You may or may not be aware that the HMV in the Greenwich Shopping Park has been transformed into a Poundland. Now, HMV’s woes are well known and it was only a matter of time before it closed, but would anybody have guessed a Poundland would be its replacement? Don’t get me wrong, I do love a pound shop, but are they not reserved for crumbling high streets such as Eltham, Woolwich and Sidcup? Would an out-of-town retail park, that was only completed in August 2003, be looking for something more? A Marks & Spencer, a Game, a Vision Express or a Desire by Debenhams perhaps?
Is this just a sign of the times or a sinister slide in fortunes?
Incidentally, it opens this Thursday and there’s a family fun day on Saturday as David Platt (the Coronation Street character not the footballer) will be at the store from 10am until 1pm to sign autographs and give away vouchers.
A full service will run at Charlton for the Olympics
Proposed service cuts at Charlton station during next summer’s Olympics have been scrapped, it has emerged.
The rail company planned to axe two out of the eight trains which serve the station each hour as part of a package of cuts at local stops designed to accommodate extra numbers attending events in Greenwich Park and Woolwich Barracks.
But after a meeting on Tuesday between Southeastern MD Charles Horton, Greenwich & Woolwich MP Nick Raynsford, and David Gardner of the Charlton Rail Users Group, it was confirmed that services between Woolwich Arsenal, Lewisham and Charing Cross would continue to stop at Charlton during the Olympics.
Furthermore, a dedicated bus service to the North Greenwich (O2) Arena will convey Olympics visitors from Charlton station.
Southeastern had originally claimed facilities did not exist at Charlton – which had a bus terminal put in as part of the Millennium Dome project – to run such a service.
The move at Charlton follows pressure from the rail users’ group, Nick Raynsford and Greenwich Council.
It is not yet known what is happening with other stations on the network that were due to face cuts, such as Woolwich Dockyard, scheduled to close altogether; and Deptford and Westcombe Park, due see services cut to two per hour.
Southeastern came under ferocious criticism from rail users and local politicians for their plans to cut services.
The company said the cancellations were needed to allow trains to spend longer picking up and dropping off passengers at Greenwich and Woolwich Dockyard stations.
Full details of the new timetables are expected to be confirmed by July.
Neville's Island 2-4 June 2011 - Left to Right: Nik Renouf (Gordon) Mark Higgins (Angus) Keith Hartley (Roy) and Roy Moore (Neville)
A review by local resident Paul Little of the latest production by Charlton’s amateur theatre group – the Alexandra Players. For more details of the group contact alexandraplayers@gmail.com.
The play Neville’s Island brings to mind the 1954 novel Lord of the Flies by William Golding. In that novel, Golding uses children to show man’s capable descent into turmoil and savagery. In his play Tim Firth chooses to use four middle aged, middle management men to do near on the same. These men are stranded though, not on some remote exotic island, but upon the wet and cold environs of Rampsholme Island on Derwentwater in the Lake District. However, Neville, Gordon, Angus and Roy’s descent is equally as quick as Ralph and his allies in Lord of the Flies and the play demonstrates how they are brought down by the rumours and prejudices they have cultivated in their office environment and which now bloom on the island.
If this rather quick synopsis makes the play sound overly serious, a glance at the subtitle of the play (‘A comedy in thick fog’) points out its aims towards a mixture of comedy and darkness. This is not an easy balance to achieve and it is this tightrope that director Antonia Mochan – directing her first play for the Alexandra Players – must tread on. She does it admirably well. The production combines successfully almost slapstick like moments along with intimate revelations by certain characters. This allows Mochan to position the audience in such a way that they are not tipped wholly into mirth or reflection at any one time but are still reciprocal to both.
The pace of the play was quick and this produced the one flaw of the evening and that was the clapping which happened between every scene. This might have been due to an overzealous audience member, or maybe it was a ruse by the players to disguise the changes and accompanying noises between scenes. Whatever the reason, this enforced clapping served to break up the flow of the play and disrupt the audience’s concentration from the stage.
This, however, is but a minor niggle and special mention must go to the very resourceful Dave Townsend. He designed a set that uses the limited space on offer very well and gave a real sense of depth to the small stage. Particular mention must be given to the ‘lookout tree’ which, when bathed in green light, becomes very effective in contributing to that mixture of humour and pathos.
It was Keith Hartley playing the character of Roy, a man coming apart once more at the seams, who was frequently up that tree. Hartley played the character subtlety enough making Roy a man subject in equal measure to the annoyances and sympathy of the audience. This is not to say the other three actors didn’t equip themselves very well, but Hartley edged ahead by being gifted those rare alone times on stage. Even when he was stripped to just his underpants and was constantly reciting the opening line to the song ‘Oklahoma’, he commanded attention of the serious and comic kind.
The play ran for four nights and its success places one more good production under the belts of the versatile Alexandra Players. It will be interesting to see what they tackle next.
The Woodman in happier times (picture: beerintheevening.com)From Greenwich Council – another sad story about a former local pub.
Greenwich Council has successfully prosecuted a real estate firm after it illegally converted a former pub in Charlton into eight flats.
The Woodman Pub on Little Heath in Charlton was turned into apartments by Cheltenham Real Estate LLP. However, the owners failed to comply with any statutory requirements to carry out the work, including failing to gain planning permission or Building Regulations approval. It means the flats were not inspected for fire and structural safety and other standards before they were let.
Greenwich Council brought the prosecution over health and safety concerns for the tenants. Cheltenham Real Estate LLP was fined £3,000 and ordered to pay £1430 costs after pleading guilty at Woolwich Magistrates Court to contravention of the Building Regulations 2000.
Most building work needs Building Regulations approval and without it enforcement action may be taken. This could also mean future difficulties with selling, buying or financing a property. Greenwich Council has now also served Cheltenham Real Estate LLP with an enforcement notice for an alleged breach of planning control. Planning permission is needed for conversions which change the use of a building.
Councillor Maureen O’Mara, Greenwich Council’s Cabinet Member for Community Safety and Enforcement said: “It was both illegal and utterly negligent of this firm to house tenants without following the correct procedures and checking whether their building complied with health and safety standards. These regulations are there for a reason, namely to protect innocent people and this case should serve as a reminder to any individual or firm carrying out building works that they MUST seek Building Regulations and planning approval. Most projects require it and lives could be lost without it. Greenwich Council will act promptly in any failures to do this, as this case clearly demonstrates.”
Anyone considering building work should contact Greenwich Council’s Building Control team on 020 8921 5413 and Planning Department on 020 8921 5222/5019 for information and advice before proceeding.
Barking BMX track (photo courtesy of sozalled via flickr)
Greenwich council planning board approved plans for a BMX bike track in Hornfair Park on Thursday evening. The meeting, held at Woolwich town hall, was well attended and included numerous speakers both for and against the track. These plans are part of a £2.8m scheme to revamp the sports facilities in the area paid for by the London mayor’s sports fund. Also included is an artificial cricket pitch and upgrades for the lido, paddling pool, basketball courts and children’s play area. The bike track looks set to be ready by the end of the summer. Paul Martindill, head of sporting legacy at Greenwich council said:
“This site was chosen as it’s particularly appealing to children and families…..and for its proximity to lots of schools.”
He went on to explain that kids could start riding on the course from the age of four or five. There would be midweek and weekend sessions reserved for a local club and schools would have allocated time slots too. He anticipated that 75% of the time would be for general use where anybody could turn up and ride.
In total 1,276 people in close proximity were consulted. The opposition to the track has included a petition with 577 signatures, 149 letters objecting and comments posted on this blog. Toni Hale, a resident and former pool attendant at the lido, spoke on behalf of the campaign against the park proposal:
“We’re not against it being a sports facility, we’re just against it being a BMX dirt track……Olympic legacy is just a branding.”
The campaign have highlighted a long list of reasons why it shouldn’t be built. For the most part these concerns have been answered by the council. Team shelters have been removed from the proposals after thoughts they may be used as hangouts for drug dealers. Black tarmac for the track surface has been changed to green to comply with conservation area guidelines. There was confirmation it will not impede on the Green Chain Walk and the Green Chain Working Party have expressed their support for the facility. The campaign group highlighted that the Woolwich riverside skate park should be extended to include this BMX track. It was noted at the meeting that this skate park is due to be demolished as part of the ongoing Woolwich Arsenal developments. Potential noise pollution was deemed minimal by Peter Cattermoul from British Cycling. A 77 metre radius from the nearest house also seemed to suggest it wouldn’t cause any more noise than that of the adjacent football pitches. Campaigners spoke of parking problems caused by Meridian sports club and Charlton Athletic FC. Public transport and the limit of 30 people per supervised session are said to have stopped the need for additional parking arrangements.
Representatives from local schools were there to talk on behalf of the younger generation. Jan Beames the headteacher of Cherry Orchard Primary said:
“Importantly, this is boys and girls, away from Xboxes, out of their flats and into the fresh air.”
She went on read out quotes she had compiled from her pupils. One simply stated:
“Not all children want to cause trouble, we want this track so we can cause some fun”.
Weekly Greenwich Time newspaper was criticised at several points during the two hour meeting. Pictures of children in newly purchased BMX equipment appeared on the front cover of last week’s edition. This enraged campaigners that saw it as a sign that this proposal was already a “done deal”. Former Lib-Dem councillor Paul Webbewood even attended the meeting to talk about the faults of the newspaper and not of the BMX track itself.
It seems there were two underlying points that were left for the planning board to make their own judgement on. The first is the clear safety issue. Riders will be unsupervised for three quarters of its opening times. Cycling officials spoke about how races can be self-regulated and how the track met the requirements of ROSPA guidelines. Adequate entrances for the emergency services were mentioned as well as signs that state the need for wearing safety equipment. No doubt there will be accidents but the question is how many and how dangerous a sport is BMX? Could this track instead reduce the need for local children to cycle on roads?
There was also the much discussed issue of anti social behaviour, which campaigners have highlighted is currently a problem. Not so long ago the Audit Commission came to the conclusion that sport prevented anti-social behaviour in children. With the addition of the Olympics the government are certainly driving this idea. The redevelopment of the park and lido in general is hoped to populate the park more. Would Hornfair park become a safer place? Or could it get worse as the gates might not prevent mopeds and motorbikes accessing the park? What happens when night falls and the park is closed? Could someone scale the 1.8m fence if they wanted to? Would a bike track increase the chance of someone trying? Barking BMX track, often cited as inspiration for this one, hasn’t been without its own fair share of vandalism.
The voting finished fairly unanimously, Tory councillor Dermot Poston abstained with the rest approving. Cllr Poston’s reasoning was:
“This is a local park and we’re are a local planning board for local people. We are acquiescing for something that people don’t want.”
It could be said that half of the people consulted do not want this bike track constructed. With a majority vote plans will be under way and Hornfair Park will have a new addition by September.
“Just wondering if you knew what was happening in Charlton Park? I was there on Thursday morning and there are some piles of earth inside the old running track area, and another one on the corner opposite the outside gym. Plus a couple of workers seem to have dug a square in the middle of the rugby pitch (above) – perhaps they’re turning it into a cricket pitch?”
And another from Andy:
“I see that Charlton is getting a new sandwich bar (in the old dress shop) – know any details?”
I can’t help on either of these questions – but can you?
Before we begin I’d just like to mention I’m a die-hard stout drinker so what I know about wine you could write on the back of a first class stamp.
A few weeks back I travelled to the excellent Blackheath Cooks for a free night of wine tasting. There waiting for me was an evening with Everyday Wines and some very pleasant company from fellow SE7 and SE3 residents. Everyday Wines is Ben and Svenja. The office is in their conservatory and the warehouse is in Belvedere. It was set up last year to stop the need for people rooting around supermarkets looking for the best deals. All the wine is from the Languedoc Rousillion region of France. Ben explains, “I picked grapes down there when I was a student so I know the area quite well”. All bottles are £5.50 and are available in crates of six, and yes, you can mix and match a crate.
There’s seven wines on offer and I’m told this will grow over time. Each is accompanied by an audio clip from the evening so they can explain each for themselves:
Rosé BIO Cinsault Grenache
Picpoul de Pinet Le Jade 2009
Viognier Le Jade 2009
Muscat Sec ‘Larmes d’Alexandra’
Domaine Pujol Izard 2008
Jaja de Jau – Syrah 2009
Jaja de Jau – Carignan 2009
It was an enjoyable evening. At one stage I felt far too drunk to be talking civilised to strangers. After mingling some more I quickly realised we were all in the same boat. I left with a mixed crate under my arm and I am currently in the process of ordering a couple more. I can highly recommend all the wines but the one that stuck out for me was the Syrah. It says on their website that they are “so confident that you will like all of our wines, that we offer a full exchange or refund guarantee on unopened bottles”. I’m such a fan of the Syrah that if you don’t like it I’ll probably give you the money myself .
Everyday Wines have an online shop and can deliver to your door. I believe they currently only deliver to the SE3, SE7 and SE10 post codes. They are also willing to arrange a wine tasting evening so you can experince them before buying. If you’re a local group or association and you want Ben and Svenja to visit then contact them. They can even send you a box to try by yourselves if you like. I’m not on commission by the way.
Here’s some audio of them explaining a little more about the company:
Weekly Greenwich Time newspaper was criticised at several points during the two hour meeting. Pictures of children in newly purchased BMX equipment appeared on the front cover of last week’s edition. This enraged campaigners that saw it as a sign that this proposal was already a “done deal”. Former Lib-Dem councillor Paul Webbewood even attended the meeting to talk about the faults of the newspaper and not of the BMX track itself.
The Charlton Champion 