EQRA has long campaigned for better local bus services.  The 343 will take you to Elephant and London Bridge but you have no other choice from Southampton Way or Wells Way.  If you want to get into the City or West End, you have to change (and pay again if you don’t have a bus pass or Travelcard).  This area needs a better choice of local transport services!

If you haven’t already signed the petition, click here

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.

11am at Gloucester School (main school hall, entrance on Burcher Gale Grove)

Please come along to show your support and get involved.

Elect a new committee.

Tell us what issues you want to tackle.

Full agenda TBC – watch this space … if you’ve got a suggestion send us an email.

We can’t promise snow, but for the children we will have  hot spiced apple drink – and a lucky dip!

Saturday 10th December

5pm – 7pm

Edgar Wallace Close

(entrance on Chandler Way)

Eat, drink and be merry!

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

Julia Edwards, a landscape architect from Southwark’s public realm division will be there to talk about the possibilities.

TUESDAY 6 DEC 7pm – 8pm

Over the last 2 years EQRA has raised this problem on a number of occasions with TfL.  Disappointingly, TfL have responded that they are satisfied that capacity is adequate.

We have now compiled a video which might help to challenge TfL’s view.

Watch this video on YouTube.

If you find you are being left behind by the 63, or have any other problems with our local bus services, please complain to TfL – and keep complaining every time it happens as this will help maintain the pressure to sort the problem out.  TfL’s contact details are:

phone: 0845 300 7000 (Monday to Friday, 8am to  8pm)

web: www.tfl.gov.uk/contact

Incredibly, Boris Johnson has now decided to overturn this plan.

Not willing to give up the fight, we’ve joined forces with the Wells Way Triangle Residents’ Association to campaign even more actively for improved local transport, and issued the following press release to voice our outrage.

We believe that the extra voices may give us more traction with TfL who now seem to be seriously considering diverting the 42 bus along Wells Way and Southampton Way. This would give us a link to the City and beyond and also a useful bus route into Camberwell.

Read the press release here

There’s also a petition online we’re encouraging everyone to sign : http://tinyurl.com/bus343

• Local Transport Campaign
• South Quarter area feedback
• Burgess Park – progress report

Join us for a free coffee, this Saturday 19th November, at Chumleigh Gardens (Park Life) Cafe.

11am – Midday

And if you can’t make it on Saturday, please come to our Christmas party on 10 December. More details to come…

Free to Southwark residents, the course runs for four Wednesdays (starting 9th November and continuing till 30th November)  from midday – 3pm . Southwark residents can benefit from this amazing opportunity for free. But be quick – THERE ARE ONLY 8 SPACES AVAILABLE.

If you’re interested or want to find out more call Marxsi on 020 8320 0880