Edible Bus Stop coming to West Norwood!

Since December 2011 the Edible Bus Stop – http://theediblebusstop.org/staging/gardens/west-norwood/ – has been working with West Norwood residents and the West Norwood Feast on a suitability site for one of their fantastic street gardens.The ‘Bollards’ site by the Fire Station on Norwood Road was selected by the community as the area they would most like to see animated.

Work began on the existing neglected flowerbeds by the 322 bus stop ‘H’ by William Brown Court in April 2012. The new design and garden space will hopefully open in June 2014. The garden will be planted with native and wild edible and non edible plants to create a Great British bio-diverse garden to inspire and improve the feel of the surrounding community.

As a keen cyclist, I’m thrilled that so many people in this ward share my passion. This is a great area to cycle but there’s always more to be done – I’m looking forward to working with you all when elected to continue making the roads here more bike friendly

Fred Cowell

Proposed development on Avenue Park Road

On Saturday 29 March Cllr. Ann Kingsbury alongside a large number of residents of Avenue Park Road and Maley Avenue met the Chair of Planning Applications Committee (PAC) – Cllr. Diana Morris – on Saturday morning when she visited the site of the proposed Avenue Park Road development.

The proposal to build a large block of flats alongside the railway line at Tulse Hill Station, comprising 42 dwellings and 2 commercial premises, which will extend from the South Circular to roughly the junction of Maley Avenue and Avenue Park Road has caused concern to local people.

Site visits are common for large developments. One or more members of PAC attend in order to see the physical context of a planning application before it goes to the committee the following week. On this occasion only Cllr. Morris was present from PAC though she was supported by 2 of the planning officers and a representative from the developers – Mayfair 500.

The purpose of the visit was an opportunity for local residents to discuss the proposal and to point out any specific issues /concerns that they want considered by the PAC. Cllr. Morris was asked to look at the site from Avenue Park Road, from the station and from local gardens to assess the impact of the proposals and to tour nearby streets where residents had asked her to consider the effect on a district already under parking stress.

The PAC meets to consider the Mayfair 500 application on 1st April 2014.

Robson Road – update

Lambeth Council’s plans for this junction were halted when Transport for London decided that the remodelling would have to include banning a left-hand-turn from Norwood Road. However, following intense lobbying by Labour councillors Ann Kingsbury and Jane Pickard and a decisive intervention by our London Assembly member, Val Shawcross, TfL withdrew this condition.

The Robson Road junction will now be remodelled to have green man crossings on both arms and advanced stop line for cyclists, a big increase in safety for these two groups, and great news for resident of Thurlow Park ward and all those who cross that particular road.