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Greenwich news and information

Greenwich Market protest planned this weekend

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A local councillor is organising a protest against plans to redevelop Greenwich Market.

Cllr Maureen O’Mara (Labour, Greenwich West) will join fellow protestors outside the College Approach entrance to the market on Sunday at 2pm.

Plans by market owners, Greenwich Hospital Trust,  for the controversial redevelopment of the market, which would include  a new 100-bedroom boutique hotel, were unanimously rejected by Greenwich Council last year.

In February this year, Greenwich Hospital confirmed that that would be appealing against that decision.

Protestors at this weekend’s demonstration aim to show the strength of  local opposition to the proposals before the  independent Planning Inspectorate begins its inquiry on the 7th September at the town hall in Woolwich.

Uni’s School of Architecture gets new Head

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A new Head of the School of Architecture & Construction at the University of Greenwich has been appointed.

Neil Spiller, currently a Vice Dean at the Bartlett School of Architecture, University College, London,  will take up the post on September 1st.

The University plans for the School of Architecture to move from its current site at Avery Hill to a new purpose built facility in Stockwell Street.

Professor Spiller commented: “It is a great time to be joining the University of Greenwich as the School of Architecture & Construction makes plans for its new building in central Greenwich.”

The Vice-Chancellor of the University of Greenwich, Baroness Blackstone, added: “Neil will play an important role in the development of our plans for a new building for the School; taking advantage of its new location, close to the City and Docklands, which will provide many opportunities to enhance its academic profile and reputation.”

Daily Photo: 16/08/2010 – Greenwich Drag Race

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Many thanks to local photographer, Warren King, for supplying this photo from Saturday night’s Greenwich Drag Race. The annual event is organised by the Rose and Crown pub, with proceeds going to the Metro Centre in Norman Road.

Brian Clear has posted this great video of the Drag Race up on YouTube:

The Movement: New development proposed in Norman Road

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Proposals have been published for a big new development in West Greenwich.

The plans would see the construction of a hotel with 100 rooms, 500 rooms of student accommodation and 200 apartments at the corner of Norman Road and Greenwich High Road.

Initial details of the proposal have emerged in an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) which was required to be submitted before full planning permission can be applied for.

The proposed development – given the monicker ‘The Movement’ by its London-based developers, the Cathedral Group – would be built on the site of Greenwich Industrial Estate which fronts onto Norman Road.

The development, which would reach up to eleven storeys high and be visible from Greenwich Park and the Old Royal Naval College, also includes plans for a student bar and health club, 5000 sq ft of commercial floor space and space for a new community centre.

Whilst the developers are looking to complete the project by 2013, their first priority would be to get the hotel built and opened in time for London 2012.

Cathedral Group were previously responsible for redeveloping Devonport House into a hotel and student accommodation and are also currently seeking planning permission for a large redevelopment project in Deptford.

The plans are still at an early stage and the developers will now be waiting for Greenwich Council’s formal response to their Environmental Impact Assessment before submitting a full planning application.

Greenwich Industrial Estate in Norman Road – site of the planned development.

Greenwich Council: July’s full meeting of the Council

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Councillors met on the last Wednesday of July for their monthly full council meeting. Here’s Greenwich.co.uk’s somewhat-delayed report on what happened.

Meridian Music Centre closure

Following on from a previously submitted petition, council offers reported back on the closure of Greenwich Community College’s Meridian Music Centre. The MMC is based at East Greenwich Library and currently has 87 students with 17 employees.

Steve Wreyford from the Safer Neighbourhood Panel in East Greenwich spoke from the public gallery against the closure, praising its role in providing “diversionary activities” for local youth and called upon the council to come up with a “bridging loan” to keep it going until a “big society bank” or social enterprise fund could provide further funding.

All three Labour councillors for the Peninsula ward in which the centre is based joined Mr Wreyford in support of the MMC.

Councillor Dick Quibell called the closure a “tragedy” and warned it was a “foretaste of what is to come”.

Councillor Mary Mills said she was “very sorry to see them pulling out of East Greenwich Library” and Councillor Miranda Williams said she would be making representations about re-using the centre’s audio equipment elsewhere.

Leader of the Conservative Group, Cllr Spencer Drury (Eltham North) said he was “concerned about the lack of clarity” from Greenwich Community College. He said that before attributing the closure to budget cuts, the GCC’s “initial pitch [for closing] was poor exam results”, and then they claimed “the building wasn’t in good enough condition” despite it being “in the best condition it has been for many years”.

Cllr Drury suggested that options be explored to move the facilities to Shooters Hill Over-16 Campus or The John Roan.

Cllr David Grant (Labour, Greenwich West) derided the claim in council officers’ report that the music industry does “not have a skills shortage” and said it was a “misunderstanding of the nature of adult education” which should not be “limited to getting people jobs” , calling it “one of the  less fortunate aspects of policy from the previous government”.

Cllr Dermot Poston (Conservative, Eltham North) described it as a  “tremendous mistake” for the council to have have handed over Greenwich Community College “twelve or so years ago” to what was then Woolwich College and spoke out against the loss of adult educational activities “for fun” which weren’t linked to examinations.

Deputy Leader of the Council, Cllr Peter Brooks (Labour, Thamesmead Moorings) commented that “under normal circumstances I could have stood up here tonight and said ‘I reckon we can sort that out for you'” but with the cuts the council is facing, he didn’t know if he could.

The report by council officers stated that “Lewisham College offers the same provision” to which Cllr Harry Singh (Labour, Woolwich Common) curtly replied: “I don’t think so”. Drawing upon his own experience of the industry, he said he didn’t think any college in the South East had such good facilities, adding that it would be a “sad loss if this goes out of the borough.”

“Cutty Sark continues to make progress”

In a written question, Cllr Alex Wilson (Conservative, Blackheath Westcombe) asked for an update on the renewal of the Cutty Sark.

Cllr John Fahy (Labour, Woolwich Riverside), Cabinet member for Culture and the Olympics, replied:

“The renovation of the Cutty Sark continues to make good progress. Work is ongoing to refix hull planks on both sides of the ship.”

The Cutty Sark is due to be lifted into place in October “with a view to reopening next year”.

Greenwich Park and London 2012

In a written question, Cllr Geoff Brighty (Conservative, Blackheath Westcombe) asked Cllr Ray Walker, Chair of Planning, to confirm that LOCOG had not yet submitted a reinstatement plan or any mention financial guarantees, despite applying for partial approval of a Condition of their London 2012 planning application which required both those to be submitted.

Cllr Walker (Labour, Eltham West) replied that this was a “complex issue” and instead referred Cllr Brighty to the Council’s Planning Officers.

Greenwich Time

Greenwich Conservatives put forward a motion calling for an end to the weekly production of the council’s newspaper, Greenwich Time. The motion was defeated and councillors instead voted for an amendment praising the publication. See Greenwich.co.uk’s report on the debate here and also check out Darryl’s write up at 853.

Housing Delivery Vehicle

The council is proposing the creation of a new “arms length company that can own, manage and let mainly family homes below market rent”.  The proposal, which  would see the council disposing of 28 family sized properties and providing the new “Housing Delivery Vehicle” with £50,000 start up costs, will require permission from the Secretary of State.

A spirit of bipartisanship descended upon the council chamber as the opposition voted in favour of the proposal and the Labour group accepted an amendment from the Conservative Group which would make the Housing Delivery Vehicle’s lettings policy specifically prioritise families for the Company’s homes.

There is no full council meeting in August so the next one will take place on the last Wednesday of September.

More local parks get Green Flag Award

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Green Flag Award

The borough of Greenwich has increased its tally of Green Flag awarded parks in the latest winners list which has just been announced.

East Greenwich Pleasaunce, Blackheath (in association with Lewisham), Well Hall Pleasaunce and Sutcliffe Park all retained their Green Flags, with Horn Park and Eltham Parks North & South getting the honour for the first time.

Cllr John Fahy, Cabinet Member for Culture and the Olympics commented “I’m really pleased that six of our parks have been rewarded with a Green Flag Award.”

Greenwich Park, which is under the control of the Royal Parks Agency rather than the council, also had its Green Flag renewed.

The ‘Green Flag Award Scheme’ recognises and rewards the best green spaces in the country