Tennis Club planning appeal

Cllr Jane Pickard at tennis club gate

Developers are appealing against the decision by Lambeth council to refuse planning permission to build 52 flats on the site of West Norwood Tennis Club on the corner of Cheviot Road and Knights Hill.

If you want the Planning Inspector to take your views into account the deadline is Friday 1st February.

You can do this online by quoting ref APP/N5660/A/12/2187818  at :  https://www.planningportal.gov.uk/planning/appeals/online/search

To see detail of the planning application refused by Lambeth quote 12/02129   at: http://planning.lambeth.gov.uk/online-applications/

Upper Norwood Library saved by Lambeth

Campaigners outside Upper Norwood Library

Lambeth council has just agreed with Croydon council  to  take over responsibility for Upper Norwood Library at 39 Westow Hill SE19 1TJ . This will pave the way for the library to become a community trust by 2014.

Under the agreement Croydon will transfer the building and  staff to Lambeth. Lambeth will now be the major funder of the library at £170,000pa while Croydon will contribute £75,000pa for the next two years.

This is a victory for local people and Labour councillors who vigorously campaigned against Tory-run Croydon’s plan to close the library which has been jointly funded by the two councils for decades..

Sally Prentice, Lambeth’s councillor with responsibility for libraries said “This is fantastic news for local residents and guarantees the future of this library. While councils up and down the country are closing libraries, in Lambeth we have protected all our libraries by working side by side with the community.”

See http://uppernorwoodlibrary.org/ for details of all the activities and services in this much loved community library.

Tulse Hill Thameslink Saved!

Cllr Ann Kingsbury at Tulse Hill station

The plan to terminate the Thameslink  train service from Wimbledon to St Pancras at Blackfriars has been scrapped at the last minute! This important local service will now continue to run through Tulse Hill station – thanks to the efforts of  train passengers, Norwood Forum ,local councillors and local MPs who campaigned against the reduction in service.

Labour councillor  Ann Kingsbury said “This is fantastic news. Good train services are vital for the future of West Norwood.  Getting rid of the through service would have seriously inconvenienced many passengers. We will continue to campaign for better transport links for West Norwood.”

Name West Norwood’s new health and leisure centre

Councillors visiting the construction site

Work is progressing well and should be complete in just over  a year’s time on a new health & leisure centre opposite West Norwood rail station. Following campaigns by residents and councillors the council is working with the NHS to create  a joint health & leisure centre which will  including a 100 station gym, 25m swimming pool & dance studio as well as a GP surgery and clinics.

We are now looking for a new name for the centre.  Any suggestions are very welcome!

Labour in Lambeth freeze council tax for another two years

Lambeth will commit to freeze your local council tax for the next two years at the cabinet meeting on 12^th November. With increasing transport , energy, food  and other living costs , Lambeth’s Labour councillors want to support residents by freezing council tax. Labour has frozen your council tax since 2008.

Lambeth’s cabinet member for Finance and Resources, Councillor Paul McGlone said;

“The economic failure of the Coalition Government means the cost of living is increasing and many local people are now struggling to make ends meet.

“We are doing what we can to help residents and the council tax freeze is part of that. It is a historic decision that means council tax will have been at the same level for 6 years running.”

Another bank closes in West Norwood

Nat West Branch in West Norwood – now closed

Nat West bank closed its West Norwood branch at 270 Norwood Road on Friday 26^th October and moved its accounts to 54 Streatham High Road   SW16 1BZ .

A notice in the bank says the closure is for health & safety of staff and customers. Your local councillors will try to get more details from Nat West on the reasons for closure and what is to happen to the building.

Barclays at 543 Norwood Road SE27 9DW has recently refurbished its premises and seems committed to staying in West Norwood.  So many local Nat West customers may  move their accounts to Barclays rather than go to Streatham.

The remaining free ATMs ( cash machines)  in West Norwood are outside Barclays and outside the Post office in Nettlefold Place SE27 0HX.

Second time-capsule found

Tony Seager, Priscilla Seager and Lib Peck

Builders working on the new swimming pool and health centre in West Norwood discovered a time capsule when they recently demolished the  Norwood Hall  built in 1962.

Tony Seager, Secretary of Norwood Old Scholars Association (NOSA) , and his sister Priscilla Seager, both used to live at Norwood Hall and joined  Lib Peck, Lambeth’s councillor for regeneration, to open the capsule. Inside the 1962 capsule were copies of the South London Press  and other newspapers with  a story about an earlier time capsule buried in 1861 when the original Victorian orphanage was built!

What should we put in a West Norwood time capsule for 2012? Use the “Contact Us” box to let us have your suggestions.

http://www.yourlocalguardian.co.uk/news/local/streathamnews/9811511.Time_capsule_reveals_glimpse_into_the_past/

The new swimming pool , gym, dance studio  and heath centre in Devane  Way opposite  West Norwood station is a  £16.5 million scheme led by Lambeth Council in partnership with NHS Lambeth and Galliford Try and is due to open in 2014.

Future of West Norwood Library

Mike Smith at Children’s Library in Nettlefold Hall

There has been a great response to the  council’s consultation on the future of the borough’s libraries  - and West Norwood library in particular where local people & ward councillors want to see the library back in the Nettlefold Hall building on Norwood High Street ( beside the cemetery ) as soon as possible. One of the outcomes of the consultation is that an independent cinema company is showing interest in getting involved.

Greenwich Picture House – A local Independent Cinema

Everyone in West Norwood is keen to see the shopping centre improved and have more places to go out in the evenings. A cinema, perhaps including  a café/bar, could make a big difference to West Norwood . We already have  the new swimming pool  under construction – would you  welcome a cinema in part of the Nettlefold Hall building as part of  more changes to West Norwood?  To let local councillors have you views please email  Cllr Mike Smith    {msmith10@lambeth.gov.uk}

Benches on the hills of West Norwood

New Benches

West Norwood shopping centre is at the bottom of a series of steep hills – York Hill, Lansdowne Hill, Knights Hill & Auckland Hill. So it’s great going downhill to go shopping but harder bringing your shopping back home up hill!

New benches have been strategically placed to create a rest stop for residents walking up, or down our hills.

Some residents do have concerns that the new benches will encourage anti-social behaviour.

Do the advantages of a bench, particularly for less mobile residents, outweigh the potential disadvantages? Do let Cllr Pickard know what you think [jpickard@lambeth.gov.uk ]

Late night library opening on Wednesdays

The temporary library based in The Old library at 14-16 Knights Hill SE27 has just extended its opening hours on Wednesdays to 8pm.

So opening times are now:

• Monday – 10am – 4pm
• Tuesday – Closed
• Wednesday – 10am – 8pm
• Thursday – 10am – 1pm
• Friday – 10am – 12.30pm
• Saturday – 10am – 5pm
• Sunday – Closed

Cllr Jackie Meldrum at The Old Library

The council had a great response to the consultation on  libraries across the borough and is now considering  all the comments. The next step will be  to work with local communities  to work out a way forward for each library. The council will be holding more public meetings and events and details will be available in the coming weeks.

Friends of West Norwood Library are discussing the future library service in West Norwood . New members are welcome – FWNL@hotmail.co.uk or see facebook http://www.facebook.com/pages/Friends-of-West-Norwood-Library-FoWNL/153384884734244