Brixton Rec - demolition proposed by council

[Winot]

I wonder if it's worth making a concerted push to get the lighting issues sorted for the ramp & entrance. If successful, it makes it harder to use that as an argument for destruction of the whole Rec.

 

[Gramsci]

I wonder if it's worth making a concerted push to get the lighting issues sorted for the ramp & entrance. If successful, it makes it harder to use that as an argument for destruction of the whole Rec.

Already being done.

IMO its a red herring. Something officers can go on about. Even though Ive just shown that the Council commissioned lighting scheme contradicts what officers are saying.

 

[Ms T]

It sounds like there isn't an access problem - there's a ramp which needs better lighting.

 

[gaijingirl]

I am usually of the less-cynical persuasion but over my years in Brixton I have become more and more suspicious..

I wonder if Lambeth already have people lined up to build on that site... Tesco or similar?

I know there's already a big Tesco in Brixton but at this stage NOTHING would surprise me.

 

[Greebo]

It sounds like there isn't an access problem - there's a ramp which needs better lighting.

Or signposting; there's one sign telling you it's to the side of the steps, but nothing I've seen at the mouth of the ramp itself.

 

[Brixton Hatter]

Is it possible to get a Freedom of Information thing about costs of running, income, user numbers etc? Or is that out there anyway, somewhere?

Already being done....watch this space

Is it possible to get FOI on emails between ward councillors which mention 'Brixton Rec' or whatever?

In theory yes. This would need a separate FOI request. However, Cllrs are not stupid and it may be the case (as it often is) that things like this get discussed offline rather than put down in official emails or documents. Worth doing though....and probably worth concentrating on emails between people like
Sally Prentice,

Cabinet Member for Culture, Leisure and the Olympics​

Lib Peck,

Cabinet Member for Regeneration​

and their staff/officers. (Casting the net too wide can fall foul of the £700 rule.)

 

[Brixton Hatter]

In Brixton Blog Cllrs Lib Peck is reported as saying:

Cllr Lib Peck, cabinet member for regeneration, denied that there would be a financial reason to move sites, saying: “I wouldn’t say it’s economically unviable.”

interesting. So it's not unviable in its current state. They just want the new retail and private housing units.

 

[Brixton Hatter]

Did you see the Lip Peck tweet the other week about how please they were that the new pools/leisure centre were done under Labour in Lambeth.

Yes, Cllrs seem very fond of making this point, and the same one has been made to me in emails from Labour Cllrs. I think the subtext is "look, we've proved we can build new leisure centres, so trust us on this one"

 

[gaijingirl]

yes but, Clapham is a bit shit and Streatham is already mired in contoversy with its users.

 

[Brixton Hatter]

yes but, Clapham is a bit shit and Streatham is already mired in contoversy with its users.

Interesting.....I haven't been to either. Do you know any more?

 

[Crispy]

On one of the ice rink thread someone posted a map showing the footprint of the ice rink, and possibly the rec too but I can't find it. @Crispy maybe?

The rec is about twice the footprint of the old car park (now ice rink)

 

[Brixton Hatter]

The rec is about twice the footprint of the old car park (now ice rink)

Yeah that's one of the things I'm worried about. Along with International House (which the council also owns and, i think, wants to decant staff out of into the proposed new council accommodation) there's a prime bit of real estate land there right in the middle of Brixton, perfect for exploitation via retail and private housing. The Rec gets left with a much smaller space...

 

[gaijingirl]

Interesting.....I haven't been to either. Do you know any more?

well I posted about Streatham a page or so back.

Clapham, I went and it's just one of these much more cramped, changing village style pools which are so in fashion right now. Going as a family is rubbish compared to the Rec and even swimming by myself I found it very cramped, very narrow lanes etc especially in comparison to the older style pools such as Brixton Rec and, obviously, Crystal Palace. (and they're not massive anyway!)

Read Boohoo's report here which chimes with my experience tbh..

http://littlelambeth.blogspot.co.uk/2012/09/taking-baby-for-swim-part-2-clapham.html

 

[Gramsci]

Yeah that's one of the things I'm worried about. Along with International House (which the council also owns and, i think, wants to decant staff out of into the proposed new council accommodation) there's a prime bit of real estate land there right in the middle of Brixton, perfect for exploitation via retail and private housing. The Rec gets left with a much smaller space...

The Council in its wisdom as already decided to give International House to the developer that does the "SW2 Enterprise Centre" ( the Town Hall and surrounds) as part payment.

 

[gaijingirl]

Clapham isn't a terrible pool but I really do like, for example, having a proper naked shower after a swim. I like roomy lockers. I like lanes that are wide enough to overtake. The new pools tend to be smaller, cramped communcal changing, more sanitized and just more stressful - which negates the whole point of swimming for me. But then that's why I like lido swimming. It's really hard to get a pool that satisfies both swimmers and families, but Brixton Rec is not bad really. Crystal Palace is better, but then it should be.

 

[quimcunx]

The Council in its wisdom as already decided to give International House to the developer that does the "SW2 Enterprise Centre" ( the Town Hall and surrounds) as part payment.

Part payment for what?

Cheers, Crispy.

 

[Brixton Hatter]

Part payment for what?

For new council offices on the site of the current town hall. The idea is to build loads of new offices on plots directly next to the town hall and modernise the town hall itself. They want to consolidate staff from several buildings into a bigger main council building to save money and release other sites (sounds familiar?!) They claim this will save £4.5m per year, but the overall cost will be £30m.

Let's do some number crunching:

Cost of new town hall: £30m
'Austerity' cuts in Lambeth: approx £30-40m
Value of 170 short-life properties Lambeth wants to sell: £32m

http://www.brixtonblog.com/30m-lambeth-town-hall-plans-for-brixton-blasted-as-vanity-project/5885
http://www.brixtonblog.com/lambeth-council-seeks-development-partner-for-new-town-hall-campus-2/6390

 

[Tricky Skills]

There is a plaque on the wall at Brixton Rec. It declares that Cllr Lib Peck re-opened the Rec in 2007.

I always walk past this and think... yeah?

 

[quimcunx]

@Brixton Hatter. As soon as I asked I thought that would probably be it.

 

[Brixton Hatter]

There is a plaque on the wall at Brixton Rec. It declares that Cllr Lib Peck re-opened the Rec in 2007.

I always walk past this and think... yeah?

And IIRC £3.5m was spend on the refurb.

 

[Manter]

It sounds like there isn't an access problem - there's a ramp which needs better lighting.

Can we do some sort of guerrilla LED installation? The alleyway by my house is dark, so I put lights up, I didn't't demolish the house

 

[boohoo]

I wonder if Lambeth already have people lined up to build on that site... Tesco or similar?

I know there's already a big Tesco in Brixton but at this stage NOTHING would surprise me.

A more central big Tesco could be built in Brixton freeing up the Acre Lane site for housing?

 

[Gramsci]

Part payment for what?

Cheers, Crispy.

From SW2 Enterprise

Surplus Assets
Following development of the civic accommodation and relocation of Lambeth staff two buildings will become surplus to requirements.
1. International House
When the new civic accommodation is available the freehold interest with vacant possession in International House will be available to the Developer for use/change of use or development.

 

[Gramsci]

The alleyway by my house is dark, so I put lights up, I didn't't demolish the house

You clearly do not work for Lambeth Council

 

[quimcunx]

A more central big Tesco could be built in Brixton freeing up the Acre Lane site for housing?

Wasn't there something years back about Tesco wanting to expand their current site but it would involve compulsory purchases of private land/houses next to it?

If we have a Tesco on the Rec site in 5 years time I want to see heads on spikes.

 

[Greebo]

Can we do some sort of guerrilla LED installation? The alleyway by my house is dark, so I put lights up, I didn't't demolish the house

IMHO it's not that badly lit, it just seems that way because the floor and walls are very dark red bricks. One job lot of white gloss paint, maybe two men, no more than 3 days to paint the lot (just don't overpaint those decorative plaques done by locals), no problem.

 

[Gramsci]

IMHO it's not that badly lit, it just seems that way because the floor and walls are very dark red bricks. One job lot of white gloss paint, maybe two men, no more than 3 days to paint the lot (just don't overpaint those decorative plaques done by locals), no problem.

I went by there this evening and it looks to me like the bulbs have been replaced by brighter ones.

I also looked at the Council commissioned lighting scheme on the front of building. Does not do much imo to help light up that area. It helps but not much.

 

[OpalFruit]

A more central big Tesco could be built in Brixton freeing up the Acre Lane site for housing?

Highly unlikely IMO - no space for the great big car parks that big supermarkets like.

A Primark or the like might be a contender, I suppose.

 

[quimcunx]

The icerink could be carpark (there's novel), a Tesco carpark.

 

[Gramsci]

Any idea how current visitor numbers compare?

The latest user figures for Brixton Rec September 2012 are:
Total 60,380 visits, of which
26,811 were gym, exercise classes, dryside activities
22,000 swimming and wetside
1700 GP referrals
5000 programmed childrens activites,