That's the final #LewishamCentral Assembly this side of the local election. I know Labour nationally are a dysfunctional nightmare but I do hope we don't lose our lovely councillors (who now run the assembly voluntarily after budget cuts) as a result 😬
Someone asks about the Bakerloo line extension. Apparently there'll be another consultation soon about whether to build it just to Lewisham or through Catford to Bromley, but ultimately it still needs gov't funding. Council estimates it would pay for itself in 10yrs if built #LewishamCentral
Councillors encourage reporting of Lime/Forest bikes blocking paths etc (presumably through Love Clean Streets app?), which the council will clear away and then fine the bike companies #LewishamCentral
Improvements are coming to Lewisham Sculpture Park, which Edison says will raise its profile because it's not well known about – which I'd certainly agree with: there's a Lewisham Sculpture Park?! #LewishamCentral
The Leemore Centre, just along the road from the town centre, is going to become a new hub for young people, with skills and mental health centres there #LewishamCentral
Finally, some other local updates from our councillors Edison and Aliyah. Most excitingly, tomorrow morning there will be an announcement about the new nine-screen cinema: an operator has signed up and will show both mainstream films and other screenings (National Theatre Live etc) #LewishamCentral
Here's some details of the Lewisham Library project from its architects' website: www.architecture00.net/00projects/l... #LewishamCentral
Lewisham Libran Progress update • Lewisham Library is being transtormed into a Culture and Business hub, with the refurbished building being complemented b new workspaces and a café space on the ground floor (with serving hatch out into Lime Street Tender, evaluation and contracting for construction partner are complete, with works beginning onsite at the bulding on 8 September; hoardings have now been erected on the ground floor, whilst internally the bulding has been stripped back to she and core. The preferred operating model for the new facility was agreed by Mayor and Cabinet- this will see a single lead provide oversee facilities and building management, cultural programming , events and room hires, alongside operations at the caf space on the ground floor A procurement exercise for the lead operator was conducted in December 2025. Following moderation and evaluation of the tenders, we are hoping to appoint the new provider in Spring 2026 (allowing for the new provider to influence the internal fit-out of the spaces) The refurbished building will retain the name "Lewisham Library" as it is a trusted brand which people already knows signposts them to a variety of other Council services Residents will have the opportunity to vote for names of internal spaces within the new library building. A shortlist of names recognising local residents of note has been prepared, with voting opening to the public shortly ‣ Revised handover date for library is September 2026, with opening currently scheduled for November 2026
Some artists' impressions of the refurbished Lewisham Library, showing a new bold brownish exterior and light airy spaces inside
Update on the Lewisham Library refurb, funded by the council's successful bid for government funding a few years ago. This will finally be complete later this year #LewishamCentral
High Street Progress update Programme of improvement works across High Street are complete: this includes new Granite paving, energy-efficient LED lighting and installation of new planters across Lewisham High Street and Lewis Grove • The Inner compound has been completed at Burton's Yard, the new service area for Lewisham Market - electrical and water connections have been made, and a new pedestrian gate has been installed to manage access to the area and reduce potential for criminal damage and anti-social behaviour • Plough Bridge Gardens are complete, including a new sculpture (Street Waders); launch event for the new space on 13 September with artist Anna Reading and Quaggy Waterways Action Group. In order to manage issues relating to pigeons at the clocktower, a hawk has been deployed on several occasions to act as a deterrent - this has been accompanied by increased enforcement and a communications campaign highlighting that residents may face a fine for feeding the pigeons. The tender for the restoration of Lewisham's Grade 2 listed clocktower will commence later in Spring 2026, once the Council are satisfied that the issues with the pigeons have been managed effectively.
An update now on the council's town centre improvement works. Apparently another bit of the ongoing disinformation campaign recently has been claiming the local market traders will be pushed out, but it's not true, they're all staying but just getting a new canopy above them #LewishamCentral
The council encourage people to report any issues like flytipping etc via the Love Clean Streets app: lovecleanstreets.info #LewishamCentral
The Antisocial Behaviour patrols are not purely about enforcement: sometimes they engage with the person and find they actually need help (perhaps they're being controlled or abused, or have a dependency issue) rather than enforcement, and the team arrange this in those cases #LewishamCentral
To tackle flytipping, the council has reduced bulky waste collection fees to £5, apparently now the cheapest in London; but in parallel prosecuting flytippers publicly, with "Environmental Crime" tape around dumped items, digging through dumped rubbish for names and addresses etc #LewishamCentral
If they get a noise complaint about what the reporter suspects is a House of Multiple Occupation, they can look into whether it's a licensed HMO, whether there are other complaints in the area and so on, not just focusing narrowly on the specific one-off issue. #LewishamCentral
Got a couple of speakers now from Lewisham Council's Safer Communities service, talking about tackling Antisocial Behaviour, including the headline-grabbers like drug and knife crime but also things like flytipping as well. They're trying to integrate their approach to it all #LewishamCentral
As a parting comment, LandSec point out that there are currently no homes at all on the site. 350 affordable homes is not as many as anyone would like, but it's a minimum, and it's at least 350 more affordable homes than are there now #LewishamCentral
There's a minimum of 20% affordable (Mayoral definition) housing in the scheme, but interestingly there'll be an audit after each phase of the scheme, and if it's made a profit that will result in this figure being pushed up for subsequent phases, hence it's a minimum #LewishamCentral
Good question from the audience about the risk of delays to the project, given what's happened with some other local developments – but a good answer too, pointing to the fact that the shops stay open throughout, so delays don't mean "a big lump of nothing" in the town centre #LewishamCentral
The LandSec spokesperson is speaking very carefully about the situation with the former Citibank tower, which they would ideally like to incorporate more fully into the plans. I dare not attempt to summarise here but it's a possibility that this will happen, but not yet a certainty #LewishamCentral
Someone who's not from #LewishamCentral keeps disrupting the meeting, interrupting the order of questions and asking about road crossings. Murmurings are that she's part of the group who've been putting out all the weird disinformation about the shopping centre.
LandSec are setting aside £5mn for town centre improvements around the new development too, things like improved pedestrian environments and crossings. That's in addition to the £26mn Community Infrastructure Levy paid to the council for other local improvements #LewishamCentral
They're also aiming to have live music, to tie into the plans for a new independent music venue nearby on the site longer term. And apparently the new Model Market operators are even considering putting a sauna on the roof?! We'll see 🧖🏻 #LewishamCentral
Artist's impression of Model Market, which looks a lot like it did before, an outdoor, part-sheltered hipstery space with food traders, bars and planty decor
More imminently, this summer will see the return of Model Market, the street-food market formerly run by Street Feast before they quit a few years ago. They're only taking applications from Lewisham-based food traders and have had 220 applicants already! #LewishamCentral
Boots, Superdrug, Wakuda, Poundland, Card Factory and Tressly have all just signed new five-year leases/deals to be in Lewisham Shopping Centre, which the LandSec guy offers as proof that the centre is absolutely not being shut down! #LewishamCentral
PHASE 1- LANDSCAPING An indicative landscaping plan for the Northern Square was submitted to the Council for information buta detailed planning application has not been applied for yet.
The first part of the development will be the northern part of the shopping centre, the end nearest the station. There'll be a big open public space in the middle of this part of the site, meaning you no longer cross over from the station into an unwelcoming brick wall. #LewishamCentral
Currently the shopping centre is covered in a car park, but only 5% of shoppers come by car. Most of the redeveloped site will be covered in a public park, with new 24/7 access routes across the site too. #LewishamCentral
"It's not about 'posher' shops, but we do think there could be a lot more food, a lot more places to eat and in the evenings, than we have now." #LewishamCentral
This process, which avoids any shop staff job losses and avoids #LewishamCentral losing any shops during it, is the reason why the redevelopment will take around ten years, rather than being quicker but killing the town centre completely for the duration
• 10 year + project • Starting in 2027 • Rebuilding the shopping centre in 6 pieces • New shopping centre part indoors part outdoors, with streets and a park as a roof • 1700 homes, incl. key worker homes + student flats and shared studios • Same amount of shopping floorspace but more food, leisure and culture • 8 acres of public space, 24/7 routes between High Street and Molesworth Street • Not for profit Music Venue, permanent model market, community café and adventure playground
There's a disinformation campaign running at the moment about the shopping centre's future. #LewishamCentral will continue to have a shopping centre, with key shops like Boots moving around without a day's lost trade, during the redevelopment. At the end, the centre will be as big as it is now.
First up tonight, an update from LandSec, who own and run Lewisham Shopping Centre, about the plans for the centre. #LewishamCentral
We're at #LewishamCentral Assembly tonight, getting updates on various things related to the hyperlocal area of our council ward, so I'll share anything interesting from that in this thread…
