Save The Lodge on Tooting Bec Road
The Lodge on Tooting Bec Road is the lovely white building which used to be a garden centre and is now surrounding by hoardings and falling into disrepair. It is listed by English Heritage and there has been a local group working to save this building for three years.
Permission was given to a developer for retail use and a separate café. However no work has been started and there is a lot of concern about the building locally from those who live nearby and the many who walk past the building everyday.
However there is good news now that the Council will be putting more pressure on the owners to repair the building. Rosena and I have met with one of the group members and will do all we can to support this campaign, and to urge the Council to do all it can to preserve the building and enable a developer to return it to its former glory.
In looking into the building I have been told by local history guru – and Labour group leader, Councillor Rex Osborn, that the building is the gardeners lodge for a former large house here, but is all that remains of the estate.
Ravenstone School promotes cycling
On Monday Ravenstone School parents and volunteers had a great event to celebrate national car free day and promote cycling. A family was escorted on their bikes to school from Furzedown, and given tips on cycling. One tip was to keep out into the road more and ‘own the road’. I normally spend my time shouting ‘keep in!’ to my cycling children so I learnt a lot too. In the playground there was a bike which also makes smoothies (see the picture – I had to have a go too!) was put into action by Sustrans and children were given smoothies and fruit – both of which were really popular. It was a great idea and one we’ll share with the other local schools.
Anti-social behaviour on Barringer Square
Rosena and I regularly visit local streets with our local MP Sadiq Khan to introduce ourselves and hear people’s concerns and issues. When we visited Barringer Square recently, the main issue brought up was the anti-social behaviour of people coming to the area and hanging around in stairwells. As a result I have raised this with the Council and they will be sending letter will be sent to residents about this and encouraging more information, and there will be additional attention given to this. At the Safer Neighbourhood Meeting on Monday I raised this as a concern, and the local police have agreed to make this a priority area, alongside others such as theft from vehicles across the ward.