West Norwood news, chitter chatter and gossip

[clandestino]

I thought it had to be a Picturehouse. Fingers crossed!

 

[gaijingirl]

yes gaijinboy said Picturehouse too - I was doubtful because it seemed too good to be true!

 

[clandestino]

So all being well, by 2014 we'll have a reopened library, a four screen Picturehouse cinema, and a health centre with a swimming pool.

Yes, that all sounds fine.

 

[Greebo]

So all being well, by 2014 we'll have a reopened library, a four screen Picturehouse cinema, and a health centre with a swimming pool.

Yes, that all sounds fine.

Not very believable, though.

 

[gaijingirl]

Not very believable, though.

why not?

 

[Greebo]

why not?

After all the other promises about what will be built in Lambeth? I'll believe it when I see it finished and open for business.

 

[gaijingirl]

After all the other promises about what will be built in Lambeth? I'll believe it when I see it finished and open for business.

yeah... I know what you mean .. but the leisure/health centre is actually being built at the moment so hopefully that will come off ok.

but I guess you are referring just to the cinema/library, I didn't realise that from your post. That would, I imagine, be funded or at least partially funded by Picturehouses which would take the onus off Lambeth to sort out the mess with that building.

God I hope they don't cock this up too. We'll end up with W. Norwood library in a temporary building in Brixton and Streatham Ice Rink in a vandalised library in W. Norwood!

 

[clandestino]

Not very believable, though.

The leisure/health centre's being built right now. I live right by the site, so I can vouch for that. As for the rest, I'll guess we'll have to wait and see.

 

[ringo]

Anyone else get the letter from Lambeth claiming they're about to spend £20 million quid on improving the area? Includes lists of what is proposed for each street, mostly trees and 'cyclist-friendly road humps', which is apparently not as rude or interesting as it might at first seem.

 

[kelvin1950]

I've just stumbled across this site whilst looking for some information on the Ram Jam Club. This thread has brought back so many memories from the 50s and 60s when I was a child.

We lived in various parts of S. London, Romola Road, Loughborough Court, Croxted Road, Blenheim Gardens to name the few I can remember. I went to Rosendale School for a while, and Fenstanton before that. I recall using the old W. Norwood library when we lived in Croxted Road and I also remember fixing their copier when I worked for Xerox in the 70s!

My parents sold their house in Romola Road to an Indian family, one of the doctors from the local Tulse Hill practice. The neighbours stopped talking to us once they found out!!! Such was life in 1956.

I worked at Gypsy Hill telephone exchange for a while in the late 60s, there was a pub nearby that used to get some real characters in it, can't recall the name though.

It's interesting that from the age of 7, I walked all over this area on my own and my parents had no fears for my safety. When we lived in Blenheim Gardens, I stayed on as a pupil at Rosendale School and would walk there and back, across Brockwell Park both morning and evening, summer and winter.

 

[twistedAM]

Not if you're a Brighton fan. I've strayed far too close to Selhurst already, without having the P word on my wall

That's bitter. But don't worry, Palace is full of sheep that support Man Utd. Go to Patrick's Bar to marvel at their ignorance.

 

[Manter]

Anyone else get the letter from Lambeth claiming they're about to spend £20 million quid on improving the area? Includes lists of what is proposed for each street, mostly trees and 'cyclist-friendly road humps', which is apparently not as rude or interesting as it might at first seem.

Yes.... Particularly interesting as last year they ripped out a row of mature trees on Brixton Road and planted pissy little seedlings instead. Mature trees too expensive to maintain apparently.

 

[Oula]

Good to know about Knights Fish Bar. I hadn't tried that, I have been going to Kennedy's which is very good but less convienient.

Efes does really good kebabs.

O Girasol is good too.

 

[GarfieldLeChat]

the only good thing about any of norwood is getting to leave it...

 

[Oula]

Not true, it's lovely. Especially away from the High Street.

Glad you got your move sorted out ringo.

 

[GarfieldLeChat]

Not true, it's lovely. Especially away from the High Street.

Glad you got your move sorted out ringo.

if you don't mind the yoot's killing yoots, the excessive violence which has sprung up their the abject poverty the general run down ness of the place or the hellian architecture... yeah it's well jolly second only to croyden... amarrrrzing darlink...

 

[tommers]

if you don't mind the yoot's killing yoots, the excessive violence which has sprung up their the abject poverty the general run down ness of the place or the hellian architecture... yeah it's well jolly second only to croyden... amarrrrzing darlink...

 

[Fez909]

I like its cassette library

 

[gaijingirl]

so I went to the meeting where the new plans for the cinema were being shown - they looked pretty amazing tbh...

apparently over 200 people turned up and 87% were in favour of the development... and the council have now given the go-ahead for it to happen!

http://us5.campaign-archive1.com/?u=bf4a0a7ae35c9cac2949cc683&id=3e3704e734

 

[Laughing Toad]

But the library space will be smaller.

 

[gaijingirl]

but we will actually have a library - and one with a better chance of survival in this age of library cuts.

not so long ago there was talk of the plot being sold to developers for flats.

 

[Laughing Toad]

but we will actually have a library - and one with a better chance of survival in this age of library cuts.

not so long ago there was talk of the plot being sold to developers for flats.

Yes, in return for a new better library in MDO38.

 

[gaijingirl]

hmm - the old sell the land to developers in return for XYZ thing that has been going so well for Lambeth eh? ... well I, for one, will be delighted to see a cinema and library together.. plus this sounds promising - although Steve Reed eh?

At the meeting Lambeth Council Leader Steve Reed promised 7 day opening for the newly refurbished library, funded by ring fencing income raised through the cinema lease thus retaining the cash in West Norwood. This will allow our library to be elevated to the ranks of Lambeth's 'Town Centre' libraries, the others being Streatham, Brixton and Clapham.

I'm not sure what being a "town centre" library means compared with not being one though - any local librarians know?

 

[gaijingirl]

and actually, I was just re-reading that link and its says that the new library will have "equivalent or increased foot print to that before it closed"

is that incorrect?

 

[Laughing Toad]

The entire new library will be squeezed into the 'public space' of the old library. What used to be library offices will be cinema, and what used to be library book space will be library offices. It's cleverly worded, but the truth is that the library is being approximately halved in size.

 

[gaijingirl]

That is a shame - I didn't notice that when I looked at the plans, but I'll take your word for it. I still think, personally, better to seize this opportunity now and keep a library, because I have v. little confidence we'd get it back otherwise and it's been a real loss. Plus I'm happy that we'd also get a cinema and a visitors' centre for the cemetery. I think it's a small compromise for large gains.

 

[nagapie]

I'd be happy to have another nearby library. The Brixton children's section does my head in, there are never any good books there.

 

[Brixton Hatter]

Anyone else get the letter from Lambeth claiming they're about to spend £20 million quid on improving the area? Includes lists of what is proposed for each street, mostly trees and 'cyclist-friendly road humps', which is apparently not as rude or interesting as it might at first seem.

I got a similar letter, which said they were going to dig up and repave all the pavements in my area (Ferndale ward, not West Norwood). IIRC there was also a figure of £20m mentioned so perhaps it's the same bit of funding from Lambeth. The pavements ARE a state around here - you can hardly get a pushchair along them in some places.

 

[clandestino]

The entire new library will be squeezed into the 'public space' of the old library. What used to be library offices will be cinema, and what used to be library book space will be library offices. It's cleverly worded, but the truth is that the library is being approximately halved in size.

What counts as the public space of the old library? Are these plans online anywhere?

 

[clandestino]

My feeling is that the overall space of the main room and the children's room combined at the West Norwood library was quite large - certainly felt larger than Streatham library - and that it was quite underused, in terms of shelving. I think the library could be squeezed into a smaller space without too much trouble, although I'd like to see the plans.

There was mention that the library could be sold to a developer and then a new library built elsewhere of a similar size. I'd like to know - where would this new library be built? I don't believe it would ever happen.

There's been some grumbling on the "friends" of West Norwood Library site, that Nettlefold Hall would no longer be available to be used for public events, like markets and so on. Well, yes, but if it's converted to a cinema, then it can always be converted back to a public hall in the future sometime. If the entire building is sold to a developer, then the hall will be turned into flats and lost forever. In either scenario, we lose the use of the hall for public events like markets. Better, I think, for it to be a cinema than flats.