Security

            Police presence

20 Jan 02 - Crime Figures - Some crime figures for our area from the year 2001:

19 Jan 02 - Policing Levels - Many consider that the level of policing is too low, and there are reasons that this area receives less than its fair share of police resources.

            Home security

14 Feb 02 - Insurance Savings -- we are accredited - We were informed by Jim Maddan at our committee meeting on 13 Feb 02 that we are a recognised neighbourhood watch group (this in spite of the fact that we are still in process of formalising our constitution for the next month or two). Jim is our contact with both the National Neighbourhood Watch Association and the London NW Association. As a consequence of this accreditation, being a member of the Lower Streatham Neighbourhood Watch and Residents Association (have you paid your £1.00?, because you could save a lot more than that this way) is valid for claiming discounts on things like household insurance etc., where membership of a neighbourhood watch is required. Jim Maddan cites Brownhill Morris & West, Insurance Brokers, Beckenham or here - tel: 020-8658-4334 as a company offering such discounts, and you may find others by enquiring when you renew your policy.

At a quick look I have also found an example of good discounts advertised from Keegan & Pennykid (Insurance Brokers) Ltd, 50 Queen Street, Edinburgh EH2 3NS - tel: 0131-225-6005, but they turned out to be the part of the same national scheme which covers Scotland. Keep looking!

            CCTV

            Lighting

Traffic

            Control

13 Jan 02 - We must watch over the Council - A bizarre bungle by council officers has cost residents in Westwell, Northanger and Buckleigh Roads hundreds of thousands of pounds allocated for traffic management around Immanuel and St Andrews primary school. Residents there badly suffer from rat-runners, a situation made worse by pot holes and insufficient traffic calming. The cars are also a hazard for children and parents going to and from the school.

Normally the council puts up signs asking for comments for or against such schemes -- but in this case it worded the signs asking only for objections. The result? No letters in favour and two against -- so the whole scheme was scrapped. It has since emerged, however, that both objections came from outside the area, including one from the Stratham Vale Property Occupiers Association. It was worried that the scheme would displace traffic away from the school into the roads off Streatham Vale -- for which there was no evidence whatsoever. Councillor Tim Sargeant said: "I investigated why the officers had the scheme scrapped and I was furious when I found out. I hope to have the scheme restarted in the next financial year but I would ask residents to actively support it by writing to the council this time."

One of the two petitions currently being gathered in our area is for the reinstatement of the cancelled traffic management scheme.

            Parking

            Speed

Environment

            Safety

20 Jan 02 - Pavements - People are expressing concern over the poor state of repair of pavements, especially in the areas in front of shops which adjoin the boundaries of the Association. You can direct complaints through the contacts given at Lambeth Street Care and Cleaning info or email StreetCareCallCentre@lambeth.gov.uk or phone between 8am and 6pm, Monday to Friday, on 020 7926 9000.

            Cleanliness

11 Apr 02 - There have been problems with refuse collection. You can email StreetCareCallCentre@lambeth.gov.uk if you have any more problems with bin collection noise before six in the mornings. Also - this is a good e-mail address for bins, cars, rubbish etc. See also Lambeth Rubbish, Waste and Recycling info or phone between 8am and 6pm, Monday to Friday, on 020 7926 9000.

19 Jan 02 - Graffiti - There is a problem with graffiti in the area. One possibility under discussion is to increase the restriction on sales of aerosol paints. See also Lambeth Street Care and Cleaning info.

            Design

            Equipment

            Decoration

Community

            Events

            Organisations

6 Apr 02 - Immanuel Youth Centre - We are not well off for community organisations on our patch. A notable exception is the youth club. The youth centre is located in Northanger Road in the buildings of the Immanuel School, but is independent of the school. This year it celebrates its twenty fifty anniversary -- a great achievement.

8 Oct 03 - St.Bartholomew's Orchestra. - This well established orchestra meets and rehearses in Lower Streatham at St. Bartholomew's Church Hall on Ellison Road. It performs in a variety of venues in South London.

            Awareness

            Help

            Infirm

Commerce

            Problems

            Shops and services

Government

            Local policies

22 May 2004 - The "Hub development" - Notes from Julian Heather, Chair of Streatham Area Committee:
This is the proposed development for a new Leisure Centre containing a new ice rink, swimming pool and fitness centre to be built on the site of the disused bus garage to replace the existing Streatham ice rink and swimming pool. This will involve a land swap between the council and Tesco's.

The Council own the swimming pool and the council depot site behind the swimming pool while Tescos own the ice rink and the old bus garage together with the carpet shop and car valetting centre. Just over a year ago the Council gave planning permission for the development involving the new leisure centre to be built on the bus garage site and a new Tesco to be built on the site of the ice rink and swimming pool and depot site (hence the need for the land swap between the Council and Tesco's). There will also be over 300 new units of housing on the site plus a bus stand on the site of the car valetting centre.

The last year has seen the drawing up of the Section 106 legal agreement which is attached to the planning permission and has involved a lot of hard bargaining between the Council (aided by its planning and leisure consultants) and Tescos. Once signed, the Section 106 will legally commit Tescos to keeping open the present ice rink for up to 5 years (i.e. to allow for the time it may take to build the new Leisure Centre). The Section 106 agreement also legally prevents Tesco's from opening their new store until the new Leisure Centre is built, commissioned and open for business. In practice this means that Tescos will not actually be able to build their new store until the new Leisure Centre is open as the store is being built on the site of the current ice rink. Continuity of ice rink provision is therefore assured.

In terms of the swimming pool, it is regrettable that the current swimming pool and fitness centre will have to close for 16 months while building of the new Leisure Centre takes place. This is because Transport for London are insisting on having their bus stand/layover provided when the current one on the old bus garage site disappears for the building of the new Leisure Centre. For structural and cost reasons the pool will have to be demolished to enable the new bus stand to be provided. The Section 106 agreement will safeguard the reprovision of the swimming pool as Tescos will not be allowed to demolish the swimming pool until all the contracts for the building of the new Leisure Centre have been let. Council sport and recreation officers are currently looking at ways of trying to lessen the impact of the 16 month closure of the pool and fitness centre by arranging facilities to be provided elsewhere.

As you can see, the Section 106 agreement is a key stage in the scheme coming to fruition and ensuring that the ice rink and swimming pool are actually built. The land swap is another key element - agreeing the valuation of the various sites. Finally there is the "procurement" process for the new Leisure Centre. The main part of the funding will come from a Private Public Partnership (PPP) similar to a Private Finance Initiative (PFI). This involves inviting bids form the main Leisure operators to tender to design, build, finance and operate the new Leisure Centre. A smaller element of the funding is likely to come from a Sports England grant as the ice rink element of the new Leisure Centre would be a regional centre for ice sports. Any remaining gap in funding will have to be met by the Council and Tescos (who recently have agreed to help fund any such gap).

The scheme is an extremely complicated one and it was always known that the process would be take considerable time and effort on the part of all the parties concerned. However considerable progress has been made in the last year to realising what will be a £100 million development.

14 Mar 02 - Ice Rink - A current topic of great interest and concern is the plan to demolish the Streatham Ice Rink and former bus garage. Look at the website for the campaign to save the rink at Streatham Ice Skating Action Group. It looks as though Tesco will shut it down soon - so any action should be as quick as possible. An outline of this issue with a pictorial impression is available in their web page from the Streatham Society. Now is the time to speak up if we the local residents are to have any say in what happens in this development.

            National policies

Nothing currently to put here.