Sydenham gets its new community centre

[sfhyouthforum]

TNG - the proposed building at the Wells Park site, has been subject to fears of cuts, but I am pleased to say the building has been confirmed!

In a couple of years, Sydenham will be housing a magnificent modern youth and community facility.

For more info email Elaine Smith at Lewisham or myself at the Sydenham and Forest Hill Youth Forum.


At the end of September 2009, London Borough of Lewisham was awarded a £3.5 Million in principle grant as part of the Big Lottery Fund's MyPlace scheme to build a new state-of-the-art and community based at the Wells Park site in Sydenham.

The new-build centre will include a wide range of exciting facilities and learning spaces, including an external multi-use games area, training kitchen and café, recording studio and climbing wall. Lewisham hopes to achieve a youth venue where the community can access excellent services and top quality activities.

The youth and community centre will transform Sydenham’s identity away from it being seen as a place where there is ’nothing much to do’. The venue will also provide a much needed space for organisations to utilise, improving their existing services. For those who have not yet seen the plans, the My Place youth and community club is very impressive. The architects have recently completed their outline design which can be seen on the Lewisham website http://www.lewisham.gov.uk/Environment/ ... enham/TNG/.

Lewisham hope to submit a Planning Application at the end of 2010 and start building works in summer ’11, with the building complete and services running by 2013.

Lewisham Youth Service has worked hard to ensure that young people are consulted throughout and have been running a young people’s forum with Melissa based at Here For Good, 17 Sydenham Road. There has also been debate within all the local assemblies.

Local young people who have suffered from the near closure of Hill- Crest YC, and then the actual closure of Wells Park YC, have been to see existing buildings that have received similar awards. All the young people are very excited about the plans to build a brand new youth club on their door step. The young people’s forum in Sydenham recently voted the MyPlace venue a name: TNG which stands for The New Generation.

[Chris Best]

Yes this is excellent news and we are on track with our timetable. Please take a look at the detals of the planning application on http://acolnet.lewisham.gov.uk/LEWIS-XS ... mkey=61494

Whilst there are some objectors I hope we can answer their concerns. We will be providing an update at the next Sydenham Assembly and plan to be on site in the Summer.

[simon]

Great news!
I was worried that it would get knocked back in the current climate but its really good to hear that its going ahead.
I have been very impressed with the plans I have seen and I believe it can become a really useful asset for the whole community.
Well done to all concerned.

[ksyd]

n/a

[sfhyouthforum]

This is the beauty of the project. You can incorporate all of these ideas into the building use. I think the space is youth-friendly and can cator for all part of the community. Inter-generational work is ever increasing, and I hope to see the space used for all the ideas you have stated above.

Get involved, or to get your questions answered email elaine smith at Lewisham.
elaine.smith@lewisham.gov.uk

[pinkfizz]

Dreadful news! Mark my words, this will attract gang violence on the streets surrounding the centre and in the local park! The Peckham and deptford gangs will invade upper Sydenham and nothing will be the same again! Lucky you, if you live far enough away not to be directly affected, but if not, house prices will plummet and it will not be safe to go out after dark! Shame on lewisham council for their part in dragging down a perfectly nice neighbourhood! A disgrace!!!

[size=80][b][i][ Post made via Mobile Device ][/i][/b][/size] [img]http://sydenham.org.uk/mobile.png[/img]

[Robin Orton]

Mark my words, this will attract gang violence on the streets surrounding the centre and in the local park! The Peckham and deptford gangs will invade upper Sydenham and nothing will be the same again!

Can 'pinkfizz' enlighten us as to why s/he thinks the opening of a youth and community centre will have this effect?

[Tim Lund]

I'm more interested to know if Bensonby has anything to say on the matter, since he is fairly level headed

[Duke of Clarence]

Perhaps the promoters of this new youth and community centre could give some examples of similar projects operating in residential areas to give a better idea of the sort of impact this scheme may have on the surrounding homes and neighbourhoods.

[Robin Orton]

Presumably the possible incidental adverse effects on the local area, including an assessment of 'examples of similar projects operating in residential areas' , were considered by LBL when the plans for the new centre were being consulted on. If so, someone from the council (Elaine Smith?) may be in a position to reassure 'pinkfizz' and 'Duke of Clarence'. Perhaps they should email her.

[Duke of Clarence]

Presumably the possible incidental adverse effects on the local area, including an assessment of 'examples of similar projects operating in residential areas' , were considered by LBL when the plans for the new centre were being consulted on. If so, someone from the council (Elaine Smith?) may be in a position to reassure 'pinkfizz' and 'Duke of Clarence'. Perhaps they should email her.

I take it that you are unaware of a similar project working well within the neighbourhoood that it's set by that response "Robin Orton". It is refreshing, if not a little unusual, to see someone with so much faith in the planning authorities!

Personally I think this project has huge potential and could really make a difference especially if it serves a wide range of users. However as pinkfizz points out there are a few concerns and my question to the ambassadors still stands. Seeing as the successful application to develop this new YCC is subject of this thread it's not unreasonable to ask for comparrisons here rather than through personal email.

[Robin Orton]

In response to 'Duke of Clarence':

It is refreshing, if not a little unusual, to see someone with so much faith in the planning authorities!

Not really, it's just that they seemed to me to be the best place to start. If they can't produce the necessary reassurance, other channels may need to be explored.

Personally I think this project has huge potential and could really make a difference especially if it serves a wide range of users

I agree.

Seeing as the successful application to develop this new YCC is subject of this thread it's not unreasonable to ask for comparrisons here rather than through personal email.

I agree in principle. But if one is expecting an input from the council, I'm not sure whether In practice one can expect to see it here.

A happy New Year anyway.

Robin
(My real name, so no need for inverted commas! I suspect 'Duke of Clarence' is a pseudonym. If not, apologies to Your Royal Highness.)

[Tim Lund]

Robin writes

if one is expecting an input from the council, I'm not sure whether In practice one can expect to see it here.

and yet here is Liz Dart, who many of us have heard at local Assemblies, very ably explaining Council policies, equally ably explaining that that the Council could explain itself here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=pl ... 3hJsJjoR5g

[Duke of Clarence]

A happy New Year anyway.
Robin
(My real name, so no need for inverted commas! I suspect 'Duke of Clarence' is a pseudonym. If not, apologies to Your Royal Highness.)

A Happy New Year back atcha and Your Highness will do nicely thanks Robin!

I think Tim makes good point re council policies on this thread and I would expect the promoters of this new YCC to have done their homework and be able to give some positive examples of other projects operating in residential areas. There must be some???

[pinkfizz]

I should be delighted to 'enlighten' 'Robin orton' as to the basis for my comments, that is if he would like to 'enlighten' me first as to the closeness of his property to the proposed youth centre! Am I a NIMBY, oh dear, I guess I just might be, as most people reading this will also be, if they are honest.

[ Post made via Mobile Device ]

[Robin Orton]

'Pinkfizz', you said:

I should be delighted to 'enlighten' 'Robin orton' as to the basis for my comments, that is if he would like to 'enlighten' me first as to the closeness of his property to the proposed youth centre

!

I'm not sure why you are imposing what seems a rather odd condition on me before you are prepared to explain yourself further. But I am happy to disclose that I live in upper Sydenham, about twelve minutes walk away from the proposed centre.

I now look forward to the promised enlightenment!

And a happy New Year to you too.

Robin

[sfhyouthforum]

I can completely understand your concerns, and similar thoughts were taken into consideration by planning. However, the idea that nothing positive gets built for the community because there 'might' be trouble is completely ridiculous and adds to already mounting problems of risk adversity.

There are lots of examples of good practice. A bus full of young people and council staff and youth workers, including me, went to view several in London. The Salmon Youth Centre is one example. The same group went to Nottingham and visited another. Both centres operate an ID badge system which you get by registering with the centre.

I would also like to point out that if we took this view then all pubs would be closed, leisure centres, and what about all the violence in the homes. No more homes to be built? Where do we stop? Clearly, a building is irrelevant. Shall we shut down Home Park? Close Mayow Park because of potential school fights?

I think it is a very sad day when people are prepared to make negative comments instead of being proactive and saying, "great idea, I'll help volunteer to make it a safer environment". What a shame.

[pinkfizz]

my concerns and fears are not 'ridiculous' as you put it mr or mrs SFHYOUTHFORUM! you have absolutely no right to denigrate my comments in that way. it is clear that you care nothing in the slightest about my concerns. once such a youth centre appears in the next road to you and when your house price deteriorates and YOUR life is blighted by youth crime and gangs, then you can make YOUR 'ridiculous' comments!

this centre will ruin the peace of it's nearest neighbours and those residents in surrounding streets. our lives are already made difficult by young people hanging around the chicken shop, almost opposite this latest project, with their horrible dogs.

as you well know, once young people in gangs realise that other young people in opposing gangs are gathered in one place, then they will turn up for a ruck - the whole of the wells park area will become the scene of gang warfare, this happens ALL the time - get your facts straight and your research right before you criticise me. explain to me why so many stabbings and disorder occur around the vicinity of youth centres? and don't come back saying they don't because it is a fact that the DO! for instance, there was a stabbing only a few weeks ago (not serious thank goodness) in a youth event held in a community centre in forest hill - another one a few weeks before that following a youth party at the bridge in lower sydenham... i could go on and on and on and on - why will the wells park centre be any different? erm, it won't

as far as i can see the people who are lauding this place are NOT the people who are living in close proximity to it - you have a load of kids sitting on your garden wall shouting and screaming when they get fed up with being in the youth centre and see how you like it!

and just for a record what a stupid comment you make about the same argument being applied to parks and open spaces - now you really are being ridiculous - it is NOTHING like the same and you know it!

in a few years time when the area has been dragged down by this centre, never to recover, everyone will be moaning - it will then be too late!

[sfhyouthforum]

Pinkfizz - I never said your ideas and fears were ridiculous. I said the idea that we stop building positive spaces such as youth and community centres because of the possibility of trouble is ridiculous. It makes no sense to prohibit the many thousands of days where the space will provide happiness, fun, and interactive and intergenerational learning to so many young people and community members.

Your concerns are real and have been thought about by many people. The debate on the building was subject to many meetings across many areas in Lewisham, including assemblies, steering committees, newspapers, and indeed the forum I represent that is run in sydenham (which I post invitations to on this forum). However not building the centre is not the answer to these problems. As you said in your post, these young gangs hang on the streets and they are outside shops. Some of them engage in serious violence. This is harmful to everyone involved and continues despite the centre being there or not. And yes I was intentionally being ridiculous when talking about parks and open spaces - because frankly gang violence and fights between young people happens there too, and on buses, and in schools.

It actually makes more sense to have an amazing building in place, where qualified and trained youth workers can engage with the young people, where the young people are registered and have ID badges and can be monitored, mentored, and indeed barred if they cause trouble.

The fact your care more about your house prices than the welfare of the community says much about the real root of your aggression and anger towards my post, which I do not appreciate and find it ironic that you are denouncing the anger and aggression of youths with such similar emotions towards my post.

I know the typed word cannot give tone, but I am writing with care and consideration for your concerns, however I do not agree with not building the centre. Instead I strongly recommend you look into training to be a mentor for young people engaged in gangs. You'll see aside from one or two ringleaders who won't be helped, behind most of these young people lies hurt, rejection, parents on drugs or alcohol, neglect and vulnerability.

This is where you can see real results. Having adults to look up to and be helped and guided is the key to steering away from the attraction of gangs. I am really happy to forward you some information on how to begin working on tackling these issues?

[Hill Dweller]

Brilliant post sfhyf.

.