Post Office Closures
It was with great concern that I learnt about the government’s plans to close more post offices. Already, in the last 3 years, 319 of London’s post offices have been closed, a third of the total. The vital social and economic roles that the traditional post office plays in communities across London have been already been significantly undermined, and any further losses would be totally unacceptable.
The financial and communication services that post offices provide allow all Londoners, regardless of their ability to get about or access online communications, to pay their bills, save their money, buy their TV licence, and so on, all within walking distance of their home.
If these services are removed from local communities, it is those who are already vulnerable and at risk of being excluded who will be worst hit. Local post office are trusted and friendly points of community service and interaction. The desire to close them for purely economic reasons misses the point of their existence entirely.
Cllr. Jenny Jones - AM Green Party Group
City Hall The Queen’s Walk London SE1 2AA
• Our own Post office in Sidcup may have to close because they have lost the right to operate a cafe on their site. They sold a lease and are now suffering the consequences. Ed
Leslie Woolerton
Ron Lane is looking for Leslie Woolerton (76) - his lifelong friend. They went to school together at Alma Road in Sidcup, joined the RAF together and served on the RAF station at Kirton Lindsey - the original home base of the American Eagle Squadron whose Commanding Officer was the famous actor Col. Clarke Gable.
Why is he looking for Leslie? He was his Best Man and on the 23rd February it is his Golden wedding anniversary and he and his wife Georgina want to share their day with him. If you can help Ron contact Leslie who was last heard of in the Footscray area please call 0208 925 3022.
Foots Cray Meadows
I am writing in reply to your footnote to my letter about Foots Cray Meadows in the last edition of the Chronicle. By ‘Round House’ I assume you mean the Pavilion. This was built about 1912 by Lord Waring. When the Meadows became public property the Pavilion was occupied for many years by the headmaster of what is now Cleeve Park school (formerly Parkwood). When his widow died it remained empty for for some time and then it was sold to a private owner.
There was no question of erecting information boards about it. It had been a part of Foots Cray estate as were the stables which have now been sold in a similar way as the Pavilion.
The placing of interpretation boards and clearance of some trees is about Foots Cray Place itself which, as I indicated in my last letter, is of considerable historic importance. Tree management by foresters involves the lopping and felling of trees as a matter of course. Woodlands have to be managed. Foots Cray Place is no exception.
John Mercer, Chairman, - Bexley Civic Society, Sidcup
• As I commented before it has taken someone over half a century to discover the historical value of this site and it’s now going to be costly employing contractors felling trees and maintaining the site afterwards. Perhaps the Friends of Footscray Meadows and the councils clearly rich Parks department might spare a thought for mere ‘living mortals’ like myself who regularly walk the Meadows from the Bexley Lane entrance and provide a safe walkway instead of the treacherous muddy tortuous way they call a path! Perhaps the foresters when felling the prescious trees on the historic site could transfer the wood chippings to make a safe walkway! Ed.
Retaining our Green lung in an air quality blackspot?
In his letter to the Chronicle (Jan) John Mercer (Bexley Civic Society) concludes ‘Woodlands have to be managed Foots Cray Meadows is no exception’
It should be made clear that our objection is not and never was to normal woodland management (such as is carried out in North Cray Woods) but to the felling of bands of poplars and other trees in Foots Cray Place in order to reveal the footings of the Mansion which was once there. This clearance of the woodland has been described by the Council as a ‘small number of trees that need removal’ but when asked repeatedly for the exact number eventually explained that this would ‘probably only increase concern amongst residents if they hear plain numbers’ Similarly, if the numbers were so small why did felling have to take place in phases?
Many if not most of the older trees in Foots Cray Meadows are in poor health due to droughts over the years, to disease and to and over abstraction from the water table by Thames Water and Coca Cola. This is why it is so abhorrent to us that vibrant healthy young trees should be felled for so trivial a reason.
The fact that another Council sponsored and funded group Natural Environment Focus Group in addition to the Council sponsored Friends of Foots Cray Meadows supports the Council’s action should not altogether surprise us but it does not justify it. Indeed only two weeks ago because of hugely increased pollution levels Bexley Council were forced to declare the whole Borough an ‘Air Quality Management Area’ due to unacceptable levels of nitrogen dioxide. One of the worse areas separately identified was North Cray. This is the very area with further dense housing being built in an increasingly industrialised conurbation that urgently needs to protect its green lung. The landscapers of the big country estates of the past were more concerned with vistas than the necessity to breathe clean air.
I do understand that the Civic Society has its own historical agenda, but surely while remembering those who lived in the past should we not give priority to those living today?
John Harrington (Chairman), North Cray Residents Association, Sidcup
Foots Cray Meadows
What a kefuffle and what a smokescreen in response to our letter ‘However & Finally’...
• Fact: Cutting down trees is irresponsible in the light of current knowledge of the contribution they make in offsetting global warming.
• Fact: The clearance scheme will devastate the woodland area - the undergrowth, wild herbs, blue bells and woodland anemone - to name but a few.
• Fact: The green environment will be lumbered and spoilt with sign posts, notice boards and litter.
• Fact: The scheme is a snub to English Heritage who a few years ago on being consulted by officers of the council, considered that support for excavations and ‘development’ would be detrimental to the environment and beauty of the Meadows!
• Fact: And yes, we are aware of the proposed Wildlife Information Centre having been party to the decision of another and previous committee to set one up.
Elizabeth Rhodes, Secretary and Nell Berwick, Chairman
Bedensfield Residents Association
Financial Special Needs!
Further to your article (Education in Benfleet) and the proposed changes to Special Education in Bexley I was amazed to read that Cllr O’Neill expressed the opinion that “the majority of those participating acknowledged that action needs to be taken”. I understand the consensus of opinion to be completely the opposite!
As the Chairman of a Board of Governors at a school within Bexley, I have been concerned with these proposals since they were first initiated and it has become obvious as events have progressed that driving force behind these changes is financial rather than educational!
The proposed closure of one of the Special Schools (only months after it received an Outstanding grading from OFSTED) and the reduction in numbers, and change of location, with two pupils transferring to alleged mainstream schooling makes very little sense in terms of educational economy as vast sums - probably much more than it costs to run the schools as they are now - will be needed in the future to train and provide the level of support the SEN children we require in mainstream and even then they will not be granted the level education to which, by law, they are entitled.
These proposals have already generated much concern amongst the parents of affected children, as highlighted by recent letters which have all vehemently opposed the changes and, unlike Clr O’Neill I have yet to see or hear of any signs of support. The plans will also significantly fail to quantify some disruption (albeit mostly unintentional) such inclusion may cause pupils, particularly the lower achievers who are already struggling and may see their needs systematically reduced as teachers and support staff will simply not have time to devote to them.
One of the main reasons for these proposals is to reduce the number of children forced to leave the borough for specialised needs , and would surely make more economic and educational sense to simply upgrade the existing facilities - or could it be that such a solution will not provide any revenue from the sale of those sites?
MR M J Barker, Joydens Wood, Bexley
• Perhaps Bexley should look over the border to see what Dartford Council spends on Special needs education! Ed
Stalag 8b - Lamsdorf
Do any of your readers have memories of the World War II prisoner of war camp, Stalag 8b at Lamsdorf in Poland?
I was very moved to visit the site of the camp recently in the company of some former inmates and relatives of others. During the war there were up to 40,000 British and Commonwealth prisoners there, and many more Russians, Poles and other nationalities. The Polish authorities maintain an excellent prisoner-of-war museum on the site, but little remains of the British experiences as much was destroyed when the Russians invaded in 1945.
I am proposing to make a documentary DVD about the British prisoners at Stalag 8b to preserve and honour the memory of our servicemen who endured so much. This will be passed on to the museum to be kept for future generations to see, and also made available to anyone else who would like a copy.
If any of your readers have information about Stalag 8b they would like to share I would be very grateful if they would get in touch. I hope to be arranging another trip to Lamsdorf this year and anyone interested in taking part can let me know.
Philip Baker - 01843-863904
p.baker3@btinternet.com
• Take a look at www.lamsdorfreunited.co.uk - there are some great photos there and www.wartimememories.co.uk/pow/stalag8b.html has some interesting stories of Stalag 8b. Ed
Frank Godley Court
After the debate in The House Of Commons on London & Quadrant’s plans for Bexley’s Sheltered Housing, the tenants, families and friends of all at Frank Godley Court would like to express their deep appreciation to the three superb constituency MP’s, Derek Conway, David Evennett & John Austin who spoke so eloquently about the situation they and the residents of the other 5 threatened schemes find themselves in.
Our MP’s showed that London & Quadrant DO NOT have the support that they think they have.
They all concure with the comments made by Derek Conway that “L&Q’s representatives should have been sacked, never mind shocked” by their their cruel and thoughtless exercise.
They would like to thank their MP’s for their tributes to the campaign so far and can assure everyone, including L&Q’s Management, that the battle against their plans goes on, with vigour, in 2007 and will get stronger by the day.
Their spirit will NEVER BE DEFEATED or DIMINISHED.
Their VOICES WILL BE HEARD.
For further information take a look at the website: www.frankgodleycourt.co.uk
Phone Masts
We have been plagued with mobile phone mast planning applications in Lesnes Abbey Ward and in many other wards in Bexley.
The latest application at the junction of Bedonwell Road and King Harold’s Way by T-Mobile comes just after we have fought off a similar application near the same spot from Orange. Also, after years of protest, residents, parents and the school have finally had the Orange phone mast removed from the top of Bedonwell School.
T-Mobile has now withdrawn its application following my letter to them demanding that they withdraw it as they did not follow the correct procedure. Under the Code of Best Conduct, signed up to by the telephone operators, they are supposed to consult the ward councillors before putting in an application, however in this case they sent the consultation letters to the councillors in another ward!
I am sorry to report that this is not a victory but a ‘Stay of Execution’ as they will probably be reapplying. However this does give parents, residents, the local anti-mast protest group ‘Orange Squash’ and the ward councillors, more time to have discussions on how to oppose this application.
We cannot understand how T-Mobile could put in an application less that one metre from a school. Nobody can prove that these masts are safe, particularly to children, but what we can prove is that these masts create stress amongst residents and parents which in some cases may be damaging to their health.
Councillor John Davey
Who has the hump!
In your December edition, you published a letter from Councillor Michael Slaughter about speed humps.
Although Cllr Slaughter is quite correct in stating that no Councillors live in St John's Road or Church Avenue, a number of Conservative voters do. Naturally, this will not have affected any decision making by Cllr Slaughter's party whilst in office.
Cllr Slaughter states that he dislikes road humps, as do many other local residents across the borough. If, therefore, knowing that road humps slow down emergency vehicles, and are unpopular, noisy, ineffectual and damaging to cars, perhaps he can explain why, when he was Council leader, he presided over the building of more of these universally unpopular devices than any other leader of the Council.
Or, is it a case that, once you are elected, local residents' views do not matter?
Paulette Giddings - New Eltham