The photos above were taken by me in the old Carnegie Library in Walnut Tree Road, Erith on Thursday afternoon. The long closed building was opened for a public viewing for the first time in many years, and I took the opportunity to go along to take a look around. Local arts commissioning group The Exchange are taking over the building from Bexley Council (who have long neglected it), and plan to refurbish and repurpose the building for both public and business use. Contrary to some local rumours, the old library will not be converted into flats. If you recall when the old library was still open, it was a very large space indeed; what I did not realise until my explorations on Thursday was just how big the place actually is. Only about one third of the floor space was ever open to the public, and it was quite an eye opener to see the areas that had always been out of view. Refurbishing the structure will be a truly massive undertaking, involving many construction disciplines - not to mention a large amount of money. The old Carnegie Library is very damp, and whilst I was there it was raining outside, and water was pouring through a number of windows. If Bexley Council had taken more care of the historic building, this situation need never have arisen. I am very much behind the works of The Exchange, and will be keen to follow their progress during the restoration and repurposing of this historic local landmark building.
The photo above shows members of Bexley Borough Neighbourhood Watch Association presenting the petition against the proposed closure of Bexleyheath Police Station to Gareth Bacon, London Assembly member outside of City Hall, close to Tower Bridge. The figures in the photo (click on it for a larger view) are:- Meeta, Peter, Dana Wiffen, Olu (Crouching), Joyce(SNB) behind her Claire Tack, Grant (NW Vice Chair), Gareth Bacon, Stewart, Mr and Mrs Smith and Andrew. It is too soon to say what effect the petition will have on the decision to close Bexleyheath Police Station and relocate its function to Marlowe House in Sidcup - a decision which seems to have been made by someone with no knowledge of the local area whatsoever. Crime has incresed in the London Borough of Bexley over the last year - we need lots more Police - not less.
The very worrying local problem of vehicle number plate theft has encountered a further development. It has come to my notice that local criminals are not just stealing legitimate plates from parked motor vehicles in order to circumvent the automatic number plate recognition system used to charge drivers for using the Dartford River Crossing, but also, and even more worryingly they are also doing it in order to travel into central London without paying the new T-Charge penalty applicable to older, more polluting vehicles. The T-Charge (T for toxicity) came into fore last Monday morning; it applies to motor vehicles that were manufactured prior to 2006. Vehicles which do not comply with the Euro IV exhaust standard must pay the charge. The standard defines emissions limits for cars, vans, buses, coaches and lorries. Most vehicles registered before 2006 are likely to exceed these limits. The zone now operates between 07:00 and 18:00, Monday to Friday. The T-Charge is an emissions surcharge, applied in the same areas as and paid in addition to the congestion charge, for vehicles travelling through central London. It is expected to affect 10,000 drivers in the capital each year after it emerged 9,000 Londoners a year die prematurely because of long-term toxic air exposure. Drivers of older, more polluting vehicles will pay an extra £10 in the form of the T-Charge, on top of the existing £11.50 congestion charge. This increases the cost of driving through central London up to a total of £21.50. Vehicle number plate theft is now endemic in the local area. Three or four years ago it was a relatively minor issue, but now it is one of the major problems for the Police and local residents. Just how many vehicles are driving around on illegal registration plates I do not know, but I suspect that the number is far higher than many realise. Many of the number plate thefts are carried out by members of the illegal biker gang Bike Life TV UK - more regarding them later. What do you think? Leave a comment below, or Email me at hugh.neal@gmail.com.
As I recently predicted, it seems that the threat of a vigilante group being set up to combat the threat from the illegal moped gangs looks like it is now coming to pass. In an interview with The News Shopper, Orpington resident David Stokes said:- "The feeling is that the local area is under siege - residents have had enough of Police inaction. The problem has escalated over some years from what was relatively petty crime to acts of a much more sinister nature. Confidence amongst those responsible is clearly growing as their actions go unpunished. From what I can establish, the same group has been responsible across the county for theft from vehicles, motor vehicle theft, theft from the person, robbery, assault and burglary. Conversation are taking place between a select few as to how best to resolve this problem if the police are not prepared to take meaningful action". From conversations that I have heard, this kind of reaction to events is becoming increasingly common. Local people feel that the moped criminals are seemingly above the law - a problem which is affecting the Greater London area particularly badly. I have personally heard comments made by residents in both Lower Belvedere and Erith which pretty much reflect the statement made to The News Shopper by David Stokes; whilst much of this may be just "blowing off steam", the fact that people would even consider direct action against the moped criminals says a lot about how seriously the issue is now viewed. In my view there is a third way to combat the criminals, and it does not involve direct - and possibly illegal - action. It is intelligence based. Join your local Neighbourhood Watch Scheme, or if one does not exist, then set one up (contact me for details on how to do this - it is remarkably straightforward). Once you are part of a Neighbourhood Watch group, then covertly gather information on the illegal moped riders in your area; registration numbers (usually fake, but it gives some kind of ID to the bike in question), descriptions of the riders and their vehicles, along with the precise times they are seen in your area, and if possible, discreetly taken photographs of the offenders. These can then be passed onto your local Police Safer Neighbourhood team for further investigation - you might well be surprised at just how much information the Police already have on many of these gang members, as most of the offenders already have criminal records. More on this later in the Neighbouhood Watch local update news.
Some good news regarding the redevelopment of the old Arthur Street Estate - which is located adjacent to North End Road in Erith. The estate has become very run down and it is definitely at the end of its' life. The estate is owned and operated by Orbit Housing Association. They recently carried out a survey of the residents of Arthur Street, and over ninety percent of people consulted, stated that they would like the old Arthur Street to be demolished, and a new estate built in its' place. On Tueday morning I received the following announcement:- "Plans for the £73m regeneration of the Arthur Street estate in Erith will go on display at a public consultation event on Saturday 4 November. Orbit, which owns and manages around 4,600 homes across the borough, is holding the open event, at Peareswood Primary School, Peareswood Road, Erith, between 10.30am and 2.30pm. Following their successful regeneration of Larner Road into the award winning Erith Park in Bexley, 40,000-home housing association Orbit, is now proposing to redevelop the neighbouring Arthur Street estate. Built in the late 1960s, Arthur Street consists of three 13 storey tower blocks and a number of low rise blocks providing 263 one and two bed flats with some three bed maisonettes. Despite substantial investment since the transfer from the London Borough of Bexley in 1998, many components are now failing and the blocks no longer meet modern standards. The proposed £73m regeneration will feature at least 270 new apartments, of which 80 percent will be for affordable rent and shared ownership with associated parking and public open space. Maggie McCann, Orbit’s development director, said: “The regeneration of Arthur Street is part of our wider investment plans for the borough of Bexley. As one of the largest housing providers and landlords in the borough we are investing in Bexley for the long-term, working locally to create sustainable communities which meet both need and aspiration.” Orbit has appointed Wates Residential to help develop the proposed scheme which is set to benefit from more than £10m from the government’s Estate Regeneration Fund and the Greater London Authority’s Affordable Homes Programme. Orbit intends to submit a planning application to London Borough of Bexley in summer 2018. If anyone would like to view the proposals but is unable to attend the public consultation, the plans will be made available to view online at www.orbithomes.org.uk/publicconsultations and via the Facebook page ‘Arthur Street Future’ from Monday 6 November". This is very good news for local residents; there has been some criticism that some of the local housing developments in progress are focussed to closely on full price, commercial sales, rather than for affordable housing; the new Arthur Street development should answer these concerns - at least to some extent.
There has been an interesting and beneficial side - effect of the eerie yellow / orange / red sky that we all experienced last Monday. As was explained in the press, the cause of the weird sky was as a result of tons of iron oxide based dust from the Sahara being sucked up into the upper atmosphere by Hurricane Ophelia. The iron oxide that gives Saharan dust its red colour acts like fertiliser in the open ocean. Sunlight and warmer weather provide the perfect conditions for spring blooms – vast areas of ocean covered in plant growth typically in springtime. Out in the Atlantic Ocean this iron is an essential nutrient which is needed for growth of masses of microscopic plants – phytoplankton. This provides fodder for tiny animals, the zooplankton, and in their turn, food for fish and larger ocean beings. This sudden, lush growth of plant life is as significant to controlling the amount of greenhouse gases in the world as the contribution of tropical rainforests. These forests of the ocean may be rootless and transient but their take-up of carbon from the atmosphere reduces the amount of CO2 heating the planet. Far away from the coastline where rivers deposit sediments, sewage and excess fertilisers into estuaries and deltas, seawater is surprisingly low in iron. Although it is abundant in soils, the open ocean cannot hold it in solution for very long. Yet it is a micronutrient that is vital for kick-starting the ocean food chain. In the parts of the North Atlantic where there is a plentiful supply of wind-driven dust, there is no shortage of opportunities. Back in 2010 the Icelandic volcano Eyjafjallajökull erupted tonnes of iron-rich dust into surrounding seas causing a spike in ocean productivity. So the strange skies that so many people found so disturbing recently, actually had a very beneficial side effect - and may well have contributed to a reduction in the level of Carbon Dioxide in the atmosphere. Another result of the law of unintended consequences.
The latest series of Robot Wars began last Sunday evening on BBC 2 at 8pm. As some readers may be aware, I had a small involvement with the original Robot Wars show back in the day. The Robot Wars reboot now being transmitted seems very similar to the original 1998 version, just with a much bigger budget and far slicker presentation. Motor, material and most importantly battery technology has come a very long way in nineteen years, and the new robots are far heavier, more powerful and better armoured than the old ones. Whilst the technology inside the competition robots has moved on, the kind of amateur engineers who enter their robots into the show have changed very little. Robot Wars is sport for the non - sporty. Back when the show originally ran, I had a friend, Adam Harper - he used to run a small, independent bicycle shop in Nuxley Road, Upper Belvedere (NOT Nuxley Village – there is no such place – that name is an invention of Estate Agents). Adam’s bread and butter was selling and repairing conventional bikes, but he had an unusual and quite lucrative sideline. When Sinclair vehicles went bust after the commercial failure of their Sinclair C5 electric trike in the late 1980’s, Adam Harper bought up the entire unsold stock, which he then warehoused at a secret location in Bexleyheath. Harper correctly guessed that the C5 would become a cult item, and its value would rise accordingly. He was correct. When new, a C5 retailed at £399. Nowadays, an unused, mint and crated C5 with all its original accessories will sell for around £5000! Harper also sold nearly all of the electric motors used by the competing robots in the original series of “Robot Wars” – because of his expertise with electric motors, the producers of the show hired him as one of the three competition judges. Back in the day, the C5 motor was one of the most compact, efficient and powerful available - which made it a prime choice for robot builders. Now electric motor technology has moved far ahead, and there are far superior alternatives available for the budding combat robot engineer to utilise. But I digress. I accompanied Adam Harper on a number of occasions to the studio to watch the Robot Wars being filmed. Back in those days it was presented by Craig Charles and Philippa Forrester, and was filmed in an old warehouse building next to The Excel Centre in Custom House, East London. I would imagine that it has long been demolished and replaced with an office building or hotel by now. The programme production was all quite amateurish and cobbled together - unlike the rebooted show which now has far higher production values - even if the kind of person who took part, whether as a competitor, or in the audience has stayed exactly the same. Adam parted company with Robot Wars after he disagreed with the producer over the direction the show was heading in. The producer wanted to introduce (scripted) feuds between the competing robot teams, and have the team shouting threats at each other to mimic the manufactured rows between rivals in WWE Wrestling. Adam disagreed with this, as he felt it gave out the wrong message to young viewers; he was of the opinion that the robot fighting was merely a means to an end - in getting young people interested in science, technology and engineering through constructing robots for use in combat. He called it "education by the back door". Needless to say the producer got his way, and Robot Wars and Adam Harper parted their ways. Unfortunately I lost contact with him not long thereafter. A real character and a pleasure to know.
This weeks local safety and security reports from Bexley Borough Neighbourhood Watch Association. Initially a report from Belvedere ward:- "The team recently paid a visit to ‘Little Lambs’ pre-school nursery in Nuxley Road. We spent time playing games and reading stories to the children and chatting to the staff. This was an excellent opportunity to introduce ourselves to the children in a safe environment, and to tell the children a little about what we do on a daily basis. We are continuing patrols of Belvedere Park estate and the area of Fremantle Road in relation to ongoing motor vehicle crime. PCSO Worrall has continued to look for new NHW on the ward and the team have distributed information to 3,900 homes in Belvedere since July 2017. We have also been working with shops in Nuxley Road after repeated shoplifting offences that have been taking place. On Friday, PC Green and PC Holmes assisted Northumberland Heath SNT officers to conduct a warrant at which drugs were found. Officers from both teams then conducted pro-active patrols of both wards, stopping and searching a number of people in areas subject to ASB by youths and drug use/dealing". A special report from PC Ash Green:- "Over recent months PC Green has been working on the concerns of vehicle ASB (anti social behaviour) in Belvedere as well as how it has affected other areas of the North of Bexley. PC Green has met with numerous people and taken various statements. The work has led to numerous arrests and vehicle seizures over the weekend. 15 riders were arrested, 14 of which were for dangerous driving. As well as this, 15 mopeds, motorbikes and quad bikes were seized for different reasons such as no insurance, being lost or stolen. Work is continuing to be done with regards to vehicle ASB and team will look to make further arrests and seizures". Brampton ward:- "On Brampton this week we have had 3 x Criminal damage to motor vehicle in Pickford Lane - vehicle was kicked by an unknown suspect, investigation ongoing. And twice on the same night in Normanhurst Avenue, tyres were slashed. 1 x shoplifting at Co –Op Pickford Lane; 1 x Theft from motor vehicle in Herbert Road. A street briefing was held in Pickford Lane on Wednesday 25th. Thanks to all the residents who turned up to this. We spoke about the upcoming events of Halloween and Fireworks nights and posters were given out. Residents aired there concerns regarding the traffic in Pickford Lane and surrounding roads which included speeding and parking issues. I will be emailing the council again to raise these with them. Residents also stated their concerns for the safety of youths on cycles 'riding around like maniacs and pulling wheelies'. This is a Borough wide problem and we are tackling the best we can at present. With the night’s drawing in earlier from now on please keep your homes locked please visit www.met.police.uk/burglary for advice , whilst there please check in your area and check on the wards crimes and also the advice it gives you on offences". Colyers ward:- "There were no reported burglaries on Colyers Ward between 19th October and 24th October 2017. There was one reported historic theft from dwelling at Twigg Close Erith from 1st July 2017 to 31st August 2017. The victim has just discovered that someone staying at the address has been stealing from the victim. The victim indicated that they gave the suspect somewhere to live as he had nowhere to go but the suspect has taken lots of items from the victim. The victim has not seen the suspect for over a month. There was one reported attempted theft of motor vehicle outside Heath Way Erith on 22nd October 2017at 10pm. The victim saw three suspects trying to steal the vehicle a white Mercedes Sprinter van registration KT66 UWO but the suspects made off when disturbed". Crayford ward:- "There was a burglary on Saturday 21/10/2017 in Crayford Way. The burglars entered the property through the front door between 17.00-22.30 and made an untidy search of the property, stealing Asian Gold which was both unique and of great sentiment. For more information on how to keep your home safe, please visit www.met.police.uk/burglary. On Saturday 21.10.2017 between 11.25-11.50 a white BMW was keyed in Tower Retail Park, it is believed this was after an altercation about a parking space. Between Thursday 19.10.2017 at 16.00 and Friday 20.10.2017 at 07.00, two vehicles, a Black Nissan Juke and a Silver Nissan Xtrail were damaged overnight in Ducketts Road, Crayford. Overnight between Wednesday 18.10.2017 at 20.50 and Thursday 19.10.2017 at 07.00 a White Ford van was stolen from outside 186 Station Road. Officers from Crayford SNT took part in Operation Wheelie in Bexleyheath Town Centre on Saturday 21.10.2017, several people were spoken to and two bicycles were seized after being seen pulling wheelies through the area by the bus stops, one youth was from an address in Crayford. At the weekend, PC Gardiner was out and about on the police motorcycle, PC Murphy took part in Op Autumn Nights as part of the current Anti-Social behaviour initiative, PCSO Barlow completed foot patrols and reassurance visits locally in Crayford". Erith ward:- "No burglaries reported in the last week which is good news. Several reports of shoplifting in Morrison’s and the a couple of shops in the town centre. We are working closely with security and the store managers in identifying the suspects from CCTV footage. Proactive patrols have been ongoing in Compton Place, Battle Road and in Erith Town Centre to tackle ASB, shoplifting and drug related information". Lesnes Abbey ward;- "Burglary - On Friday 20/10/17 between the hours of 10 : 30 am and 18 : 20 pm a residential burglary occurred in Bedonwell Road. Home crime prevention - Check you have closed and locked all your doors and windows before leaving your property. If you have UPVC doors and windows double lock them with keys to secure them properly. Leave some lights on if it will be dark before you get home. Install low wattage ‘ dusk to dawn ‘ outside lighting. If you have a burglar alarm remember to activate it. Protect your important property, register at: https://www.immobilise.com. Motor vehicle crimes: On Wednesday 18/10/17 an Interference with Motor Vehicle occurred in King Harold's Way at 03 : 30 am. Fortunately the vehicle’s alarm was activated, nothing taken, no person/s seen . Between the hours 07:00pm on Friday 20/10/17 and 03:00pm on Saturday 21/10/17 a vehicle in Clovelly Road was damaged. Pedal cycle theft: On Saturday 21/10/17 at about 06:35 pm a pedal cycle was taken from outside the Manorway Stores, Harrow Manor Way". North End ward:- "Crime numbers are low this week with no real trend for any particular crime and no burglaries reported. A firework was thrown through a window at Grange House a few evenings ago. Fortunately nobody was injured and there was only minor damage inside the property. The ongoing investigation is looking to ascertain if this was done deliberately or was just an accident. Extra patrols of the whole area will be ongoing. PC Mark Brookes Smith has stopped and searched 5 people relating to drugs offences. 2 of the searches were positive with cannabis seized, warnings issued and interviews pending. We assisted our colleagues in Northumberland Heath in executing 2 drugs warrants last week with drugs found in both premises. Good work all round from all the teams involved. This was followed by PC Brookes-Smith being on a police carrier with other ward officers tackling ASB related calls until late on Friday evening. We are working until 11pm on Halloween and there are more officers on patrol throughout the whole borough. At this weeks ward panel meeting, ASB in Daleview, Rainbow Road and Drug issues were chosen by the panel members as our promises for the next few months". Northumberland Heath ward:- "Two drug warrants were executed in Brook street in the last week and four cannabis warnings were issued. The team are continuing to receive reports of Motorbikes being ridden in an anti-social manner in and around the Northumberland Heath Recreation Ground. One youth has been identified and a visit to his parents has been completed. He was also issued with a section 59 warning which gives Police the power to seize any motor vehicle he is seen riding on in an anti-social manner in the next 12 months. Police motorbike patrols were also carried out in the area over last weekend to help to identify the culprits. The team have been tasked to carry out anti-social patrols in and around hotspot areas in the lead up to Halloween and Bonfire night to reassure our residents. We have also had several reports of youths banging residents doors in Dickens Close and running away on foot or on pushbikes. Plain clothes patrols will be carried out this weekend by officers in the area. Two reports of vehicle crime this week. A car was stolen from Becton Place, it is not clear when the vehicle was stolen as the owner had not used the vehicle recently. Lastly a number plate was stolen from a vehicle in Hurst Road Erith between Saturday 21st and Sunday 22nd of October". Thamesmead East ward:- "Good News, no burglary reported this week, however please see below regarding motor vehicle crime. 18/10/17 20:43hrs Fairway Drive - Pizza delivery drivers Scooter stolen whilst attending the delivery address on 1st or 2nd floor of flats; 19/10/17 19:00hrs PARKWAY - Theft of Motor Vehicle taken over night". The next Police Surgery will be held on Friday 24th November 2017. We are always interested in recruiting new Neighbourhood watch co-ordinators for the ward. Please ask your family and friends if they would like to set up a Neighbourhood watch in their road. Please spread the word to any family and friends in the Borough - they can contact us on 020 8721 2049 or Thamesmead.SNT@met.police.uk for more information. For latest news from Bexley Police, visit our twitter pages - @MPSBexley and @MPSThamesmeadE".
The rebuilt Abbey Wood Station opened on Monday morning - albeit without any working lifts, and a lack of step free access to any platform. It is most definitely a "work in progress" - though the overland lines are working pretty much as usual. The Crossrail lines do not open until next year, when the name will officially change to the Elizabeth Line. Geoff Marshall, who, along with his partner Vicki Pipe are the people behind the "All the Stations" project, and a great public transport enthusiast, visited Abbey Wood Station last Monday morning; you can see a short video he made below. Please feel free to leave a comment below, or to Email me at hugh.neal@gmail.com.
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