(N1) News Bulletin - July 2000

CAMPAIGN TO FIGHT MULTI-LIQUOR LICENCE APPLICATIONS

Although there has been much to encourage us following the elections of friends of the Campaign to the Greater London Authority, Bromley and the developer London & Regional Properties are defiant. Indeed the first public sign that L&RP are in earnest about beginning construction "at the earliest opportunity" came at the end of June when notices were affixed to Park fences announcing their application for 14 separate licences to sell alcohol in the multiplex.

The Campaign believes that 14 liquor licences in a community park, with 950 parking spaces attached, are scandalous. It will adversely affect both Park users, local residents and road safety, and is yet one more reason why the multiplex must be halted. The Campaign has decided to fight these licence applications in Bromley Court beginning July 21 and to do this properly ...

WE NEED YOUR HELP ...by making donations. The Campaign has a legal fighting fund and needs £5000 more. Please send what you can afford to: The Hon Secretary, Crystalk palace Campaign, 33 Hogarth Court, Fountain Drive, London SE19 1UY ...by writing letters. Send a letter (copy to us please) giving notice of your objection to the sale of liquor in L & RP's 14 applications to: The Licencing Department, Bromley Court House, London Road, Bromley BR1 1RA Tel: 020 - 8325 4000 Please do it now. ...be a helper. We need one per street to raise petitions and to help our regular team with news bulletin delivery: Contact: Lorna English Tel: 020 - 7274 7566. ... come to court. Even if the licence hearing is adjourned, please as many as can, attend a peaceful demonstration outside the court house on July 21 at 10am. For the latest information please watch shop windows for urgent bulletins!

Let's remind ourselves that both Mayor Ken Livingstone and Darren Johnson have both lived up to the pledges made at our last public meeting to use all the influence available to halt what the Mayor, at his first Assembly Question Time, called this "ghastly multiplex". Elected GLA members from all parties have expressed their complete opposition, and the new London Development Agency is to initiate a critical review of Bromley's funding of its Crystal Palace Park projects.

BROMLEY'S PLANS IN TATTERS

These developments have coincided with the embarrassing collapse of Bromley's bid for £32m of Sports Lottery Funding to modernise the National Sports Centre, which, following the loss of £26m Heritage Lottery funding for the landscaping scheme, has thrown all their plans for the Park into disarray.

We must be realistic, however. We may have Bromley on the ropes, but their official position is that multiplex construction will commence in November, as stated in the plan presented to a June meeting of their Leisure and Community Services Committee. We must fight on unrelentingly to ensure that the multiplex is halted -- not simply scaled down.

Ironically, Mayor Livingstone has said that had this application been presented to him after July 3 he would have axed it. Unfortunately, he does not have legal powers to act retrospectively in cases like ours, where planning permission has already been given. So the Campaign must do it all can to help him and the Greater London Assembly (GLA) to bear down on Bromley, L&RP, and UCI cinemas to withdraw. Why should Bromley not respect the new democratic mandate given to the Mayor and the GLA?

WHAT THE CAMPAIGN HAS DONE

• Been extremely active behind the scenes, and in the media. We have exploited the elections; the collapse of Bromley's plans; the licensing scandal. And there has been a plethora of articles in the local press, interviews on local radio and appearances on BBC TV Newsroom Southeast.
• Supported a letter to Ian Livingstone, chairman L&RP, from the lead signatory, Tessa Jowell; MP for Dulwich and West Norwood, challenging him to come to a House of Commons meeting to explain why he had not held the "stakeholder forum ... without commitment to particular uses or design" which he had twice promised last year. The letter drew 33 co-signatories, including MPs Malcolm Wicks and Jim Dowd, MEP Jean Lambert, local councillors and an encouraging number of leading tE local amenity societies.
• Ian Livingstone responded privately to Ms Jowell, claiming that he had not gone back on his promises, but stating that he would not convene a forum until litigation was complete. But can that be right? In March one of Livingstone's lieutenants wrote to the Campaign stating that the only subject for the forum "nearer the day" was "the practical day to day management of the work associated with the implementation of the consent so as to minimise the impact on the local community during the construction period."
• Then in June in response to a letter from the Campaign inviting L&RP to withdraw in the light of the heightened political opposition and Bromley's funding debacle, L&RP replied that construction would proceed "at the earliest opportunity". Ms Jowell has sought a further meeting with Ian Livingstone to establish his true intentions, so far without effect.
• Written to Sport England urgently requesting them to include full community consultation in any new, smaller-scale refurbishment scheme for the National Sports Centre, now that Bromley has washed its hands of the Centre except for acting as landlord and planning authority.
• Written to the four adjoining boroughs asking them to step back from any further participation in Bromley's Single Regeneration Budget strategy, and to call on Mayor Livingstone's new London Development Agency (LDA) to hold a public inquiry into all matters relating to Crystal Palace Park under the "Restoring the Vision" initiative.
• Held meetings with top GLA Members.
• Prepared a detailed brief for members of the new LDA.
• Continued to prepare its application to register the top site as a village green.
• Worked towards further consultations with the community as to the future of the Park.

WHAT BROMLEY HAS DONE

• Scoffed at Mayor Livingstone's threats, and derided Darren Johnson's language. However they did meet Darren Johnson in June.
• Congratulated their officers for their efforts in working up the modernisation scheme for the National Sports Centre without once asking why £1m of public funds had been spent (and lost) by Bromley before having a definite commitment for the Sports Lottery money.
• Threatened to take Sport England "to the cleaners" by issuing a Section 146 notice against them for dilapidations totalling up to £20 million during their tenancy, again without explaining what Bromley have done during their 14 year stewardship to prevent such dilapidations.
• Castigated us, with Cllr Gaster saying, "The Crystal Palace Campaign represents no more than a few loud mouths in big houses in Dulwich." (Tell that to 30,000 people across five boroughs who signed our petition.)
• Agreed with their own off~cers' assertions that the loss of the National Sports Centre scheme will have "no impact" on their intention to build the multiplex.

RUSSIAN ROULETTE

Crystal Palace Parade- still no pedestrian crossing from the bus terminus to the bus stop on the Southwark side. Write expressing your concerns to Geoff Dadd, Civic Centre, Stockwell Close, Bromley BR1 3UH.

FUTURE EVENTS

Come wim the kids and enjoy a day out!

July 15 - 11 am-Spm Victorian Day, Crystal Palace Park, (Thicket Rd entrance).

Jub 15 - 2-4 pm Surnmer Fete at All Saint's Church, Church Road, SE 19.

August 1 - from 5pm Emancipation Day, a multicultural event, 40 Northwood Rd, Thornton Heath.

... more in the pipeline. **watch out for posters in the shops** Volunteers welcome, call Kim Rich, 8653 4000

Spring 2001. The Campaign's National Environmental Campaigns Conference. Organisers required now Contact O20 7737 3459.

Last updated 26/07/00