4 September - nearly finished ready for the pre-school 20 August 2021 - New door installed, majority of tiling completed and forecourt cleared ready for laying new drains, aggregate and concrete 8 August 2021 - Work progressing to time The work has begun! Above is the new more spacious lobby area Finally we have been granted the funds to refurbish the lavatories to modernise and add a disabled toilet. The lobby area will be enlarged and a new automated entrance door will be installed. The forecourt will be remodelled to provide a level area for much easier and safer access to the building.
The work will commence on 26 July and we have been assured it will be completed by 3 September, so as not to disrupt the operation of the pre-school. However, it will mean that, if Covid restrictions are lifted before then, the hall will not be available for the usual range of evening classes. Margot Rohan Trustee and Secretary, Green Street Green Association
0 Comments
The collapsible bollards were removed in - August. The Council will be re-erecting the concrete bollards at the front of the verge......sometime. 15 July 2021 - No move from Bromley Council yet.... 20 May 2021 - Latest update on the development of the former public conveniences Malekos Estates Commercial Limited finally removed the hoarding on 19 May, to reveal the extent of their encroachment on public land. The drainpipes at the front of the building also lead nowhere - except onto the forecourt, which may cause flooding during rain storms.
Unfortunately the five Council bollards on the public verge have been removed and almost the whole area has been developed, leaving only a narrow strip in front of the collapsible bollards that have been installed. However, the Association immediately alerted Bromley Council who are ‘investigating’. Hopefully they will treat this issue seriously and take firm action against this sort of encroachment on public land. Ideally the verge could be returned to its original state of greenery, consistent with its neighbours, which would be a sustainable environmental improvement. Margot Rohan Secretary and Trustee, Green Street Green Association Link to previous historical record since 2012 The Association is looking forward to being more involved with pre-school activities and community engagement in the future. May the pre-school continue successfully for another 70 years. Please visit Lilly Brook's website and 'meet' their enthusiastic and committed manager, Jenna Lindow: https://www.lillybrookchildcare.co.uk/our-team Parents wishing to register their children should email l[email protected] 4 July 2021 - Looking positive for a September continuation under new management The trustees have met with the owners of a local pre-school looking to expand with a new setting and have meetings with two other interested parties in the next couple of weeks. Negotiations will progress shortly and look very positive for the continuation of Greenwood pre-school from September. 26 June 2021 - Encouraging news We have received two enquiries about starting a new pre-school from September at the Greenwood Centre. Investigations are underway and further news will be forthcoming at the beginning of July. The Association has also submitted an application to Ofsted and is awaiting a response. Early Years at Bromley Council have been very helpful. However, it is impossible to speak to anyone at Ofsted, to enquire and check that the application is complete and will be assessed. Email enquiries have been sent but no response has been received yet. Ofsted's website states that it may take up to 25 weeks for a registration to be granted. There are a number of checks for a new registration, including an inspection of the venue. We are hoping that, as an existing pre-school location and the hope that current staff will be able to continue under new management, the process may be speeded up. One of our local councillors, Angela Page, has looked into the situation and provided some useful information. We are confident that a solution will soon be forthcoming and we will be able to allay local parents' concerns for their children's pre-school education in the future. 19 June 2021
You may be aware of the disappointing news about Connect Schools Academy Trust closing the Greenwood pre-school at the end of July 2021. We appreciate the support shown by the community in these circumstances and are adamant that the Association will find a positive solution for the future of our local children’s education at the Greenwood Centre for years to come. Mrs Sheila Wardell, now in her 90s, started the pre-school after the Greenwood Centre first opened, in 1952. It continued independently until 2017, when Connect Schools Academy Trust (Crofton Schools Academy Trust at the time) purchased it from the previous owner who wished to retire. They signed a licence to occupy the Greenwood Centre, with the Association which owns the Centre, and have given three months' notice of ending the contract, as required. Connect has never done much to advertise Greenwood pre-school, which would be easy to do, particularly with social media, such as NextDoor and Facebook. The pupil numbers were down on pre-Covid figures but the staff numbers were similarly reduced. 26 children for September is not a bad starting point, so closing does not make any sense at this time. However, there is now an opportunity for the Association to take over the management of the pre-school. This would provide security and longevity for both the school and the Association. As a charity, our purpose is to promote the provision of recreational facilities for the benefit of the community. Our constitutional objects can be expanded to include educational facilities, if agreed by the Trustees and not objected to by the Charity Commission. The Association is not looking for a profit but would need to cover costs. The Trustees are keen to ensure the continuation of the pre-school and are working hard to achieve this. The first part of an application to Ofsted has already been submitted online but, not being experienced in educational or childcare provision, we will be contacting Early Years at Bromley for further help and advice. We need to act quickly if we are to be able to open the pre-school again in September/October. If you have experience or knowledge in this area, please do get in contact. Also, if you are interested in placing any children at the pre-school or know of other parents who would be, please let us know. Complete this form and we will keep you apprised of developments. Margot Rohan Trustee and Secretary This is a project to install chalk dressed butterfly banks to support a range of butterfly species which, alongside conversion to areas of long grass/meadow nearby, will offer greater landscape connectivity. Following successes with similar installations in London Borough of Croydon, idverde was approached by London Wildlife Trust about their joint Brilliant Butterflies project with Butterfly Conservation. The London Borough of Bromley was identified as a key area which has a wide range of lepidoptera; there will be benefit from enhanced landscape connectivity to positively promote lepidoptera species and reduce their decline. idverde has arranged an on site visit with the Secretary of the Warren Road Friends and a couple of its members who are interested in the project and volunteering. Richard Gibbons, the Chair of the Green Street Green Common Friends group, has also been invited, although this group is not yet established with proper volunteer support as yet. Following the meeting a map will be added, with the proposed location for the butterfly bank. Please email if you are interested in being involved. Following the article in the September newsletter, Cllr Mike Botting has advised that he contacted the Head of Highways at the Council, who responded as follows: "There have been 8 minor injury collisions at the junction of Glentrammon Road with Farnborough Hill in the past three years (to the end of 2019) with only one being in 2019. This makes the site count as a location to be considered for remedial measures (if funding for such is reinstated). However, this junction has been “treated” at least twice in recent years and there is nothing more that can reasonably be done to make improvements here. The road markings are not particularly worn, so there is not even that to be improved. I am not sure I can say that statistically it is a safe location, but it is not a priority for intervention as, even if we had funding, there is not an obvious cause to treat." Cllr Botting further responded as follows: "From a personal perspective this is one of the safest roundabouts in the area, the sightlines are excellent on three of the four roads and adequate on the other. If drivers drive in accordance with the directions of the highway code and within the speed limit we really should never have collisions at this location. I have however still asked the head of highways to get a traffic engineer to examine the location and advise if any further improvements can be made. The article itself refers to ‘being ignored by unobservant drivers’ which I think is the main cause of collisions at this location, perhaps this should be the theme of the article and not the apparent lack of signage which I personally disagree with. You will note that the word Accident was removed several years ago and replaced by the word Collision because frankly the is no such thing as an accident, every collision is caused individually or collectively by a person’s actions?" Our ward Councillors work hard on behalf of local residents but this particular matter, although a continuing concern locally, does not have an obvious solution. If drivers do not adhere to speed restrictions and ignore road signs, it is a challenge to overcome the issue. A suggestion of a larger roundabout sign between the Crescent and the roundabout has been made, as the current one is quite small. The flashing sign should alert drivers to slow down but that straight run tempts some to speeds well in excess of the 30mph limit. A FREE SERVICE FOR THE COMMUNITY Have you ever wanted to Line Dance but found that none of the local venues cater for the complete beginner, or never felt you could go, in case you look foolish? Well! Here is the answer. Come along to the Greenwood Centre (probably most Thursday evenings once the Coronavirus scare is over) and give it a try with a class designed for people who have never danced or have made less than half a dozen previous visits. There will be no charge, the instructor will be a fully qualified BWDA teacher, and most (although not all) of the music will be Country. You will learn etiquette, the name and structure of steps, how dances are phrased to the music and everything else that is necessary in a slow and easily understood way. Simplistically, if you can walk you can probably Line Dance and you don’t need a partner. Look at YouTube and input Line Dancing! To indicate your interest, email Bob at [email protected] or phone 07808 821 741 and he will be happy to tell you more and let you know when classes might start. UPDATE: Nothing much happening. Apparently no planning breaches have occurred. 8 September 2019 Building work has begun and 'phase 1' - the Waterside Building - now exists and 50 crypts are available to purchase at prices starting at £11,200. The building looks suspiciously like a new build, rather than 'alterations' to the existing building, which is surely in breach of the planning permission. Our local Councillor Mike Botting has been informed and asked to look into the matter. If the Planning Department Enforcement Officer finds there have been any divergences from the planning permission granted by the Inspectorate, following two rejections by Bromley's Planning Committee, they have the power to stop further development and even to demand removal of any building in breach of the permission. MERIEL MILLS We regret to announce that, after a long illness, Meriel Mills died on the morning of Tuesday 7 January 2020. Being a devoted couple, despite her weakened condition, she was resolute in visiting her husband, Bob, who was in hospital for over two weeks, until a short while before she died. Bob is now recovering at home. Meriel was a stalwart support for Bob when he was Membership Secretary of the Village Society Committee from 2007-2017. Together they worked to set up Road Contacts throughout the village area and increased membership from 40 to nearly 650. Meriel will be sadly missed by her family and all who knew her. Read the article in the Spring 2020 edition (page 2) of the Newsletter. The first Green Street Green Tweet Up on 12 February 2018 was the 20th event, previously known as Orpington Tweet up, which launched in February 2013. They are FREE community events to encourage responsible use of social media but also to promote local activities and projects - contributors and those interested in learning more about what's happening in the Orpington area are all welcome. NEXT ONE: January 2020 (date to be confirmed) at 7:15pm at The Greenwood Centre, Green Street Green - any suggestions for a theme will be welcome. IF YOU HAVE ANY SUGGESTIONS FOR THE NEXT THEME, PLEASE EMAIL US SO THEY CAN BE CONSIDERED - if you would like to come along and speak or are interested in promoting local organisations and events, please contact us. Book your place on Eventbrite or Facebook Click on links to Download Poster and Agenda (when available) (when available) Any local organisations wishing to participate and promote their activities, please email Margot Rohan To see articles on Tweet Ups prior to April 2019, visit the Orpington Community website: Orpington Tweet Up |
Orpington Community
AuthorPosts are made by members of the Association to stimulate interest and raise local concerns Archives
December 2024
Categories
All
|