Charlton – Page 17 – The Charlton Champion

Network Rail scraps plans to close Angerstein Wharf foot crossing

September 15, 2021June 19, 2023Darryl Chamberlain3 Comments

Angerstein crossing family — The crossing has been a local landmark since the 1850s

Charlton Champion exclusive: Plans to close Angerstein Wharf foot crossing have been cancelled by Network Rail, people who live close to the branch line will be told at a meeting this evening.

The historic crossing over a single-track freight line, 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 had initially planned to close the crossing in 2019 as part of a resignalling programme. But it faced a wave of opposition from local residents and Matt Pennycook, the local MP, and the track company backed away and announced a review of the proposal.

About 675 people use the crossing each day, and they would have been expected to reroute via Woolwich Road had the crossing been closed.

When the proposal was revived in May, Network Rail claimed that the crossing was the most dangerous in its Kent region. However, The Charlton Champion revealed two months later that this claim was false – and there were actually 33 other crossings that were more dangerous.

Network Rail amended its claim to state that the crossing was the most dangerous in south-east London – however, there are no other crossings like it in south-east London.

News that the closure has been cancelled emerged in an email from Matt Pennycook to those involved in the campaign to save the crossing.

“It would appear that, as a result of the collective pressure we exerted, an independent review was commissioned by Network Rail which concluded that there are sufficient grounds in this case to disapply the national algorithm that the organisation uses to determine safety risk at individual crossings,” Pennycook said.

“As such, Network Rail are content to treat Angerstein as an exception to their general policy vis-à-vis such crossing closures.”

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 Bowen Drive development off Victoria Way, which welcomed its first residents last year, offers a direct link to Gurdon Road and the crossing.

Network Rail has been contacted for comment. It is due to hold a meeting with neighbours this evening to discuss the findings of its review.

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Mamma Mia! Charlton’s Abba musical can’t go ahead unless men come forward

September 8, 2021June 19, 2023The Charlton Champion

Mamma Mia film promo pic — Want to follow in the footsteps of these chaps?

The new Charlton Village Theatre group is planning to stage the Abba musical Mamma Mia! in November to raise funds to help restore the roof of Charlton House. Their auditions on Sunday went well – but not enough men turned up.

And without men to fill the roles, there can be no musical. GWEN ZAMMIT appeals for help…

Mamma Mia! needs some more fellas please. We still have to find two dads for Sophie, aged 40+. They are not very big parts and are mostly one-liners. We also need two friends of Sky, Sophie’s bridegroom, 18+. Again not massive parts.

We attempt to not waste people’s time at rehearsals and try to plan so you either do not have to attend every rehearsal or you are only needed for a specific time.

Our “crowd” is also a bit small. We need even more males as well as a few more females for singing in the chorus.

Without the above, we cannot start the production because, although small, they are key parts. So come on please help us out – you will have fun! The four performances are scheduled for November 26th, 27th and 28th at The Assembly Rooms, The Village, Charlton. Dress rehearsal: Sunday, 21st November for everyone.

Please ‘bell’ me on 020 8856 7373 if you want to know more ASAP. Thanks.

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Want to star in Mamma Mia? Open auditions taking place this Sunday

September 2, 2021June 19, 2023The Charlton Champion

Mamma Mia! promo image — You might want to brush up with the film version…

Remember we mentioned plans to stage the Abba musical Mamma Mia! at the Assembly Rooms in Charlton Village? We’ve just been told that open auditions are taking place this Sunday at 5pm, at the very same Assembly Rooms.

GWEN ZAMMIT, who is putting the show together, writes…

We need, please:

3 older ladies to act and sing
3 older men to act and sing
Dancers/Singers 18 and over
3 younger ladies to act and sing
3 younger men to act and sing
Plus we also need to cover a few minor parts as well.
Candidates can sing an Abba song featured in the script and will be accompanied by our Musical Director.

We are a friendly bunch, so I am hoping whoever joins us will have a good time. Rehearsal times maybe a Friday, Monday or Tuesday evening or a Sunday pm. Depending on the availability of the hall and performers. The actual performances are: Friday 26th to Sunday 28th November 2021.

A compulsory dress rehearsal on Sunday, 21st November. Not everyone will need to attend all the rehearsals to start with as we will rehearse in sections.

For more information, call Gwen on 020 8856 7373.

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GDIF’s Mystery Bird comes to the streets of Charlton this Thursday evening

August 31, 2021June 19, 2023Darryl Chamberlain

If you’re one of those people for whom the Greenwich + Docklands International Festival always comes as a surprise each year, then you might be in for a bigger jolt this week – it’s coming to the back streets of Charlton this Thursday evening.

“Inspired by our increased awareness of nature, wildlife and birdsong during the long months of lockdown, this travelling installation in the form of a giant bird cage will roam the streets at dusk with a soundscape and video projections of birds, which will then be symbolically released to fly across the buildings, trees and landscapes of Charlton.”

“This eight-minute roaming show is primarily for local residents to view from their houses and streets.”

The Mystery Bird will be in Nigeria Road at 8.45pm, and Tallis Grove at 10pm.

It’s also in Plumstead tomorrow evening – more details on the GDIF website.

We wouldn’t normally cover an event at such short notice, and nobody at GDIF thought to tell us about it. (Otherwise we’d have told you about Family Tree, which took place at Charlton House over the weekend.)

While it’s remarkable and welcome to see the venerable festival – whose Borealis installation is attracting crowds in Greenwich – reaching out into the community, it’d be all the more effective if somebody thought to tell the same community about it in the first place.

(Got a community event coming up in Charlton? Drop us an email at charltonchampion.se7[at]gmail.com. Thank you.)

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Kevin Nolan’s Valley View: Charlton Athletic 0-2 Wigan Athletic

August 22, 2021June 19, 2023kevinnolan

Kevin Nolan's Valley View

Boos rang around The Valley yesterday as an underwhelming Charlton side lost 2-0 to Wigan. KEVIN NOLAN rakes up the painful memories of an afternoon to forget.

There were just two minutes of regulation time left when Charlton snatched defeat from the jaws, to bend a phrase, of a more than useful draw. Thanks to the brilliance of goalkeeper Craig McGillivray, they were in touching distance of a precious point; just a little more mopping up was required before, deserved or not, scoreless equality was theirs.

Visitors Wigan, unfortunately, were less than satisfied with their share of the spoils and went looking for more. Picking up Ben Amos’ clearance near the halfway line, Max Power produced a devastating cross which his skipper Tendayi Darikwa bravely headed past McGillivray at the far post. The perfect fusion of deadly delivery and efficient finish were too much for even Charlton’s defiant goalkeeper. And despite the lateness of Darikwa’s decisive strike, it arrived in an atmosphere of palpable inevitability.

The Latics were not quite finished. There was still time for substitute James McLean, harnessing the kneejerk abuse he uses as motivation, to skip through the remnants of a bedraggled home defence, smoothly round McGillivray and finish into an empty net. To the Republic of Ireland stalwart belonged the last laugh.

Wigan’s late salvo obscured the uncomfortable fact that the Addicks were second best to a side which would undoubtedly have felt the rough side of manager Leam Richardson’s tongue had they not added goals to their superiority. Which makes Nigel Adkins’ assertion that “we were knocking on the door but didn’t work their goalkeeper enough” hard to credit. Truth is his popgun-wielding attack actually failed to work Amos at all. They produced only three efforts worthy of mention, none of them on target.

The first of them featured Diallang Jaiyesimi, who fired narrowly over the bar after cutting inside Kell Watts; shortly after Jaiyesimi’s effort, full debutant Charlie Kirk made painstaking space for a low, left-footed drive which caught a gentle deflection on its way wide of the right post; Kirk then made an unseemly mess of converting the chance created for him by the strength and persistence of Jayden Stockley on the right byline. Surrounded by a posse of brawny Latics, Stockley somehow improvised an inviting cutback which Kirk haplessly miskicked.

In the home goal, meanwhile, McGillivray was a hive of industry. His busy afternoon began as a helpless spectator when Jordan Jones headed Callum Lang’s cross against his crossbar but got underway in earnest with the plunging save he made to keep out Kells’ attempt to glance Jones’ whipped free kick inside the right post. McGillivray also distinguished himself by keeping out Tom Naylor’s point blank header from another of Jones’ dangerous deliveries. After the break, his trio of outstanding saves was completed by his gymnastic response to tip Charlie Wyke’s bullet header over the bar. But his finest moment was in reacting instinctively to parry Wyke’s three-yard sure thing. The fact that Wyke was ruled offside is immaterial.

Despite Adkins’ optimistic utterances that “there is obviously a lot for us to go and work on”, he must have noticed that his disjointed side is already in a deal of trouble. Following this second home game, the locals were mutinous and repeated the accusation made at MK Dons in midweek that his players “weren’t fit to wear the shirt”. A bit harsh, perhaps, but their anger needs to be addressed. These are admittedly early days but the Addicks are already looking downwards while they lose touch with the promotion contenders escaping above them.

While hoping that the likes of Jake Forster-Caskey and Alex Gilbey will soon be available to him, the beleaguered manager is entitled to some assistance before the transfer window slams shut. His new signings, notably Kirk and newest Addick Corey Blackett-Taylor were added to a squad clearly lacking cohesion and confidence; neither of them exactly hit the ground running. Comprehensively outclassed in midfield, where Power and Jones called the tune while Darikwa, Lang and Jones provided intelligent width on the flanks, the Addicks somehow took the issue into the late stages before capitulating. For that moderate success, look no further than McGillivray’s excellence.

Elsewhere, Jaiyesimi faded after a promising start (“We knew DJ wouldn’t last more than, probably, 45 minutes” was Adkins puzzling comment) and Albie Morgan, though he worked hard, lacks the tools to be the midfield organiser his No. 10 implies. George Dobson was again disappointing, maligned veteran Ben Watson and the irrepressible Stockley Charlton’s best outfield players. They were operating in a dull team, lacking spark and, crucially, leadership. A team which, without wishing to be unduly unkind, is spectacularly uninteresting.

Promises of a five year plan heading inexorably for the Premier League and Europe have been all heard before. And as before, they were treated with long-suffering scepticism. They’ve all been heard before. The only plan which appeals to Charlton fans is one which gets them out of this depressing division. Which looks ominously unlikely this season.

Charlton: McGillivray, Gunter, Famewo, Inniss, Matthews, Dobson (Washington 73), Morgan, Watson, Kirk (Davison 90), Jaiyesimi (Blackett-Taylor 69), Stockley. Not used: Harness, Pearce, Clayden, Elewere. Booked: Jaiyesimi, Inniss, Watson.

Wigan: Amos, Watts, Naylor, Whatmough, Cousins, Power, Wyke, Keane (Humphrys 90), Jordan Jones (Massey 62), Lang
(McLean 62), Darikwa. Not used: Jamie Jones, Pearce, Edwards, Aasgard. Booked: Jordan Jones.

Attendance: 13,839 (711 visiting). Referee: Craig Hicks.

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Music for an Autumnal Evening: Charlton House roof fundraiser planned for October

August 15, 2021June 19, 2023The Charlton Champion1 Comment

A month ago, we reported that Charlton House urgently needs £1.2 million of repairs to its roof – and local fundraising is well under way. GWEN ZAMMIT is putting on a concert in October – over to her to explain more…

I am putting on a concert in aid of Charlton House, in the Old Library at 7pm on Sunday 10 October (profits for repairs to the roof of the House). The tickets are £15, to include a glass of wine or fruit juice.

The programme consists of instrumental and vocal music performed by professional and amateur musicians. It contains music to suit all tastes from classical, jazz and musical comedy, etc.

It will be a “relaxed, enjoy yourself” evening.

Tickets can be obtained by telephoning 020 8856 7373 and payments can be made by bank transfer or cheque – details given when booking.

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Faraday Works: Four per cent ‘affordable’ housing planned for Siemens factory site

August 13, 2021June 19, 2023Darryl Chamberlain

The listed block at 37 Bowater Road will have an extension placed on its roof

Revised plans for 374 homes on the site of the old Siemens factory on the Charlton-Woolwich border have been submitted – with only 15 flats available as “affordable” housing.

Developer U+I is behind the Faraday Works project to redevelop the former telecommunication works, which closed in 1968 and became an industrial estate three years later. It had originally planned to include 35 per cent “affordable” housing on the site – a catch-all term ranging from social rent to shared ownership.

But one of the buildings that was due to be demolished – 37 Bowater Road, a large block facing Barrier Gardens – has been listed by Historic England, a decision that has come at a heavy cost for the 23,000 households on Greenwich Council’s waiting list.

Now U+I says just 11 homes will be for social rent – this is more likely to be London Affordable Rent, about half of market rents and available to those on waiting lists – with only four for shared ownership; making a total of just four per cent “affordable” housing. If counted by rooms, the total rises to five per cent, as the rented and shared-ownership flats are two and three-bedroom homes.

Faraday Works render — U+I wants to turn Bowater Road into a walking and cycling area

Faraday Works — The site was a telecoms factory until 1968

The plans feature blocks of eight and ten storeys, retaining historic buildings like the currently-derelict wire factory to the north of the site, and turning Bowater Road into a pedestrian and cycle-friendly space. The saved 37 Bowater Road building will gain a roof extension and be turned into flats.

There will also be office, light industrial and community space. U+I has pointed to its Caxton Works development across the river in Canning Town, as well as the Old Vinyl Factory – the old EMI complex in Hayes, west London – as examples of what it wants to achieve.

U+I has built a similar development in Canning Town, Caxton Works

The extremely low levels of “affordable” housing are likely to make the scheme politically toxic unless funding can be found to include more subsidised housing in the development – with councillors forced to decide whether a showpiece development that will bring in employment and revitalise dilapidated historic buildings compensates for the lack of help in whittling down the waiting list.

Greenwich’s own planning policies call for 24.5 per cent of homes at London Affordable Rent, with a further 10.5 per cent of homes for shared ownership – making a total of 35 per cent “affordable” housing. In May, councillors backed the 801-home Woolwich Exchange scheme with just 19.7 per cent “affordable” housing – a proportion cut from 35 per cent to pay for the retention of Woolwich Public Market, which had also been due for demolition until Historic England stepped in to list it.

The resubmission of plans for Faraday Works is the latest step in the troubled plans to redevelop the Charlton Riverside – currently largely industrial land – into a thriving new neighbourhood with thousands of new homes. Greenwich Council’s own masterplan for the area calls for lower-rise, lower-density buildings compared with neighbouring sites on Greenwich Peninsula and the Royal Arsenal.

All three major redevelopment plans for the Charlton Riverside have been refused so far – proposals for 771 homes off Anchor and Hope Lane, with 10-storey blocks, were thrown out in 2019 and later rejected by both London mayor Sadiq Khan and a planning inspector.

But more recently two schemes closer to Faraday Works have also been rejected on height and density grounds: a nine-storey block on Eastmoor Street with 188 homes and a seven storey scheme for 67 affordable-rent flats on a plot next door.

The full, complex Faraday Works planning application can be seen on the Greenwich Council planning website, along with the separate application for listed building consent for 37 Bowater Road.

This story also appears on 853.