1 Common Knowledge

December 2011, Issue 43 Spot the Difference ! Inside this issue 2. Community Safety; What to Report to Whom 3. Rookery Centenary 4. Streatham Common in Mitcham?; Memories 5. Recent and Next Events; Filling the Chair 6. Volunteering; Whatʼs Up?

Common Knowledge, the newsletter of the Friends of Streatham Common, is edited by Peter Newmark: tel. 020 8679 2908; email: [email protected]

Yes, the Park Rangers have finally gone. The top panel has been stuck over the bottom panel on Please join us on Wednesday notice boards around the Common (apart from 7th December at the bottom of one that was missed out). And note that the “local the Common by the Christmas community” - that’s us - has been added as a tree, and later at our party. partner in managing the site. A number of issues related to these changes were discussed at the Friends’ public meeting on Community Safety, where the idea of setting up a Park Watch was floated (see page 2). And there are more changes to come as the reorganization of the Parks de- partment is still under negotiation. Meanwhile a first taste of the effects of cuts in the maintenance budget is already evident, with news, for example, that the memorial benches will no longer receive an annual ‘service’ but instead only be refreshed as and when it is deemed necessary, and that 7.00 pm - mince pies pruning of shrubs will no longer be carried out and mulled wine annually but only every three years. What the 7.30 pm - carol singing Friends will be fighting for in particular in coming 8.00 pm - Friendsʼ Christmas months is that the Rookery is given extra atten- party in the Pied Bull pub tion as well as Green Flag status in the run up to its centenary in 2013 (see page 3). 2 Community Safety ...... What to Report to Whom A public meeting on this topic was organ- Lambeth Community Safety Division works ised by the Friends and held on 21 No- in partnership with Lambeth borough po- vember. Speaking at the meeting were lice and other internal and external agen- Nabil Mezoughi, the local Area Crime Re- cies to tackle and deal with crime and dis- duction Manager, Derek Prentice, Lam- order activities as well as anti-social be- beth’s Assistant Director, Culture and haviour issues. Communities Division, and Sergeant Mark Brindley who is in charge of the Streatham Each of Lambeth’s 21 wards has its own South Safer Neighbourhood Team. Police Safer Neighbourhood Team, made up of a Sergeant, two Officers and at least As a result of the meeting it was agreed two Police Community Support Officers. that there should be prominent notices on The Sergeant also has responsibility for the Common informing the public of how managing a Local Police Team made up of best to report problems. In outline, crimes at least six Officers that work across four and anti-social behaviour are matters for wards doing proactive work and respond- the police, whereas misuse of the Com- ing to usually less urgent calls. mon is a matter for the Council. Details of what to report to whom are in the following The local Streatham South Safer Neigh- article. One problem that emerged is that bourhood Police Team has its priorities set the police have no powers to enforce bye- by the Streatham South Safer Neighbour- laws on the Common and that with the hood Ward Panel, which is made up of demise of the Park Ranger service this members of the community (usually resi- leaves a gap, unless and until the police dents but sometimes also local business can be given the necessary powers, and owners), who are annually elected. At least always assuming they will consider en- four Ward Panel meetings a year are open forcement of bye-laws a priority. Mean- to the wider public, who can thereby influ- while it seems unlikely that much will be ence the crime and anti-social behaviour done about such problems as teenagers priorities that the police team will work on. using the playground or people camping or To find out the dates for these meetings, driving on the Common. please visit the following website: http://content.met.police.uk/Team/Lambeth An idea that was floated was that a Park /StreathamSouth Watch should be set up for the Common. This would be run along the lines of Currently’ one priority for the Streatham Neighbour Watch, with a group of local South Neighbourhood Police Team is to residents who agree to keep a look out for patrol the Common when schools finish to problems on the Common, reporting them reduce the risk of robberies against school through a coordinator to the appropriate children. authority. Visible ‘Park Watch’ signs would appear on the Common. Such a scheme The Common, itself, is managed by Lam- has just started elsewhere in Lambeth - in beth Council in partnership with the local Myatts Field Park, for example. community. We ask that park users help us keep them clean, green and safe for all to Sergant Brindley said that the police sur- use and enjoy. Please report any accidents geries are poorly attended and that if local or damage to Lambeth Parks. residents want any change in his team’s priorities, they need to make their voice If you witness an incident or are concerned heard at the surgeries, via petitions or about any crime / anti-social behaviour even through local newspapers ♦ issue in your ward or on the Common then 3 please contact the most appropriate of the Rookery Centenary following: Planning has started to celebrate the cen- To report any intimidating or threatening tenary of the Rookery in the summer of activities that scare you or cause distress 2013. There are a number of major aims. to you or to your neighbourhood, such as The first is that the Rookery grounds and verbal abuse, aggressive behaviour, noise gardens are brought up to a high standard, nuisance, criminal damage, street drinkers true to the original character of the gar- and so on (most incidents reported on this dens, and in keeping with the fact that the line are shared with your safer neighbour- garden is on English Heritage's Register of hood police team), contact the Lambeth Historic Parks and is a Grade 11* Garden Council Community Safety Anti-Social of Historic Importance. Preliminary talks Behaviour hotline on 020 7926 4000. have been held with Capel Manor College to see if a student project could be based To report any damage, vandalism, squat- on the Rookery Gardens. The second aim ting by travellers or any other issues relat- is to mark the ing to the upkeep of the Common, contact centenary with Lambeth’s Parks and Open Spaces on a major event, 020 7926 9000. possibly fo- cused on the To gain police advice or bring their atten- White Garden, tion to local problems that require long- which is in term solutions, contact the Safer Neigh- need of spruc- bourhood Team on 020 8721 2628. This ing up. Thirdly, number is not for reporting crime and inci- there is the dents because the team is not always on possibility of duty and no one picks up calls for the team applying for Green Flag status for the when they are not on duty. Rookery; this was on the cards until the council’s recent financial restraints took For all non-emergency incidents that re- hold, so now would require a major fund quire police attendance, such as coming raising effort, largely to create the man- home to find you’ve been burgled, intimi- agement plan that is a prerequisite for ap- dation by drinkers or general anti-social plying for Green Flag status ♦ behaviour, call the police on 101.

For emergency calls that require immedi- ate police attendance – usually crimes in action, such as seeing a fight, having just been robbed or having lost your child - always call 999. Nabil Mezoughi, Area Crime Reduction Manager

In response to a number of requests, we have started to send members timely email reminders of forthcoming ‘The Rookery’ around 1900. Thanks to events. If you have email, are not re- Tony Spain who sent us this photograph of his grandmother, a niece by marriage of ceiving our reminders but would like to, the owner. She is posed in front of the please let us know via: house, which was demolished in 1913. [email protected] 4 Streatham Common in Mitcham? to the pool. It was well attended and popu- Opposition is rapidly mounting to the lar. I remember the nativity crib displayed Boundary Commission for England’s pro- each Christmas by the pool. posals that would make the Common and the area to the south of it part of the Mit- Earlier, as a young child, I got to know cham parliamentary constituency. This is many trees in the wooded area and part of a wider proposal in which other thought there were ‘teddy bears’ there hav- parts of Streatham would end up in two ing their picnic! My grandmother alerted new constituencies, one called Clapham me to birdsong in the woods. My grandfa- Common and the other called Streatham ther often collected conkers for me. My and Tooting. older sister took me to the circus on the Common. At present we have our own MP to speak up for Streatham. Under the new propos- The place that impressed me most was als, no one MP could speak up for Streat- the Rookery. My grandfather became a ham and its concerns as a whole. gardener there after retirement and was able to employ his skills. I remember the Streatham’s MP, Chuka Umunna, has colourful displays of flowers tastefully voiced opposition to the changes as have grouped and representing the four sea- Streatham’s Liberal Democrats and Transi- sons as each bed was replaced. The old tion Streatham, both of which have created wishing well intrigued me and the rose online petitions that you might wish to sign. garden reminded me of the Alice in Won- A public meeting to further raise the issues derland books. I always looked at the sun- was held on 25 November, after this issue dial with interest. I can remember looking had been printed. for tadpoles in the little brook that was flowing well then. To see the Boundary Commission’s pro- posals in detail and to let them know what The White House was at one time a tea you think of them, go to: room but we often used the Rookery café http://consultation.boundarycommissionfor for ice creams. I think there were geese in england.independent.gov.uk/whats-propos Norbury Grove and I have some recollec- ed/London/south-london/ ♦ tion of horses, but this is vague,

I have happy childhood memories of Memories Streatham Common and the Rookery. Un- My main memories of Streatham Common fortunately, I feel that some of the areas were as a young post-war child in the have deteriorated and the presence of the 1950s while living in a turning of Crown Park Keepers in their brown uniform is a Vale, before we moved. I used to visit the thing of the past. Many people feel unsafe Common and the Rookery with my family there now. and we were proud to take our aunt from Janet Porter Canada to such a lovely place.

As a young child, I can remember watch- Recent and Next Events ing people sailing boats in a large pool, On 4 September, our annual Fun Dog which is no longer in use. I also remember Show was threatened by bad weather, the smaller paddling pool at the bottom of which resulted in a reduced attendance, the Common and, as a trainee teacher but nonetheless around 50 dogs showed later living in Norbury, I used to take a up and the rain stopped in time. Many young child I was studying for my course thanks to Councillor Florence Nosegbe for 5 being one of the judges again and to both resource-related) decisions. We are cur- Dane from Streatham Hill Veterinary Sur- rently planning an application for charitable gery and David from the Vale Veterinary status and will be submitting it in the New Clinic for judging and supporting the event Year. in other ways. The return of a cricket strip to the Common was celebrated on 11 Sep- Would you be interested in becoming chair tember with a splendid Cricket Match co- or do you know someone who you think hosted by Streatham Society and kindly could do it? organised by Colin Hutton. Children flocked to the playground on 8 October for You would need to be able to commit to a the Big Draw covering the surface with meeting of the executive every six weeks colourful chalk artistry under the watchful (currently held in the Pied Bull at Streat- eye of organiser Clair Wilcox. Next day, an ham Common) and a couple of public autumn Bird Walk had plenty of walkers meetings a year. but the birds were rather notable by their absence. As you all know, we run events on the Common and in the Rookery and we also Put April 1st in your diary now for the 2012 lobby for a better management of these Kite Day on the Common ♦ spaces. We also have several long-term projects on the go The events are run by various individual Friends or members of Filling the Chair the executive and we have a team that meets the Council quarterly to talk about We will be looking for a new Chair of the the management of the Common. The job Friends of Streatham Common in June of the Chair is to lead the Friends in ensur- next year as I will be standing down after a ing that the Common and the Rookery are three year term and having been Vice- managed, used and developed according chair before that. The job is really interest- to our vision and objectives. ing and for those of you who are busy people (as most of us are – I work full time Ideally we would like to elect someone lo- and have a family), I can assure you it is cal and/or anyone who is already a Friend really not that time consuming. It matters but we do not rule out someone who is not of course that you are able to get things currently a member or looking further done but we have a good and supportive afield. executive committee and a team of volun- teers to help. I will still be around but con- As I want to ensure that a new Chair is centrating my time on the Rookery cen- elected at the AGM in June 2012 I am pro- tenary event in July 2013. posing that interested parties contact me by email before 1st February 2012 via: The Friends has made a lot of progress [email protected]. over the past few years and is now ready to enter a new phase when we need to be Please, however, feel free to phone me to a bit more professional about what we do. discuss the post before you make a deci- We may be called upon to take more of a sion. If you know anyone who who is not collaborative role with the council. In many already a member of the Friends but you ways this will make our life easier but it will think would be suitable please encourage mean that we need to have a bit more them to consider the proposal. specialist help on the executive committee; we may also need to strengthen the ex- Barbara Wright ecutive as it is increasingly taking quite 0208 764 8062 (evenings and weekends) important (often financial or other 6 would be great to hear from you. Please contact Katherine Forster on 07753 675091 or [email protected] ♦ What’s Up? Playground - the increasingly muddy en- trance from the Common has been given a hard top; new picnic tables have replaced the three old deteriorating ones.

Footpath - the notorious dip in the foot- path near the playground that has every Haymaking after the annual cut of the upper winter turned into a well-nigh impassable Commonʼs acid grassland. ‘lake’ has been levelled off.

Volunteering Bins - a number of new fox-proof bins A big thanks to all those who have helped have been installed - some to replace run our events in 2011, including Kite Day, rusted through bins but also a couple of Easter Hat Parade, Band In the Rookery, additional bins at rubbish hotspots. Any bin Streatham Festival, Shakespeare in the can now be used for dog droppings. Rookery, the Dog Show, the Cake Compe- tition and the Volunteer Days. Community Garden - with help from do- nations from the Friends and Streatham We hope our events will become ever Action, and up to 50 volunteers, visible more established and increase in number. progress has been made in clearing and However, with growth and the increasing digging over a large area of ground ♦ council cutbacks, we will be needing volunteers more than ever in 2012 if we Advertisements are to continue putting on our events. (to advertise, please contact the editor)

We are not only looking for help during Alexander Technique events, but also in the setting up and tak- Can improve your posture and mobility ing down of the Friends’ gazebo at three or or reduce pain. Try an introductory ses- four events a year. This takes about an sion for £20 (usually £28). To find out hour. We’d love to have a small team take more, go to www.alexandersouth.co.uk responsibility for this. We can show you exactly what to do. Local daytime, evening and Saturday sessions available; call Geraldine Gleeson on 0208 679 6131 or We are all so lucky to have the wonderful email [email protected] Common and these events are an great contribution to the local community for all ages. So please help; also it is fun to S.E.A. Plumbing run and be a part of them. We are a local firm that can reliably help you with your domestic plumbing needs So come on, couldn’t you spare even a and with bathroom fitting. If you would couple of hours at one event during the like to discuss your needs and to ar- year? This could make all the difference. range for an estimate, give me a call. Steve Atkins 07973 430295 or email If you can spare a little time yourself, or [email protected] know anyone else who might be able to, it