Arthur Street.

The upper of the two photos shown above was taken by me on the second of July, and the lower photo was taken by me on Tuesday the 20th of August last week. The former Belvedere Police station has now been completely demolished to make way for a block of apartments. Now that the bulk of the building is down, the actual very large size of the plot of land can be ascertained, especially if you are a passenger on the upper deck of a 99 bus passing the location, which gives you a very good platform to look over the demolition site. Nuxley Road (NOT Nuxley Village - there is no such place, as I have outlined in the past) is undergoing some major changes to its character; not only has the Police station gone, but historical buildings further South in the road have been demolished - including the former Walk - Around shop, which is now a residential block with shop spaces beneath. Flynn's Bakery, next to the Royal Standard pub, which closed at Christmas, with the owners retiring; the bakery has been empty and unused since. On top of this, the popular newsagent Nikins News / Premier store at the junction of Nuxley Road and Albert Road has also been closed for some months. I cannot recall a time when so many shop units were empty in the area.

In a surprise move, the plan submitted by Orbit South Housing Association to demolish the old Arthur Street Estate in Erith, opposite the new Erith Park Estate has been rejected by Bexley Council's planning department. The somewhat unexpected decision was published by Bexley Council on Friday. The details of the rejection are outlined in a letter to Orbit, via their architects CBRE reads thus:- "Development At Arthur Street, Arthur Street, Erith, Kent The Town and Country Planning (General Permitted Development) (England) Order 2015 (as amended), Schedule 2, Part 11, Class B. I refer to the application which you have made on behalf of your client, Orbit South Housing Association, for prior notification of the demolition for all existing buildings on site to be demolished comprising 3 x 13 storey buildings and 3 x low rise housing blocks alongside associated structures, which was received on 29th July 2019. Having considered the submission, I can now advise you that this Council’s prior approval as to the method of demolition and any proposed restoration of the site is required, and that such prior approval is REFUSED, for the following reasons: London Borough of Bexley. 1. Insufficient information has been provided as to the proposed restoration of the site, as required by paragraph B.2(b)(i)(aa) of Schedule 2, Part 11, Class B of The Town and Country Planning (General Permitted Development) (England) Order 2015 (as amended). 2. The Local Planning Authority consider that the project is an “Urban Development Project”, which is urban development and involves the demolition of approximately 250 homes (including affordable homes) on a site over 1 hectare in size, and does not secure their re-provision (unlike the proposal which is the subject of planning application reference 18/03154/FULM), would have significant effects that are of a markedly different nature to the existing use of the site. As such the project is considered to be a Schedule 2 Environmental Impact Assessment development, and this being the case, permitted development rights do not apply as per Article 3(10) of The Town and Country Planning (General Permitted Development) (England) Order 2015 (as amended).
Yours faithfully
Mr R Lancaster
Head of Development Management." I suspect that this will only be a temporary impediment to the regeneration of the old and crumbling Arthur Street Estate. More affordable housing of good quality is required; indeed a vast majority of the existing Arthur Street Estate residents voted for the regeneration to go ahead when they were consulted at the start of the project. 

Bellegrove Road in Welling is possibly going to be the location for a new Micro Pub. An application has been submitted to Bexley Council for a new opening in a former shop unit. The News Shopper have reported that a potential new Micro Pub may be joining the existing ones in the borough, which include, but are not limited to the the Penny Farthing in Crayford, The Kentish Belle in Bexleyheath, The Broken Drum in Blackfen, the Bird and Barrel in Barnehurst, and The Door Hinge in Welling – which was the first of its kind in Greater London. It is the case that the Hangar (courtesy of their Untappd account) sells Birra Moretti, Meantime Lager and very little cask beer by comparison to gassy mainstream, commercial keg lagers. This seems to suggest that the operators of the Hangar in the Oval, Sidcup, may have misled the Bexley Council licensing team when applying by saying they would be selling cask ales, and calls into question if their new Micro Pub application for Bellegrove Road will be much the same, and will try to get money from a congested market being only a few hundred metres from Wetherspoon's New Cross Turnpike and many other mostly-lager pubs in the town. A source suggests at least one Councillor has challenged whether the Hangar should have door staff or have to go to the licensing committee due to their sales of lager in large amounts as lager traditionally attracts yobs and undesirables. It is understood that the Council may now insist that the Hanger has door staff, as is now pretty much the norm for bars and pubs that principally sell gassy and tasteless lager, and thus attract yobs and other violent undesirables. As far as I have been able to determine, there has yet to be a record of Police attending any genuine Micro Pub in the UK. Micro Pubs are a return to traditional pub values - no music, no TV, a ban on the use of mobile phones (hooray!) and hand pulled or gravity driven cask conditioned real ales and cider. The whole Micro Pub philosophy is designed to encourage conversation between people who might otherwise be strangers. I heartily support the whole Micro Pub movement, but feel that anyone that tries to hijack it in order to open a mass market lager emporium needs to be exposed for what they really are.

The graphic above is a proposal for the Erith Think Tank stand at the forthcoming Erith Pier Festival on the 21st September. Project advisors Paul and Kate say of the proposal:- "The Think Thank’s intention for the Pier Festival is to create an interactive space aimed at promoting citizen engagement with the development of their town. We want to use it as a platform to celebrate Erith, its history and the opportunities for its future. The plot will consist of a gazebo with a colourful, interactive map (still in development), with floor vinyl footprints leading to the space. The community can then label their favourite places; memories from the past or things they’d like in their community in the future. It is also intended to have a photographic element to relate to social media – questioning ‘my Erith is?’ photographs of community members with signs of frames commenting on their town and what it means to them can then be shared. We intend for this to be a playful celebration of the town for all ages and to promote interaction between various demographics and age groups. This will then tie in with the Think Tanks goal of gaining a full understanding of the aspects of the town that people most cherish, that are intrinsic to the towns identity. We are looking to promote awareness of Think Tank in order for it to represent the diverse community of Erith. We're pleased to let you know that our submission to take part in the Erith Pier Festival has been successful! Thank you to Bexley Council for having us on board, and thanks again to Paul and Kate for leading on this project. Can you please put the following dates in your diaries: September 5th - all group meeting, @ the Exchange, 7.30pm. Topics of conversation to be announced shortly.  September 21st - Erith Pier Festival. October 10th - Councillors Louie French and Joe Ferreira will be presenting to the group about Bexley Council’s regeneration plans for Erith. This will be followed by a Q and A session. What do you think? Email me at hugh.neal@gmail.com.

Questions are being asked about Cory Environmental and their plans to construct a second waste burner and a large data centre in Lower Belvedere. The News Shopper has reported that a very rare species of insect called the shrill carder bee, which is named after the high-pitched buzz they emit. The insect, which has a distinctive grey-green body and a black band across its body (or thorax for the smart ones), has lost much of its habitat to human development and can now be found at just seven sites across the country, including the Thames Gateway, in which Crossness is located. Other rare insects found in the area include the spined mason bee, a solitary bee that nests in empty snail shells, and a pair of conopid flies, which parasitise bumblebees. How the construction of the new waste burner and data centre will affect these creatures is not yet known. One tends not to think of the local area as being one that fosters much in the way of agriculture; a fairly unglamorous South East London / North Kent suburb is not exactly the kind of place one would expect to find much in the way of food production. In many respects this may be the case, but in one particular area it is most definitely not true. Erith, Slade Green and Dartford are renown for the quality of honey that is produced in the area; indeed Dartford Bee Keeping Club have just won an award for producing some of the best quality honey in the country. I guess that this is due to areas such as the Slade Green Marshes, with the large open areas covered with heather, wild flowers and bulrushes. For what is thought of as a predominantly urban area, we actually have quite a large amount of uncultivated, wild wetlands and other places which bees find attractive, one of which is the relatively newly created wild flower garden adjacent to The Bookstore Cafe in the old Carnegie library in Walnut Tree Road. Operators The Exchange have planted the garden to encourage bees and other local fauna; indeed, they plan to have their own beehives to make honey to be used in The Bookstore Cafe in due course. You can read more about Dartford Bee Keepers on their website here. I must warn you that the text on much of the site suffers extensively from rogue apostrophes – “bee’s” occurs on multiple occasions, amongst other misuses of possessive apostrophes. The site is obviously a labour of love, created by someone with rather more knowledge of bee keeping than good web design, or indeed English grammar and punctuation.

Morrisons has got another price hike in store for its plastic bags — this time to 30p each. The supermarket is trialling the increased charge in some of its Welsh stores. The supermarket chain has already hiked the cost twice this year,  from 10p to 15p in January and to 20p in April. The 30p tag — which is three times higher than most rivals, is being trialled in a few stores with a nationwide rollout planned. Morrison's management say they are encouraging bag reuse — but customers accuse them of cashing in. By law shops must charge 5p for “single use” plastic bags with the money going to good causes. But most, like Morrisons, sell robust “reusable” ones for higher prices — and there is no obligation for the cash to be given away. The 5p charge for single-use plastic bags that was introduced in Wales in 2011, then Northern Ireland and Scotland before England finally caught up in 2015, has been considered a success. The seven main supermarkets in England gave out 6bn fewer bags between in the first six months of the charge than in the corresponding period a year before. However, last year supermarkets sold 1.18bn of the thicker “bags for life”, prompting fears people were using these as single-use bags instead. The Environmental Investigation Agency has said bags for life should cost £1, rather than the 10p many supermarkets still charge. In Tesco, Sainsbury’s and Waitrose they are 10p each, while in Asda they are 15p. Morrisons, which is also increasing the cost of its paper carrier bags from 20p to 25p, says profits from bags are being invested in plastic reduction initiatives. Alongside many other people, I have noticed that not only are Morrison's shopping bags more expensive than those of their rivals, but the quality is inferior. 

I know that a number of my regular readers are radio enthusiasts - some are licenced radio amateurs, and others have an interest in broadcast band radio. Years ago, I used to subscribe to what was then a very popular publication - Shortwave Magazine. Back in the late 90's and early 2000's I found it to be very informative and an entertaining read. You can see an online repository of almost every edition os Shortwave Magazine in PDF format by clicking here. I also have subscribed to RadCom - the RSGB official magazine - since I became a qualified radio amateur back in 1997, though I must admit that RadCom can be quite a challenging read at times; the magazine if very text dense, and many of the articles are of a very technical and specialist nature. In 2005 Shortwave Magazine was rebranded and relaunched as Radio Active, and subsequently as Radio User. I bought it for a few editions, but it was not for me - the widened scope of the magazine, which then covered all sorts of radio, felt "dumbed down" and I simply stopped buying it. Last week my sister unexpectedly gave me a gift - the latest edition of Radio User. I am very happy to say that in my opinion, it is now excellent, and the best all - round magazine on radio currently in print. In the many intervening years, the editor and production staff seem to have improved the publication beyond all recognition. You can take a look at their website by clicking here. Let me know what you think - Email me at hugh.neal@gmail.com.

Fields in Trust announced on the  22nd of August that Danson Park had been voted the winner of the London Region in its UK’s Best Park competition. It will go forward to the next stage of the competition, with the winner due to be announced on 12th of September. Hall Place and Gardens was included in the south-east region by the Trust. It was one of seven spaces in the south-east in the top 20 percent of nominations and was awarded “Much Loved" status.

Now for the weekly local safety and security updates from Bexley Borough Neighbourhood Watch Association. Firstly a report from Barnehurst ward:- "Firstly the good news, another week with no burglaries. Unfortunately we continue to be hit with vehicle crime, with four theft from motor vehicles reported three of which were theft of catalytic converters. On Thursday the 15th August between 9am and 5pm a catalytic converter was taken from a vehicle in Normandy Way. Overnight of Monday 19th August a vehicle was broken into in Eversley Cross, the front window was smashed and an empty bag was taken. A vehicle had its catalytic converter taken in Hurstwood Avenue but the owner can't be certain when it occurred. On the afternoon of Tuesday 20th August a catalytic converter was taken from a vehicle in Downbank Avenue. A white transit van was believed to be involved in the catalytic converter thefts. During the day of Tuesday 20th August there was a theft of cycle from Barnehurst Railway Station. We are hoping to roll out Smartwater for Westfield Road in the next couple of weeks. Our next community contact session will be at Barnehurst Golf Course on Thursday 29th August at 3pm. We look forward to seeing you". Belvedere ward:- "We have identified and issued another section 59 warning to a male driving an off road motorcycle in Lesnes Abbey Woods. The male was caught on camera and easily identified. The warning lasts for one year. If this male uses this motorbike or any other vehicle in the year period in an anti-social manner then the vehicle he is using can be seized and may be crushed. Same if he rides / drives off road. We had a burglary in St Augustine's Road in the middle of the month. The thieves went in through an open window and stole mobile phones and a laptop. Please shut all windows of a night time or when you go out. There was a recent burglary at 8 Claytonville Terrace, a property which is currently a house of multiple occupancy (HMO). Entry was gained via an internal door and no items taken from within however certain items of property belonging to the occupant were damaged. On Saturday evening last weekend, between 7.30pm and 9pm there was an attempt made to forcibly enter a property in Elstree Gardens whilst the residents were away from the location for a few hours. Damage was caused the front door handle and lock. Entry was not gained however and no items were taken from within. There was a racial incident in Osborne Road recently. The victim knew the suspect and a warning was given for their behaviour. The team came across a vehicle on Poplar Mount that had its front driver's side window smashed and the car rummaged through. This happened on Wednesday 14/08/2019 sometime between 1520 and 1728 hours. The car was parked near to the junction with Lower Road. More anti-social behaviour has been reported in Coleman Road. A certain household is being targeted by youths. Some have been identified and visits made to their parents. Our next Street a Week event is taking place on Friday 23rd August in Calvert Close. Our next ward panel meeting has now been arranged for Wednesday 28th August starting at 7pm which will be held at the usual venue – Belvedere Community Centre, Mitchell Close". Bexleyheath ward:- "There has been no burglaries this week which is good news. However we have had other crimes and some quite concerning, details as follows:- Sunday 11th August 1430-1630 – not previously reported until 14/8/19 theft of catalytic convertor from vehicle parked Church Road j/w Upland Road Wednesday 14th August overnight – Theft of Motor Vehicle from Bromfield Road (BMW) Friday 16th August overnight – Martens Avenue car number plates stolen Saturday 17th August 1030 – 1230 – Wenvoe Avenue, Ladders stolen from fraudsters, who cut down a few branches off of trees in Lavernock Road and then charged the occupant £3000 for the work. Sunday 18th August overnight – Marriott Car Park car damaged by writing being scratched into car Tuesday 20th 1540 Nando's Bexleyheath motorbike stolen. Wednesday 21st – 1540 Albion Road Car Park behind HSBC Handbag stolen from a vehicle when the door had been left open as occupant walked around the car. Sadly we have had a rogue trader theft from an elderly resident on the ward this week. They stated they would do some gardening work cutting of tree branches and when they go to collect the agreed payment (£350) the price has increased to £3000, one of the suspects went with the victim to the Bank and they got away with £1300. No further work completed. Please do keep an eye on your neighbours and ensure that they call someone if they have this type of person knocking at the door. Also encourage people to not do door step trading and to source legitimate companies for any work which needs doing around the home. DERRY YARD CONTRACTORS LTD 0207511240 White van.  The team regularly conduct patrols along drug hot spot areas and ASB areas on the ward and conduct regular stops & searches where necessary. If you do wish to pass on information to Police then please contact Crime Stoppers on 0800 555111 If you are after crime prevention advice, please look at the Met Police website which has lots of information that you may find useful. Remember in an emergency please dial 999 and 101 for non-urgent reporting".

Crayford ward:- "Unfortunately there has been a commercial burglary this week. On Sunday Sunday 18th August between 21.00 - 21.14 a burglary took place at Euro Car Parts at Optima Park. Items were stolen from under a glass counter to the value of two thousand pounds. The suspect used a paving slab to smash the window. £700 worth of cigarettes were stolen from a black Land Rover in Maiden Lane on Monday 19th August at 13.15. Pallets were stolen from the rear of Smyths toy store and put on an open backed truck by two IC1 males on Tuesday 20th August at 6.05 - 6.25. A red bicycle was stolen from the Ellenor Charity shop on Friday 16th August at 13.30. Between Saturday 10th August and Sunday 18th August a male came twice to Hubbard Close to steal items from outside property. Other crime around Crayford has been vehicle related. Between Thursday 8th and Thursday 15th August a catalytic convertor was stolen from a black hybrid Toyota Prius parked in an underground car park at Marshalls Court at Perry Street. Between Tuesday 13th and Saturday 17th August two watches (a Hugo Boss and Fendi branded) were stolen from a vehicle parked in Green Walk, it is unknown how the thief entered the vehicle. Overnight between 23.00 on Friday 16th August and 09.00 on Saturday 17th August two locked vehicles parked on a driveway in Old Road, nothing of consequence was stolen. A vehicle was broken in to outside Bike Alert at Thames Road on Monday 19th August between 8.45 -13.30, the passenger window was smashed and a dash cam was stolen, the suspect is a male on a pushbike. A catalytic convertor was stolen from a grey Honda on Tuesday 20th August between 11.20-13.45 in Iron Mill Lane. Our next community contact session will be held on Wednesday 28th August between 16.00 - 17.00 at Vintage Lindy Lou's at Waterside Gardens in Crayford town centre". Erith ward - no reports received this week. Northumberland Heath - no reports received this week. Slade Green and Northend ward - no reports received this week. Thamesmead East ward:- "Once again the ward has been hit with Vehicle crime this week. Burglaries: None. Motor vehicle Crime: theft from a motor vehicle St Martins Close Wednesday 14/8/19 between 1am – Thursday 15/8/19 8:30am Victims side window on vehicle smashed, wallet and driving licence removed by suspect/s unknown; theft from a motor vehicle Holstein Way Wednesday 14/8/19 between 9:30pm - Thursday 15/8/19 12:50pm victims front and rear registration plates removed by suspect/s unknown; Thursday 15/8/19 at 6:35am Kale Road Victims neighbour saw suspects inside vehicle and scared them off. Apparently suspects arrive at the scene selling perfumes and cameras from the rear of a van before gaining entry to the victims vehicle; Theft from a motor vehicle Thursday 15/8/19 St Brides Close between 2pm – 3:11pm victims side window on vehicle smashed and rummaged through, paperwork and driving licence taken by suspect/s unknown; Criminal damage to a motor vehicle Thursday 15/8/19 Pointer Close 5am – 7am Victim returned to vehicle to find it had been keyed all over; theft of a motor vehicle Thursday 15/8/19 between 11pm – Friday 16/8/19 9am Thamesbank Place Victims motorbike stolen by suspect/s unknown; Theft from a motor vehicle Thursday 15/8/19 between 6pm – 7am Friday 16/8/19 Lytham Close. Unknown Suspect/s has broken into the Victim's vehicle while parked at the venue and ransacked. It is not known if anything has been removed or how access was gained. Victims boot left open and door found ajar; Theft of a motor vehicle Saturday 17/8/19 between 2pm – Sunday 19/8/19 Lensbury Way vehicle stolen by suspect/s unknown". West Heath ward:- "Unfortunately we have had a burglary in Heath Avenue reported to us this week. This incident took place between Sunday August 4th and Monday August 15th when the victim returned home from holiday. Entry was gained via a conservatory window and golf equipment and jewellery were stolen. One criminal damage to a motor vehicle Between Wednesday August 14th at 10am and Friday August 16th at 10.00am where an exhaust to a vehicle was tampered with. Theft of a catalytic converter in Woolwich Road Stolen overnight between Thursday August 15th at 8pm and Friday August 16th at 09.30am. Theft of loose change, a bus pass, camera from a motor vehicle in Powys Close between Monday August 19th at 8pm and 9.30pm. The team have been focusing as usual on proactive patrols, stop and searches and locating wanted offenders. A police drop in surgery will be held on Tuesday August 27th at 4pm in the Bostall Library in King Harolds Way".

The end video this week features the bell ringing team from Christ Church, Erith. Please feel free to leave a comment below, or alternatively Email me at hugh.neal@gmail.com.