A bit late with this, but it’s worth recording anyway. Last week Greenwich Council renewed planning permission for the development of a diving centre at Charlton Lido, despite the original deal having collapsed some time back.

However, the planning board meeting did bring with it confirmation that Greenwich Leisure Limited is due to take on the lease from the stricken Open Waters Investments, which brings forward hope of some kind of revamp for the lido – and maybe even the diving centre will be built after all.

But there’s strong feelings around Hornfair Park at the moment. Local campaigner Toni Hale walked out of the meeting, angry about the construction of a three-storey building alongside the pool. There’s even stronger feelings about council plans to build a BMX track and improve the park’s tatty playing fields – a sensible idea, you might think, in an area where there’s absolutely nothing for young people to do.

Not so, according to the 500 people who have signed a petition against the plan. (The full application can be viewed here.)

Campaign manager Toni Hale said: “So far we have 500 signatures on our petition. There is just no need for a BMX track in the park. It could lead to an increase in crime and there are already other tracks in the borough.”

Those other tracks, in Woolwich, Lee and Eltham, aren’t really an easy ride for a youngster from Charlton or Kidbrooke, though. Should Hornfair Park be filled with the sounds of bikers and divers, should it be a quiet oasis?

Greenwich councillors have approved plans to turn the old Horse and Groom pub on Woolwich Road into a church, despite opposition from neighbours.

The proposal by the Chreubim and Seraphim Movement Church was backed by five votes to one by a panel of six councillors on Wednesday with only local representative John Fahy (Labour, Woolwich Riverside) opposing the scheme.

Council planning officers said they approved the scheme “on balance”, subject to conditions including noise mitigation measures and restricting its opening hours to 6pm to 8pm on weeknights and 9am to noon at weekends.

The church had operated for a while without planning permission, and one local resident who addressed the Woolwich and Thamesmead planning committee said traffic in the area was “gridlocked” whenever it was open. But the church claimed over 95% of its congregation did not drive to services.

Local residents had signed a petition against the plans, and Cllr Fahy said the local area was “entirely different from other parts of the borough” because of the large number of people driving to football matches at The Valley.

“This application will simply add to the problems people experience,” he said.

But fellow councillor Don Austen (Labour, Glyndon) said the application was “difficult to oppose” on planning grounds.

As well as the change of use from a pub to a place of worship, the church also got permission to install six CCTV cameras, security grilles on the windows and a toilet extension.