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Drivers in Southwark fined for leaving car engines running!

Drivers in Southwark face spot fines for leaving engines running in the street as new research highlights the link between vehicle emissions and premature death. This will be a great benefit for Dulwich Village schools as well as others where busy roads pass by and drivers routinely keep their engines running when stationary.

Drivers could be hit with £20 on-the-spot penalties for refusing to turn off engines when cars are stationary by the roadside. In some areas, residents are being asked to report motorists who leave engines running, including providing the registration number, colour and car model of repeat offenders.

As well as Southwark, measures have been adopted by Norwich, Wirral, Reading and Camden.

Research has found that people living near busy roads are at risk of developing dangerously swollen hearts.

A study by King’s College London projecting the impact of vehicle emissions on life expectancy estimates that the measures to cut car use and promote more active lifestyles would lead to a reduction in nitrogen dioxide levels of up to 25 per cent between 2013 and 2020. Children born in 2013 would be expected to gain seven weeks of life as a result of the measures to cut car use and promote more active lifestyles.

It is an offence under laws introduced in 1986 to leave a “vehicle engine running unnecessarily”. New powers were handed to councils under the road traffic regulations 2002 in England to issue fixed penalty notices of £20 if motorists refuse to turn off engines when asked by traffic wardens or police. It can increase to £40 if unpaid after 28 days. Similar powers were introduced in Scotland and Wales in 2003 but most councils have previously opted not to exercise them.

According to the RAC, idling engines can produce emission levels twice as high as those in motion and it welcomes a focus on idling engines, expecting drivers to be fined if they failed to turn off.

Westminster council in central London was one of the first to adopt the fines as part of a concerted campaign. Last year, the authority said that it wanted to get even tougher on drivers by issuing parking charge notices of £80 to those leaving engines running. Westminster allows people to report repeat offenders, using the authority website to log details of cars involved.

Let’s hope it makes an improvement in Dulwich.

For a fuller story see The Times:

https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/drivers-face-20-on-the-spot-fine-for-leaving-their-motor-running-g396c99wd?shareToken=31846811fa77325bab70d24dce42286e

Dulwich’s New Health Centre is being built – hooray!!

The new Dulwich Health Centre will definitely be built after decades of delays. The traditional ground-breaking ceremony was carried out on Friday 20 July by the Mayor of Southwark, Councillor Catherine Rose and Dulwich and West Norwood MP Helen Hayes.

The health centre will cost £16.8 million and will provide primary care, children’s service, diagnostics, physiotherapy, renal dialysis and community mental health services.

A new health centre was first proposed some 30 years ago to replace the very old red-brick Dulwich hospital and has gone through several potential versions There has been a lot of consultation with the people of Dulwich during which there has been tough questioning over the use of the original buildings and whether they would be retained. The old Dulwich Hospital, where many local residents have been treated and had their babies, is a sad shadow of its former self and now houses a limited number of NHS services including the blood test unit and the out-of-hours GP service.

The new school shares the site and is appearing quickly. The new Health Centre will follow right behind.

Dulwich Schools protest funding cuts

All three Dulwich Village schools have put up these powerful banners complaining about the loss of funds for education in the Village. Primary and Secondary schools are suffering a loss of considerable funds. It does not seem to be the time for cutting education capacity. Our children need to compete for further education and for jobs and our country needs to compete better in the world. For decades our education performance has lagged compared with other countries and continues to do so. We all know that good education is the key to success.

The banners speak for themselves.

Dulwich Village Independent Businesses take centre stage

Dulwich Village was long known for its healthy range of shops run by locals. Some can still remember that the Village once had a much wider range of shops. It was a destination for shoppers within Dulwich and beyond seeking a wide range of fresh food including fruit & vegetables and fresh meats.

Many such locally run shops have gone. Only recently the last remaining grocer closed, causing great inconvenience to locals who depended on it. Higher and higher rents demanded by the Dulwich Estate landlord, attracted by high value tenants such as corporate chains and estate agents, have made it hard for neighbourhood shops to continue.

In this environment, it is wonderful to see that our independent businesses are doing well and that they are strengthening by working together. They depend on us shopping with them.

Enjoy this video about our Dulwich Village independent businesses.

George Okello

Published on 25 Feb 2018

In this documentary I interviewed shop owners in Dulwich Village about the importance of independent businesses to the local area and what they liked about their local community. Part of a series of blogs promoting independent businesses in the London Borough of Southwark, Supported by Creation trust & Southwark Council. View the rest of the documentaries here: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCRgf… Shot and edited by myself. Researcher Will Akinnuoye. Special thanks to the contributors: Anne Halmer Hazel Broadfoot Brian Green Patrick Belton Keeley Turner Executive Produced By Patrischia Warmington. Music: Blue Dot Sessions – Town Market

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New Health Centre for Dulwich

Longer term residents will be familiar with the two decade old debate and promises for the replacement of Dulwich Hospital with modern health services. Plans have come and gone and changed including public consultations and still nothing has appeared in the ground.

However the impressive new buildings on the Dulwich hospital site are an indication that things really are moving – for a new Charter School. But nothing yet for health services.

The local NHS has issued an update now saying that it has refined the list of services, in accordance with the results of the consultation, and calculated how many patients it needs the health centre to accommodate. That has helped it to determine how big the new building needs to be, and how big a site it needs to be built on.

The new build will be on the south-east corner of the Dulwich Hospital site and has been approved by NHS England and NHS Property Services. The local NHS expects to start building in April 2018.

The NHS will fund the building through a PFI (Private Finance Initiative) scheme funded through the NHS paying annual rent on the property for 25 years.

More information is available on the Southwark NHS site at http://www.southwarkccg.nhs.uk/our-plans/improving-services-in-dulwich-and-the-surrounding-areas/developing-our-plans/Pages/default.aspx

Given the disastrous Carillion PFI contracts and the huge burden on NHS budgets caused by the high cost of PFI which has stressed the finances of the NHS across the country and contributed to the putting of Kings College Hospital into special financial measures, it is surprising that more such obligations are being taken on.

Dulwich Crime Incidents December

The police report the following crimes in December and remind all residents to double lock our front doors when going out. They add that we should place all boxes that can show we have new TV’s /computers etc in bins not on display to attract burglars.

Crimes for the month of December:

2/12/17 – Eynella Rd – Burglary – Overnight persons unknown have gained entry to shed. Nothing stolen.

2/12/17 – Eynella Rd – Burglary – Overnight bike stolen from rear garden shed.

18/11/17-2/12/17 – Theft from m/v – Gilkes Crescent – Catalytic converter stolen from vehicle.

4/12/17 – Half Moon Lane- Theft from m/v – Between 1800hrs and 2330hrs persons have smashed glass and taken car stereo

5/12/17 – Turney Rd – Burglary – By suspects forcing front door of property and removing computer equipment. No deadlock activated.

4/12/17-7/12/17 Arnhem Way – Burglary – Unoccupied property. Entry gained via first floor bathroom window. Not known what stolen.

7/12/17 – Tarbert Rd – Robbery – 14 year old boy had mobile phone taken by older boys.

8/12/17 – Elphindale Rd – Theft of m/v – Vehicle stolen overnight by means unknown. Found in Barking, Essex.

11/12/17 – Townley Rd – Burglary – Between 0820 and 0930hrs suspects have entered via rear door.

11/12/17 – Wyneham Rd. Burglary x 2 – Between 1330 and 1445 hrs two flats entered via front door which appears to have been slipped. Once inside, front doors of flats forced and property stolen.

11/12/17 – Frankfurt Rd – Burglary – Front door forced. Coat taken from hallway.

7-11/12/17 – Druce Rd – Theft from m/v – Vehicle entered by means unknown and small change taken.

14/12/17 – Court Lane – Robbery – Schoolboy robbed of phone by older schoolboys.

14/12/17 – Dovercourt Rd – Theft of m/v – Sprinter van stolen overnight by means unknown.

15/12/17 – Court lane – Theft from m/v – Transit van broken into by four males. Witnessed by passing member of public.

16/12/17 – Eynella Rd – Robbery – Post office van stolen by means of robbery.

17/12/17 – 25/12/17 – Pickwick Rd – Theft from m/v – During times persons unknown have smashed window of vehicle and taken property.

29/12/17 – Attempted Burglary – Court Lane Gdns – Entry attempted via rear windows. Believed alarm scared intruders off.

30/12/17 – Burglary – Dovercourt Rd – At 1745hrs occupant heard loud bang and saw male running to rear door to escape.

In January already in Turney Road there has been a theft of a car by breaking in the side window and taking the door and car keys handily left by the front door and escaping with the car – at about 5am.

Traffic management in Dulwich

Consultants are looking at a Traffic Management Strategy across Dulwich. They have prepared an online page which includes a list of all proposals and a map to help localise them. Each proposal is presented with a short description and with the opportunity to leave a brief comment.

Proposals are grouped under six wide themes (some of them fall within more than one theme): Air Quality, Walking, Public Transport Accessibility, Traffic Calming, Cycling, Parking.

Please follow the link below and scroll to the bottom of the page to access the engagement page.

http://www.southwark.gov.uk/planning-and-building-control/planning-policy-and-transport-policy/consultation-and-updates/transport-policy

The page will be available until 24th January 2018.

Once the online engagement is complete they will analyse feedback and undertake the assessment of each of the options in line with the Healthy Streets approach and reflecting feedback from the community. Informed by the feedback analysis and the assessment, they will then draw together the proposals into a coherent plan.

Author: zen148812