Charlton

No trains through Charlton for next two weekends: 7-8 and 14-15 March

Darryl Chamberlain
A train, seen on a weekday

There will be no trains through Charlton for the next two weekends as Network Rail is closing the line between Deptford and Plumstead for engineering works.

Despite the major closure, there has been little publicity about the works, which will affect fans this Saturday heading to Charlton Athletic’s match against Middlesborough – a team that traditionally brings a strong away following.

Two buses per hour will run between Lewisham and Plumstead, instead of the eight-train Saturday service and six-train Sunday timetable.

The Charlton Champion has asked Network Rail why the line is being closed and we’ll update this story when it responds. Update Wednesday: A Network Rail spokesperson would only say that the closure was “part of the Kent and South East London upgrade programme”. (see further update below)

There will be normal Jubilee line services to North Greenwich on the first weekend when the line through Greenwich is closed; however, on 14 and 15 March it will be closed between Waterloo and Stanmore, which is likely to mean a less-frequent service on the rest of the line. Docklands Light Railway services are also disrupted on 14 and 15 March, with no trains to Bank.

Disruption will also occur on Sunday 22 March, with no trains from Charlton before 9.15am and no Thameslink trains at all scheduled to run through the station.

The closures will cap a month of weekend service reductions on the line, with Thameslink services being reduced last Sunday despite The Big Half half-marathon taking place in Greenwich.

However, Charlton passengers will escape most of the disruption at Easter, when all lines through Hither Green will be closed as part of a major signalling project.

Friday update: Network Rail belatedly sent us an update yesterday to say the works will “lay nearly a kilometre of new track, sleepers and ballast on the line”.

“The work will allow the removal of speed restrictions which have been put in place because of worn out track, helping to speed up trains, reduce delay and give passengers smoother, more reliable journeys. Closing the line during the weekend means that the work can be done safely, in less time.”

“Fiona Taylor, Route Director, Kent. Network Rail said:

“‘While infrastructure faults are down by 30 per cent on this part of the network, we know that even a minor incident in this incredibly congested area will have a major impact on the train service. That’s why our upgrade work is so important to ensuring trains run reliably.

“‘We know it’s inconvenient for passengers when we close the railway and would like to thank them for their patience while we do this important work. Most of the network is open as usual but please check your journey before travelling.'”

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Can you help plan the future of Charlton House?

Darryl Chamberlain
Charlton House SE7
Charlton House is managed by Royal Greenwich Heritage Trust. Photo by Neil Clasper.

Royal Greenwich Heritage Trust is planning a series of events in February to help it make decisions about its new masterplan and plans for major investment at Charlton House. The trust, which runs the Jacobean mansion on behalf of Greenwich Council, is applying for funding to improve the building, which has not seen major investment for many years.

Two events are being held – on Thursday 6 February from 1pm to 3.30pm, and Thursday 13 February from 7.30pm to 9pm.

Questionnaires will also be put online so as many people as possible can take part in the consultation.

The trust is also holding focus groups – to get involved in those, email info[a]rght.org.uk for more details.

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Last chance to have your say about parking in Charlton

Darryl Chamberlain
parking sign
The consultation into parking restrictions in Charlton closes on Monday

It’s been a while coming – but if you’re in the affected area and haven’t responded, Monday is your last chance to respond to Greenwich Council’s consultation into introducing parking controls in most of SE7.

Strictly speaking, most of Charlton is already in a controlled parking zone (CPZ) – but only streets close to Charlton and Westcombe Park stations are covered by parking permits. This consultation asks (in the vaguest of ways) whether you would like to see permit parking in your street.

Parking controls in the area go back to 2000, when the whole area was in a CPZ for the Millennium Dome, although that area was quickly shrunk after the Dome closed and the current parking regime was introduced in 2007.

Since then, things have changed somewhat – neighbours of the new Synergy development on Victoria Way have complained about contractors parking up in their area while the expansion of the Bugsby’s Way retail strip has led to more rat-running and more parking. Some streets have been blighted, others remain blissfully unaffected.

Meanwhile, crowds at Charlton Athletic have dipped, but are on their way back up – and the club’s current position in the Championship means more night matches, at times when permit controls do not apply. (Streets south of Charlton Park, which often take the brunt of matchday parking, are not part of this consultation.)

The area being surveyed

It’s worth pointing out that some of the streets worst affected are right next to roads that already have permit controls – as the council warns, any expansion of permits could push problems into neighbouring streets. (And then another consultation a decade later.) The £100 annual cost of a basic parking permit will also be a consideration – will the extra funds improve the notoriously poor enforcement of existing parking controls?

Your own circumstances will no doubt dictate how you respond, but it is worth considering other people when you respond – those in other streets, and those who simply want to cross the road without having to peer out from between other people’s cars.

The website link appears to have been up and down during the consultation – part of the problem appears to be the council expecting people to type in a full address from the consultation sheet because it is not listed on its consultation website. Try clicking here to have your say.

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Metro Bank gets go-ahead for Charlton retail park branch

Darryl Chamberlain
Metro Bank design
The bank plans a glass-fronted building

Metro Bank has been given permission by Greenwich Council to build a new branch to replace the McDonald’s drive-through restaurant on Bugsby’s Way.

Only two objections were received by the council to the scheme, which was reported on this website in September.

The site is on land designated for long-term housing development, with the council’s own Charlton Riverside masterplan stating that the Bugsby’s Way retail strip does not conform with the council’s “policy to promote Woolwich as a metropolitan town centre”.

With only two objections, the decision can be made by council officers without the application going to councillors to discuss. There is no report by planning officers, so the council’s response to the objections remains a mystery.

Metro Bank – which has had well-reported difficulties in recent months – is aiming for a 25-year lease on the site. The planning permission is valid for three years.

One council condition is that 12 “secure and dry” cycle parking spaces must be provided, on a site that is one of the most intimidating for cyclists in the borough.

McDonald’s has a lease on the land until October 2021 – when contacted by The Charlton Champion in September, it was unable to answer questions about its future plans.

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Meet Greenwich & Woolwich candidates at Charlton election hustings on 7 December

Darryl Chamberlain
Charlton hustings 2015
The last election hustings in Charlton were in 2015 (Photo: Ed Simmons)

As you’ll no doubt all be too painfully aware, there’ll be a general election on Thursday 12 December. Which means… hustings time!

Luckily, in Charlton, a coalition of community groups have worked hard to ensure that you can put your questions to the candidates, face to face, on Saturday 7 December.

Most of Charlton comes under Greenwich & Woolwich constituency (a small area south of Charlton Park comes under Eltham), and all the candidates have been invited.

They are Labour’s Matt Pennycook, first elected as the area’s MP in 2015; Thomas Turrell, the Conservative candidate; Rhian O’Connor, the Liberal Democrat; Victoria Rance of the Greens; the Brexit Party’s Kailash Trivedi; Eunice Odesanmi of the Christian Peoples’ Alliance; and Sushil Gaikwad, a pro-Brexit independent.

The event is being put on by the Charlton Society in partnership with the Charlton Central Residents Association, Charlton Parkside Community Hub, and Valley Hill Community Hub.

Organisers Andrew Donkin and Helen Jakeways said: “We believe the hustings are an important local event because they give the residents and voters of Charlton the chance to interact face to face with the candidates asking for their vote. With seven candidates standing this time around, it promises to be a wide-ranging and lively debate. Everyone is are welcome at these hustings and we hope the voters of Charlton will turn out en mass to question all the candidates standing for parliament in the Greenwich & Woolwich parliamentary constituency. We look forward to seeing you there.”

It all starts at 11am at The Assembly Rooms in Charlton Village.

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Herringham Quarter: Plans for 1,300 Charlton Riverside homes go to council

Darryl Chamberlain
Is this the future of the Charlton Riverside?

Hyde housing association has formally submitted its plans to build nearly 1,300 new homes on the Charlton riverside, making it the third major scheme to enter the planning process.

It has put in a detailed planning application to Greenwich Council to build 762 homes on two plots either side of Herringham Road, close to the Thames Barrier, with blocks of up to 10 storeys. It is calling the site Herringham Quarter.

One set of blocks would replace Maybank Wharf, the current Westminster Waste recycling yard. Of the 524 flats planned for the riverside site, 21.5% would be for shared ownership, 21% would be for London Affordable Rent, a form of social rent.

Phase 1 is where 762 homes are planned. Phases 2 and 3 are not expected until after 2024

The other set of blocks, to the south, would offer 238 flats, all for London Affordable Rent. It says it plans to take vacant possession of both sites in March. Retail and workshops are also in the plans along with open spaces and a new flood defence wall.

Hyde also plans to build 530 homes on two adjoining sites closer to the Thames Barrier. However, it has only asked for outline permission for these sites; it does not expect to take possession of the land until 2024. One set of blocks would be of 203 flats for private sale, the other would be of 285 flats with 9% London Affordable Rent and 48% shared ownership.

Don’t ask why some people are dressed for summer and others winter…

Access to the new homes, however, could be a challenge for the first residents – with the sole route in and out of the site being via the industrial yards of Eastmoor Street. Hyde says it has agreed with Transport for London for a bus route to serve the site – but oddly, it would be an extension of the 301 route to Woolwich, rather than a route to North Greenwich or Charlton station. While this would be cheap to provide, it would be lumbering residents with the cost of commuting from zone 4 even though they would be living in zone 3.

The riverside development will also have to contend with Riverside Wharf – the Tarmac yard – as a neighbour. As at Greenwich Millennium Village, one block will be built to shield the development from the industrial use.

Much of what is in the planned development has already been trailed at public exhibitions. But the application submitted to Greenwich Council does provide some very useful context as to the wider Charlton Riverside project and its neighbour at Greenwich Peninsula.

Who owns what and what’s planned on the riverside – note the amount of land owned by Greenwich Council

The other four schemes, from west to east, are:

Want to see what the riverside could look like in a decade?

Hyde’s map of future riverside developments (click to expand)

You can find the full planning documents – and send your thoughts to the council – on its planning website (reference 19/3456/F). If you read nothing else, have a look at the first volume of its transport and access statement, which is where we’ve lifted the images from.

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Urban Harvest Open Day at Maryon Park Community Garden this Saturday

Neil Clasper

The Community Garden in Maryon Park is open to all this Saturday as part of Capital Growth’s Urban Harvest event. Its chair TIM ANDERSON explains more…

Community food growing gardens across the capital will be open on Saturday 21st September to welcome visitors and volunteers.  Get a taste of London’s edible gardens by dropping in to Maryon Park Community Garden in Charlton, one of Capital Growth’s flagship gardens, from 10.00 am to 4.00 pm. Capital Growth, part of the charity Sustain, is London’s largest food growing network, with over 2,000 gardens throughout the city. 

At the Maryon Park Community ‘Organic Food Growing’ Garden activities include:

  • Tours of the Garden and Forest School.
  • Display of photos from the 1966 cult film ‘Blow Up’ that was shot in Maryon Park.
  • Activities for children: Making bird feeders. 
  • Refreshments: Teas & coffee
  • Damson Jam and Chutney Sale
  • Wood Craft Sale including Bird Boxes
  • Plant and succulent Sale

In the Forest School area there will be a free ‘Family Forest School Session’ from 2pm – 3pm led by Chevonne Campbell.

How to find Maryon Park Community Garden

Enter Maryon Park from the main entrance in Maryon Road, follow the path to the left past the park lodge and find the Community Garden at the end of the park perimeter fence. Look out for the signs and bunting. 

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