Charlton – Page 59 – The Charlton Champion

Hyde Housing to unveil fourth Charlton Riverside housing scheme

April 27, 2019June 19, 2023Darryl Chamberlain1 Comment

Housing association Hyde Group is to hold an exhibition next month on plans to build new homes on Charlton Riverside – the fourth scheme for the area to come forward in recent years.

Last month, The Charlton Champion reported how the recycling firm Westminster Waste was preparing to leave Maybank Wharf for Belvedere after 50 years of waste paper processing on the site.

Now Hyde is coming forward with plans to redevelop the land plus three other nearby plots stretching away from the Thames.

“We are proposing to redevelop this important site to deliver much-needed new homes of varying size, mix and tenure, including a minimum of 40% affordable housing,” Hyde says in a flyer distributed to residents. It does not elaborate on what “affordable” means.

“Our proposals also include the creation of new green space to improve access to the riverside, alongside commercial and retail space.”

The exhibition is at the Charlton side of Windrush Primary School on Thursday 9 May from 4.30pm to 8.00pm, and Saturday 11 May from 10am to 2pm. (Hopefully by then Hyde and its representatives K&A Consulting will have realised the school is not in “East Greenwich”, as claimed on the flyer.)

Residents who cannot make the exhibition but would like to know more are asked to email charltonriverside[at]kandaconsulting.co.uk or call 020 3900 3676.

The three other development schemes for the Charlton Riverside going through, or about to go through planning:

the Rockwell scheme for 771 homes at Anchor & Hope Lane was refused first by Greenwich Council last summer, then by the Mayor of London in January;

500 homes are planned by developer Komoto at what it calls Flint Glass Wharf, the former Johnsen and Jorgensen glassworks which closed in 1981;

Another 500 new homes from developer U+I on the old Siemens cable factory site, a development it calls Faraday Works.

PLEASE SUPPORT THE CHARLTON CHAMPION

We tell the SE7 stories you won’t read elsewhere. We can’t do it without your help.
– Please tell us about your news and events
– Become a monthly supporter at patreon.com/charltonchampion
– Donate to our running costs at paypal.me/charltonchampion
– Buy Darryl a coffee at ko-fi.com

The Big Dig returns to Maryon Park Community Garden on Saturday

April 25, 2019June 19, 2023Darryl Chamberlain

It’s the regular Big Dig day at Maryon Wilson Park community garden on Saturday

The folk at Maryon Park Community Garden would like a word…

Big Dig day celebrates the start of the growing season and encourages people to visit their local Capital Growth supported Community Garden.

Maryon Park Community Garden, one of Capital Growth’s flagship gardens is taking part and have a drop-in open day on Saturday 27th April 10.00 am to 4.00 pm. Visitors are invited to see how Maryon Park Community Garden is developing.

The Community Garden provides organic growing plots for local people, a Forest School space for primary schools, a garden meeting room and volunteer opportunities.

On Saturday 27st April visitors can learn more about the Community Garden, enjoy tours and talks about the Garden and the historic Maryon Park, the location of the 1960’s film ‘Blow-Up’.

There will be a plant and woodcraft sale, refreshments and the lunchtime pizza oven.

At 2.00 pm Simon and Verity from COATS will run a free family Outdoor Art Workshop in the Forest School.

“The Big Dig Day is about encouraging people and families to visit their local community garden. Whether you are an experienced gardener or new to gardening or just want to see how your local project is developing you will be welcome,” says community garden chair Tim Anderson.

Maryon Park Community Garden is a not-for-profit voluntary project situated in the former council plant nursery in Maryon Park.

To find out more about the Maryon Park Community Garden, visit its website.

PLEASE SUPPORT THE CHARLTON CHAMPION

The mysterious lizards of Charlton

April 15, 2019June 19, 2023Darryl Chamberlain

In an area where little’s been done for many years to smarten up the streets, these lizard stencils popped up a week or so ago. There was one behind Charlton House, and one on a wall in Victoria Way.

Victoria Way lizard — A lizard in Victoria Way

In fact, there were three in Victoria Way…

And one about to go for a drink at the Charlton Liberal Club (if it hadn’t closed last year).

Charlton Church Lane lizard — Lizard on Charlton Church Lane

There wasn’t one at Charlton Reptiles, though…

They were washed away by rain last Monday, all except one – at the bus stop at the top of Victoria Way. There were some mutterings that they may have been gang symbols – but the locations would seem to count against that.

Hopefully, they were put there by someone who wanted to brighten up the area. Or even just for a laugh. In an area where the public realm is tatty and civic pride is lacking, they caught the eye. Will the lizards return? We wait and see.

PLEASE SUPPORT THE CHARLTON CHAMPION

Network Rail: ‘We want to put things right on Angerstein crossing’

April 12, 2019June 19, 2023Darryl Chamberlain1 Comment

Angerstein Wharf crossing — The crossing will be closed over the weekend of 20/21 April

A senior Network Rail executive has written to The Charlton Champion apologising for its attempt to close the Angerstein Wharf foot crossing without consultation, and pledging to “rectify the situation”.

John Halsall, the senior managing director for Network Rail’s South East Route, said that the process it had followed “was not good enough” and it was committing to work with Greenwich Council and residents to work out the “best solution” for a line which is likely to see a rise in freight traffic.

News of the planned closure emerged last weekend after neighbours received letters from Network Rail telling them the crossing would be closed. Yesterday, it confirmed that the closure had been postponed pending a review.

Mr Halsall said Network Rail “had been engaging” with Greenwich Council, “but it would appear not always with the right part”. It is worth pointing out here that when a Network Rail representative met a Greenwich Council scrutiny panel earlier this year, the future of the crossing was not mentioned. (See video.)

The crossing, between Fairthorn Road in Charlton and Farmdale Road in east Greenwich, will be closed on 20/21 April for engineering works, but will remain open after that.

John Halsall’s letter reads as follows:

Can I start by apologising for the situation that we have generated with respect to the Angerstein footpath (Farmdale Road) crossing. We have approached what was a well-meant intervention, in terms of the safety of the public, in the wrong way, and for that I am sorry.

We are working out how we can rectify the situation, within the bounds of our statutory obligations to protect the safety of the public. I can confirm that as a first step we will not be permanently closing the footpath crossing immediately after the bank holiday weekend of 20/21 April 2019. We will need to block the crossing over that weekend as we undertake engineering works, to protect the public from engineering activity, but the crossing will not be permanently closed at that point.

Over the last 18 months we have engaged with the local authority, but it would appear not always with the right part. Clearly this process has not been good enough, and we are therefore committing to work closely with the Royal Borough of Greenwich and local residents to establish the best solution we can collectively achieve while meeting our statutory safety obligations.

I need to reiterate that we have embarked upon the process for the best of reasons. The risk to the public at the crossing will increase due to engineering changes that are being made following previous operational incidents and also with the anticipated increase in freight traffic. We take this matter very seriously.

I sincerely apologise once again for the poor engagement and will update you further when we have a clear plan confirmed with the local authorities and local residents.

PLEASE SUPPORT THE CHARLTON CHAMPION

’24 council flats possible’ on Charlton woodland site

April 12, 2019June 19, 2023Darryl Chamberlain1 Comment

Gollogolly Terrace — Greenwich Council is looking for plots to build council homes

Greenwich Council believes it could build 24 new homes on woodland between Charlton Church Lane and Elliscombe Road, according to council papers.

Residents who live nearby have recently been sent letters to let them know that surveyors will be coming to look at the land, which is fenced off and is widely believed to be contaminated.

Greenwich recently announced its biggest house-building programme since the early 1980s, and the site is among 32 being assessed. Papers for a meeting of the council’s cabinet – its main decision-making body – next Wednesday state that 24 three-bedroom flats could be built on the site.

The Charlton Champion understands that while development here is not thought to be likely, the council is examining all possible locations.

Next week’s meeting is likely to approve investigating the possibility of building on the site.

PLEASE SUPPORT THE CHARLTON CHAMPION

Mayor Khan confirms cut to Charlton’s 53 bus from June

April 12, 2019June 19, 2023Darryl Chamberlain

Route 53 bus in Whitehall — Route 53 at Whitehall: The service will be permanently cut from June

London mayor Sadiq Khan is pressing ahead with plans to cut bus route 53, which links Charlton with central London, despite widespread opposition from local councils and MPs.

The 53 will be cut back to run from Plumstead to County Hall from June 15, and will only run to Whitehall for night services, which will be renumbered N53. Day services will also be cut from every seven and a half minutes to every eight minutes.

The proposals have gone ahead despite opposition from Greenwich, Lewisham and Southwark councils, and local MPs Matt Pennycook, Teresa Pearce and Clive Efford, and a 1,900-signature petition from local bus users.

Pennycook said: “I’m extremely disappointed that they have chosen to press ahead with cuts to the 53 bus service despite the significant local opposition that was expressed.”

He said he would press TfL for guarantees that passengers would not have to pay twice for their journeys to central London – many 53 journeys last over an hour, meaning Khan’s “hopper” fare would not apply for passengers changing near the end of the truncated route.

TfL says it will amend the Hopper fare so passengers who board a 53 will not be penalised – but but with passengers advised to change buses to a 453 at Deptford Bridge.

The cut to the 53 was first revealed on this website last year. It is part of a larger programme of cutbacks to bus services, particularly in central London, to address a fall in ridership and TfL’s financial problems. The mayor’s transport agency had its funding cut by Evening Standard editor George Osborne when he was chancellor, while coffers are also being drained by Khan’s partial fare freeze and delays to Crossrail.

But while south-east London – with few Tube services – gets hit by the cut to route 53 as well as a separate cutback to route 171, which serves New Cross and Brockley, proposals for four cuts in central London, including routes along the King’s Road in Chelsea, have been abandoned.

Plans for a new service between Kidbrooke and North Greenwich, possibly running via Westcombe Hill, were also announced today.

There are more details on the TfL website.

PLEASE SUPPORT THE CHARLTON CHAMPION

No new bus from Charlton to North Greenwich – but Westcombe Hill could gain new service

April 12, 2019June 19, 2023Darryl Chamberlain1 Comment

Transport for London has dropped plans to send a new bus from Kidbrooke to North Greenwich via Charlton after deciding the new route would be “circuitous”.

TfL and Greenwich Council had proposed routing the new service from Blackheath Royal Standard via Charlton Road, Charlton Church Lane and Anchor & Hope Lane to give residents in Blackheath and Kidbrooke easy access to the Charlton supermarkets. The service would have also taken pressure off the 486 through Charlton, and TfL had called it its preferred option at a council scrutiny meeting earlier this year.

The Charlton Champion understands some residents had voiced unhappiness at the prospect of losing car parking spaces to make way for the new service.

But this proposal has now been dropped, with a consultation released today for new route 335, which could run via Westcombe Hill, providing relief to passengers who currently struggle to get on route 108. A second proposal would see it run direct via the A102. The service would run every 12 minutes during the day, and every 15 minutes in evenings and Sundays.

The announcement came as cuts to route 53 were confirmed.

Route 335 map

TfL says: “Sending the route via Charlton was considered, either via Woolwich Road, Anchor and Hope Lane and Bugsby’s Way, or via Charlton Road, Charlton Church Lane and Bugsby’s Way.

“These routeings, while serving a wider area, would be circuitous.

“An end-to-end journey via Charlton from Kidbrooke during the morning peak would take an estimated 37 minutes. This would be a slower alternative to routes 108, 132 and 422 and therefore less attractive compared to Option 1 and Option 2.”

There have long been demands for a new service between the Kidbrooke Village development and North Greenwich. With commuting via Zone 2 North Greenwich offering cheaper fare caps than Zone 3 Kidbrooke, the new service could find itself overwhelmed very quickly – and will add to pressure at North Greenwich bus station.

A consultation into the new service is open until 17 May.