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.

All in a week's work for SE11 Labour

Last Saturday residents from the Ethelred and Whitgift estates met at Pory Hall for a coffee morning with councillors and Kate Hoey MP. It was a good chance for people to meet their neighbours and chat, discuss some of the problems both estates are facing, and an opportunity for Ethelred TMO board members to update councillors on efforts to get the Council to sort out the estate's CCTV and doors. There is some optimism that the new Lambeth Living Chief Executive is keen to sort the problem out, but there is a still disagreement about the service charge residents will be expected to pay.

On Monday the Vauxhall Gardens Estate Tenants and Residents Association met for the first time in a few months. Major works are underway across the estate, and there was concern that scaffolders are blocking streets and car parks, and that builders are not cleaning up after themselves properly. Mark Harrison offered Labour activists' assistance in taking round a petition against coaches parking on the streets around the estate at weekends, which has been causing a nuisance in the area for several years.

On Tuesday the Kennington, Oval and Vauxhall Forum held its quarterly public meeting at the Pedlars Acre Hall in Kennington. There was concern that pavements are being left in a poor state when street lighting is replaced. Complaints were raised against the lack of a review of the Kennington controlled parking sub zone, which Cllr Stephen Morgan promised to take up. There was an update on the Mayor of London's cycle hire scheme - Lambeth will be applying for planning permission for around 30 docking sites in the north of the Borough. John Kazantzis, Lambeth's Cabinet Member for Business, gave a overview of how Labour is trying to help small business in Lambeth through the recession. Finally, Stephen Morgan gave an update on plans for a craft school and museum on the Beaufoy Institute site in Black Prince Road, and plans for a community hub on the old Lilian Baylis School site. Both are progressing well, if slowly.

On the same evening Labour supporters joined members of the Portuguese community at the Casa Madeira restaurant on Albert Embankment for a fantastically-successful fundraising dinner. Leader of Lambeth Council Steve Reed, and London Assembly Member Val Shawcross both practised their Portuguese, to the pleasure and amusement of everybody there.