I am a Sydenham resident who is fed up of seeing objection after objection from the Sydenham Society. Their interference has contributed to:
The Greyhound Pub becoming a mess
The Post Office site will become a mess
Forest Hill pool is still closed and will become a mess – who wants a Victorian front to it any way?
Their objections to the other Bell Green application has delayed the inevitable making it a mess for longer than it needed to be
Where is the success story here?
They hinder development that is inevitable and what most Sydenham residents probably want. I say preserve where we necessary but not for the sake of creating old Victorian ghettos and don’t use tactics which are alarmist and would make most people on the street sign a petition.
I throw open to the forum – what are the Sydenham Societies real objectives?? If they represent us then what do we want??
What do we Want From the Sydenham Society
I am a Sydenham resident and am glad the Sydenham society stopped the greyhound from being demolished and turned into boring generic see them everywhere flats.
I'm glad that there is a chance we might have a better scheme for Forest Hill Pools.
I'm glad we have an organization that speaks out on behalf of Sydenham.
If you want to be involved and have a voice, talk to the society. They have get togethers. It's not a closed members club.
Whatever stance the Society takes, if the majority are against it, it wont happen.
You can't please everyone all the time.
I'm glad that there is a chance we might have a better scheme for Forest Hill Pools.
I'm glad we have an organization that speaks out on behalf of Sydenham.
If you want to be involved and have a voice, talk to the society. They have get togethers. It's not a closed members club.
Whatever stance the Society takes, if the majority are against it, it wont happen.
You can't please everyone all the time.
TBoy
As I mentioned on another thread I think you should get a bit more involved if you want to influence the decisions made by the Sydenham Society.
And before you say they haven't achieved anything worth having – look at the incredible success on the transport side. You might not even know it but our trains from Sydenham Station were going to be reduced in frequency and they are now going to be retained largely thanks to Syd Soc campaigning, in fact its almost incredible what has been achieved if you hear the full list of gains for Sydenham in terms of transport.
Probably you don't notice these achievements because they aren't contravercial - ie everyone in Sydenham would want them.
I defy anyone to say that what has recently been achieved in terms of transport has been a failure and that is going to have a big impact for almost everyone in Sydenham.
As I mentioned on another thread I think you should get a bit more involved if you want to influence the decisions made by the Sydenham Society.
And before you say they haven't achieved anything worth having – look at the incredible success on the transport side. You might not even know it but our trains from Sydenham Station were going to be reduced in frequency and they are now going to be retained largely thanks to Syd Soc campaigning, in fact its almost incredible what has been achieved if you hear the full list of gains for Sydenham in terms of transport.
Probably you don't notice these achievements because they aren't contravercial - ie everyone in Sydenham would want them.
I defy anyone to say that what has recently been achieved in terms of transport has been a failure and that is going to have a big impact for almost everyone in Sydenham.
-
Muddy Waters
- Posts: 137
- Joined: 2 Oct 2004 17:05
I must put in my two pennyworth, here.
In 2005 the Sydenham Society put ideas into the council about how the pedestrian environment in Sydenham Road could be improved between Cobbs Corner and Sydenham station. They called it the proposals for Sydenham Gateway (check out the web-site at www.sydenhamsociety.com )
In the last few days every resident in the SE26 area should have received a questionnaire from the council about planned improvements to the length of Sydenham Road which have been come from these proposals. There is now an opportunity for a full local debate on the merits of these ideas.
Without the original ideas being put forward nothing would have been done to improve the environment for the high street. The Sydenham Society's ideas have brought our high street to the top of the council's "to do" list.
In 2005 the Sydenham Society put ideas into the council about how the pedestrian environment in Sydenham Road could be improved between Cobbs Corner and Sydenham station. They called it the proposals for Sydenham Gateway (check out the web-site at www.sydenhamsociety.com )
In the last few days every resident in the SE26 area should have received a questionnaire from the council about planned improvements to the length of Sydenham Road which have been come from these proposals. There is now an opportunity for a full local debate on the merits of these ideas.
Without the original ideas being put forward nothing would have been done to improve the environment for the high street. The Sydenham Society's ideas have brought our high street to the top of the council's "to do" list.
SydSoc Aims
T Boy
Here's the very easy answer to your question, from our constitution:
You say something about preserving, although I didn't understand the rest of the sentence. So tell us what you want to preserve, and how you would go about expressing your views if it appeared to be under threat. One good way you might do this is by joining SydSoc. A bargain at £6 a year, and a model of democratic openness.
Here's the very easy answer to your question, from our constitution:
You write2. OBJECTS
The Society is established for the public benefit for the following purposes in [...] Sydenham [...]
a) to stimulate public interest and to promote civic pride []
b) to promote high standards of planning, architecture and services []
c) to secure the conservation and enhancement of amenities and features of public interest []
Well, I always wonder about development that is inevitable. Sainsbury's at Bell Green only happens because some people want it - the shareholders of Sainsbury's acting through their management and a significant number of consumers. That still leaves quite a few people who might not want it to happen, we all have the right to express our views, suggest what we want. But leave inevitability to the historical determinists.They hinder development that is inevitable and what most Sydenham residents probably want. I say preserve where we necessary but not for the sake of creating old Victorian ghettos and don’t use tactics which are alarmist and would make most people on the street sign a petition.
You say something about preserving, although I didn't understand the rest of the sentence. So tell us what you want to preserve, and how you would go about expressing your views if it appeared to be under threat. One good way you might do this is by joining SydSoc. A bargain at £6 a year, and a model of democratic openness.
-
castiron73
- Posts: 132
- Joined: 24 Oct 2006 10:05
- Location: Sydenham Thorpes
What I want from the Sydenham Society is what we get, a large group of people who argue against complacency, bad planning and poor taste, be it committed by companies or the council.
It's only by working together that any residents will be listened to. By the time government 'consults' the people the decisions are made and we have a choice of yes or no, which in any case they seem to be able to ignore (FH pools).
However, I think what sparked this debate is the post automatically assuming that people would object to a 24 hour Sainsbury's. It should have said 'this planning application has been made and we the Syd Soc object for these reasons'. To stimulate public interest, as Tim Lund says.
This forum should not be used as a mouthpiece for the society, it should be a way for various opinions to be heard.
I agree with many of the society's aims. I find some based on middle class snobbery (and so agree with most of those too). Someone needs to aim higher than the lowest common denominator because big business and vote chasing councillors certainly won't.
It's only by working together that any residents will be listened to. By the time government 'consults' the people the decisions are made and we have a choice of yes or no, which in any case they seem to be able to ignore (FH pools).
However, I think what sparked this debate is the post automatically assuming that people would object to a 24 hour Sainsbury's. It should have said 'this planning application has been made and we the Syd Soc object for these reasons'. To stimulate public interest, as Tim Lund says.
This forum should not be used as a mouthpiece for the society, it should be a way for various opinions to be heard.
I agree with many of the society's aims. I find some based on middle class snobbery (and so agree with most of those too). Someone needs to aim higher than the lowest common denominator because big business and vote chasing councillors certainly won't.
Anyone who wishes that the Greyhound had been demolished should check out a multi-coloured block of flats stuck in the middle of 1920s and 1930s housing at the corner of Lower Addiscombe Road and Blackhorse lane in Croydon [past Tesco- Elmer's End if you're driving]. There used to be a lovely pub on the site and the company- [who bought the Greyhound] demolished it because no objection was raised by local residents or Croydon Council.