One of Charlton Village’s best-loved shops could be demolished if plans to extend the block next door are given the go-ahead.
The Victorian building at 33 The Village has been empty since the Bowes shoe shop closed nearly seven years ago. Now a developer – whose name is given only as Mr Boyraz – wants to knock it down to expand the row of shops to the west, which themselves have recently undergone redevelopment.
Boyraz wants to build a new shop on the ground floor with two 2-bedroom flats and two studio flats to match the block next door. “The property is in a bad condition thus demolition will be more suitable,” planning documents submitted to Greenwich Council say, adding that it is significantly smaller than its neighbours.
Bowes was one of the last remaining traditional shops
“The proposed new building will be stepped back thus in line with no 25-31 and it will carry on the architectural elements and materials of said building,” it adds. “The result will be a continuous design and a better proportioned building to fill the gap between no 31 and 35.”
Bowes was one of the last remaining traditional shops in The Village but closed its doors for the last time at Christmas 2015. The building was bought for £265,000 in April this year, according to the Land Registry.
The White Swan closed in March 2020 and still displays Six Nations rugby paraphernalia
The property developer that owns the closed White Swan pub is applying to Greenwich Council to convert the first floor into two flats.
Isle of Man-based Mendoza Ltd claims that it is “common to have residential units above a public house” and insists that the proposal would not affect the viability of the pub, which would be restricted to the ground floor and beer garden.
The company, which bought the freehold from Punch Taverns for £900,000 in 2015, won planning permission nearly two years ago to build a house on part of the beer garden after a casting vote from the council’s then-chair of planning, Stephen Brain.
However, despite submitting proposals that would have seen the house completed in October last year, work on the house has not started.
A marketing assessment from Jenkins Law, which had been marketing the pub on behalf of Mendoza, describes Charlton as “a densely-populated affluent suburb” and falsely claims that the pub ceased trading in November 2019.
The Charlton and Woolwich Free Film Festival were regular users of the pub’s upstairs rooms
Jenkins Law says the pub was initially on the market at £50,000 per year before being reduced to £40,000 per year. The company says four potential occupiers viewed the pub but concluded the area did not have enough footfall and that they would struggle to compete with the nearby Bugle Horn.
It is “unrealistic for the property to continue in community use”, Jenkins Law said.
Losing the upper floor would mean a reopened pub would be unable to host events such as the Charlton and Woolwich Film Festival, which regularly used its function room; while the upstairs bar frequently accommodated fans after Charlton Athletic matches.
It took Mendoza four attempts to get permission to build the house, and now the developer has shown its hand a similar lengthy tussle could now begin.
In July, Greenwich Council began an investigation after plasterwork collapsed from the ceiling of the Swan. Neither Glasshouse Asset Management, Mendoza’s property agent, not ECF, which was looking after the company’s communications, responded to a request for comment at the time.
The application can be seen on Greenwich Council’s planning website, where comments can also be left. Comments can also be sent to planning[at]royalgreenwich.gov.uk, citing reference 22/2746/F.
About 170 people run and walk around Charlton Park every Saturday morning
It’s nearly a year since parkrun first came to Charlton – and since then well over 700 people have signed up for a regular Saturday morning five-kilometre run or walk around Charlton Park.
More than 2,700 people have come from near and far to take part, and just as importantly, more than 230 people have volunteered – helping to marshal, setting the course up, welcoming newcomers, timekeeping or making sure all the finishers are counted.
It’s not just locals that take part – Charlton parkrun has become a draw for people from across London and far beyond. On a typical day, 171 people will finish the three-lap course.
The parkun team will mark their first anniversary on Saturday 1 October – but if you haven’t done it before, there’s no need to wait for your first time as they’ll be in the park ready for 9am tomorrow morning.
Through the gate at the Meridian Road end of the park…
LINDA BOSCIC, one of Charlton parkrun’s event directors, explains what it’s about and why you should give it a go…
On 2 October 2021, 330 runners and walkers and 34 volunteers turned up just before 9am to take part in the first ever parkrun to be held in Charlton Park.
Since that amazing day, every Saturday morning come rain or shine a team of about 20 volunteers will arrive from 8.15am – depending on their role – to set up the course and wait for the walkers, joggers and runners to arrive for the 9am start.
Once the tail walker – a volunteer who is always the last person to cross the finish line – completes the course, the volunteers complete the close down and put away the kit ready for the next Saturday.
It’s then over to the Old Cottage café for coffee, maybe some breakfast and a chat with participants new and old. It’s always supporting and welcoming, regardless of whether it’s your first time or 51st time.
Parkrun is a free 5k walk or run around your local park every Saturday morning (come at 8.45am if you’re doing it for the first time). Sign up at www.parkrun.org.uk/register, where you’ll be allocated a unique barcode which you can either print or download to your smartphone.
You then turn up on Saturday morning with your barcode in time for the run director’s briefing, ready to start at 9am. On completing the three laps of the course you are given a parkrun barcode with a position number on it. You then walk over one of our scanner volunteers who will scan the token and keep it, then they scan your barcode, which you keep.
What parkrun is not is a race – it’s an opportunity to walk or run in your local park with others from your local community, staying active and healthy, making new friends or helping to make the event happen by volunteering, because without the volunteers the event would not happen. We have people completing the event in anywhere from 16 minutes to 1 hour with an average time of 28 minutes across all ages from under-11s (who must be with an adult) to over-80s.
If you’ve never done a parkrun before, then either come and talk to us one Saturday morning and see what it’s all about, or just come and take part – simply let one of the team know it’s your first time and you will be welcomed into the parkrun family.
Charlton parkrun takes place every Saturday morning in Charlton Park at 9am. Visit www.parkrun.org.uk/charlton for more information.
The Victoria in 2018. It has suffered further damage since
Updated story: Developers who are turning the derelict Victoria pub on Woolwich Road into a pizza takeaway have said they will keep its famous spread eagle in place at the front of the building – but hide another eagle motif at the site of the pub.
Zaan Group, a Domino’s Pizza franchise based in Gillingham, Kent, won planning permission in 2019 to refurbish the long-closed pub as a takeaway and build a single flat at the rear of the building.
The pub, on Woolwich Road, is thought to have closed in the 1990s and is now a burnt-out shell. But its exterior has survived, including a spread eagle motif for east London’s Truman brewery over the entrance, helping make the building a local landmark.
Developers have told Greenwich Council that this eagle will stay…
Neither proposal went to a planning meeting so developers were not questioned in public about their proposals. Under Greenwich’s rules, eight people need to get in contact with concerns, or local councillors can call a scheme in for scrutiny, but neither happened for The Victoria.
A report elsewhere, published the same day that the details appeared on the council website, and accompanying social media posts implied that this meant the developer was removing the much-loved feature.
But Greenwich Council has told The Charlton Champion that the developer intends to keep the eagle over the door – and has been asked to update its drawings to reassure residents.
However, a second eagle insignia, at the side of the pub, is due to be hidden beneath Domino’s signage under the developers’ plans. The building is on the council’s local heritage list, which mentions both eagle motifs.
…however, the eagle at the side is due to be hidden
A Greenwich spokesperson said: “The council is currently considering a submission of details application for the former Victoria pub in Charlton.
“The applicant has confirmed that its planning proposal seeks to retain the eagle motif at the front of the building, along with the existing fascia sign, but it does not include plans to retain the eagle motif at the side of the building.
“We have asked the applicant to provide new architect’s drawings that include these important details and to avoid any further confusion.”
Sam Bowman, of Sittingbourne-based Beau Architecture, which submitted the application to the council, told The Charlton Champion: “The existing signage and Eagle Motif is to be retained. Any existing signage is to remain in situ and preserved beneath any new signage proposed as per the attached.”
Plans indicate that construction would take 74 weeks, suggesting that work is unlikely to be finished until well into 2024 at the earliest.
Revised drawings show the spread eagle in place
While the submission of detailed plans indicate progress with the plan, they still do not guarantee the development will happen: the owner of the White Swan submitted similar details for the house it wants to build on part of its beer garden last year, but construction has not yet begun.
Alternatively, comments can be sent to planningapps[at]royalgreenwich.gov.uk citing reference 22/2493/SD.
Residents in the new Charlton Village and Riverside ward who contact the planning department may also want to contact their local councillors if they have concerns about the development.
Story updated to include comment from Beau Architecture and new drawing.
The White Swan has been unused since March 2020. Six Nations rugby flags are still on display
Greenwich Council is investigating after part of the ceiling appeared to have collapsed at the White Swan pub, which is owned by property developers and has been closed for more than two years.
The council says it is looking into the issue after reports that people were seen moving into the upper floor of the pub amid fears that it could be being deliberately damaged.
While the town hall says it accepts that someone may live on site for security purposes, its inspectors were due to visit on Monday to look at the situation.
A quantity of plaster has fallen from the ceiling into the bar, which has not been used since March 2020. The pub closed just before the first lockdown, after a lengthy battle to pay the rent demanded by the Isle of Man-based property developer Mendoza, which bought the freehold from Punch Taverns for £900,000 in 2015.
Plaster has fallen into the area by the women’s toilet
A Greenwich Council spokesperson told The Charlton Champion on Monday evening: “We received a complaint in February 2021 about the space above the pub being used for residential purposes. Following investigation at the time we established that there was a pre-existing occupied flat there but that this was lawful and helpful in deterring any unauthorised entry and occupation.
“The ground floor at that time was not occupied for residential use. The officer concluded that there was no breach of planning control and records show no enforcement cases have been opened since then.
“Planning enforcement officers were due to seek to gain access today to inspect the premises following this report.”
It is not known whether a visit took place or if council officers could gain access.
Glasshouse Asset Management, Mendoza’s property agent, and ECF, which was looking after the company’s communications, have not responded to a request for comment.
Thomas Sandgaard hopes concerts will bring crowds to The Valley
Charlton Athletic’s owner Thomas Sandgaard has revealed that The Valley could stage large concerts next summer – the first since 2006.
The Danish-American businessman revealed his plans to put the stadium back on the musical map in an interview with Masthead, a magazine published by the South East London Chamber of Commerce.
The Valley’s last big gig was a performance by Elton John 16 years ago, but back in the 1970s, the stadium – which then boasted the vast East Terrace – hosted two huge shows by The Who, drawing tens of thousands of fans. The second concert, in May 1976 with The Sensational Alex Harvey Band and Little Feat among the support acts, was recorded as the world’s loudest, with the sound reaching 120 decibels.
Any new show will not be as big and is very unlikely to be as loud – but Sandgaard, a rock musician who has written his own song for Charlton, Addicks to Victory, told the magazine he was looking forward to hosting the shows.
“This fits in with my background and I am really excited that we will stage some great events at The Valley,” told the magazine.
Sandgaard bought Charlton nearly two years ago after a turbulent spell under the eccentric Belgian businessman Roland Duchâtelet, whose botched sale to the East Street Investments consortium nearly put the club out of business. Duchâtelet still owns The Valley as well as the club’s training ground in New Eltham.
Sandgaard – who owns the hospital equipment company Zynex Medical – told Masthead that he saw Charlton as a “turnaround challenge”.
“In many ways a football club is like any other business,” he said. “I have been involved with many turnarounds before. It is about getting the right people on board and the right culture in place.”
Fans will get a chance to see Garner’s team at The Valley on Saturday when they play Swansea City in a friendly, with tickets on sale now.
This season The Charlton Champion will carry reporter Kevin Nolan‘s dispatches from selected home games, beginning with the match against Derby County on August 6.
The Charlton Champion 