The LFUG annual jamboree is on Tuesday 15 October, 7.30pm in The Council Chamber at Catford Town Hall.
There will be presentations about the Catford Stadium redevelopment plans and the Secret Gardens project. The User Group also has two elected positions - Chair & Treasurer and Secretary. Tony Rich has served as Chair, and Robert Sheppard as Secretary for c.5 years. Both are happy to ‘give way’ to new blood if anyone’s interested - and can explain what each role entails.
For more information, please email ladywellfields@yahoo.co.uk. All nominations should be submitted, by email to this address, by Friday 11 October.
Ladywell the thin blue line in London flood defence project
The Independent reports that engineering firms have been invited to develop plans to defend London from future floods, including upgrading the the Thames Barrier.
Britain's biggest engineers have been asked to develop plans to protect London and £200bn-worth of property from flooding until the end of the century. Launched at an industry event at the Thames Barrier today, the project is said to be the country's biggest ever flood management contract. The winning engineering team will work on the first 10 years of what is known as Thames Estuary 2100.
Chris Wheal (who kindly sent us the link) points out that Ladywell Fields might be part of any solution:
Ladywell Fields is used to store water to help keep the Thames lower. I have photos of it full, normal and empty on Flickr. They close a sluice gate to the Thames and store the water upstream until the tide goes out and then let it out. That was one of the main reasons for digging the river back into Ladywell Fields.
Britain's biggest engineers have been asked to develop plans to protect London and £200bn-worth of property from flooding until the end of the century. Launched at an industry event at the Thames Barrier today, the project is said to be the country's biggest ever flood management contract. The winning engineering team will work on the first 10 years of what is known as Thames Estuary 2100.
Chris Wheal (who kindly sent us the link) points out that Ladywell Fields might be part of any solution:
Ladywell Fields is used to store water to help keep the Thames lower. I have photos of it full, normal and empty on Flickr. They close a sluice gate to the Thames and store the water upstream until the tide goes out and then let it out. That was one of the main reasons for digging the river back into Ladywell Fields.
Statement on Ladywell Fields Cafe Plans
Last week, we reported that the owner of the cafe in Ladywell Fields has asked his customers to show their support for the business he runs, which is potentially threatened by plans to create a new cafe with bigger and better facilities, similar to those in Hilly Fields and Manor House Gardens.
It's his livelihood and it's quite right that he should be given a fair chance to bid to run the new franchise, but a new cafe should be built. The existing facility is little more than a tea hut, which doesn't offer the range or the space that other local park cafes manage. Bigger local park cafes have become community hubs - the focus for a range of local groups and activities. Ladywell Fields' cafe hasn't. There is a successful local model - it should be copied. If the incumbent feels that he can meet the brief, he should submit a bid.
This statement, issued in response to the issue, sets out the case for a new cafe:
Over the last few years many Park users have commented – in meetings, by email and on the Ladywell Fields Facebook page – about the café. Two clear themes emerged from these comments – first, that the current lessee (Glen) is very popular and very committed to the Park and secondly that the current café space is inadequate in a number of ways - in particular the lack of indoor seating, protected from the elements, which would make the café more appealing outside of the Spring/Summer period, and thus more viable.
The Park User Group responded to this by applying to the Ladywell Assembly last Autumn for a modest £1,250 to undertake a feasibility study to explore how, and at what cost, the building might be reconfigured to provide a better café facility. The Ladywell Assembly supported this bid and, following a tendering exercise, local architects Studio-ia were commissioned to undertake the study. The purpose of this exercise has never been to replace the current operator of the café, but rather to improve the facility to enable more people to benefit from it: the resulting additional footfall in the Park could also bring additional benefits such as improved safety.
Studio-ia began its work early this year and, having shown its early options drawings to the User Group and Council in April, undertook a widely-publicised consultation in the Park on 20 April. This consultation confirmed a clear aspiration amongst park users for a better café facility.
The final proposal, including helpful visualisations, was produced in early June and published on the Ladywell Fields Facebook page. This represents the way that, in an ideal world, the Council and Park users would like the café building improved. This will be used by the Council when it formally seeks ‘expressions of interest’ from all interested parties, including the current licence holder, by means of an advertisement in the local press. Bidders will be asked to outline what level of investment they are willing to make, in return for a long lease. It may be that not all those interested in operating the café will be able to invest all it might cost to achieve the full redevelopment scheme. As such the Council will be happy to hear from those who wish to submit an expression of interest that delivers enough of this scheme to bring about a significantly improved cafe facility. All bidders will need to demonstrate they have a costed plan and, importantly, have a clear understanding of the needs of Ladywell Fields park users.
Subject to the outcome of the bidding process (in which the User Group will remain involved) it is anticipated that building work will be undertaken from this Autumn so that the new café facility can open in Spring 2014. In the meantime the current licence, which would otherwise have been subject to a competitive tendering exercise, has been extended.
Martin Hyde, LBL Green Space Regeneration Manager (martin.hyde@lewisham.gov.uk)
Tony Rich, Chair of the Park User Group (ladywellfields@yahoo.co.uk)
It's his livelihood and it's quite right that he should be given a fair chance to bid to run the new franchise, but a new cafe should be built. The existing facility is little more than a tea hut, which doesn't offer the range or the space that other local park cafes manage. Bigger local park cafes have become community hubs - the focus for a range of local groups and activities. Ladywell Fields' cafe hasn't. There is a successful local model - it should be copied. If the incumbent feels that he can meet the brief, he should submit a bid.
This statement, issued in response to the issue, sets out the case for a new cafe:
Over the last few years many Park users have commented – in meetings, by email and on the Ladywell Fields Facebook page – about the café. Two clear themes emerged from these comments – first, that the current lessee (Glen) is very popular and very committed to the Park and secondly that the current café space is inadequate in a number of ways - in particular the lack of indoor seating, protected from the elements, which would make the café more appealing outside of the Spring/Summer period, and thus more viable.
The Park User Group responded to this by applying to the Ladywell Assembly last Autumn for a modest £1,250 to undertake a feasibility study to explore how, and at what cost, the building might be reconfigured to provide a better café facility. The Ladywell Assembly supported this bid and, following a tendering exercise, local architects Studio-ia were commissioned to undertake the study. The purpose of this exercise has never been to replace the current operator of the café, but rather to improve the facility to enable more people to benefit from it: the resulting additional footfall in the Park could also bring additional benefits such as improved safety.
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| How the cafe will look |
The final proposal, including helpful visualisations, was produced in early June and published on the Ladywell Fields Facebook page. This represents the way that, in an ideal world, the Council and Park users would like the café building improved. This will be used by the Council when it formally seeks ‘expressions of interest’ from all interested parties, including the current licence holder, by means of an advertisement in the local press. Bidders will be asked to outline what level of investment they are willing to make, in return for a long lease. It may be that not all those interested in operating the café will be able to invest all it might cost to achieve the full redevelopment scheme. As such the Council will be happy to hear from those who wish to submit an expression of interest that delivers enough of this scheme to bring about a significantly improved cafe facility. All bidders will need to demonstrate they have a costed plan and, importantly, have a clear understanding of the needs of Ladywell Fields park users.
Subject to the outcome of the bidding process (in which the User Group will remain involved) it is anticipated that building work will be undertaken from this Autumn so that the new café facility can open in Spring 2014. In the meantime the current licence, which would otherwise have been subject to a competitive tendering exercise, has been extended.
Martin Hyde, LBL Green Space Regeneration Manager (martin.hyde@lewisham.gov.uk)
Tony Rich, Chair of the Park User Group (ladywellfields@yahoo.co.uk)
Ladywell Fields cafe plan threatens red velvet cake revolution
Sara says plans to develop a cafe in Ladywell Fields similar to the Hilly Fields model may threaten the incumbent cafe. She writes:
The lovely Glen, from the cafe in Ladywell Fields says that it looks like he could be ousted. He has a petition to protect his business, which folks can sign at the cafe. Replacing Glen's cafe with something more generic would be a great shame.
He's a really nice guy, his wife's cakes are very tasty and creative, and his prices are very reasonable. OK, so he's more chips and lollies than hummus and soy latte, but his coffee is great and his cakes are home-made. Most importantly, he is a friendly, reliable independent trader, who keeps his prices low, despite the tough times.
Please can I ask BCers who support Glen to sign the petition on their next visit to the cafe.
The lovely Glen, from the cafe in Ladywell Fields says that it looks like he could be ousted. He has a petition to protect his business, which folks can sign at the cafe. Replacing Glen's cafe with something more generic would be a great shame.
He's a really nice guy, his wife's cakes are very tasty and creative, and his prices are very reasonable. OK, so he's more chips and lollies than hummus and soy latte, but his coffee is great and his cakes are home-made. Most importantly, he is a friendly, reliable independent trader, who keeps his prices low, despite the tough times.
Please can I ask BCers who support Glen to sign the petition on their next visit to the cafe.
