Category: Recent Posts

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.

 

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.

Carol singing tonight in Burbage Road!

Please do come and join the Burbage Road carol singing tonight!


All ages and abilities welcome; singers, musicians and shepherds.

Dress warmly and festively!

Last year we raised £320 for St Christopher’s Hospice and this year we are proposing to collect for School Home Support. Their aim to is get children into school and ready to learn. http://www.schoolhomesupport.org.uk

School Home Support’s aim to is get children in school, ready to learn.  Education has the power to change lives and transform children’s futures, but every week thousands of our children miss out on their education through no fault of their own. Domestic violence, desperately poor housing, basic poverty and other complex issues all create barriers to learning for disadvantaged children.  Last year more than 104,000 children (10% of all pupils) in London were persistently absent from school – meaning they missed at least half a day of school each week. For many of them, it was much more than that. The picture is similar in South East London; 9% of pupils in Southwark were persistently absent and as many as 10.7% of pupils in Lewisham. The statistics are similar across Bromley, Croydon and Lambeth.  School-Home Support works in partnership with schools and with families to tackle pupil absence as well as pupil behaviour and engaging parents with their children’s learning.  By getting to the bottom of why a child is not attending school regularly, SHS can help break the cycle of underachievement and transform the lives of our most disadvantaged children.

We are planning to meet at 6.30pm at the Herne Hill end of the Road, and work our way up the road, finishing at 131 for a drink and a mince pie at around 7.30pm.  

If you’d like to join us, could you email charlesnewman@yahoo.co.uk so we get a feel for numbers and if you’d particularly like us to sing at your door, then please also let us know!
Merry Christmas!

St Martin’s Day comes to Burbage Road

St. Martin’s Day was celebrated in parts of Germany each year this weekend with lights, procession, bonfires and even fireworks.

Last Friday night saw a long procession from Judith Kerr School in Herne Hill Road to the Alleyn’s Playing Field behind Burbage Road.  Surprised homeward-bound commuters were delayed as pupils, families and staff of the school walked in an impressively long line to the playing field.  Lanterns as well as a brass band leading the way made for a noisy and exciting event.

Unknown to most locals St Martin Day is annually celebrated in some parts of Europe on 11 November while we remember the tragedy of war on Remembrance Day.

Wikipedia explains where St Martin’s Day is celebrated and tells us that:

Saint Martin’s day, also known as the Feast of Saint Martin, Martinstag or Martinmas, as well as Old Halloween and Old Hallowmas Eve,[1][2] is the feast day of Saint Martin of Tours (Martin le Miséricordieux) and is celebrated on November 11 each year. This is the time when autumn wheat seeding was completed, and the annual slaughter of fattened cattle produced “Martinmas beef”.[3] Historically, hiring fairs were held where farm labourers would seek new posts.

Saint Martin of Tours was a Roman soldier who was baptised as an adult and became a monk. The most famous legend concerning him was that he had once cut his cloak in half to share with a beggar during a snowstorm, to save the latter from the cold. That night, he dreamt of Jesus, wearing the half-cloak and saying to the angels, “Here is Martin, the Roman soldier who is now baptised; he has clothed me.” [4] Saint Martin died on November 8, 397.

Burbage Road Residents’ Association 23rd Annual General Meeting Saturday 11th November 2017, 10-12am Bell House, 27 College Road

Residents of Burbage Road have received notice of the Resident’s Association Annual General Meeting and they are all urged to make some time to come along on Saturday from 10-12am.

The issues raised by residents over the last year will be reviewed and priorities for next year agreed.  In the last 12 months traffic, parking, burglary and other crimes, tennis courts, mental health & well-being, relations with the sports clubs and noise have been among the many issues dealt with on behalf of residents by the committee.  New recruits to the committee are ALWAYS welcome.

The AGM will also learn more about the history of Burbage Road in a talk by Brian Green on how farms became the sports clubs.

If you are new to Burbage Road, you will be pleased to know that the BRRA is one of the most long-established, thriving and well respected residents’ associations in Dulwich.
We represent our 200 households, including those in Courtmead, Donne Court, Royston and Cobb Courts.

We foster communication within the road and with other local organisations with the aims of preserving the utility of our environment, the security of homes and the safety of all those using our road and pavements whilst also supporting neighbourly help and socialising.