The full petition (with further clarification)

We the undersigned residents living around the community served by the Southampton Way business district, respectfully request our local Councillors and the wider Southwark Council:

• Support existing, legitimate businesses while pushing to attract a wider variety of shops that reflect the growing, changing demands from residents;
• Support our diverse community by creating a safer, greener, cleaner shopping/living district for all who live and work here;
• Recognise that existing transport is inadequate

We accept our responsibilities as residents and pledge to work with you and help wherever we can. From you, we make the following specific requests:

Request 1: Appoint a professional team within the council to carry out a time-certain project to explore how Government, residents and existing renewal organisations can recognise long-term, sustainable regeneration along Southampton Way and adjoining neighbourhoods. A number of residents are willing to help. We ask that the study specifically (though not exclusively) consider:

• The state of existing projects and how we can ensure they are completed quickly and with residents’ approval
• The planning rationale for the block of houses and businesses from 83-113 Southampton Way; Ensuring the recent renovations have planning permission and helping residents there to create a more unified frontage in keeping with best practice urban design principles
• The possibility of joint public/private/residents groups working together (e.g. Galliard Developers, Southwark College, Camberwell Renewal, Bellendon (Peckham), Unite)
• The options for derelict sites (149, 184-188, 121-123)
• How to use existing council and police powers to reduce street drinking, street dumping and illegal street parking
• How to work with existing environmental initiatives to create a cleaner, greener street
• How grants and other funding opportunities could fund upgrading shop fronts, as well as looking at the general urban design of Southampton Way
• Re-visiting the traffic flow around the greater area to account for population changes and the potential unintended, negative consequences of the last traffic-calming project

Request 2: Take firm action to redevelop abandoned properties:

• 121-123 (Bricklayer’s Arms) – We are aware that the property has been sold several times and now is owned by Hexagon Housing Association. We welcome affordable housing options to our area and ask that you push along their plans without delay
• 149 – We are aware of the long history for development and feel the council has not brought enough pressure to bear in redeveloping this site
• 184-188 – The council failed to develop its own site and has now lost planning permission. This is disgraceful. The council should lead the way by developing its own site, which has sat empty and neglected for too many years
• As in all planning matters, we look forward to full community consultation to ensure the final redevelopment plans have fully considered all views from those living and working in the neighbourhood before they are approved

Request 3: Create a safer, greener and cleaner Southampton Way:

• Provide visible community police patrols more often
• Clarify the licensing of all businesses along Southampton Way (particularly those selling and serving alcohol) to ensure they do not promote street drinkers hanging about outside their premises
• Rectify the street dumping situation whereby people dump trash along the street as a matter of routine knowing that it will be collected eventually and they will face no penalty
• Crack down on those who park on the pavement along the street
• Re-visit the methods and scheduling for regular street sweeping and cleaning
• Plant more trees and similar vegetation along the Way

Request 4: Actively promote the area to potential businesses to attract a wider variety of shops:

• Use existing business development avenues to showcase the growing demand for private businesses
• Consider regeneration schemes that provide tax-incentives and similar to attract both private businesses, as well as co-operative schemes that would allow local SME’s to gain entrance to the marketplace

Request 5: Push for the Cross River Tram to open within five years along route that respects our local communities:

• The latest unexplained, 10-year delay is unacceptable
• Local groups working for Burgess Park and Peckham Town Centre have proposed suitable alternative routes
• Our wider area has suffered numerous broken promises from Transport for London dating back to the early 1900’s – we are tired of being forgotten and continuously pushed to the back of the queue
• Politicians have promised to resolve poor-service issues with the 343 bus for more than five years, yet the service has only worsened