Council plan to redevelop Somerleyton road/ Ovalhouse Theatre to move to the site.
- Thread starter Gramsci
- Start date
Tricky Skills
Well-Known Member
Recent payments to Brixton Green from Lambeth Council that I've managed to track:
£4,400 April 2014
£4,960 and £4,999 May 2014
All payments of £500 and above should be logged over here. What is frustrating is that they aren't explained. Brixton Blog for example trousered £3,375 from Lambeth Council in May 2014, and then a further £1,125 in November 2014.
No idea what for.
£4,400 April 2014
£4,960 and £4,999 May 2014
All payments of £500 and above should be logged over here. What is frustrating is that they aren't explained. Brixton Blog for example trousered £3,375 from Lambeth Council in May 2014, and then a further £1,125 in November 2014.
No idea what for.
"Publicity, advertising and marketing." That's where our money is going.
Twattor
Well-Known Member
Brixton Blog provide a similar service to Buzz, albeit a bit more soft and fluffy. They have a paper publication as well as website, so they need a bit of revenue - that 's understandable. So they are a bit more centre-left than Buzz's unashamed left leaning editorial direction, but fundamentally you're on the same side; and as you'd expect in a community such as this there is a considerable overlap in reporting. Petty bickering and point scoring does neither party any favours.
Tricky Skills
Well-Known Member
Except BBuzz doesn't take funding from the Council during a local election campaign.
Or even during any timeframe.
Or even during any timeframe.
CH1
"Red Guard"(NLYL)
From what I can recall it is the Mayor's Office that promised them funding.
Gramsci
Well-Known Member
The Blog does advertising for Council so that would explain payments.
I really do not understand the payments to Brixton Green. Its a lot over a short time span. Particularly for a social enterprise that is supposed to be independent of the Council. Normally grants need to be applied for with other social enterprises/ voluntary groups applying. Then a decision is made on who gets funding and how much. These payments seem to be direct from Council to BG. As though BG is working for the Council. Rather than being an independent body.
It also grates a bit as Council always said when it came to Carlton Mansions that it had no money. So building had to be left empty. BG have got almost £15 grand from Council.
Gramsci
Well-Known Member
I agree. Especially now that Brixton is under threat in so many ways.
The enemy is the Council and big landowners/ developers.
OvalhouseDB
Well-Known Member
The event on the 14th is for the architects for the individual plots and blocks to introduce themselves to the community and anyone interested - hear views, talk about ideas, get to know the people who will be designing the buildings. It is a great team of architects - good spread of expertise from a range of practices, some local / Lambeth based.
Detailed design begins now, based on the overall urban design done by Metropolitan Workshop, ready to go to Planning at the end of the summer.
Detailed design begins now, based on the overall urban design done by Metropolitan Workshop, ready to go to Planning at the end of the summer.
editor
hiraethified
Has the role of Brixton Green in all this ever been adequately explained, because their presence puts me right off getting involved.
OvalhouseDB
Well-Known Member
My personal, non-official explanation (and not fact-checked) would be that Brixton Green was formed as a membership organisation in the first place following many meetings of the Brixton Business Forum (chaired by Devon Thomas) when there was a move to support the Market Traders to with, amongst other things, an anaerobic composter, as part of a greening initiative. (not quite sure what happened to the composter idea...The Archers nicked it as a plot line) Then Brixton Green developed a vision for a wider green initiative that included developing the unused parts of the W side of Somerleyton Rd as community greenhouses...and then to look at a community-led development of that side of the street. They launched the membership and sale of £1 shares (the 'Brixton People Know What Brixton Needs posters) and attracted many members (membership open to anyone who lives or works in the central Brixton wards, and now over 1000 members). There were years after the Ovalhouse Pope's Rd development caved in due to the 2008 crash when Brixton Green were looking for ways to develop Somerleyton Rd, and with Ovalhouse on 'our' site. 3 or 4 years ago a potential funding opportunity for Ovalhouse opened up, and we had more intense conversations about our bit of the site, and spoke with various potential development partnerships. As this was by now the dawn of the new 'Co-Operative Council' approach, Lambeth decided to act on the potential to develop Somerleyton Rd and proposed to form a partnership with Brixton Green and with Ovalhouse. It is now a council-led partnership with Ovalhouse and Brixton Green and Ovalhouse on the Steering Group - LBL having 2 votes and BG and OH having one each. BG have raised money for the first round of consultation by Social Life, had started the negotiations with the GLA when they were planning to find an independent development partner, and thus laid the ground for the housing grant that will come into the scheme, managed the renovation of the old kitchens and opened the space as SixBrixton, brought in Block Workout, manage the volunteers who distribute leaflets, have done loads of research into housing, and other advisory and organisational tasks.
They are taking a lead responsibility in managing the relationship with some of the non-residential uses (all of which have been discussed in the various consultations) and for setting up the model for the Overarching Community Body which will in turn manage the housing co-ops which will manage the housing. This body will not be BG and BG will not be this body!
If anyone has any questions direct for them you can e mail them via their website http://www.brixtongreen.org/
They are taking a lead responsibility in managing the relationship with some of the non-residential uses (all of which have been discussed in the various consultations) and for setting up the model for the Overarching Community Body which will in turn manage the housing co-ops which will manage the housing. This body will not be BG and BG will not be this body!
If anyone has any questions direct for them you can e mail them via their website http://www.brixtongreen.org/
editor
hiraethified
Thank you for trying to explain all that. Unfortunately, Brixton Green have form for not answering direct questions (see: this forum), so I won't bother dropping them a line.
OvalhouseDB
Well-Known Member
Some paragraphs and editing could have helped the explanation - but our work internet was playing up and letters were appearing on the screen one at a time, with a 3 second delay, and I was being chased out of my office by the need to test the alarms.
We had a great design meeting today - Ovalhouse and the architects from Zac Monro and Foster Wilson. Lots of things to talk to the community about.
We had a great design meeting today - Ovalhouse and the architects from Zac Monro and Foster Wilson. Lots of things to talk to the community about.
editor
hiraethified
How do you/they intend to reach the community though?
Most people I talk to on my block have no idea what's going on and with most of the related 'consultancies' thus far mainly using buzzwords to advertise themselves (workshops/stakeholders etc) and primarily doing so via the internet I worry that a large chunk are being excluded.
I've still barely seen anything being advertised in my block for years, although Brixton Green did once erect a banner outside announcing how much we supposedly loved them.
OvalhouseDB
Well-Known Member
Have you had the leaflets about the architects meeting? Can we come and talk to your residents / tenants group? Ovalhouse is having a 'Neighbours Night' in a couple of months - free tickets for local residents, free mailing list, and we like to do that with residents and tenants groups. We will be holding some small meetings with people with specific interest - artists, craftspeople, Brixton history people, children and young people etc, and we are trying to find a way to get a permanent or regular presence on the site - so people can just come and talk.
Do tell people about the architects event - people will be able to see the plans for the road, and talk about the individual buildings. There is a beautiful scale model of Somerleyton Rd and Moorlands. Some of the consultation meetings have been very 'expert', such as the sustainability one, others have been nicely jargon-free.
Do tell people about the architects event - people will be able to see the plans for the road, and talk about the individual buildings. There is a beautiful scale model of Somerleyton Rd and Moorlands. Some of the consultation meetings have been very 'expert', such as the sustainability one, others have been nicely jargon-free.
Paul Hill
Think Hard!
Paul Hill
Think Hard!
Don't give up. Go to next step. See below.
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Paul Hill
Think Hard!
Brixton Greed not replying to questions! Well they have good teachers, after all the first weapon of the bureaucracy is 'silence'. And the second is 'obfuscation'; i.e. sending out so much text, all in bureaucratese, in which is hidden the answer to your simple question. See page 107 of 250 document, paragraph 3 line two. Persist in your questions and you will be labeled as a 'troublemaker'. Get past that and your 'democratic credentials' will be questioned. Get past that also and then your actual 'technical competence' comes into doubt. Get past all that until finally they f**k you.
For a good example of Step no. 2, 'obfuscation', see 'OvalHouseDB' above.
For a good example of Step no. 2, 'obfuscation', see 'OvalHouseDB' above.
editor
hiraethified
Ovalhouse has just picked up a £3m grant: Ovalhouse receive £3 million grant for their move to Brixton’s Coldharbour Lane
The building is a lot bulkier when you see it from this side.
Brixton Green are busy going for the reflected glory:
The building is a lot bulkier when you see it from this side.
Brixton Green are busy going for the reflected glory:
Gramsci
Well-Known Member
Ovalhouse has just picked up a £3m grant: Ovalhouse receive £3 million grant for their move to Brixton’s Coldharbour Lane
The building is a lot bulkier when you see it from this side.
Brixton Green are busy going for the reflected glory:
Good that Oval House are now able to get on with it. Whilst the rest of the scheme is still not off the drawing board. Ovalhouse are taking a financial risk coming to Brixton. I hope it works out for them.The grant needs to be utilised. Ovalhouse deserve credit for getting the grant.They are coming to Brixton under there own steam. They have made a better job of getting on with local communities than Brixton Green. I know they want to be in the centre of Brixton as they want to outreach to young people on the estates. The new building won't just be a theatre but will have more spaces so they can work with local community. Its an ambitious scheme.
I've said it before but worth saying it again this has nothing to do with Brixton Green. There interest in the site predated Brixton Green. When they finally get theatre built and refurbish Carlton Mansions they will have there own long term lease with the Council. Its why this part of the site can be finished first.
They will be managing the new work spaces in the Mansions. So Brixton Green won't get there hands on them. Which is fine by me. Its my preferred option. I didn't want BG getting there hands on the Mansions. I trust Ovalhouse not BG.
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editor
hiraethified
I don't want Brixton Green getting their hands on any part of Brixton. I don't trust them one inch.
editor
hiraethified
The Somerleyton Road saga drags on and on... Lambeth seek yet another developer for Somerleyton Road project in Brixton
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