Dates for Your Diary

Friends of Baxter Field AGM — Wednesday 29th March, 8pm. Venue TBC

Horniman Easter Fair — 15th-16th April, 10:30am-4:30pm

Spring Walk Through Sydenham Woods — Saturday 29th April, 2pm, meet at main entrance to Horniman Gardens (Forest Hill Society event)

Edible Plant Giveaway — Saturday 6th May from 2pm, at Forest Hill station (Forest Hill Society event)

Spring Planting — Saturday 13th May from 2pm, at Forest Hill station (Forest Hill Society event)

Horniman Farmers’ Market — Every Saturday, 9am-1:30pm

Planning Application: 62 Sunderland Road

This letter is an objection to the proposal at 62 Sunderland Road - planning application reference DC/16/099620

The Forest Hill Society object to this proposal because it involves the demolition and replacement of an important building within the group of Christmas houses on Gaynesford Road, Sunderland Road and Perry Vale in Forest Hill.  In its own right this house an important non-designated heritage asset.  It is also a key building within the wider group of Christmas Houses on the corner of Sunderland Road and Gaynesford Road. 

The Christmas houses were built by E.C. Christmas (Ted) who was a Forest Hill carpenter, sanitary engineer and builder, who in 1901 started building houses in the Arts and Crafts style between Perry Vale and South Road.  These houses have largely been well maintained and retained their exterior appearance.  They form a notable group of local historical significance.

There have been previous discussions with the Local Planning Authority about designating the Christmas Houses as a Conservation Area.  We believe the group of buildings would justify this status because of its special architectural and heritage interest.   The group of Christmas houses is currently remarkably consistent and complete.  The demolition of this house and its replacement as proposed would not only be the loss of a heritage asset in itself it would also negatively impact on the character and appearance of the wider group of Christmas Houses.

62 Sunderland Road is an intrinsic member of the group of Christmas houses with a character and design entirely in keeping with the surrounding houses.  It was built with an unusual triangular footprint in order to maintain the building lines along Sunderland Road and Gaynesford Road and to relate carefully to the surrounding houses. 

Further to our objection to the loss of the house we also object to the replacement building and the way that it is inappropriate to the site in both scale, design, building lines and built form.  The proposed units also have poor access arrangements with convoluted routes to front doors.

This proposal is contrary to the paragraph 58 of the NPPF in terms of its negative impact on local character and history.  The proposal is contrary to Lewisham’s DM Policy 38 which directs that proposals for demolition of heritage assets will be refused unless it can be demonstrated that these are necessary to achieve substantial public benefits that outweigh the harm or loss.  No case for any public benefit of this proposal is put forward in this application.

Horniman announces new Butterfly House attraction

The Horniman Museum and Gardens will open a Butterfly House in summer 2017, it announced today, following a successful planning application to Lewisham Council.

The new attraction will offer visitors an immersive experience, in a specially-planted indoor garden that will be home to a colourful range of free-flying, exotic butterfly species. The Butterfly House complements the Horniman’s current Living Collections, including alpacas, jellyfish and bees in its Animal Walk, Aquarium and Nature Base.

Victoria Pinnington, Director of Communications and Income Generation at the Horniman, says: ‘We’re thrilled to receive planning permission to create this wonderful new experience for our visitors. Butterflies are beautiful and fascinating creatures which play an important role in ecosystems around the world, and we can’t wait for our visitors to enjoy and learn about them close up. The Butterfly House will be an additional attraction in an underused part of the Gardens, making a day at the Horniman even more memorable.’

Work will begin with the demolition of an existing, unused building to make way for the glasshouse and surrounding landscaping. Tickets to the Butterfly House will go on sale later in the year, in advance of the summer opening. Horniman Members will enjoy free, unlimited visits.

See www.horniman.ac.uk for more information.

Burns Night 2017

One of the most fun events in the Forest Hill Society calendar is our annual Robert Burns Night Supper where we combine Scottish food, Scottish poetry, and a wee dram of Scottish whisky in a great evening.

This year, once again, the Forest Hill Society in conjunction with All Inn One, on Perry Vale, will be hosting a Burns Supper on Saturday 28th January.

There will be the traditional Address to the Haggis and the opportunity to listen to or to read from the works of Robert Burns. We will also have some local musicians to round off the evening.
The meal is from 7.30pm, and if you'd like to join us you must book in advance, please call the pub on
020 8699 3311 or email info@allinnone.org.uk to book. The cost is £19.95 per person for 3 courses and a very enjoyable evening. (Please let them know if you would prefer the veggy haggis to the meaty version).

Everybody is welcome; members, non-members, Scots, Sassenachs, and all friends of Scotland.

Early booking is recommended. Last year not everybody who left it until the last minute was able to get a seat.

Christmas Tree Lighting and Carols

Join the Forest Hill Society and Churches Together in Sydenham and Forest Hill, for tree lighting and carols on Saturday 3rd December 2016 at 3:30pm

We will be officially switching on the tree lights outside Forest Hill station.

Followed by the official switching on of the tree lights in Kirkdale at 4:45pm.

Christmas 2016 in Forest Hill, Sydenham, and Kirkdale

Your guide to all the events this December across SE23 and SE26.

Highlights in Forest Hill include:

• Havelock Walk Winter Weekend - Sat 26th & Sun 27th Nov, 12-6pm 
• Horniman Christmas Fair - Sat 3rd & Sun 4th, 10.30am-5pm 
• Forest Hill Christmas Tree switch on and carol singing - Sat 3rd December, 3.30-5pm 
• Kirkdale Christmas Tree Lights switch on - Sat 3rd December, 5pm 

With lots of other events throughout December.

Havelock Walk Open Studios

Open Studios - 26th-27th November 2016 at Havelock Walk, off London Road SE23

More details at www.havelockwalk.com

Proposal for a One-Way Scheme on Perry Vale

The Forest Hill Society has drafted a proposal for a one-way scheme for a small section of the Perry Vale road.

The premise of this proposal is that with some limited changes to the road/walkway layout, this area could set the basis for a more attractive location: for commuters, residents and businesses. While an outline scheme has been proposed, we would expect that a more detailed review (including a possible temporary trial) would be carried out by the appropriate planning and transport authorities prior to full implementation.

We invite you to consider the proposal (shared below), and to let us know your thoughts via the survey link.

We plan to then include all responses in a report, and possible Petition, to Lewisham council, as your views will bring some local context to the proposal in terms of local support, perceived benefits of the scheme and any potential issues.


Opportunity Statement
Perry Vale is the road adjacent to Forest Hill Station.
While in recent years the suburb of Forest Hill has undergone healthy regeneration (in part due to the improved connectivity of its rail station), it cannot be said that both entry points to local infrastructure hub have thrived to the same extent.

Perry Vale businesses naturally report high passing footfall, but note that the area does not yet represent a destination for retail or leisure.

We propose that there exists an opportunity to foster the kind of organic improvements in area that have so far eluded it: principally through reconfiguration of road usage.

There are already commercial developments underway which can contribute to the regeneration of this de-facto hub entry point, and we feel that the proposed changes presented here would impact positively on the character and utility of the area concerned, and reflect many principles of key London and Lewisham policies.

After much consideration, and discussions with businesses and residents, we invite Lewisham council to consider this proposal in its planning cycle.

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Please complete our survey to let us know your views.