Chair's review of 2025

Note: this is the prepared text of the speech given by Robert McIntosh, Chair of the Forest Hill Society on Thursday 6th November, 2025. However, if he's honest, he diverged from this text a bit, but hopefully this will act as a reasonable summary.

Good evening, everyone. As we gather to reflect on 2025, I'm reminded of what makes our community special: people who care deeply about Forest Hill, but also Perry Vale, Honor Oak, and Kirkdale, and who are willing to roll up their sleeves to make a difference not just for themselves, but also their neighbours.

The recent Finches fire was a difficult moment, but the community response has demonstrated our resilience and solidarity for a much-loved local business and family. I do look forward to seeing them back on their feet and working to open this unique destination again - maybe even better than before.

The Society Chair, Robert McIntosh, speaks to members in Forest Hill Library

A Year of Community Action

On that note, this year has been great for community engagement. Our Environment sub-committee has worked particularly hard. The Friday Gardening Club, supported by Energy Garden, has flourished alongside the Saturday volunteer sessions around the station, and we’re making plans to improve Platform 1 further. We've partnered with Albion Millennium Green on litter-picks that have made a visible difference to the railway path, and distributed over 300 edible plants to residents during the Walking Festival. We’ve also spent hours scrubbing the panels of the underpass to make that more appealing. To everyone who's volunteered: thank you. But I must be honest – we need more hands. If you've ever thought about getting involved, now is the time.

The Communications and Events team delivered an outstanding Walking Festival in June, our second such event, with a particularly popular Nature Reserves Challenge that got people exploring the green spaces on our doorstep. We had 100 or more people involved and we plan to grow this even further next year. We've also hosted three local history talks aimed to introduce new residents to the area to our history, and also a memorable visit to Brockley Hill Park. Looking ahead, our Christmas Quiz is coming soon, followed by Carols and Tree Lighting on December 6th.

Our Transport sub-committee has been busy advocating for improvements: working with Network Rail on a possible station development, lobbying for safer crossings, addressing the ongoing traffic challenges on Devonshire Road, and engaging with Lewisham Council on their plans for cycle lanes and active travel that will come through our area. Thanks to years of lobbying, we've also seen new trains added during rush hours and we will continue to contribute ideas to Superloop planning (with a new route that could pass through Forest Hill).

The Business of Community

One of this year's developments has been our renewed engagement with local business owners. We're in active conversations with many who share our vision of promoting Forest Hill, Perry Vale, Honor Oak, and Kirkdale as destinations. Together, we want to celebrate what makes our area special while supporting each other's businesses. I hope the wider community will embrace this collaborative spirit.

We've seen some encouraging changes on our high streets. The Foresters pub has reopened, we've welcomed Doma restaurant as a new cool destination, Blue Tit hairdresser, Ounce 10 coffee shop, Better Things has its new location, and a new craft space where it used to be. We've also just learned that a sub-brand of Tesco, One Stop, will be opening in the old Paddy Power space - bringing Tesco back a place they used to occupy many years ago.

Yes, we've also seen closures – Boots the chemist, Paddy Power, and WH Smiths rebranded to TG Jones – reminding us that high streets are constantly evolving. There’s so much more to do here, and we need your thoughts on what you would like to see, to support potential business owners considering the area.

Planning for the Future

Our Planning sub-committee continues its vital work, balancing development opportunities with protecting residents from inappropriate schemes. We're watching the Gambado planning application closely as this is due for a decision soon. We’re also monitoring the Dacres Road junction as this has been raised by many different people and councillors, and of course following the Bell Green development. We actually only submitted one objection this year, to the Gaynesford Road proposal because we thought it would create something unsuitable to live in. But we need more voices in these conversations – if you care about how our area develops, please join us.

Looking Ahead: Our Membership Challenge

I must address something important. While our membership remains steady, we're not recruiting new members as quickly as some are moving away. We need to do better. More significantly, we need to broaden our reach. We want to work more closely with other local groups and resident associations to ensure we're hearing from all parts of our area and representing the full diversity of our community.

As such, I hope to have news soon of a new initiative to get more conversations started in the local area. If you want to be involved, get in touch.

2026: Our 20th Anniversary Year

Which brings me to our plans for 2026. Next year marks our 20th anniversary – two decades of advocating for Forest Hill and its neighbours starting with the campaign to save the pools. We're starting to plan special events to celebrate, alongside continuing our core work.

Our project priorities include:

• crowdfunding for a refresh of the mural on the South Circular;

• lobbying Lewisham Council and TfL for South Circular improvements;

• and further enhancing our website and online presence

A Call to Action

The Forest Hill Society exists because people chose to care. Every volunteer hour, every planning response, every litter-pick, every event, all adds up to a stronger, more connected community.

So I'm asking: if you value what we do, consider joining us in one of our committees. Whether it's the Environment, Transport, Planning, or Communications and Events sub-committee – or simply becoming a member – there's a place for you.

Together, we can ensure Forest Hill, Perry Vale, Honor Oak, and Kirkdale remain not just places to live, but communities to belong to.

Thank you.