Party in the Park!

Manor House Gardens User Group invites you to their Party in the Park in Manor House Gardens on Saturday 7th July from 11am ’til 6pm. Themes of the day will include Live Earth and the Tour de France, and the activities planned include a cycle circuit of the park for five-eight year olds (Tour de Jardin), a picnic in the park - supported by local restaurants and caterers - a dog show, a cycle proficiency test, falconry, donkey rides, and performances by local scout groups, majorettes, dancers. Prizes will be presented by local MP Bridget Prentice. In addition, there will be a Farmers’ Market, and stalls for local groups to promote their activities.

The event is being organised by Manor House Gardens Users’ Group, whose work on behalf of local people was reflected in the Green Flag’s assessment that the community had been greatly involved in the gardens’ development and upkeep.

The gardens, five times winners of the prestigious Green Flag Award for the breadth of its facilities and community involvement, will host the event. Among the features planned are an events stage, on which youth bands will alternate slots with schools and community groups performances reflecting the importance of environmental sustainability and cultural harmony at home and worldwide.

The park, first in the borough to win the award in 2002, has been completely refurbished in recent years, with a new children’s playground and café (Pistachios in the Park) enhancing the wonderful pond featuring extensive wildlife for all the family to enjoy.

The Farmers’ Market is held on the first Saturday of every month. Together, the café and market will support the celebrations with a wide choice of food and refreshments from which to choose.

“We’re really looking forward to the event,” said Jim Mallory, chair of the gardens users’ group, “and hope it will provide local people with a chance to enjoy themselves with friends and neighbours, while taking part in an event which reflects their support for community facilities.”

Party in the Park is being supported by Glendale Services, (which manages Manor House Gardens), Lewisham Council and the police’s Lee Green Safer Neighbourhood Team.

The park was first landscaped in the late 18th century as the gardens for the old Manor House, now serving the community as a much-loved library, which - if plans currently being consulted on get the go-ahead - will be completely refurbished and restored. The user group supports the Council’s plans to restore the link between the library and park by opening up the area forming the border between them.

For more information, contact Jim Mallory on 020 8852 9783 or Aysin Djemil of Pistachios in the Park on 07766 221825.

FUSS NEEDS YOU!

Come to the planting day, meet up with your friends and neighbours and help to keep our community looking cared for

All are welcome – the more the merrier

Please wear old clothes - gardening gloves & a trowel will help, but please ensure you write your name on any tools you bring along.

We will be in & around Staplehurst Road

From 10.30am – 2.30pm Saturday 19th May

so if you can spare anytime, come on down & make yourself known to Kathy or any of the other volunteers on hand.

Hope to see you there!

Hodja’s Restaurant & Bar, 131 Burnt Ash Road Licensing Application

Hodja’s Restaurant & Bar, 131 Burnt Ash Road has applied for a new/variation licence under the Licensing Act 2003 to sell alcohol Monday – Sunday 17.30 – 23.00.

The four criteria under which you can support or object to this application are:
Prevention of Crime and Disorder
Protection of Children from Harm
Public Safety
Prevention of Public Nuisance

You can email the Licensing Team or write to:
The Licensing Team, 2nd Floor Laurence House
1 Catford Road, London SE6 4RU


Please could you ensure that any representations either for or against this application reach the Licensing Team by 29th May 2007.

An invitation to the Northbrook school design consultation

Northbrook School – Design Consultation Event.
7-9pm. Wednesday 16th May 2007

Dear Resident,

As you may know, Northbrook School is to be rebuilt under the Government’s Building Schools for the Future (BSF) programme. I am writing to invite you to join us on Wednesday 16th May to find out more about proposals for the rebuilding of Northbrook School and to share in developing our vision for the future.

Pupils and staff will be moving out of our present building in July 2007 and will be housed in temporary accommodation at Leahurst Road from September 2007, for a period of 2 years. During that time, the existing building will be demolished and a new school built on site at Taunton Road. The new school will open in September 2009. We are at an early stage of the design development for the new building and, alongside discussions with all the necessary authorities, we are working with staff and pupils to think about how we can create a fantastic learning environment for the future. We would very much welcome your input to that discussion.

During the morning of 16th May, pupils and staff at Northbrook will be running a Design Festival to discuss the key factors which would make the design of the new school a success. In the evening, we are holding an open session for parents and our local community to hear more about the planned process for Northbrook and to allow them to review the ideas which have come from pupils and staff at the Design Festival. It is also an opportunity for you to ask questions and add your comments.

We will be starting at 7pm and closing at 9pm. A short presentation will be given at 7pm, and repeated again at 7.45pm and 8.15pm, and there will be time to review the Design Festival outcomes and speak to representatives from the school, Local Authority and Learning21, who are the contractor delivering the new school.

We plan further sessions to keep you informed and ask for your comments. Before the end of the Summer term we will have proposed designs for the new school and I will be writing to you shortly to invite you to view and discuss them with us. It is expected that a Planning Submission will be made in early August..

I very much hope you will be able to join us on the evening of 16th May, and I look forward to seeing you then.


Yours faithfully


Mr. J. Ratcliffe
Head Teacher

Lee Manor Annual Plant Mart

The very popular Lee Manor Annual Plant Mart takes place next Saturday May 12th, from 2 to 4pm at 2-6 Micheldever Road SE12. As well as the plants there'll also be raffles, cream teas, games, Bric-á-Brac, cakes, and jam and preserves. Further details from the Lee Manor Society website.

Hither Green Urban Design meeting update

While it still doesn't have a name, the community group being set up by our neighbours on the other side of Hither Green station in order to facilitate the regeneration of their area took a major step forward last night when two key decisions were taken; the boundary of the regeneration area was agreed (and it no longer includes Staplehurst Road), and it was unanimously agreed that the group should be constituted with no more than 15 members.

Informal liaison with Lewisham is still being handled by Fiona Berry, but the group now has a facilitator, Chris Freed, and she will be working with the group with the aim of having a fully constituted group in place by October this year. The next meeting of the group will be on Thursday July the 5th when a steering committee will be set up whose first task will be to decide on the make up of the membership of the constituted group. If you live in the regeneration area (there's a map on page 8 of the Item 11 appendix which you can download from the URL below - just remember Staplehurst is no longer included) and you're interested in being on the steering group please contact Chris.

For further details of the Hither Green Urban Design and Development Framework download the Item 11 Hither Green and Item 11 appendix here.

Jas I Makgosia Licensing Application

The Jas I Makgosia, 264 Lee High Road has applied for a new/variation Premises licence under the Licensing Act 2003 to sell alcohol Monday – Sunday 10:30-22:30.

The four criteria under which you can support or object to this application are:
Prevention of Crime and Disorder
Protection of Children from Harm
Public Safety
Prevention of Public Nuisance

You can email the Licensing Team or write to:
The Licensing Team, 2nd Floor Laurence House
1 Catford Road, London SE6 4RU


Please could you ensure that any representations either for or against this application reach the Licensing Team by 25th May 2007.