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Benefit concert for Ukraine at St Richard’s Hall

October 31, 2022June 19, 2023The Charlton Champion

War damage in Ukraine — The damage left by Vladimir Putin in the village of Novoselivka, near Chernihiv. Photo: Oleksandr Ratushniak / UNDP Ukraine via Creative Commons

There’s a benefit concert for Ukraine at St Richard’s Hall in Swallowfield Road on Saturday 12th November. All are welcome to the event, which is being held by the Charlton Central Residents’ Association. SARAH HORNSEY explains more…

To show support and solidarity with Ukraine, Charlton Central Residents’ Association are pleased to be hosting an evening benefit concert for those whose lives are being disrupted by the war in Ukraine.

We have a great line-up of local talent which includes our very own CCRA Singers; our instrumental group SE7; Hope Augustus, a wonderful jazz singer who plays with SE7 at Cattaleya on Charlton Church Lane; and the Flaming Sambucas, a blues/rock band.

If that was not enough we also have local resident harpist Gabriella Dall’Olio who will be joined by Clare Hoffman, a violinist. We also have two Ukrainian sisters who play the harp, Catherine and Elizabeth Rahjans as well as Owen Morgan, a singer, and Claude Deppa, a trumpeter. There may be other special guests and readings on the night.

Space is limited so arrive early to avoid disappointment, doors will open at 7.00pm. The concert will start promptly at 7.30pm. Entry is free – but we hope everyone attending will contribute to a collection.

For more info contact Jacqui at membership[at]charltonresidents.net or alternatively call 07717 742 886.

The concert is at St Richard’s Hall, Swallowfield Road, SE7 7NR on Saturday 12 November. For more information visit the CCRA website.

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White Swan: Developer plans flats above pub in ‘affluent’ Charlton

September 24, 2022June 19, 2023Darryl Chamberlain

The White Swan closed in March 2020 and still displays Six Nations rugby paraphernalia

The property developer that owns the closed White Swan pub is applying to Greenwich Council to convert the first floor into two flats.

Isle of Man-based Mendoza Ltd claims that it is “common to have residential units above a public house” and insists that the proposal would not affect the viability of the pub, which would be restricted to the ground floor and beer garden.

The company, which bought the freehold from Punch Taverns for £900,000 in 2015, won planning permission nearly two years ago to build a house on part of the beer garden after a casting vote from the council’s then-chair of planning, Stephen Brain.

However, despite submitting proposals that would have seen the house completed in October last year, work on the house has not started.

A marketing assessment from Jenkins Law, which had been marketing the pub on behalf of Mendoza, describes Charlton as “a densely-populated affluent suburb” and falsely claims that the pub ceased trading in November 2019.

In fact, the pub, which is an asset of community value, closed just before the first coronavirus lockdown in March 2020, after a lengthy battle to pay the rents demanded by Mendoza. At the time Mendoza insisted that it was committed to reopening the pub.

A planning consultant for Mendoza conceded that the rents may have been too high in the meeting which approved the house behind the beer garden.

Charlton and Woolwich Free Film Festival screening of They Shall Not Grow Old at the White Swan — The Charlton and Woolwich Free Film Festival were regular users of the pub’s upstairs rooms

Jenkins Law says the pub was initially on the market at £50,000 per year before being reduced to £40,000 per year. The company says four potential occupiers viewed the pub but concluded the area did not have enough footfall and that they would struggle to compete with the nearby Bugle Horn.

It is “unrealistic for the property to continue in community use”, Jenkins Law said.

Losing the upper floor would mean a reopened pub would be unable to host events such as the Charlton and Woolwich Film Festival, which regularly used its function room; while the upstairs bar frequently accommodated fans after Charlton Athletic matches.

It took Mendoza four attempts to get permission to build the house, and now the developer has shown its hand a similar lengthy tussle could now begin.

In July, Greenwich Council began an investigation after plasterwork collapsed from the ceiling of the Swan. Neither Glasshouse Asset Management, Mendoza’s property agent, not ECF, which was looking after the company’s communications, responded to a request for comment at the time.

The application can be seen on Greenwich Council’s planning website, where comments can also be left. Comments can also be sent to planning[at]royalgreenwich.gov.uk, citing reference 22/2746/F.

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Thames-Side Studios’ Open Studios returns this Saturday

June 21, 2022June 19, 2023Darryl Chamberlain

Thames-Side Studios is opening its doors to the public again this Saturday for Open Studios – its first in three years.

It’s easy to miss, but the complex by the river, on the Charlton-Woolwich border, is the UK’s biggest site for artists, makers and designers, with over 550 studios. Saturday will be your chance to meet them and buy their wares.

You’ll be able to see painting, drawing, fashion design, carpentry, photography, print making, picture framing, stained glass making, graphic design, film and video and much more besides.

The complex is next to Faraday Works – the old Siemens factory due for redevelopment – while you can also see the Royal Iris, the abandoned Mersey ferry rusting away next to the studios.

Thames-Side Studios is on Warspite Road SE18 5NR and on the Thames Path. Open Studios runs this Saturday, June 25, from noon to 6pm.

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Disused Charlton Village building could become coffee shop

May 25, 2022June 19, 2023Darryl Chamberlain

A disused shop unit in Charlton Village could become a coffee shop – if a developer is as good as their word.

The former ironmongers at 7a The Village, which has a two-storey flat on top, has been closed for seven years, but a developer wants to build an extension so it can accommodate two flats, and divide the downstairs unit so it can incorporate a coffee shop.

A planning document submitted to Greenwich Council reads: “At ground floor, the shop front will be restored and refurbished, with provisions made for future use as a coffee shop or similar. The area has struggled to compete with larger centres such as Woolwich and Blackheath, as well as with out-of-town retail parks of Charlton Riverside.

“This is a factor that may have led to the closure of several shops in The Village in recent years, according to the Charlton Village Conservation Area Character Appraisal.

“We hope that by restoring the shop it will provide much needed footfall to the local high street. There is also strong demand for coffee shops in the area, according to a local estate agent. At ground floor, behind the shopfront will include two offices for use to carry out general administrative tasks, plus a training/presentation room.”

It adds: “[The development will] e of great benefit to The Village high street and the Charlton Village Conservation Area. Restoring the disused and vacant shopfront is critical to enhancing the relevance of the high street in Charlton Village, which is currently falling away to become instead a through road to Woolwich and Greenwich. This refurbishment alone won’t solve the issues facing The Village high street, but it is a positive step in the right direction.”

You can read the full design and heritage statement, while you can read the full documents and leave comments on the Greenwich Council planning website.

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Charlton tram works: Do you recognise anybody in these old photos?

March 4, 2022The Charlton Champion

London’s trams went out of service 70 years ago, but there are still reminders of them in Charlton.

In 1952, the last trams were taken to a yard at Penhall Road to be cut up and destroyed – with some of the tracks still in place today.

At the other end of SE7 was the old Charlton tram works, where vehicles from all over London were taken for repairs and servicing. The man who ran the trams at the time, Aubrey Bell, is commemorated in the name of the small road leading to the old depot – Felltram Way.

The depot later became an Airfix factory before being demolished in the early 1990s, and the only clue left to its past is how the street widens at the entrance to the old works.

Transport enthusiast ANDREW FRY was browsing a secondhand stall in Dorset when he found some intriguing photos. He picks up the story…

Not too long ago I purchased a secondhand book, at a bus rally down here in Dorset, relating to London Transport and inside I found seven 1940s black-and-white photographs.

On the reverse each of the photos is stamped as being taken by The Topical Press Agency Ltd and three mention ‘Charlton Works’ which is why I then decided to search on Google.

It appears that this was the largest works for the London Transport tram network so it might be that descendants of those in the photos may still reside in your area and would be interested in having these photos.

If this is the case I will gladly send them, free of any charges, to any interested person or group.

If you’d like to get in touch with Andrew, email him at shottsford[at]sky.com.

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New plan to replace closed Charlton Liberal Club with six flats

February 3, 2022June 19, 2023Darryl Chamberlain

Charlton Liberal Club proposal — The new design is planned to fit in with its neighbours

Developers have come forward with a new proposal to replace the closed Charlton Liberal Club building with six flats – their third attempt in two years.

The main Liberal Club building on Charlton Church Lane was converted into flats in 2016, with the club moving to a new building next door, but that closed two years later with its trustees putting it up for sale.

In 2020, a Enfield-based company, Liberal Ltd, applied to build a three-storey building with eight flats – but the proposal was refused by planning officers who criticised the design and said that that the loss of the club would deny the area a community facility and a source of employment.

Charlton Liberal Club — The club closed in October 2018 and has been boarded up since 2020

Last May, another application was submitted, keeping the club in the basement and offering six flats. This plan – which flew somewhat under the radar – was also rejected.

Now the company is back with a “radically different” proposal, once again getting rid of the club but replacing it with a building designed to more closely match its neighbours.

“The proposed replacement building would, instead, be hip-roofed, reflecting that of No 59, an early Victorian villa,” the company says in planning documents. It would contain five two-bedroom flats and one three-bedroom flat.

The application also includes a letter from the estate agent Acorn, which sold the building to developers after receiving 88 enquiries, most of them from buyers looking to turn it into homes.

It said: “It is clear that there is no demand for a Liberal Club in the vicinity, as the sole reason we were instructed to sell the property was because the club were in large amounts of debt being unable to make it financially viable any longer. They stated that this was due to a large change in the local trend and demographic over the past few years, and therefore a lot of their members had moved out of the area or for one reason or another were no longer able to take part in club activities.”

The club saw out its final days as a watering hole for Charlton Athletic fans on their way to matches. The club’s museum was later given a batch of items from its archives.

In December, a plan to convert the nearby Conservative Club into seven flats was submitted to the council.

Full details of the application, and more images, can be found in the design and access statement.

To see more documents and to comment on the application, visit the Greenwich Council planning website.

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KFC coming to Charlton? Asda’s new owner plans new drive-through as McDonald’s rebuilds

January 25, 2022June 19, 2023Darryl Chamberlain

KFC site — The drive-through would be here – next to McDonald’s, which is currently being rebuilt

Asda’s new owner is hoping to build a new drive-through restaurant – likely to be a KFC – in a corner of the supermarket’s car park, potentially adding to traffic in Charlton’s retail parks.

The planning application from EG Group comes as the next-door McDonald’s is demolished so it can be rebuilt to allow more capacity for cars.

EG Group, owned by Blackburn-born brothers Mohsin and Zubba Issa, bought a majority stake in Asda in December 2020.

The application to Greenwich Council does not name the restaurant – or even include its signage – but EG is the largest KFC franchisee in western Europe.

EG has submitted a number of similar applications for Asda sites around the country, with KFC recently revealing plans to “relocate” its Greenwich branch as a drive-through.

While EG also owns the Leon chain, which has also started to open its own drive-throughs, the applications for those sites have been significantly different.

The one-storey restaurant will have “vegan offerings, which has won an award from PETA”, and promises “no artificial flavours or trans fats”. There will also be facilities to serve fast-food delivery drivers.

Last year an Asda “click and collect” hub was built in the car park and this application shrinks the number of parking spaces further – and will prompt fears of even more traffic congestion on the unpleasant Bugsby’s Way dual carriageway.

The proposed restaurant would be next door to McDonald’s, which has this month demolished its drive-through so it can build a new one. The company says its old premises suffered from subsidence.

Last year McDonald’s was given permission for a two-storey building, with more space for staff, and bigger facilities so it could serve 15 drivers rather than 11.

While drive-throughs would appear to conflict somewhat with Greenwich Council’s claims to be addressing the climate emergency, these are not written into either local or national planning policies, which govern applications such as this.

You can read full details and comment on EG Group’s plans on the Greenwich Council planning website.

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