life in lewisham

A well-insulated group of locals gathered at Brockley Station this morning to promote the ongoing campaign against cuts to Brockley's train services, by handing out leaflets produced by the Forest Hill Society and others*. With the cross-party support of local politicians, the Forest Hill and Sydenham Societies have been running a campaign against proposed cuts to the service on one of Southern's busiest passenger routes. They have written to the Minister of Transport, both privately and in an open letter, requesting a meeting to discuss their concerns, and over 1,500 people have already signed the petition. All the civic societies along the line are ... Read Full Story

BC is somewhat behind the times on this one, given that it's been and gone, but we thought it was worth a mention anyway. As a follow-up to Lewisham Council's research into the problem of fly-tipping, a free 'community skip' trial took place last weekend. The skip was placed on Eddystone Road for the disposal of large, bulky waste which should otherwise have been dropped off at the Landmann Way Recycling Centre, but all too often is simply dumped on the street. Mattresses are a particular problem according to Tom Ashworth, a local chap studying for an MA in Design who has been working ... Read Full Story

Bit of good news (taken from a Lewisham Council press release) Earlier in the year, Lewisham Council approved the adoption of a borough wide Dog Control Order, following new legislation under Section 55 of the Clean Neighbourhoods and Environment Act (2005), which meant that the borough could take action, and enforcement, against people who did not comply with new rules. As from 16 November 2009, enforcement action - which means an on-the-spot fine of £75.00 - can now be taken against people who: Fail to remove their dog’s faeces from a public place Do not keep their dog on a lead in a designated ... Read Full Story

The planned re-development of Lewisham town centre has become a hot talking point in recent months. The scheme involves two linked developments, one on Loampit Vale and the other known as Lewisham Gateway. BC believes that both now have planning permission. Residents opposing the developments, under the banner of Central Lewisham Action Group, have organised a public meeting on Thursday 12th November, at 7:30pm at the Tabernacle, Algernon Road, SE13 7AT. Speakers announced so far include Lib Dem councillor for Lewisham Central Andrew Milton and Fran Rogers of Transition Brockley. All those interested in the town centre's future are invited to attend and participate ... Read Full Story

The Autumn newsletter from the Brockley Safer Neighbourhoods team discusses the past and future priorities for tackling crime and anti-social behaviour, listing past achievements and new challenges. Achievements - Fly-tipping The team worked with Lewisham council environmental team to tackle this problem and identify those involved. Offenders received fines through the post along with photographic evidence. The SNT and the Lewisham Environment team have also set up roadblocks to target vehicles involved. On two separate dates over 100 commercial vehicles were stopped and some received fines for carrying waste while not having the correct documentation. One vehicle was taken off the road permanently due ... Read Full Story