Going over old ground - The Hound that is Grey

[parklife]

sounds like potentially good news admin

when we win , which I beleive we will, all us posters ought to go there for celebrationary pint and a collective photo !!

[Ruby]

I am furious to hear that the director of pure lake is the brother of our M.P, it makes it a million times more outrageous!!!!!!!!!

[Annie.]

Perhaps it should be more widely known in the community? It might make someone in authority do something.

[Eagle]

Lee
I can assure you many want the eyesore pulled down. Mainly people who have spent a lifetime in Sydenham.


If you think another push will work then I accept worth giving it a go. I think we should work towards a formal undertaking to rebuild received this year , with work completed next year.

Otherwise , how long can we tolerate this eye sore in Sydenham ???

[admin]

Purelake was a discussion point at a lunchtime meeting today. i hope something significant might come from it. The issue is getting a united response which will hit them where it hurts most. I'm usually non-partisan on Sydenham issues. But this is different. Watch this space.

The space is here: http://sydenham.org.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=11924

Admin

[whatwhatjohn]

I've not posted on here before but as a new resident of Sydenham I would welcome a rebuild. I've read with interest the comments about the Greyhound and I think it's appalling what Purelake are doing.

[JRobinson]

to clarify two brothers:

Jim Dowd is MP for west Lewisham and Penge
Gerry Dowd is a director at Purelake

in April 2012 Gerry Dowd said here that "the pub will rise again" and "We kept everything we could but we are rebuilding it - it is not a problem"
this page also includes a very nice pic (though a bit small) showing what the pub used to look like.

[Suzee]

It would be great if this could be a focus of community attention to bring pressure to bear. Personally I had been concentrating on the Zanzibar issue up until now, and I can tell you it is such a relief with the result and quite uplifting that the community and the council were able to bring success there . I wonder if that solidarity could be continued and turned to the Greyhound now?

It is at present a huge blight to the area, left there for too long - actually bordering on criminal given the detrimental effect that such an eyesore has on all around, detracting people from businesses on the highstreet. It really setbacks all of the improvements to the high street in recent years.

The area behind the building has taken on the guise of a ghetto- with street drinkers and homeless people congregating, and masses of rubbish piling up. I do feel particularly sorry for the people who live in the flats behind, given what was promised.

Maybe the first thing is to push for a community gathering as was held on several occasions over the Zanzibar club. An example that has been raised before here should give cause for optimism for the power of united community will and pressure – ie the Ivy House pub in Nunhead.

I used to live in Nunhead several years back, at a time when the owners of the building containing the Ivy house pub closed it down as they wanted to develop the whole building as flats. That was really gutting, as anyone who knew that place would know - it was an amazing community hub with a fantastic heritage: had great food and great music .

The community pushed very hard and managed I understand to get the pub listed, thus preventing its demolition. It was reopened a year ago as London’s first cooperatively owned pub – their website http://www.ivyhousenunhead.com/ makes quite inspiring reading. There are apparently 371 shareholders – I believe many in the local community. I haven’t been back yet, but plan to in the near future and will try and drop them an email to see how they managed to do it.

It seems to be that the Greyhound, given its history, should be of at least equal importance to the community of Sydenham.

On a final note: I did see some old photos of the greyhound interior., it looked quite grand http://sydenhamforesthillhistory.blogsp ... enham.html. Does anyone know if this has been preserved and stored somewhere. I really hope so, but I know there was some sort of fire there after it closed.

I've been to this pub and it was great... A lovely community-feel to it. It would be amazing to have something like this in Sydenham.

Sue

[Tim Lund]

The recent Syd website is depressing re the Greyhound - looks rather bleak if true.
"Bad News! Nothing is going to happen soon. The commercial head lease owner is refusing to sign the necessary Deed of Variation because they are reported to become liable for the rent with no confidence that the Greyhound will be rebuilt any time soon. A not unreasonable position!

What do you mean by the Syd website? Can you give a link?

[biscuitman1978]

The recent Syd website is depressing re the Greyhound - looks rather bleak if true.
"Bad News! Nothing is going to happen soon. The commercial head lease owner is refusing to sign the necessary Deed of Variation because they are reported to become liable for the rent with no confidence that the Greyhound will be rebuilt any time soon. A not unreasonable position!

What do you mean by the Syd website? Can you give a link?

I think squashst is referring to the news article on this website: http://sydenham.org.uk/zanzibar-good-ne ... -bad-news/

[JRobinson]

The recent Syd website is depressing re the Greyhound - looks rather bleak if true.
"Bad News! Nothing is going to happen soon. The commercial head lease owner is refusing to sign the necessary Deed of Variation because they are reported to become liable for the rent with no confidence that the Greyhound will be rebuilt any time soon. A not unreasonable position! ..."

my bolding - if this is true, what can we do about it?!

[dickp]

They can insist purelake indemnify them for any rent loss caused by delays . but purelake will probably only agree to that if, bluntly, Lewisham put a gun against their head. A threat of a criminal prosecution against individual directors should help concentrate minds.

[admin]

my bolding - if this is true, what can we do about it?!

Its complicated but people are working through it. Its a bit like taking a bowl of spaghetti bolognese, extracting the pasta, untangling it, lining it up in straight parallel lines and then persuade/order somebody to eat it.

I think SydSoc will be posting something shortly on progress so far. There is recognition from on high that this wound should fester no longer and are bringing to bear some big guns. We can only hope the marksman and the gun loader are up to it.

We have a campaign #rebuildthegreyhound that has touched a nerve - and then some! Its our best hope so far - let's stick with it.

Get friends, relatives and the dog to sign the petition: http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/rebu ... yhound-pub
And keep Wednesday 22nd October 6pm free in your diary if you can. That is when the Mayor will announce what action is being taken.

Admin

[mosy]

...[clip]...
And keep Wednesday 22nd October 6pm free in your diary if you can. That is when the Mayor will announce what action is being taken.

Admin

Forgive me if wrong but I thought it was to receive a report of what had been done (by the council) so far and to learn what could possibly now be done. It would be wonderful if the Mayor and Cabinet will have approved by then a course of action but I'm not holding my breath. Have to wait and see I guess.

[admin]

Mosy - I am at least as cynical as you. Hard pressed politicians and officers won't solve a problem unless they have to. The difference now is they have to. Its a campaign the officers don't need and the Mayor can only win by claiming a success. The battleship is turning at last. The weapons are being selected and primed.

Similarly The Greyhound owners have been able to put their fingers in their ears and hum "la-la-laaa" when people have sounded off before. 'Doing nothing' is an option the campaign is eliminating step by step. The owners should, if they haven't already twigged, realise they have more to lose than to gain by not getting the pub rebuilt quickly.

Admin