Ladywell Fields River Clean-Up, Sunday 26 November 2017, 10am-1pm

This is our regular Autumn River Clean-Up facilitated by the excellent Thames21 (www.Thames21.org.uk) who provide equipment, safety guidance and leadership at the event. This is always great fun and it doesn't matter if you've not been before as everyone's welcome. Under-16s must be accompanied by a responsible adult.

Meet by Ladywell Fields Adventure Playground at the far end of Malyons Road, Ladywell, London SE13.

Come to the Christmas Social--Thursday 7 December 7pm

The next meeting of the Ladywell Fields User Group will be our Christmas Social on Thursday 7th December at 7pm at the Ladywell Tavern public house.

It's a great opportunity to talk to others who care about Ladywell Fields, no matter whether you're new to this group or you're an old hand.

Ladywell Fields User Group meeting, Thursday 14 September 2017, 7pm

Venue:  Environmental Studies room in the North Field

Agenda:

• Catford Green development and S106 Agreement works 
• Possible outdoor gym equipment
• Community events in the park
• General discussion regarding issues in the park
• Volunteering sessions

The minutes of the meeting can be viewed here.

Ladywell Fields User Group meeting, Thursday 15 June 2017, 7pm

Venue:  Environmental Studies room in the North Field

Agenda:

• TENNIS COURTS UPGRADE 
• CATFORD GREEN DEVELOPMENT AND S106 WORKS 
• COMMUNITY INFRASTRUCTURE LEVY ‘WISH LIST’ 
• MAINTENANCE ISSUES FOR GLENDALE 
• COMMUNITY EVENTS IN PARK 
• FEEDBACK FROM THE ORCHARD VOLUNTEER EVENT

The minutes of the meeting can be viewed here.

Ladywell Fields User Group meeting, Thursday 9th March at 7pm

Venue:  Environmental Studies room in the North Field

Agenda:

• Update on the tennis proposals (Andy Thomas from LBl will be there) 
• Cycling the park 
• Proposal to hold a community event in the park
• Proposed flood alleviation measures 
• General update (someone from Glendale will be attending)
• Future volunteer events

The minutes of the meeting can be viewed here.

Consultation on the Vision for Catford Town Centre

Lewisham Council is currently consulting on the future of Catford Town Centre.  Ladywell Fields falls into the catchment area, and relevant comments will be considered in this consultation.

The council will be collecting comments until the end of the year and these will be used to develop a master plan for the town centre.

The plan will show development concepts including urban design, landscaping, infrastructure, service provision and present and future land use.

It will be prepared in early 2018 and if you live, work, shop, socialise, commute or run a business in the area, you can have your say on it. Some projects and improvements, like meanwhile use, place-making events and signage can start now, but the overall project is a long-term one.

Once priorities for Catford have been agreed, these will be introduced over time to deliver lasting benefits for the whole town centre. It's interesting yeras ahead for Catford.

Visit https://catfordtowncentre.commonplace.is/ to leave comments.

Orchard volunteering session, Saturday 4th March, 11am-12.30pm

On Saturday we had our long anticipated Orchard volunteering day--this once there was no rain forcing the cancellation, and the pleasant weather was matched by pleasant company.  Eleven years since its inception, the orchard now has some beautiful, well established fruit trees there--even though the odds are often stacked against them with attack by animals and incidence of vandalism. Those who volunteered were rewarded with detailed insights into the art of tree care, and had the opportunity to get boots muddy and hands dirty if so inclined.  Many thanks to all volunteers who took part, and to Caroline for organising and leading the event.

Tennis Court Refurbishment

Many of you will have noticed that works have commenced at the tennis courts in the north field, opposite the Hospital. The work started on 9 Jan 2017 and the contractors are hoping to complete around the end of March 2017, though the timescale is somewhat weather dependent.

Floodlights will be installed in phase 2 (later than March, but hopefully not too long after). This is a Council project delivered in partnership with the Lawn Tennis Association, the London Marathon Charitable Trust and Glendale.

Once upgraded - to high standards - access to the courts will be via an online booking system for pre-booked, one hour time slots. Regular coaching sessions (at additional cost) will continue as now - see https://clubspark.lta.org.uk/SELondonTennis .

Cycling in Ladywell Fields

Cycling has often been a contested issue among park users. 

A longtime user wrote to us this week: "Whilst walking along the central park footpath today, I stopped to observe the construction work in progress and a cyclist had to swerve to avoid hitting me. I had no warning except an "Ooops". Of course he continued with no expression of regret or apology. A collision would certainly have put me in hospital.

"It seems that the designated cycle routes are no longer marked and I feel that an accident is imminent. These routes should avoid the café, children's' swing park and railway side of the sport arena.
Is a speed limit for cyclists clearly shown? It seems to me to be impossible to expect a decent code of conduct from cyclists."

As a park user AND cyclist I too am frustrated that (but understand why) cyclists prefer to use the path alongside the railway when the actual cycle path follows the River, along the eastern side of the 'north field'. It would not be so bad if cyclists slowed down in the vicinity of the cafe or accepted pedestrians on this particular path take precedence. Your thoughts?

Catford Green development nearing completion

This is a recent picture of the northern boundary of the Catford Stadium development.  The project is rapidly nearing completion and it seems the buildings look a lot bigger than they did on the plans - see the artists impressions below for a comparison.

Ladywell Fields User Group meetings to move to a new venue

The meeting of the Ladywell Fields User Group will have to move following the closure of the gallery at the Ladywell Tavern. Suggestions for new venues include Catford Constitutional Club, the cafe in Ladywell Fields, Lewisham Hospital social club and the Civic Centre at Lewisham Town Hall.
Do tell us your preference, or if your know any other good venue. Do you think it is an advantage to be able to buy a drink and get a meal at the pub?  Or are you put off by a place that sells alcohol? Would it be a good idea to rotate the meeting place? Would you be more likely to attend if the meeting is held nearer to your home?  Let us know by emailing ladywellfields@yahoo.co.uk.

Expressions of interest sought for Ladywell Playtower new use

The Trustees of the Lewisham Building Preservation Trust announce that Lewisham Council has officially launched a request for Expressions of Interest to restore and develop the Playtower. The Council is looking for proposals from developers, investors, occupiers and consortia to bring this grade II listed building back into viable use.

It’s a great opportunity for this historic building, which was built in 1884 as a public bath house, to be revived. Having been out of use for more than a decade, this once important community facility now has an opportunity to serve the needs of the local area.
Those wishing to submit a proposal will have the opportunity to view the building on 10th and 17th February. The deadline for submissions is 28th February, so you need to get your skates on!
All queries about submissions for the Expression of Interest should be directed towards Lewisham Council, either via the website http:/ladywellplaytower.co.uk/ or by emailing playtower@lewisham.gov.uk
Alongside the evaluation process, London Buildings Preservation Trust will be running a local community consultation to record memories of your time spent there, collect and share your photographs of it and capture your ideas about how you’d like the building to be used. We’ll be launching the project very soon, so keep your eyes peeled.
To help bring this piece of wonderful Victorian gothic architecture back into use, please share this email far and wide – you may know someone who has the vision and skills to bring it back to life!
In the meantime, please visit our Facebook page facebook.com/LewishamBPT
and follow us on Twitter @LewishamBPT to get further updates as they happen.