Agenda and minutes
PDF 98 KBVenue: The Finnish Church in London, 33 Albion Street, London SE16 7HZ
Contact: Gerald Gohler
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Introductions and welcome
Minutes: The chair welcomed residents, councillors and council officers to the meeting. He went on to thank the Finnish church for welcoming the community council. |
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Apologies
Minutes: There were apologies for absence from Councillors Jeff Hook, Paul Kyriacou, Linda Manchester and Michael Situ; and for lateness from Councillors Mark Gettleson, Graham Neale, Catherine McDonald and Lisa Rajan. |
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Disclosure of Members' interests and dispensations
Members to declare any interests and dispensation in respect of any item of business to be considered at this meeting. Minutes: Councillors made the following declarations in relation to:
Agenda item 14: Reallocation of Community Council Fund under spend
Councillor David Hubber, pecuniary interest, as he is a member of the Surrey Docks Farm Provident Society.
Councillor Lisa Rajan, pecuniary interest, as she is a member of the Surrey Docks Farm Provident Society.
Councillor Paul Noblet, pecuniary interest, as he is a member of the Surrey Docks Farm Provident Society. |
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Items of business that the Chair deems urgent
The chair to advise whether they have agreed to any item of urgent business being admitted to the agenda.
Minutes: There were none. |
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Minutes
To confirm as a correct record the minutes of the meeting held on 12 July 2012. Supporting documents: Minutes: RESOLVED:
That the minutes of the meeting held on 12 July 2012 be agreed as an accurate record, and signed by the chair.
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Deputations / Petitions (if any)
The chair to advise on any deputations or petitions received.
Minutes: There were none. |
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7.10pm |
Community Announcements
Minutes: The chair made the following announcements:
The chair went on to announce the following other events:
At this point, Councillor Mark Gettleson joined the meeting.
Sally Causer, Development Manager at Southwark Citizens’ Advice Bureau (CAB),informed the meeting that outreach advice sessions by the CAB had started at the Canada Water Library every Wednesday from 10am to 12noon. There was also a special advice session around energy and fuel bills on 24 October 2012 from 11am to 3pm. Another event for council leaseholders would be held in Camberwell on 7 November 2012 in the evening. This event would provide advice around leaseholder and major repairs charges and other leasehold related issues. More information would be sent out with the council’s quarterly service charge statements.
Ray Boyce, Head of Older People Services, informed the meeting that a consultation was underway looking at the council’s provision of day services for people with dementia. There were currently two day centres - in Southwark Park and Dulwich - both of which did not meet the needs of service users and their carers. The council was looking into launching a new service in a centre of excellence. Ray offered to send more information to any residents who left their contact details with the Constitutional Officer.
Claire Sexton, from London Bubble, told the meeting about the “Docks to Desktops” intergenerational project. The project included collecting local people’s stories about working in the factories and docks which had previously been in the area. The stories would be made into a performance piece. She encouraged people to submit their stories or pictures, ... view the full minutes text for item 7. |
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7.15pm |
General overview - Regeneration in the area
Minutes: The chair said that this item was designed to be a whistle-stop tour of large regeneration projects in the newly merged community council area, so that all attendees got to find out what was happening across the area.
London Bridge Dan Taylor, Principal Project Officer, gave an overview of the major regeneration projects in the community council area. He reminded the meeting that the council’s core strategy set out its plans for the London Bridge area to become a thriving mixed use centre. The following projects sat underneath this strategy. London Bridge Station itself would see large-scale refurbishment worth £400m, which would increase the station’s size and capacity. It would also create a north-south link through the station from Tooley Street and St Thomas Street, and an open space between Weston Street and Stainer Street. Planning permission had been granted in September 2011, preliminary works had started. The building works would probably last up to five years. Because of the inconvenience with noise and disruptions, a community forum had been set up to regularly consult with residents. This would be meeting quarterly. In terms of the area around the station, the Shard would be fully completed in March 2013 including the restaurant and viewing gallery; the hotel would open in April 2013. Part of the development of the Shard was the neighbouring “The Place”, also due for completion in April 2013, as well as a jobs programme in which local people could get training. The new bus station had been completed since June.
There were two further projects taking place in the area: the Guy’s Tower re-clad which would be completed by October 2013, and 1 Tower Bridge which was a mixed use development, whose construction would run until November 2016. It would include 400 residential units and a cultural and retail spaces.
Bermondsey Spa Tom Kemp, Principal Surveyor - Bermondsey Spa, outlined the background to the Bermondsey Spa development which had been adopted in the 2000 master plan. Part of the development were 1,500 new homes, a large part of which were affordable. The new Spa Park, health centres, new community facilities such as the new Salmon Youth Centre, as well as commercial units were also part of the scheme. More developments were going to be coming on-stream: Notting Hill Housing was developing new units on the corner of Grange Walk and the Neckinger, which comprised 205 new units, half of which were affordable. Hollybrook Homes would redevelop 19 Spa Road (the former Town Hall) resulting in 41 new homes. The conversion of the redundant railway arches in St James’s Street would create commercial spaces, which in turn would generate 300-400 jobs. All these and further schemes would generate Section 106 funding. In answer to a question from the floor, Tom Kemp responded that the old Bermondsey Town Hall would not be demolished, but refurbished, as the external facade and the atrium were both listed. A question was raised about access by local people to the ... view the full minutes text for item 8. |
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7.30pm |
Community Infrastructure Levy / Cleaner Greener Safer Launch
Minutes: Community Infrastructure Levy Tim Cutts, Team Leader - Planning Policy, explained that the Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL) would replace most Section 106 payments. CIL would not be negotiated, but was mandatory; and payments due would be established before the development started. There were some exceptions to this, for example for developments by charities and affordable housing developments. The moneys raised could only be used for infrastructure. After 2014, the use of Section 106 would be very limited. Under CIL, it would also not be possible to pool moneys to be spend on a larger improvements, for open spaces or public transport, for example. After the introduction of CIL, Section 106 would be more site specific and could be used for things like access roads.
Tim went on to outline the different zones and charges which would be applied under CIL, and which were currently being consulted upon. These ranged from payments of £400 per square meter in the most expensive zones to £50 per square metre around the Old Kent Road and in Peckham. Office developments would only be asked to pay in the most expensive zone. He went on to say that some of the CIL could be used to fund projects on the project bank, and that its main purpose was to support growth. The “CIL infrastructure plan” was going to be adopted over the next year. Guidelines around CIL were expected from central government over the course of the year.
The chair remarked that the new regime would bring more freedom, but that the council needed to make a list of its strategic priorities. The meeting also heard that Strategic Section 106 funding could be used further away from the proposed development (see item 15), as long as a “a meaningful proportion” was used for local infrastructure.
In answer to further questions, Tim explained that where developers chose to build was up to them, but that the zones and charges reflected the market value of the land. Developers tended to locate their developments in areas, where they stood to make the most profit. The zones and charges would be reviewed periodically and if changes were proposed, there would be a formal consultation process about this. In terms of using CIL to improve the current housing stock, this was currently under discussion with the Mayor of London.
For further information about CIL, please contact Tim Cutts, ... view the full minutes text for item 9. |
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7.40pm |
Project Bank refresh
· Blue Anchor market, Albion Street, Tower Bridge Road · St Mary’s Churchyard
Examples: · Old Kent Road · Sport and Olympics
Minutes: The chair introduced this item by saying that the following were examples of projects which residents may want to ask for, as part of the project bank.
Russell Drysden told meeting that superstores had put retailers in Albion Street and on the Blue Anchor Market under pressure. The South Bermondsey Partnership had been instrumental in improving the Blue. Shopkeepers, residents and the council had negotiated the changes needed and had come up with an end result that all could be proud of. The Community Restoration Fund would also provide £30,000 to the Blue, which would be used to help businesses and residents to take the management of the area into their own hands.
Reverend Charlie Moore from St Mary’s Church in Bermondsey Street, showed “before and after” pictures of the improvements, which had been made to the church and the churchyard. The churchyard had opened in April 2012. Responding to a question, Rev Moore explained that making the changes to the church had been a 10-year process, even after the initial planning permission had been received.
Councillor Michael Bukola introduced Jeremy Leach from Living Streets. Jeremy gave an overview of the history of and the current problems with the Old Kent Road. These included: the increasing residential population, the number of accidents involving pedestrians and cyclists, the large number of lanes and high volume of traffic. He went on to say that residents wanted a more attractive place to live, and that it was likely that denser developments and communities would develop along the road. He suggested the following measures to make the Old Kent Road more liveable and less dangerous to pedestrians and cyclists: narrowing the carriageway, improving frontages, introducing 20mph speed limit from Dunton Road to East Street, removing the fly-over (or turning it into an open space), restoring trams down the Old Kent Road.
The meeting then split into workshops with the following themes: London Bridge/Bermondsey, Canada Water and Rotherhithe, and “around the Old Kent Road.”
This was followed by the break. |
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8.35pm |
Safer Neighbourhoods Teams
Inspector Al Irvine, Metropolitan Police Supporting documents: Minutes: Sergeant Rob Evans informed the meeting that a decision had been taken to close Rotherhithe police station, as it only offered poor working conditions to police staff stationed there, was under-occupied and not fit-for-purpose. It was now being marketed for disposal.
The chair said that in the future, the community council may want to invite someone from the Mayor’s office to talk about this. Concerns were expressed about the loss of front counter facilities. The meeting heard that it was important that police stations were not closed without a replacement front counter service being put in place. The chair said this reinforced the need for a community assets register, which was currently being consulted upon. The register would flag up buildings important to the community, which they may be able to find funds for and run themselves.
The meeting heard that Sergeant Evans was leaving Southwark to take up a post in Bexley, and that the community and councillors were sad to see him go. He had put in place the award winning “Gamers” project, in which police officers play computer games with local young people, and which had subsequently been rolled out throughout the Met.
The chair announced that he would alter the sequence of the remaining agenda items, as follows:
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8.45pm |
Connect2 cycling and walking project (Element 5) - results of public consultation
Councillors to consider the information contained in the report. Supporting documents: Minutes: Councillors considered the information contained in the report.
The meeting heard that a memorial to the late Barry Mason was to be erected as part of this scheme, and that this would be in the shape of a bicycle and a bird.
RESOLVED:
That the community council welcomes the scheme being put in place. |
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8.55pm |
Allocation of Cleaner Greener Safer under spend
Note: This item is an executive function
Councillors to consider the recommendations contained in the report.
Supporting documents: Minutes: Note: This item is an executive function
Councillors considered the information contained in the report.
RESOLVED:
That Bermondsey and Rotherhithe Community Council:
1. Approves the allocation of £29,399 to Shuttleworth Park lighting improvements to address anti-social behaviour and security concerns.
2. Approves the allocation of £29,399 to Shuttleworth Park lighting improvements to address anti-social behaviour and security concerns. |
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9.05pm |
Local Parking Amendments
Note: This item is an executive function
Councillors to consider the recommendations contained in the report. Supporting documents: Minutes: Note: This item is an executive function
Councillors considered the information contained in the report.
RESOLVED:
1. That the following local parking amendments, detailed in the appendices to the report, are approved for implementation subject to the outcome of any necessary statutory procedures:
· Long Lane – install at any time waiting restrictions between Tower Bridge Road and Bermondsey Street
· Rolls Road junction with Oxley Close – remove one parking space to accommodate larger cycle gap
· Rolls Road, southern footway, between Oxley Close and Cooper’s Road - remove the existing one-way cycle lane and convert the full width of this stretch of footway to shared-use (pedestrians and cyclists)
· Adjacent to footpath between Stevenson Crescent and Sheppard’s Drive – install double yellow lines
· Catlin Street junction with Stevenson Crescent - convert short stretch of southern footway to shared-use (pedestrians and cyclists).
2. That the following local parking amendment, detailed in the appendices to the report, be brought back to the next meeting, so that residents’ concerns can be addressed:
· Masters Drive – install double yellow lines in the turning head
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8.40pm |
Strategic S106 funds for transport projects across the borough
Councillors to consider the information contained in the report. Supporting documents: Minutes: Simon Phillips, Principal Transport Planner, introduced the report and highlighted that there were £266,000 earmarked to start the design work for changing the road lay-out on Lower Road. Councillors commented that they hoped the amount earmarked would be dedicated to getting some “quick wins”, and enquired what had happened to the multi-modal study which the council had conducted a few years ago. Concerns were expressed that works proposed in the report should not duplicate the work of previous studies. The meeting also heard that development should happen only after adequate infrastructure had been put in place, not the other way around. Simon Phillips explained that the cost of the project on Lower Road was about £3m, which was less than the original estimate of £9m, however further Section 106 contributions would be needed and match-funding from Transport for London (TfL) had been applied for. The multi-modal study had helped put together the current designs and had brought forward the date that the other works could be undertaken. Simon confirmed that a right turn from Lower Road into Surrey Quays Road was also among the options which could be explored.
In terms of the proposals for Elephant and Castle contained in the report, Simon explained that the proposal was to improve the Northern roundabout and access to the Northern Line Underground station. The meeting heard that the amount allocated would not be enough to fund the Elephant & Castle project. A question was raised whether this money could not be transferred to the Lower Road project. Further points raised included: support for the Peckham Rye station, the 24-hour bus lane on Jamaica Road and speeds on the Lower Road roundabout. The meeting heard that the 24-hour bus lane was currently being reviewed by TfL.
Simon responded it was possible to revise the project proposals, but that the decision would be taken by main planning committee. Match funding for the Camberwell project had come from TfL. The Jamaica Road issue would be looked at as part of the scheme to combat rat running, which was currently being consulted on. He encouraged residents to fill in the consultation form.
RESOLVED:
1. That the following comment should be fed back: Previous work undertaken on Lower Road should not be duplicated. A practical programme of works should be set out and fed back to councillors
2. That the community council asks officer to provide information for the next meeting, which developments the Section 106 funds are proposed to be taken from
ACTION: Simon Phillips to provide information about which developments the Section 106 funding in the report is proposed to be taken from, and to set a practical programme of works, which is to be fed back to councillors.
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8.50pm |
Reallocation of Community Council Fund under spend
Note: This item is an executive function
Councillors to consider the recommendations contained in the report. Supporting documents: Minutes: Note: This item is an executive function
At this point Councillors David Hubber, Paul Noblet and Lisa Rajan withdrew from the meeting.
The remaining councillors considered the information set out in the report.
That the under spend of £1,345.50 from the Bermondsey & Rotherhithe Community Council Fund 2012-13 be allocated as follows:
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9.00pm |
Public Questions
A public question form is included at page 57.
This is an opportunity for public questions to be addressed to the chair. Residents or persons working in the borough may ask questions on any matter in relation to which the council has powers or duties.
Responses may be supplied in writing following the meeting. Responses to queries raised at previous meetings can be found on page 58. Supporting documents: Minutes: The meeting heard a comment that more time should have been given to questions from the floor.
A question was raised about noise pollution from a business in the arches opposite the new buildings at Bermondsey Spa. The chair responded that the ward councillors would speak to the resident and look into it.
The next meeting of the community council is scheduled for Tuesday 27 November 2012. |