AnonymousThe tumblr blog has stopped and been transferred to wordpress, if you email Gavin at gavin.kirk@hotmail.com he’ll make the post.
When’s the market?
You can now find news, views and more at http://denmanroad.wordpress.com
It makes me sad to witness a planning application meeting where those making the decisions clearly had decided at the outset on the outcome, they had no intention of listening to residents and spent half an hour debating an issue that was a non issue for residents. I do not feel that they represent our community on the very simple grounds that they cannot be bothered to listen to the communities in their care. Not fit for purpose I’m afraid. Local politics sucks.
PECKHAM TRAVELLERS (PG)
A celebration of the Traveller world told through the voices and stories of Southwark’s Traveller Community.
Monday 8th August. 6.00pm
Followed by a Q & A with film maker Chris Haydon
Tickets £1.99 Available from PeckhamPlex
95a Rye Lane SE15 4ST
Bookings: 0844 567 2742
Chris Haydon from Community TV Trust spent a year filming with the co operation of STAG [Southwark Travellers Action Group] and STESS [Southwark Travellers Education Support Service]
The resulting films provide an insight into their family life and an
opportunity for the Travellers to have their own stories told honestly
and passionately.
The positive stories abound: young Martin is singing proof that
Travellers Got Talent; Gerry has already won a Junior ABA boxing title; Traveller men, usually shy and elusive with cameras around, emerge as enterprising, articulate, successful, conscientious, dutiful, humorous; the day at the Epsom races saw young Traveller women immersed in the Traveller Fair, much more interested in beautifying their homes than backing horses; a local wedding makes an engaging fly-on-the-wall documentary
PeckhamPlex presents this film as part of Southwark’s new
Elephant and the Nun Festival 5 -14 August.
Page 1 of 2
Relocation of Children Looked After
Service to
7 Talfourd Place & Curlew House
Additional Supporting Information for Local
Residents
(Following residents’ meeting of 11 June 2011)
www.southwark.gov.uk
Children Looked After Service’s Accommodation
Page 2 of 2
1. Additional Frequently asked questions (FAQs):
a) What is the cost of the relocation project and what are the ongoing facilities
costs and service savings?
The proposed relocation of the Children Looked After Service (CLA) to 7 Talfourd
Place and Curlew House requires investment at both properties. The capital budget
for the refurbishment and re-equipping of these premises is £1.3 million. Prudent
valuation shows that associated disposals will fund this investment and return a
capital receipt to the general capital fund for reinvestment in the wider
accommodation programme. The capital allocation is part of the overall office
accommodation budget of £10.8 million.
The current cost of facilities management at CLA sites is £835,000. The estimated
cost of operating from 7 Talfourd Place and Curlew House is £303,000. An additional
service saving of £220,000 has been incorporated into departmental budgets through
the co-location of services and consequent efficiencies and staff reduction.
Further efficiencies will be made through reduced staff travel costs between sites and
a reduction in energy costs through more efficient use of property which will also
reduce carbon emissions.
b) Why was the decision taken to close the former Children’s Home?
Please copy and paste the link below to the report agreed by the Cabinet on 20 July
2010
http://moderngov.southwarksites.com/mgConvert2PDF.aspx?ID=11181
c) Can the council provide further information about additional vehicle
movements as a result of the intensification of Curlew House?
Please see attached report from transport consultant JMP which gives an indication
of the number of car arrivals and departures at current Children Looked After offices.
File Note Date 8 July 2011
Job No/ Name STH2678
Subject Additional Transport Investigations
Page 1 of 2
1. Introduction
JMP prepared a Transport Assessment report submitted as part of a planning application for the internal
reorganisation and change-of-use of Southwark Council owned premises at No. 7 Talfourd Place,
Peckham, previously occupied by a Children’s home. Combined with the nearby Curlew House
premises, No. 7 Talfourd Place will provide accommodation for Council staff from three existing office
locations (1 Bradenham Close, 23 Harper Road, 47B East Dulwich Road). Following public consultation,
JMP have been instructed to provide further evidence to support the transport impact assumptions. This
note sets out the methodology and findings of the detailed investigations into the transport conditions for
the proposed development.
2. Transport Assessment Results
The cumulative transport impact for the new consolidated Council premises was calculated based on
surveys existing travel behaviour of staff at the three existing Council offices that are to be relocated to
Curlew House and No. 7 Talfourd Place. This information was collected in March 2011. The
unmitigated scenario for intensification of use at Curlew House estimated a maximum parking
accumulation of 42 vehicles from the fully occupied office building.
3. Additional Council Staff Surveys and Car Parking Accumulation
Further surveys were undertaken on Thursday, 23rd June 2011 to understand typical staff travel
behaviour. The surveys recorded mode of travel, arrival time and departure time, such that an
understanding of typical movements throughout the working day. A total of 121 responses were
received, as shown in Table 1. Those staff known to be on leave on the day of the survey, or working
away from the office were recorded as not in office. To account for non-responses the results from those
travelling by were factored up proportionately by mode of travel to the total of 165 staff. This is a robust
assessment, not factoring up the group of staff not in the office.
The results show that the majority of staff travelling do so without need for a car; however those using a
car make proportionally more trips, reflecting the business critical nature of these car users.
Table 1 Staff Travel Survey Results
Surveyed Projection for All Staff
Mode Survey Responses Trips Staff Trips
Not in Office 25 25 25 25
Non-Car Mode 52 65 76 95
Car Driving 43 80 63 117
Car Sharing 1 1 1 1
Total 121 171 165 238
Survey, 23rd June 2011
6 July 2011 JobNo. STH2678
Talfourd Place Change of Use:
Additional Transport Investigations
Page 2of 2
In addition to mode of travel, arrival and departure times for all trips made by car were recorded at the
three existing Council offices and are summarised below in Table 2. A projection of the full impact of the
total 165 staff is also included to take account of car drivers not recorded by the survey.
Table 2 Staff Travel Survey Results
Surveyed Projection for All Staff
Time Arrivals Departures Arrivals Departures
0700-0800 1 0 1 0
0800-0900 16 2 23 3
0900-1000 13 8 19 12
1000-1100 14 4 20 6
1100-1200 5 5 7 7
1200-1300 9 5 13 7
1300-1400 2 8 3 12
1400-1500 5 5 7 7
1500-1600 5 14 7 20
1600-1700 7 7 10 10
1700-1800 3 17 4 25
1800-1900 0 5 0 7
Total 80 80 117 117
JMP Survey, 23rd June 2011
4. Conclusion
Based on the survey undertaken, growthed to the full potential staff population, a maximum of 31 car
trips would be expected during the peak hour (0900 to 1000 hours). This equates to a maximum of a
vehicular movement every 2 minutes spread across the surrounding area. This is not considered to be a
significant impact, and does not take account the reduction of existing traffic associated with the current,
consented office use, which will take place when housing officers are relocated away from Curlew
House.
It should be noted that both assessments present unmitigated vehicular travel demands and do not take
into account the anticipated positive impact of travel planning towards sustainable travel to and from the
site.
Distribution Project Team
Name/ Signed Phil Marshall
The additional information promised was finally sent through the day the consultation closed - handy!
Bagpipes at the big lunch in June 2011, Denman Road. Music filled the air, rain didn’t dampen our spirits
So another meeting has been completed with the various council dignitaries in the on going saga about the change of use of 7 Talfourd Place, and Curlew House. As you will have seen in earlier posts there is a consultation on the planning application for 7 Talfourd Place, and we have also seen lots of statistics on road use and parking projections.
Always lovely to see a nice piece of market research, particularly when it clearly doesn’t reflect reality. But that is what research is for!
Our meeting centred around parking and traffic, which seems a bit mealy mouthed when one considers the plight of children in care in the borough, and we were at pains to remind the council that we are as concerned as them.
Two things really concerned me about the process:
1. This is the only option, therefore even if we get the planning permission refused, the saga will continue at great tax payers expense and to the cost of our community and the council as we argue fruitlessly and each party entrenches further and further, until one party (I suspect the honest citizen) backs down in the face of relentless bullying.
2. We have seen plenty of quantitative evidence about traffic and parking, but has no one considered the human impact of the change of use. There will effectively be a business at the end of our road with all the consequent comings and goings, this will impact on the community that we have built up over ten years. It will change the fabric of our lives and that is what we are fighting to maintain - surely this notion of a strong community actually sits rather well with Southwark’s overall strategy?
What really gets my goat is that no one has really thought this whole thing through, and now we’re in a bloody mess of argument, counter argument with no end in sight. And who suffers most - the kids in care I suspect.
Council - talk to all of us, not in a meeting but on the street. Come and see our community, see the kids mucking about in the street (under adult supervision), come to our big lunches, visit the events in Warwick Gardens. Then you might think that a more creative solution to this problem might be a better way forward. Rather than faceless bureaucracy and hiding behind spurious research studies that have cost the tax payer tons of cash and prove nothing except what the council want to prove.
We will not be bullied because you can’t be bothered to find a better way.
Please think about this.
