Brimmington Park/Decent Homes Works

The council is about to start some major works on council owned properties in and around Clifton Crescent, Culmore Road, Pomeroy St and Astbury Road. Council tenants will be getting long awaited double glazing, rewiring, new bathrooms and kitchens.

Unfortunately the building contractor for the works isn't locally based and needs to have an enormous site compound for storing equipment, materials and to provide tenants with washing facilities etc while work is happening in their homes.

In typical Southwark Housing Department style a unilateral decision was made that this giant compound - about the size of an Olympic swimming pool - would be put on Brimmington Park. This was with no consultation with residents or even with the park manager! The compound would be in place for nearly a year taking up a huge chunk of the park and would mean that the Brimmington Festival would have to be cancelled.

Fortunately we think there is another site available. Residents from Clifton Crescent and Friends of Brimmington Park contacted me and it seems that the site might be able to go on a disused ball court area by the railway lines. I got the officers from the housing, parks and play department to come down with the contractors and everyone agrees it would be better. The final decision on whether it is feasible will be taken next week.

Cossall Park victory

The council has recently decided to relocate Tuke Special School from Woods Road to a brand new building in Daniel Gardens in north Peckham (fuller details of the plans here). The move won't happen till 2010, but nearby residents have been asking me about what will happen to the old school site, in particular the area which used to be part of Cossall Park until sometime in the 1990s when the school was allowed to annex part of the park to give them more play space.

After various equivocal answers from various council officers in childrens services, property and planning I was delighted to get an answer from the Leader of the Council confirming that the land that was originally part of the park will be restored to the park (though he didn't pledge the money we'd need to make it good). I've got a map from the parks department and we'll be holding them to this!

Unsurprisingly they expect to build flats on the rest of the site. Given the housing shortage and high numbers of overcrowded families in the area I think that's probably the best option particularly if we can get some larger 3 or 4 bed flats on the lower floors.

Energy Saving Week - Save your 20%

This week is energy saving week. The Energy Saving Trust is calling on individuals to commit reduce their energy usage to help the UK meet it's target of a 20% reduction in carbon dioxide emissions by 2010.

There are lots of simple steps we can take to reduce our own energy usage like turning off TVs and computers rather than leaving them on standby, replacing normal lightbulbs with energy efficient ones and only boiling as much water as we actually need.

I've made my commitment to

• only boil as much water as I need
• turn down my themostat by 1 degree C
• turn appliances off standby
• replace 3 lightbulbs with energy saving recommended light bulbs
• buy energy saving recommended appliances
• wash laundry at 30 degrees
• leave my car at home for short journeys

So far this adds up to an 8.7% saving, so I need to look into some of the bigger saving measures too - as I live in a flat I don't think I can do much about cavity wall insulation, but I may be able to improve the loft insulation and perhaps I could get a condensing boiler.

So I'm off now to get catch the bus and get myself some energy saving light bulbs, pausing only to turn off my appliances before I leave...

Hope you'll all make your commitment too.