Charlton House has been used as a vaccination centre since December
Pfizer vaccines against Covid-19 will be available to all adults at Charlton House tomorrow and Friday as the drive to get as many people inoculated as possible steps up.
All over-18s in Greenwich borough will be able to get first or second jabs from 2pm to 6pm on Thursday; with the clinic also open from 9am to 1pm and 2pm to 6pm on Friday.
Hundreds of people got their jabs at The Valley last weekend in a mass vaccination event for over-40s, and the stadium will opening its gates once again this Saturday. This time, over-18s from all SE London boroughs will be eligible with Pfizer jabs on offer.
The Valley is one of a number of London stadiums to be pressed into service for mass vaccination days, with queues also forming at Arsenal, Chelsea, Tottenham Hotspur and West Ham last weekend.
Vaccinators – including Greenwich Council leader Danny Thorpe – at The Valley last Saturday (photo: twitter.com/royal_greenwich)
Anyone who has not had a jab can book via their GP or the NHS website.
There are also daily walk-up sessions for over-40s from across SE London at Guy’s Hospital and St Thomas’ Hospital from 8pm to 7pm, and sessions every Tuesday and Friday from 8am to 4pm at Lewisham Hospital. Greenwich borough residents over 40 can also get jabs from 8am to 2pm daily at Woolwich Late Night Pharmacy on General Gordon Square.
More details of clinics across Greenwich and other SE London boroughs – some are being organised at short notice – are on the NHS SE London website.
Thursday update: We’ve been told by one attendee and by volunteers at the clinic that there has been a “miscommunication” and second jabs are not available.
Optivo’s plans for Eastmoor Street, with the Aitch scheme in white next door to it
The first plans to build housing on the Charlton Riverside could finally get the go-ahead from councillors next week – replacing warehouses and industrial units on Eastmoor Street with 255 flats.
City Hall wants to see thousands of homes built on the riverfront around the Thames Barrier in the coming years, with a number of schemes in the pipeline. Plans for 771 homes off Anchor and Hope from the developer Rockwell were thrown out by a planning inspector a year ago after being rejected by both Greenwich Council and London mayor Sadiq Khan on grounds of both height and density.
A masterplan for the area calls for lower-rise housing – a maximum of 10 storeys – in an attempt to differentiate it from the Greenwich Peninsula and Woolwich’s Royal Arsenal, while Greenwich Council’s housing policy demands that 35 per cent of homes must be “affordable”.
View from Woolwich Road with both schemes
Now two smaller plans have come forward for land behind the old Victoria pub, which could finally start the transformation of the area – but will also provide an insight into the trade-offs and compromises involved in creating what will eventually become a new neighbourhood. In one scheme, objections to taller buildings have been followed by a cut in the amount of “affordable” housing at a time when there are 23,000 people on Greenwich Council’s waiting list.
Planning officers are recommending that the schemes get the green light – but councillors on Greenwich’s planning board will have the final say at a meeting on Monday 28 June.
A view of the Aitch scheme looking east from Penhall Road. The red lines represent storeys lopped off the schemeA view from the Barrier vets’ clinic. Red lines represent storeys lopped off the scheme
The first – and most controversial – scheme is from the developer Aitch Group, for land behind the current Beaumont Beds warehouse and to the west of Barrier Gardens. Aitch originally planned 230 homes with 10-storey blocks – after objections these have been cut down to 188 homes with blocks of up to nine storeys, with commercial units on the ground floor and play space for children.
Before the objections, the plan had 35 per cent “affordable” housing; now only 29.7 per cent of the homes would be “affordable”, with the developer saying it cannot afford to build more. Of the total, 21.2 per cent would be for London Affordable Rent – half market rents, available to people on the housing waiting list but more expensive than standard council rents – and 8.5 per cent would be for shared ownership.
The scheme has drawn objections from resident groups. The Charlton Society says the blocks are too tall, as the masterplan suggests heights of three to six storeys at this site, adding that it “would be a waste of time commenting on any other features of the design”.
The current view south down Eastmoor Street.
The Charlton Central Residents Association – whose patch is some way from Eastmoor Street – also objects, saying the scheme would “not exactly providing good quality living accommodation” while the Derrick and Atlas Gardens Residents Association, which represents the only residential streets currently on the riverside, calls the height, density and massing “extreme”.
Charlton Together, an umbrella group representing residents’ organisations, says: “We continue to be faced with plans for dormitories that could be anywhere.”
Aitch’s view from Westmoor Street looking south
In their report, planning officers say that the heights in the masterplan are simply guidance, and that traditional houses would not be allowed in a flood risk area.
“The scheme is characterised by a six-storey main parapet and which is considered appropriate to the intended mid-rise character of this part of Charlton Riverside,” they say.
Overall, there were 28 objections, with 34 comments in support.
Optivo’s plans with and without the next-door Aitch scheme, as seen from Westmoor Street
Less controversial are plans for 67 flats on the site of the Beaumont Beds warehouse. These would be from the Optivo housing association – which held a very short-notice consultation in January 2020, meaning it snuck under the radar for many – and would all be for London Affordable Rent.
These would be in blocks of up to seven storeys, with two ground-floor commercial units.
The Beaumont Beds warehouse as it is now. The plans do not include the cash and carry warehouse next door
However, there are still objections on the grounds of height from the Charlton Society and the Greenwich Planning Alliance, with worries expressed about a lack of play space – with Maryon Park across the busy Woolwich Road from the development. Other residents’ groups did not comment.
The major challenge to both developments is a lack of infrastructure. While new healthcare facilities are planned for the riverside, the NHS London Healthy Urban Development Unit calls for money from both developments to be spent on existing GP surgeries in the meantime – a request refused by council planners who say the developments are not big enough. Councillors could revisit the issue if they take enough interest in it.
View down Eastmoor Street including both schemesView from Woolwich Road with both schemes
Developers will also have to pay a £3,000 council levy on each flat to contribute towards the major infrastructure needed – new roads, including what will effectively be an extension of Bugsby’s Way; improvements to Woolwich Road and Anchor & Hope Lane; a new secondary school; one or two primary schools; ten nurseries; the health centre; Thames Path upgrades; improved public realm and a new park.
Network Rail has raised the issue of pressure on local trains, while Transport for London is charging a £2,812 levy on each flat to pay for new bus services through the riverside area – an extended 301 bus service from Woolwich is expected to be introduced as an interim measure.
If approved, other major schemes are likely to follow soon with developers understood to be impatient to start work on their projects.
They are:
U+I plans 380 homes on the old Siemens factory site on the Charlton/Woolwich border, along with a co-working hub for local businesses and space for light industry. The scheme, Faraday Works, was recently altered because one of the Siemens buildings was given a Grade II listing – resulting in a cut to the “affordable” housing on the site.
The infamous Rockwell development for 771 homes off Anchor and Hope Lane, thrown out by a planning inspector last year. Current status: unknown, and the site has disappeared from Rockwell’s website
Close to the riverside, building works have begun on the Antigallican pub after permission was granted for a 60-room hotel there two years ago. There has been no decision on plans to change this to a 49-room co-living space.
The season might be over, but The Valley is set for socially-distanced crowds on Saturday
Charlton Athletic’s stadium will become a mass vaccination centre for one day on Saturday – with all Greenwich borough residents who have not yet had a jab invited to the drop-in session.
The first 1,000 people at The Valley between 8am and 8pm will get a free ticket for a future Charlton match, with other prizes on offer during the day.
While The Valley has been open to locals with appointments for jabs since March, Saturday will be the first time its gates have been flung open for all, with people set to queue up around the pitch to get their vaccine.
AstraZeneca vaccines will be on offer for those over 40; under-40s will also be able to get the jab but will need a clinical assessment first. People who have had their first vaccine eight weeks ago but not yet had their second are also invited. More details are on the Greenwich Council website.
While nearly 80 per cent of the UK population have had one at least one jab, that figure falls to 60 per cent in Greenwich. While London has a comparatively younger population, there is still some ground to be made up in older age groups – nearly a quarter of people aged 50 to 55 in Greenwich have still not had a jab, according to Public Health England data.
Pop-up clinics are taking place around the borough with other vaccines, often at short notice – today will see Pfizer jabs offered to over-25s at the Clockhouse community centre on the Woolwich Dockyard estate from 9am to 4.30pm.
Pfizer vaccines will also be offered at the Wallace health centre in Clarence Road, Deptford, on Wednesday; the Amal Pharmacy in Greenwich Millennium Village on Thursday and Sutcliffe Park Sports Centre in Eltham on Friday.
In addition, the Woolwich Late Night Pharmacy in General Gordon Square is offering AstraZeneca vaccines to over-40s every day from 8am to 2pm until July 25.
37 Bowater Road was listed by English Heritage last year – U+I wanted to demolish it (photo: Neil Clasper)
The developer behind plans for hundreds of new homes on a riverside factory site has launched a new consultation on its plans after abandoning plans to demolish a key building.
U+I is asking residents to comment on revised plans for Faraday Works – the old Siemens factory on the Charlton/Woolwich border – after 37 Bowater Road, which was due for demolition under its original proposal, was given a Grade II listing.
The former cable factory was given the listing in February 2020, shortly after an application for planning permission went in on the site. It is not known if any local campaign group pushed for English Heritage to take action on plans to demolish the site; no group announced the listing at the time.
The long-derelict wire factory could become a hub for new businesses
But – as with the case of the covered market in Woolwich – keeping the listed building could come at a cost. Plans for 35 per cent “affordable” housing – which Greenwich Council demands in new developments – have been scaled back to “zero to 8 per cent”, with U+I and the council seeking funding to increase this amount.
Last month Greenwich councillors approved plans for the Woolwich covered market site that offered just under 20 per cent “affordable” homes but kept the market after it was listed: original plans were to demolish it and have 35 per cent “affordable” housing.
The original plans for Faraday Works included building 492 homes on the site, restoring the crumbling former wire workshop on Bowater Road as a centre for new businesses and building 13-storey blocks in other parts of the site.
Now its plans are for 380 homes and include building a roof extension on top of 37 Bowater Road to “reflect the engineering legacy of innovation … [this] has been supported by Historic England in early consultation”. New housing will be cut down to 10 storeys, while plans for the wire workshop and a light industrial site remain unchanged.
Richard Upton, the chief executive of U+I, said: “Shortly after submitting the application in late 2019, 37 Bowater Road was designated Grade II Listed by Historic England, the only building on site planned for replacement. As a result, U+I are bringing forward revised proposals for the site, that retain much of the ambition and ethos of the previous scheme, and centre the restoration of the historic buildings as a key piece of the Faraday Works story.
“We agree that Charlton Riverside needs to be truly unique and distinctive, with the site’s heritage being a key component of that identity. Our ambition is an exemplar heritage-led scheme, featuring new homes, retail and employment spaces, all wrapped in beautiful public realm. This will deliver space for 800 jobs and around 380 new homes.
“37 Bowater Road will be sensitively restored and adapted along with all of the other existing buildings on site. The building will feature commercial and light industrial uses on the ground floor, and residential above, where unusually high ceilings and large open floorplates will create stunning new heritage apartments.
“We also want to reflect some of the legacy of engineering innovation on this site through contemporary additions and extension. We are pleased that the key move of cantilevered roof extensions to 37 Bowater Road has been supported by Historic England and the Design Review Panel in early consultation.
“Over previous public consultations, and through extensive discussions with our neighbours, we’ve listened to and learned from their feedback, and we’re once again asking for input in order to create an exemplar London neighbourhood.”
Residents can visit faradayworks.com to find out more, while there will also be a chance to talk to the developers over Zoom on Thursday, with in-person tours of the site on 15 and 17 June.
Network Rail needs to outline why it is closing the foot crossing across the Angerstein Wharf branch line – and should help improve the alternative route to Westcombe Park station, local MP Matt Pennycook has said.
The track company announced on Wednesday that it would be closing the footpath across the freight railway, two years after it pulled back from an earlier decision to remove the link, which is used by Charlton residents to reach Westcombe Park station. Network Rail says the unstaffed crossing, one of just a handful in London, is unsafe.
News of the closure was greeted with anger by locals on Wednesday, and Pennycook said on social media that Network Rail needed to do more to explain just why it had to close the path, which links Fairthorn Road in Charlton with Farmdale Road in east Greenwich and a footbridge to Westcombe Park. He also called for improvements to the alternative route, a narrow footpath under the dingy Woolwich Road railway bridge.
The dingy alternative route after dark
“The decision to close the Angerstein Wharf foot crossing without a replacement pedestrian link at the same location is deeply disappointing,” he said. “Network Rail must fully explain their reasoning and work with the local community to improve the alternative route to the A102 footbridge.”
Network Rail told The Charlton Champion on Wednesday that the crossing was the most dangerous in its Kent region, citing “many incidents where drivers of trains had to apply their emergency brakes to avoid people on the track”.
But neighbours responded with scepticism. “Maximum 2 trains a day travelling at 5mph. If there are safety issues, then surely a proper crossing or a tunnel would be the answer,” said one Twitter user; another, Ben Marshall, said: “This is madness. Primary school students having to navigate the perilous single file path on Woolwich Road is the real safety risk.”
Network Rail says it will consult with the local community about an alternative route before it closes the path, which opened as a route for farm workers in the 1850s. Two years ago, over 2,000 people signed a petition against the closure.
The crossing has been a local landmark since the 1850s
Charlton Champion exclusive:Network Rail has said it plans to close the foot crossing at the Angerstein Wharf branch line after all, two years after backing away from initial plans to block off the much-used link.
The historic crossing, one of the last of its kind left in London, connects residents in and near Fairthorn Road, Charlton, with Farmdale Road in east Greenwich and a footbridge over the A102 to Westcombe Park station.
The crossing, originally built for farm workers in the 1850s, has grown in importance in recent years with the development of new housing on the old Thorn Lighting site between Victoria Way and Fairthorn Road. The newer Synergy development, which welcomed its first residents last year, offering a direct link to Gurdon Road and the crossing.
Many of these homes overlook the Greenwich railway line and are within sight of Westcombe Park station, but no provision was made to improve access to the station with residents left to depend on the foot crossing.
Network Rail, which has recently installed gates at the crossing, said the number of incidents on the line – which regularly sees freight trains to heading to Angerstein Wharf on the Thames – meant it had to act.
Fiona Taylor, Network Rail’s route director for Kent, told The Charlton Champion: “We have announced today our intention to close Angerstein level crossing near Charlton due to the safety risk it poses to users, passengers and our rail colleagues. Angerstein crossing is currently registered as the most dangerous of nearly 350 level crossings which we operate in Kent, with many incidents where drivers of trains had to apply their emergency brakes to avoid people on the track.
“The closure will not be immediate, and we will be in close communication with the local community about the alternative route which is chosen. We understand that many residents will be disappointed by this closure but their safety and that of passengers and rail colleagues is our priority.”
Volunteers have been restoring the gardens behind Charlton House
Volunteers who have been restoring the gardens behind Charlton House will be showing off their work on Sunday – and a there’s be a lot more happening too. KATHY AITKEN from Charlton & Blackheath Amateur Horticultural Society explains…
The Charlton & Blackheath Amateur Horticultural Society is planning its annual Plant Sale and Community Day this Sunday May 30th from 11 am. This year we have expanded our event, so it’s not just for plant hunters, it’s going to be a real family and community day too.
Tables will be laid out in the “Long Borders” at the back of the walled gardens, which will all be open to the public, and many of the volunteers will be there to show off their latest revival efforts.
There will be home-baked cakes from the Greenwich & Blackheath WI, colouring and flower activities from the Charlton Toy Library, there will be displays from The Charlton Society, the Friends of Greenwich Park, the Charlton Community Garden (who look after the station and Charlton Park’s orchard) and the Friends of Charlton Park (the park’s meadow). Blackheath Flower Arrangers will be showing off their floral designs.
For children, there will be a Discovery Trail around the gardens, with lots of things to find (perhaps a silkworm cocoon, a Yew Fairy or a Frog Prince..). Adults can walk the trail too, and perhaps spot a red oak or a pomegranate. Children can pot up their own strawberry plant to take home.
Our members have been busy planting and potting up, there will be a great selection of perennials like Salvias, Hostas and Agapanthus as well as veg, herbs and house plants. Funds raised from plant sales will go equally to the Greenwich & Bexley Community Hospice and the walled gardens revival. It will be cash only and best to bring your own bags.
The Green Goddess pub will be on the patio for refreshments, and the weather forecast is looking up. Come and play in your favourite secret garden!
The Charlton Champion 