On Monday 8 June Bromley Council’s Environment Committee is meeting to discuss and approve a “Funding submission for highway measures to support social distancing during recovery from lockdown”.  Last Thursday the Council published their proposal for road improvements that support pedestrians and cyclists, you can read the full proposal here.  The Copers Cope Ward has benefitted from some schemes, including:

• Pedestrian crossing at Southend/Park Road.
• More cycle routes
• Work to improve pedestrian safety at the Cornerways Surgery junction (Manor Road /Wickham Road / Bromley Road)
• 20mph signs at Worsley Bridge School

Ahead of this meeting we have written to the Chair of the Environment Committee and our ward councillors with suggestions for other measures local people have raised, these include:

• Dealing with speeding on Copers Cope Rd, Park Rd, Brackley Rd, The Avenue and surrounding roads
• Installing a pedestrian crossing on Copers Cope Rd by New Beckenham Station
• Installing a pedestrian crossing on Brackley Rd for Worsley Bridge School
• Resolving the problems at the junction of Park Rd and Southend Rd, without closing off Park Rd and displacing the traffic to Copers Cope Rd and Brackley Rd
• Investigating options to manage the congestion over Westgate Rd Bridge at peak times

You can read our joint letter with West Beckenham Residents’ Association here.  If you have any other feedback please let us know and we can follow up with a supplementary letter to the Council – email hello@coperscope.org.uk

The council meeting will be broadcast at 1 p.m. on Monday (8 June) and you can view it here – the page will be updated a few minutes before the meeting starts.

The government is making funds available to local authorities to make changes to road layouts and to give more space to active travel and pedestrians.  This is a great opportunity for residents to put forward suggestions on how to make streets safer. Our Association will be writing to our Councillors on points residents have raised with us previously and we are keen to hear your views again,  please email hello@coperscope.org.uk.

Bromley Council have access immediately to £295k in funds to help town centres return to trading safely and can apply for further grants. On June 8 the Council is meeting to go forward with this (see the full proposal here).  As well as identifying hotspots in town centres, Council Officers have prepared a list of ‘ideas’ that have been raised with them by Councillors previously. This list of potential schemes identified by the Council may not be inclusive at this stage, but there are lots of welcome improvements for Beckenham (that residents have raised previously) and we assume all the bids for different schemes will need to be worked up before applying for a grant and this will allow time for local peoples feedback to be included.

The Beckenham schemes have been listed below. Does this list include all the issue hotspots? Are there other opportunities?Are all the schemes favourable?  Residents from Park Rd and surrounds will note the closure of Park Rd at Southend Rd is included, but no schemes have been included to manage the displacement of traffic on to Copers Cope Rd and Brackley Rd. Please let us know about schemes you support, other opportunities and any concerns with potential schemes by email to hello@coperscope.org.uk

Temporary measures in locations where walking and cycling schemes have been previously supported by Members

• CLOCK HOUSE Provide a temporary cycle route from Clock House Station to join the Kent House to Greenwich Cycleway. [indicative cost: £15k]
• CLOCK HOUSE Provide a temporary cycle route from Kent House Station via Ravenscroft Road and Marlow Road to the Croydon boundary. [indicative cost: £30k]
• COPERS COPE A third aspect of this new cycle route could be adding a parallel zebra crossing to Southend Road, with associated road safety measures, by the junction with Foxgrove and Park Roads, which will also assist pedestrians in this area; this is supported by the Ward Members and has also been approved by PDS previously (pre-design). The temporary closure of Park Road can also be trialled, in respect to a delayed road safety 13 improvement planned for this crossroads, which is a casualty cluster site. [indicative cost: £50k]
• COPERS COPE Add a temporary cycle route along Albemarle Rd as discussed during development of Shortlands Liveable Neighbourhood. In conjunction with proposed measures on Bromley Road and Glassmill Lane they will create a temporary cycle route from Market Square Bromley to the transport interchange at Beckenham Junction. [indicative cost: £30k]
• COPERS COPE Add temporary cycle lanes to the north and south directions of Bromley Road between Shortlands Road and Albemarle Road and the introduction of a temporary controlled crossing at the junction of Albemarle Road and Bromley Road. Filter the junction of Scotts Avenue with Bromley Road to through traffic. These measures will also increase additional pedestrian space around Bishop Challenor School. [indicative cost: £31k]
• COPERS COPE Adding a pedestrian refuge across Southend Rd near the Lewisham border, where many residents cross to use Beckenham Place Park. (This will replace the small splitter island currently in situ.) [indicative cost: £20k]
• COPERS COPE An experimental cycle route from Beckenham to Greenwich, via Copers Cope Road, to link with the above scheme at New Beckenham station. This route proposal has already been approved by Members, but has been delayed by some design issues. The proposal is to install a temporary cycle lane as a measure to assist those wishing to cycle to London, whilst also allowing Bromley to assess usage and function as we decide the precise alignment of the permanent cycleway. [indicative cost: £70k]
• COPERS COPE Completion of the cycle route from Kent House Station, to Greenwich (already approved by Members and partly built). This route includes two parallel zebra crossings and is mostly funded from 2019/20 LIP. Proposal is to introduce some quick-install measures to make this route useable much sooner, whilst build continues. [indicative cost: £120k]
• COPERS COPE On the other side of Beckenham discussion has been ongoing with Members about a scheme to help pedestrians cross the arms of the Manor Rd / Wickham Rd / Bromley Rd junction. Temporary measures might be trialled here to prevent bunching of pedestrians, without any impact on traffic capacity. [indicative cost: £40k]

Town Centre Social Distancing Hotspots

BECKENHAM TOWN CENTRE

• In Beckenham High Street adding barriers to selected inset parking bays to create wider footways, such as by the post office and between The Drive and the war memorial.
• Beckenham High St: Beckenham Pharmacy 171-173 High St. Granite Bench on the edge of village way / High St creates a pinch point.
• Beckenham High St: Boots Pharmacy 181 High St pedestrian pinch point due to queues and narrow pavement.
• Queues outside M&S opposite church.
• Keep left signs and floor vinyl at various points around the town centre.
• Major Bus stops – Signs / Floor vinyl / Pavement widening Minimum sign requirement: 60x One way / keep left; 150x Floor stickers; 60x Keep 2m apart

CLOCK HOUSE

• Keep to the left signs and floor vinyl on both sides of highway.
• Sainsbury’s Local 185-205 Beckenham Road – floor vinyl Minimum signs required: 8x One way / keep left; 10x Floor stickers; 6x Keep 2m apart

ELMERS END

• Keep to the left signs and floor vinyl by Shopping parade.
• Macks Pharmacy 2 Eden Park Ave – Floor Vinyl.
• Lotus Pharmacy 119 Croydon Road – Floor Vinyl.
• Issues crossing bridge by Tesco Superstore: add improved crossing facilities to allow pedestrians to use either footpath. Minimum signs required: 8x One way / keep left; 10x floor stickers; 6x Keep 2m apart EDEN PARK  Keep to the left signs and floor vinyl by Shopping parade.
• Sainsbury’s Local 515-519 Upper Elmers End Road Minimum signs required: 8xOne way / keep left; 10x Floor stickers; 6x Keep 2m apart

Temporary measures for Schools

CLOCK HOUSE Churchfields Primary School: advisory 20mph part time electronic signs.

CLOCK HOUSE Stewart Fleming – Witham Rd. Signs.

COPERS COPE Worsley Bridge Primary School: advisory 20mph part time electronic signs.

KELSEY AND EDEN PARK Marian Vian – Shirley Cres. Signs.

Urgent appeal from Mayor of London

“Foodbanks in up to seven London boroughs are reporting critical shortages of food. Some have been forced to close because of a shortage of supplies and people to run them. This is urgent!

You can donate online directly to your nearest foodbank or through one of these organisations (local food banks are listed further down):

• Independent Food Aid Network – The UK network for independent food aid providers. They support and connect a range of independent frontline food aid organisations while advocating on their behalf at a national level.
• Trussell Trust – Trussell Trust supports a network of food banks to provide emergency food and support to people locked in poverty, and campaigns for change to end the need for food banks in the UK.

As we all rally together to fight back against this virus, please consider supporting your local foodbank. This is one of the most effective and safest ways to help others in our community.”

Local Food Banks

• Supermarkets – Waitrose and Sainsburys both have food bank collection baskets at the back of their check-outs.
• Living Well – located at Trinity Church on Leonard Rd in Penge
• Bromley Borough Food bank – has centres in Bromley Town Centre and Anerley
• Food Plus Bromley – run by Citygate Church in Beckenham

Our newsletter was printed just before lockdown and delivery to our members has been disrupted. An electronic copy can be found here.  Please note the Copers Cope AGM due in March was postponed until our next public meeting due in June because of Coronavirus.

The new powers include:

We want you to know how to access support and safeguard against scams but would firstly re-iterate Government/NHS guidelines about maintaining good hygiene; only go out for food, health reasons, essential work or exercise and stay 2 metres from people outside your household – particularly important for people who are over 70 and/or have an underlying health condition.  Facebook Groups, WhatsApp Groups and Nextdoor social networks that send neighbourhood alerts are great ways of staying in touch with those around you; however, it can be difficult to know who to trust.  Please be aware not everyone out there is trustworthy and some people will take advantage of this situation.

Here are some scams we are aware of but criminals come in all shapes and sizes and can contact you at the door, by phone, in the post or online:

• People impersonating healthcare workers claiming to be offering ‘home- testing’, miracle cures or vaccines – there is no specific treatment for COVID-19.
• Offers of home cleaning services to gain access to your home – don’t allow strangers into your home without checking who they are via a trusted source.
• Offers to spray disinfectant onto driveways or around your home for cash.
• E-mails saying you have a refund on taxes, utilities etc are usually bogus and they are after your personal and bank details.
• Lots of fake products available to buy online that say they can protect you or cure coronavirus.  These will not help and are designed to take your money.
• Mobile phone apps that claim to give updates on the virus but, instead, lock your phone and demand a ransom.  Your bank or the police never ask for your bank details or PIN over the phone.
• Offers to shop or collect medication, asking for money upfront and then vanishing.

Tips to avoid being scammed:

• Take your time; don’t be rushed.  Be cautious, listen to your instincts.  Don’t be afraid to hang up, bin it, delete it or shut the door.
• If someone claims to represent a charity, be suspicious and don’t give them money or your bank details. Don’t let them into your home.
• If you are online, be aware of fake news and use trusted sources such as gov.uk or NHS.uk websites.  Make sure you type the addresses in carefully and don’t click on links in emails or texts.
• Only purchase goods from legitimate retailers and take a moment to think before parting with money or personal information.
• Protect your financial information, especially from people you don’t know.  Never give your bank card/PIN to a stranger even if they are going shopping for you.
• Know who you’re dealing with – if you need help, talk to someone you know and trust or contact Bromley Council on the numbers below.

Contacts:

• If you think you’ve been scammed, report to Action Fraud on 0300 123 2040 orwww.actionfraud.police.uk
• If you need advice, call Citizens Advice Consumer Helpline on 0808 223 1133 orwww.citizensadvice.org.uk and select Consumer.
• If you are in immediate danger, call the police on 999 .
• Contact your bank if you think you’ve been scammed or given away banking details.
• E-mail Trading Standards at trading.standards@bromley.gov.uk if you live in Bromley.  If you need help urgently (for example to report someone going door to door) contact Rapid Response on 07903 852090.
• If you need assistance from a volunteer, you can register using our online form at:
  https://www.bromley.gov.uk/info/1113/volunteering/1410/volunteers_and_requests_for_assistance
• If you do not have internet access, you can call the assistance line (during office hours) on: 020 8313 4484.  Please use the phone number only if you are unable to access the online form yourself or through a friend or relative.

To learn more about different types of scams and how to protect yourself and others, visit www.FriendsAgainstScams.org.uk.

Published Friday, 3 April 2020 (LB Bromley)

Firstly, can we remind residents that bonfires that are a statutory nuisance will face enforcement action and could land individuals with an unlimited fine.  Whilst official air quality monitoring has not shown that there has been an impact on air quality, residents are being encouraged to consider their neighbours before starting a bonfire, which might particularly impact residents who might have breathing difficulties. Full details on bonfires and how residents can report nuisance bonfires is available on the Council’s website.

“I am very pleased to confirm that we are able to re-start our ever popular garden waste collection service with immediate effect (6^th April). We are acutely aware that the gardening season is upon us and that many of us value this service, especially at this peak gardening period.

I am also pleased to confirm that we are planning to re-start our Green Box recycling collection on Monday too albeit that I anticipate we will not be in a position to complete all the scheduled work for that day,  Residents are advised to place their green box out for collection in the usual way and if it is not collected at the end of the day, to put it back out at the next scheduled recycling collection.

Also published a series of press releases  https://www.bromley.gov.uk/press

Bromley Council have published a survey to capture the views of local people on their proposal to relocate the library from its current purpose-built building to the Beckenham Public Halls (by Nat West Bank).

The proposal has created controversy locally as the current 80 year old library building, which is located in a Conservation Area, will be demolished and the site developed for housing.  Further, the space available at the Public Halls to host the library will be less than what is available in the current library and will mean that rooms in the Public Halls will be lost for community use.

Have your say here.

Local people who object to the demolition of our purpose built library and its relocation to a smaller space in the Beckenham Public Halls are encouraged to attend the Council meeting on 27 Nov at the Civic Centre in person. The more people that attend the larger message we send to the Council.

You can read the meeting papers here…

https://cds.bromley.gov.uk/ieListDocuments.aspx?CId=121&MId=6689

Bromley Council are considering plans to move Beckenham Library to the Beckenham Public Halls (near Ask Pizza in Beckenham Town Centre).  The current library site (conveniently located with the leisure centre) will then be developed for  housing (46 flats).  Full details of the proposal can be found here and in these key documents:

• Beckenham Library and Cultural VenuePART 1 REPORT TEMPLATE 27112019 Executive
• Appendix C – Feasibility study

It is likely that the library space will be smaller in the Public Halls and there will be a loss of space for public use (eg clubs etc that hire rooms that will be turned into library space). However, the opportunity for a refurbished library site in the town centre may be of benefit.

Copers Cope Councillors have advised they are supportive or the relocation of the Library to the Public Halls. They have said that there has been agreement for some time that the existing library building no longer meets the needs of the community. However, our Councillors do not appear to have consulted local people, certainly our residents association was not approached.

This plan is it its initial stages and there is still time for local people to have their say. At a Council meeting on 5th Nov Councillors approved the proposal. They agreed:

• To proceed to procurement for the appointment of a multi-disciplinary team, to develop a scheme for Beckenham Public Hall up to RIBA Stage 2 (Concept design) in the first instance, at an estimated cost of £70k.
• In principle to use the existing Beckenham Library site for housing. The approach taken to deliver the housing will depend on the outcome of the review being undertaken by Lambert Smith Hampton and any subsequent agreement of a housing delivery vehicle. This will be subject to a further report.

The next stage is approval at the  Council Executive on 27 November 2019.

Petition

There has been much public opposition to the library closure in the existing building, exacerbated by the Councils failure to consult with local people.  A petition has been set up at the link below, now has over 3000 signatures:

https://www.change.org/p/bromley-council-save-beckenham-library

Public meeting

A local resident has set up a public meeting at 7.30pm 14 November 2019 at the Beckenham Public Halls. CCARA will be attending this meeting, as well as other community groups. Space is limited, but interested parties are welcome.

Let us know what you think

We keen for your views, we will make a representation to the Leader of the Council on behalf of our members.  Please email any feedback to chairman@coperscope.org.uk.

As reported in the Guardian… Fifty years after a young David Bowie performed from a south London bandstand in front of a tiny crowd at a summer festival he organised, the historic iron structure that served as his modest stage has been Grade II-listed.

www.theguardian.com/music/2019/aug/16/david-bowies-festival-bandstand-gets-grade-ii-listing