Please enter your ideas and preferences for environmental improvements to Rothsay Street.

A detailed list of improvement ideas and backgound information on the Consultation process and budgets is posted on our homepage.

best regards

Max
JFRA Planning and Amenities

It would be a good idea to resurface the road and the pavements.

Re-surfacing the Rothsay St roadway, we are informed by Southwark, would cost £60,000

Residents may wish to consider if it is more important to re-pave the footways - for the avoidance of any potential doubt - it will be the Resident's choice.

Max
JFRA

It's great news that this street is to be upgraded. I would be really interested to hear the costs of various options so that we can make considered choices if thats at all possible. I would be really happy to be guided by the JFA on this as always. The pavements do need a serious upgrade but also the street furniture etc. I wonder also if the possibility of the Jam Factory being included in the local conservation area may affect the choice of materials/design? I believe the decision on this is soon?

Once again it's great news that this upgrade is happening!

Danny

Would be helpful if the pavement edges at driveways etc could be ramped so that wheelchair users don't need to wheel down the middle of the road. Better yet, how about a working lift in the car park so that you don't need to wheel round the outside :-)

I'm glad the JFRA has accepted this task of facilitation because I reckon we owe it to to our neighbours in the surrounding area to work to redress some of the physical damage done to Rothsay St. when the Jam Factory site was being developed.

Of course the Council at the time shouldn't have allowed the developer to get away with failing to protect/make good the public roadway. But each time I see someone trying to negotiate a buggy or a wheelchair along those knackered footpaths I cringe to think how our neighbours may feel about those of us inside our neat, cared-for estate.

So, thanks, JFRA. Hope to get time this weekend to look at the posting on the homepage and offer some input - based on positive, practical aspiration as well as guilt!

Secure motorcycle parking; Repairs to the pavements and some nice bollards and trees. Green street lighting.

Repairs to the pavemnets would deliver safety and, I think, should be prioritised over visual imporvements. The proposal for a "table" on the road sounds as if it would not deliver much additional value. I do think that it is important to try and assist mobility restricted (including push chairs) in crossing. Is there sufficinet room on the north pavement to plant the trees? Would it be possible to spend some of the money improving or planting in the Meakin Estate? That might improve the visual appeal without limiting traffic on the pavement.

Has it been made clear why none of the improvement money is to be spent on Green Walk or Alice Street? Certainly Green Walk could do with pavement improvement. Alice Street is a joke but unlikely to be improved significantly until the vacant site is developed.

Marcus

Good point about Alice Street and the wasteland all those who live in block C get to look out at...min you it keeps the local foxes happy. I suggest some is spent on creating a wildlife garden all along Alice Street unused council areas...

Alice Street:

Alice Street improvements will follow once the development for that site has been submitted for planning, approved and then the S106 monies negotiated between the site's developer and Southwark Council. Southwark Council's view is that it would also make more sense to improve Alice Street once construction works are complete for this site. We are not aware of any future plans for Green Walk - there is a planning application currently in progress for the site on the corner of Green Walk and Alice Street. (See earlier posting on our homepage)

Motorcycle Parking:

This is already included as one of the outline proposals - precise location to be determined pending agreement by all stakeholders: local residents, Southwark Highways department etc.

Pedestrian Table:

This was initially proposed by Southwark Council and supported by the Meakin Residents' Association in particular and our local Councillors. The proposal has both accessibility and safety benefits as it is a raised crossing where parking will also not be permitted, in addition to visual enhancement of the improved paved surfaces over the pavement and highway areas.

Street Landscape + Meakin Estate:

The footway in front of the Meakin Estate will be widened by removing the dwarf brick wall to create more space for new trees and landscape. This idea is supported in principle by the Meakin Estate Residents TRA.

Where the Meakin Estate interfaces with Rothsay Street the S106 funding will pay for improved paving and landscape. Improvements to the interior of the Estate itself are covered by a separate budget. It may make sense however to extend the new paving under the Meakin arch if funds permit.

Max
JFRA

Can you give any more information on the development of Alice Street I am not aware of any planning applications. If there is an opportunity to have the land landscaped then we should grab it now.
Has the JFRA got any view on the proposed development of a 3 storey block on the corner of Alice St and Green Walk, obviously if it goes ahead it sets a precedent for the whole of Alice Street. The JFRA has been a driving force behind all planning issues at the jam Factory and I am sure many residents in C will want to see some kind of action on this in trying to stop over-development of the area and it sounds fro your post above like more buildings may follow. Perhaps the community might want to put a planning application for gardens on Alice Street as they did for block E....

The aim of this post is to collect residents' comments in relation to the S106 Environmental upgrade proposals to Rothsay Street.

Please note for avoidance of any potential doubt that Southwark Council, not the JFRA, has made the decision to concentrate investment on Rothsay Street and hold-off any Alice Street improvements until any construction works on that site are complete. All final decisions with S106 investment sit with the Council. The JFRA has been asked by Southwark Council to help facilitate the Consultation process across three estates - Jam Factory, Meakin and Haddon Hall.

We have not seen sight of any planning proposals for Alice Street, so we of course cannot comment further at this time. The site is owned by Southwark Council and we would expect that some form of residential development is highly likely to be submitted, as was the case for the previous applications on this site which were withdrawn several years ago.

The JFRA's position historically on Alice Street has been to support an appropriate type and scale of development as a way to improve the blight / arson / drug-use created by this empty plot.

Individual resident responses on the public record (http://www.southwark.gov.uk) for the 3-storey development on the corner with Green Walk have been in the main supportive to the derelict site next to our main entrance being developed, with a minority in opposition or at least in qualified support of the proposals.

Max
JFRA

Following a recent and indeed previous attacks on residents walking through between Weston Street and Rothsay Street on the way back from London Bridge, a redesign of the pathway to make it safer is clearly very necessary and should be a priority.

Included in the draft proposals are the removal of the rather intimidating 'cow-catcher' gates between Weston Street / Rothsay Street and the North-East side of Block D and replacement with illuminated stainless steel bollards. Widening and straightening of pavements and pedestrian routes will also help. Also suggested, has been some signage in this area to help direct people to London Bridge Station.

A more radical proposal, which builds on these basic proposals, as one faces North-West towards London Bridge, is to remove the fenced-off landscaped 'mound' to the right, and thereby widen the pedestrian route itself, but keeping existing trees in place where possible.

This would also improve sightlines, and hence security, from Rothsay Street and Weston Street.

The Haddon Hall Estate would need to agree to this proposal as they manage this area (not Southwark), however, there is a consensus that something needs to be done to improve the accessibiity and appearance of this particular sub-area.

For general info - the Haddon Hall demise-responsibility begins where the white 'frontier' gate is located on Rothsay St, adjacent to Block D. The boundary is marked by a line of stone-setts across the road. Would be good to lose this gate also, but again, Haddon Hall consent is needed.

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.

Thanks for this update. Much appreciated. In my opinion the quality of public realm design in Southwark and on Bankside is increasingly one of the area's strengths, so it seems likely that the available money will be in good hands. Looking forward to the results.

Thanks Felicity,

Residents' comments to Southwark can include support for the proposals as well as specific points to consider, so please feel free to write to dan.taylor@southwark.gov.uk adding your weight of support for the street upgrade, and if you wish, also for our application for £60,000 of additional Cleaner Greener Safer Southwark Council grant funding on top of the £183,000 S106 money already secured.

will do

Hi,

The upgrade of Rothsay Street is vey good news indeed. I am happy with the project as presented and in particular the plan to plant additional trees and other plants. The more green the better in this area of London. One comment though. In the upgrade description I cannot see any public trash bins. Since some of our neighbours are not always patient enough to keep their trash with them until they find a civilised way to dispose it, I suggest to add visible trash bins in Rothsay Street. The same comment applies to Alice Street, which seems to be the no man's land of the area.

I understand from the posts above that Alice Street will have to be "developped" before the council can consider an upgrade. My question here is what can be reasonably developped/consructed there. I hope the council is joking when they consider the construction of additional buildings there. Grass and trees are more appropriate for such a small place. Beside, for those who are interested in wilde life, this place is currently a refuge. There are limited opportunities to improve the environment in SE1. Alice Street is one. I will certainly support the JFRA and/or other associations to lobby this idea to the council.

Thank you very much to the JFRA for the effort in improving the residents quality of life both in and in the surroundings of the Jam Factory.

Yann

Yann,

Thanks very much for your comments and support - it's a positive initiative that's going to make a big difference to our neighbourhood. we'd encourage as many people as possible to get involved and to support it.

Litter bins were also requested on Thursday night by a resident at Haddon Hall - as with most suggestions, there's always a counter argument waiting in the wings of course - the argument is that bins need to be emptied regularly to discourage fly-tipping around them.

We very much support trees and greenery - Southwark just need to be careful where they place them as clearly a few local residents in the Haddon Hall are concerned about them 'blocking' windows - on our discussion plan, we've intentionally placed at least two lines of trees near blank brick walls to end terraces of HH housing but we don't think this was fully appreciated at the time.

As for all ideas - if you (and your neighbours) can get them down in writing to dan.taylor@southwark.gov.uk Southwark will make the draft design decisions based on a democratic poll of input from everyone, taking into account affordability and maintenance - so the more people who ask for trees etc, clearly the better chance we have of getting at least some of them into the final design.

In terms of Alice Street, we were told by Southwark that this site is to have affordable housing - the site is owned by the Council and they have some obligations to provide housing, so they seem pretty determined to develop the site.

However, let's wait until we see the planning application plans before we comment further - your points are definitely noted for when the information comes through. Any new buildings on that site should as a minimum try to widen the pavement opposite the Jam Factory and this is where we could lobby for more street trees. Affordable housing also has some requirements for resident amenity space and this may be a way to lever-in these obligations and get some greenery into the development?

Let us know what you think.

Thank you for this.

I will email to the council to insist on trees, greenery and litter bins.

There are people cleaning the streets from the council on a very regular basis (at least twice a week). These guys would probably prefer to empty the bins that picking up the trash piece by piece on the floor. If the council considers Rothsay street as a key link between sobo and London Bridge (I understand this is the rationale behing the upgrade) they should also understand that standard urban amenities should be installed. Most streets have litter bins (including Weston).
That said, it is a very minor comment and any upgrade is welcomed.

Regarding Alice Street, the neighbourhood and the council is already rich in affordable housings. The Jam Factory is surrounded by council appartments. I have nothing against it. However, why on earth the council wants to carry on concentrating such housing. Residents of the area living in affordable housing or not deserve to have a better quality of life, which means less density of population, better environment and parks, access to public transportation, culture and sport infrastructure, and security. Having different social categories living together is good but if one category is too represented then ghettos are progressively forming (it can be "bourgeois" ghettos or the contrary).

I thought the council had more long term planning capabilities than that. Let's see what the council will propose.

Yann

Yann,

We agree with you that this area, and indeed borough, needs more of a healthy balance between social, private and mixed-tenure (shared ownership) housing. One effect of the credit crunch as been to kick-start what were stalled developments using government funding - and this can mean more of an element of affordable housing than would have been the case if 100% privately funded.

This is though a wider political question and beyond our remit - remember that the local elections are coming up on May 6th - so you'll have a chance to make your views heard and the local politicians will be listening - no doubt the planning application will be timed for a planning committee hearing after the elections.