Greenwich Council’s planning board decides on Thursday whethera BMX track should be built in Hornfair Park. Many neighbours are opposed to the track. Campaign spokeswoman Toni Hale explains why.

The criminal activity in the park at present is at an all time high with drug dealers and anti-social behaviour. The illegal use of quad bikes and motorbikes in the park still continues. So many people are too scared to use the park because of the physical and verbal abuse they receive. Imagine a BMX dirt track for BMXs, I doubt it! I can see it being used for illegal activity and no child will be able to use the BMX track as it will be taken over teenagers and older adults.

Why would you want your young child using a track that is reported to be one of the most dangerous sports in the world? This will not be monitored nor will it be supervised. The park here is open 24 hours a day as it is in a Green Chain Walk area which means the community that surround it will be victimised throughout the day and night.

I am not opposed to BMX tracks but there will be an Olympic one situated right outside the Olympic bike area which, after the Olympics, will be open to the public. The BMX track in Woolwich could have easily been extended being on the water front and not surrounded by residents, with good parking facilities available.

Again the Council are wasting taxpayers’ money on things that are unnecessary. The Lido is going to be refurbished and will cost £2.5 million – does that please you, knowing full well that the Council have made several cuts in the borough but are allowing this? It is ludicrous that such money can be wasted on sports facilities that will not be utilised. You can take a horse to water but you cannot make it drink.

There is a planning board meeting on the 26th May at 6.30pm at the Woolwich Town Hall. I am still campaigning against this for many reasons and not just for the reasons I have mentioned. I list of signatures are nearly up to 1000 and I think that speaks for itself.

This is an edited version of a comment placed on the earlier post. I thought it might be worth putting this topic to a vote – is Toni right, or are her – and her neighbours’ – fears misplaced? Please share your views in the comments below.

Hotel chain Travelodge is hoping to open a hotel on the vacant land between Woolwich Road and the Greenwich Shopping Park.

Greenwich Council has received a planning application proposing a 120-bed hotel on the site, opposite the junction with Victoria Way, along with a food store and cafe.

The land has been empty for a decade following the demolition of a retail and industrial estate on the site, which had been earmarked for use in the Greenwich Waterfront Transit scheme, scrapped by Boris Johnson in 2009.

Developers say the project will create up to 126 jobs, and will also help boost local pubs and restaurants.

The scheme is backed by the owners of the Greenwich Shopping Park, and completes their development, with the cafe aimed at its customers.

It also takes advantage of a reorganisation in planning permissions for some of Charlton’s big retail barns, some of which are now nearly 30 years old and approaching the end of their lives.

The food store will replace the Lidl on Bugsbys Way, and would be run by “a local convenience store operator”.

Lidl’s building, which dates back to the mid-1980s, will be replaced with a new Wickes DIY store, which will move from its present site on Gallions Road.

We’ve rummaged in the wasteland here before – last year Matt wrote about plans for the site next door, where outline planning permission was given last year for a retail, business and residential development on the site of the long-shut MFI store, one of the area’s first retail barns. With a hotel set for the site, those thoughts about cafe culture on the Woolwich Road might not seem so fanciful now…

But what do you think of the plans? Full details are on Greenwich Council’s planning website, and neighbours have already had notes through their doors.

I’ve already had a few people contact me about this – some delighted to see something happening, some horrified with the design. I’ve created a poll – and don’t forget the comments below.

Greenwich Council has served an enforcement notice against Network Rail over rubbish left at the entrances to Charlton station, the Charlton Rail Users Group heard last week.

Rats have been seen scurrying around the station, after the rail company failed to clean up fast food debris and other rubbish thrown in the bushes.

Network Rail is responsible for the areas around the station – including the area covered by canopies next to the 486 bus stop – while Southeastern is responsible for the station itself.

Neighbours of other stations down the Greenwich line have also reported problems with rubbish left on linesides.

London Travelwatch’s Tim Bellenger told the group’s meeting the company often only cleans up rubbish after councils or individuals threaten legal action.

Other issues dealt with at the meeting:

– The Olympic timetable cuts – see 853 for more.

– Southeastern plans to repaint Charlton station to “create a more friendly environment”, while mobile staff are being recruited to look after platform areas at Charlton and neighbouring stations.

– The problem of five-car trains stopping at the far end of the London-bound platform was raised. Again. Southeastern’s operations manager had investigated and said all was working properly, and that customer information screens would report on how long each train was. However, it was pointed out from the floor that the screens haven’t shown this information for 18 months.

– The lift onto the London-bound platform, opened with great fanfare in 1999, now has to be operated by staff for safety reasons.

The group’s next public meeting is likely to be in the autumn. For more information, e-mail CRUG [at] pmcentre.dircon.co.uk.

The flyer below says it all – the Second Floor Studios complex, at the end of Warspite Road on the Charlton/Woolwich border, is opening up its doors tonight and across the weekend to show off its wares to art fans, artists and neighbours…

The whole project’s an interesting one – a plan to develop 280 studios together with a gallery and cafe on the old industrial site. It’s tucked away out of sight now, but when the riverside walk is finally finished between the Thames Barrier and Woolwich Dockyard, it could be quite a landmark. More on this soon, I hope.