Loughborough Junction chitter-chatter

[editor]

The farm is looking pretty good:

An autumnal look around the Loughborough Farm project in Loughborough Junction

 

[MrM]

Minet and Carnegie Libraries to become “healthy living centres”
Apologies if this is common knowledge/the wrong place for this, but it was news to me that the council has confirmed its intention that Minet and Carnegie Libraries will become “healthy living centres”, leased to Greenwich Leisure (sports centre operator) with books and other library services become a mere adjunct.

There may be some who like the idea of a gym, but this cannot be the right place. To my mind this seems an act of cultural and educational vandalism that’s pretty much inexcusable.

Putting aside apparent cyclist/motorist antipathy, middle-class imperialism, or artistic sheep-based road closure, can I hijack the vigorous political engagement created by the road closures for the benefit of two much-loved libraries?

I understand there’s a council meeting on 12 October to formally approve the scheme. If anyone would like to join me in requesting that this plan be reviewed/shelved/obliterated, that would be magnificent. Further details on the Lambeth.gov website. Key decision makers: [email protected], [email protected], [email protected] and above all [email protected]

 

[MrM]

Minet and Carnegie Libraries to become “healthy living centres”

Sorry - just realised it's already front page on BrixtonBuzz.
Still, please do make your voice heard. (Unless you approve, obviously. Then keep entirely to yourself...)

 

[Tricky Skills]

Sorry - just realised it's already front page on BrixtonBuzz.
Still, please do make your voice heard. (Unless you approve, obviously. Then keep entirely to yourself...)

Here's what we published on Buzz last week.

Plus an update about the 'close relationship' between LBL and GLL.

 

[davidaheath]

What's the best ramen place?

Like, if I walking home late after work or something (from Brixton tube to LJ) is there somewhere simple and quick I can go into on my own and eat a bowl or ramen with a newspaper all moody like I was in Blade Runner or something? Yum D's pretty good isn't it. Do they do ramen? Dunno if they're open every day, maybe they are. Dunno. What ramen places are there that are on my way home.

 

[CH1]

What's the best ramen place?
Like, if I walking home late after work or something (from Brixton tube to LJ) is there somewhere simple and quick I can go into on my own and eat a bowl or ramen with a newspaper all moody like I was in Blade Runner or something? Yum D's pretty good isn't it. Do they do ramen? Dunno if they're open every day, maybe they are. Dunno. What ramen places are there that are on my way home.

The Coldharbour Lane thread has MasterChef champion Tim Anderson opens Nanban izakaya and ramen restaurant in Brixton

 

[Gramsci]

Minet and Carnegie Libraries to become “healthy living centres”
Apologies if this is common knowledge/the wrong place for this, but it was news to me that the council has confirmed its intention that Minet and Carnegie Libraries will become “healthy living centres”, leased to Greenwich Leisure (sports centre operator) with books and other library services become a mere adjunct.

There may be some who like the idea of a gym, but this cannot be the right place. To my mind this seems an act of cultural and educational vandalism that’s pretty much inexcusable.

Putting aside apparent cyclist/motorist antipathy, middle-class imperialism, or artistic sheep-based road closure, can I hijack the vigorous political engagement created by the road closures for the benefit of two much-loved libraries?

I understand there’s a council meeting on 12 October to formally approve the scheme. If anyone would like to join me in requesting that this plan be reviewed/shelved/obliterated, that would be magnificent. Further details on the Lambeth.gov website. Key decision makers: [email protected], [email protected], [email protected] and above all [email protected]

I saw this was also in the SLP

Just read Tricky Skills piece on Unison criticising Council.

I am on Brixton Rec User Group. BRUG committee formally objected to the idea in the Culture2020 consultation to put some kind of library like service in the Rec. As Committee felt the idea had to be opposed by BRUG committee as we did not want to be seen as being complicit in library closure with there replacement by so called digital hubs etc in places like the Rec.

I am very concerned the GLL are moving into running libraries. They started out as a social enterprise in Greenwich running leisure facilities then later for Councils across London.

The Rec will be refurbished in near future. GLL manage the Rec for the Council. So I am concerned that the idea of using the Rec for library use will be put in plans.

I was surprised to see Council proposing this in the consultation document. But it makes sense now. Officers/ GLL may have talked about the idea?

 

[davidaheath]

The Coldharbour Lane thread has MasterChef champion Tim Anderson opens Nanban izakaya and ramen restaurant in Brixton

AMAZING

I'll try this out next week thank you!

 

[Gramsci]

Here's what we published on Buzz last week.

Plus an update about the 'close relationship' between LBL and GLL.

So the Council will give GLL £1 million from the existing budget for the real Leisure centres to set up gyms in libraries. Thats I didnt know. Will let BRUG now. Thanks for the informative article.

 

[Gramsci]

The farm is looking pretty good:

An autumnal look around the Loughborough Farm project in Loughborough Junction

Nice photos of the hated farm.

I think its sad its disliked so much.

 

[goldengraham]

Much as it's clear that these Carnegie plans must be opposed and that the Friends love the library and are a fierce bunch and will fight tooth and nail to keep it open, I hope they will not come to regret drawing battle lines with Fred Taggart et al's group & their plans last year to remodel the library.

Many people scorned them and drew attention to their Lambeth council links (certainly of interest), but this gym plan does look very like the sort of nightmare outcome they envisaged from the outset and wanted more control over. Their plan was basically to downsize the library (though nothing like what is proposed now) and give more space over to a mixture of commercial uses. A lot of local people regretted the Friends' hostile approach towards these plans and wished they could have found a way to work together more constructively.

Good luck to the Friends, we should all support them however we can but it feels like a lot of valuable time and energy have been wasted already.

 

[ChrisSouth]

Nice photos of the hated farm.

I think its sad its disliked so much.

Why is it hated so much? Perhaps I should have engaged more with the LJ Farm thread. But without getting into 40 pages of who said what to whom and why, could I have a quick non-partisan precis (and don't mention the road closures)?

 

[bimble]

Why is it hated so much? Perhaps I should have engaged more with the LJ Farm thread. But without getting into 40 pages of who said what to whom and why, could I have a quick non-partisan precis (and don't mention the road closures)?

The farm is perceived by some (not me) as an invasion of middle class organic cupcake waving twits on what was once apparently (I'm not clear on the legal backstory to this) land belonging to the Loughborough Estate.

I think I could do you a list why feelings run so high on this (have heard stories from people on the estate who have been made to feel less than welcome on the farm but that's basically it.

 

[goldengraham]

Here's a link to a petition set up to oppose the latest plans for Carnegie Library if anyone wants to sign it.

 

[Samsalaful]

Hello all, new to the forum here, though I've been a LJ resident for the past year. I was curious about the status of the property at 232 Coldharbour Lane, the one with the lovely David Greig sign. Does anyone know who it's owned by? Is it vacant, up for sale or rent? Any insight would be much appreciated. And sorry if I derailed the discussion on the farm. I just thought this thread would be the most appropriate for this question. Thanks in advance!

 

[CH1]

Hello all, new to the forum here, though I've been a LJ resident for the past year. I was curious about the status of the property at 232 Coldharbour Lane, the one with the lovely David Greig sign. Does anyone know who it's owned by? Is it vacant, up for sale or rent? Any insight would be much appreciated. And sorry if I derailed the discussion on the farm. I just thought this thread would be the most appropriate for this question. Thanks in advance!

Had you seen this: Wonderful old David Greig sign revealed at 232 Coldharbour Lane, Brixton?

Not the answer to your question though. It was going to be used for a futon shop, but that never got going. Seemed last year someone else had take it - but work apparently then ground to a halt.

If no-one here knows about the property you could check the Land Registry (£3) - that will tell you who the registered owner is. The businesses making changes/cleaning it up could have been tenants or prospective tenants I guess.

 

[Samsalaful]

CH1 Thanks for the tip! I will look into the registry if nothing comes up here. And yes, I had seen that article. I've been casually eyeing the property for the past year and it seems, from the outside at least, that not much has changed since the reveal of the old sign. In fact, the upper floors now look vacant too, whereas the photos in the article show curtains and other stuff in them.

 

[Waladli]

It was going to be used for a futon shop, but that never got going. Seemed last year someone else had take it - but work apparently then ground to a halt.

It was a futon shop for many years. I bought a futon there in 1991.

 

[CH1]

It was a futon shop for many years. I bought a futon there in 1991.

I'm sure you're right. I noticed futons in the windows - but it seems a long time ago.
1991 the Warrior must have been still open - though no longer brewing it's own.

 

[bolgerp]

The traffic lights at the corner of Herne Hill Road and CHL aren't working properly. It's quite dangerous especially if you are trying to cross the road as a pedestrian.

 

[davidaheath]

Is that what the problem is?

I live within earshot of this corner and I am not kidding when I say that since I got home from work last night to the time I left for work this morning there must have been a car horn at least every ten seconds. Like, I don't know how many that is in total if you add them all up and stuff but it's a fucking lot of car horns. And you're probably thinking like "lol that's bad but it's an exaggeration or some shit" but I am for real not even making this shit up. Like, I don't drive so I don't know about this stuff anymore but I'm guessing these days a requirement for survival is that it involves acting like some kind of weapons grade bellend with a metallic box of death at your disposal. But even then, like, even if the lights are out and I'm putting myself in that position I'm thinking, well, maybe I'd be rolling up to that motherfucker with the window down cruising to the east coast sounds of perhaps Illmatic or 36 Chambers at a reasonable volume, dunno, maybe if it was a morning I'd have some Brian Eno going down, but anyway, I'd be cruising up to that motherfucker and I'd be like "oh lights are out" and then I'd use intelligence and patience to move safely past the hazard without mashing my stolid limbs into the horn like some kind of mouth breathing thundercunt. I dunno, is that just me? Maybe it's just me, because everyone else seems to roll up to that junction and pummel their god damn heads into their horn as if some dude in a suit of dicks is bounding around the junction splashing hot dick juice over all the cars that aren't honking.

GOD DAMN

 

[goldengraham]

That is a thread-stopper if ever I saw one. Could you post something similar on the road closure thread please

 

[Crispy]

I'm anti-reaction-gif in general, but this is appropriate

 

[Angellic]

Vassall View: everything about Vassall Ward in Lambeth: Street tidy event on Loughborough Road this weekend

 

[Gramsci]

Why is it hated so much? Perhaps I should have engaged more with the LJ Farm thread. But without getting into 40 pages of who said what to whom and why, could I have a quick non-partisan precis (and don't mention the road closures)?

As bimble says it regarded by Loughborough Estate residents as for the well off not for them. Along with the Platform.

Its regarded as LJAG middle class do gooders project.

The recent application for funding that sounds like Pop Loughborough isnt going to help.

 

[prunus]

As bimble says it regarded by Loughborough Estate residents as for the well off not for them. Along with the Platform.

Its regarded as LJAG middle class do gooders project.

The recent application for funding that sounds like Pop Loughborough isnt going to help.

But why (is the farm regarded that way)? There's no entry fee, no cost, anyone can turn up.

 

[bimble]

But why (is the farm regarded that way)? There's no entry fee, no cost, anyone can turn up.

Just anecdotal & 2nd hand, but a couple of people who live on the estate told me the other day about some things that were said which they overheard and how they were made to feel less than welcome, not included or part of the clique when they did go into the farm, which is just across from their windows.
I repeat, not my experience, just what I was told by other people about why they don't feel the farm is really as inclusive & open to all as it could should be, but that's ignoring the bigger issue of how some people feel about LJAG, which is the real problem I think.

 

[concerned1]

LJAG = Too few people making too many decisions for far too many people!

 

[bimble]

Anyone know what is happening with that bit on the corner of the junction where there's currently a wall of black painted chipboard with the ancient billboard ads behind? Been like that for months. Council property ?

 

[brixtonblade]

Anyone know what is happening with that bit on the corner of the junction where there's currently a wall of black painted chipboard with the ancient billboard ads behind? Been like that for months. Council property ?

It's going to be flats.