Agenda and draft minutes

The Blackheath Councillors introduced themselves to the assembly

Three projects were bidding for the remaining £5,150, these were:

•           Age Exchange – Out of the Memory Box - £1,150

•           Church of Ascension – ESOL Classes  £2,000

•           Quaggy Development Trust – Over 60s Exercise Classes £2,000

The assembly agree to fund all three projects. For more details about these projects please contact Paul Gale

Cllr Bonavia explained that Lewisham does not have a particularly good recycling period and that currently the borough has simple weekly collection process of recyclable and non-recyclable waste. The changes will involve new measures and Michael Bryan Group Service Manager Environment and Waste will explain these changes.

Michael Bryan told the meeting that anyone who currently has their own rubbish and recycling wheelie bins (mostly those who live in a house or a flat in a converted house) will get a small food waste bin to go alongside their other bins and a smaller kitchen caddy for food waste. This is a brand-new weekly collection service and is free of charge.

Collections of non-recyclable rubbish will switch to fortnightly for most properties and there will be some changes to collection days. Recycling collections will remain weekly.

Everyone affected will get a letter explaining the changes and confirming the start date and instructions on how to use the new service.

We will continue to collect your recycling every week.

Alongside these changes, the garden waste collections service continues. You can sign up for £60 for weekly collections until the end of March 2018.

The food waste recycling service will make it easier for you to recycle more waste. We want to increase recycling rates to help make Lewisham a greener borough and to work towards the Government’s target to recycle 50% of waste nationally by 2020. At the moment 38% of rubbish in black bins is food waste. If you recycle and compost or use the garden waste collection service, only 11% of rubbish you produce needs to go in the black bin.

Q If the food and garden waste is mixed then why separate bins?

A This is because some individuals pay for a garden service, but you can mix it if you have a garden bin.

Q Where we share bins in flats, I am not sure how we will cope with fortnight collections and more bins will create less space and the wind may blow them over and create a health hazard.

A These are lockable so they will stop the foxes and we will have waste advisors out and about.

Q What is the predicted increase in recycling?

A We are looking to increase this by about 25% and change peoples’ behaviour.

Q Can people wrap waste in newspaper?

A We are discussing this with the contractor at present.

Q If it starts in July people may be away and miss their new bins and the information about what to do.

A We will have waste advisors to help people

Q What about commercial waste in the village. This is a big problem throughout the day with huge mountains of waste outside shops and restaurants, what is the collection process, are there agreed times to collect?

A There is a time zone Mon –Tue 6am-10am and then 4pm – 7pm. On Wed-Fri it is 6am-10pm and then 11pm – 4am. This is about enforcement and we are  ...  view the full minutes text for item 19.

Joan Roach told the assembly that the Lewisham Local Card is an initiative of Rushey Green Time Bank supported by the Volunteer Centre. The card is free and the scheme is designed to recognise the invaluable contribution volunteers make towards improving our communities. It covers whatever kind of volunteering people do – whether it is traditional volunteering, time banking, befriending, and grassroots localism initiatives, anything where neighbours do something for the benefit of the community. It is about strengthening the local economy by encouraging more people to shop at Lewisham’s amazing independent shops and businesses. Traders throughout Lewisham are signing up to the scheme to offer favourable deals to cardholders, visibly demonstrating they are community contributors. We have 160 shops signed up and we are now looking to recruit shops in Blackheath. The scheme is free to join for both community organisations and traders. We work only with recognised community organisations in Lewisham, who wish to further acknowledge the efforts of their time givers. All we ask is that the card recipient is active and committed and that we receive basic contact details before cards are issued. Traders are offering their favourable deals based purely on goodwill. All they are asked to do on joining the scheme is to display a window sticker in a prominent position advertising they accept the card. Their offer is stated on the Lewisham Local website, plus they are given an electronic badge to use on their publicity materials and website to highlight their support of the scheme. Traders like this as it is good publicity for them and they are known as Community Contributors.

Cllr De Ryk introduced Ian Chalk a local architect and resident and reminded the assembly that this item concerns the disused changing rooms at Talbot Place which are an eyesore. This follows the consultation and what will be presented today is some development of the ideas suggested into drawings that people can relate to. This is just the next stage so that we can discuss the suggestions further and get an idea of what we want to see.

Ian Chalk provided the assembly with some plans and advised the assembly that the consultation indicated that most people (57%) would like to see a children’s play area followed by toilets at 54%. The drawings provided show how these ideas can work and we hope that they can form the next stage of the consultation. This proposal includes these ideas as well as a courtyard, a community hub and a café.

Cllr De Ryk stated that she would like to see the main road closed to the facility with just access to the storage section of the site. The final brief will go tender and we will seek funding. The building has to go as it is asbestos ridden, but Glendale will have to remain.

Q If you’re having a café it needs footfall, is it viable and you’re putting more buildings on the site that are already there.

A Any proposal must fit the community and be sustainable, but doing nothing is not an option here.

Q What about the parking situation as they will need deliveries at the site and people use their cars to get to the Heath?

A It will be a good opportunity to study local parking in a holistic way and we will pick this up as part of the consultation. Just because the car park is used it is not a good enough excuse to re-provision another car park.

Q I live in Talbot Place and parking at a weekend is a nightmare, we do not know who earns the land and people park on the grass outside my house.

A It is the Earl of Dartmouth who earns the land

Q If this goes ahead you will need a risk assessment under safeguarding as it is so open.

A Yes we look at this.

Q What is the timescale?

A We want to put this on the Council Consultation portal with some smaller meetings and arrange a follow-up meeting.

For more information regarding the drawings contact Paul Gale.

Save Lewisham Hospital – We are updating people about the campaign and what is happening to the health service. Yes the hospital is saved, but this is just from downgrading, there are still lots of cuts taking place.

Council Tax – There has been a 5% increase, this is to pay for social care. If you are suffering hardship, please do get in touch with us.

Blackheath Joint Working Party – This is jointly managed with Greenwich and meets several times a year to discuss matters relating to the Heath. There is a public meeting on Tuesday 28 March 7.30pm St Margaret’s Crypt.

South East Rail Franchise – Will be re-tendered shortly, there is a consultation which can viewed on their website relating to services.

Q Why are trees disappearing from the Heath?

A We will be looking at this at the Blackheath Joint Working Party Meeting

Q Can you look at cycling routes on the Heath it is a bit disjointed?

A Yes we are looking at this including resurfacing, but it is protected by law so they may some issues.

Q Can you also look at signage on the Heath?

A Yes we will do this.

There being no other business the meeting finished at 9.30pm with no declarations of interest made.