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The news section of Greenwich.co.uk has been paused since 2018. Please enjoy browsing archive news articles below.

Nike sculpture unveiled in Woolwich – but could it move to Greenwich?

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nikemontage

A BRONZE statue given to London by Ancient Olympia was unveiled yesterday morning in Woolwich.

The four-metre tall sculpture, which Greenwich.co.uk exclusively revealed last month would be presented to the Royal Borough of Greenwich, is of the Greek goddess of victory Nike – pronounced neekay.

The 700kg sculpture was a gift to the London for its staging of the Olympic games – a ritual that has taken place after every Olympics since 1996.

The last minute cancellation of special guest, Olympian Jonathan Edwards, did little to dampen the enthusiasm as a crowd gathered under the baking sun for the ceremonial unveiling at the Royal Arsenal yesterday.

Members of The King’s Troop Royal Horse Artillery formed a mounted guard at the ceremony and speeches were made by the Mayor of Greenwich, David Grant, the designer Pavlos Angelos Kougioumtzis, the mayor of Ancient Olympia, Efthymios Kotzas, and the leader of Greenwich Council, Chris Roberts.

Mayor David Grant said the borough was “very proud indeed to be the recipient” of what was a “wonderful gesture of generosity and of altruism” from Ancient Olympia.

Leader of Greenwich Council, Chris Roberts, said: “When, in accordance with tradition, London was offered the statue of Nike as a gift from Ancient Olympia, I think it’s fair to say that Greenwich was out of the starting blocks faster than Usain Bolt… It is a great honour for us to have been chosen to receive this gift on behalf of London.”

Should Nike be in Greenwich?

Berkley Homes have made a site for Nike available off Dial Square within the Royal Arsenal at Woolwich but could the statue be moved elsewhere in the borough?

“We wanted it close to one of our Olympic venues,” said council leader Chris Roberts. “We wanted to do this within the Olympic period and most of Greenwich was obviously not available during the games. I guess we could move it if that’s what people wanted.”

Councillor Grant, who represents the Greenwich West ward, used his remarks to say that the “wonderful piece of art” would “grace this spot here in Woolwich and wherever it may be in times to come.”

Statue designer Pavlos Angelos Kougioumtzis was clear about where he would like to see the sculpture placed.

“Here in Greenwich, Nike gets an additional meaning. She becomes, thanks to the Greenwich Meridian, the only sculpture in the world to span the two hemispheres. One half on the western, the other on the eastern part. This effect can be expressed by positioning the sculpture in the proper location and letting small laser beam or a stainless steep rod to go through the vertical opening.”

Another piece of public art has been proposed in Woolwich to mark its role as a London 2012 host venue.

Unveiling of Nike statue in Woolwich

Unveiling of Nike statue in Woolwich
L-R: Designer, Pavlos Angelos Kougioumtzis, Mayor of Greenwich David Grant, Mayor of Ancient Olympia Efthymios Kotzas and Councillor Chris Roberts,

More photos from the unveiling

GLL plan new “technologically advanced” gym near the O2

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6 Mitre Passage

A NEW state-of-the-art gym has been proposed for the Greenwich Peninsula.

Planning permission has been applied for to convert the ground floor of 6 Mitre Passage in to a gymnasium.

The twelve storey office building is nearly all occupied but a ground floor space intended for retail use remains vacant.

Greenwich Leisure Limited, the social enterprise company that runs leisure centres in Greenwich and across London, wants to convert the space into a 686 m² gym that would be “the most technologically advanced space within the GLL fitness family.”

GLL hopes that the hi-tech gym would attract up to 2000 members and stay open until 10pm on weekdays and 5pm on weekends. The planning application says that interactive displays would support the local area by publicising jogging and cycling trails on the peninsula.

Other occupants of 6 Mitre Passage, which is close to the Greenwich Peninsula terminal of the Emirates Air Line, include Greenwich Council and a serviced office business centre.

Late for school: Halstow reception classes delayed by a week

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Parents at a local primary school have reacted furiously after they were given “insanely short notice” that their children could not begin school at the start of term.

Parents of children in the new reception classes at Halstow Primary School in Halstow Road were told just two days ago that work on a new school building had overrun. They will now have to start a week later than other pupils.

The children had been due to begin their first day at school today.

Executive Head Mary Whitehead told parents: “I am sorry to inform you that I have had to take the decision to delay the start of term for reception children by one week… The new building is nearly ready but the flooring and toilets are not fully completed. I can only apologise for the late notice and the inconvenience this will cause. Please be assured this decision was not taken lightly and my only consideration has been that your child starts Halstow in safe and organised surroundings.”

One angry parent told Greenwich.co.uk: “I was absolutely stunned when I received the email. The school had assured us that the building work would definitely be finished in time and that even if it was not, that alternative accommodation could be found for the children. This is a big inconvenience.

“I spoke to another parent yesterday who was in floods of tears about it. They have only just got back from holiday and now they are going to have to tell their boss that they need another week off at insanely short notice. The children are also very disappointed. I am not happy at all about the way Halstow has handled this. How can we be sure it will even open next week?”

A newsletter sent to parents in July promised that all renovations would be completed over the six week summer holiday. A source at the school explained that electrical works had overrun meaning that they had no choice but to delay the start of term for some children.

Halstow’s website today made no mention of the delayed start.

The school’s management were contacted for comment yesterday but had not responded by the time of publication.

Sign of the times: two Greenwich shops announce closures

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A FLORIST in West Greenwich has shut its doors after ten years.

La Fleur on Royal Hill closed for good on September 1st. The florist-cum-tea shop was this week selling off its catering equipment and emptying the shop.

A notice in the window said:

“We would like to thank our most loyal and wonderful customers who have shared this decade with us – our own extended ‘family.’

“We will remember you with fondness and love.”

Another local independent business has also announced its impending closure.

A sign has gone up in the window of Stitches & Daughters telling customers that the “lifestyle boutique” is to close this “Autumn/Winter.” A sign in the shop window reads:

“It’s difficult to run a small independent business under the best of conditions, and the past couple of years have been challenging… the current economic conditions have prompted me to pursue my business ambitions in an alternative direction.”

A planning application has been submitted to Greenwich Council for permission to change the shop at 3 Greenwich South Street into an estate agents.

La Fleur closure notice

Stitches & Daughters

iPads and laptops stolen from John Roan School

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THOUSANDS of pounds worth of brand new IT equipment has been stolen from John Roan School.

With just days to go until the start of the new school year, thieves have made off with SIXTY-FIVE boxed Apple iPads.

The criminals also snatched sixty-five HP laptops and seven Samsung netbook computers.

Officer in the case Karl Buckwell said; “The items stolen amount to a significant value and are likely to be sold either via the Internet, pawn shops or to people who are unaware that they are buying stolen goods. If you saw or heard anything suspicious on the day of the burglary please contact us.

“Perhaps you may have come across someone who has recently been trying to sell a large number of electrical items at significantly reduced prices and have become suspicious. All items have a distinctive ‘capita’ tag which can not be removed”.

Anyone with information should ring DC Karl Buckwell, Plumstead Police Station, Burglary Squad on 0208 284 9449.

Paralympic flame to arrive in Greenwich

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LONDON 2012’s Paralympic flame will be carried through Greenwich tomorrow.

The torch will be taken along Creek Road tomorrow afternoon and is due to reach Cutty Sark Gardens by 4pm.

It will then be put aboard a boat and taken across the Thames to the Isle of Dogs. The vessel chosen to carry the flame is Havengore, famous for transporting the body of Churchill on the day of his funeral.

Councillor Chris Roberts, Leader of the Royal Borough of Greenwich said:

“It is absolutely fitting that the part of the Torch Relay which Royal Greenwich hosts will be so spectacular. It promises to be a wonderful sight and of course demonstrates our strong connections to maritime life on the river and our historic links to the monarchy – it will be a thrill to welcome the Havengore to Royal Greenwich for this important task.”

The torch will visit all of the host boroughs tomorrow before arriving at the Paralympics Opening Ceremony which has been co-directed by Bradley Hemmings from the Greenwich+Docklands International Festival.

Emergency services called to “unusual smell” in Greenwich Foot Tunnel

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Photo: Benb111

EMERGENCY services were called to an incident at Greenwich Foot Tunnel tonight.

Fire engines, ambulances and police response vehicles were in Cutty Sark Gardens as an “unusual smell” was reported in the tunnel.

Six fire engines were joined by a Scientific Support Unit outside the tunnel which is over a hundred years old and currently undergoing an extensive refurbishment.

Seven people were treated at the scene, reported the BBC, but none required hospital treatment.

A spokesperson for the London Fire Brigade confirmed they were called out at 19.09 to investigate an incident but it was later declared to be a “false alarm” by the Met’s Borough Commander.


Photo: Benb111

Council moves flagposts to claim park target success

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GREENWICH COUNCIL has claimed victory in its long-held target of achieving twelve Green Flag Awarded parks by 2012. But did the council really meet its ambition for 2012, or did it shift the flagposts after failing to get awards it hoped for? Greenwich.co.uk investigates their claims…

Even more parks and green spaces in the Royal Borough of Greenwich have been awarded prestigious Green Flags this year.

The council boasted across two pages of last week’s Greenwich Time newspaper (above) that “thirteen parks and open spaces are flying the Green Flag.”

“We are delighted to surpass our target of twelve welcoming green spaces throughout the Royal borough,” said Councillor Maureen O’Mara.

Terry Powley, chair of the Greenwich Parks Forum, said: “The Forum is delighted that the ambitious target of 12 green flags by 2012 has not just been achieved but over-reached.”

But whilst the rising tally of Green Flags in the borough is good news for the council and residents alike, did the council really “surpass” the target it set itself of twelve Green Flag Parks by 2012, or did it simply change the way it measured its target after failing to get the Green Flags it planned to achieve?

Green Flags and Green Pennants

The Green Flag Awards are a nationwide scheme designed to recognise  high quality parks and green spaces in the UK. Greenwich Council set itself a target of reaching twelve Green Flag awarded parks by 2012.

The Green Pennant award – renamed this year as the Green Flag Community Award – is a different award given to community-run green spaces and has never before been included as part of the council’s target for twelve Green Flags by 2012.

When announcing its Green Flag awards in the past, the council has only counted the Green Flag Award parks in its headline figure and has never included the community-managed Green Pennant-winning parks.

What the council used to say

“Six [parks] in Greenwich have been recognised,” proclaimed the council in 2010. “Greenwich is now half-way towards its target of securing the Green Flag award for 12 of its parks by 2012.”

The two green spaces awarded the Green Pennant that year – Slade Ponds and Twinkle Park – were not included in the headline figure or the council’s stated target for 2012.

“Greenwich parks secure eight Green Flags,” was the council’s proud  in the summer of 2011.

“The achievement ensures that Greenwich is two thirds of the way to meeting its target of securing the Green Flag award for 12 of its parks by 2012,” the press release added.

Again, the two Green Pennant awarded open spaces were not included in their headline figure or their target for 2012.

So with the council “two thirds of the way to meeting its target”, how would it make the leap to twelve for this year?

New candidate parks for Green Flags identified

A report by council officers last year identified the four new candidate parks, and the work required in them, to “reach Green Flag standard as part of the Council’s commitment to secure twelve Green Flag parks by 2012”

Revamps would be required in Horn Park, Fairy Hill Park, Maryon Park and Eaglesfield Park to meet the requirements of the Green Flag Award, the report noted.

But while Horn Park and Fairy Hill Park did successfully get the nod from Green Flag inspectors this year, Maryon Park and Eaglesfield Park were not awarded, despite the Cabinet agreeing to spend £169,400 and £53,800 on them respectively to meet the target.

The failure to get Green Flag Awards for Maryon Park and Eaglesfield Park leaves the council’s Green Flag Award tally standing only at ten – two BELOW the their stated target of twelve.

Turning failure into victory

So how did the council manage to “surpass” its target while simultaneously failing to reach it? The answer is that they counted their total number of Green Flags differently.

This year, for the first time, Greenwich Council included the sites given the Community Award, now up to three, in the headline figure to allow them to claim that they have THIRTEEN Green Flag sites.

So despite two of the parks that were identified by the council’s own officers as new candidate sites for Green Flags failing to get them, and the tally being two less then had been promised, the council’s redefined target allows them to claim they surpassed an ambition they actually failed to reach.

Councillor Spencer Drury, leader of the Conservatives on Greenwich Council, commented:

“The Council’s confused and misleading planning for parks is laid bare in this deceitful claim to have gained 13 Green Flag sites when in fact there are only 10 reaching the proper criteria.

“The fact Greenwich Time is once again pushing out this propaganda reinforces our calls for this Council newsletter to be abolished.”

Greenwich Council had not responded to requests for a comment by the time of publication.

Green Flag Award 2012-13 winners:

1. Avery Hill Park

2. Eltham Park South

3. Horn Park

4. East Greenwich Pleasaunce

5. Blackheath (jointly held with Lewisham)

6. Sutcliffe Park

7. Fairy Hill Park

8. Charlton Park

9. The Tarn

10. Well Hall Pleasaunce

Green Flag Community Award, formerly known as the Green Pennant, winners:

1. Twinkle Park

2. Slade Ponds

3. Plumstead Common Nature Reserve

Bronze statue from Ancient Olympia heading to Royal Borough of Greenwich

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THE ROYAL Borough of Greenwich has been chosen as the recipient of a gift to London from Ancient Olympia – a new bronze sculpture.

The 700kg sculpture of Nike the Greek Goddess is almost 4-metres tall and was created at the Kaparos Foundry in Greece.

The gift from Ancient Olympia to London is for its staging of the Games of the XXX Olympiad. The Royal Borough of Greenwich was one of six Host Boroughs, with events held at Greenwich Park, the Dome and at the Royal Artillery Barracks, Woolwich.

The sculpture, which is currently in transit across Europe, is expected to arrive in the UK later this week and will then be moved to its new home at the Royal Arsenal, Woolwich.

It had been hoped the sculpture would have arrived last week when the Mayor of Ancient Olympia, Efthymios Kotzas, attended a reception in Woolwich, but he instead presented the Mayor of Greenwich, David Grant, with a model of the sculpture (see below).

UPDATED – The bronze statue will be unveiled at the Royal Arsenal on 9th September.

Mayor takes Schwarzenegger on Thames cable car

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THE Mayor of London, Boris Johnson, has shown former Governor of California Arnold Schwarzenegger London’s newest river crossing.

The pair took to the skies on the Emirates Air Line cable car after first watching the USA’s Basketball team take Gold in the Basketball final at the North Greenwich Arena, as the Dome has been renamed for the duration of London 2012.

Mayor of London Boris Johnson said: “When Arnold said he would be back this summer, I had absolutely no reason to doubt him. Last year we took in the views around City Hall on two wheels, this year we’ve seen the entire skyline from what is without doubt a feat of Austro-British engineering.”

Austrian firm Doppelmayr was one of the companies that helped to construct London’s newest river crossing.

Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger said: “Riding the Emirates Air Line, walking around the city with Boris, and seeing his dedication to creating great infrastructure to accommodate people from around the globe has been an unbelievable experience.”

The visit by Schwarzenegger, who features in new movie The Expendables 2, and the mayor of London came a day after the cable car recorded its busiest day since opening with 31,964 journeys. The £60 million cable car, which links North Greenwich with the Royal Docks,opened to the public in June.