Council to "revitalise" Brixton

[Pie 1]

[Don't tell English Heritage or they'll list it and International House ]

Why not! Seriously.
It's a unique building whether you like it or not. It's well built and has a charming period interior! The pool hall especially.

International house I can take or leave - although again for a building of that period it's actually suprisingly well built as well - it doesn't look run down, they've both aged well IMO.

 

[Gramsci]

Interestingly enough, in the recent London Pools Campaign "Golden Goggles Award" nominations, Brixton Rec was (probably erroneously) classed as a "heritage" pool - "many with uncertain futures, all in need of investment".

[Don't tell English Heritage or they'll list it and International House ]

The swimming pool campaign website is a very interesting link .I havent had a chance to look at all of it.It may be necessary to get in touch with them.

At the Brixton forum meeting the Officer held up the Streathem development proposals as an example of regeneration.On the pool campaign website it says that the new Streatham pool may never come to fruition.If it does it may be small and that the Council say they have no statutary obligation to provide swimming pools.None of this sounds good.If Lambeth close Brixton Rec that means we could end up in the future with no pool several years down the line.

 

[Gramsci]

I'm not sure the issue was the baths in Clapham, rather Mary Seacole house. The impassioned plea from the lady who would rather die (who's from Coldharbour, I think) illicited a new bit of jargon "the issue of continuous-swim". That was just before the Strategic Stakeholder Manager got to his feet............

This is where Officers/The Council fudge the issue.If you read the original Council documents (I need to check as I read them a while back) the Clapham baths along with Mary Seacole house may be put together as a development site.A bit like Brixton the idea is to knock down the buildings/pool sell them to a "partner" who hopefully will build new facilities-which will probably be some kind of PPP scheme.The Council is saying its leisure facilities are costing to much to maintain in Clapham as wellas Brixton.

So the Clapham hecklers at the back of the meeting are correct.

 

[Gramsci]

PS: on the weight of water thing, as Lang R said, it's not that much. 800 tonnes spead over an area that size is nothing really. It's also not held up by those columns at the front as some people think. They start further over than the pool area.

I was wondering about this.After the meeting down the pub someone said that the pool in Brixton Rec is "crumbling" etc.My reply is thats what the Council say.If the Council/Senior Officers go around meetings saying this it eventually becomes accepted commonsense.

I have thought about this and think it may be necessary to do a Freedom of Information act to try and see if the Council have hard evidence for what they say-ie Structural engineers report etc.

The handicap is that residents dont have the time that senior Officers do to follow this up-and with certain Officer I wouldnt believe what they say.I would like to point out that some Officers are OK.Some are careerists who do what it takes to get up the greasy pole of promotion.

 

[Gramsci]

The majority of jobs will be moving to Vauxhall from Mary Seacole House rather than any Brixton offices, although there will be some that move from Brixton to Vauxhall and Clapham to Brixton to match up different departments.

The thing about this is that the Council say they want ot consult us.As they have already bought this block in Vauxhall that IMO means the have already decided to sell these sites to help cover the cost of this new block.

One thing the Officer didnt say in the meeting was the relevant Council document calls this its Office Accomodation Strategy rather than "Revitalise Brixton" which sounds funky .

Call me a cynic but I think residents have been stitched up already on the Rec.It wouldnt surpeise me if at the meeting in September people get presented with a "planning framework" as a fait accompli.

One of the things residents and Labour Councillors compained about last year was that the present administration didnt seem to want to consult on the actual "Framework" itself.

 

[Gramsci]

Didn't somebody work this out on a previous thread? I seem to remember it being something like over a million tonnes!

You got me to thinking.Looked back on this thread and now realise their was another similar one.So Ivve looked back through my posts and found this started by Pooka:

http://www.urban75.net/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=88703

Its got the relevant Council documents on it put up by Pooka and LR if you wish to read them .

I bumped this thread as I was scrolling down and it came up first.Still "Revitalise Brixton" is what the Council are now calling this.

 

[Gramsci]

Need to check the Lambeth Website(unless LR is up on Council reports )the report on Leisure delivery-which is the one I havent read all of-says that a replacement Rec would have the same mix of facilties but would be smaller.It may also be done as a PPP scheme(this to be decided).

 

[Gramsci]

Thanks G. You go to these meetings so the rest of us don't have to

There are some of us who are going to some of these meetings.My problem is time and also I have to represent other people who need housing.Pissing off senior Officers isnt always wise(in the sense of asking questions).

 

[Gramsci]

Ive just been down the library to pick up a copy of the "Revitalise" pamphlet-"Feedback on the first stage of consultation on new plans to regenerate the borough."

You can view it on the Lambeth website.Link is on the threadstarter post.There are two pages specifically on Brixton (10/11) and one on "Leisure"(page 5)which means the Rec.

There isnt much I can say on this document as its so anodyne.It doesnt really say anything new.Its thin on actual Council proposals and what they will mean.It does however say further research is being "carried out to make sure we understand what local people want."

It also is misleading.For example it says "a new square for Brixton was warmly welcomed by respondents."Oh really .

What I also dislike about the document is that it does not explain the methodology used in this consultation process.Phrases such as "widespread support" are used.But no breakdown is given in the document about how many people replied to the first questionairre and what they actually said.

I notice their is nothing in the document about knocking down the Rec and selling the land.Just that the finalised Lambeth Leisure Delivery plan is due to be completed in Summer 2005.

 

[Gramsci]

The next meeting of the Coldharbour ward area working group(a Council consultation body) will include a "presentation" on Revitalise.It on Wednesday 6th July 7pm at St Matthews Church,Lilford Road,SE5.

 

[lang rabbie]

Just realised that an update on Revitalise is on tonight's Brixton Area Committee Agenda...

 

[Brixton Hatter]

Did anyone go? I couldn't make it last night....

 

[Gramsci]

Yes I did.The main topic was Brixton Central Sq.I will post up in full on that later from my notes.It apears after all the adverts etc only 85 people have signed up to "Revitalise".

 

[pooka]

It apears after all the adverts etc only 85 people have signed up to "Revitalise".

By signed up, do you mean registered? I've registered twice, once on the internet and again at Brixton Area Forum AGM....and I still get nothing from them.

 

[Gramsci]

Yes I do mean registered.Ive got the same problem.I sent off my registeration details and got nothing back.Ive heard this from other people as well.I think their may be a problem at the Council end.