More than a dozen households have responded to the Society’s proposal to match-fund the planting of trees in Southbrook Road. We have set aside funds to spend on the planting and invited residents to provide a similar amount.
The death of several of the aged cherries has left Southbrook Road particularly denuded of tree cover though the Society plans to roll out the programme to other local streets in future years.
Much of the £395 charge per tree is accounted for by labour costs, digging up the pavement to create a tree pit. Working with Street Trees for Living, the charity managing Lewisham’s street tree programme, we have surveyed potential planting sites.
Some residents have expressed an interest in trees offering either spring blossom or autumn colour. A final decision has yet to be taken on the varieties to be planted but they will comprise a small number of tree types rather than a single variety. This will make the trees less liable to succumb en masse to any of the many viruses that can affect them. Planting will take place in the winter of 2025.
The Blackheath Society is warning about several risks attached to the proposed housing development in the station car park.
These include concerns about overdevelopment generally; loss of amenity for neighbours, in particular the houses in Collins Street; disruption to and potential loss or reduction in scale of the Sunday market; loss of parking for traders and the public and the impact of construction works, with John Ball School nearby.
The Society’s concerns are spelled out in their winter newsletter which you can see here.
The developers have set out their plans on a website which you can find here.
Lewisham Council is planning to stop supporting the local assemblies in the borough, as an economy measure. The staff who have helped run them are facing redundancy.
The assemblies were introduced in 2007 for people to voice their concerns and to help identify solutions. There was one for every ward, including Lee Green.
Local assemblies are community-based open forums aiming to actively involve, consult, empower and learn from residents and those working and studying in Lewisham Council’s local wards.
They’re your chance to:
find out what is happening in your ward
discuss and share what matters to you
work with your councillors and others to identify solutions and shape the future of your neighbourhood
Initially, Lewisham provided £25,000 a year to each assembly. It also funded a secretariat who helped organise and promote the assembly meetings and provided other support. The cash has already been withdrawn and now the Council wants to cut the administrative support as well.
If the cuts go ahead, local people will be free to keep the assemblies going but without Council support.
Jim Mallory, Chair of the Lee Green Consortium, said “I am sure none of us is in any doubt that the Council faces tough decisions, many of which will still have to be taken despite a new Government. However, my concern is that there doesn’t seem to have been any consultation about a proposal that is in essence at the core of the Council’s commitment to consultation.
“As Assemblies were intended to help overcome the democratic deficit, their loss would be regrettable, no matter what any understandable shortcomings they might have.
Better late than never! Eight months after the draw, Peter Knight has finally collected his Plant Mart raffle prize – a bottle of House of Commons Whisky signed by Sir Keir Starmer. The bottle was donated by the Lewisham East MP Janet Daby, but couldn’t be signed because the General Election was called four days later.
Not surprisingly, Sir Keir has had a few other things to do since then, and he only had time to sign the bottle last week. As Peter said “Events intervened!”
When Peter bought his raffle tickets, Sir Keir was Leader of the Opposition. So despite the wait, he has ended up with a greater prize: a bottle signed by the Prime Minister.
