Developers are about to submit a new planning application for the What!! site, on the corner of Whitefoot Lane and Bromley Road. The site first received planning permission in 2008. The new plans would reduce the number of homes on the site, but retain the 9-storey block. Developers want to get the proposal to planning committee as soon as possible, but we’ll keep you informed of progress. Should it go ahead, you will be consulted on the plans before they go to planning committee, and you will have the chance to participate in the planning meeting at which a decision could be made. Don’t hesitate to get in touch if you have any questions.

Thank you to all those who attended the ‘Campaign for Change’ Assembly, in Whitefoot. We all agreed to campaign on two local issues that really matter:

1. The £15 fee the Council charge for collecting bulky items, like beds or sofas. We will invite Council staff from Lewisham (who charge for collection) and Southwark (who do not), to come to the next Assembly and explain their policies.

2. The ‘Tiger’s Head’ junction We will attend a meeting with Transport for London (who are responsible for the junction), and depending on their response, then decide our next steps.

The next Assembly will be on January 26th – please put the date in your diary!

Residents in south Lewisham are being driven to despair by the constant droan from railway carriages parked at the end of their gardens. The carriages, which belong to Southeastern railways, are left on the railway sidings every night and over the entire weekend, with their generators running and lights on.

I received an assurance from Southeastern railways two months ago that they would do their best to reduce the disturbance, but the problem is as bad as ever. Surely it’s not too much to expect the railways to turn off their generators at night. Not only is it a huge disturbance for residents, but it’s also a mammoth waste of power.

Cllr Pete Pattisson

We are busy supporting residents living near the small park on Reigate Road, who are sick of the aggressive dogs and drug syringes, which make the park a no-go zone for some. One man told me, “I’d never let my kids play there.” We’re working with the police to find the root causes of the problem, and I’ll be going out on patrol with them this week to talk to local people.

Cllr Pete Pattisson

Hundreds of local residents in south Lewisham have backed our campaign to demand fair rents for housing association tenants, like Phoenix Community Housing. Rents in Lewisham were due to rise by 6%, but the Government offered cash to the Labour-run Council to keep rent rises down. There was only one problem – this only applied to council tenants, not those who transferred to Phoenix. However, when Lewisham Council tenants moved over to Phoenix, they were promised that their rent would not rise above the level of council tenants. Another Labour promise broken.

This morning there was another tragic accident at the Tiger’s Head junction. A scooter slammed into the car, and police at the scene told me the rider had been taken to hospital with serious leg injuries.

We have been campaigning to improve safety at this junction for years. Time and again we’ve asked the Mayor of London to tackle this lethal intersection, and time and again he’s ignored us. I’m disgusted that pedestrians and motorist continue to be put at risk, while City Hall passes up excuse after excuse for inaction. The time for excuses is over. How many more accidents must we suffer before we see the safety improvements that this junction desperately needs?

For links to our campaign action on this issue, click HERE and HERE

I would like to thank the hundreds of local residents who have given their support to our campaign to save the ‘Phantom Train’, that was spirited away by Transport for London.

The proposed new train service from Victoria to Bellingham, via Catford was intended to compensate for the loss of the South London line, but was surreptitiously cut in a deal between Transport for London and the Department for Transport, without any consultation.

We are due to meet with Transport for London in the near future to convey the views of local people, so if you have not yet signed our petition, please do so HERE.

Some of you may have seen the shocking footage, shown on Channel 4 recently, which appears to show the execution of Tamils by the Sri Lankan Army. Many of us, including the large Tamil community in Whitefoot, are extremely concerned about this.

I have written to the Government, urging them to call for an independent, international investigation. If it is confirmed that this is a war crime, then international action must be taken.

I also urged the Government to demand the closure of the IDP camps for thousands of Tamils, and immediate access for aid agencies and the media.

I recently attended the launch of the British Tamils Forum’s campaign, ‘Unlock the Concentration Camps in Sri Lanka’. The campaign aims to close the camps and allow innocent Tamil civilians to return home.

Please do write to the Government too and add your voice to this campaign.

Last month I challenged the Labour Council to get their act together over the Downham Enterprise Centre. The area around the centre had become a complete tip, with rubbish everywhere - hardly a place you’d want to do business in. If this was Labour;s idea of enterprise, it’s hardly surprising we’re in a recession!

I’m glad to say our campaign to clear up the area has been successful and the rubbish has now been removed. Thank you to all the local residents… and the local press, who backed our efforts.

Cllr Pete Pattisson

When I was a teacher in Lewisham, I used to teach our young people about the 3Rs: Reduce, Reuse, Recycle. It’s a shame the Labour-run Council in Lewisham wasn’t attending, because recent figures uncovered by the Lib Dems show that we are in fact doing the complete opposite. We are sending more rubbish to the tip, and we are recycling less - 28% less than the Council had previously claimed.

Cllr Pete Pattisson