Chris
Although its not official yet congratulations on being appointed to the Cabinet with responsibility for Community Services.
As part of your portfolio is provision of Leisure Services you will of course be responsible for the thorny subject of Ladywell Leisure Centre.
As you may be aware, I have been a member of the Save Ladywell Pool campaign for the last two years and recently stood for election as an independent candidate on this single issue.
When I asked a question at a council meeting in Dec 2004 about the plans for swimming provision in Lewisham, no decision had been made whether to invest in Forest Hill Pools and the commitment was only to 4 swimming pools in total in the borough.
As I said at the Pensioners Forum, I am very supportive of Lewisham Council's revised long term commitments to run 5 swimming pools in the borough. The plans for the new pool at Wavelengths, the commitment to swimming at Forest Hill Pools and the opening of the long awaited replacement pool in Downham are very welcome.
However, on the issue of Ladywell Pool I must beg to differ from the Council's stated position that it is necessary to close this facility and not provide a replacement for several years, not least because the plan to incorporate the new pool in the Lewisham Gateway project is a risky strategy should this larger project suffer serious delays.
I call on you to either
(a) reconsider the decision to demolish Ladywell Leisure Centre by considering alternative sites for the proposed new school and to invest in the existing building or
(b) to consider building the replacement to Ladywell Leisure Centre on an alternative site such as the Playtower site (where the original Ladywell Pool recently damaged by fire used to be) so that the replacement facility can be made available before the closure of the existing one
I believe that there is tendency to dismiss the Save Ladywell Pool campaign as a small group of noisy activists unrepresentative of local opinion. Steve Bullock recently commented on Radio 4 words to the effect that "there just happen to be a few vocal campaign groups" on this issue.
In campaigning for the election I found almost universal opposition to the unnecessary closure of Ladywell Pool from all sections of society including many parents with small children and several referred to the pool for exercise (including one road accident victim who said that she would be unable to walk without the hydrotherapy she had undergone at Ladywell Pool).
Recent press reports suggest that Steve Bullock is determined to push ahead with the plans for the new school at the Ladywell site in spite of recent losses at the election. It may be difficult for him to reverse this decision without appearing to lose face. However, I am hoping that as the new cabinet member with responsibility for leisure services you can convince him that public opinion is genuinely against him on this issue.
Apologies in advance but I will continue to be vocal on this issue in the knowledge that 323 voters in Rushey Green supported my campaign and used their votes to protest against the closure of the pool.
Best wishes.
Nick Ingham
An open letter to Cllr Chris Best
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Nick Ingham
- Posts: 10
- Joined: 11 Apr 2006 14:53
- Location: Catford
Am I right in believing the Crystal Palace baths are going to close for redevelopment at around the same time?
Can anyone think of a worse location for a school than the site of the present swimming baths? On one of the busiest roads in Lewisham it is surrounded by pubs and night clubs.
The next campaign will be for the closure of various establishments in the neighbourhood because they are so close to a school.
Can anyone think of a worse location for a school than the site of the present swimming baths? On one of the busiest roads in Lewisham it is surrounded by pubs and night clubs.
The next campaign will be for the closure of various establishments in the neighbourhood because they are so close to a school.
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Nick Ingham
- Posts: 10
- Joined: 11 Apr 2006 14:53
- Location: Catford
I knew next to nothing about Crystal Palace so did a quick bit of research.
According to http://www.londonpoolscampaign.com/crystalpalace, "The Mayor’s London Development Agency is taking a lease on the NSC from February 2006 and has used an existing forum on the future of Crystal Palace Park to consult widely on what should happen next. The next step will be a planning framework for the park and its sports facilities to be presented by the LDA to Bromley Council in 2005."
Information on the LDA consultation and plans are available at www.crystalpalacepark.org.uk. Information here contradicts the above statement slightly as it appears the consultation ran until Dec 2005 and the LDA proposal has not yet been submitted.
The consultation document is very impressive stating that they showed the plans to over 3,500 people and got questionaires back from over 2,000 of them.
I'm struck by the fact that whilst getting support for the proposals to build a new sports centre incl 50m pool the consultation states that
"However there is also some opposition, the main reasons for which included the following: wastefulness of knocking down and replacing an existing building" and "fear that sports facilities would be temporarily lost if the old building were to be demolished first".
Deja vu.
According to http://www.londonpoolscampaign.com/crystalpalace, "The Mayor’s London Development Agency is taking a lease on the NSC from February 2006 and has used an existing forum on the future of Crystal Palace Park to consult widely on what should happen next. The next step will be a planning framework for the park and its sports facilities to be presented by the LDA to Bromley Council in 2005."
Information on the LDA consultation and plans are available at www.crystalpalacepark.org.uk. Information here contradicts the above statement slightly as it appears the consultation ran until Dec 2005 and the LDA proposal has not yet been submitted.
The consultation document is very impressive stating that they showed the plans to over 3,500 people and got questionaires back from over 2,000 of them.
I'm struck by the fact that whilst getting support for the proposals to build a new sports centre incl 50m pool the consultation states that
"However there is also some opposition, the main reasons for which included the following: wastefulness of knocking down and replacing an existing building" and "fear that sports facilities would be temporarily lost if the old building were to be demolished first".
Deja vu.
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Pat Trembath
- Posts: 613
- Joined: 2 Oct 2004 10:54
This link appears to contradict the information obtainable via the links above:
http://tinyurl.com/hhvj2
I seem to remember seeing elsewhere the proposal is to demolish the existing buildings despite the fact they are listed (for some curious reason).
I cannot understand why no-one has ever suggested building a replica of the original structure.
http://tinyurl.com/hhvj2
I seem to remember seeing elsewhere the proposal is to demolish the existing buildings despite the fact they are listed (for some curious reason).
I cannot understand why no-one has ever suggested building a replica of the original structure.
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Pat Trembath
- Posts: 613
- Joined: 2 Oct 2004 10:54
The future of the National Sports Centre has not been decided. One proposal was for it to be delisted and demolished but the decision as to its future has not been taken by English Heritage. They have stated they have yet to be persuaded that delisting the Grade 2* listed building is the only option open.
They have (someone is currently trying to raise funds to do just this as we speak - although it may just be a pipe dream)Knighton wrote:I cannot understand why no-one has ever suggested building a replica of the original structure.
There is no suggestion this would house the swimming pool though.
As Pat said, my understanding is that the existing facilities would remain open until new facilities were built, providing this is practical (eg the new facilities don't require the same land), but the listed status of the current sports centre is a signficant obstacle.
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Muddy Waters
- Posts: 137
- Joined: 2 Oct 2004 17:05
Bump!
The subject of this thread was - "An open letter to Chris Best" and remains unanswered and is in danger of being lost. I for one, am interested to read her response.
The chattering classes of Sydenham have taken the thread away from its subject and have gone off at a tangent to Crystal Palace Park and its environs.
May I suggest, respectfully, that no-one adds anything to this thread until Councillor Chris Best has replied?
The subject of this thread was - "An open letter to Chris Best" and remains unanswered and is in danger of being lost. I for one, am interested to read her response.
The chattering classes of Sydenham have taken the thread away from its subject and have gone off at a tangent to Crystal Palace Park and its environs.
May I suggest, respectfully, that no-one adds anything to this thread until Councillor Chris Best has replied?
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Nick Ingham
- Posts: 10
- Joined: 11 Apr 2006 14:53
- Location: Catford
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Chris Best
- Posts: 439
- Joined: 6 May 2005 11:37
- Location: Sydenham
Hello Nick
Thank you for the posting and your congratulations. As I said at my confirmatory hearing on Wednesday evening we are improving and investing in pools at Lewisham town centre, Deptford, Downham and Forest Hill, so that by the end of 2010 Lewisham will have five good quality swimming centres and dry leisure facilities, at locations easily accessible for all the borough.
.
To bring everyone up to date, the new swimming facilities in Downham will be open in March 2007, and work on the additional pool at Wavelengths is also progressing well, we are still on course to open in 2008. The survey of Forest Hill Pools is scheduled to take place this Summer, and if all goes well with the refurbishment those pools will re open in 2009. The report on this will be coming to the first Mayor and Cabinet meeting of the new administration on Wednesday 7 June (starts at 6.30pm and all are welcome). Every effort will be made to ensure that the Sundermead pool is open by 2010 - preparatory work is now well underway and consultation is planned for the Summer.
Of course I am aware that there are a number of residents who would like to see the decision to close Ladywell Pool reversed. The Authority actively considered a range of sites across the Borough for the new school and a comprehensive report was presented to Mayor and Cabinet. We gave serious consideration to all the sites but only the Ladywell site was suitable in terms of size, site assembly and finance. We have the numbers to show that we need additional secondary school places in the near future. As you will be aware the new school in the Town Centre is part of a complex and comprehensive programme of capital investment in the Borough's secondary schools amounting to some £150 million.
In terms of timing it has not been possible to retain the Ladywell Pool until 2010 when the new Sundermead facility opens. The DfES have set the timetable for starting work on the new school and this will necessitate closing the Ladywell pool in October 2007. This is regrettable but we must ensure that we deliver on the new school. I am looking for a win/win situation in that we will have significant capital investment in our secondary schools as well as providing five quality swimming centres.
Chris
Thank you for the posting and your congratulations. As I said at my confirmatory hearing on Wednesday evening we are improving and investing in pools at Lewisham town centre, Deptford, Downham and Forest Hill, so that by the end of 2010 Lewisham will have five good quality swimming centres and dry leisure facilities, at locations easily accessible for all the borough.
.
To bring everyone up to date, the new swimming facilities in Downham will be open in March 2007, and work on the additional pool at Wavelengths is also progressing well, we are still on course to open in 2008. The survey of Forest Hill Pools is scheduled to take place this Summer, and if all goes well with the refurbishment those pools will re open in 2009. The report on this will be coming to the first Mayor and Cabinet meeting of the new administration on Wednesday 7 June (starts at 6.30pm and all are welcome). Every effort will be made to ensure that the Sundermead pool is open by 2010 - preparatory work is now well underway and consultation is planned for the Summer.
Of course I am aware that there are a number of residents who would like to see the decision to close Ladywell Pool reversed. The Authority actively considered a range of sites across the Borough for the new school and a comprehensive report was presented to Mayor and Cabinet. We gave serious consideration to all the sites but only the Ladywell site was suitable in terms of size, site assembly and finance. We have the numbers to show that we need additional secondary school places in the near future. As you will be aware the new school in the Town Centre is part of a complex and comprehensive programme of capital investment in the Borough's secondary schools amounting to some £150 million.
In terms of timing it has not been possible to retain the Ladywell Pool until 2010 when the new Sundermead facility opens. The DfES have set the timetable for starting work on the new school and this will necessitate closing the Ladywell pool in October 2007. This is regrettable but we must ensure that we deliver on the new school. I am looking for a win/win situation in that we will have significant capital investment in our secondary schools as well as providing five quality swimming centres.
Chris
Dear Cllr Best,
let me start by wishing you all the best for your new post in the hope that you will improve from where your predecessor left.
In this letter you say that you're bringing everyone up to date, but after reading this letter of yours a number of times, I still fail to spot any news in it.
There are nevertheless a number of statements that I cannot avoid to contest.
Your state that:
The research for alternative sites was left to the residents' good will - not the Council.
Having been a close witness of those events I have been left with the impression that the only part that the Council played was one of passive resistance.
The Council rejected every alternative proposal on a number of grounds but when somebody took the time to verify some of those reasons some didn't hold true.
One possible alternative was re-submitted and re-rejected on a different ground and the new reason was that in the meantime developers had shown interest in the site!
As for the suitable size, here's this extract from a BSF (Building Schools for the Future) planning meeting held on 11th July 2005:
- 'Planning' (at LBL - Ed) is struggling with what they can say positively in their appraisal paper of the Ladywell site.
- MACE consultants have confirmed that LBL Education had investigated 20 sites and had settled on Ladywell as the preferred option but that suitability issues had since been raised, particularly around the size and the traffic-generating implications of the site.
Then you say:
Moreover the Council has been working on this since 2002, after realizing what hole in provision the closure of Telegrtaph Hill without a like for like replacement school left. One wouln't normally consider 5 years as a very tight schedule for the start of a project, even a complex one as a new school.
Have you kept this preparatory work secret?
Or do you refer to the decanting of the Sundermead Estate residents?
Where's this plan?
If Lewisham Council is working on a plan then why again is Lewisham Council planning to hold a consultation after plans have been drawn?
And if you have worked out one why was this not made public before elections?
As far as I'm aware the Council is short of a large sum to build the new Leisure Centre. How are you planning to bridge the financial gap?
Last April at a Mayor and Cabinet meeting officers told the Mayor that the new Leisure Centre to replace Ladywell could not open before 2011-12.
How have things changed now?
Regards
Max Calo'
let me start by wishing you all the best for your new post in the hope that you will improve from where your predecessor left.
In this letter you say that you're bringing everyone up to date, but after reading this letter of yours a number of times, I still fail to spot any news in it.
There are nevertheless a number of statements that I cannot avoid to contest.
Your state that:
Actively? Comprehensive report? Serious consideration? Suitable size?The Authority actively considered a range of sites across the Borough for the new school and a comprehensive report was presented to Mayor and Cabinet. We gave serious consideration to all the sites but only the Ladywell site was suitable in terms of size, site assembly and finance.
The research for alternative sites was left to the residents' good will - not the Council.
Having been a close witness of those events I have been left with the impression that the only part that the Council played was one of passive resistance.
The Council rejected every alternative proposal on a number of grounds but when somebody took the time to verify some of those reasons some didn't hold true.
One possible alternative was re-submitted and re-rejected on a different ground and the new reason was that in the meantime developers had shown interest in the site!
As for the suitable size, here's this extract from a BSF (Building Schools for the Future) planning meeting held on 11th July 2005:
- 'Planning' (at LBL - Ed) is struggling with what they can say positively in their appraisal paper of the Ladywell site.
- MACE consultants have confirmed that LBL Education had investigated 20 sites and had settled on Ladywell as the preferred option but that suitability issues had since been raised, particularly around the size and the traffic-generating implications of the site.
Then you say:
Please stop dumping responsibility. If the Council has only one plan to work on this is only because of the passive resistance to consider any alternatives. It was not the DfES that asked you to close the local swimming pool!In terms of timing it has not been possible to retain the Ladywell Pool until 2010 when the new Sundermead facility opens. The DfES have set the timetable for starting work on the new school and this will necessitate closing the Ladywell pool in October 2007.
Moreover the Council has been working on this since 2002, after realizing what hole in provision the closure of Telegrtaph Hill without a like for like replacement school left. One wouln't normally consider 5 years as a very tight schedule for the start of a project, even a complex one as a new school.
Maybe here there are some news.Every effort will be made to ensure that the Sundermead pool is open by 2010 - preparatory work is now well underway and consultation is planned for the Summer.
Have you kept this preparatory work secret?
Or do you refer to the decanting of the Sundermead Estate residents?
Where's this plan?
If Lewisham Council is working on a plan then why again is Lewisham Council planning to hold a consultation after plans have been drawn?
And if you have worked out one why was this not made public before elections?
As far as I'm aware the Council is short of a large sum to build the new Leisure Centre. How are you planning to bridge the financial gap?
Last April at a Mayor and Cabinet meeting officers told the Mayor that the new Leisure Centre to replace Ladywell could not open before 2011-12.
How have things changed now?
Regards
Max Calo'
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LivesNearby
- Posts: 47
- Joined: 21 Feb 2008 11:44
- Location: Forest Hill
I think that this is the link that you need for Ladywell
Or this one about Ladywell and the Loampit Vale development
Or this one about Ladywell and the Loampit Vale development