Charlton – Page 12 – The Charlton Champion

Greenwich borough archive to stay as Anchor and Hope Lane land sold for school

January 28, 2021June 19, 2023Darryl Chamberlain

Google image of Anchorage Point — Anchorage Point is to be sold to a government property agency (image: Google)

Plans to sell industrial land on Anchor and Hope Lane for a new primary school were approved by Greenwich councillors last night – but the borough’s archives will not be affected by the move, they were told.

The Anchorage Point industrial estate is to be sold to a government agency so it can be used as a school by the Harris academy trust. Councils are not allowed to set up new schools of their own so have to go along with government plans for academies.

Greenwich council’s cabinet last night heard opposition from an Anchorage Point business owner and a local councillor, but voted through the plans after hearing that not selling the land could saddle the council with a £30-40 million bill to build a new school elsewhere.

Plans submitted to the cabinet appeared to show that the borough archive – which moved out of its old base in Woolwich three years ago to make way for the Woolwich Works creative district – would also have to move. But Jeremy Smalley, the council’s assistant director of regeneration and property, said that the trust would be able to stay, although its site may eventually be needed for a new road.

“The Royal Greenwich Heritage Trust are unaffected by this decision,” he said. “They would be affected in the longer term should we find the money to implement the road improvement, and the discussion with the trust is about what and where they need to be not just in terms of the archive, but in exhibition and research space.”

The plans will see existing businesses relocated to new sites, but Richard Cunningham, the owner of Morgan Richards Garage, which is based on the industrial estate, said his business had already been forced to move from Woolwich to Brocklebank Road in Charlton, then to Anchorage Point when Brocklebank Road was sold for use as a retail park.

“Each time, it’s involved great personal expense and great effort to keep a customer base we value,” he said, adding that Anchorage Point offered good facilities and was full of long-term tenants.

Moving the businesses “would result in a definite loss of jobs during the worst trading period due to the Covid-19 pandemic”, he added, suggesting a site further along the riverside would be better for a school.

“The site is essential for a lot of businesses, close to the Blackwall Tunnel, M25 and A2,” he said.

Woolwich Riverside councillor John Fahy said the plan to sell the site was “in direct contradiction” with the council’s aims to keep the Charlton riverside as a location for employment.

“This particular school will be in the middle of a building site with all the health impacts that will bring,” he said, adding that the school would come too early for housing on Charlton Riverside and Morris Walk, with the risk that it would be already full when the new residents moved in.

Local resident Helen Brown said the plans “came as a shock” and that the businesses only found out just before Christmas.

“Economic development and jobs are really important to the council, and that’s one of the reasons that’s a really difficult decision,” Smalley said.

“If the council doesn’t accept the offer, then the council will have to find a site for a school, and will be left with a bill of £30-40 million to find the land and build a new school – and under the law it has to transfer it to an academy.”

Addressing Cunningham, he said: “We’re going to do our damnedest to relocate you close to where you are now, in purpose-built units. We won’t necessarily be able to do that to everybody, but we really want to and we’ve been clear about the need to work with business and find alternative premises.”

“The DfE and [its agency] Located are putting the council under pressure to make this decision, otherwise the money will be withdrawn by March, and the council will then be left with having to find £30 million – £40 million to make the school provision a reality.

Sarah Merrill, the cabinet member for regeneration, said the council was committed to a “holistic regeneration” on the riverside rather than “allowing piecemeal developments ad hoc”, and said she had met residents on site last month.

“We are working with the community and [resisdents’ group] Charlton Together at every single stage,” she said.

The new school could open as early as summer 2022 – before any housing on the riverside is complete, and Matt Morrow, the cabinet member for children’s services Matt Morrow said it was important to get the facility in place early so new residents did not have to send their children long distances to school.

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Use volunteers to get food, Greenwich Council tells shielding tenant cut off by building works

January 22, 2021June 19, 2023Darryl Chamberlain

Fletching Road — The access route to Louise Noyce’s home was cut off on Wednesday

A disabled woman living in a Greenwich Council flat has been told to rely on volunteers to bring in food because her usual access route to her home has been cut off by contractors building new homes.

Louise Noyce lives in a block of flats in Charlton next door to where Meridian Home Start, a council spin-off company, is building 29 houses and eight flats on the site of an old sheltered accommodation block and garages.

The construction work cut off access to the flats from Fletching Road, a quiet street behind Charlton Village, apart from a narrow alleyway. The residents all have Fletching Road in their addresses.

This final remaining route to their road was blocked on Wednesday, with residents told that they would have to use a bin storage area on Charlton Church Lane to get in and out of their homes. The route is expected to be closed for about eight weeks.

Noyce, who uses a crutch or a mobile scooter to get around, has been shielding during the lockdown and relies on supermarket deliveries for her supplies. She is also recovering from injuries sustained after falling while trying to use the bin storage area, which sits on top of a slope. “My knee gave out on the slope because it is too hard on my joints,” she said.

She has been told by her supermarket that because she cannot provide a recognised address on Charlton Church Lane, she can no longer get deliveries.

“The shop said they can only deliver to my bank card address,” she said. “I have to eat to take medication, so either I don’t eat or I go out to get my shopping myself and break the lockdown law and hope I don’t get coronavirus.”

She said others in her block are elderly or disabled and face similar problems. “I am not the only one who will have to do this if we don’t get access to our road.”
After raising the issue with the building contractor in November, and getting nowhere, she tried emailing Greenwich Council leader Danny Thorpe earlier this month. She was advised by a council officer to use the town-hall’s volunteer-led community hub service to get supplies.

Noyce, who is 50, has had to spend the pandemic stuck at home next to the noisy building site, making her depression and anxiety worse. “I don’t like asking for help because I will try and look after myself,” she said. “I have had people help me but I get ripped off or they can’t help when I need it.”

The new development, Duke Court, replaces a sheltered accommodation block, Fred Styles House. The 37 homes were given planning permission as council housing in October 2017; however the development has been transferred to Meridian Home Start, a spin-off company which charges tenants about 65 per cent of market rent, compared with the 40 per cent typically charged for a council flat.

At the time, residents complained of a lack of consultation about the planned work – and the then-chair of planning, Labour councillor Mark James, said more work needed to be done in communicating with residents. Three years on, it appears his words have not been heeded.

“I had no idea until it started coming down,” Noyce said. “I feel they should have moved us all out. I feel as if I don’t have a voice in the matter.”

When visiting the block on Thursday, The Charlton Champion spoke to an elderly neighbour of Noyce’s who told how she took a bus one stop to reach Charlton Village because she was unable to walk up the hill at Charlton Church Lane. She added that the problems accessing the block were compounded by a broken lift.

Despite Noyce’s pleas for help, the council has been insistent that using Charlton Church Lane should be sufficient, even though her supermarket will not recognise the address. “Please could you advise delivery companies that the most appropriate access arrangement to your flat is via Charlton Church Lane,” a council officer wrote on Wednesday.

“They don’t care what happens to disabled and old people,” Noyce said.

“I don’t know what I will do next, I will just try and look after myself the best I can. I will keep trying with the council because what they are doing is wrong.”

A Greenwich Council spokesperson told The Charlton Champion: “Fletching Road remains open to vehicles and no area of the road is due to be closed off. As part of the building works, a footpath will be closed for eight weeks and affected residents were given advanced warning by the contractor beginning a year ago.

“In the interim, affected properties can be accessed from Charlton Church Lane via a footpath to the street. Signs have been installed advising visitors to the area of access routes to the various blocks on the estate.

“Residents should advise their delivery companies of these temporary arrangements. It is disappointing if supermarkets are not currently recognising this alternative route – and we would urge them to rectify this.

“If shielding residents are unable to receive their groceries, the council’s community hub can help.”

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Primary school could be built on Anchor and Hope Lane industrial estate

January 20, 2021June 19, 2023Darryl Chamberlain1 Comment

A 630-pupil primary school could be built on an industrial estate at the end of Anchor and Hope Lane – and could open as soon as September next year.

Councillors on Greenwich Council’s cabinet are due to rubber-stamp a decision next week to sell the Anchorage Point industrial estate so it can be used as a free school for the Harris academy trust.

A report to councillors says a new school is needed to meet demand in the north-west of the borough, with the Charlton riverside area due to see thousands of new homes in the coming years. The site is next door to where developer Rockwell had a 771-home scheme rejected by a planning inspector last year.

Councils are banned from building new schools themselves, and Harris Federation had permission granted by the government in 2017 to build a free school in the borough. Greenwich plans to transfer the Anchorage Point site to the new school.

“It is proposed that Harris Primary Free School will open on a phased basis with 90 places in the reception year in September 2022 (subject to a site being secured and planning permission being granted) but will eventually have 630 pupils in the reception year through to Year 6. There is also the potential for the school to offer early years education provision,” papers for next Wednesday’s cabinet meeting state.

The industrial estate opened in 1999 to accommodate businesses that were displaced when council land on the Greenwich Peninsula was taken over as part of the project to bring the Millennium Dome to the area. Tenants include Tavern Snacks, which makes crisps and nuts for the pub industry. The council says it will offer tenants new sites in the borough – a process which could start the long shift of much of Charlton’s industry to sites in the Plumstead and Thamesmead area.

Another tenant is Greenwich’s borough archive – facing its second eviction as little as three years after being turfed out of the Royal Arsenal in 2018 for the Woolwich Works creative district project. When the possibility of the site being disposed of emerged before Christmas, The Charlton Champion contacted the Royal Greenwich Heritage Trust to find out its plans; it received no response.

Provision for a new road cutting through part of the site will be included in any deal to sell the land.

Councillors will decide whether to go ahead with the sale at a cabinet meeting on Wednesday.

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Coronavirus in Charlton update: What to do if you test positive

January 19, 2021June 19, 2023Darryl Chamberlain

Keep your distance banner

An update in the coronavirus emergency from Greenwich Council’s public health team, with special advice on what to do if you need to self-isolate.

In the past seven days, there have been 2,447 confirmed new cases of coronavirus in Greenwich borough. There are signs that lockdown is beginning to work, with cases lower than they were a week ago. However, numbers are still very high across the country, and are even higher in London – including Greenwich. We need to stay safe and avoid our health system being overwhelmed by following the guidance explained in this update.

242 people are in hospital right now in the borough because of coronavirus. Hospital numbers remain high and are not yet reducing. To have to go to hospital because of coronavirus means your case is very serious, and these high numbers are putting 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.

Self-care at home if you test positive

If you do test positive with coronavirus, try not to panic. There are things you can do at home to help you recover.

It’s common for symptoms to re-emerge when you think you’ve recovered. Don’t worry if this happens – continue to rest and look after yourself and the likelihood is you’ll feel better in a few days.

If you have a high temperature, it can help to get lots of rest, drink plenty of fluids (water is best), and take paracetamol or ibuprofen if you feel uncomfortable.

If you have a cough, it’s best to avoid lying on your back. Lie on your side or sit upright instead. You can also try at home cough remedies such as lemon and honey or cough medicine.

If you’re feeling breathless, it can help to keep your room cool. Try turning the heating down or opening a window. Do not use a fan as it may spread the virus. You could also try:

breathing slowly in through your nose and out through your mouth, with your lips together like you’re gently blowing out a candle
sitting upright in a chair
relaxing your shoulders, so you’re not hunched
leaning forward slightly – support yourself by putting your hands on your knees or on something stable like a chair

Try not to panic if you’re feeling breathless. This can make it worse.

NHS.uk has more information about self-care at home, and a helpful video on what to do if you’re feeling breathless.

If you feel breathless and it’s getting worse, get medical advice from the NHS 111 online coronavirus service.

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.

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We’ll think again about our consultations, Morris Walk developer Lovell says

January 17, 2021June 19, 2023Darryl Chamberlain

Lovell Trinity Park render — Lovell’s proposed view from Maryon Park – where Denmark House stood until recently

The developer behind the redevelopment of Morris Walk Estate says it will reconsider how it presents its consultations after presenting residents last autumn with a series of confusing QR codes.

Lovell, which is knocking down the 1960s estate on the Charlton-Woolwich border and turning it into the Trinity Park development, launched a virtual consultation with residents last year ahead of submitting a planning application to Greenwich Council.

However, it took the form of a series of videos that could only be accessed by using QR codes. The Charlton Champion decoded the consultation to present the videos individually in a story last October.

In a residents’ newsletter released just before Christmas, Lovell said: “Concerns over the inaccessibility and complication of the online QR codes and videos have been carefully considered and will be taken very much in consideration in the next steps in the aim to create a more accessible and easy-to-understand platform.”

Read the Lovell Trinity Park newsletter

The estate, built on cleared slum housing between 1964 and 1966 and named after its most notorious street, originally had 562 council homes. Of the 766 homes promised on the new development, 177 will be for affordable rent (about half market rent) with 76 available for shared ownership.

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Fancy taking over The White Swan? It’ll cost you £40,000 a year

January 13, 2021June 19, 2023Darryl Chamberlain

Property developer Mendoza, the company that owns the White Swan, has put the pub on the market for prospective tenants – at a rent of £40,000 a year.

You can see full particulars at the estate agent Jenkins Law.

The Charlton Village pub closed suddenly last March – just before the pandemic began – after a lengthy battle to pay the rent demanded by Mendoza, which bought the freehold from Punch Taverns for £900,000 seven years ago.

In November, Mendoza won its long battle to build housing in part of the beer garden, when a Greenwich Council planning committee approved plans to build a home on land behind the pub. A Mendoza representative conceded at the meeting that the rent may have been too high.

Last March, Mendoza told The Charlton Champion it was committed to keeping the building as a pub.

According to Jenkins Law, £40,000/pa will also get you a shop unit in Earls Court, a Costa Coffee outlet in West Kensington, a former bank on the Streatham High Road, while the Old Justice pub, on the riverside at Bermondsey with lots of footfall, is on offer for just £32,000 per year.

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Injuries after King’s Troop horses run amok in Charlton Park

January 11, 2021June 19, 2023Darryl Chamberlain

Charlton House air ambulance — The air ambulance landed outside Charlton House at 10.20am (Photo: Steve Hunnisett/charltonchampion.co.uk)

King’s Troop horses ran amok in Charlton this morning, causing injuries and a flood of emergency services to descend on Charlton Village.

King's Troop incident — Photo: Steve Hunnisett/charltonchampion.co.uk

Service personnel were hurt and an eyewitness at the scene told The Charlton Champion that one horse was taken away injured after the incident at about 10am. Other service personnel were said to be looking shaken.

One horse made it as far as Charlton Park Lane before being retrieved, hoof prints were left round Charlton Park.

One person was being treated outside Charlton House. Photo: Steve Hunnisett/charltonchampion.co.uk

It is understood the horses broke free after a motorist sounded a car horn behind them at about 10am. Ambulances were on the scene outside Charlton House for about an hour. An air ambulance arrived but left without taking a patient on board.

The King’s Troop Royal Horse Artillery, which is based at Woolwich Barracks, performs ceremonial duties at state occasions. It moved to the area in 2012 and the horses can regularly be seen being exercised in the neighbourhood, although training has been reduced to a minimum during the pandemic.

Hoof prints can be seen all over Charlton Park (photo: Steve Hunnisett/charltonchampion.co.uk)

In February 2017, a soldier broke her neck trying to stop a gun carriage and runaway horses on exercises in Charlton Park.

An eyewitness, Anne James, had just driven through Charlton Village when she saw “a stream of horses rushing towards me”. She called an ambulance after seeing a rider fall from her horse.

“I could see that they were army horses and assumed they were running blindly because something had upset them – the clattering of their hooves at speed made quite a noise,” she told The Charlton Champion.

“Each rider led a second horse, and things were clearly out of control. There were at least a dozen horses, and some of them were slipping and sliding on the tarmac. They ran in front of my car and across the pavement, where they jumped a small wall then the boundary fence at the front of Charlton House.

“As I watched them head off across the grass, I saw one rider fall to the pavement – she held on to the reins and was dragged for a few seconds, but then let go and curled into a ball to protect herself from the horses that were still hurtling past her.”

An Army spokesperson told The Charlton Champion: “We can confirm a number of military personnel and horses from the King’s Troop, Royal Horse Artillery were injured whilst training this morning.

“The injured personnel are receiving medical treatment and the horses are being assessed. It would be inappropriate to comment further at this time.”

Update: Six people were taken to hospital, MyLondon.news reported.