Last night's consultation meeting for the Rothsay Street improvements was attended by the JFRA and representatives of Haddon Hall & Meakin Estate (Decima Street TRA), together with individual residents form all three estates. From Southwark, two regeneration officers were present plus Councillor McNally. 

Comments were collected by Southwark's officers, and will be taken into account in the draft design, to be issued by Southwark at the end of February this year for costing. A large-scale print of the JFRA's discussion ideas plan was marked-up by Southwark officers for further development of the draft design. Some images of similar types of local improvement works were brought along by Southwark - we will scan and upload to this website. 

Southwark's officers explained that Public Realm needs to be robust and so can be expensive - the finding decisions with the available money need to be carefully taken.

Main discussion areas were: 

- Re-iteration that Alice Street improvements were not inlcuded in the Rothsay Street package and would follow once any construction works to that site were completed

- Possible postponement of improvement works to lower end of Rothsay Street closest to Tower Bridge Road until Alice Street site is re-developed. Southwark explained this site is to be developed with new affordable housing. 

- Widening of far northern end closest to Weston Street (site of recent assault) through re-configuration of landscaped enclosure and Haddon Hall's existing bin-stores. The Haddon Hall estate need to consider the impact of this on adjacent residents and landscaping. 

- Keeping any new trees away from windows. Haddon Hall Chair preferred not to have fast-growing deep rooted tree species. 

- Preserving the 'defensible space' in front of Meakin Estate, but looking at ways to find better alternatives to the existing brick dwarf wall such as low-level planting as the wall is a loitering hot-spot and the grass is a dog lavatory. 

- General support for the 'raised table' crossing to improve access between the Meakin Estate and the Jam Factory Garden and as a way to slow traffic. 

- Finding a solution to the ugly 'cow catcher' gates at the north / Weston street end of Rothsay Street which can still prevent motorcycles and slow bicycles but also allow access for prams and wheelchairs and also not be intimidating at night. A few conflicting issues there, not any easy problem to solve, but the public realm designers at Southwark are experienced in resolving such issues. 

- Looking at improving parking restrictions to prevent blockage of access to both the Jam Factory car park and Meakin Estate, especially for refuse vehicles. 

- Pretty much unanimous support for non-contentious improvements such as improving footway paving, removing depressions, widening pavements, straightening kerbs and locating parking bays within paved areas at pavement level to increase the impression of people space over car space and help to slow traffic. 

One topic went off the agenda, but it was clarified at the meeting by Southwark that access to the Jam Factory garden would be for residents of Haddon Hall and Meakin Estates during daylight hours only via issue of programmed access fobs. The JFRA explained that fob-access would be provided to Southwark refuse / re-cycling collections when the Garden can be completed, and that this can only happen after the Section 106 Consultation period has closed at the end of this month.