Police have sealed off the back of Barney Close while they wait for him to come down.
All London-bound trains have been diverted, though some Kent-bound services are inching past the scene.
Here are some photos taken at about 6pm. Paramedics were seen walking to the scene at about 6.50pm and the British Transport Police tweeted that it hoped to “have things back to normal as soon as possible”.
Charlton Champion reader Susie Goss has been in touch with concerns about a planning application to turn the shut-down Conservative Club on Charlton Church Lane into a number of houses and flats:
After a recent successful application to reduce the size of Charlton’s Liberal Club and turn the remainder of the site into flats, neighbours have now received notification of a drastic planning application which would see the Charlton Conservative Club, just a few doors away, demolished.
The plans, which would see the site flattened and replaced by six three-bedroom social houses and 10 flats for the commercial market, have caused horror amongst some local residents. Not only would an attractive building, which previously provided a social space in the area, be lost, but neighbours feel that the proposed development would completely overshadow existing homes and their gardens.
Without doubt the Conservative Club, which closed its doors in August 2013, needs care and attention to bring it back to life in some form but this application is a radical and unwelcome proposal for many local residents.
The project appears to be entirely financially motivated and shows little care or consideration for existing residents or the wider community.
The proposals show a large block facing Charlton Church Lane with homes squeezed in behind them on what’s now the back yard of the former club. With the Liberal Club downsizing, there’ll soon be a lack of community space on that stretch of Charlton Church Lane – is this plan for the Conservative Club the right one?
The green bridge over the A11 at Mile End Park (picture: Tower Hamlets Council) There’s been some talk over the years about a possible “green bridge” over Woolwich Road – effectively, a park which would run over the A206 between Maryon Park and Barrier Park, the small green space opposite.
The concept of a ‘green bridge’ linking Maryon Park to an enlarged Barrier Park and the river beyond has been around for some time. Yet despite a number of supportive references in the Council’s Charlton Riverside Masterplan, there is no guarantee it will be realised.
There is widespread recognition that the busy and fast-moving stretch of the Woolwich Road between the Antigallican and Warspite Road presents a significant barrier to improved connectivity between Charlton and the river, but nothing that requires it to be overcome through the construction of a green bridge.
Yet the case for such a bridge is strong. An attractive green bridge would provide the majority of local residents that live on the southern side of Woolwich Road with a strong, safe, and environmentally beneficial link that would also expand opportunities for the pupils of nearby Windrush Charlton Primary to more easily utilise the beautiful settings of nearby Maryon Park and Maryon Wilson Park.
Securing such a bridge will be a challenge, not least in securing sufficient funding to cover its cost, but it’s clear from the conversations I’ve had with local residents over recent months that the idea is incredibly popular. To bring the idea a step closer to realisation we need to show that it has strong support in the community.
That’s why I’ve launched a petition calling on the Council to do all it can to ensure that a green bridge linking Maryon Wilson Park and an enlarged Barrier Park is built as part of any future development in the area.
I hope you’ll consider signing and supporting the campaign.
Thanks to Matt for writing for us. What do you think of the idea? Share your thoughts below…
A campaign for Charlton to get its own community council will launch at the Horn Fayre in Charlton Park on Sunday – and you’re very welcome to come along and find out what it’s all about. Other events are due to be held later in the year.
As reported here in January, the Charlton Society has been given some funding to explore the idea of a community council- the level of local government closest to residents. They’re common in the rest of England, and new laws mean they can now be introduced in London.
The first community council in London, in Queen’s Park, north-west London, was elected in May.
In Charlton, a community council could work with Greenwich Council and other bodies to attract funding and bring lasting improvements to the local area.
Councillors would be volunteers, and a council would be non-party political.
Campaigners need one in 10 SE7 residents to sign a petition to get the process of starting a community council under way.
Since January, the idea’s had some local press coverage, and some of the people who responded to that have been meeting in recent months to work out just what a council would be for, and what the next steps should be.
Now the It’s Your Charlton campaign has launched a website, and will have a stall on Sunday to explain what it’s all about.
The theory is that a community council would bring decision-making closer to you. There would be a cost – the Queen’s Park council is charging an extra £3.70 per month on Band D council tax bills – but a community council would be able to apply for grants and other funding, so that money could go much further.
All this would depend on who gets elected – would you consider standing? Or do you have skills you could lend the community council campaign?
It’s a big issue, and there’s a lot of work to be done yet – but you can be among the first to find out more at the Horn Fayre (that’s the Charlton Park one) from 11am to 4pm this Sunday.
Now Greenwich Council is planning to build one in Charlton Park with £365,000 of money from Berkeley Homes, given on the condition that the park is built within two miles of Woolwich.
Two sites in Charlton Park are being considered; one next to the children’s play area on the north side of the park, the other in the corner next to the junction of Charlton Park Lane and Cemetery Lane.
Council officers also looked at sites in Barrier Park, the north side of Maryon Park and at Hornfair Park, but recommended against using these. No sites outside Charlton feature in the report to be presented to the council’s cabinet on Wednesday.
Hornfair Park already has a BMX track but council officers dismiss the site, saying it is the furthest away from Woolwich.
“Among the other disadvantages of this site are that it is less well-connected to Woolwich than the other sites by bus, and is the furthest from a national rail or Underground station. It is also very close to a residential area, from which there is direct access. There are no public toilets on site,” the report says, adding there is a risk it “may not be well-used”.
The report says of Charlton Park: “The infrastructure needed to support it is largely in place which would minimise revenue costs. There is continuity in having a skateboard park in proximity to other outdoor sports facilities, adding to the appeal of Charlton Park as a centre for recreation and sporting activities. Moreover, there is a choice of locations within the Charlton Park, proving some flexibility to adapt proposals in response to consultation.”
The site at Charlton Park Lane is away from homes – opposite Meridian Sports Club – but is popular with local dog owners and is across the other side of the park from the mini-gym and other facilities. There’s been no consultation on the issue so far, but one would begin if the council’s cabinet backs the scheme, which envisages work starting at the end of 2015.
What do you think? Should there be a skate park in Charlton Park? Is there a more suitable location?
Let us know your views (and your councillors might want to know, too.)
NHS Greenwich Clinical Commissioning Group is currently consulting on the future of urgent care services in the borough. It’s holding a session at Charlton House on 30 July – you’d be very welcome to come along…
The Charlton Champion 