Month: April 2016

It’s Big Dig Day at Maryon Park Community Garden this Saturday

Darryl Chamberlain

Maryon Park Community Garden

A message from Maryon Park Community Garden…

There are 2,500 community gardens in London marking the start of the growing season. Capital Growth organise the Big Dig Open Day. Maryon Park Community Garden is taking part and has a ‘Drop-in Open Day’ on Saturday 16th April from 10.00 am to 4.00 pm.

The Community Garden provides organic growing plots for local people, a Forest School for primary schools and volunteer opportunities for individuals and corporate groups as well as educational visits for special schools.

On Saturday 16th April visitors can learn more about the Community Garden, enjoy tours and talks about the plots, orchard, wild flower bank, Forest School and the historic Maryon Park itself. There will be refreshments, children’s activities, a plant sale and a fundraising bric-a-brac stall. Visitors can join the waiting list for growing beds.

Maryon Park Community Garden is a not-for-profit voluntary community project situated in the former council plant nursery in Maryon Park. Now in its fourth year, the Friends of the Park, Capital Growth, the Olympic Transform Fund, City Hall, Greenwich Parks Forum and the London Tree and Woodland Trust have all funded the garden.

“The Big Dig Day is about encouraging people and families to visit their local community garden. Whether you are an experienced gardener or new to gardening or just want to see how your local project is developing you will be welcome,” says Maryon Park Community Garden chair Tim Anderson.

You’ll find the community garden by the Maryon Road entrance to the park – just look for the bunting.

Seven up: Smaller Valley House scheme gets council go-ahead

Darryl Chamberlain1 Comment

Valley House render
The previous Valley House scheme was nine floors high, the new one is seven storeys

Greenwich Council’s planning board has backed plans for a seven-storey block of flats on Woolwich Road, six months after it threw out a request to build a nine-storey development.

Developers want to knock down Valley House – a former office block on the corner of Gallions Road – and replace it with 73 flats.

The approval, which came at a meeting on Tuesday evening, comes after months of wrangling over the development. Last June, councillors deferred a decision after objecting to a separate entrance for residents living in “affordable” housing in the scheme. Then in September, a revised proposal was rejected on the chair’s casting vote.

This time around, 10 objections were received, with the Charlton Society and Central Charlton Residents Association – which covers an area south of the railway line – commenting that the building was still too bulky. There were 80 letters of support, many of which used a generic text praising developer London Green’s scheme.

11 of the 73 flats are due to be “affordable”, including seven for social rent. Councillors placed a condition on the development that it be advertised domestically before it is promoted to foreign buyers.