Good things can happen in the area when people work together…
It feels like a long time ago now, but last year we covered the launch of the Charlton Neighbourhood Forum, which aims to give residents a bigger say in the future development of Charlton – particularly with the riverside awaiting development. Earlier this year, the first big riverside development – Rockwell’s scheme for Anchor & Hope Lane – was thrown out after a residents’ campaign. CLARE LOOPS, the forum’s chair, explains why this shows the forum is needed – and how you can take part.
The monumental decision by the Secretary of State on 3rd June to refuse planning permission for the Rockwell development on the VIP Trading Estate gives testament to what can be achieved when communities work together. Charlton Together is a collective of local voices, who made the case that this development was not good enough for Charlton.
Last year, we established the Charlton Neighbourhood Forum with a view to bringing forward a neighbourhood plan for Charlton. An neighbourhood plan must legally be taken into consideration for planning applications, but is produced by the local community – both residents and businesses. The forum needs to be formally designated by Greenwich Council before we can proceed in developing a plan.
Businesses can join too. Business membership is for anyone working in Charlton. Joining provides an opportunity for the business community to have their say in future decisions about employment and business opportunities. You and your colleagues can voice your concerns and discuss your ideas for improving accessibility and trading in Charlton.
With almost half of the development area designated for employment, it is essential that all stakeholders – businesses and residents – work together to create a thriving new area in the Charlton Riverside of that we can all be proud.
If you haven’t joined the forum and want to know more about how you can be part of this exciting new community of businesses and residents, visit charltonneighbourhoodforum.org
Be part of something special, make a difference to Charlton. Join the forum today and please share this information around your networks.
Antisocial behaviour on Springfield Grove is one of the concerns mentioned
We weren’t sent anything about this, so we’re a bit late to the party, but the Met Police team in Charlton ward are asking for residents’ views on what they should be keeping out for.
If you’re not sure if you live in Charlton ward, here’s a map…
We once asked the police if they could let us know about crime alerts – so we can pass them on to you and 2,000 other readers each week, rather than you having to sign up to closed social networks – and we didn’t even get a response. So we’ve filled it in asking again. Fingers crossed.
There are also details of how to get involved with the local safer neighbourhood panel, which helps set priorities. This has been a bit of a closed-shop in the past, so it’s good to see it being opened up – if you’re interested, let them know.
The plans envisage taller blocks to the north of the site
Developer Lovell has submitted its planning application to redevelop the Morris Walk Estate on the Charlton/Woolwich border, with 766 new homes planned.
The application comes less than two weeks after the final consultation into the scheme ended. Locals will be able to have their say in the coming weeks when Greenwich Council’s planning department publishes full details of the scheme and asks for formal submissions. Lovell already has outline permission to build here, this application fills in the details.
Much of the old estate – built as 562 council homes between 1964 and 1966 – has now been demolished, although some tenants are still living in blocks to the north of the estate, off Woolwich Church Street.
Of the 766 homes promised, 177 will be for affordable rent (about half market rent) with 76 available for shared ownership. It promises “a high quality inclusive design which is sympathetic to the surrounding area, strengthening the visual connection across the rail line and providing green links to Maryon Park. The scale and form of the new buildings respond to the existing homes in the immediate context and integrate new green squares for people to meet and play.”
The company plans to build a mixture of one, two, three and four-bedroom houses and apartments, with more “affordable” housing and a cluster of taller blocks – of up to 13 storeys – to the north of the site. It plans 304 homes in the north of the site, of which 87 would be for affordable rent and 42 for shared ownership. There would be 144 car parking spaces.
To the south there would be more private housing, including blocks of up to six storeys high with houses closer to Maryon Park. Some 44 per cent of homes south of the railway line would have three bedrooms or more. There would be 462 homes, including 90 for affordable rent and 34 for shared ownership. There would be 281 car parking spaces, many beneath buildings to “to reduce on street car dominance and create a more pedestrian-friendly environment”.
If planning permission is given, Lovell hopes to start work in autumn 2021.
The view from Maryon Park – where Denmark House stood until recently
The development is part of a 12-year deal with Greenwich Council signed in 2012 which also includes the crumbling Maryon Road and Maryon Grove estates, which will also be rebuilt by Lovell, with a planning application scheduled for 2023. It has already turned Woolwich’s notorious Connaught estate into a new development called Trinity Walk.
Mick Laws, the development and precommencement director at Lovell London, said: “This is an exciting regeneration programme for the area and if planning is granted, will not only provide new homes but much needed inward investment and jobs. Lovell is dedicated to building the proposed homes and working closely with Royal Borough of Greenwich throughout the process.”
Greenwich Council has started its own contact tracing
Greenwich Council staff have begun their own test-and-trace service to track down people who may have been infected with the coronavirus.
Dozens of local authorities around the country are now making calls to residents who have tested positive for Covid-19, reaching the parts the government’s troubled Test & Trace service has been unable to find.
Now Greenwich has joined them. If you get a call from 020 8921 3100 – don’t ignore it; it’ll be the test and trace team. (The national test and trace number is 0300 013 5000.)
As ever, you have coronavirus symptoms (a high temperature, a new, continuous cough, a loss of, or change to, your sense of smell or taste), even if they’re only mild, it’s important to get a test and stay at home until you get your result. Please go to gov.uk/get-coronavirus-test – local centres are available, or you can order a home test. If you have problems using the online service, call 119. Testing is not available at hospitals or GP practices.
After England went into its second lockdown on Thursday, Charlton Lido closed while Charlton Park’s skate park closed on Friday morning. Playgrounds remain open but outdoor gyms, tennis courts and multi-use games areas are closed. Libraries at Charlton House and Blackheath are open, but only for the collection of books and other items ordered online or by phone, 30 minutes of computer use, and return drop-offs.
Last week, we reported that Charlton Lido would be opening during the day all through November. New swimmers have discovered the lido during lockdown, and it is the first time since the pool reopened that swimming has been available during the colder, darker months.
To reduce social contact, the Government has ordered certain businesses and venues to close. These include indoor and outdoor leisure facilities such as bowling alleys, leisure centres and gyms, sports facilities including swimming pools, golf courses and driving ranges, dance studios, stables and riding centres, soft play facilities, climbing walls and climbing centres, archery and shooting ranges, water and theme parks.
A petition has been created to convince the government that open-air facilities such as Charlton Lido should be an exception.
Open-air swimming pools should remain open:
●WHO & Gov state that transmission of Covid-19 outdoors is lower
●CDCP states “no evidence that Covid-19 can spread to people through recreational water”
● WHO states that chlorine kills Covid-19
With coronavirus spreading fast once again, Greenwich Council’s public health team is ramping up its work in Charlton. If you need help or assistance, don’t be afraid to ask for help. Here’s some information about where we are now, what you can do, and how to get help. And please spread the word.
New Tier 2 restrictions
London – including the borough of Greenwich – is in Tier 2 of the government’s restrictions. There are 3 tiers, or levels – tier 1 (medium risk), tier 2 (high risk), and tier 3 (very high risk).
With Greenwich in tier 2, this means that to keep everybody as safe as possible, we can no longer meet people from other households indoors, whether that is at home or in a pub or restaurant. The rule of six still applies when meeting people outdoors.
As well as following the tier 2 guidelines, there are 3 simple actions we must all do to keep protecting each other:
Hands – keep washing your hands regularly
Face – wear a face covering in enclosed spaces
Space – stay at least two metres apart (or one metre with a face covering or other precautions).
If you have coronavirus symptoms: (a high temperature, a new, continuous cough, a loss of, or change to, your sense of smell or taste), even if they’re only mild, it’s important to get a test and stay at home until you get your result.
In Greenwich, there are several sites where testing is available. Booking is essential for all testing centres. Order a home test kit if you cannot get to a test site.
Please go to gov.uk/get-coronavirus-test. If you have problems using the online service, call 119. Lines are open 7am to 11pm.
Testing is not available at the emergency department at the hospital or at your GP practice, so please do try to get a test there.
Support if you test positive and have to self-isolate
If your test result is positive, you and your household will need to stay at home and self-isolate for 14 days. This is important to stop the virus spreading and to keep your community safe. See more information about self-isolating.
This can be stressful and worrying when you need to go to work. If you are unable to claim sick pay from your employer and are a low income household, you may be able to claim a one-off £500 payment to help support you and your family during these 14 days.
This is a difficult and worrying time for us all, and it’s normal to feel anxious and low. People may also now be more isolated than before, but there is still lots of support available, whether it’s financial, physical or emotional, and it’s okay to ask for this support.
Visit Live Well Greenwich for more information, advice and support or call 0800 470 4831 to talk to a trained, friendly advisor.
Greenwich Council leader Danny Thorpe (second left) on site for the start of demolition at Morris Walk during the summer
A new consultation about what will replace the Morris Walk Estate has been launched. However, you’re unlikely to have heard about it until this week, even though it launched last Friday, and it’s probably the strangest consultation we’ve ever come across – and we’ve seen a few in our time.
As a public service, we’ve taken the videos from it and are hosting them here so you can take part without having to flail around with a smartphone.
Demolition work is taking place on the Morris Walk Estate so it can be replaced by a new development, Trinity Park. The estate went up quickly in the mid-1960s, and it’s coming down quickly too – Denmark House, the tower block next to Maryon Park, has all but gone in just four weeks. The demolition teams could have been even speedier, but we’re hearing great care is being taken to avoid disturbing the neighbours. So far, so good.
The development is to be built by Lovell, which has turned the notorious Connaught Estate in Woolwich into Trinity Walk. It plans to replace the 562 homes of Morris Walk (all built for council housing) with 768 homes – 35 per cent will be “affordable”. The planning definition of “affordable” differs from the dictionary definition: a previous planning permission saw this break down to 25 per cent social rent and 10 per cent shared ownership, although a new planning application is on its way. We’d expect the social rent to be London Affordable Rent, which is half market rent – slightly higher than Greenwich Council rents, which are about 40 per cent market rents and among the cheapest in London.
Lovell will also demolish the dilapidated Maryon Road and Maryon Grove estates in due course; these are being handled separately.
Lovell’s consultation leaflet – good luck with that
Lovell’s latest consultation began on Friday. It lasts a week. While other developers have made efforts to keep in touch with us about major schemes in SE7, Lovell didn’t tell us about this. It does say it told 290 surrounding residents, however, and left leaflets in locations including New Charlton Community Centre, St Thomas Church, Windrush Primary School and Time Court care home.
The consultation involves you having to point your mobile phone at QR codes which then bring up a series of videos. It’s not very accessible, to say the least – heaven knows what they made of it in the care home.
So we’ve got hold of the videos, uploaded them to our own site, and are presenting them here ourselves, right here on The Charlton Champion.
Anyway, make yourself a cuppa, sit back, and find out more about what’s planned. (If you’re in a hurry, skip to video 6.)
By the way, we can’t change the music. Sorry.
Video 1: A brief introduction. You can probably skip this, to be honest.
Video 2: A description of the dismantling and demolition work. Morris North = north of the railway line. Morris South = south of it.
Video 3: A description of past consultation events. Local people like the public transport and green space; hate the fact they’re living next to crumbling estates with antisocial behaviour, flytipping and parked cars. They would like a small supermarket and for the development to fit in with its neighbours.
Video 4: A description of the area. Yes, you know it, but it’s all about context.
Video 5: Now it’s an introduction to the masterplan. Odd to claim that one of the downsides of the Morris Walk Estate was that it didn’t have enough private housing, but there you go. However, this promises a mix of private, shared ownership and “affordable” homes (at least they’re separated the last two out) and pledges the railway will be used to unite rather than divide the community. Taller buildings will be placed nearer the A206, smaller buildings at the Charlton end.
Video 6: The interesting bits begin. Plans for Morris North: 304 new homes (296 flats, eight houses) with blocks of up to 13 storeys. 144 car parking spaces, mostly underground. Public courtyards with green spaces, and views to the parks and across the Thames (from the 13th floor, presumably).
Video 7: Morris South plans: 462 homes (309 flats, 153 houses) with blocks of up to six storeys. Houses to fit in with their neighbours on Maryon Road and Woodland Terrace. A new pedestrian street, Maryon Park Avenue, will lead right from the park towards Woolwich Dockyard. 288 car parking spaces, to be designed so it doesn’t feel there are cars everywhere.
Video 8: What happens next. Please send your feedback and work goes on to finalise the planning applications.
However, they don’t include the renders of what’s proposed, so we’ve taken some screenshots. Much of the work closer to Charlton looks decent. It’s a shame the mess of a consultation lets it down.
The view from Maryon Park – where Denmark House stood until recentlyThe view along Maryon Park AvenueLooking up Prospect ValeRoughly where Woodland Terrace, Charlton, meets Prospect Vale, Woolwich. New housing planned for old tower block siteLooking along the railway line between Morris North and Morris South from Maryon ParkThe view from Woolwich Church StreetAn overview of the whole development
One you’ve watched all that, you can send feedback using this form. Closing date is this Thursday, 30 October – we’d have told you about this earlier if we knew.
The Charlton Champion 