Welcome to the website for Penge Forum

Penge Forum is the Residents’ Association for those who live in or care about Penge and Anerley. The Forum is not affiliated to any political party but we will campaign on local issues.  Penge Forum holds four open meetings a year where you can hear from and question the people who make a difference to our lives. Our Committee is made up of volunteers and any member is welcome to join.

On this page, you will find our latest news and comment.  Details of the issues we have taken up on behalf of residents are on the “Recent Activity” page.  The more members we have, the more powerful is our voice, so do consider joining.   It’s only £5 a year.

Please take a while to read through this site and do contact us with any comments or suggestions.  If you click on the Follow box on the top line, you will receive notification of new posts.

You can also follow us on Facebook – Penge Forum;  or twitter @penge_forum

Penge Forum response to the proposals to redevelop Blenheim Square.

Commenter Type: Residents Association
Stance: Customer objects to the Planning Application
Comment Reasons:

• Objection
  Comment:
• On Wednesday 8th February, Penge Forum, the Community Association for Penge and
  Anerley, held an open meeting at the Melvin Hall, Penge, attended by well over 100 people to
  discuss the plans for redeveloping the Blenheim Centre.
  The general tone of the meeting was overwhelmingly against the proposals. Although most people
  attending accepted that a redeveloped Blenheim Centre could have advantages for Penge and the
  High Street, the vast majority thought the current proposals were inappropriate and would be
  harmful to the area.
  Most of those objections have already been submitted in the 1000 or so objections already lodged
  on the planning portal.
  Comments from the meeting highlighted:
• The sheer, height size and massing of the proposed units is out of scale with the existing mainly
  Victorian High Street. Overall, the meeting was against tower blocks in Penge.
• The size and massing of the blocks will be harmful to the living conditions of those in the existing
  houses and flats. The development would cast a shadow over both the existing residential and
  commercial properties.
• Although mixed development is welcome, the large number of flats proposed will overwhelm the
  current community. No new services are being proposed for the new residents. No social venue
  has been incorporated into the proposal which would likely have been welcomed.
• Not enough affordable housing.
• The parking provision in the development is inadequate for the number of flats. The applicants
  have attempted to mislead the council and residents over the legal requirements in this issue. The
  current proposals will lead to further, unsustainable pressure on parking in adjacent residential
  streets.
• The loss of the multi-story car park will be harmful to the High Street and lead to a reduction in
  trading as shoppers move to other nearby locations with better accessibility.
• The meeting noted that there were similar objections from the Victorian Society, Historic England
  and West Beckenham Residents’ Association.
• These comments were subsequently endorsed by the Penge Forum Executive Committee

Closing date for comment on proposals to redevelop Blenheim Centre fast approaching.

The council’s planning Website gives the following dates:

Neighbour Consultation Expiry Date: Friday 27th March 2023

Latest Neighbour Consultation Date: Friday 24th March 2023

Details of the proposals and the comments page can be found here.

Then:

Click on Search Planning applications online.

Enter Blenheim as a key word in the search box

Click on the top item beginning “Phased development …..”

Links to Two Further Documents referred to at the Meeting on March 18th.

Hadley’s document supporting their Planning Application can be found here

Bromley Council’s guidance on how Planning Applications are determined can be found here

Minutes of the Open Meeting on 8th February 2023

The link should work now. If so, the minutes can be found here.

Our First Open meeting since the lock down. Hope to see you there:

Update for patients of Trinity Medical Practice

The Bromley GP Alliance has asked us to draw your attention to this important update for patients registered with the Trinity Medical Practice:

https://bromleygpalliance.org/update-for-patients-at-trinity-medical-practice/?fbclid=IwAR2_1hrDkJB9tUzCXoJi9rOrjN8jtmcYHcdKQ0dANgI8_oaTtSUOsWuDcT8

 

 

How to respond to the Regeneration Plans for Crystal Palace Park

Following yesterday’s post, we have received several queries from readers wanting to know how to respond to the regeneration plans.  This is a complex issue about how best to balance the best interests of park users while giving the park a secure financial future, so please read the background information thoroughly.

You can respond to the brief from the Crystal Palace Trust, see previous post, at the end of their document.   crystalpalacepark.org.uk/the-future

The Outline Planning Application is on the Bromley web site.  This is the link to the Planning Application page.  https://searchapplications.bromley.gov.uk/online-applications/    Search for Crystal Palace Park:    There should be a link to public comments.

There is a page on the Bromley web site for Crystal Palace Park which includes regenerating the Park:    https://www.bromley.gov.uk/info/200150/crystal_palace_park   and a specific Bromley email address:  cppregeneration@bromley.gov.uk

Contact your local councillors  (See Local contacts page)

We hope this is helpful

Penge Forum arrangements during “lockdown” and updates on Crystal Palace Park

Dear Penge Forum Members and Friends,

We hope you are all looking after yourselves in these difficult times and managing to stay healthy.

We want to keep in touch with our members and friends, followers while we are unable to hold our regular open meetings.   We had planned to hold our first meeting of the year by now and should be planning our spring/summer meeting.   That too will not take place and it is now looking unlikely that any meetings will be held before the end of the year.  We can but hope.

We had an interesting line up of guests for the April meeting which we hope you would have found interesting.   These included

• Street Rangers for the High Street and an update on the Business Improvement District;
• Road safety and temporary play streets;
• Replacement of the paddling Pool in Alexandra Park;
• Developments at Melvin Hall;
• Local policing and Safer Neighbourhood Meetings;
• Registering Royston Halls as an Asset of Community Value.

Clearly, events have now overtaken some of those topics and new themes have arisen. 

We are asking our speakers if they can write updates on their topics which we will post here at regular intervals.  

In the meantime, there are updates following our meeting last September an Anerley Town Hall.  If you were there you would have heard representatives of the shadow Trustee Board talk about developments at the park.

Since then, as you are probably aware, since then Bromley Council have begun consultation on Outline Planning Permission for the £40 million Regeneration Plan for the park.  The scheme’s aim is to preserve and restore the park’s heritage, improve the park for everyone’s enjoyment and create a sustainable future.

The Crystal Palace Park Trust have written a briefing about the project and have suggested questions that you may wish to consider in responding to Bromley’s consultation.

The Trust’s briefing can be found here  crystalpalacepark.org.uk/the-future  and also allows you to share your views on the plan.

The Trust Board is also hoping to recruit new members and particularly to add to its skills and experience in the following areas:

• Landscape maintenance
• Contracts and finance
• Charitable and public sector governance
• Event management
• Fundraising
• Communications

More information is available at:http://crystalpalacepark.org.uk/news/call-for-new-trustees-of-the-crystal-palace-park-trust/

We hope to post more updates in the coming weeks but in the meantime please, keep safe.

Trinity Medical Centre Update

The item on today’s Agenda for the Bromley Clinical Commissioning Group  recommending the closure of the Trinity Practice was withdrawn.  This is probably because the BCCG belatedly realised the possible political impact of any decision so it would be against guidelines to discuss it in the pre-election period.   The matter is likely to be revisited after the election.

Trinity Medical Centre: Threat of closure.

We have been asked by some members to draw attention to the proposal to close Trinity Medical Centre in Croydon Road.

The background is that the centre has been run on a temporary basis since the previous doctors left.   We’re told that the current partnership running the centre have made several improvements, however, the Bromley Primary Care Commissioning Group are discussing a recommendation to close the centre and re-distribute the patients at a meeting tomorrow.  So there’s not much time left if this practice is to be saved for the community,

If you feel you want to join the campaign, there is a petition on http://chng.it/Rxk9cSRMFF

or at the surgery or Mack’s the chemists on the High Street,

Or email the Care Commissioning Group before their meeting at broccg.contactus@nhs.net

address your email to the Chairman, Martin Lee.

Or you can attend the Bromley CCG Primary Care Commissioning Meeting – The meeting is on Thursday 28 November 1.30PM at Bromley CCG, Global House, Hayes, 10 Station Approach BR2 7EH. We can assist with anyone who needs transport there from the surgery. Agenda attached.

Open Meeting and AGM, Wednesday 27th November: Annual Report for 2019

Including the AGM, we will have held four varied and well attended Open Meetings with audiences of between 70 and 100.

For our final meeting of the year , we welcome Revd. Nick Read to talk about the Living Well project at Holy Trinity Church which provides a Food & Clothes Bank, a support network and a caring community for our most vulnerable residents.

Our most recent previous meeting was in September at Anerley Town Hall, fulfilling our pledge to involve the wider area of Penge.   It was particularly appropriate for a discussion on the future of Crystal Palace Park.   It was somewhat depressing that after all these years there is still no sustainable plan for bringing this major local landmark back up to standard.  But at least we were part of the conversation, and that’s one that is set to run and run.

The summer meeting covered one of the busiest areas of local authority activity when Rob Vale from Bromley Trading Standards talked and took questions on the topic of Scams, Fraudsters and Rogue Traders.

In March, we invited and questioned the new police team for Penge & Cator, Clock House and Crystal Palace.  They were led by our new Sergeant, Sgt JP Carmier.  Lots of interesting discussion and feedback, though we clearly weren’t going to make any headway against the plane to close our local police base.

We have been involved in local consultations and discussions.  We don’t always form a view but have objected to plans that might diminish the viability of the High Street, we supported the plans for a new bridge for Dinosaur island in Crystal Palace Park and submitted comments on the reorganisation of ward boundaries affecting Bromley Council.

We have recently been approached by Capel College in Crystal Palace Park over their expansion plans and currently by residents concerned at Bromley’s plans to move Beckenham library into the centre of Beckenham.  There’s always scope for greater involvement, but we contribute where we can.  And we have been successful this year in adding Penge East Community Centre to the list of local buildings protected as Assets of Community Value.

We are also asked to provide community representatives to various local consultation panels.   At present we have members on the Penge & Cator Police consultation Panel, the Road Safety Panel and the Business Improvement District.  We also maintain contacts with our local councillors and thank them for their support.

Finances:  As you know, we do have a £5 membership fee which covers any expenses, though our meetings are open to all.  This year we had a record membership of 100, so thank you to all those who supported the organisation in this way.  Renewals are of course, due now.   The annual accounts are available and show a healthy balance so hopefully we can continue, so long a you give your support.

Finally, my thanks to the Executive Committee who have all given their support freely and generously to the organisation and its operation. Stephen Brushett for the accounts, Chris Doran for the minutes. Wendie Roach for supporting in so many ways and looking after membership and communications, Fiona Notman has taken charge of refreshments and John Gazeley, maintains our link with the Crystal Palace Community Development Trust at Anerley Town Hall.   Newer members are Rachel New and Mark Phillippo who have all contributed new ideas and support and we look forward to them continuing to take the Forum forward.

We do lose a couple of long-standing members this year.  Charlotte Fletcher and Linda Huggins who have both given support over the years are not continuing.    Chris O’Shaughnessy, standing down to concentrate on his other interests has been a great support, particularly with his heritage work. And Jane Morley who has been our Road safety Rep for several years now, sadly, has to retire and will be difficult to replace.

I have enjoyed Chairing the Forum for the last five years and am hoping to stay on for one more year as Chair, while new committee members settle in.   I’m pleased to say that Lorraine Baker has offered to join as our Representative for Police consultative panel and Brian McGee has also expressed an interest in joining to share his communication skills.

So that’s it for another year.   All of us involved in Penge Forum believe that live, open meetings still have a place in our increasingly digital and individual society.  We do also have a presence on Facebook and a web site which can keep us all in touch.   Thank you for your support and we will be back with another series of meetings to bring the Penge community together in the New Year.  May I be amongst the first to wish you all Season’s Greetings and a Happy New Year.

John Getgood,  Chair, Penge Forum

First chance to see the 2020 Penge Traders calendar at meeting on Wednesday.

We’re pleased to announce that the new Penge Traders calendar will be available to view or to buy at the meeting on Wednesday.  Cost is £6 and for each sale made at this event, £2 will be donated to Living Well. 

Penge Forum, Wednesday 27th November. A reminder …….

We are looking forward to Nick Read’s talk at the Penge Forum AGM on Wednesday.

As well as telling the story of the Living Well Project and the role it plays in supporting vulnerable people and families, Nick has a a strong message on the Power of Communities to act together to bring change.

We will also be hoping to recruit new members of the Executive Committee of the Forum, so if you feel you could help to shape the future activity of the Forum or help us improve our engagement with the community, then please do volunteer.   The commitment is not huge.

And everyone can help by taking out annual membership of Penge Forum which helps defray our very small expenses and also strengthens our position with the local council.   All our meetings though remain open and free to everyone.

We look forwards to seeing you on Wednesday November 27th at Melvin Hall, Melvin Road from 7.00 pm.   We will start with the usual tea, coffee and biscuits and invite you to linger at the end of the meeting over a glass of wine, soft drinks and nibbles.

Living Well and the Power of Community – next Open Meeting and AGM on Wednesday 27th November

We are delighted to welcome Rev. Nick Read from Holy Trinity Church as our guest speaker at our Open Meeting on Wednesday 27th November.   Nick Read and Holy Trinity are hosts for Living Well, which is probably best known as the main food bank for Penge, but it is much more than that.   Living Well provides a welcoming environment for vulnerable men and women and works with partners to support people with different needs, including social isolation, addictions, mental health issues, debt and homelessness. Nick’s talk will be a confirmation of his belief in the Power of Community.

This meeting will also be our Annual General Meeting, so for those who wish to support the Forum by becoming members, your annual membership (£5 or £4 for concessions) becomes due.  We need a registered membership to be accredited as a constituted body for consultation on local issues.  Membership fees also contribute towards the cost of hall hire and refreshments.   All our committee are volunteers and we receive no other funding.  At this meeting we will also present a short annual report and ask for further volunteers to join our committee.

Doors will open at Melvin Hall at 7 pm for the usual complementary tea, coffee and biscuits and, as it is the AGM, we hope you may stay after the meeting to socialise with other members while enjoying wine, soft drinks and nibbles.

Meeting on proposals for Beckenham Library Thursday 14th Nov. at 7.30 pm

There is a meeting about the proposal to redevelop the Beckenham Library site for housing and move the Library to Beckenham Public Hall at the Large Hall (first floor) Beckenham Public Hall on Thursday 14^th November at 7.30 pm.

This is the link for the petition objecting to the proposal.

If you want to vote on December 12th, you can register on line up to Tuesday 26th November….

https://www.gov.uk/register-to-vote

Register by midnight on 26 November to vote in the General Election on 12 December. If you want to apply to vote by post , register before: 5pm on 26 November if you live in England, Scotland or Wales

Consultation announced for Capel College expansion in Crystal Palace Park

Following our September Open Meeting, we have now received details of the consultation on  the proposals for an extension to Capel College in Crystal Palace Park.

The public exhibition times are:

• Friday 22 November, 3.00-8.00pm at the Paxton Centre, 52 Anerley Hill
• Saturday 23 November, 10.00am-1.00pm at Crystal Palace Park Farm

 

The information is also available on the project website: capelmanorconsultation.co.uk

 

New link for Dinosaur Island planning application

For reasons I cannot quite explain, the previous link did not work but this one does seem to connect.

https://searchapplications.bromley.gov.uk/online-applications/simpleSearchResults.do?action=firstPage

Planning Application submitted for Dinosaur Island footbridge in Crystal Palace Park

Plans for the proposed footbridge to improve access to Dinosaur Island in Crystal Palace Park have been submitted to Bromley Council.   These plans were discussed at the recent meeting of Penge Forum and received overwhelming support on the grounds that:

1. Improved access was needed to facilitate the very important conservation work on the models.
2. The proposed access bridge would be held in a secure and inaccessible position when not in use.
3. The proposal made minimum impact on the existing landscape.
4. The new access would facilitate further, controlled, visits to the island by specialists, volunteers and members of the public.

The full plans and supporting documents can be found on the Bromley Planning web site:

19/03578/FULL1 | Construction of a footbridge in Crystal Palace Park for access to the Crystal Palace Dinosaurs on Dinosaur Island

Crystal Palace Park meeting tonight, Thursday 26th Sept, 7 for 7.30 pm at Anerley town Hall. Free and open to all

This is just a reminder for the next Open Meeting of Penge Forum on Thursday 26th September at Anerley Town Hall.  Doors will open at 7.00 p.m. for free tea, coffee and biscuits and the meeting will start at 7.30 p.m.

Our guest speakers will be Martin Tempia, acting Chair of the Crystal Palace Park Board of Trustees, Lucy Hopkins, Chair of the Friends of Crystal Palace Park and Ellinor Michel from the Friends of Crystal Palace Dinosaurs.

You will be able to hear from and discuss issues concerning the future of the Park and hear about plans to improve access to Dinosaur island.

Cllrs Angela Wilkinson (Crystal Palace) and Kathy Bance (Penge & Cator) will be on hand to respond to any other local concerns and there will be an update on other Penge Heritage Projects.

The meeting is free and open to all.  We look forward to seeing you there.

SPECIAL OFFER

In order to reduce queuing at the AGM in November, membership renewals for 2019/2020 will be available at this meeting and as an added incentive, the first 50 early renewers will receive a special Penge logo pen.  Not to be missed!

Individual Annual membership is just £5 or £3 for concessions.  Organisations can affiliate for £10.00 a year.  You do not have to be a member to attend our public meetings which will remain free and open to all. 

Membership fees cover the costs of running the Forum such as the free refreshments and hiring of the halls, and occasional support to local organisations or events.  Members are eligible to stand for and vote for the Executive committee which organises the meetings, arranges for our representation on outside Bodies

Beyond that though, having a defined membership allows Penge Forum to make representations to the council and other bodies.  For example, we are the only organisation in the area able to nominate local facilites, such as Melvin Hall, Penge East Community Centre or Men in Sheds, for the added protection of Assets of Community Value.  We are also asked to nominate members for local consultative Boards such as the Police and Road Safety.  

It seems pretty good value but we can only continue with your support.