It is important to respond to Southwark council's consultation on The future of Southwark's cemeteries. Quite rightly they are interested in the views of Lewisham as well as Southwark residents.

You can complete the short consultation here.

Yes but the consultation is only including Lewisham residents who live in the golden 1km zone from the rec.

If you are not happy about this you can voice heard at the Southwark Consultation meeting on Saturday the 30th July @1pm-3:30pm on the rec.

It is time to let Southwark know we want our green space for the living!!!

That would imply the 1km rule will not be relevant.

Don't follow?

Southwark have already decided this Lewisham 1km golden Zone so they are not going to consider any questionnaires outside this area!

Wrong I know but that's why it is important to try and be at the consultation meeting on the 30th July and have your say!

The email I have received from Friends of HOP says that the people within the 1km radius will get questionnaires in the post. But the consultation does appear to be across both boroughs and does not indicate that you should not complete it if you are outside the 1km zone.

Even if I am wrong, I still think it is worthwhile for as many people as possible to complete the questionnaire.

Or pester Southwark to be included!!!

At first it was only going to be 0.5km

Just to say please all do reply even if you do not live within the 1km,it maybe questionnaires are only going to be sent to residents in this area but residents outside this zone can still take part.

Once this is known I will let you know or come to the Southwark meeting on the 30th July @ 1pm-3pm and find out!

Anyone who has signed the e-petition to save the Rec will be receiving an email over the next few days with an update.

It is so important for as many residents of Southwark and Lewisham to respond to the questionnaire -
it is tricky to fill in if you want the Rec to be safeguarded - but check out the Friends blog for more information:

friends of honor oak recreation ground blog

OK, so this link works:

friends of honor oak recreation ground blog

Hello SE23'ers

I've just filled in my questionnaire and strongly put across my opinion that the park should be left alone.

Here's the link (I hope we're all in favor of green space rather than tomb stones!)

http://www.southwark.gov.uk/info/200308/...cemeteries

Spread the word!

I like the option "Stop burying people in Southwark"!

hehehe! I do too...

It's very geared towards persuading the respondent to accept the graveyard don't you think?

People need somewhere to live not to die!

I agree, disappointingly that questionnaire was not neutral on this issue and had a clear editorial bias for favouring burial and extending the cemetery. we should pay close attention to what happens next as I am yet to meet anyone who thinks this is a good idea.

Lewisham is just as bad.

They consult through gritted teeth. One of their standard tactics when drafting consultation documents is to give additional prominence to the options they favour and to ignore the options that they dislike.

We saw this with consultation over Forest Hill pools and more recently on where the cuts should be made.

The only thing that Southwark and Lewsham really care about and take notice of is bad publicity. Politicians love being interviewed on TV but not so our local bean counters.

I got this very same questionnaire through the post today - we live very near the rec and it says they are seeking the views of local people. I was under the impression that the rec had been temporarily saved after the last petition/campaign - but obviously not!

People are being led by the nose by Southwark Council.

There was a huge amount of public money spent on endless "consultations" in 1991, 1994, 1997, 2000....all of which led to Southwark being clearly told by all the professional bodies concerned that using up recreation space in inner London was a desperately poor short term option that would cause needless permanent harm and would not solve the supposed problem. The "problem" is of course fictitious in any event, as Councils do not have to offer burial. It's a choice. They only have to offer cremation.

In 2000/1 Southwark adopted a series of measures to make use of the existing cemeteries. It appears that these were not, however, implemented. Rather, effort has now been directed to a carefully prepared scare campaign - panic, we have suddenly discovered there is no where to put coffins! panic, regrettably no other option, etc, have to close your park, blackmail - grieving families, no time to prepare them,etc, etc,

What's needed here are lawyers to look at the history and why they did not implement the instructions that were given a decade ago. And a proper investigation into the waste dumping scandal, how far back it went, who sanctioned it, and profited from it, and why the records of the Council meetings where dumping at the site was raised in 1996/7 have apparently disappeared.

I think we need to get organised. I've noticed the red sign on the tennis courts mentioning the meeting coming up and some posters on shop windows. Who was in charge of the last campaign? How can we be most effective opposing this?

Does anyone have expertise or contacts in the press?

Is there a basic commitment expected of boroughs regarding provision of green spaces/places to exercise? How much money will Southwark get from the sell off? Is there an angle here for embarrassing the borough leaders?

Lots of questions I know but it's clear we need to start something. What happens when all that space gets filled with graves. Where do they bury people next? Burial in a city like London (with population ever growing) is a nonsense. Is Southwark so broke we sacrifice a park for the people? Short term gain for long term loss for the living.

If anyone knows more than me and doesn't mind sharing their thoughts please post :-)

Hi Pico

I was 30 when they first tried to close Honor Oak Rec. They stuck up a "consultation notice" on the back of a tree on 21 Dec 1991. Now I'm 50.

They've had 20 years to find a sensible decent long term solution. All we have are the same old tricks, flannel and bullying.

Jim Dowd and Joan Ruddock turned out to have their photos taken with campaigners 20, 18, 15 and 10 years ago. Likewise Tessa Jowell. They made all the same promises in 1992, 4, 6, 7, 1999, 2000 and 2001 to try to find a solution, work with their colleagues etc. These people are not representing you. Can any one of them show you evidence of anything they have done?

I sincerely hope that none of you fall for the cynical brush off again. Closing the Rec would mean real damage to health, children who have nowhere to grow and be healthy. It's criminal.

I'm disgusted by it.

I hope people come to the public meeting and tell the cemetery designer his services are not needed. We would like somewhere for our children play, our dogs to run and for our friends & family to enjoy.