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Former South Metropolitan Gas Company Employees Sought

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Eastside Community Heritage is searching for former employees of the South Metropolitan Gas Company to share their memories at a planned reunion.

The South Metropolitan Gas Works was the last gas works to be built in London, the brainchild of George Livesey. He received parliamentary permission to build the works on 140 acres of Greenwich Marshes (now called Greenwich Peninsula) in the December of 1880. In keeping with Livesey’s religious ideals, frivolous decorative features were not a part of his grand design for the works; however the two gas holders were the biggest in Europe. The works were grand, but plain. Livesey later introduced a profit sharing scheme with the workers, although this was a move unpopular with the union as it included a clause preventing the workers from striking.

Despite several problems faced in the early years of the South Metropolitan Gas Works, the works expanded over following years, providing not only employment but a plethora of social activities and venues which the workers could take advantage of.

The event to be held at the Greenwich Heritage Centre will be an opportunity for former employees of the Gas Works to get together and talk about old times. Participants are invited to bring along any old photographs, papers and artefacts to show to others, if they have any.

This is a part of the Working Lives of the Thames Gateway project, funded by the Heritage Lottery Fund, that aims to record the experiences of working in industry in Havering, Newham, Tower Hamlets, Barking and Dagenham, Greenwich and Bexley.

The reunion will take place at Greenwich Heritage Centre on Friday 8th January 2010. To get in touch with Eastside Community Heritage, contact Judith Garfield, (office@ech.org.uk, 0208 553 4343) or Claire Days (claire@ech.org.uk, 0208 553 4343).

Greenwich Market Hotel “will be built” – Nick Raynsford Interview Pt1

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Nick Raynsford MP has said that councillors were “absolutely wrong” to reject the redevelopment of Greenwich Market and says that he has “no doubt” that the hotel will be built. The comments came in an extensive interview for Greenwich.co.uk which we are publishing in three parts all this week.

The highly controversial market proposals were unanimously rejected by councillors earlier this year, but Raynsford believes that they will now go through on appeal:

“Having read rather carefully the officer report and I speak as a former minister for planning so I did have to take decisions on issues like this, I think the Hospital have got good grounds for an appeal”

“In that situation when a scheme has been strongly supported by the officers and it is rejected by the politicians then very often inspectors tend to agree with the professionals and grant the appeal.

“I think this thing will be built. I have no doubt.”

Asked whether he had spoken to Council leader Chris Roberts since he rejected the proposals, he replied:

“Yes I have and I told him I think he was wrong. He was absolutely wrong on this issue. I don’t always agree with him.”

Raynsford believes that “vested interests” misled the public about the scheme:

“The proposals didn’t get explained as they should have been to the public who were apprehensive, but you also had some people who had a vested interest in trying to present this as a Bluewater type scheme rather than what it was.”

Greenwich.co.uk: What do you mean by “vested interests”?

“Well Andrew Gilligan had turned his mind against the thing right from the outset. He was totally hostile to it, and he literally would not listen. His view was this was a totally awful scheme, and the article he wrote for the Evening Standard showed an illustration or Turnpin lane, and the argument was, this is all going to get knocked down. Nonsense. The only thing that was going to be knocked down were those steel girders that hold up the roof at the moment which actually protrude into Turnpin lane and make it a less easy area to negotiate. And the only change would have been rather more elegant supports holding the roof up. And that to my mind is not the product of somebody who has looked at it seriously.”

Raynsford still believes that the hotel will bring much needed economic benefits to the town:

“Greenwich has a huge international reputation but it doesn’t get the full benefit of that. It is known to be a beautiful place, but on the whole the tourism revenue we get is the revenue of a day trip destination. People come to London, and they say that one of the things they must do is go to Greenwich. They’ll probably take a boat down the river, they’ll spend five or six hours in Greenwich, go to the Maritime Museum, perhaps go into the park, to the Painted Hall and the chapel and perhaps the Observatory and then they’ll go back. So they come back to central London and they’ve probably spent  £10-15 in Greenwich and they’ve spent hundreds of  pounds [in the centre]”

Asked whether Greenwich Hospital will appeal the council’s decision he replied:

“Of course it is up to them, but I think they are considering whether they are going to make a fresh application or whether to appeal. Frankly I think that if they appeal they have a very good chance of success, because the officer report which is the serious professional appraisal, gave it very strong support… So a good scheme and I think that there is every chance that it will be built in due course.”

In part two of this interview, to be published tomorrow, read what Nick Raynsford has to say about the “bogus claims” of Olympic protestors and the “cult of personality” at Greenwich Time.

Vehicle Fire Forces Blackwall Tunnel Closure

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The Blackwall Tunnel has been closed northbound and is not expected to reopen until Wednesday after a vehicle fire yesterday.

The incident happened on Sunday at around 17.45 and  two people were taken to hospital – one due to smoke inhalation and one with an ankle injury.

Transport for London say that the road surface, lighting and CCTV systems were damaged in the fire and TFL engineers are working 24 hours a day to repair the damage.

The closure of the northbound tunnel has caused gridlock on surrounding roads, with motorists advised to use the Dartford river crossing, Rotherhithe Tunnel, Woolwich Ferry or Tower Bridge to cross the Thames.

Greenwich Council responded to the closure by saying that it underlined the need for additional river crossings.

Cllr Peter Brooks, Deputy Leader of the Council, said, “The travel difficulties experienced this morning – and which are forecast to last at two more days – starkly underline the dangers for Londoners of relying so heavily on the Blackwall Tunnel.

“Greenwich Council has consistently pressed for a package of further river crossings, to relieve the pressure on the crossing at Blackwall, which is why we were extremely disappointed at the decision of the Mayor of London to scrap plans for the Thames Gateway crossing.

“We are continuing to press the Mayor to put the Thames Gateway crossing – together with a new crossing at Silvertown – firmly back on the agenda.”

UPDATE: The Blackwall tunnel reopened tonight after TfL engineers worked quickly to repair fire damage, well ahead of the initial estimate that it wouldn’t reopen until Wednesday.

Garrett Emmerson, Chief Operating Officer, London Streets, said: ‘I would like to pay tribute to the tireless work of the emergency services, tunnel engineers and many others who have ensured we have been able to reopen the tunnel so quickly.

New Family Council Homes Approved for Woodlands Park Road

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SIX new council homes will be built in Woodland Park Road after the go-ahead was given at a meeting of the Council’s Planning Board last night.

There will be five 4-bed homes built, and one 5-bed home. The semi-detached family sized homes were given the green light along with twenty-eight other new council properties around the borough.

The homes will be paid for with £4.2million worth of funding that has been allocated by the Homes and Communities Agency.

Cllr Peter Brooks, Deputy Leader of Greenwich Council, said, “The new Government programme which allows councils to build homes themselves offers a great opportunity to use local sites in the borough for the creation of family homes, and in particular to help meet the housing needs of larger families.

“It’s also an opportunity to create job opportunities for local people and we will be ensuring that our contractors work closely with Greenwich Local Labour and Business to ensure that local residents have access to work and training on these sites.”

Pay As You Go Oyster Arrives in Greenwich

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Greenwich commuters will finally be able to use Oyster pay-as-you-go for rail journeys from 2 January, after years of negotiations between Transport for London and the capital’s private rail operators.

But there’s a sting in the tail for some rail passengers, with cheaper off-peak tickets withdrawn for those who don’t use Oyster cards, and higher fares for all in the evening rush hour.

Many local passengers have been using Oyster on local rail services for some time, but because they have Travelcards loaded onto their tickets.

Now all passengers will be able to use the smartcards to pay for individual journeys, just as Tube and Docklands Light Railway users have done for the past six years. On the Greenwich line, this means the cards will be as valid as far out as Slade Green, on the edge of zone 6.

From 2 January, passengers who don’t use Oyster cards will be charged a flat rate of £2.40 from Greenwich and other zone 2 stations to London Bridge, Waterloo East, Charing Cross or Cannon Street, with a return costing £4.30.

Those travelling from Maze Hill or Westcombe Park, in zone 3, will be charged £3.10 single, or £5.30 return.

But passengers who do use Oyster cards will be charged cheaper rates, with all journeys being charged as singles.

From Greenwich, passengers for central London will have to pay £2.10 if their journey takes place in the morning or evening rush hour – between 6.30am and 9.30am, or 4pm-7pm.

If their journey avoids those times, or is at weekends, then they’ll be charged £1.70.

Oyster card holders from Maze Hill or Westcombe Park will pay £2.60 for a peak journey, or £2 off-peak.

The new system also means passengers can combine rail and Tube/DLR journeys. If their journey does not include Zone 1, it’s at no extra cost. Someone travelling from Maze Hill to South Quay DLR via Greenwich would be charged £1.80 in peak hours, £1.50 at other times – the same fare as Maze Hill to Deptford.

But there’s an extra £1.10 added for journeys through zone 1 – so Maze Hill to Goodge Street will cost £3.70 or £3.10 single.

A cap will apply on fares, so passengers making different journeys during the day will find they pay no more than the appropriate rate for a one day Travelcard.

For people using paper Travelcards or season tickets, it’s business as usual.

However, the Oyster deal will not make travel as convenient as some users might like.

Passengers with Travelcards who need to travel outside their zones will be expected to get a free “Oyster Extension Permit” from a ticket machine or ticket office, or Oyster shop, before they travel to a National Rail station.

So someone with a zones 1-3 Travelcard will need to get a permit before travelling to Abbey Wood, in zone 5, for example. However, permits can be picked up weeks or months in advance, and will stay on Oyster cards until they are actually used.

Gold Card holders – who have annual Travelcards – will still have to buy paper tickets to get their usual one-third discount on tickets outside their zones.

And all passengers wanting to travel to Dartford or deeper into Kent will need to buy a paper ticket as normal.

As part of a separate agreement, Thames Clippers river services have already started to accept Oyster pay-as-you-go tickets, offering a 10% discount on normal cash fares, while Travelcard holders will get a 30% discount.

A £5.80 single ticket from Greenwich or QEII piers to central London will be reduced to £4.80 with Oyster PAYG, or £3.55 with a Travelcard.

University Rugby Team Turn Calendar Boys

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The University of Greenwich rugby team have stripped off for to produce a calendar for the first time, which will help raise money for the team, and for charity.

Two versions of the calendar have been made – a family friendly version and a saucier, “adult” version. Both calendars cost £8.99 + P&P and are available to pre-order now. The official launch of the calendar is scheduled for the end of this month and some of the money will go towards sudden adult death syndrome (SADS) charity in memory of a former team member, Thomas Mulquin.

A spokesperson for the UGRFC said:

We decided to shoot our first calendar to celebrate many things. Firstly, our successful season last year where we were unbeaten and achieved promotion, resulting in our best season to date. Secondly, to raise the awareness of the club through all that we do in terms of charity, our matches and social activities. And lastly, to encourage support for our club and to help our steady rise, which we cannot do without the continued support of sponsors and the work of all the club members together. We hope you enjoy our first ever calendar as much as we did making it! And here is hoping there will be many more..

Update: the calendar is out now and the price has been cut. You can order online with the following links:

UK

Overseas

Shopper struck by falling object at Greenwich Market

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Greenwich Market closed early today after an object fell through the market roof, hit a market stall and rebounded onto a shopper.

On a day when strong weather conditions caused incidents around the south east, heavy winds dislodged the object – we’re not sure what it was yet – which then fell through the roof of the market.

The shopper who was struck by the falling object had no visible injuries but was taken to hospital as a precaution. The market closed early so that fire officers could attend the scene and ensure it was safe. A full repair of the affected roof section is expected to be undertaken on Monday.

A spokesman for Urban Space, the company that manages Greenwich Market, told Greenwich.co.uk this evening: “The market will be open as usual tomorrow (Sunday) but a small section of the market will be closed that is beneath the section of roof that was damaged to make absolutely sure that customers are safe and our traders products remain dry!”.

John Roan School governors recommend staying put

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Controversial proposals to move John Roan School to Greenwich Peninsula have been dropped by the school, it has been announced.

School governors have instead recommended refurbishing and rebuilding the school on its current sites at Maze Hill and Westcombe Park, and are asking the Council to endorse their decision.

The move had been held up by the need to decommission a gas holder at the peninsula, and with no firm time table in place for this to happen, the school governors undertook a feasibility study to examine whether they could stay at their existing locations.

A statement issued this week by the school says:

The Governors recently commissioned a feasibility study to investigate whether it was possible to rebuild and refurbish the school on its existing sites. Following the completion of this study, the Governors wish to progress this option and have entered discussions with both the Council and Partnerships for Schools. The next step will be to secure formal endorsement from the Council for the new approach, taking into account the impact on the overall schools’ strategy for the Borough.

The proposals were strongly opposed by some, and a John Roan School campaign group was formed in response. Andrew Steed, a member of the campaign, has told Greenwich.co.uk that they are “thrilled to bits” with the Governors’ findings and only “regret that this didn’t happen three years ago”.

Updated – Greenwich Council have responded to the news…

On Monday 2 November, the governors of The John Roan School determined
they no longer wished to take advantage of the opportunity to move into
the new school to be built on the Greenwich Peninsula. This is because
the decommissioning of the gas holder, which is not within the control
of either party, will take longer than originally hoped

The Council’s position throughout has been that it would support the wishes of the Governors of The John Roan School. We will continue to do so. To this end, we will work with the Governing Body and with Partnership for Schools (PfS), the agency which is delivering the Building Schools for the Future programme on behalf of the Government, to try to secure funding for the refurbishment of The John Roan School on its existing sites.

In the meantime, the Council will continue with its plans to build a new secondary school on the Greenwich Peninsula, using the PFI credits already allocated to us by the Government for this site.

Local MP, Nick Raynsford, has issued this statement to Greenwich.co.uk

‘I have been working closely with John Roan School’s Headteacher and Governors to help the school resolve the problem of the current unsatisfactory premises. As it is now clear that an early move to new premises on the Greenwich Peninsula is not possible because of the delay in decommissioning the gasholder, I will be exploring alternative options including the possibility of provision on the school’s two existing sites, with the school, Greenwich Council and Partnerships for Schools – the Government agency which is overseeing the ‘Building Schools for the Future’ programme. My overriding concern will be to ensure an outcome which enables the school to continue to improve its educational performance and to meet the needs of young people in Greenwich’.

Bishop of Woolwich to visit East Greenwich

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The Rt. Revd. Christopher Chessun, Bishop of Woolwich will be visiting the Parish of Christ Church East next Tuesday – his first such visitation in four years.

At 3pm on Tuesday 17th November Rev. Derek Clacey will take the Bishop to visit the East Greenwich Traders Association at Greenwich Communication Centre in Trafalgar Road where he will be introduced to representatives of the East Greenwich Traders Association.

The Bishop will learn about projects underway in East Greenwich including the community initiative of the ‘East Greenwich Cultural Corridor’ – a project of culture led regeneration to revitalise East Greenwich in time for the Olympics.

Greenwich Strikes Gold At Visit London Awards

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Greenwich was the star of the show at last night’s BT Visit London Awards 2009 ceremony.

The National Maritime Musuem picked up Gold in the prestigious Visitor Attraction of the Year category. It was Gold again in the Best Tourism Experience category for the International Year of Astronomy 2009 at the Royal Observatory Greenwich, and the Greenwich+Docklands International Festival took first place in the Best Consumer Event category.

It has also just been announced that Greenwich has been named as the “New Capital of Industry” representing Tourism in a new list produced by the Association of Colleges (AoC) ahead of Colleges Week (9-15 November), a national celebration of the role colleges play in providing opportunities for communities, businesses and individuals.