Greenwich news and information
The Royal Navy’s largest vessel, HMS Ocean, returned to Greenwich last night as part of the security operation surrounding London 2012.
After coming around past the dome, HMS Ocean was turned around so that she could be pulled backwards to her mooring at Greenwich Reach.
Baynes Media captured the moment as HMS Ocean passed the Old Royal Naval College and reached her new home for the duration of the Olympics.
Thanks to Paul T for this photo of the Goodyear blimp over Greenwich with its reflection caught in the window of the Picturehouse.
THE LARGEST ship in the Royal Navy’s fleet will return to Greenwich on Friday evening.
HMS Ocean has been tasked with helping to keep London safe for the duration of the Games, which start in just 15 days.
She will also accommodate 400 marines and sailors who are part of the Venue Security Force for Greenwich Park.
There will be a chance to look around the Mighty O on Sunday afternoon when the Royal Navy open her up to the public.
She will be open to visitors from 10am – 3pm with boat transfers operating from Greenwich Pier. Visitors should queue up in the grounds of the Old Royal Naval College where there will be a bag search point.
A chance to look around the amphibious assault ship on her most recent visit to Greenwich proved extremely popular and the Navy advise visitors to “get there early and expect to queue.”
London 2012 bunting has appeared at locations around Greenwich, such as here in Straightsmouth which is one of the pedestrian routes from the railway station to Greenwich Park.
Thanks to Kat for sharing this photo of a new street sign in Thames Street which mistakenly labels it “Thamas Street.”
Greenwich Council commented on twitter, “Our contractor has accepted responsibility for making a mistake with the sign and will be replacing it at their cost asap”
24-28 Greenwich High Road, with Maurice Drummond House seen to the rear
A DEVELOPER has proposed knocking down three Victorian houses in Greenwich High Road to build new homes.
Four 4-bedroom townhouses would replace the houses at 24-28 Greenwich High Road if the scheme gets planning permission.
“The houses, though possessing a certain dour simplicity, are unremarkable examples of later Victorian housing and do not have any notable heritage significance or architectural merit,” notes a Heritage Statement accompanying the planning application.
The plans for the 4-storey homes, each with an added basement, have been revised following an earlier application and a public exhibition held in January.
The developer behind the scheme is Periquin Limited, which lists Lady Rona Zara Delves Dowager Broughton as its sole director.
The same company is also redeveloping Maurice Drummond House in Catherine Grove, adjacent to 24-28 Greenwich High Road, as a new hotel which is due to open in the next few weeks.
Scaffolding starts to come down at the former police section house about to reopen as a hotel.
These two towers – one in Millwall Park and one by the General Wolfe statue in Greenwich Park – have been erected so that a cable can be threaded between them, allowing a TV camera to swoop across the river, past the ORNC and then above the equestrian events for London 2012.
Cranes will also be positioned by John Roan School and opposite the Blackheath Tea Hut for another cable camera.
(Thanks Gary for pointing out that the tower on the Isle of Dogs is in Millwall Park, not Island Gardens)
COUNCILLORS have thrown out a planning application for signs and advertising already installed at the new Zizzi restaurant at the Greenwich Pier development.
Greenwich West councillor, Maureen O’Mara, blasted the restaurant for not having have the “guts” or “courage” to be at the meeting of the Greenwich Area Planning Committee on Wednesday night.
She said: “What I wanted to ask them if they had the guts to turn up is, ‘Why did you do this without any planning permission at all?‘”
The clearly furious councillor added, “This is a World Heritage Site. It’s one of the most precious sites in London. I’ve heard that they say, ‘this is what we do wherever we open up places‘. Well, this is Greenwich and we do not do this in Greenwich. This horrible application needs to be turned down.”
Councillor Dick Quibell (Peninsula, Labour) said the plans were “violently out of keeping with the tone of a World Heritage Site.” Councillor Hayley Fletcher (Hornfair with Kidbrooke, Labour), who was earlier elected as Vice Chair of the committee, commented that the signs looked “hideous.”
Conservative councillor Geoff Brighty, representing Blackheath Westcombe, said he had found the Pier development “disappointing” and that the signs were “trashy.”
The committee unanimously voted against the restaurant’s lettering, menu box and window signs, despite council officers recommending the plans be approved.
Councillors also had the chance to determine the signs, and proposed parasols, at Frankie and Benny’s.
Claims were made by the applicant that advice had been sought from the council before their signs were initially put up but this was disputed by council officers and councillors decided to investigate that point and reconsider the applications at September’s meeting of the committee.
Commenting to Greenwich.co.uk the day after the committee meeting, Paul Mitchell from The Restaurant Group, said they would “proceed with the current application” which they believe is “appropriate for the area”, but added that they would “continue to liaise with the Planning Officer who has been dealing with our application and take advice.”
Asked whether the company had experience of opening branches in sensitive heritage sites, Mr Mitchell commented:
“As a Group we do have a number of sites in our portfolio in sensitive areas where we always work with the Local Authorities and other relevant bodies to achieve a signage scheme which is mutually acceptable to all parties.
“We always seek dialogue and guidance before an Application is submitted to ensure a successful and speedy decision and that our Advertisement Applications take into account the needs of the community in which we are operating.”
GREENWICH will be getting a new temporary “bicycle cafe” this Summer.
The new cafe and bike storage facility is being set up at the corner of Waller Way and Greenwich High Road on the new Movement scheme by developers Cathedral Group and will be open in time for the Olympics.
The cafe will be designed by artist Morag Myerscough and created in partnership with the Greenwich Cooperative Development Agency. Cathedral memorably created a cafe in a train carriage at its Deptford scheme, The Deptford Project.
The plans were outlined to residents who attended a community liaison evening on Tuesday evening – the first of what will be quarterly meetings.
With the former industrial estate now cleared from the site, work can begin in earnest on the Movement development which will include 180 apartments, hundreds of student homes, two new hotels, a fitness club, a permanent bike cafe and business start-up space. The homes and student accommodation are due to complete in the Summer and Autumn of 2014.
As part of its Section 106 agreement with the council, Cathedral are building a new larger extension on West Greenwich House.
Cathedral Group’s Development Executive, Alex Philips, gave his “personal pledge” that the West Greenwich House extension would be completed within a year of the existing extension being demolished.
The new development will also include a new pedestrianised road through the centre with the new street name yet to be confirmed.
The Greenwich+Docklands International Festival concluded on Saturday night with Le Voyage des Aquarêves in Woolwich town centre.
