The first Charlton & Woolwich Free Film Festival, in 2016, featured a screening of Shaun of the Dead at the White Swan pub
Got a film that you love and you’d like everyone else to see it? The Charlton and Woolwich Free Film Festival is back for a third year – and it’s looking for people with ideas who can help make it happen.
Part of a network of free film festivals in south London, past festivals have featured Withnail and I and Shaun of the Dead at the White Swan, short films at Charlton House, Battle of Britain at St George’s Garrison Church in Woolwich, and Grease at the Royal Arsenal.
Organiser Gavin Eastley says: “We’re coming back for our third annual film fest with an even better Charlton and Woolwich Free Film Festival in 2018. So to start it all off again we are having an open meeting at Charlton House on Wednesday 21st February at 7:30pm.
“Please come along if you want to manage an evening of film or just have a great idea for a film and/or venue. Spread the word, please. The festival is for everyone.”
Women in Sheds runs on Wednesday mornings until Easter, while Men in Sheds runs on Wednesday afternoons
Another season of Men in Sheds sessions begins at Mycenae House on Wednesday 7 February – and this time the women are coming along too.
Men in Sheds helps men over 50 sharpen – or gain – woodworking skills, helping community projects in their local areas.
It helps men who may otherwise be stuck at home get out of the house, make new friends, learn new skills and help others in their community. You don’t need to be an expert – you just need to have an interest.
Now, after numerous requests, a companion Women in Sheds series is also starting up – so if you’re a woman over 50 who’s good with tools (or would like to be), organisers at Age UK Bromley and Greenwich would love to have you along. You can just come for a chat if you like.
Women in Sheds runs from 10.30am to 1pm on Wednesdays until Easter, with Men in Sheds running from 2-3.30pm on the same days. Cost is £1 (with tea and biscuits thrown in). Call 020 8294 3012 or visit the Bromley & Greenwich Men In Sheds website for more.
Mycenae House’s Seniors Drop-In Cafe, which runs from 1-4pm each Thursday, continues, with participants knitting for community projects. All are welcome – cost is £1 (includes tea and cake).
And next month, Age UK Bromley & Greenwich’s Repair Cafe comes to Mycenae House. Got broken furniture, small electric appliances, bicycles, crockery, toys, phones, computers or gadgets? Don’t chuck ’em – bring ’em along and get them fixed. It’s on Wednesday 21 March from 10.30 am – 3.30pm. Organisers are also looking for volunteers to help out – contact details are above.
What Rockwell says the development’s residential garden areas will look like
Residents of streets next to the planned Rockwell development off Anchor and Hope Lane are holding an open meeting to help people respond to the proposals, as anger grows over the lack of consultation over the new plans.
In total, 11 new buildings are planned, with space for retail and commercial use alongside Anchor & Hope Lane. 210 car parking spaces are planned. But the developer only wants to provide 5% “affordable” housing on the site, although its application says it is in talks with Greenwich Council about a “growth scenario”.
It has also emerged that Cratus Communications, the lobbying company which has former Greenwich Council leader Chris Roberts as its deputy chairman, is now involved in the project. Former Greenwich chief executive Mary Ney is listed on the Cratus website as an “associate”, while one-time Greenwich Labour borough organiser Michael Stanworth heads up the company’s London lobbying operation.
The workshop, which has been organised by Derrick and Atlas Gardens Residents Association, will be held at Greenwich Yacht Club on Sunday 4 February from 3pm to 5pm. All with concerns about the scheme are welcome, not just residents of those two streets.
The new proposals see brick-based buildings with a maximum height of 10 storeys
The association has already written to Greenwich Council chief executive Debbie Warren, in a letter supported by other local groups including the Charlton Society and Charlton Central Residents Association, to ask that the scheme be deferred because no public consultation has taken place on the revised plans.
You can wade through all the planning documents and comment by searching for reference 16/4008/F at Greenwich Council’s planning pages. Comments need to be with the council by Wednesday 6 February.
Worries over the Rockwell development come as wider concerns are being raised about Greenwich Council’s planning procedures and consultation policies in the Charlton area, with the numerous local groups now starting to work more closely together on scrutinising schemes.
Residents’ groups are seeking explanations as to why no councillor explained why they backed the controversial Fairview Victoria Way development at a meeting last month – a departure from usual practice at planning meetings – along with issues to do with the consultation, which was also run by Cratus Communications.
Linda Perks was picked in September to represent Charlton ward in May’s council election (image: Sky News)
A Labour candidate in May’s Greenwich Council election was condemned by a judge last year after “flagrantly” breaking the rules of the UK’s biggest public sector union to help its general secretary get re-elected.
Linda Perks, who was formerly Unison’s London regional secretary, was picked last September to represent Charlton ward in this spring’s poll.
Her selection came just four months after it was ruled that she breached union regulations by calling on her staff at Union to vote for Dave Prentis, and for “openly campaigning” for him during working hours.
After hearing a recording of Perks which was posted online by an anonymous whistleblower, Judge Mary Stacey said her tone was “not just confident but swaggering in so openly breaking the rules, but chilling in its brazenness and demonstration of unchecked power”.
The judge said Perks’ behaviour was “extremely shocking”.
Greenwich Labour has said that Perks was “open and transparent” about the issue when she put herself forward for selection and that she will continue to stand in the election. Perks herself has not responded to a request for comment.
The new proposals see brick-based buildings with a maximum height of 10 storeys (click the image to enlarge it)
Developers behind the first major plans to build new housing at Charlton Riverside have submitted new proposals for 771 homes to be built off Anchor and Hope Lane.
As reported here last month, Rockwell has dropped plans to build a 28-storey glass tower as part of its proposals, and has now submitted a plan which includes five 10-storey blocks, three of which would be on Anchor & Hope Lane itself, close to Charlton station.
The other two would be set back behind Atlas Gardens and a cluster of smaller blocks.
But the viability assessment submitted with the proposal reveals that the developer only wants to provide 5% “affordable” housing on the site, compared with 15% for the previous plans. However, it says it will be discussing a “growth scenario” to provide more “affordable” housing with Greenwich Council over the next month.
Rockwell’s earlier scheme went against several principles of Greenwich Council’s masterplan for the Charlton Riverside, which set guidelines suggesting that tall buildings should be no taller than 10 storeys, and outlined a desire to see a new road driven through towards the Thames Barrier area.
Rockwell’s description of the changes it has madeWhat towers?
But this scheme, which was first revealed by council deputy leader Danny Thorpe at a “stakeholders’ forum” last month, now appears to tick the boxes the council demands – at least as far as design and planning goes.
Residents now have less than three weeks to comment on the proposals.
In total, 11 new buildings are planned, with space for retail and commercial use alongside Anchor & Hope Lane. 210 car parking spaces are planned.
As well as the change in height and materials, the scheme also sees its central green space replaced with a series of smaller residential garden areas as well as a “play street”.
A plan of the proposals, together with Atlas and Derrick Gardens
Rockwell, which is acting for the applicant, Channel Islands-based Leopard Guernsey Anchor Propco Ltd, also says its revised proposals will allow more light through to properties at Atlas and Derrick Gardens, who feared being overshadowed by the original development.
The application makes much of public consultations held by Rockwell, although there has been very little consultation since the original scheme was submitted 12 months ago, save for a council-approved “stakeholder” group. An email sent by The Charlton Champion last month seeking more information about the plans went unanswered.
You can wade through all the planning documents and comment by searching for reference 16/4008/F at Greenwich Council’s planning pages. You can also read part one and part two of the lengthy design and access statement, which outlines the proposals. Comments need to be in by 6 February.
What Rockwell says the residential garden areas will look like
But the extremely low level of “affordable” housing could yet prove a major sticking point – especially with council elections due in May.
The viability assessment says that Rockwell is aiming for an 18% profit on the scheme. “If we were valuing a more established site with planning permission we would adopt a profit margin of 17.50% on sale,” it says. “This is an untested site in an untested area and developers would require a higher profit margin to reflect the risks going forward.”
The Charlton Society has a plan to rejuvenate Charlton Village
The Charlton Society has launched an 18-point action plan to turn around the fortunes of Charlton Village – and is holding a public meeting on Saturday to discuss its ideas.
The Charlton Village Action Plan sets out proposals for traffic, buildings and the street scene to make the area more attractive for businesses and residents.
The meeting will be held at the Grand Salon in Charlton House at 2.30pm on Saturday 20 January.
Proposals include: introducing traffic calming measures and making The Village a 20mph zone (worth noting that 20mph is now a standard speed limit in other south London boroughs); improving the two service roads behind The Village together with car parking; providing “welcome” signage; surveying property ownership and empty homes above shops; creating a market space outside The Baguette and Village Green Grocers; and improving street furniture and pavements.
The eight-strong planning committee were barracked after endorsing the Fairview New Homes proposals, which include two 10-storey blocks and 144 car parking spaces, as well as a nursery and office space.
Councillors on the planning board voted by six to one to back the scheme, with one not voting. The vote was greeted with cries of “shame!” and “you shouldn’t be our councillors”.
Planners had recommended the scheme for approval, despite 125 objections from residents, three written objections from local councillors in Peninsula and Charlton wards and concerns raised by Transport for London and the Greater London Authority about the high level of car parking spaces.
Neighbours had called the plans “overbearing” and had voiced concerns about traffic congestion and the lack of facilities for residents. Others criticised a lack of consultation with residents about the scheme, with the Charlton Society’s Roden Richardson suggesting it was part of a wider “failure of democracy”.
“The perspectives of council officers and residents differ so much we wonder if the officers are on the same planet,” he said.
View up Victoria Way taken from the original application
However, there were 10 submissions supporting the scheme, some citing its provision of 35% “affordable” housing – two-thirds which would be for social rent, with the remainder for shared ownership.
Unusually for such a meeting, councillors did not give their reasons for voting ahead of the vote, although council deputy leader Danny Thorpe said he was “mindful” of concerns residents had raised, and asked for Section 106 funds from the development to go into local transport.
‘Unrealistic’ proposals
Charlton Central Residents Association chair Jodie Coughlan said the plans were “unrealistic” and would affect the quality of life for people living in the area. “If you act in haste, you will repent in leisure,” she added.
Peninsula ward councillor Stephen Brain said approving the scheme, which sits outside the area zoned for tall buildings, would set “a dangerous precedent”. He also said concerns about congestion had already led the London Fire Brigade to ask for a yellow box junction to be installed outside East Greenwich fire station because engines were having trouble accessing the road.
There were also concerns raised about the scheme only having one point of access for vehicles, on Victoria Way. One resident said Victoria Way and Eastcombe Avenue had already effectively become “arterial roads” and that any development would cause “irreversible damage”. There were sniggers from the public gallery when a representative from Fairview said pedestrian-only access from Dupree Road would “help people move around the area more easily”.
Residents walking through the site would have the benefit of play areas “away from the traffic of Victoria Way”, the rep added.
Another pointed to the frequent conflict between drivers on the pinch point at the Victoria Way railway bridge, recently narrowed by the council so it can only be accessed by one vehicle at a time. Cllr Thorpe suggested Section 106 money could go to a scheme to ameliorate this problem.
View from Gurdon Road, taken from the original application
Others raised the heights of the buildings – including two 10-storey blocks, one 9-storey block and three 8-storey blocks – while one resident of Gurdon Road said the incline of the hill would mean her own home would be overshadowed by a three-storey block.
The Charlton Society’s Roden Richardson praised the neighbouring, lower-rise development at Fairthorn Road, on the other half of the warehouse site, and asked why the Fairthorn scheme could not be like that.
‘Remote’ developer
A claim that Fairview had held “a number of local meetings” was met with disbelief from the public – CCRA’s Jodie Coughlan branded the developer “remote” while one resident said “bullying tactics” had been used. The consultation for the scheme had been handled by Cratus Communications, whose deputy chairman is former Greenwich Council leader Chris Roberts.
After the vote, one resident tried to quiz a council officer on the heights of the building while another asked councillors if any lived in the area. None responded. The one councillor on the planning board who does live in the area, planning chair Mark James – whose home is very close to the site – was not on the panel. Council leader Denise Hyland was also not present.
The Fairview scheme will now have to be ratified by City Hall, which may give disgruntled residents a glimmer of hope that the mayor’s office will demand changes.
Later in the meeting, a plan to extend Queen Elizabeth Hospital was unanimously approved by councillors, despite concerns about car parking raised by Kidbrooke with Hornfair councillor Norman Adams. Danny Thorpe said he would ask health cabinet member David Gardner to raise the issue with the Lewisham and Greenwich NHS Trust.
Votes for: Mark Elliott (Conservative, Eltham South), Clive Mardner (Labour, Abbey Wood), Danny Thorpe (Labour, Shooters Hill – council deputy leader and regeneration cabinet member), Sarah Merrill (Labour, Shooters Hill), Norman Adams (Labour, Kidbrooke with Hornfair), Steve Offord (Labour, Abbey Wood).
(Ray Walker (Labour, Eltham West – vice-chair) indicated he had voted for the development but did not count himself in the total.)
The Charlton Champion 