Charlton – Page 11 – The Charlton Champion

Pocket Living ‘micro-flats’ for The Heights passed by Greenwich Council

February 17, 2021June 19, 2023Darryl Chamberlain

The Heights development — The blocks would sit behind two-storey homes on The Heights

Plans for 48 “micro flats” on a council car park on The Heights were approved by Greenwich councillors last night, two-and-a-half years after the proposal to sell the land to a private developer caused a political storm.

Developer Pocket Living plans to build 45 one-bedroom flats and 3 two-bedroom flats on the contaminated plot overlooking The Valley. It plans to sell them all for 80 per cent of market value to people earning under £71,000 within the borough of Greenwich – meaning they tick the official definition of “affordable”, if not the dictionary definition.

The company specialises in building small flats on awkward sites, with one-bedroom flats typically little bigger than a studio. It has been funded by City Hall under both the Johnson and Khan mayoralties, and has former Greenwich & Woolwich MP Nick Raynsford on its board.

When Greenwich first outlined proposals to sell land on its housing estates to Pocket, it caused an outcry within the local Labour party, with 12 out of the party’s 41 councillors in post at the time attending a protest meeting at Charlton House.

Plans to offload sites off Lewisham Road and Kidbrooke Park Road were later scrapped, but the council pursued proposals to sell the land at The Heights after just two local residents attended a consultation meeting in 2019.

Two linked blocks of four and five storeys will be built, with two car parking spaces for disabled residents – 21 spaces for existing residents will be retained and relocated, with Pocket’s homebuyers banned from buying residents’ permits. A viability assessment supplied with the planning application suggests a one-bedroom flat could sell for £260,000 with the discount applied.

The Heights — The whole site is used as a car park at present

A decision on the scheme had been due to be taken in December, but councillors voted to visit the site. The lockdown meant they had to watch a video tour instead.

Only four objections were received – including from the Charlton Society and the nearby Charlton Central Residents’ Association – but 18 supporters got in touch to back the plan; 14 of those had contacted the council in the wake of the original meeting being announced.

Possibly reflecting the internal Labour tensions around the scheme, Greenwich Council leader Danny Thorpe spoke in support of the application. “This site is one I and the council have been involved in for a number of years,” he said. “This piece of land is not one that was suitable for the council to deliver [as housing],” he said. “We were new to council house-building, we simply didn’t have the skills and experience to deal with a highly contaminated piece of land.”

Referring to those who already live on the low-rise Heights estate, he said: “When you’re looking out on a gated-off hill that has ‘hazardous – beware’ signs on, any improvement has got to be better than none.” He promised the public realm in The Heights would be “substantially improved” with funding from the sale. The estate has recently undergone a refurbishment with upgraded pathways, suggesting it would be the entrance to the Pocket site that is in line for improvements.

“It’s not often that you get to decide on a scheme that more residents support than oppose, but that is a fact,” he said. “There are 235 of our younger Greenwich residents who are registered for the chance to buy a Pocket home, which is indicative of the substantial interest that we know there will be.”

Thorpe said he had visited a similar Pocket scheme in Lewisham and all the residents had previously lived in the borough. “There were teachers, public sector workers, firemen, that shows the kind of offer Pocket can make to younger residents who are desperate to stuck in their own home, who are likely to be stuck in an HMO, and the discount means they can take that first step into home ownership.”

Pocket Living render — The flats would overlook The Valley

Conservative councillor Spencer Drury also spoke in support, telling the committee that Greenwich’s housing cabinet member, Anthony Okereke, had suggested he visit a Pocket development at Sail Street in Kennington. “What a high-quality build we would be seeing – the communal spaces are genuinely well-designed and form a good basis for a community. This is a really useful, valuable addition to the affordable homes in the borough,” he said.

The only objector to speak was local councillor Gary Parker. He told the committee: “This site has been unused since the Second World War, even in the heyday of council house building this wasn’t built on. What information has Pocket got that previous generations of [council] officers didn’t?”

Parker also raised questions about the developers’ consultation, citing The Charlton Champion’s report that residents’ groups in Greenwich appeared to have been contacted rather than ones in Charlton.

Pocket’s chief development officer, Nick Williams, described the company’s work as a “public-private partnership”, and said a typical Pocket buyer would be earning about £40,000.

“Many of our residents come from private rented HMOs – moving into a single person’s flat makes a big difference to their life chances,” he said.

The flats will sit above an old chalk pit that now contains Charlton Athletic’s ground and the Valley Grove estate

Williams said the homes would be affordable for 42,000 households in Greenwich borough, including 10,000 key workers; he cited a hospital doctor who had moved 11 times in 10 years before moving into a Pocket home in Walthamstow. “Typically people live for five, six, seven years in a Pocket property,” he said. “Some people from our first scheme in 2008 are first there 13 years later.”

He added that 700 residents as well as groups and amenity societies had been contacted by Pocket about its plans.

Councillors were also told by an engineer working for Pocket that the technology to deal with the contaminated land had improved since the Heights estate was developed, and that controlled modulus columns would be used to stabilise the land, on the edge of a former chalk pit.

All nine councillors voted for the scheme, but two said they were doing so reluctantly – Kidbrooke with Hornfair councillor Norman Adams raised concerns about the contamination, while Abbey Wood councillor Clive Mardner said that homes available to people earning £71,000 were “not helping to resolve our housing crisis in Greenwich, because local people are not going to be able to afford that”.

Charlton councillor Linda Perks backed the scheme, saying while there had been worries about the proposal at first, “I feel that the concerns that have been answered. I can’t speak completely for the community but a lot of people will have been reassured by the effort that has been put in.”

Fellow Labour councillors Denise Hyland, Stephen Brain, Ian Hawking and Mehboob Khan joined her in supporting the scheme, along with Conservatives Nigel Fletcher and Geoff Brighty.

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Fenced-off Charlton Park crossing will be fixed, Greenwich Council says

February 17, 2021June 19, 2023Darryl Chamberlain

Fencing which has blocked off an important road crossing between Charlton Park and Maryon Wilson Park for months will be removed, Greenwich Council has said.

The plastic obstructions have been in the way of pedestrians on Charlton Park Road since the autumn; they were even captured for posterity by Google Streetview’s cameras last October.

While able-bodied pedestrians are able to dodge the barriers, those with disabilities or who are less nimble have been left unable to cross the road at the point. The crossing is part of the Green Chain Walk route from the Thames Barrier towards Oxleas Woods.

Greenwich Council says its teams were building a zebra crossing, but work had to stop because the pandemic held up supplies of equipment and the crossing had to be fenced off for safety reasons.

However, it says the crossing will be finished soon. A spokesperson told The Charlton Champion: “Works to the zebra crossing were halted as parts needed for its completion were affected by supply chain issues due to the pandemic. The poles and other materials were completed last week and we will install the beacon operations as soon as possible. The barriers will still need to be in place until the beacons are fully operational for safety reasons.”

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Charlton opticians’ practice Page & Small wins ‘lockdown hero’ award

February 16, 2021June 19, 2023Darryl Chamberlain

An opticians’ practice on Charlton Road has been named a “lockdown hero” for keeping its services running through the pandemic.

Page & Small Opticians was one of 20 practices honoured by SightCare, a professional organisation for opticians and optometrists.

The family-run business has stayed open throughout the crisis, offering remote care and urgent services during the first lockdown, often including collecting and delivering eye drops, contact lenses and glasses to people who were vulnerable or self-isolating.

It also took the opportunity to redecorate and revamp its premises, going paperless in the process.

Abi Page, dispensing optician and director, said: “I was determined that something positive should come out of the negative situation we found ourselves in. During the quiet days in April, I found myself planning and risk assessing to make the practice Covid safe for the future. We had an issue with space and social distancing would be a challenge. A refit seemed the only option!

“With the help of my multi-trader husband and home-schooled children in tow, the work quickly progressed. There were some tough long days but we worked together, made memories and I’m so pleased with the finished results, the practice looks amazing and we have made progress to become greener too. We are a stronger family, team and business because of it.”

SightCare said: “We are exceptionally proud of how independent optical practices have worked to keep the eyesight of their community safe during the pandemic, while also complying to the ever-changing regulations. They have shown not only great dedication to their small independent business, but to their local community, making them worthy Lockdown Heroes.”

Abi added: “Our team have worked exceptionally hard over the past few months in often difficult circumstances. They have embraced the changes and challenges that Covid have thrown at us with a continuous positive attitude and a smile behind the mask. It’s a wonderful feeling to have this effort recognised and we are very grateful to SightCare for the award.”

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Westcombe Hill low-traffic neighbourhood: We’ll be watching effects in Charlton, council says

February 16, 2021June 19, 2023Darryl Chamberlain1 Comment

Residents in Eastcombe Avenue regularly complain of rat-running traffic

Greenwich Council says it will monitor the effects of closing Westcombe Hill to through traffic on neighbouring streets in Charlton and take action if necessary.

The council is consulting on plans to stop through traffic running down Maze Hill, Vanbrugh Hill, Halstow Road and Westcombe Hill in response to persistent jams in residential roads in east Greenwich and Blackheath. Buses, emergency vehicles, walkers and cyclists will be able to use the roads as normal.

Maze Hill has been particularly badly hit since the upsurge in traffic following the first wave of the coronavirus pandemic, as well as similar traffic measures in west Greenwich and in Greenwich Park. Westcombe Hill is often used as an alternative to the six-lane motorway-standard A102, which runs alongside it.

Similar schemes across London – aimed at tackling a long-term increase in motor traffic in London, much of it borne by residential roads; as well as to make it safer for people to walk and cycle when public transport is restricted – have proved highly controversial, with often bitter campaigns for and against them. The west Greenwich scheme, which saw streets around Royal Hill and Hyde Vale blocked with planters, saw competing petitions both for and against the scheme and misleading claims that the ambulance service had objected. Two opposing campaigns have sprung up in Greenwich: Greener Maze Hill and Greenwich Gone Too Far.

This scheme will see cameras put in place on Maze Hill, Vanbrugh Hill and Westcombe Hill; planters will be installed on Halstow Road. One option mentioned on an online consultation is to make the measures only operate in the rush hour, with free access at other times.

While most schemes are clearly aimed at making back streets safer, many drivers will consider the three roads with cameras as main roads – particularly Westcombe Hill, which older motorists will remember as the main route to the Blackwall Tunnel until the late 1960s and is served by four bus routes.

Responses to the council’s proposals on its consultation website have been overwhelmingly hostile, although it is unclear how many respondents live within the affected area and how many are drivers from outside who object to the upheaval of taking a different route. In the Blackheath Westcombe ward which makes up the south of the area, 36 per cent of residents do not have a car – a figure that rises to 48.8 per cent in Peninsula ward to the north, which suffers the most from congestion.

One risk of the Maze Hill and Westcombe Park scheme is that traffic will simply move to another rat-run – Eastcombe Avenue and Victoria Way, which are already blighted by traffic heading to and from the Charlton retail parks. TfL analysis given to councils last summer indicated that Charlton and the western part of Woolwich was the area of Greenwich borough most suited to hosting a low-traffic neighbourhood.

There are no formal plans at present to deal with the rat-running in Charlton, but the council’s cabinet member for environment, sustainability and transport, Sizwe James, said the new scheme was “just the start”.

Asked if the council had contingency plans in place if that happened, the cabinet member for environment, sustainability and transport, Sizwe James, said: “During the experimental period we would assess any impact on surrounding areas including the Eastcombe Avenue and Victoria Way routes. Schemes can be improved, and additional measures put in to reduce traffic on other residential streets.

“Due to funding arrangements, we cannot work on all areas at once, but we have got more proposals in the pipeline for other areas which we will be consulting on soon. This is just the start.”

He said the consultation was for “initial proposals” and added: “Any measures would be implemented as an experimental scheme with a full consultation forming part of this process.”

“Our proposals are based on traffic analysis and concerns about increasing traffic raised by local residents. We’re collecting residents’ views on traffic levels in recent years, whether levels have increased and how residents have been affected,” he said.

“If we don’t act now traffic will only continue to get worse. It has already doubled over the last decade in London and in our borough alone between 2014 and 2019 the number of miles driven on our roads increased by one hundred and thirty million.

“People who choose to drive through residential areas are disproportionately affecting everyone’s quality of life – due to air and noise pollution, speeding and illegal parking.

“The proposals would not stop anyone from using their car if they want or have to, but would direct vehicles on to the main roads that were designed to carry them in the first place.

“Why should the health of our residents and in particular our children be at the mercy of drivers who do not even live in the borough taking short-cuts through residential areas because that’s what their mobile sat-navs told them to do. It may even make people question what their first choice of transport is if they feel safer walking, cycling or wheeling because their streets are no longer dominated by heavy traffic.

“If we want to reduce the amount of people with heart disease, osteoarthritis and cancers caused by inactive lifestyles or asthma and respiratory diseases caused by car exhausts then we have to be brave and we have to begin somewhere. The gases from these vehicles are causing a third of all our emissions too – making the planet warmer and directly contributing to climate change.”

A consultation is open at greenersafergreenwich.commonplace.is.

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‘Magical living’ developer Dandi plans 49-room ‘shared living hub’ at Antigallican pub

February 9, 2021February 9, 2021Darryl Chamberlain

Happier days: The Antigallican in 2017, when the pub was still trading

A developer promising “magical living” wants to turn the closed Antigallican pub on Charlton Church Lane into a “shared living hub”.

The scheme, from west London developer Dandi Living, comprises 49 rooms of between 20 to 24 square metres, with en-suite showers and basic kitchens, with “dynamic furniture” – the bed can be lifted up – to switch between living, working, entertaining and sleeping. There will also be four shared kitchens as well as a co-working area and a bar.

A similar scheme from the same developer in Hounslow saw its rooms dubbed “the Swiss Army knife of flats”.

Dandi – whose slogan is “making magical living accessible” – already has serviced studios in Shepherd’s Bush; while it is completing a large office conversion in Wembley with 368 rooms, a scheme carried out with the British Airways pension fund. The company is backed by the US firm Ollie, which operates co-living spaces in New York City and Los Angeles.

The developer plans to copy the planning approval granted by council officers in 2019 to extend the Antigallican, but applying to turn it into an HMO instead of a 60-room hotel. The pub closed in 2018 and was up for sale at auction the following year, with a guide price of £3.25 million – Land Registry documents state it sold for £2 million.

While technically the application is for an HMO – a category that includes traditional bedsits – the development seeks to capitalise on the “co-living” boom, offering younger professionals dormitory-like living spaces together with space to work and socialise.

The idea is still in its infancy in London, with the best-known schemes run by The Collective, which has a 705-bedroom building on the Isle of Dogs, where rents start at £1,200 per month. The idea has caused controversy elsewhere; in Dublin, they have been banned over fears they would see land prices rocket.

“What we seek now is convenience and amenities on our doorstep, in exchange for a smaller private space, combined with a community that can provide the physical, human connections modern living often sacrifices in favour of increasing digital and virtual connectivity,” the developer says.

The scheme “has been designed to the highest quality and will award a currently neglected, vacant property the opportunity to contribute positively aesthetically and economically to the local area,” it adds. “The retention and rejuvenation of the Public House has a clear social and economic benefit that the proposal will bring to the local community.”

“The aim is to make luxurious living available at a price previously perceived by our residents as unattainable … to create a shared-living hub, thoughtfully designed to meet the needs of residents and welcoming for the local community.”

Dandi’s scheme follows the withdrawal in October of a similar scheme for the Charlton Conservative Club, which aimed to turn it into a 26-bedsit co-living space accommodating 49 people.

The proposal can be seen on the Greenwich Council planning website (reference 21/0121/F), where you can also leave comments – see the design and access and planning statements for more information.

Close by, plans for more micro-homes – the controversial Pocket Homes development on The Heights – will finally go before councillors on Greenwich’s planning board next Tuesday. They had been due to decide on whether to allow the scheme before Christmas but delayed a decision so they could carry out a site visit, which has since been scrapped because of the lockdown.

Note: People who receive the site’s stories by email will have received a version wrongly stating the Antigallican plan is for 60 rooms, not 49. Apologies!

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Work starts on Charlton’s new cycleway along Woolwich Road

February 4, 2021June 19, 2023Darryl Chamberlain

Cycleway 4 extension end — This is where the cycleway ends…. for now

Work is starting on Charlton’s new cycleway, extending the segregated route from the Angerstein roundabout in east Greenwich to the junction of Anchor and Hope Lane.

The first phase of the new route, between Old Woolwich Road and Farmdale Road, opened just before Christmas, and gives cyclists their own protected space on the road, separated from other traffic by wands. A crossing was also installed at the Angerstein roundabout, where two cyclists died in 11 years after colliding with lorries.

Now early work has begun on the second phase, which will continue the route past the Greenwich Shopping Park to Anchor and Hope Lane. Changes will include bus-stop bypasses, enabling riders to get around bus stops, and traffic lights at Gallions Road.

Turning from Woolwich Road into Gallions Road will be banned for motor vehicles to improve safety for cyclists, while a “cycle gate” will be introduced at Anchor and Hope Lane to give riders time and space to get away ahead of other traffic. The northbound slip road onto the A102 is also to be closed as part of this phase of work.

Last year TfL consulted on segregated lanes along the rest of the A206 to Woolwich; however, this section is currently being covered by wider bus lanes.

See an overview of the plans
See the plans in detail

TfL says the Woolwich Road is “amongst the top 5% of routes in London which have the greatest potential for cycling to increase, but only if we build infrastructure to give people the confidence to cycle”.

The route is, in time, meant to become part of Cycleway 4, from Tower Bridge to Woolwich, but only a section from Tower Bridge to the Rotherhithe Tunnel has been built, alongside the route in east Greenwich.

Construction work is continuing on a section of route in Creek Road, Deptford, but plans for the rest of the route to and through Rotherhithe have not yet been confirmed.

Work is also due to start soon on an extra section at the central London end, taking the route as far as London Bridge.

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Coronavirus in Charlton update: Tips on wearing face masks and help with grief

February 4, 2021June 19, 2023Darryl Chamberlain

Covid ad at Blackheath Standard

An update in the coronavirus emergency from Greenwich Council’s public health team, with special advice on wearing face masks and where to go if you are grieving.

In the seven days until Tuesday there were 702 confirmed new cases of coronavirus in Greenwich borough. Cases are gradually decreasing, but are still high. We need to stay safe and make sure this number continues to go down, by following the guidance explained in this update.

185 people are in hospital right now in the borough because of coronavirus. This number is starting to go down, but is still far too high. To have to go to hospital because of coronavirus means your case is very serious, and puts a strain on our hospitals and everyone who works in them.

A national lockdown is in place across the country. This means everyone must stay home except for when it is absolutely necessary to leave.

It has never been more important to take every measure we can to fight the virus. Everyone needs to stay at home, except for essential activities. If you do need to leave home: Wear a mask. Make space. Wash your hands.

You can read all the details about the lockdown at gov.uk/guidance/national-lockdown-stay-at-home.

Masks versus visors

Unfortunately, a face shield, or visor, is not a suitable face covering as it does not cover the nose and mouth properly.

Please wear a face mask, not a visor, when in enclosed spaces such as shops, public transport and places of worship. This is important to stop the spread of this virus and reduce the amount of people that are ill, and sadly, die, from coronavirus.

Coronavirus is spread by droplets from coughs, sneezes and speaking. When used correctly, wearing a face mask may reduce the spread of coronavirus, helping to protect others.

A face mask should:

cover your nose and mouth while allowing you to breathe comfortably
fit comfortably but securely against the side of the face
be secured to the head with ties or ear loops
ideally include at least two layers of fabric
unless disposable, be able to be washed regularly

Because face masks protect others from coronavirus rather than the wearer, they are not a replacement for social distancing and regular hand washing. It is important to still regularly wash your hands and stay at least two metres from people not in your household or support bubble.

Support if you’ve lost someone to coronavirus

Most people experience grief when they lose someone important to them. It affects everyone differently. There’s no right or wrong way to feel.

You may be finding it particularly difficult at the moment because of the changes in place to try to stop the spread of coronavirus.

Changes have been made to several services, including end-of-life and palliative care, as well as funeral arrangements.

You may feel that you need some extra help and support during this time. There are local places that can help, such as Greenwich Cruse Bereavement Centre, Greenwich and Bexley Community Hospice as well as national helplines such as Samaritans and Sudden.

Live Well Greenwich has lots of helpful links that can hopefully help you during this difficult time.

Getting tested for coronavirus

If you have coronavirus symptoms: (a high temperature, a new, continuous cough, a loss of, or change to, your sense of smell or taste), even if they’re only mild, it’s important to get a test and stay at home until you get your result.

There are several local testing centres – please go to gov.uk/get-coronavirus-test to book a test. Booking is essential for all testing centres. Order a home test kit if you cannot get to a test site. If you have problems using the online service, call 119. Lines are open 7am to 11pm.

Rapid testing centres
If you can’t follow the Government guidance to stay at home and have go to work, you can get a test very quickly in a number of walk-in centres around the borough, including at The Valley.

The test takes five minutes, and the results are emailed to you in 30 minutes. It will tell you if you have Covid-19, but no symptoms, so that you can protect those around you by self-isolating for 10 days until the virus clears from your body. Book a rapid test here.

Testing is NOT available at the Emergency Department at the hospital or at your GP practice, so please do not attend here trying to get a test.

Support if you test positive and have to self-isolate

If your test result is positive, you and your household will need to stay at home and self-isolate for 10 days (this has changed from 14 days). This is important to stop the virus spreading and to keep your community safe.

This can be stressful and worrying when you need to go to work. If you are unable to claim sick-pay from your employer and are a low income household, a one-off £500 payment may be available from the Government to support you and your family during these 14 days. Find out if you are eligible to apply for this payment or call 0800 470 4831.

Training available

If you’re interested in helping your community through volunteering, short training is available to introduce and prepare volunteers for the role of Neighbourhood Champion. This is an opportunity to learn, ask questions, share information and practice.

For more information, please email victoria.smith[at]royalgreenwich.gov.uk.