It is great to hear that the refurbished playpark near Waterlink Way, called Bellingham Play Park, but actually in Perry Vale, opened last night.
At one time this was called “the saddest playground”, but no longer!
Congratulations to all the many volunteers and residents who campaigned for this, and the NCIL funding from Lewisham Council.
Good to see.
Though It’s quite a way from Perry Vale. And probably it is in Bellingham. Or are you talking about electoral ward boundaries. Which change from time to time and don’t necessarily tally with names of features.
there must be other examples. Eg Sydenham Garden is not in Sydenham, but in Forest Hill (the chosen name associated it with its founders, the Sydenham Green GP practice not its ward location). Also in Perry Vale ward and close to Perry Vale itself.
Yes, this is a reference to Perry Vale Ward as the playpark is now included, and so, by extension, still of relevance to SE23 residents (I guess) who live around the Perry Hill area.
I do agree that there are some misleading names and Sydenham Gardens surprised me (when I eventually clocked where it was).
To be fair to Sydenham Green GP, that area was originally “Sydenham” before the centre migrated north to near the station. What I had not considered was that the original settlements were near the river which offered water for getting by, so made more sense to be where we now call it “Bell Green”
Big congratulations to those who invested time and effort to have this project delivered.
However it is unclear why the contention that park is of relevance to SE23 residents might be viewed as valid.
The park is firmly and by some measure, distance-wise, in the SE6 postcode.
Indeed in a separate issue on bus matters on the Bell Green M&S topic you expresed this view:
”The point about bus access is made for Forest Hill / SE23 residents (users of this site).
The 181 and 202 just about skirt the outside of this area…”
The park is quite some further distance beyond the boundary defined in the other post.
The Boundary Commission determinations that transferred the former Bellingham SE6 sections into the Perry Vale Ward did not mean that locals refer to these transferred patches as Perry Vale.
It’s Sydenham Garden btw, not Gardens 
I suppose we don’t define where we live by postcode. If someone asks me where I live I say Forest Hill, not SE23 or SE6. And we each define for ourselves where it is that we live, despite the meddling of local government and postal services
If I lived down by one of the roads by the Pool River would I say Bellingham? I might say Bell Green. Probably wouldn’t say Forest Hill. Might say Lower Sydenham.
This is not new. Lordship Lane station was considered a big naming mistake by the local press in the 1860s. People on that rapidly growing area, they said, didn’t know if their postal address was lordship Lane, Forest Hill, East Dulwich , Dulwich, or even Sydenham Hill. The papers implored someone to sort it out!
Postcodes and Ward names just redefine the problem!
And I’d say the park is of relevance to anyone who cares about our area or who walks around the area and use it, whatever postcode they happen to live in.
I really think this is actually not correct and slightly missing the point
This park is the closest open play area for MANY people who live in the SE23 postcode and Perry Vale ward on the other side of Perry Hill. Take a look at the map to try to find other green areas for more than a quarter of our area, and none others with public play equipment.
I referred to this as “Perry Vale” because it falls into the political ward boundary and therefore is also of relevance to the @PVCllrs who look after it and will hopefully help to protect and maintain it, and because we (collectively) paid for a large part of this redevelopment through the allocation of Perry Vale Ward NCIL funding. I also happen to know that many of those volunteers who ran this successful campaign, live in the SE23 area. Hope that clarifies this
No lack of clarity here in SE6.
Those of us who live on Perry Hill in the former Bellingham Ward do not consider ourselves to be in a location labelled Perry Vale. That label is strictly an electoral one.
And yes I am aware that there was creditable and significant input from SE23 residents that helped significantly in its delivery.
Mayow Park is not so far away either.
Meanwhile with its usual in depth coverage the Sun does Bellingham.
I spent a lot of my childhood in that playground, definitely bellingham in my book.
Great to see the playground finally updated. Well done to all involved, no matter their postcode. A bit tired of the boundary debates. The area here is full of boundaries, which are most unhelpful in getting things done. The area I call Bell Green is where Bellingham, Sydenham, Perry Vale and Catford meet, plus Bromley and quite frankly, I think that goes some way to explain why it is so run down. Interesting to see the new Sydenham Society newsletter front page completely ommitted any mention of Bellingham. How that works is beyond me. For example, Home Park is split, with Sydenham taking the library and leaving the rest to Bellingham. How that is going to work long term is an absolute mystery. Perhaps, in the future, we will have a Bell Green Ward, particularly once the retail park is redeveloped into homes.
A very precise narrative that describes how a run-down area can remain so.
Over recent years we have observed transient interest accompanied by injections of objections or “we have an idea” proposals from neighbouring groups who are unrepresenative of residents and small businesses in our area. These unrepresentative groups rarely have ANY members who live in the area and sometimes none at all. Expressions of entitlement related to perceived protection of benefits to their own area cannot be viewed as neccesssarily a reasonable justification.
Nor can the absence of an active and cohesive representative body for Bell Green be viewed as as an open invitation to others to act in a void.
There are many positively minded groups and individuals who do and achieve many things in an unaffiliated fashion who are to be congratulated for their many successful actions and who deserve more recognition.
Well done to all of you.
