09 March 2010

Forest Hill Pools — Latest Design Details

As we reported in January, the architects Roberts Limbrick have been selected as the preferred architects to deliver the detailed design for our swimming pools on Dartmouth Road. This Gloucester-based practice has built Leisure Centres and swimming pools before and is familiar with the engineering and design problems. They presented their thoughts and plans to the stakeholders group and to the Forest Hill Ward Assembly on 1st February.

If you cast your mind way back, you may remember a point when the Council presented us with three design proposals by different architects. The most popular (although we were told at the time it was far too expensive) was from architects Allies and Morrison which proposed a rectangular building with a wave shaped roof. Roberts Limbrick are working with this vision.

They suggest orientating the two pools in the same direction as the current pools but with the changing area in between. This would enable both pools to be lit by natural light from windows along the walls. The teaching pool would be more enclosed with a flexible exercise room above. A gym situated above the changing rooms would get natural light from over the larger pool which would be double height.

There would be two entrances, the current one on Dartmouth Road and another on the side by Kingswear House next to a new cafe. This would lead to a public area or mall behind the cafe and the superintendant’s house. There would be disabled access and coach drop-off in front of the Dartmouth Road entrance. There would also be some disabled parking but no other onsite parking as the site is too small.

The stakeholders and those attending the assembly had a number of questions about the parking, service, safeguarding pedestrians, the material to be used, and environmental issues: some of the roof may be green (sedum or grass), the pools would be covered when not in use to conserve heat, sustainable energy sources have been discussed.
From a visual point of view, the greatest problem is likely to be the relocation of some of the plant to the front of the building over the cafe. The architects will have to work hard to ensure this is not ugly and intrusive next to the Victorian building.
On the positive side, the firm does seem willing to engage with stakeholders and the public and now is the time to make your views heard before planning permission is sought later this year. Do you have a burning issue you would like us to raise? Do you want to be able to watch your kids while they are having lessons? Do you want Unisex changing, or a changing village? Whatever it is, please contact us via the Forest Hill Society.

Friends of One Tree Hill - Annual Meeting and local history talk

One Tree Hill lies at the northern end of a prominent ridge of hills that has marked the boundary between kingdoms, counties, manors and ancient parishes for many centuries and has been an open space since time immemorial. In 1896 a golf club attempted to enclose the hill.

Local people campaigned successfully and on 7th August 1905 One Tree Hill was “opened to the public, and dedicated to their use, forever”.

The talk will cover the history of the hill, real and fictional, and describe the successful campaign to save it. For further details, contact Sandy.

Toilet Facilities to be built in Horniman Triangle

This was an issue which concerned a great many of us when Forest Hill Beach (the popular sand pit opposite the Horniman Museum) opened last Easter. There were no toilet facilities and this caused considerable problems for young children who couldn’t be expected to make it all the way to the Museum’s toilets when the time came. So the excellent news is that there will be new toilets next to the café in the Horniman Triangle in mid-Summer.

This has become possible because the Forest Hill Ward Assembly agreed to spend £3850 on the architects' designs. The designs were discussed at the last Ward Assembly on Monday 1st February with residents choosing the design which proposed attaching the toilets to the existing café building.
The current plan is for there to be two small toilets and a larger disabled cubicle which would include baby changing facilities. There will be a RADAR key available from the café for those who don’t have one and want to use the baby changing facilities.

The council is including the full £80,000 for the cost of building the new facilities in the new parks contract and the architects are expecting to complete their work and send it for planning permission in April. Lewisham Council is hoping that the building can be finished for mid-summer.
We’re grateful to the local residents and councillors who petitioned and campaigned for these facilities and hope they will make everyone’s life easier when they’re down at the beach.

05 March 2010

Forest Hill Pools Consultation

Initial Pool Frontage
Lewisham Council have just announced the following dates for a consultation on the design of the new pools.

You will be able to see the plans online or in person at the following times:
Wednesday, 17 MarchForest Hill Station 4.30 pm - 6.30 pm
Thursday, 18 MarchForest Hill Library 9 am -8 pm
Friday, 19 MarchSainsbury's (London Rd) 5 pm -7 pm
Wednesday, 24 MarchForest Hill Station 4.30 pm - 6.30 pm
Thursday, 25 MarchForest Hill Library 9 am -8 pm
Friday, 26 MarchSainsbury's (London Rd) 5 pm -7 pm

We will then have the chance to meet the architects to provide feedback and discuss any concerns on Saturday, 27 March at Forest Hill Station from 10 am -3 pm

20 February 2010

23 Club: February and March

The Events Committee thought it would be interesting to widen out the scope of the 23 Club events beyond visiting local restaurants in the evening or for Sunday lunch, so you will see that this month we are going to a newly opened cafe in Honor Oak (Hopscotch), and to a fairly recently opened bar near to Hopscotch (The Stone Bar) in March. Please note you don’t need to pre-book for February or March – 23 Club seating will be signed – just turn up.

Tuesday February 23: Hopscotch : a new cafe in Honor Oak

72 Honor Oak Park SE23 1DY www.hopscotch-cafebar.com

Meet at 11am for coffee and/or 4pm for tea (no booking needed) – tables will have 23 Club ID


Tuesday March 23 : Stone Bar : a new Caribbean style bar in Honor Oak

68-70 Honor Oak Park SE23 1DY www.stonebar.co.uk

Meet between 6-8pm for drinks (no booking needed) – tables will have 23 Club ID

If you decide to stay and have supper you don’t need to book. Menu info is on the website.


Friday April 23 : evening : St George’s Day Celebration

April 23rd is St George’s Day, and we think it would be fun to mark this in some way. If you have any suggestions, please do contact me so the Events Committee can consider them – dragon-slaying followed by a barbeque would be ideal, of course, but may be fraught with H&S regulations these days .


How the 23 Club works The Club is open to Forest Hill Society members and their guests. Please make your booking (if necessary) direct with the restaurant, saying you want to be seated with the 23 Club group. Everyone orders and pays separately.

23 Club email list and venues Finally please send details of anyone who wants to be added to this 23 Club email information, and also pass on any suggestions you may have for restaurants in the Forest Hill area, and ideas for other local options.

Forest Hill Street Clutter Report

The Forest Hill Ward Assembly commissioned a report on the state of the high street and street clutter which will be submitted to the Lewisham Mayor and Cabinet, requesting analysis and action to address the poor state of the Dartmouth Road and London Road.

With 25% of retail units now closed in Forest Hill town centre, urgent attention is required to improve the high street. This is a great time to be looking at ways to improve the high street so that shops can benefit best from the East London Line Extension in May and the new swimming pool in 2012.

You can read the full report here.

Planning Application: 81 Dartmouth Road

The Forest Hill Society has submitted an objection to the planning application for conversion of the shop on the corner of Dartmouth Road and Clyde Vale.

Our primary concern is the loss of a good retail unit in a prime location, almost opposite the swimming pool.

You can read the objection here.

05 February 2010

February eNewsletter

It’s quite a lengthy eNewsletter this month but we wanted to let you know the latest about Forest Hill Pools and the good news about toilet facilities in the Horniman Triangle. Details of this month’s 23 Club are still to be finalised but I’ll get them to you very soon. We also have a combined spring social event with the Sydenham Society – a visit to Brogdale Farm, the home of the National Fruit Collection. So please take a deep breath and struggle through to the end…

POOLS

We now have more details about the architects’ plans for our pools on Dartmouth Road. Roberts Limbrick, the Gloucester-based practice appointed by Lewisham Council, presented their thoughts and plans so far to the stakeholders group and to the Forest Hill Ward Assembly on 1st February.

The architects propose orienting the two pools in the same direction as the current pools but with the changing area in between. This would enable both pools to be lit by natural light from windows along the walls. The teaching pool would be more enclosed with a flexible exercise room above. A gym situated above the changing rooms would get natural light over the larger pool, which would be double height.

There would be two entrances, the current one on Dartmouth Road and another on the side by Kingswear House by a new cafe. This would lead to a public area or mall behind the cafe and the superintendant’s house. There would be disabled access and coach drop off in front to the Dartmouth Road entrance. There would be some disabled parking, but no other onsite parking as the site is too small.

The stakeholders and those attending the assembly had a number of questions around the parking, service access (down a side road between the Pools and Louise House), safeguarding pedestrians, the material to be used, and green issues: some of the roof may be green (sedum or grass), the pools would be covered when not in use to conserve heat, sustainable energy sources have been discussed.

Roberts Limbrick does seem willing to engage with stakeholders and the public so now is the time to make your views heard before planning permission is sought later this year. Do you have a burning issue you would like us to raise? Do you need provision for underwater hockey, for example? Do you want to be able to watch your kids while they are having lessons? Do you want separate male and female changing areas or a changing village?

Whatever it is, please contact us via the Forest Hill Society.


TOILET FACILITIES IN THE HORNIMAN TRIANGLE

This was an issue which concerned a great many of us when Forest Hill Beach (the fancy sand pit opposite the Horniman Museum) opened last Easter. There were no toilet facilities and this caused considerable problems for young children who couldn’t be expected to make it all the way to the Museum’s toilets which the time came. So, the excellent news is that there will be new toilets next to the café in the Horniman Triangle in mid-Summer.

This has become possible because the Forest Hill Ward Assembly agreed to spend £3850 on the architects' designs. The designs were discussed at the last Ward Assembly on Monday 1st February and, after listening to advice from Martin Hyde of the Council’s parks department, the local residents attending the assembly chose the option which would attach the toilets to the existing café building.

The current plan is for there to be two small toilets and a larger disabled cubicle which would include baby changing facilities. There will be a RADAR key available from the café for those who don’t have one and want to use the baby changing facilities.

The council is including the full £80,000 for the cost of building the new facilities in the new parks contract and the architects are expecting to complete their work and send it for planning permission in April. Martin is hoping that building can be finished for mid-summer.

We’re grateful to the local residents and councillors who petitioned and campaigned for these facilities and hope they will make everyone’s life easier when they’re down at the beach.



PERRY VALE WARD ASSEMBLY

Thursday 11th February, 7.40-9.30: Forest Hill Methodist Church, Normanton Street

NATURE’S GYM AT ALBION MILLENIUM GREEN

February 25th 11.00-2.00 Nature’s Gym will continue to prepare the ground and, weather permitting, a collection of damson trees and a mulberry tree will be planted on the north side of the Green. Interested in helping? Bring gardening gloves, branch loppers or secateurs.

BROGDALE IN BLOSSOM

Saturday, April 17th combined FHSoc/SydSoc visit to Brogdale Farm in Faversham, Kent - the home of the National Fruit Collection. The aim is to arrive at Brogdale by 11.00a.m. and have a cup of coffee; do the guided tour of the collection of blossoming fruit trees (approx 1 hour); lunch in the Brogdale cafe and either browse the rest of the site at leisure or linger in the gift shop. You can read about the farm at www.brogdalecollections.co.uk

We’re going in individual cars rather than a coach but the idea is that drivers with spare capacity offer lifts to other members. Contact should be made with chair@foresthillsociety.com to let us know how many to expect.

Phoenix Works Planning Application

The Forest Hill Society is objecting to the latest plans for the Phoenix Work development which is located behind Dartmouth Road, close to the railway line. The site has been semi-complete for over a year but all work stopped following the collapse of a crane.

The latest application uses the same outline of the development but increases the number of residential units. Below are the main reasons for the Forest Hill Society's objection which can be read in full here.

* Density levels equivalent to 950 habitable rooms per hectare, significantly higher than most developments in the area and twice as high as the previously approved development
* Concerns over emergency vehicle access and fire safety in the courtyard area
* Lack of private amenity space for many of the 17 family dwellings
* Lack of parking for cars and bicycles
* Less than desirable access to the commercial units within the development

27 January 2010

Forest Hill Local Assembly - Mon 1 February

The next meeting of Lewisham's local assembly is to be held at
Living Springs International Church
8-10 Devonshire Road
London SE23 3TJ

on Monday, 1 February 2010 from 7.30-9.30pm

We hope to see you there!

The following topics will de discussed.

Forest Hill Pools


Forest Hill pools has been an interest at the assembly since the first meeting. The assembly has received presentations and taken part in the consultation over the future of the pools and Roberts Limbrick has now been awarded the contract to design the new pools.
Work on the new Forest Hill pools is now progressing very quickly. The architects and Lewisham's Head of Property have been invited to keep the assembly up to date on progress, and the design team will present their latest designs and ideas to you for this exciting development. You will have the opportunity to ask questions and give feedback to the initial designs. This is an opportunity for your ideas and opinions to be taken into account in the final design.

Horniman Triangle play park toilet block


Forest Hill assembly allocated £3,850 from the £50,000 ward fund to take plans for toilets for the Horniman Triangle play park through the planning process. The money that the assembly has allocated means that it should be possible for the new toilets to be open in the summer.
The assembly meeting will be your opportunity to hear about these plans and ask questions.

Forest Hill town centre improvements


The assembly is working with Economic Development to improve the Forest Hill town centre. This will be on the February assembly meeting agenda, along with lessening the worst effects of the economic recession.
This is your chance to raise your concerns and ask questions about what the Council is doing to promote our town centre. Improving the town centre is one of the ward priorities and this discussion will give the assembly a chance to look at the ways that this can be done.

High Street clutter report


Forest Hill Assembly allocated £2,500 from the £50,000 allocation to pay for a report on how the layout and look of the high street can be improved and made to look less drab and cluttered. The finished report and its findings will be presented at the February meeting. The report will make a number of recommendations for actions to improve the look of Forest Hill. An initial draft can be downloaded here (6MB).
If the assembly supports the recommendations, it can request to raise the issue with the Mayor and Cabinet following discussions with officers on options and solutions.

The coordinating group


The coordinating group meets every couple of months and includes the assembly officer, one of the local councillors and other members of the assembly who are appointed by the assembly meetings. The role of the coordinating group is to help plan and run meetings, plan and prepare for the assembly and address the key priorities of the ward as decided by the assembly.
If you are interested in joining the Coordinating Group please contact Sam Dias on 020 8314 3386 or sam.dias@lewisham.gov.uk.

Newsletter


All homes in the ward should have received a copy of the Forest Hill Assembly newsletter. If you have not received a copy, please contact Sam Dias on 020 8314 3386 or sam.dias@lewisham.gov.uk so that she can chase the delivery company and get a refund. In the meantime you can download a PDF from here.