Latest Crystal Palace news from local Lib Dem councillors John Canvin and Chris Gaster

11.12.39am UTC (GMT +0000) Wed 3rd Jan 2007

Crystal Palace Councillors John Canvin and Chris Gaster are circulating their latest local newsletter

CRYSTAL PALACE NATIONAL SPORTS CENTRE (NSC) and PARK

The LDA say planning applications for housing on the Rockhills and Sydenham Gate sites are planned for mid summer. The Rockhills site involves building in the park and the LDA will have to justify building on metropolitan open land. They've not done so yet. It's not needed at Sydenham Gate as it has previously been built on.

We are disappointed the promised ice rink failed to appear. The events manager says it was due to a lack of water and power supplies on the hill top site.

PLANNING

Bromley Council has given permission for 2 semi-detached houses on land next to 69 Anerley Park. The appeal against refusal of the applications for 129 flats and 95 parking spaces on the former Anerley School for Boys in Versailles Road SE20 has still to be heard but the Council thinks the revised application for 117 flats has not met the previous grounds of objection and is likely to refuse them under delegated powers shortly. Enforcement action is be taken against a two storey extension at the rear of 39 Selby Road which is nearly complete without first obtaining planning permission.

TRANSPORT ISSUES

The project team for the Croydon Tramlink extension to Crystal Palace held a further exhibition for local people in the Waterside Centre in Avenue Road SE25 on 13 December. In November 2007, Mayor Ken Livingstone will take over the North London line (60 miles of track and 50 stations covering Richmond to North Woolwich, the Gospel Oak to Barking line, the Euston to Watford Junction line, and the West London line from Willesden Junction line to Clapham Junction via Olympia. £450m will be spent improving stations. When the £1m East London line extension opens in 2010, it will be linked to the North London line and create a new orbital link.

When Eurostar transfers to St Pancras Station from Waterloo in November 2007, 34 extra trains will run from Victoria to Beckenham Junction and 48 on Saturdays on the track formerly used by international services. All stop at Penge East.

TRAFFIC ISSUES

Road and footway maintenance are to be carried out shortly in Samos Road and Anerley Hill from Cintra Park to Church Road. Residents in the Selby Road/ Seymour Villas 20 mph zone will shortly receive questionnaires as part of the review of the scheme. A report with residents' views will then go the Portfolio holder.

SILVERDALE POST OFFICE

We've heard it may close at Easter. Those wishing to object should write to Adam Crozier, Chief Executive, Royal Mail HQ, 148 Old Street, London EC1V 9HQ.

SPEED VISORS

Visors have only been erected twice in Crystal Palace Ward - both in Crystal Palace Park Road. We were concerned that leafier wards were being favoured and requests made for a visor in Thicket Road ignored. The time each is up also varies. Officers say they are erected in request order. We think officers should monitor requests so that the visors are erected evenly across Bromley. If any resident feel their roads should have one, please let us know. Following complaints of speeding vehicles, we have asked for visors in Seymour Villas/Selby Road - a supposed 20 mph zone!

ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES

On 25 September, a fly tipper lorry was seen dumping rubble in the Anerley Vale car park. A Lewisham restaurant owner was found guilty and fined £850 with £500 costs.

The Council is hoping to help residents in flats above shops in Anerley Road from the bridge to Brunswick Place to recycle by supplying sacks. It is also hoped containable containers can be used to store waste so that it is not left on the pavement.

CHRISTMAS LIGHTS

Money was raised for lights on 20 light columns in Penge High Street and trees by Anerley Town Hall. More will be needed in 2007 to make up for less Council grant.

TREES

The Tories are always boasting about their good financial management. When they regained control of Bromley, they stopped all maintenance of its 35,000 street trees. When it was reinstated, it was only a fifth of the amount needed (£478,000 now needed each year, only £96,000 provided). The consequences (Council figures): £115,000 of outstanding reactive work; 10,000 enquiries a year; £500,000 spent in the last 3 years on subsidence claims with an increase of 22% in insurance premiums over the last 5 years; and more expensive root pruning. We will be looking to this year's budget process to provide more money to start reducing the backlog.

CRIME

A Dispersal Order covering the area bounded by Croydon Road, Anerley Road, Seymour Villas and Selby Road runs from 31.12.06 to 31.5.07 to reduce anti social behaviour. This allows a police officer or PCSO to tell people to leave the area and those not living there to leave and not to return for up to 24 hours. Penalties for breaking the order are fines of up to £2500 or 3 months imprisonment.

Many young people are found on arrest to be truanting or excluded from school. In a report for inspectors looking at Bromley's services, officers say: 'Bromley ranked 121 out of 150 on the overall absence rate from schools. When our progress relative to the trajectory is ranked, Bromley is 149 out of 150 on the overall absence for all schools. Our overall absence rates for the last three years are 6.90%, 6.68% and 7.07% and we are working to a target of 6.22%'. We are investigating whether this being given sufficient priority and whether there are sufficient Education Welfare Officers in post.

John Canvin

john.canvin@bromley.gov.uk

Chris Gaster

chris.gaster@bromley.gov.uk