The switch means Greenwich Dance will now be based over the border in Bexley, but it says it will continue to work in all areas of the borough, including at Charlton House, as well across south London.
Melanie Precious, the chief executive of Greenwich Dance, said: “I am so proud of what we have achieved over the last few years. Under some of the most challenging of circumstances we have continued to be here to provide opportunities for our local residents and support for our dance artists and I’d like to thank Charlton House for supporting us through that period.
“The move to Thamesmead will see us upsize the potential reach of our work, continuing to animate community centres in Greenwich and beyond with dance while also creating even more opportunities for people to make, watch and take part in dance.”
KEVIN NOLAN was at the Valley to witness a second Addicks victory in a week.
Bathed in early spring sunshine, The Valley was a pleasant, relaxed place to be on Saturday. There was an agreeable atmosphere inside the fabled old ground, a bit like that carefree feeling you enjoyed at school during those dog days between exams and breaking up for the summer holidays.
There was always a price to pay, of course, namely the report you had to explain away to your parents. It came with hurtful comments such as “needs to concentrate”, “must decide whether or not he is the class clown” or that old cliched chestnut “could do better with more effort.” The latter was a time-honoured classic that could apply to just about every kid who went through the educational system. It was once the bane of my life – still is, come to think of it.
Charlton could – and should – certainly have done better during this irritating 2021-22 campaign. They got off to a miserable start, with only a 2-0 win over Crewe interrupting an otherwise dismal string of nine opening games, until they managed a 2-1 victory at Fleetwood on October 2nd. Defeat at Lincoln two weeks later plunged them into 22nd place and prospects were grim.
Form has been in-and-out since that abject surrender at Sincil Bank, with consecutive 2-0 home wins over Ipswich and Cambridge rare highlights. Promotion disappeared as a realistic ambition weeks ago but, until Gillingham were vanquished last Tuesday, relegation hovered over the Addicks like that sword dangled over some bloke’s head by another bloke called Damocles. Be fair, there’s not been much to e-mail home about this season.
Burton Albion arrived in SE7 four points better off than their hosts but departed with that advantage cut to one after becoming Charlton’s second “double” victims. They lost 1-0 to Johnnie Jackson’s men on a bitterly cold afternoon in November and never looked likely to gain revenge in this reverse fixture. Falling behind to a 12th minute sucker punch was no way to start but they weren’t the first victims of a well-rehearsed routine. Morecambe were knocked temporarily bandy by it back on a bleak evening in November.
It wasn’t too smart of Saturday’s visitors to leave Ciaran Gilligan on his own, policing Conor Washington near the halfway line as they poured forward to exploit one of Tom Hamer’s huge throw-ins. They were caught horribly under-manned as Craig McGillivray fielded Sam Hughes’ tame header, sprinted to his 18-yard line and released a long, flat clearance, which pitted Washington against Gilligan in a one-on-one footrace along the striker’s preferred left channel. There was only one winner in their All-Ireland duel and it was the Northern Irishman who forged ahead, spotted Ben Garratt’s rash advance off his line and lifted a shrewdly judged lob over the keeper’s head on its way into his vacated net. Washington’s 10th goal in his 21st start (six substitute appearances) somewhat explodes the theory that his finishing lacks the clinical touch. He’s dynamite playing “off the shoulder”.
Shaken by their early setback, the Brewers had little to offer in return except Hamer’s crudely effective throws, under which they gathered in search of rebounds and ricochets. The burly defender was fortunate to be around to deliver them after a vicious foul on George Dobson as early as the 9th minute was deemed by referee Rebecca Welch to deserve a yellow rather than the red card it merited. Hamer’s was the first of six cautions meted out to the visitors, who were clearly operating a “no prisoners” policy. Former Addick Deji Oshilaja’s second half caution for chopping down Jayden Stockley might have earned him a second booking; his 2nd minute foul on Stockley was brutal enough to have been similarly punished. Oshilaja and Stockley were both sent off at Burton in November. It’s fair to say they don’t get along.
It was Deji who came closest to equalising for the Brewers during a brief pre-interval purple patch. His ferocious drive from outside the penalty area beat McGillivray but rebounded harmlessly from the crossbar. Oshilaja’s near miss was quickly followed by Omar Niasse’s skilful turn to elude Sam Lavelle in dispute of John Brayford’s long ball but, with the hard part done, the Senegalese fired his self-made chance narrowly over the bar.
Having failed to draw level, the Trentsiders fell further behind before the break. They seemed in no great danger as Corey Blackett-Taylor meandered infield from the left touchline before unleashing a low, speculative drive which squeezed inside Garratt’s right-hand post despite the keeper’s full length effort to reach it. Blackett-Taylor’s first league goal rewarded his have-a-go attitude. Unhappily, after going close with a second half bid to double his tally, the bright young winger limped off with a worrying injury.
Blackett-Taylor departed after having left the Addicks in a dominant position. They spent the second half in complete control, if troubled occasionally by Hamer’s dangerous throws. Stockley headed Scott Fraser’s fine cross straight at Garratt as they pottered through what remained. At the other end, Conor Shaughnessy blasted proverbial miles over the bar, his waywardness typifying the visitors’ feeble contribution.
Burton were pretty lightweight…in fact they were awful. Brewers boss Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink could only envy Jackson the inexhaustible energy of the consistent Dobson, Blackett-Taylor’s explosive pace and the impressive sang froid shown by Washington. There’s also the promise of more to come from classy Scott Fraser and his midfield ally Alex Gilbey as Charlton seek to finish this disappointing season strongly. It’s a work in progress which begins all over again in late July.
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The Addicks sent their visitors from down the North Kent Line packing on a nervous night at The Valley. KEVIN NOLAN was there.
On a chilly evening when the result was all that mattered, an opportunistic strike by Alex Gilbey – his second goal of a stop-start season – was enough to settle this scruffy game and all but dismiss Charlton’s lingering fears of relegation to the unspeakable horrors of League Two.
Unable to exploit the Addicks’ alarming second-half disintegration, Gillingham were at least favoured by other results, leaving them a precarious fourth from bottom and still under severe pressure to survive the drop.
To be brutally frank, this downmarket clash between substandard teams went largely unnoticed elsewhere. But at The Valley, the nerves were palpable, mistakes rife and the mood tetchy.
A disappointing home crowd, bolstered by a lively contingent from the Orchard of England, saw Charlton start brightly, control much of the first half and take a deserved lead into their dressing room at half-time. The second half told a different story as the Addicks, increasingly aware of the stakes on offer, appeared to freeze. The visitors sensed their vulnerability, grew in confidence but lacked the quality to press home their growing advantage.
As the tension affected Johnnie Jackson’s men, their ability to hold on to the ball disappeared. Clearances were inconclusive and their pre-interval grip on the game loosened. An equaliser seemed, if not inevitable, then more than likely.
As they battled to hang on to their lead, Charlton rediscovered the spirit so frequently lacking during a seven-game winless streak. They ran, pressed and covered for each other with almost manic enthusiasm.
Up front, Conor Washington and Jayden Stockley set an example of unstinting effort, while Corey Blackett-Taylor’s frequent bursts of pace pinned the Gills back and provided respite for his nerve-shredded side. Behind them, George Dobson supplied his usual energy, the often unfairly maligned Gilbey did his bit and Scott Fraser showed enough to suggest there’s more to come from this talented playmaker. His 66th minute substitute, Elliot Lee, shook off a shaky start before providing a masterclass in how to run down the clock with several cameos, of which the storied Tony Watt would have approved.
It was Gilbey, restored to the starting line-up after being dropped for the last two games, who provided the 40th minute breakthrough. He had already gone close by capping a blistering run with a shot which whistled narrowly wide and was clearly in the mood to try his luck. In support as Blackett-Taylor’s drive was spilled by Pontus Dahlberg, he pounced on the rebound when the keeper bravely parried Stockley’s follow-up, and netted on the turn from 14 yards. His goal ended Charlton’s failure to score from open play since Lee headed the Addicks in front at Wigan on February 12th – a barren run of five games.
Though they beavered away industriously, Neil Harris’ men created little of note to bother Craig McGillivray. Top scorer Vadaine Oliver headed Ben Thompson’s first half cross tamely into McGillivray’s hands and Conor Masterson sent a 25-yard snapshot whistling wide after the break.
His keeper’s relative inactivity didn’t dissuade Jackson from singling out McGillivray for special mention. “I thought Craig was excellent. I’m pleased because obviously we’ve conceded a few goals and I know he took that pretty hard so he deserved that clean sheet. And the win came from hard work and heart and they showed that in abundance today.”
💬 "I knew I would get a response from the lads. They stood up, to a man – it was a real team effort and I'm really pleased for them."
Jacko speaks to CharltonTV following this evening's victory over @TheGillsFC…
It’s been a rough ride recently for Charlton’s popular boss – ringing the changes as his depleted team hit the skids. Seven games without winning sent them into dangerous freefall and Jackson spoke for everyone in stressing the overriding importance of this result.
It hadn’t been about the elegance of the performance – which was just as well – but winning, however ugly it was. “We’ve had important players missing and that’s impacted on results,” he remarked. “We’ve had to try another way and it’s been difficult but I think you saw tonight when we get those guys on the pitch, we’re going to win football matches.” Amen to that, boss.
And a word to the owner. You don’t buy a dog and bark yourself. Johnnie Jackson is the right man for the job. Give him the right tools and he’ll do that job.
Just make sure those tools can play 90 minutes and can turn out regularly. We have more than enough part-time players as it is. We’re lucky to have this bloke in charge. So don’t screw it up.
Referee: Will Finnie. Attendance: 9,728 (1,559 visiting).
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Kathy is a keen amateur gardener, developing her own garden over the last 30 years. She joined the local Horticultural Society in 2014, finding it a very friendly group with a wide range of gardening knowledge. Her working life was in accountancy, and she discovered the considerable health benefits of gardening very early on. She is now Vice Chair of the Society and runs the admin side of the volunteer scheme at the walled gardens.
The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett was published in 1911 and became such a popular book it has never been out of print. The walled gardens attached to Charlton House are 400-year-old gems that have been under-used and neglected in recent years, becoming a truly ‘Secret Garden’ on our doorstep!
The talk will tell you about the history of the gardens and how the local Horticultural Society and the Charlton community are helping the Royal Greenwich Heritage Trust to make them beautiful again.
The talk will be followed by refreshments. We will be charging our usual entrance fee which helps towards room hire. This is £2 for members and £3 for visitors and we should be able to accept cash, cheque or contactless payments.
The talk is this Saturday, March 19 at the Charlton Assembly Rooms. It starts at 2.30pm.
The development would make use of a jetty on the Thames. The Tarmac plant at Riverside Wharf is on the left
A plan to approve more than 1,200 homes by the Thames Barrier was approved by Greenwich Council last night on the casting vote of its controversial chair of planning, Stephen Brain.
The Labour councillor, who is standing down after the elections in May, goaded objectors by inviting them to send abusive emails as he broke a 4-4 tie by approving the project from the housing association Hyde.
“Start tapping now and I’ll read them in the morning,” he said.
Some of the future residents in the Herringham Quarter development in Charlton will face living in homes where they will not be able to open their windows because of concerns over air quality from an asphalt plant next door at Riverside Wharf.
The development site as it is now, as seen on Google Streetview
A representative of Tarmac, which operates the plant, said that the business would be under threat because the new blocks would tower over the plant’s chimney, and residents would be subjected to nauseating smells.
A string of residents’ lobby groups also complained that the development was too dense. But their complaints were dismissed by Brain, meaning the first major development on the Charlton Riverside – earmarked for up to 8,000 homes in a City Hall blueprint – has been given the go-ahead.
Hyde plans to build 718 homes along with commercial units at Herringham Road and New Lydenburg Street, close to the Thames Barrier, in blocks of up to 10 storeys. The first residents could move in by 2026. Hyde was also given outline permission for a further 494 homes, and will return with more detailed plans in the future.
The land concerned – Plots A and C could be finished by 2026. Plot B is the Tarmac plant. Detailed plans for plots D and E will follow
Of the first phase, 263 homes for London Affordable Rent, about half market rent and available to people on housing waiting lists, comprising 37 per cent of the total number of homes. Another 133 homes (18 per cent) will be for shared ownership, with the remainder going on private sale.
There will be more private homes in the later stage, taking the proportion down to 40 per cent “affordable” housing across the site.
Some of the blocks will be built on the site of Maybanks Wharf, currently a recycling yard for Westminster Waste, but the Tarmac yard will remain.
Tito Arowobusoye, a planning consultant representing Tarmac and other local wharf operators, said a third of London’s construction aggregates were processed in the local area – a local industry that could be put at risk if new neighbours were not protected from air quality and pollution.
An air quality expert, Gordon Allison, said the Tarmac plant would be eventually be hemmed in on two sides, with Hyde’s block just 60 metres from the chimney. “In my 25 years in the industry I’ve never seen a proposal where the building will be hit by a plume from an industrial chimney stack,” he said.
Herringham Road, close to the development site, in 2020: Planning chair Stephen Brain said the area was “not pleasant”
“It’s not a sensible proposal – when the wind blows, it will hit the nearest building. Chimneys should be taller than the buildings nearby.”
Allison warned that odours from the plant could also be an issue. “I find it nauseating, even though I’ve worked in the industry my whole career,” he said.
The solution – to fit affected flats with sealed windows and mechanical ventilation – was “unproven”, he added. “There is a genuine risk of nuisance complaints that hasn’t been recognised.”
Asked by Brain if he thought development by the Tarmac plant was impossible, he said that it was not – but that the buildings should be set further back, or the developer should pay to make the chimney taller.
A view from the Thames, with the Tarmac plant on the left
Trevor Curson of Buro Happold, an environmental consultant to Hyde, said that the developer had planned for a worst-case scenario of the plant operating 24 hours a day, 7 days a week – something it does not do.
After hearing of complaints from residents of Greenwich Millennium Village whose homes back onto the Murphy’s Wharf aggregate depot, said that future residents would be better protected from noise than in other nearby developments. One 10-storey block was to shield residents from the noise of the Tarmac plant, the committee heard.
Representatives of several overlapping lobby groups in the Charlton area criticised the scale of the development. Jodie Coughlan, speaking for the Derrick and Atlas Gardens residents’ association – the only group actually based on the riverside – saying it was an “unreasonable and untenable level of deviation” from the local masterplan, which sets maximum heights of three to five storeys for much of the area.
While Hyde said that their blocks, which would step down to six storeys at street level, were at a human scale, the groups disagreed, with the Charlton Central Residents Association’s David Gayther calling it “monolithic in nature”.
Maybank Wharf has been used for waste paper processing since the 1960s – but will soon see new housing
Hyde’s Jaime Buckley said that the housing association had “a limited window” in which to build the scheme because it depended on a £22.5 million grant from City Hall – £60,000 for each affordable-rent home.
Promising the scheme would be a “catalyst” for redeveloping the rest of the riverside, she urged councillors to balance “not just what is desirable, but what is achievable”.
While Hyde will be paying towards new bus services and new roads, Charlton councillor Gary Dillon voiced concerns about the effect of the development on local infrastructure.
Pointing out that the Charlton Riverside masterplan was created with up to 5,000 new residents in mind, but now City Hall was expecting up to 8,000, he said: “Those people who live between Greenwich and Woolwich Dockyard know how fragile the infrastructure is. We’re sometimes waiting for two hours to move five minutes up the road.
”My concern is that developers are looking at this [City Hall] aspiration taking at gospel, but it has no support – there’s no infrastructure development plans or TfL budget to develop new links, and there’s the possibility of extra traffic from the Silvertown Tunnel.”
Hyde’s vision of Herringham Road in the future
Conservative councillor Nigel Fletcher also said he would turn down the scheme, saying that the whole point of the Charlton masterplan was to create somewhere distinct from the towers of Greenwich Peninsula and Woolwich: “It’s really frustrating that when we want to see regeneration here, we’re presented with things we can’t accept because they’re inconsistent with the masterplan.”
Of the three women on the committee on International Women’s Day, none gave their views, while four of the five men did.
Brain said: “I know this area very, very well, how many objectors live near this site? Not many. I see one hand out of all the speakers. It is not residential, it is not pleasant, I’ve had my car serviced there for 30 years.
“The area is horrible, this provides an opportunity to improve the area. If we turn this down, how do any of the applications for the riverside go forward?
“I wouldn’t like to be on the doorsteps saying I’d turned down a great big chunk of social housing. We’d be turning down the futures of many of our residents.”
Brain was joined by fellow Labour councillors Sandra Bauer, Clare Burke-McDonald and Averil Lekau in supporting the scheme, but Labour’s Dillon and Fahy voted to turn it down, along with Fletcher and Geoff Brighty for the Conservatives.
Last year’s highlights included Dunkirk at St George’s Garrison Church in Woolwich
It’s that time of year again – the organisers of the Charlton and Woolwich Free Film Festival are planning this year’s event. And as always, they need your help to put it on.
This year’s festival runs from September 9 to 17 and will be held at venues across the SE7 and SE18 areas. Past venues have included Charlton House, St Luke’s Church, St George’s Garrison Church in Woolwich and Shrewsbury House in Shooters Hill. Two years ago, we teamed up with the festival to hold a special screening of All the President’s Men at Charlton House.
The team are now thrashing out what will be in this year’s programme – and looking for volunteers to get on board and make it happen.
After the turmoil of recent weeks, a goalless draw with Sunderland came as a relief for The Charlton Champion‘s KEVIN NOLAN…
No doubt you’ll have noticed that Charlton never lose any of those past games they show on the big screen before kick-off. They win ’em all.
It must rankle among fans in the adjoining Jimmy Seed Stand to be force-fed so much failure. Having said that, it was hard to identify what games they picked when Millwall were the visitors a couple of years ago; those grainy pre-war pictures are tough to make out.
Be fair though, what brings a glow of pleasurable nostalgia to SE7 is still a bitter pill to swallow on Wearside; no wonder Sunderland live and breathe vengeance, with those play-off finals sticking in their craw.
They came south on Saturday, confident that revenge was there for the taking against their nemesis but instead met a side prepared to dig in and redeem themselves after a miserable run of results; a modest side (with much to be modest about recently) but one with their backs to the wall and spoiling for a fight. The point they took from this dour but competitive encounter will be of more satisfaction to Charlton than the one taken home by Sunderland, who slipped from sixth to no-account seventh in the table.
Heartened by the return from injury of Jayden Stockley and by the eagerly anticipated full debut of Scott Fraser, worried manager Johnnie Jackson will draw quiet encouragement from the excellent contribution made by Diallang Jaiyesimi. The mercurial No 7 only rarely crossed the halfway line but tackled, intercepted and read the game like a seasoned defender. His was an unselfish, disciplined, performance which placed his team’s needs above his natural impulse to go forward.
Also worthy of special mention in a generally solid display were Jason Pearce and Craig McGillivray. You know what’s on offer from the redoubtable skipper and he invariably delivers. There’s nothing he relishes more than a no quarter-asked-or given encounter with a physical opponent and, in prolific Scot Ross Stewart, he was evenly matched.
With 22 goals already this season, Stewart was unable to add to his tally but posed a constant threat. Several chances were either directed wide or saved by McGillivray. But Pearce kept him relatively quiet, something few centre backs have achieved this season.
McGillivray’s excellent statistics took a battering in February, during which Charlton shipped 14 goals in six games, the last three of which yielded 8 of those goals. Those statistics, however, don’t register the often stunning saves he made to make the margin of defeat manageable.
Against free-scoring Sunderland, he made a string of defiant stops to keep the Addicks level. The best of them was the athletic tip-over which kept out Bradley Pritchard’s swerving first half free kick, though the full length dive he made to tip Stewart’s corner-bound shot to safety had its admirers.
In between the spectacular was the competence he showed in repelling Patrick Roberts’s one-on-one effort and the sound positioning which made Elliot Embleton’s crisp daisycutter a matter of routine to handle.
The Addicks’ chances were fewer, though they came close to collaring all three points in a hectic finish to an otherwise attritional struggle. Stronger than their visitors during the closing minutes, they forced a series of setpieces which had the Black Cats wilting. Elliot Lee’s much-improved performance culminated in a salvo of late free kicks conceded by the tiring Wearsiders.
💬 "It was a real battling performance – built on hard work, spirit, some good defending and being resolute."
Johnnie Jackson speaks to CharltonTV following the goalless draw with @SunderlandAFC…
— Charlton Athletic FC (@CAFCofficial) March 5, 2022
Following Roberts’ foul on substitute Jonathan Leko, Lee’s inswinging delivery from the left was headed narrowly wide by an unmarked Sam Lavelle. A mere minute later, Bailey Wright wearily impeded Stockley in the same area and Lee’s free kick picked out the blond centre forward wide of the far post. A venomous volley whistled across the six-yard area, left Anthony Patterson helpless, but eluded the sliding Lavelle by agonising inches. “Would have been harsh on Sunderland,” admitted Jackson. Be honest, John, would you have cared? Or shown a grain of sympathy?
Jackson was easier to believe in his comments about his side’s performance. “It came from hard work and heart”, he remarked, “and they showed that in abundance.” They did indeed, boss, none more so than Pearce, whose defiance inspired Chris Gunter to resourcefully clear off the goalline from Dennis Cirkin during a period of Sunderland pressure early in the second half. Also, George Dobson kept hustling, as did Lee and Ben Purrington.
This was a worthy point, with Mason Burstow’s extreme youth mitigating the tame finish he applied to Stockley’s deftly headed flick. Mason’s not the finished article but he put in the same effort as his more experienced colleagues.
Anyway, I think we can safely say this point – and other results – remove any possibility of relegation. That’s not something we should be celebrating but it’s some sort of relief.
At least we can embark on our owner’s five-year plan from a League One, rather than League Two, starting point, something he hasn’t mentioned lately. Probably in the recording studio. Anyone know if we’re still on?
Referee: Anthony Backhouse Attendance: 13,716 (2,702 visiting).
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The Charlton Champion 