have now been passed to TfL for consideration. There are also a number of other sites from Phase A that are still being progressed. If all of these sites can get approval this will really help with current demand issues. All sites must gain planning and traffic regulation approval and only once this has happened can construction occur. There is also the possibility that sites could fall away at the construction stage due to unforseen circumstances such as tree roots, statutory services such as gas and electricity. However, the Council tries where possible to choose locations that aren't too close to trees or stat covers. Dawn appreciates that some residents will be disappointed that she have not put forward sites that they have requested. However unfortunately TfL have had to set limits on the number of sites put forward (due to funding limitiations). So Dawn has tried her hardest to take into considerations existing gaps in the network, current usage and ultimately locations that hopefully won't receive objections at the planning stage. Dawn is conscious there will still be some gaps in the network even if all of the proposed sites go through but hopefully there may be scope for further intensification if other boroughs can't fulfil their quota (i.e we can persuade TfL to let us have more sites in our areas using funding earmarked for another borough) It has been great to have so many positive response from the public, particularly as the timescales were very rushed due to TfL deadlines.





Inside existing zone

Cleaver Street/ Bowden Street - court footway - Awaiting planning approval
This site was looked at during phase a and has now gone forward for planning approval



Albert Embankment - Lambeth Bridge footway - Awaiting planning approval
This site previously aquired planning approval but there was a problem at the construction phase so some changes were made to location. This required going back to planning.

Oval tube area - carriageway (loss of 6 parking bays) -Due to go to planning soon
This site was looked at as part of Phase a and is currently being drawn up by TfL and will be submitted to planning shortly. However due to the size of this station (45 docking points) part of this will contribute to our phase b docking points requirements

Kennington Lane (underpass at Vauxhall Station) - footway - Due to go to planning soon
Due to current demand TfL have requested that this site be extended

Baylis Road (outside Lambeth North tube) - footway - Due to go to planning soon
Due to current demand TfL have requested that this site be extended

Vauxhall Walk - carriageway (loss of 3 parking bays) -Being put forward to TfL to consider
A number of requests were made for stations around this area, space at the end of Vauxhall Walk seemed the most appropriate location in terms of closeness to Spring Gardens, City Farm and also low parking stress

Lambeth Road (opposite China Walk estate) - footway - Being put forward to TfL to consider
Previous communications from residents show there is a demand for cycling facilities from China Walk estate residents. Ample footway space adjacent to Astbury House appears to be a good location

Kennington tube - footway - Being put forward to TfL to consider
A number of requests were made for a station around Kennington tube, Kennings Way, Cottingham Street. Space outside the row of shops under Penryn House opposite Kennington Tube appear to be an ideal space

Kennington Cross/Sancroft St - carriageway (loss of 3 parking bays) -Being put forward to TfL to consider
A number of requests for extensions to this site were received due to the high demand for bikes at this station. Parking stress is low in this area so could potentially accommodate the loss of 3 parking bays




Inside existing zone but not being progressed

Cleaver Square - Kennington Road entrance - Not being progressed
No sufficient space without removal of motor cycle parking. Close to Bowden Street

Oval -triangle between tube and Kennington Park - Not being progressed
This site got planning approval previously but was abandoned at construction phase due to problems when digging up the ground. Close to new Oval site

Lambeth Walk - Not being progressed - This site has not been progressed at the moment due to closeness of Lollard Street and Walnut Tree Walk location and also proposals for new site on Lambeth Road

Kennington Park Post Office extension - Not being progressed - No sufficient space to extend this without impeding pedestrians

Lambeth High Street - Not being progressed - This site has not been progressed at the moment due to closeness of proposed site on Albert Embankment nr Lambeth Bridge and Vauxhall Walk, and also closeness to existing site on Lambeth Road

Kennington Road (Shurguard Self Storage) - Not being progressed
No sufficient space to put one in here without impeding pedestrians

Vauxhall Station - Not being progressed
Another site close to Vauxhall station is already being extended

Reedworth Street/Kennington Road - Not being progressed
Suggestions for a docking station on the triangle of grass here. Unfortunately there is insufficient space to locate a 20 bike docking station in this area

Brook Drive -Not being progressed
No sufficient space to put on here on the Lambeth owned portion of the road. Have passed to TfL for Southwark to consider thei part of the road

Cottington Street - Not being progressed
No sufficient space without impeding pedestrians

Kennings Way - Not being progressed
See the site next to shops under Penryn House, this seemed to be a better site to progress as would not require removal of car parking and could help increase visitors to local shops

Kennington Park - Not being progressed
TfL have asked to try and keep stations out of parks due to closures at night etc which means access is not 24/7

The Cut - Not being progressed
We have previously tried to progress this but too many objections from local businesses and residents

Black Prince Road/Salamanca Place - Not being progressed
Doesn’t appear to be enough space plus proposed stations on Albert Embankment nr Lambeth Bridge will hopefully help fill this gap in network

Newport Street - Not being progressed
This site has not been progressed due to close proximity of site in Lollard Street,

Kennington Tesco - Not being progressed
This site has not been progressed due to this being an exisiting site and also good coverage close by in Vauxhall Street and Oval Way.

Kempsford Road/Wincott Street - Not being progressed
This site has not been progressed as although there is low parking stress on this section we need at least 3 parking bays in a row to facilitiate a 20 bike docking station. Currently there are only 2 and a half

Wincott Street/Kennington Road - Not being progressed
Suggestions to put docking station close to row of shops. Unfortunately this can't be progressed for the following reasons a) in front of the shops - this was looked at before but issues with tree roots meant we couldnt construct. b) alongside shops - insufficient width if put in would cause pedestrian obstruction

Stannary Street - Not being progressed
This site has not been progressed due to plans for stations near Kennington Tube and Cleaver Square which we hope will help improve current gaps in the network

Kennington Road (Texaco Garage) - Not being progressed
This site has not been progressed due to insufficent space without impeding pedestrian flow.





Outside of zone

South Lambeth Road / Miles Street / Fentiman Road crossroad
Not being progressed

South Lambeth Road - Goding Street
Not being progressed

Wilcox Close
Not being progressed

South Lambeth road - cl Estrela Bar
Not being progressed

Wandsworth Road, Sainsburys
Not being progressed

Brixton Station
Not being progressed

Battersea Park
Not being progressed

Kings College Hospital, Camberwell
Not being progressed

Clapham Common
Not being progressed

Brixton job centre
Not being progressed

Vauxhall Grove
Not being progressed

Claylands Road
Not being progressed

Planning application for cycle hire docking station outside Broadgates Court

Pavement Outside 1-15 Broadgates Court London
10/03858/RG4

Installation on pedestrian footway of cycle hire docking station for the Transport for London Cycle Hire Scheme comprising a maximum of 17 docking points for scheme bicycles plus a terminal to secure and release bicycles and to provide registration and payment facilities and wayfinding mapping.

To see the proposal and comment visit Lambeth's Planning Database

Councillors survey Sullivan Road, Monkton & Oakden Streets this Saturday

Tomorrow local Prince's ward councillors will be surveying residents of Sullivan Road, Monkton Street and Oakden Street.

The survey has been delivered this morning, and councillors will be knocking on doors between 11am and 1pm tomorrow to collect the responses, and chat about any issues with residents.

Belated KOV Forum update

The SE11 Lurker has been doing an excellent job writing very detailed updates from last week's KOV Forum, but we thought we had better summarise the main issues from what what was a packed meeting.

Network Rail explained their plans to renovate Vauxhall Railway Station, making it more accessible to people with disabilities and hinting at a possible supermarket in one of the arches.

Brian Dickens from the Sports Action Zone updated the meeting on the activities happening on the Old Lilian Baylis site, and the fact that SAZ have the prospect of accessing around £2M from Communitybuilders funding. The Council's cabinet will be considering a proposal to split the site, handing over ownership of the sports facilities to a trust which will be able to bid for these grants. The split would leave the listed school buildings in the Council's hands.

An officer from Lambeth Council spoke about the Cooperative Council programme. The Cooperative Council Commission is finishing its evidence gathering and will be writing its report about how cooperative principles migth be applied in practice to Lambeth Council. It will report in the New Year, 12 pilot schemes will begin in February, and the Council will formally respond in May.

There was an introduction to the idea of setting up a Business Improvement District for Vauxhall. Currently businesses in Vauxhall are being consulted on the proposal, which would see every business in the area paying a levy to fund additional works and services to make the area better for business. BIDs currently operate in Waterloo and Bankside, as well as many other places across the country.

Finally Councillor Mark Harrison updated the meeting on the Vauxhall Nine Elms Battersea Opportunity Area. The area from Lambeth Bridge to Battersea Power Station has been designated an opportunity area for major development by the Mayor of London. 16000 homes and 25000 new jobs are earmarked for the area. The latest news is that a Strategy Board has been set up to coordinate the project, consisting of the Greater London Authority, Transport for London, Wandsworth Council, Lambeth Council and major Nine Elms landowners. A detailed study into the infrastructure needed by the development, and the amount of money that can be raised from developers, has concluded that the scheme is viable, including the proposal to extend the Northern line to Battersea. Mark asked the meeting how local community groups would want to engage with the new Strategy Board over the coming years.

Pictured: Vauxhall Gardens Community Centre, where the meeting took place.

Fireworks!

Lambeth Council is continuing its tradition of providing a free firework display on Clapham Common on Guy Fawkes' Night.

Bring all the family along to Clapham Common on Friday 5 November - the fun starts at 7.30pm.

Because of the difficult financial situation the Council has scaled back its firework displays and the usual displays in Brockwell Park and Streatham Common will not be taking place. This means Clapham is likely to be even busier than usual, so please arrive early. There is no parking at the event so please use public transport, cycle or walk.

Please do not bring your dogs to the displays as loud noise levels and the presence of lots of people may prove too stressful for them. For more information on looking after your pets around fireworks see Lambeth's page on keeping your pets safe during fireworks.

Also please remember not to bring your own sparklers or fireworks to the Common during the event as they will be confiscated on safety grounds.