“One of the key proposals in this planning document is the downgrading of Woolwich Road.”

Antony Rifkin, Director at Allies and Morrison Urban Practitioners

On Monday evening residents gathered in the Valley’s boardroom to view the presentation of the Charlton Riverside master-plan. Speaking at the exhibition were Allied and Morrison Urban Practitioners who’ve recently been working on plans for Southend, Lewisham, Bexleyheath and the Olympic legacy programme.

There wasn’t much for them to add that wasn’t already in the document but points were raised with questions from the public.

Discussions included ensuring Charlton riverside complemented the rest of Charlton. Better access to the river was touted and a green bridge that would link Maryon Park with Barrier Park. Concerns were raised that the arts scene that has shown signs of life in the area wouldn’t survive as rents increased. There was also a hint of embarrassment when one resident pointed out that the views of All Saints’ Church in Blackheath (proudly highlighted in the document) was actually St. John the Evangelist.

What the presentation did highlight which wasn’t apparent in the master-plan is that they’re hoping that the western part of Woolwich Road (from the Antigallican onwards) can be downgraded from and its A-road status.

This seems to be key to unlocking the barrier of Woolwich Road and join a more penetrable retail park onto the rest of Charlton.

The road looks set to have more crossings, better furnishings, broader pavements and more pleasant surroundings. Which will surely mean alterations to Charlton’s major traffic intersection and the re-routing of traffic along Bugsby’s Way.

The consultation period is set to end on the 9th of March and there’s one more exhibition at Woolwich Library on Saturday 3 March (10am-2pm).

A piece of Charlton scrubland currently used for dumping litter could be turned into a community garden. Charlton resident, Judy Wolfram, has set her sights on the land behind Our Lady of Grace School and opposite Highcombe allotments.

Anyone interested in hearing more about the proposal should go to the open meeting on Monday 6th February at St Richard’s Hall in Swallowfield Road at 7.30pm.

The land was once the playing field for the old St Austin’s school, which became Christ the King sixth form college, before it moved to Lewisham in the early 1990s. The school site was sold for housing, but the old playing field is owned by the Catholic Diocesan Board for Education and has stood empty for nearly 20 years.

Judy hopes that an interim committee can be established at this meeting that can begin the task of obtaining the land.

People will also be welcome to share their visions for the space and discuss what features the garden should have. They’ll be looking at what start-up costs are needed and the level of security required.

There’s also the option of involving local schools and groups. At least one primary school in the area has already shown an interest in integrating the garden into their curriculum.

So, if you can give up a little time or just excited at the prospect of a community garden – pop along.

Traffic will be banned from crossing Woolwich Common via Ha Ha Road for two periods this spring and summer as it gets ready to host the shooting events at the London Olympics.

The road will be closed at the Charlton Park Lane junction from 7 July to 19 September, to allow it to become part of the Olympic and Paralympic venue which is currently under construction.

But it will also be shut from 15 April to 7 May for the ISSF World Cup, a test event expected to attract more competitors than the shooting contests at the Games.

Unlike some of the other Olympic test events, no tickets are going on sale for the ISSF World Cup, which will give Olympics organisers the chance to finesse their plans for the temporary venue. LOCOG recently took control of the site from the Olympic Delivery Authority.

Repository Road, which runs through Woolwich barracks, will also be closed to traffic for several hours each day while the site is operational, and bus route 486 is to be diverted via Cemetery Lane and Charlton Park Lane.

Some 3,000 people are expected to attend the events at Woolwich Common each day, and they will be directed to an entrance at the eastern end of Ha Ha Road, at the junction of Grand Depot Road. The junction with Charlton Park Lane will be used as an access point for athletes and staff, in an arrangement agreed with Queen Elizabeth Hospital. Some parking spaces on Charlton Park Lane, which is part of the Olympic Route Network, will be relocated onto the pavement.

As well as the shooting event, Woolwich Common will also play host to the Paralympic archery competition. Changes to parking arrangements will be made across a wide area, with parking bays requiring free permits to deter Olympic visitors from driving to the venues.

Meanwhile, Charlton station will see shuttle buses leave for the O2 – rechristened the North Greenwich Arena for the Games – every four minutes during gymnastics and basketball events. The shuttles are not expected to interfere with the current 486 service, although it is not expected that ordinary commuters will be able to use them.

The busiest days for the North Greenwich Arena are expected to come at the beginning of the gymnastics contest, with 16,000 spectators due on 28 and 29 July for each of three sessions. The rest of the O2/NGA will function as normal during the Olympics, although visitors will have to use one of 43 search lanes to be installed in Peninsula Square before they can access the bars, restaurants and cinema.

Further details on the North Greenwich Arena plans, as well as parking across the wider area, can be found at an exhibition at Ravensbourne college, behind North Greenwich station, on Friday between noon-8pm and Saturday between 10am-4pm.

The Greenwich Skatepark Co-Op has been in touch about its plans to build a skate park on the green space at Eastmoor Street, close to the Thames Barrier. It would replace the current facility by the Thames at Woolwich, which is due to be taken over for Crossrail works. Secretary Ashleigh Marsh explains…

“We are applying for funding from sources including Sport England and the Mayor’s Fund, and your support can help us to achieve enough to make sure Greenwich at last has a quality skatepark. The Woolwich skatepark is underused due to its outdated design, with poor surfaces and resulting maintenance problems, and our young people who cannot easily travel across London need somewhere local to develop their skills. If we maximise our fundraising success, we can aim to build a skatepark as good as any in London, to gain a lasting legacy from the Olympics for the South East London community of skaters and riders, and beyond.

“The value of a skatepark can be measured by its appeal to people who may not enjoy team sports, but like to express themselves in other challenging physical activities. A professional quality skatepark will mean our young people will be able to progress from beginners to the highest levels in a positive atmosphere of skill sharing, bringing cultures and generations together. Seeing what visiting professionals and teams can do will be inspirational.

“Our members share many years of skateboarding experience and community work. We will make sure that the new park is designed and built to last by specialists, and will work with the Council to make sure it is well looked after. We are planning to run events such as competitions and summer schools to make sure this opportunity will give maximum benefit to the community. We are in touch with the Greenwich BMX Club, at the Hornfair racing track, and their riders would also welcome a concrete park, with more scope for different techniques.”

The co-op also hopes to build links with The Reach climbing wall and The Raceway go-kart centre, both of which are nearby. A planning application is due in the next fortnight, and construction could start this summer if funds are in place.

You’ll be pleased to hear the lottery-funded Charlton Reminiscence Project is in full swing. After a successful first open day back in October it’s now time for a second event.

Charlton House will once again open its doors for people to come a share a story about one of Charlton’s parks. This time they are inviting school children to take part so the event will take place on the weekdays of the 1st and 2nd of February. You can browse through maps and old photos that have already been collected but they’re always on the look out for more. Lots of information and interviews have already been recorded, including one from the day that Maryon Park opened in 1909.

There’s more exciting news, the website for this project is due to go live at the start of February – so watch this space….

Thanks to Paul for getting in touch with this warning:

I live on the far side of Charlton Park, and the reason I am writing is that recently there have been a few attacks or muggings in the park.

The police are aware of this and one recent case involved my next door neighbour’s son. He was beaten up by a couple of teenagers who got off the 53 bus and followed him into the park to steal his iPhone.

The police got footage of them at the entrance of the park but there was no CCTV in the park itself to capture images of a quite violent attack.

Surely this highlights a clear need to have CCTV in the park. I am pretty sure that if people knew there was no CCTV in there they would think twice about walking through it at night. On the other hand maybe if thugs, young or old, knew this they might be more audacious in their attacks.

Sounds nasty. It does seem strange that there’s CCTV at the busier end of the park, but none at the other where you’d expect wrongdoers to make their getaway through quieter streets. The park’s open 24 hours a day and forms a vital cut-through for people who live around Canberra Road and Charlton Park Lane, so it does sound like they need better protection. I wonder what our local representatives have to say?

You may not know – they had very little budget with which to promote themselves, even before the recent police cuts – that the local police safer neighbourhood teams hold occasional “street surgeries” and drop-in sessions to listen to concerns like this, although unfortunately they’re held while most people are at work.

Around Charlton Park, Kidbrooke with Hornfair ward, which now has to share a sergeant with the adjoining Blackheath Westcombe ward, has one tomorrow (Weds 7th) at 2.30pm outside the Big Plate Cafe on Shooters Hill Road. The Charlton ward team are holding a drop-in surgery at the Charlton Triangle Homes office at Cedar Court, Cherry Orchard Estate at 4pm on Wednesday 14th December.

Covering the north of Charlton, there are also teams for Peninsula and Woolwich Riverside wards.