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

Whilst we have put a list of questions and concerns to LDA / Southwark Council regarding their plans, we welcome the idea of a grand new scheme for Burgess Park. Recent objections refer to many  piecemeal provisions that were never conceived with a bigger vision in mind. As such, we don’t see their removal as necessarily destructive or negative.

Burgess Park from St. Georges Way

Residents along the south side of Burgess Park (not just EQRA members) have spoken repeatedly of the need for improvements to the St George’s Way strip, which is currently felt to be uninviting, unkempt and ugly – even threatening. Since safety and security is a huge issue for users of the park, the plan for a formal flower garden and the removal of many of the most overgrown, neglected patches along this stretch is extremely popular.

Through the consultation events, members have also been able to stress their desperate need for a decent play area for older children. For years the lack of such a playground has been a local scandal and a source of frustration and anger, not only to parents. Thanks to the consultation, individuals and groups such as ours have been able to insist that a new playground is an absolute priority and should be achieved in Phase 1 of the redevelopment.

Several of our members have questioned the wisdom of turning over a proportion of the park to communal growing areas. Parkland is precious and turning it into allotments is not seen as ideal by all, not least because of issues surrounding how the plots will be managed.

Burgess Park : artist's impression

Much has been made recently of a proposed amphitheatre for large music festivals. Nothing in the plans refers to increasing the number of festivals (believe me, we don’t want that either): they simply acknowledge that festivals are a part of Burgess Park’s remit and that the space for them should be better designed.

EQRA broadly supports the Masterplan and it is our view that to raise a long list of objections at this late stage in the proceedings is counter-productive and risks throwing the baby out with the bathwater. We can’t wait for work to begin.

Meriam Soopee. Chair, Evolution Quarter Residents’ Association

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