Greenwich Council officers have recommended councillors approve plans to build a 120-bed Travelodge hotel on a derelict Woolwich Road site.

The hotel, together with a small supermarket and restaurant/cade, would “positively contribute to the character and appearance of the surrounding area”, according to a report put together for the council’s planning board ahead of its meeting next week.

Conditions proposed include restricting the supermarket from opening beyond 8am-10pm on weekdays, and making the cafe/restaurant – which will be at the back of the site, next to Greenwich Shopping Park – close by 11pm each day.

The development sits on the site of a demolished retail/industrial estate which was left vacant for use in the now-scrapped Greenwich Waterfront Transit scheme.

Council planners say the new hotel should be open for the Olympics, generating 11 full-time and 27 part-time jobs, and should have “a positive knock on effect for local businesses, in particular local public houses and restaurants in the Charlton area”.

The footpath towards Asda would be widened and re-surfaced to provide a combined cycle/footway link. “A scheme of lighting is proposed, which together with lowgrowing planting will provide an open, attractive and safe route,” planners say. The zebra crossing at the foot of Victoria Way would be moved slightly to the east, along with a bus stop.

Also coming before the planning board on 28 July will be a scheme to divide one of the retail units at Stone Lake Retail Park into two, and a proposal to build a “Skywalk” on top of the O2 in Greenwich.

A bit late with this, but it’s been confirmed that Charlton Lido’s long-delayed refurbishment has been given a boost with a grant from the Mayor of London, part of a £12m scheme to develop grassroots sport across the capital. GLL is to develop a heated pool at the lido for next summer, which last opened in 2009 before the failed scheme to turn it into a diving centre.

The Mayor of London, Boris Johnson, said: “From hockey in Hillingdon to karate in Kingston, we are storming ahead to revamp facilities and increase sports participation across the board. This investment, which sees some hugely important match funding being pledged, is fantastic news for Londoners of all ages and abilities from across the city. I am absolutely clear that to create a lasting legacy from the London Games, we must do all we can to get people out of their living rooms and into physical activity.”

Meanwhile, work has started on the BMX track in Hornfair Park – you can hear a debate on the issue from the last meeting of Greenwich Council (on 29 June) below, featuring campaigner Toni Hale, Conservative leader Spencer Drury (8 mins 40 secs in), and leisure cabinet member John Fahy (9 mins 50 secs in).

Separately, one of the entrances to the park, on Charlton Park Lane, is closed until 25 July for works to fix a water leak – but other entrances remain open. The park is now supposed to be closed at nights – although I’ve seen the gates open at 11pm recently. Is the council living up to its promises?

The old Valley pub on Elliscombe Road has been demolished ahead of its conversion into flats. Opened by former Charlton Athletic player Harold Hobbis in the 1960s, the pub fell into decline in its final years and closed in the summer of 2008 following a robbery. Nine flats are to be built on the site.

The old pub did feature a huge photo of The Valley in its glory days as one of the country’s biggest stadiums. I believe that it was saved for posterity before the building was knocked down, unless you know different…

A group of local mums have stepped in to save a Charlton playgroup from closure.

Greenwich Council cut funding for the Charlton One O’Clock Club – next to Charlton School on Cemetery Lane – earlier this year. But it has reopened as The Big Red Bus Club, after parents stepped in to take over the running of the club.

Open Monday to Thursdays from 12:30pm-3pm, if offers a healthy eating tuck shop open to all, a large play area with climbing frames, a ball pit, and a place for parents, grandparents and carers to meet and chat.

Organisers are determined to keep the centre free – but want to get as many local people involved as possible, from parents who can join in and spend time with the children, to anyone who can help lock up at the end of the day.

Greenwich Council is allowing the group to use the building – and they are hoping to raise funds by hiring out the centre for children’s parties.

If you want to get involved, visit The Big Red Bus website to find out more.

So who rocked up to the Horn Fayre late and with a flat battery in his camera? Thanks to ThePirateKing for the photos above, and to Diamond Geezer for the pictures below. (He’s also posted about the fair today.)

It’s always seemed an odd event to me – it seems to pop up out of nowhere, there’s a random selection of stalls, and there wasn’t a timetable for events to take a look at. I wasn’t quite sure what to make of it. But the kids running around had fun, and that counts more than anything else. If you went, what did you think?

It’s the traditional Horn Fayre in Charlton Park this Sunday from 11am-4pm. I wish I could tell you lots of information about what’s planned, but there’s nothing at all – no mention in Greenwich Council’s Greenwich Time weekly, just a banner outside Charlton House referring you to the council website where you’ll find no editorial on it at all.

Search hard, and you’ll get this:

Horn Fayre is a lively and popular annual event attracting more than 2,000 visitors and features stalls from community groups, charities and local retailers.

There’s also music – you can hear from Drum Africa on In The Meantime – and you can find out more about the fair’s history thanks to Alan Palmer on this very site.

The rain might even ease off, too… so it looks like a good day. Shame there’s been so little publicity – if you know any more about what’s going on, please enlighten us below.

Saturday update: Thanks to Sarah for finding a flyer for the Horn Fayre… knobbly knees, eh?