February 13, 2016 by blackfenpastandpresent

Ward boundary changes for Blackfen

Draft recommendations have now been published regarding a change in ward boundaries in the Bexley Borough. This is good news for Blackfen which is currently split down the middle into three different wards, creating divisions in policing, local government and community identity. There is now a consultation period from 9 Feb. until 4th April 2016 so you can have your say on the proposals and your support would be helpful. Information on the proposals and how to comment are at https://www.lgbce.org.uk/current-reviews/greater-london/bexley

November 22, 2015 by blackfenpastandpresent

Boundary changes: Proposals

Proposals have been submitted to change ward boundaries in the Bexley Borough. This is good news for Blackfen which is currently split down the middle into three different wards, creating divisions in policing, local government and community identity. Blackfen and Lamorbey ward covers the south western part of the area known as Blackfen; Falconwood and Welling covers the area to the north of Blackfen Road on the west side; and Blendon and Penhill covers the eastern part. Blackfen Road and Westwood Lane, the main routes through the community of Blackfen, are used as divisions.

According to the proposal for Blackfen and Lamorbey:

“This proposed ward is defined by the western boundary of the Borough, with the A2 as its northern boundary and the Sidcup loop line railway to the South. The Boundary to the east at the southern end skirts Lamorbey Park and Sidcup Golf Course (which is in Blendon and Penhill Ward), follows the River Shuttle to Willersley Park and then up to the A2.

In the main it is the present Blackfen & Lamorbey ward, with additions of the northern parts of the present Sidcup ward (most of SP1S & SP2S) where local residents regard themselves as being a different community from Sidcup (e.g.
Lamorbey and The Hollies); as well as small parts on the west of the present Blendon & Penhill ward (from BP1S). The latter changes are important to bring all the shops and facilities on Blackfen High Street within the same ward. There has been confusion as to which councillors represent which ward in this locality (e.g. recently a number of residents have been lobbying the councillors for Blackfen & Lamorbey about Blackfen Library when it is actually situated in Blendon & Penhill Ward).

[*It should be noted that councillors in Blendon and Penhill were contacted regarding Blackfen Library but never responded*].

In addition a few roads are gained from the present Falconwood & Welling Ward in Polling District FW4S that are south of the A2.

The proposed boundaries reflect the fact that there are no road crossings of the railway or A2 here and only one footbridge across the railway and one pedestrian subway under the A2. All housing in this area to the South of the A2 is now included in this ward including several roads on the western extremity which are in the present Falconwood and Welling Ward, but can only be accessed from the rest of that ward by an infrequently used subway.

The proposed ward brings together the communities in Blackfen and Lamorbey (including the Hollies), both of which are largely suburban areas with many residents commuting to London from Sidcup Station. There are several shopping areas serving the communities within the proposed ward, the largest of which is Blackfen, including a large supermarket and a library. Near Sidcup Station there is another large parade of shops including a Post Office and shops on Station Road. There are smaller shopping parades in Halfway Street and near Days Lane School. All of these act as focal points for the various communities that lie within this proposed ward.

The communities around here all run into each otherwith different housing styles reflecting the eras in which they were built. The roads of Days Lane (running North to South) and Halfway Street (running West-East) link the whole ward together.

The ward also includes a number of schools and churches on or around Days Lane and a specialist internationally renowned drama college (Rose Bruford College), the campus of which is based around Lamorbey House and its grounds.”

The changes can be seen in full at http://www.bexley.gov.uk/19654

October 29, 2014 by blackfenpastandpresent

Divided into three: ward boundaries

Blackfen is divided into three wards, cutting through the centre of the main shopping area: Blackfen and Lamorbey to the south, Penhill and Blendon to the east, and Falconwood and Welling to the north. It must surely be the most (politically) divided district in the Bexley Borough. This can make it difficult to address issues which affect Blackfen collectively. The Blackfen Forum was set up in 2004 to overcome this but it ceased to exist in 2010.

Blackfen Library is situated on Blackfen Parade in Blackfen Road, which is in the Penhill and Blendon ward. There are three Conservative Councillors for this ward: Graham D’Amiral, Steven Hall and Nick O’Hare.

Next door in the Blackfen and Lamorbey ward are Conservative Councillors Brian Beckwith and Peter Craske and UKIP Councillor Lynn Smith. There are three Conservative Councillors for Falconwood and Welling: Nigel Betts, Val Clark and Louie French.

That’s quite a lot of councillors for Blackfen to have overall. But will any of them support Blackfen’s library and help to secure its future for the people of Blackfen?

Blackfen and Lamorbey ward map. In fact the map, taken from Bexley Council’s website in 2014, is an old one as it still shows the old library building in Cedar Avenue which closed in 2005.