Edward Street garden update

It's always pleasing when you feel you've made a difference, no matter how small, and it was particularly satisfying to hear that my efforts to publicise the poor state of the flower bed at Edward Street roundabout had finally borne fruit, so to speak.

Last year I wrote about the council's gardening contractor Glendale making a total pigs ear of its responsibilities towards this little corner of Deptford, and then reported that the outcry had forced Lewisham to actually make an effort to improve the flower bed.  

I am delighted to report that the bed was cleared of its shabby rose bushes and litter a few weeks ago, the lower branches of the three oversize conifers were cut off, and the bed has now been planted with the low growing shrub mix - option one of the two offered by Glendales last year.

I hope to see the shrubs establishing themselves over the coming months and trust that they will be properly nurtured and looked after in the years ahead, with the bed being weeded and litter picked at regular intervals. If not, I'm sure there's room for a few rogue sunflowers in between the shrubs - who knows, there might be some seeds left there from the guerrilla gardening of last year and the year before.

As for the guerrilla gardeners themselves, I'm sure they can find plenty more unloved spaces around the local area to turn their attention to.

Deptford Creek - a tale of two footbridges

So it seems that progress is expected this year on TWO new footbridge links across Deptford Creek, one of which you may be aware of, the other of which is a past project risen from the dead; the Lazarus of creek footbridges. 

We've all heard the story about the Millennium Quay footbridge, which is intended to connect Millennium Quay to New Capital Quay across the mouth of the creek, built with the express intention of providing a direct route from Deptford to Waitrose thank you very much. 

Originally it appeared rendered on the images of the new development as some kind of slender, white-winged angel of the bridge world, the deck held aloft by magic with no visible means of support. It was an architect's impression of how all bridges would look if you didn't have to get those pesky engineers involved.

There was talk of a design competition and promises of some glorious swing bridge that would elevate the riverside walk into a transport of delight.

But when it came to actually delivering the bridge, the developer not only demanded a couple of extra storeys on top of the tower block to 'pay' for the bridge, but also delivered this lumpen monstrosity as the proposed solution.

Could it be further from the original rendering? Quite aside from the fact that it ain't up to much in the looks department, there's the small matter of navigation on the creek. Apparently there is a right of navigation on the creek for all vessels, including those with masts, which is why the bridges that exist already are opening structures. After outrage was heaped on the design from all sides, the council asked the developer to perhaps give a bit more consideration to the bridge proposal. Apparently a new submission is expected soon, let's hope they have found something more appropriate both to its location and its operational requirements.

Meanwhile a planning application has recently been submitted to Greenwich Council for another bridge across the creek, further upstream, which is intended to provide a direct link from the land next the Laban Centre (and the odious Creekside 'Village') to Greenwich railway station.

Again, the footbridge is part of the 106 agreement relating to the Creekside Village development, and has been on the wishlist of Greenwich Council for more than a decade. Previous proposals have come and gone, and when this latest incarnation bobbed up on the incoming tide like an unflushable turd, one long-term Deptford resident was heard to comment: 'Blimey, that old chestnut surfaces again!'

No sexy renderings I'm afraid, this was obviously a low-budget report. There are some technical drawings in the feasibility study if you are interested, but the main usp of the Laban bridge is the unusual tilt and twist opening mechanism by which it intends to retain the clear navigation height on the waterway. It will be interesting to see how achievable this is - it's unusual for such a structure to be designed to tilt AND twist and it raises questions about the amount of space needed behind the abutment to achieve this. 

It's also interesting to note that the proposed bridge will not offer a clear span across the creek; for some reason the designers have put a pier in the river on the Greenwich side, something which is unlikely to be welcomed by authorities such as the Environment Agency and the Port of London Authority. Maintenance and operation costs of this type of structure are likely to be relatively substantial, considering the unusual nature of the bridge and the hydraulics required to open it, and I suspect may have been somewhat underplayed in the report.   

The impact these additional bridges could have on vessels using the creek has not been given any consideration. With four opening bridges potentially having to be operated by a single person, it could take some time for masted or large boats to get from one end of the creek to another, possibly longer than the available tide, putting severe restrictions on the type of vessels that could access the waterway.

'Extreme reading' photos needed for New Cross Learning exhibition

Do you like reading in weird and wonderful places, perhaps standing on your head or while bungee jumping?

If so, New Cross Learning wants you to take a photo and send it in for the Extreme Reading Exhibition that is planned for next month. They want to see photos of where and how people read in the most peculiar, strange, weird and extreme ways. Deadline for entries is 28 February; digital photos can be sent to newcrosspeopleslibrary@gmail.com and they will be printed for you. Be creative and have fun!

The exhibition will be held during the first week of March, which includes World Book Day on 7 March. On World Book Day, New Cross Learning will be holding a book exchange, a write-in for the Bridport prize (flash fiction, poetry and short stories) and will have an exhibition of 'extreme reading' photos.

The write-in will start at 6pm, book exchange will run from 6.30pm to 8pm and is the perfect opportunity to pick up some new reading material. Bring along a book of your own (or a pile) and try and convince someone to swap it with you. Refreshments will be available.

On Sunday 10 March there will be another big book sale from 2pm to 5pm.

Underneath New Cross Learning, within the endless catacombs of the Lewisham Historical Society, we have accumulated a store of thousands and thousands of books, and the time has come once again to sell some off! 

If you’ve been to one of our Big Book Sales before you will know that they are among the best places in London to pick up new reading material. Get there early for sweet deals. Hardbacks £1. Paperbacks five for £1. Refreshments will be available.

Frankham Street parking 'boulevard'

After more than two years of nagging, the council has finally got round to building up new kerbs around the tree pits on Frankham Street.

When the 'boulevard' (sorry I have to keep using the inverted commas, it couldn't be further from a boulevard if it tried) was first built, the design incorporated tree pits along its length in between the parking spaces. These pits were installed flush with the parking spaces, with small barriers in front of them as the only protection. Not only did the contractors buy the cheapest street furniture they could find, but the designers also failed to take into account the general motoring fuckwittery that seems to be prevalent in Deptford.

Within a couple of months most of the tinny barriers were gone, whether through contact with bumpers or a particularly forceful gust of wind it's difficult to say, and some of the trees had even been knocked down. A jumble of litter bins, street signs and assorted bits of junk were drafted in as temporary protection.

Finally the tree pits are being remodelled with some kerbs around them. Hopefully new trees will also be planted to replace those that were lost. The tinny barriers are back but stand more chance of survival now that they are slightly elevated - not forgetting of course that many of Deptford's motorists regard kerbs and pavements as legitimate parking spaces, so don't hold your breath.

Revised proposals for Convoys Wharf: open days 28 Feb and 2 March

Developer Hutchison Whampoa, which owns the huge Convoys Wharf site on the Deptford riverfront, will be presenting its revised proposals for the redevelopment of the site of the former Royal Dockyard.

It's now more than six months since HW last presented its plans to the general public - the 'revised masterplan' put forward using a 2D model which left out all the details of massing and tower blocks that many people object to. It also underwhelmed those who had previously helped bring the redevelopment juggernaut to a shuddering halt with their objections to the masterplan's insensitivity to the incredible heritage of the site.

This enormous site, which was once home to the Royal Dockyard and which saw the construction and launch of many famous ships, still retains many of its original features in the form of buried dockyard structures - the great basin, five slipways, a double dry dock - and the Olympia Building above ground. The site also extends over land which originally formed part of John Evelyn's famous garden, Sayes Court.

It is fundamental to understanding the history of Deptford and how it came to be what it is today; but the site also has huge significance in the history of the river, of London and even nationally as part of British history.

I'll be going along to see what Hutchison Whampoa and its masterplan architect Terry Farrell have come up with as their latest plan for the site. I'll be hoping that they've put a bit more imagination into the plans, and haven't just shuffled things round a bit to see if we notice.

Thursday 28th February (3pm-9pm) at Charlotte Turner School, Benbow Street, Deptford, SE8 3HD

Saturday 2nd March (10am-3pm) at The Albany, Douglas Way, Deptford, SE8 4AG

Local news round-up: Silvertown Tunnel, Lewisham Hospital, Evelyn Assembly

Occasionally there's so much going on locally that I have to admit I have no hope of covering it all unless I give up my day job and live on charity. (Yes, bloggers do have day jobs! No, we don't get paid for blogging! Some of us even have lives outside blogging!)

Luckily South East London is blessed with a fantastic selection of hyperlocal bloggers, many of whom you will see listed in the sidebar to the right and all of whom do a great job in rooting out stories from across our corner of the capital.

I'm sure most of my readers also visit these other blogs regularly, and those who do will no doubt have been following the stories I'm highlighting - but if you don't read other local blogs, I urge you to do so. It will give you a much better understanding of local news, politics and history, give you a range of different angles on the same story, and will prove to you just how much is going on!

Save Lewisham Hospital

Unless you have been on Mars (the planet, not the chocolate bar) for the last few weeks, you will of course be aware of the Lewisham Hospital story and the huge march that took place last weekend to support the Save Lewisham Hospital campaign. I haven't covered the march on this blog - although I did take part - because it's been covered so extensively elsewhere, not least on the national news.

Health secretary Jeremy Hunt is due to decide on the future of our hospital on Friday, but there's still time to sign petitions, email him, demonstrate and spread the word about the campaign before then - more info here.

No to the Silvertown Tunnel

Meanwhile just across the border in Greenwich, there's an active campaign stepping up against Greenwich Council's support of the so-called Silvertown Tunnel (effectively a third Blackwall) which threatens to heap more congestion and pollution on the borough and its neighbours.

The proposal is one of several being put forward by TFL in its consultation on river crossings in east London, and is being backed vociferously by Greenwich Council, despite the council having no evidence to support the case for a new road tunnel.

The potential pollution impact of this proposed tunnel have been set out in detail at recent public meetings in Tower Hamlets and Greenwich and covered here in the Guardian.

TFL's consultation ends this week too, so if you want to comment on it, you will have to do so by Friday. The campaign against the Silvertown Tunnel also has a petition on its website if you want to register your objection to the plans.

Evelyn assembly

Finally, a little closer to home the next Evelyn Assembly takes place on Thursday 7 February from 7pm to 9pm at the 2000 Community Action Centre on Grove Street.

Food and hot drinks from 6.45pm, all welcome.

www.facebook.com/EvelynCommunity

Here's the blurb:

Find out about opportunities for young people in the Army, Air Force, Pathfinders, Police, St Johns Ambulance & Sea Cadets

Find out about a local training opportunity for young people aged 18-24 

Find out how the Evelyn Assembly helped your community in 2012 and hear updates from Evelyn Parents Forum and Montage Theatre Arts 

Have your say on what needs to be done in 2013 and get involved 

The latest on the Convoys Wharf from residents who met the developers 

Speak to Lewisham Homes, Hyde, Notting Hill Housing, and Lewisham’s Community Safety Team 

Say hello to your new Waitrose

No opening date set as yet, but the new Waitrose on the other side of the Creek is taking shape, and is expected to open 'some time in the summer'. It's the ground floor of the building on the south side of Greenwich Reach (or New Capital Quay or whatever its latest name is) - you can see it as you cross the Creek on the Creek Road lifting bridge.

At a reported 31,000sqft it will easily be the largest supermarket in Greenwich itself, much bigger than the 'local' versions of the other supermarkets, but only about two thirds the size of the Sainsbury's on Greenwich peninsula.

Personally I'm quite ambivalent about having a Waitrose nearby - I may well make the occasional trip for a few bottles of decent ale (still pretty much impossible to buy in Deptford) but I'll still be doing most of my shopping in Deptford High Street, which for me is still most convenient, fun and cheapest.

I'm not really bothered about what effect the Waitrose will have on the other supermarkets in the area, however I suspect the arrival of this new supermarket is likely to impact on some of the local, independent shops in quite a devastating way. Businesses such as Deli X on Deptford High Street, or Greenlands Health Food shop in Greenwich could be hit badly, until now having had little competition and being able to survive in their respective niches.

Let's hope with some canny business nous they can find a way to survive - I'm sure if Deli X had their daily specials menu on a board outside, for example, they might get more custom for the cafe which is tucked away at the back. Greenlands is an absolute gem, in my opinion - the range of different products they stock makes them rather like a mini Waitrose for groceries, and they do have the best humus known to man. I'll still be going there for the odds and sods I normally make the trip for, and will be keeping my fingers crossed they can find a way to survive.

Chinwag

Latest new cafe on the local scene is Chinwag, which opened a few weeks ago in New Cross - it's in the row of eateries on the London-bound side of the one-way system, right opposite to Goldsmith's college and just up the hill from the Marquis of Granby.

I went there last week to sample breakfast - all in the name of research of course. We got off to a somewhat shaky start when we found the cafe was only just opening up, more than an hour after the advertised time. But it was right in the middle of the snowy time, so we cut them a bit of slack and went for a coffee in the London Particular to kill 15 minutes or so. 

Given the fantastic breakfast offerings at the London Particular, it was tough work tearing ourselves away to go back to Chinwag, but we made the break.

The interior is quite homely and quirky, with old pages of the South London Press under glass on the table tops (with job advertisements pre-dating sex discrimination laws) and wall lights made of taps with droplet-shaped light bulbs. 

The menus are handwritten and stuck into the first few pages of old hardback books, another quirky idea - so you can read the book if you have forgotten your paper or iphone - but unfortunately not very legible, given that whoever wrote it doesn't have the best handwriting.

The breakfast menu was not huge, but as well as offering full meaty and veggie breakfasts (£6.99 each), you can have eggs benedict or eggs florentine for £4.99, omelette with choice of filling, or something a bit more healthy like granola or porridge.

I went for the full meaty breakfast as shown below; toast is included too. First comment, the sausages were very good - I am notoriously fussy about my bangers and have pretty high standards. These were proper sausages, not those bland sawdusty cheapo things. Bacon is not really my bag, it seemed ok but I did give the second slice away due to lack of interest. Roasted cherry tomatoes were excellent, as was the mushroom, and even the standard hash brown was hot, crunchy and fresh.

The only thing that let it down somewhat was the toast - regular white sliced, nothing special. A couple of pieces sliced thickly off a loaf would improve it, and offering the choice of white or brown would help. In all, though, a very tasty and filling breakfast - not cheap, but certainly not overpriced, and one of the best local options for a good quality full English.

Coffee got good marks too - perhaps a little below Waiting Room standard, but since they do the best coffee in the whole of London, nothing to be ashamed of. Very friendly and welcoming, we were even asked if everything was ok - not something that happens often when you are eating breakfast!

Chinwag also does lunches (wraps, soup, etc) and a range of burgers. There's an interview with the owners on Brockley Central.

21 Lewisham Way
Opening hours: 9am-9pm

Lewisham Hospital campaign gets national coverage

When the Question Time bandwagon announced it was rolling in to Goldsmith's College for the first show of the year, there was a flurry of excitement about the prospect of proposals for Lewisham Hospital finally getting national recognition. 

And despite audience members not being allowed to ask direct questions about the subject (apparently it's 'too local' - even though if it is approved, it will have national implications), the presence of a protest outside, campaigners in the audience, and of course panellists from all three parties wanting to jump on the bandwagon, the subject got a considerable amount of coverage.

If you didn't see it, you can watch it on iplayer (the debate about Lewisham starts about halfway through if you want to save yourself the bother of watching the rest of it).

In the meantime there is another march organised for Saturday 26th January, which will be your last chance to protest before health secretary Jeremy Hunt makes his decision about whether to implement the recommendations of the 'special administrator' to close Lewisham's A&E.

The march starts from the roundabout by Lewisham Station at 12 noon on 26 January and ends with a rally at Mountsfield Park. 

For more about the campaign. and to find out how you can help, visit http://www.savelewishamhospital.com/ 

Faircharm redevelopment plans threaten Deptford businesses

Long-standing successful businesses could be driven out of Lewisham borough if plans to redevelop the Faircharm Trading Estate in Creekside are given the go-ahead. Owner Workspace wants to change the classification of the business units on the estate to eliminate general industrial use, in order to build nearly 150 residential units on the land, and tenants are warning that they will have nowhere else to go.

An application for full planning permission to redevelop the Faircharm Trading Estate on Creekside was submitted to Lewisham Council at the beginning of December last year. Although the date for responses is nominally 7 January it is worth remembering that the planners will accept any responses submitted up to the date that the application is considered by the planning committee, currently scheduled for March.

However if you have strong objections to make, it is worth getting your comments in as soon as you can so that the planners have time to investigate and consider any specific points you want to make.

The application (reference DC/12/82000/X which you should use to search on this page for full details of the plans) is for:

The remodelling, repair, restoration and conversion of two existing buildings (A and C) to provide new commercial uses (4031 sqm of Use Class B1) with associated plant, servicing and storage. Demolition of Building B and the construction of four new buildings ranging from 6 to 12 storeys to provide 148 residential units (62 x one-bed, 69 x two bed and 17 x 3 bed), and new commercial uses (703 sqm of Use Class B1) together with new open space, landscaping, car and cycle parking at Faircharm Trading Estate.

The attempt to redevelop the estate already has quite a history, with the previous plans failing to impress anyone. I did not write about them in detail but Crosswhatfields blog did and pointed out the fact that the proposed new buildings on the Creekside frontage would overlook and overshadow the housing on Crossfields estate, and highlighted various other aspects of the proposals that did not endear them to residents or business tenants.

Lewisham Council took a decision in May 2012 to designate the Creekside area as a conservation zone, presumably to try and protect its character, despite the fact that planning restrictions in Deptford's other existing conservation zone, the high street, continue to be poorly enforced.

The new plans - which have now been submitted to the planning department - propose to retain and remodel some of the buildings facing Creekside for continued business use, with new buildings on the rear of the site - one up to 12 storeys high - for residential use.

If I were judging these new plans purely on their aesthetic, architectural or public realm aspects, I would probably comment that aside from the height of the residential block on the edge of the Creek, the architect had done a pretty good job of adapting the site to be more friendly to its Creekside neighbours.

However the main issue with this application, as I see it, is the proposal to make fundamental changes to the permitted use of the site.

With the proposal to build residential units on the site, the future for many of Faircharm's existing businesses is bleak. People living on the site will not want - and should not be expected - to live next to businesses that are noisy and dirty and have deliveries outside normal working hours.

To accommodate this, Workspace wants to make all its commercial units class B1, which is basically office-based businesses, eliminating any general industrial use of the site and driving out many of the businesses that have been there for years. As a result, the 'creative hub' which is at the heart of Deptford, and which so many developers capitalise on to convince people to move to trendy SE8, will be severely depleted.

Throughout the 'consultation' process, say remaining tenants, Workspace has promised to offer them units in the new development. But the proposal to reclassify the business space was never mentioned, and tenants believe that they will not fit the criteria for B1 occupation. With so many industrial sites in this part of the borough being redeveloped for housing, alternative space will be hard, if not impossible, to find.

The application documents make some interesting claims for how Workspace expects the redevelopment to increase jobs on the site - after all, this site is designated for employment use so they need to come up with some statistics to convince the council that they are not going to reduce employment in an area which already suffers high levels of unemployment.

With the redevelopment, the amount of non-residential floor space will be reduced from 12,749sqm to just 4,734sqm, a loss of more than 8,000sqm. And yet Workspace claims the 139 people that the site currently employs will mushroom to 339, despite there being considerably less space for them to work in. Since they will mostly be sitting at computers rather than operating machinery to make things, I guess we can cram them in like sardines, but even so this sounds like a very generous estimate.

If you want to read the details of the statistics that back up this bold claim, you need to download the Environmental Statement Main Text from the planning application website, and read chapter seven. Feel free to add any insights in the comments box below.

As you might expect, Crosswhatfields blog has gone into much greater detail about the proposals, you can read the posts here and here, which may be useful for any comments or objections you may wish to submit.

As always, send your responses (they MUST include your name and address) to the planning department, quoting the planning application reference DC/12/82000/X, either by email or letter.