News

Charlton Society AGM this Saturday – your society needs you!

Darryl Chamberlain2 Comments

Charlton House

It’s the AGM of the Charlton Society this Saturday at 2.30pm at Charlton House. I’ve been on the society’s committee for a year now, so I can’t really pretend to be unbiased over this one – come along, join up (it’s £12/year to join), grab a glass of wine, bend the ear of local politicians and chew the fat over local issues.

There’ll be a talk from Greenwich & Woolwich MP Nick Raynsford, while I’m sure Greenwich cabinet member David Gardner will have a few words to say as outgoing chair.

I think it’s fair to say the Charlton Society’s been a bit of a sleeping institution in recent years – it does a lot of work on planning issues behind the scenes, but it’s been not really well-known beyond its membership. It started in 1969 in response to threats to the Village from roadbuilding – but in recent years its profile had slipped somewhat.

So I’ve been working with the committee to try to make the society’s light shine a bit brighter – starting with the long, long overdue creation of a simple Charlton Society website. But the society’s also been involved in getting the White Swan pub listed as an asset of community value. It’s also given help to the campaign for a community council.

It’s easy to mock amenity societies as being out of touch and serving small-minded interests – but I thought I’d come into help open the Charlton Society up, and get more people involved in its work. We’re hoping to make some changes to the way the committee work, so there’s a stronger focus on issues such as environment and planning, while still preserving its traditional programme of Saturday talks.

But all this is a bit of a waste without more people involved, so if you’re the sort of person who reads this website and takes an interest in local issues, you’re just who the Charlton Society needs as a member. I’ve a few regular Charlton Champion commenters in mind here…

So, if you’ve got Saturday afternoon free, please come along and say hello – it’d be great to see you.

Charlton Park: have your say on new play equipment

Neil Clasper1 Comment

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The council has launched a consultation asking Charlton Park users to choose new play equipment for the park. The consultation is live now and closes on October 26th, with a decision expected by the 29th.

The Royal Borough is planning to replace a large piece of playground equipment in Charlton Park Playground as it is worn out and beyond economical repair.
 
Before we replace this playground equipment we would like your view on what you would like the equipment replaced with and we have 3 design options we should like you to choose from.

As consultations go, it’s pretty basic: you can vote for one of the options shown above, with no further information provided on the context, costs, or benefits; it’s also unclear when we can expect the equipment to be installed. The closing message suggests: If you have any queries regarding the design options please contact parks@royalgreenwich.gov.uk – should any readers be interested in trying to find out a bit more (let us know if you do!).

In related news, we’ve been told that councillors hope to start a consultation process this month for the skate park planned for Charlton Park, originally mooted back in July.

Charlton Lido refused premises licence after neighbours’ petition

Darryl Chamberlain3 Comments

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Months of poor communications with members and neighbours caught up with Charlton Lido’s management on Monday when Greenwich Council refused permission for a premises licence which would have enabled the lido to serve alcohol and hold live events.

GLL, which runs the lido, wanted a licence to hold members’ events as well as to hire it out for “book signings, film launches and art exhibitions”.

But neighbours got up a 94-name petition complaining about disturbance from events already held, and claiming that their complaints to GLL had been ignored.

Backed by Kidbrooke with Hornfair councillor Norman Adams, they claimed there had been “no communication” before events were held. Others complained about sleepless nights and even disturbance from the lido’s current operation during the daytime.

A Greenwich Council licensing sub-committee concluded that GLL “displayed an inability to manage the premises while holding events”.

“Whilst the Lido management had significant experience in managing leisure centres it was not felt that the applicant had demonstrated that they would be able to manage licensed events and uphold the licensing objectives. The Sub-Committee were of the opinion that the nature of the venue meant that even a small group of people would cause a disturbance. Whilst a number of conditions had been proposed the Sub Committee were not satisfied based on the evidence given by the applicant that events could be properly controlled,” the council’s decision notice reads.

The setback for the lido follows a string of avoidable problems caused by poor communications with members, including short notice changes to opening times, a “customer forum” that hadn’t been advertised to customers, and last year’s short-lived decision to rename the facility “Royal Greenwich Lido”.

GLL now has three weeks to decide if it wants to appeal against the decision and take the case to a magistrates’ court.

Morris Walk and Maryon Road redevelopment – find out more

Darryl Chamberlain7 Comments

Morris Walk Estate
It’s been something we’ve completely missed at the Charlton Champion – the demolition and rebuilding of the two council estates at the eastern edge of Charlton, Morris Walk and Maryon Road, together with Woolwich’s Connaught Estate, under the slightly misleading banner of One Woolwich (the website which explained more about it has vanished from the internet).

If you live nearby and want to find out more, there’s a drop-in session this Wednesday evening at Greenwich Council’s offices in Woolwich. As the flyer says…

Regenerating Connaught, Morris Walk & Maryon Road/Grove Estates

The regeneration on the 3 estates has now commenced; Connaught Estate has been handed over to the developer Lovell and in November 2013 the re-housing of tenants and buy-backs of leaseholders on Morris Walk phase 1 commenced, with a temporary housing scheme in place prior to the properties being handed over.

The whole scheme will take over 13 years to deliver. The current indicative timescale for demolition & development of the estates is as follows:

– Connaught Estate: 2014 – 2022

– Morris Walk: 2019 – 2027

– 55 – 213 Maryon Road (odd numbers only) & 1-92 Maryon Grove : 2023 – 2026

To find out more about the scheme, the implications for you as a near neighbour of the scheme, and to ask questions of RBG, Lovell and Asra, we have scheduled a drop-in for:

Wednesday 8th of October at the Woolwich Centre, Wellington Street, Woolwich, SE18 6HQ, 7-9pm

If you live on the estates or nearby, it’d be good to hear your view on the plans.

Charlton Lido wants an alcohol licence – but its neighbours aren’t happy…

Neil Clasper2 Comments

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GLL has applied for a premises licence to allow ‘the Supply of Alcohol (on sales only), provision of live and recorded music (Indoors only) Monday to Sunday from 11:00 hours until 23:00 hours‘ at Charlton Lido, with the application to be heard on October 6th.

An overview of the application can be found here, and details of objections raised are here. The deadline for representations was 16th September.

Charlton Lido licensing objection

But a 94-name petition has been submitted objecting to the application, along with 11 individual objections – pointing to some dissatisfaction amongst the lido’s neighbours over a number of issues, principally parking, noise, and the attitude of the lido management towards residents.

Do you live in the streets around the lido? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.

‘We Happy Few’ – new production from The Alexandra Players

Neil Clasper

News of the latest production from SE7’s amateur theatre group:We Happy Few - Alexandra Players

Thursday 30th October to Saturday 1st November
The Alexandra Players present We Happy Few, a comedy about an all-female troupe of strolling players during WWII, at the Alexandra Hall, Bramshot Avenue, Charlton at 7.45pm nightly.

“Inspired by the true wartime history of the Osiris Players, Imogen Stubbs’ comedy follows the adventures of a small group of women who come together to form a ‘girls only’ theatre company to take the plays of Shakespeare around a culture-starved Britain.”

Tickets £9 (£8 Concessions): call 07867 627987 or email alexandraplayers@gmail.com.

http://alexandraplayers.org.uk/

17 hours up a tree: Burglary suspect halts Charlton trains

Darryl Chamberlain4 Comments

Police are playing a waiting game this evening as they try to coax down a burglary suspect holed up in a tree by the railway line at Barney Close.

The man’s been up there since 2am after fleeing from police following an incident at Stone Lake Retail Park.

One passer-by at the scene said the man was 32, from north London, and had tried to rob Currys.

Police have sealed off the back of Barney Close while they wait for him to come down.

All London-bound trains have been diverted, though some Kent-bound services are inching past the scene.

Here are some photos taken at about 6pm. Paramedics were seen walking to the scene at about 6.50pm and the British Transport Police tweeted that it hoped to “have things back to normal as soon as possible”.

8pm update: The suspect has now been taken down and arrested.

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