Want to get your bike checked out, brush up on your cycling skills, or go on a ‘social ride’ around the local area? The council’s running a series of events at Hornfair Park on the 3rd Sunday of the month, with the next sessions taking place tomorrow (15th May). More info and booking for the cycling skills session and social ride can be found here: http://royalgreenwich.gov.uk/bikedays.
As ever, we’d love to hear your feedback if you go along – tell us about it in the comments box below!
An update from The Alexandra Players on their latest production:
Following the success of our performance last Summer of The Essence of Love written by Philip Ayckbourn, The Alexandra Players in Charlton have been given a wonderful opportunity to stage a brand new production by the playwright.
Philip very kindly approached us and asked us to be the first group ever to perform a brand new play he has written called Timeshare – a comedy with farcical elements that plays with time and relationships.
The London and World Premiere will open at The Alexandra Hall, Bramshot Avenue in Charlton on Wednesday 1st June for 4 nights only. The Box Office is open and tickets are on sale now!
A message from Cllr Gary Parker:
Your Charlton Ward councillors are pleased to announce the launch of the Charlton Ward Budget programme for 2016-18.
Your ward councillors will be accepting applications from 3rd May 2016 onwards. In line with the council decision, the decision of the ward councillors regarding any grants awarded is final.
We are trying to fund as many organisations as possible from a budget of £30,000 and we particularly want to encourage small organisations to apply using this application form.
Some background on ward budgets
Greenwich council’s ward budget scheme was announced in October 2015; at the last count 15 applications have been approved so far across the borough, including some funds to improve Hornfair Park’s pet cemetery.
Have you got an idea for a scheme that would benefit Charlton ward? Let us know in the comments below!
Back in November 2014, we covered a 1,100-name petition being handed into Greenwich Council demanding road safety improvements on Little Heath, Charlton and Hillreach, Woolwich, after newsagent Ash Patel was run down and killed outside his shop.
The area has long been notorious for speeding traffic, but it finally looks as if some action will be taken, with speed cushions planned for this stretch of road. We’re grateful to neighbour Jane Lawson, who brought us news of the original petition, for this update on the story.
I attended a meeting with the Borough Engineer to update on the progress of the measures to calm traffic on Hill Reach.
As you know, TfL have refused a request for average speed cameras to be installed, despite that request having the support of the police. The policy states:
“The criteria for the implementation of a speed camera is that there must have been a minimum of four KSI (Killed or Serious Injuries sustained) collisions in a three year period within one kilometre of the proposed camera site and two of these must have been as a result of speeding.”
So there you have it. Not enough deaths.
However, the Borough does have authority to implement other measures and the plans for these will go to consultation shortly.
In brief, there will be speed cushions added, double yellow lines around the bus stop, a traffic island added with a wider refuge and two additional speed indicators.
Richard explained that the factors that had to be considered were the width of the road, the fact that it is a bus and emergency vehicle route and, further westwards on Little Heath, the spacing and position of the trees. That means that a pedestrian crossing cannot be placed as the sight lines would make it dangerous.
The department has carried out average speed checks and the results show that on the Little Heath stretch the average speed is 34/35mph and on the Hill Reach stretch average speed is 38mph, which is very high.
Commendably the department analysed data for a ten-year period to yield the patterns of deaths and RTCs – a pattern which would not have emerged in a shorter period of time.
The work is likely to be done in July and August during the school holidays, when traffic will be lighter. The road will probably need to be closed for a short time and diversions put in place.
So, it’s not quite the result we had hoped for, but the Borough has done a good job within the limitations of its powers, and it does show the impact of a local petition with hand written names and addresses.
At well over a thousand signatures the depth of local feeling was very clear.
A message from Maryon Park Community Garden…
There are 2,500 community gardens in London marking the start of the growing season. Capital Growth organise the Big Dig Open Day. Maryon Park Community Garden is taking part and has a ‘Drop-in Open Day’ on Saturday 16th April from 10.00 am to 4.00 pm.
The Community Garden provides organic growing plots for local people, a Forest School for primary schools and volunteer opportunities for individuals and corporate groups as well as educational visits for special schools.
On Saturday 16th April visitors can learn more about the Community Garden, enjoy tours and talks about the plots, orchard, wild flower bank, Forest School and the historic Maryon Park itself. There will be refreshments, children’s activities, a plant sale and a fundraising bric-a-brac stall. Visitors can join the waiting list for growing beds.
Maryon Park Community Garden is a not-for-profit voluntary community project situated in the former council plant nursery in Maryon Park. Now in its fourth year, the Friends of the Park, Capital Growth, the Olympic Transform Fund, City Hall, Greenwich Parks Forum and the London Tree and Woodland Trust have all funded the garden.
“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 Maryon Park Community Garden chair Tim Anderson.
You’ll find the community garden by the Maryon Road entrance to the park – just look for the bunting.
Greenwich Council’s planning board has backed plans for a seven-storey block of flats on Woolwich Road, six months after it threw out a request to build a nine-storey development.
Developers want to knock down Valley House – a former office block on the corner of Gallions Road – and replace it with 73 flats.
The approval, which came at a meeting on Tuesday evening, comes after months of wrangling over the development. Last June, councillors deferred a decision after objecting to a separate entrance for residents living in “affordable” housing in the scheme. Then in September, a revised proposal was rejected on the chair’s casting vote.
This time around, 10 objections were received, with the Charlton Society and Central Charlton Residents Association – which covers an area south of the railway line – commenting that the building was still too bulky. There were 80 letters of support, many of which used a generic text praising developer London Green’s scheme.
11 of the 73 flats are due to be “affordable”, including seven for social rent. Councillors placed a condition on the development that it be advertised domestically before it is promoted to foreign buyers.
A few years back, plans for a BMX track in Hornfair Park were wildly controversial. On one side, neighbours had slightly wild visions of young people up to no good. On the other, Greenwich Council was playing fast and loose in its eagerness to get the thing built.
Anyhow, a Charlton Champion chum took her son there on Sunday… and found it deserted. We’ve had anecdotal reports that the BMX track isn’t being used as much as it could be – others simply don’t know it’s there.
We do know there’s an established BMX club that uses it, but it’s hard to shake off the feeling that it’s becoming yet another poorly-promoted local facility.
But what do you think? Did the BMX track live up (or down) to your expectations? Will the Easter holiday see a surge in kids on bikes heading for the track? And with the skateboard park looking like becoming a reality in Charlton Park, what lessons can be learned from the BMX track? We’d like to know.
The Charlton Champion 