Charlton

Summer hours to stay at Charlton Lido as autumn draws in

Darryl Chamberlain

Charlton Lido pool
Autumn has arrived at Charlton Lido. Photo © Neil Clasper.

Autumn may be making its presence felt, but for the first time since it reopened with a heated pool, Charlton Lido is to keep its summer hours as the nights draw in and the temperature drops.

The pool timetable will stay the same during October, although will be reviewed as the months go on.

In previous years, the winter hours have seen the pool closed at lunchtimes and on a couple of weekdays, but for now the pool remains open from 6.30am to 8pm on weekdays and 9am to 5pm at weekends.

What’s more, we hear that new pool covers are being installed this week so the water should be warmer, particularly in the mornings.

There is still no walk-up entry – you’ll need to book online or via the Better app to swim.

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Kevin Nolan’s Valley View: Charlton Athletic 1-3 Doncaster Rovers

kevinnolan

Kevin Nolan's Valley View

The Valley welcomed its first fans of the season – just 1,000 of them – yesterday as part of a pilot for getting crowds back into football stadiums again. The Charlton Champion‘s reporter KEVIN NOLAN was also back at The Valley to see the Addicks slump to defeat…

Everything was in place. There was a socially-distanced place for everything. The green, green grass of home never looked greener or glossier. A shimmering September sun bathed The Valley in warmth and light.

It was a special day. Charlton were back where they belong and 1,000 privileged fans relaxed in pleasant anticipation of a triumphant afternoon -one which promised to stir memories of the magical December 5th, 1992. Quite a few of them no doubt were among the 8,000 crowd which saw Portsmouth beaten 1-0 by Colin Walsh’s wand-like left foot.

Making up the numbers this time were Doncaster Rovers, last seen suffering in this parish as plucky losers on penalties of a League One play-off semi-final, their heartbreak compounded by the wild in-yer-face celebrations of the local hearties. Only 18 months after that chaotic clash there were few survivors on either side but revenge is a dish that can be satisfyingly served hot or cold. Managed now by the avuncular, vastly experienced Darren Moore, Rovers arrived with a point to make.

The early exchanges suggested that the visitors would have their hands full in making that point. They were still finding their feet when Macauley Bonne wastefully headed Charlie Barker’s well flighted cross off target and came within a bootlace of falling behind as Ryan Gilbey slid in fruitlessly at the far post in a vain bid to convert Conor Washington’s hard-driven low centre from the right. In response, Jon Taylor’s crisp daisycutter forced a smart save from Ben Amos but it was against the run of play when Madger Gomes shot Donny into the lead.

Picking up a loose ball after an attack foundered outside the home penalty area, the lively young Spaniard took careful aim and found the bottom right corner with a dipping drive. Possibly unsighted, Amos’s dive was too late to make a difference.

Gomes’ goal did more than put his side in front. It also brought with it the almost instant meltdown of Lee Bowyer’s side and effectively decided the outcome of this eagerly-awaited fixture. The Addicks abruptly dissolved into the cobbled-together complement of strangers they actually were until recently.

There was, to be fair, no lack of effort but Bowyer’s task in building yet another competitive side appears thankless. Already lacking Jason Pearce and Chuks Aneke, he will already be steeling himself against Alfie Doughty’s likely departure.

Charlton’s problems were, of course, of little concern to Moore, who saw his team assume total control without adding to their lead before the break. That important detail was taken care of early in the second period with help from an unwitting foe.

Rangy midfielder Ben Whiteman was a starter in the Doncaster side which took Charlton to penalties back in 2019. After netting his spotkick, if memory serves, he tarried long enough to swap insults with the North Stand, evidence of his spirit if not his wisdom. Bursting to the right byline in front of the vacant away end, he drilled over a hard low cross which Charlie Barker inadvertently hammered left-footed into the roof of Amos’s net. During his brief career as an Addick, it’s been impossible to keep young Charlie out of the spotlight. He’s already been on the scoresheet at both ends.

Rivalling Gomes for trickery and deception, meanwhile, Arsenal loanee Tyreece John-Jules finished Charlton off with a stunning solo goal shortly after the hour mark. From a teasing, taunting, standing start on the 18-yard line, he nutmegged Ben Purrington, shimmied into space and dispatched a brutal, rising drive past Amos.

Comprehensively beaten by a clearly better side, the Addicks gamely soldiered on. Some consolation was provided by Washington, who nodded firmly home through a crowded six-yard area after Doughty’s hooked retrieval from the left byline was scuffed on to his head. Rover’s three-goal advantage was always beyond them although Gilbey clipped the bar with a superb long range strike shortly before referee Busby’s final whistle. But their efforts earned them a stirring ovation as they headed for the dressing room where the somewhat unforgiving response of world-weary Bowyer greeted them.

“This group think they have just played bad and it’s okay because there’s another game next week,” he concluded. “You’re going nowhere if you’ve got a squad like that. I’ve just told them that.”

Nothing Churchillian or Henry V in those ominously embittered remarks. Looks like another long, hard slog ahead of us.

Charlton: Amos, Barker (Williams 60), Oshilaja, Pratley, Purrington, Forster-Caskey, Gilbey, Doughty, Morgan (Lapslie 87), Washington, Bonne. Not used: Maynard-Brewer, Oztumer, Levitt, Davison, Vennings.

Doncaster: Bursik, Halliday, James (John 77), Anderson, Wright, Gomes, Tulloch (Lokilo 13), Whiteman, Taylor, Richards (Coppinger 82), John-Jules. Not used: Jones, Okenabirhie, Amos, Williams.

Referee: John Busby. Attendance: 1,000.

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House at back of White Swan pub all set for council approval

Darryl Chamberlain1 Comment
Mendoza render of new White Swan home
How Mendoza says the new home would look: it would largely be hidden from view by a wall

Plans to build a house at the back of the White Swan pub are to go before a planning committee next Tuesday – with officers recommending councillors approve the scheme.

Mendoza Ltd, the property company that owns the pub, wants to build a three-bedroom bungalow on land behind the beer garden – taking a strip off the beer garden to build an access path so council bin lorries can take away its rubbish from the front of the pub.

White Swan beer garden
The proposed house would sit behind the pub’s beer garden

It is the company’s fourth attempt to build on the land since it bought the freehold from Punch Taverns in March 2015. The pub itself has been closed since March, but the company has said it will look for a new tenant.

There were nine objections, including from the Charlton Society. Planning officers are recommending an acoustic fence is put up to shield the house from the pub’s noise, while a tree in the beer garden should be replaced.

The officers say that “the area of pub garden retained would continue to provide usable outdoor space for patrons and would be proportional in size to the pub gardens of surrounding pubs”. They add: “The existing area of pub garden space is not integral to the overall viability of the White Swan because the significant and high quality internal facilities and the nature of the food and drink offering are also key selling points of the pub.”

“The development of part of the pub garden of The White Swan would maintain the viability of the pub and would provide a high quality residential development which would preserve the amenity of neighbour properties as well as the character and appearance of the Charlton Village Conservation Area,” officers conclude.

A first attempt at development, to build two homes, in October 2015, was thrown out by Greenwich Council planners. That decision was upheld by a planning inspector. A second attempt was rejected earlier in 2017. The third attempt, for one three-bedroom house, was rejected by council planners in December 2017 and again by a planning inspector in January. This scheme was submitted a year ago; the closed pub was made an asset of community value in July.

The Woolwich and Thamesmead planning committee meeting begins at 6.30pm on Tuesday 22 September and can be watched on YouTube.

Council wants to see public transport for Charlton Riverside arrive soon

Darryl Chamberlain
Flint Glass Wharf
One of the planned development schemes: Flint Glass Wharf, next to the Thames Barrier

Greenwich Council says it is working with City Hall to bring new public transport to the Charlton Riverside sooner rather than later so new homes are not delayed.

A report to senior councillors says that developers are keen to start building in the area – but getting infrastructure in place is an issue.

Some 7,500 new homes are planned – although City Hall wants this bumped up to 8,000 as part of its new London plan. For comparison, there are currently 8,900 households in the SE7 postal area. However, nothing has been built so far, and a planning inspector threw out the first scheme – Rockwell’s controversial development off Anchor & Hope Lane – earlier this year.

In recent weeks, developers have applied for permission for two new housing schemes on Eastmoor Street, to add to the five major schemes that are already in the planning pipeline.

“In the medium term, [the council] is working closely with the Greater London Authority and TfL to bring forward public transport improvements in the early phases of delivery at Charlton Riverside,” the housing delivery action plan report says. The report has been prepared for a meeting of the council’s cabinet next week.

“There is significant developer/landowner interest in securing early permissions, and early public sector intervention/investment will ensure that the implementation of these permissions is not slowed down by infrastructure requirements.

“The issue in Charlton Riverside is mainly one of infrastructure coordination and timing of delivery, with development values across the area sufficient in the longer term to support delivery of necessary physical and social infrastructure.”

Burnt-out car on Eastmoor Street
The Charlton Riverside as it currently is

Those expecting dramatic improvements to the area’s public transport are likely to be disappointed, however – one of the major development schemes, Hyde Housing’s proposals for 1,350 homes by the Thames Barrier, suggests funding an extension of the 301 bus to Woolwich Crossrail station; nudging residents who live in zone 3 to take a train to work from zone 4. A new east-west road – essentially extending Bugsby’s Way – is planned, with councillors hoping in the long-term to see the Greenwich Waterfront Transit, a souped-up bus to North Greenwich, to run along the road.

The two recently-submitted plans are for plots, behind the old Victoria pub – itself the subject of plans for redevelopment.

Evelyn House
Evelyn House: Kite not included, presumably

Firstly, the housing association Optivo plans 67 flats – all for affordable rent (usually about half market rent) – on the site of the old Beaumont Beds warehouse, in a block of up to seven storeys tall, with seven parking spaces for wheelchair users. It is calling the development Evelyn House. Its red brick and rounded corners, the planning blurb says, are a nod to the Victoria up the road. It looks like the small cash and carry warehouse between the old pub and the new development is due to remain. (See the application and comment / read the design statement / search 20/2186/F on the council website< if these links don't work)

Aitch Group scheme
The Aitch Group development and Penhall Gardens

Secondly, on the next-door site – closer to the Barrier – developer Aitch Group wants to build 192 flats in blocks of up to ten storeys on land bounded by Eastmoor Street, Westmoor Street and Mirfield Street, currently in industrial use. 65 per cent of the homes will be private, 10 per cent for shared ownership, 25 per cent for affordable rent (as above). A public courtyard will be provided in the middle. Again, blue badge parking is provided only, although Greenwich Council told the developer “a car-free scheme cannot be supported until local infrastructure is improved” – a reflection of the issues described above. (See the application and comment / read the design statement / search 20/1924/F on the council website if these links don’t work)

The five other schemes planned are:

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Charlton Bakehouse planning to open up in The Village

Darryl Chamberlain
Samanthajane office
This could soon be a bakery – if council officers approve

The team behind Charlton Bakehouse, which has been delivering to doorsteps across SE7 and beyond during the pandemic, are hoping to set up shop in a former estate agent in The Village.

A planning application has gone into Greenwich Council to convert the former Samanthajane office by installing an extraction system including an odour control system and silencers. (See the application and comment or search for 20/0517/F)

With Charlton Village blighted by shop closures and in its possibly its lowest-ever ebb – and with no sign of a plan to revive its fortunes – the proposal is likely to gain a lot of support.

The application actually first went in before the lockdown – but as with other local businesses, word spread about the Bakehouse while people were stuck at home.

It still offers free deliveries on Tuesdays in SE7 and on other days in SE3 and SE10 from charltonbakehouse.com. We recommend the cinnamon buns.

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Water pain: Roadworks to close Charlton Church Lane for a week

Darryl Chamberlain
Charlton Church Lane
No chance of a 380 on Charlton Church Lane next week

Water main works will close Charlton Church Lane just south of the junction with The Heights for up to a week from Tuesday. Traffic will be “diverted via Charlton Road, Victoria Way and Wellington Gardens and vice versa” (that’s nice of them – Ed) while buses will naturally face more inconvenient diversions. The news has only been published in the back of an hardly-seen freesheet, so we thought you might like to know here.

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St Luke’s Church roof vandalised by metal thieves

Darryl Chamberlain1 Comment
St Luke with Holy Trinity, Charlton
St Luke with Holy Trinity has been targeted by metal thieves

The roof of St Luke’s Church has been vandalised by thieves who stole a small quantity of metal, smashing up parts of the roof and leaving ancient timbers open to the elements.

Recent heavy rain revealed the extent of the damage, with water pouring into the church. Volunteers now face the hard work of patching up the damage, which is believed to run into thousands of pounds.

The damage comes a year after Charlton House’s summer house was targeted by lead thieves – an attack which followed another bout of vandalism a year earlier.

St Luke's Church gutter
Damage to the church’s valley gutter

Churchwarden Rick Newman told The Charlton Champion: “We’re not sure when the theft occurred in the days before it came to notice with the first rain in weeks and water pouring into the church. In ripping out galvanised metal from the central valley gutter and some ancient lead that ran the length of the south gutter, the thieves have broken countless tiles and exposed roof timbers to the elements.

“The lead in the south gutter had been anchored in place by the parapet. In order to steal the lead, several of these parapet blocks were smashed by the thieves. One massive block was toppled into the churchyard, causing further damage.

“Much of the metal was worthless. As scrap, the small quantity of lead would be worth a couple of hundred pounds at most; the cost of repairs will run into many thousands. Remedial work will require extensive and expensive scaffolding to say nothing about the cost of replacing tiles and masonry.

“Meanwhile, part of the churchyard has been cordoned off as a precautionary measure as parapet stones have been loosened. Temporary covering has been put in place as far as possible and we can only hope the weather is kind to us.

St Luke's Church south gutter
The work will cost thousands of pounds to repair

“The work that results from having to put right the extensive damage falls to volunteers. They would far rather be giving their time to things that are about building up and serving community at times of great need, rather than giving time to repairs that should never have been necessary.

“We are hopeful that most of the cost of repairs can be covered by insurance, but that results in ever increasing insurance premiums for all and a community unsettled by the actions of the few who seem to have no regard for others. Whether you regard St Luke’s as part of our local heritage or the house of God, or both, it is an important place for many who feel upset and unsettled by this crime. We pray for those responsible.”

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