Numbers are limited so you do need to register in advance.  If you are interested in going along, please email Nadia Chowdari (nadia.chowdari@southwark.gov.uk) at Southwark Council to secure a place.

The park itself is expected to remain closed until around the end of May.  This is to allow the grass a chance to establish itself once it has been seeded.  We understand that the playground for older children, near Chumleigh Gardens, should be open by Easter.

There is mixed news about progress to date.  The bad news is that the project, and therefore the park reopening, have been delayed by the discovery of two huge diesel tanks buried beneath the park between Wells Way and Camberwell Road.  At some stage, diesel had leaked from the tanks, contaminating the surrounding earth.  This unwelcome discovery has meant that costly additional work has been needed to clear the tanks and de-contaminate the surrounding area.  Southwark Council have assured us, however, that the leaked fuel has not posed a threat to public health.

As a result of the discovery of the tanks, and the additional work required to remove them and decontaminate the earth, the completion of the transformation project is running late.  The park won’t now re-open in March, as previously intended.  We are hopeful, however, that the park will be open again by the beginning of summer 2012.

EQRA has asked Southwark Council whether the section of the park east of Wells Way can be opened sooner.  Sadly, this won’t be possible.  Once all of the work is complete, the grass seeding will need to be done.  It is now too late to do this before next Spring, therefore ‘our’ side of the park will also not be able to reopen any sooner.

On a brighter note, the playground for older children will open as soon as it is ready.  This playground is close to the café at Chumleigh Gardens.

Our photos of the park transformation works can be viewed on Flickr, click here

“Dear resident,

Following the serious disorder in the borough please be aware of the following updates as of 6pm Tuesday 9 August:

Many services have been affected. This includes all libraries, all leisure centres, waste and recycling collections, all one stop shops and some cash offices. We have been aiming to operate a full service as normal and will continue to do so.

The police are asking parents and guardians to know where there children are and for them to be at home this evening. Any spectators of criminal activity are also asked to go home as they were hampering police operations last night

The Met has issued safety information for business during this difficult time.

Cllr Peter John, Leader of the council has said: “Today I visited Peckham and listened to residents’ concerns over the violent disturbances yesterday evening. We are working with the police and other community groups to keep our borough as safe as possible, and I would like to praise the extraordinary efforts of the police, volunteers and local people who have demonstrated the strength in our community. The spirit of the people of this Borough will triumph over the disgraceful actions displayed by a mindless minority.”

A sincere thank you to everyone who generously offered to volunteer in the clean up. We are working hard to ensure business continues as usual and that our borough is as safe as possible.”

Five candidates are standing.  In alphabetical order, they are:

• Diana ATUONA – Conservative Party
• Jennifer BLAKE – Liberal Democrat Party
• Chris BROWN – Labour Party
• Jason EVERS – Green Party
• Brian KELLY – Trade Unionists and Socialists Against Cuts

Polling Stations are at St Luke’s Church Hall in Pentridge Street (if the number on your polling card starts PEC3) or in the Wickway Comunity Centre on St Georges Way (if your polling card number starts PEC4).

Tayo leaves a widow and five children.  EQRA extends our deepest sympathies to his family.

Removal of trees and scrub land is the first stage of a £6million regeneration project, funded by the Creation Trust and the Mayor of London, which which will be carried out over the next year.  This phase of the project has been met by a handful of protesters attempting to disrupt the work.  However, the park plans have been the subject of extensive consultation over the past year to 18 months, with events and exhibitions in the park itself as well as presentations and discussions at EQRA meetings.  The plans have changed as a result of comments put forward through the consultation process – for example we understand the line of cherry trees along the canal path are being retained, as is the Wells Way underpass.

The project will transform Burgess Park.  In place of the current disjointed, random patchwork of open space, interrupted in places by decaying, disused roads, we can look forward to a better-designed park with improved pathways, new flower gardens, a fitness trail, better wildlife habitats and an enlarged lake, as well as a net increase in the number of trees and the amount of scrub land.

While it is inevitable that the park works will be disruptive, we look forward enthusiastically to a year from now, when we should see a much improved Burgess Park.

Daniel Gardens remains poorly-lit after dark, as the hoardings are still up and street lighting is still not working yet.  We await the completion of works there.

If you were at our AGM in January, you will have seen the presentation from Toby Maclean, who bought the long-derelict building in 2009.  Toby’s vision is to restore the building, adding an extension while opening a café on the ground floor.

Restoring the building, which is believed to have lain derelict since the 1980s, is not going to be a quick job but Toby hopes to have the café open in 2012.  We look forward to the opening party 

If you haven’t yet seen what is planned for 149 Southampton Way, take a look at the website:

http://www.149southamptonway.com/

Southwark Council are consulting on proposals to introduce a licensing system for sex establishments across the borough.

In brief, the proposals are that sex shops, sex cinemas and sex entertainment venues will be required to be licensed, but licences will not be granted for establishments:

•  in residential areas;
• near schools, parks or other facilities used by children;
• near community facilities or places of worship.

Licences will state the permitted opening hours – with no venue permitted to open on Sundays, Good Friday or Christmas Day.

Southwark’s draft policy will also specify how many venues of each type can be licensed in each council ward.

EQRA will be responding to the consultation.  We propose to support the council’s plans.  Respondents can also say how many venues of each type should be permitted in their ward.  We intend to say “none” of all three venue types in Peckham ward – not because we’re prudes (honest!) but because this is a residential area.

We will need to respond by the end of this week (sorry for the short notice) – please use the “leave a reply” link if you have any points which you would like us to take on board.

Residents can also respond individually to the consultation – it’s on the council’s website at:

http://www.southwark.gov.uk/info/200063/licences/282/licensing_update