Author: Darryl Chamberlain

The Valley to become mass vaccination centre this Saturday

Darryl Chamberlain
The Valley
The season might be over, but The Valley is set for socially-distanced crowds on Saturday

Charlton Athletic’s stadium will become a mass vaccination centre for one day on Saturday – with all Greenwich borough residents who have not yet had a jab invited to the drop-in session.

The first 1,000 people at The Valley between 8am and 8pm will get a free ticket for a future Charlton match, with other prizes on offer during the day.

While The Valley has been open to locals with appointments for jabs since March, Saturday will be the first time its gates have been flung open for all, with people set to queue up around the pitch to get their vaccine.

AstraZeneca vaccines will be on offer for those over 40; under-40s will also be able to get the jab but will need a clinical assessment first. People who have had their first vaccine eight weeks ago but not yet had their second are also invited. More details are on the Greenwich Council website.

While nearly 80 per cent of the UK population have had one at least one jab, that figure falls to 60 per cent in Greenwich. While London has a comparatively younger population, there is still some ground to be made up in older age groups – nearly a quarter of people aged 50 to 55 in Greenwich have still not had a jab, according to Public Health England data.

Pop-up clinics are taking place around the borough with other vaccines, often at short notice – today will see Pfizer jabs offered to over-25s at the Clockhouse community centre on the Woolwich Dockyard estate from 9am to 4.30pm.

Pfizer vaccines will also be offered at the Wallace health centre in Clarence Road, Deptford, on Wednesday; the Amal Pharmacy in Greenwich Millennium Village on Thursday and Sutcliffe Park Sports Centre in Eltham on Friday.

In addition, the Woolwich Late Night Pharmacy in General Gordon Square is offering AstraZeneca vaccines to over-40s every day from 8am to 2pm until July 25.

Regular listings of pop-up vaccination centres can be found on the NHS South East London website – which also includes neighbouring boroughs – and on Greenwich Council’s social media feeds.

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Faraday Works: Siemens building stays and ‘affordable’ housing cut in new Charlton Riverside plans

Darryl Chamberlain2 Comments
37 Bowater Road
37 Bowater Road was listed by English Heritage last year – U+I wanted to demolish it (photo: Neil Clasper)

The developer behind plans for hundreds of new homes on a riverside factory site has launched a new consultation on its plans after abandoning plans to demolish a key building.

U+I is asking residents to comment on revised plans for Faraday Works – the old Siemens factory on the Charlton/Woolwich border – after 37 Bowater Road, which was due for demolition under its original proposal, was given a Grade II listing.

The former cable factory was given the listing in February 2020, shortly after an application for planning permission went in on the site. It is not known if any local campaign group pushed for English Heritage to take action on plans to demolish the site; no group announced the listing at the time.

Faraday Works
The long-derelict wire factory could become a hub for new businesses

But – as with the case of the covered market in Woolwich – keeping the listed building could come at a cost. Plans for 35 per cent “affordable” housing – which Greenwich Council demands in new developments – have been scaled back to “zero to 8 per cent”, with U+I and the council seeking funding to increase this amount.

Last month Greenwich councillors approved plans for the Woolwich covered market site that offered just under 20 per cent “affordable” homes but kept the market after it was listed: original plans were to demolish it and have 35 per cent “affordable” housing.

The original plans for Faraday Works included building 492 homes on the site, restoring the crumbling former wire workshop on Bowater Road as a centre for new businesses and building 13-storey blocks in other parts of the site.

Faraday Works render

Now its plans are for 380 homes and include building a roof extension on top of 37 Bowater Road to “reflect the engineering legacy of innovation … [this] has been supported by Historic England in early consultation”. New housing will be cut down to 10 storeys, while plans for the wire workshop and a light industrial site remain unchanged.

Galliard Homes, which recently bought the Leegate development at Lee Green, has pulled out of the project.

Faraday Works render

Richard Upton, the chief executive of U+I, said: “Shortly after submitting the application in late 2019, 37 Bowater Road was designated Grade II Listed by Historic England, the only building on site planned for replacement. As a result, U+I are bringing forward revised proposals for the site, that retain much of the ambition and ethos of the previous scheme, and centre the restoration of the historic buildings as a key piece of the Faraday Works story.

“We agree that Charlton Riverside needs to be truly unique and distinctive, with the site’s heritage being a key component of that identity. Our ambition is an exemplar heritage-led scheme, featuring new homes, retail and employment spaces, all wrapped in beautiful public realm. This will deliver space for 800 jobs and around 380 new homes.

“37 Bowater Road will be sensitively restored and adapted along with all of the other existing buildings on site. The building will feature commercial and light industrial uses on the ground floor, and residential above, where unusually high ceilings and large open floorplates will create stunning new heritage apartments.

Faraday Works render

“We also want to reflect some of the legacy of engineering innovation on this site through contemporary additions and extension. We are pleased that the key move of cantilevered roof extensions to 37 Bowater Road has been supported by Historic England and the Design Review Panel in early consultation.

“Over previous public consultations, and through extensive discussions with our neighbours, we’ve listened to and learned from their feedback, and we’re once again asking for input in order to create an exemplar London neighbourhood.”

Faraday Works render

Residents can visit faradayworks.com to find out more, while there will also be a chance to talk to the developers over Zoom on Thursday, with in-person tours of the site on 15 and 17 June.

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Angerstein Wharf rail crossing closure: Work to improve alternative route, MP tells Network Rail

Darryl Chamberlain
Angerstein Wharf crossing gate
Gates were recently placed on the crossing

Network Rail needs to outline why it is closing the foot crossing across the Angerstein Wharf branch line – and should help improve the alternative route to Westcombe Park station, local MP Matt Pennycook has said.

The track company announced on Wednesday that it would be closing the footpath across the freight railway, two years after it pulled back from an earlier decision to remove the link, which is used by Charlton residents to reach Westcombe Park station. Network Rail says the unstaffed crossing, one of just a handful in London, is unsafe.

News of the closure was greeted with anger by locals on Wednesday, and Pennycook said on social media that Network Rail needed to do more to explain just why it had to close the path, which links Fairthorn Road in Charlton with Farmdale Road in east Greenwich and a footbridge to Westcombe Park. He also called for improvements to the alternative route, a narrow footpath under the dingy Woolwich Road railway bridge.

Woolwich Road
The dingy alternative route after dark

“The decision to close the Angerstein Wharf foot crossing without a replacement pedestrian link at the same location is deeply disappointing,” he said. “Network Rail must fully explain their reasoning and work with the local community to improve the alternative route to the A102 footbridge.”

Network Rail told The Charlton Champion on Wednesday that the crossing was the most dangerous in its Kent region, citing “many incidents where drivers of trains had to apply their emergency brakes to avoid people on the track”.

But neighbours responded with scepticism. “Maximum 2 trains a day travelling at 5mph. If there are safety issues, then surely a proper crossing or a tunnel would be the answer,” said one Twitter user; another, Ben Marshall, said: “This is madness. Primary school students having to navigate the perilous single file path on Woolwich Road is the real safety risk.”

Network Rail says it will consult with the local community about an alternative route before it closes the path, which opened as a route for farm workers in the 1850s. Two years ago, over 2,000 people signed a petition against the closure.

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Angerstein Wharf rail crossing will close after all, Network Rail confirms

Darryl Chamberlain3 Comments
Angerstein crossing family
The crossing has been a local landmark since the 1850s

Charlton Champion exclusive: Network Rail has said it plans to close the foot crossing at the Angerstein Wharf branch line after all, two years after backing away from initial plans to block off the much-used link.

The historic crossing, one of the last of its kind left in London, connects residents in and near Fairthorn Road, Charlton, with Farmdale Road in east Greenwich and a footbridge over the A102 to Westcombe Park station.

Network Rail originally planned to close the crossing in 2019 as part of a resignalling programme, but it was met with a huge outcry from local residents, councillors, and the local MP Matt Pennycook, with over 2,000 people signing a petition.

The track company announced a review of the plans and apologised to local residents for not giving enough notice.

The crossing, originally built for farm workers in the 1850s, has grown in importance in recent years with the development of new housing on the old Thorn Lighting site between Victoria Way and Fairthorn Road. The newer Synergy development, which welcomed its first residents last year, offering a direct link to Gurdon Road and the crossing.

Many of these homes overlook the Greenwich railway line and are within sight of Westcombe Park station, but no provision was made to improve access to the station with residents left to depend on the foot crossing.

Network Rail, which has recently installed gates at the crossing, said the number of incidents on the line – which regularly sees freight trains to heading to Angerstein Wharf on the Thames – meant it had to act.

Fiona Taylor, Network Rail’s route director for Kent, told The Charlton Champion: “We have announced today our intention to close Angerstein level crossing near Charlton due to the safety risk it poses to users, passengers and our rail colleagues. Angerstein crossing is currently registered as the most dangerous of nearly 350 level crossings which we operate in Kent, with many incidents where drivers of trains had to apply their emergency brakes to avoid people on the track.

“The closure will not be immediate, and we will be in close communication with the local community about the alternative route which is chosen. We understand that many residents will be disappointed by this closure but their safety and that of passengers and rail colleagues is our priority.”

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Charlton Athletic’s Alan Curbishley Stand takes shape at The Valley

Darryl Chamberlain
Alan Curbishley Stand
The stand will be formally unveiled in August

The Valley’s East Stand is no more – as of today it bears the name of one of Charlton Athletic’s most successful managers.

With the Addicks’ season now over, work was nearing competition this afternoon on renaming the East Stand after Alan Curbishley, who led the club into the Premier League in 1998 and again in 2000.

The South Stand has long been named after Jimmy Seed, the man who transformed the Addicks into a footballing force in the 1930s and won the FA Cup as manager in 1947. Earlier this year, fans launched a petition to have the East Stand – the first to be built after the club returned to The Valley in 1992 – named after Curbishley.

Now 63, Curbishley spent two spells at the club as a midfielder in the 1980s and 1990s, and managed the side between 1991 and 2006. He also played for and managed West Ham United, and played at both Aston Villa and Birmingham City as well as Brighton and Hove Albion.

But it was in his 15 years as Charlton manager that he achieved his greatest successes, winning the first division play-off final in 1998. While the team were relegated from the Premier League the following season, Charlton then won the division in 2000, leading to a seven-year Premier League stay.

The club announced six weeks ago that the stand would be named after him, marking 30 years since he first became manager.

At the time, Curbishley told the club website that he was “stunned” to hear the news. “When I was told, I started thinking about other people that have had stands named after them – both players and managers,” he said. I know that Billy Bonds and Trevor Booking have at West Ham – they were delighted when the stands were named after them. Then you’ve got Alex Ferguson and Kenny Dalglish – there are not a lot of people who have had stands named after them, for me to be one of them is a great honour.”

Local residents getting their Covid-19 vaccinations at The Valley have been able to see a sneak preview of the the new signage – but the official unveiling is not due to be until August, when the Addicks have their first home game.

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Queen tribute show for 1,700 set to come to The Valley in September

Darryl Chamberlain

The Valley
The Valley is set to host a Queen tribute show in September

Early plans for a Queen tribute show for 1,700 people to take place in September have been outlined by Charlton Athletic in a letter sent to local residents.

The show would be the first concert to take place at The Valley since Elton John played there 15 years ago. This would be a much smaller affair, with a far lower crowd than most football matches there.

While there are a number of Queen shows doing the rounds, the club have told The Charlton Champion that this will feature a West End cast and be produced by Squareleg Promotions. The event would run from 5pm to 10.15pm.

The club has set up a Zoom call on Wednesday at noon to discuss its plans with local residents – to join, email events[at]cafc.co.uk.

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No date for review of Charlton CPZ – 18 months after Greenwich Council consultation

Darryl Chamberlain
parking sign
A consultation into parking restrictions closed in December 2019

No decision has been made on reviewing Charlton’s controlled parking zone, a year and a half after Greenwich Council ran a consultation into whether any changes should be made to the scheme.

Strictly speaking, all of Charlton has been in a controlled parking zone for more than two decades, but only selected streets close to the station require parking permits, with the last changes being made in 2007.

Since then, the expansion of the Bugsby’s Way retail strip and increased use of sat-nav apps by drivers have been followed an increase in traffic on side roads, with frequent complaints about streets just outside the permit zones being used for long-term parking by drivers who live elsewhere to dodge the charges. Residential permits cost £107, business permits cost £428.

In December 2019, Greenwich Council launched a consultation into revising the scheme – but a decision has yet to be made on whether to look again at which streets need permits this year.

A council spokesperson told The Charlton Champion: “An informal consultation was carried out on the Charlton Controlled Parking Zone to review the existing parking controls and investigate whether any changes to the zone should be proposed. We are in the process of agreeing which parking schemes will be progressed this financial year.

“One of these is a formal consultation on the Charlton CPZ. We do not have a date for when this decision will be made, but if we do propose a new scheme for Charlton we will notify all residents in the area so they can take part in a formal consultation.”

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