The think tank.

On Thursday night a meeting of The Erith Think Tank was held in the Conversation Room in the former Carnegie Library. The Exchange kindly hosted the event for the newly established community group. Over twenty local people attended the workshop, which was designed to identify exactly what The Erith Think Tank is, and what it will do - in essence to define a manifesto for the future of the organisation, and how it will interact and influence external institutions such as Bexley Council. Currently the overall opinion of the members of the think tank is that Bexley Council does not really understand Erith, and whilst generally well - meaning, the council members do try to impose solutions on local residents without being particularly transparent. The Erith Think Tank wants to work with Bexley Council and others in a more productive and cooperative manner to ensure that projects to benefit the town and the surrounding areas are practical, suitable for purpose and an effective use of resources. Many thanks to Architect Paul Daramola for kindly permitting me to reproduce two of his photographs above - click on either for a larger view. You can learn more about Paul on his website here. 

The Bookstore Cafe in the old Carnegie Library building run by The Exchange is shortly to host a pop - up restaurant. A Vietnamese street food outlet called BOOQA will be opening on Thursday the 16th of May from 6pm to 10pm. BOOQA describe themselves thus:- "BOOQA was founded in 2016. Our inspiration came from home cooked meals created by my Aunt. Coming from a Chinese and Vietnamese background, flavours were often fused together and we grew up eating tasty and creative meals without caring where they originated from. That’s the inspiration behind BOOQA - bringing amazing and comforting flavours together and delivering the best to our customers every time. We started off with our signature dish, Japanese rice bowl. Soon we were getting more lunch time markets and introduced our Vietnamese noodle dishes. We then ventured off to start our supper club starting our Vietnamese version of a Seafood Boil". There will be a follow - up visit by BOOQA to The Bookstore Cafe in June - details closer to the second event. You can book places for the pop - up restaurant by clicking here. Incidentally, the guided tours around the old Carnegie Library in Walnut Tree Road have proved to be very popular indeed. If you would like to see behind the scenes at this historic building, there are free guided tours at 3pm each Saturday afternoon, hosted by myself. Although there is no charge for the tour, which lasts approximately 45 minutes, I would request that you pre - book a place online by clicking here. This enables us to manage numbers. I look forward to seeing you on a guided tour in the near future. 

On May the second, the government announced that, after a formal question was raised by local MP Teresa Pearce, the revenue generated by the Dartford River Crossing was being announced. Around £669 million has been received by the government in income from Dartford Crossing charges since 2003. According to the Dartford-Thurrock Crossing Act 1988, the toll charges for the Crossing were only to last a 20 year period, but could be removed sooner than this if the toll revenue had recouped the cost of building the bridge. In 2003 this happened, and the structure was completely paid for. As anyone from the area around each side of the bridge and tunnels will be fully aware, as soon as the subject of the Dartford River Crossing comes up in conversation, the fact that the tunnel was meant to be free once it had been paid for is almost always the first thing that is mentioned; there is a great deal of ill - will and resentment over the way local residents feel that they have been hoodwinked. In an interview published in the News Shopper, local MP Teresa Pearce said:- "I am astonished at the amount of net income the government receives from the Dartford Crossing, especially considering that the costs of building the bridge and tunnels were cleared 16 years ago. The Department for Transport is allowed to keep all this income to spend on any transport projects it wishes. I am equally disappointed that the Transport Minister was not able to say what percentage, if any, of that huge income has been spent on transport improvements for Dartford and Bexley residents who are most affected by the congestion and pollution. He claims that the charges are in place to deter some vehicles using the crossing and therefore has a positive effect on congestion and pollution. I am not sure local people would agree. This is totally unfair on my constituents and other local residents and I will be raising further questions." I somehow think this is a forlorn hope - there is far too much money being made for the government to ever back down, especially since the ANPR system which can recognise number plates replaced toll booths at the busy crossing in 2014, and has so far generated over 3.5 million penalty charge notices for drivers who have failed to pay. A series of complaints to The Observer newspaper has shown how the system is far from foolproof, however, with cameras misreading number plates and people being pursued for fines they are unaware of. This can in turn lead to a complaints system which can appear inflexible. Thousands of those incorrectly charged simply pay up to avoid the risk of an escalating fine, according to Auto Express. Last August the motoring magazine found that while the vast majority of appeals were upheld (80 percent), only one in 25 motorists actually appealed a fine. Many more motorists who do use the crossing, one of the UK’s busiest, fail to pay the charge because of confusing signs. The only warning of the levy is a large C which is identical to the symbol for the congestion charge, the £11.50 fee for vehicles entering central London. A recent poll by the AA found that 60 percent of drivers mistook it for the latter, an entirely different fee which is not payable on the Dartford Crossing. Non-Londoners are likely to have no clue of the symbol’s meaning. When the toll booths were bulldozed to reduce congestion, it seems the levy went from being a toll to a “congestion charge” and was increased by 20 percent. This distinction was never explained, nor is the fee called a congestion charge on the website, but the new terminology gets round the fact that the levy, introduced to cover the costs of building the Dartford Bridge, is still in place 16 years after it was paid for in full - something that locals are still extremely angry about. In an interview in the News Shopper, Jonathon Hawkes, leader of Labour on Dartford Council, said the decision was “completely unjustified. It’s another example of Dartford getting a really bad deal from the crossing and shows how it is being used as a cash cow.” He added the government has written off millions of pounds in fines that could not be collected from drivers on the crossing, but was “increasing prices for people who pay fairly.” Frequent users of the crossing can create either a pre-paid or a pay-as-you-go account to pay the charge automatically, but even this does not safeguard them from fines. Tina Mackenzie of Basildon, Essex, faced a bill of £1,397 for 13 crossings because her pre-paid account dropped below the £10 minimum in November 2016. It should have been topped up automatically, but unbeknownst to her, her bank declined Dart Charge’s request for £10 due to insufficient funds, as reported in the Guardian newspaper. Nowhere on the Dartford Crossing road signs is the price of a crossing mentioned, and no payment details are given. Drivers are merely invited to “find us online” before midnight the following day, a problem for those without internet access and baffling for the thousands of overseas visitors who use the route to and from Stansted and Gatwick airports. For many of those who are erroneously fined and refuse to pay up, however, the system can prove inflexible. The Dartford Crossing is more or less a captive market since the nearest alternative river crossing is a congested 15 miles away, which means that a crucial route that was supposed to become toll free in 2003 is earning the government millions. The toll system is broken, but it is in the government's interest for it to remain that way - it is a cash cow that unfairly penalises users both local and from far away. On top of this, the increase in charges will also lead to an even further rise in number plate theft - a major local problem. Local criminals are 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 Crossing. 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.

If you know anyone who has a Roberts smart radio such as the 93i (photo above of my own one - click on the image for a larger view) or the newer 94i, they will need to manually rescan all of their internet radio station presets; Roberts have been massively cheeky and upgraded their internet radio station database, without mapping the new database to the presets saved on their customers radios. It is a bit of a faff using the remote handset to manually enter radio station presets, especially if the station names are long and have to be laboriously entered character by character from a menu. I have an 93i, it is a great bit of kit which I can highly recommend, but a pain to re - enter a load of stations into the presets.

The Howbury Freight Terminal Project, which has caused so many headaches for residents of Slade Green and Crayford, has finally been cancelled. The Slade Green Community Forum, who have led protests against the construction of the huge rail and road freight terminal have recently issued the following press release on the refusal of planning permission for the project:- "Slade Green Community Forum are pleased by this rejection of the proposed Strategic Rail Freight Interchange (SRFI) on Green Belt farmland near Moat Lane in  Slade Green - our two biggest areas of concern (local road impact, impact on current and future passenger services) being two of the Inspector's main reasons why he rejected the appeal.  The Inquiry Inspector's main reasons for rejection were: 1. Failure to demonstrate that the appellant could run freight services without negative impact on existing and future passenger services (Inspector: "I consider that it would be likely to have a material adverse effect on existing/future passenger services"); 2. Failure to actually show that they could find train paths into the proposed depot to meet the 4 trains a day minimum standard required of an SRFI (Inspector: "I conclude that there is significant uncertainty as to whether the timetable could be flexed/amended to accommodate 4 trains per day to/from the appeals site either now or in the future") 3. That the proposal would have a severe impact on local roads (Inspector: "I have significant concerns with respect to the reliance that can be placed on that modelling work submitted in support of the scheme. Having regard to the modelling results provided in evidence, with due caution, and the other Inquiry evidence, I consider that, by 2031, the residual cumulative impact of the development during ‘normal’ (non-incident) highway conditions on the local highway network would be likely to be severe."); and 4. Failure to show that London Gateway (which is brownfield) isn't an equally good and possibly better site for an SRFI (Inspector: "I conclude overall, that the appeals scheme would not be well qualified to meet the identified need for SRFIs to serve London and the South East" and "I conclude that London Gateway, a brownfield site, has the potential to provide an alternative development option for the provision of a SRFI to serve the same part of London and the South East as the appeals proposal. Under these circumstances, even if the appeals scheme was also well qualified to meet that need, in my view, the weight attributable to this would be limited.") The levels of traffic congestion and increased air pollution that the freight terminal would have brought were considered to outweigh any benefits for employment and contribution to the local economy.

The panoramic photo above - click on it for a larger view - thanks to the reV for supplying it, was taken on Friday evening at the 14th Bexley Beer Festival, which was held at the Old Dartfordians sports club in Bexley Village. The event was very well attended, despite the very changeable weather. The sports club has been the home of the beer festival for a number of years now, and the venue has always been excellent, with one notable exception; the toilets were something out of the dark ages, and were not somewhere you would want to go unless pretty desperate. This year all of that thankfully has changed. The clubhouse has been partially refitted, and a new toilet block installed. Whilst some minor building work is still to be completed, the new loos are excellent, and a great improvement on the primitive previous arrangements. Now for a bit of fun. Can you see me in the photo above? It is a bit of a "Where's Wally?" challenge - answers on a postcard please; alternatively you can Email me at hugh.neal@gmail.com.

Now for the weekly local safety and security updates from Bexley Borough Neighbourhood Watch Association, starting with a report from Barnehurst ward:- "Firstly the good news. Another week on the ward with no burglaries reported. Barnehurst SNT are hoping to roll out the next batch of Smart Water property marking kits in the next couple of weeks with Westfield Road targeted. This is a great resource for the Met so please be patient as allocation of the kits across the whole Borough has to be prioritised. Crime wise, car crime seems to be the biggest problem on the Ward at the moment with 4 crimes reported in the last week. There was a vehicle taken from Eversley Avenue on the Friday 3rd May; A works van had its catalytic convertor taken from Barnehurst BR Station on Monday 6th May although the owner of the vehicle did not live on the Ward; On Sunday 5th May a vehicle in Merewood Road had its number plates taken. And on Tuesday 7th May a bike and jacket were taken from the boot of a vehicle in Erith Road. Hampton House in Erith Road continues to generate ASB around drug issues and as a result patrols have increased in the area with stop and searches carried out when just cause allows. A recent meeting at the Police Station has guaranteed the immediate future of the Ward Panel meetings. These are your meetings held to discuss all issues on the Ward, crime related or otherwise. We are looking to recruit new members for the panel. New members would have to read and sign a constitution. Meetings are held quarterly. If you are interested please contact us at Barnehurst.snt@met.pnn.police.uk". Belvedere ward:- "We have been made aware that there have been two dog on dog attacks at Lesnes Abbey Ruins over the past two weeks. Apparently there is a black male with a dark grey pit-bull / Staffordshire bull terrier which is let off the lead. The dog has then run up to dogs and attacked them. The male has been spoken to by the other dog walkers but is very uninterested in his dogs actions. He enters and leaves via the footbridge connecting to Thamesmead. If you have any information about this male or have any concerns about the dog please contact the Environmental Protection Team at Bexley Council via their website. The team attended the installation of the Reverend Simon Archer on Saturday at All Saints Church. It was a pleasure to meet Simon and welcome him to the area. The team have also attended the Guru Nanak Temple on Sunday and gave out several Smart Water kits to help tackle the Asian Gold Burglaries around the borough. The kits are designed to prevent as well as detect crime. We will be attending the temple again in the next couple of weeks. On Sunday 5th May three garages were emblazoned with graffiti in Heathdene Drive. Unknown when exactly this happened. If anyone knows of any graffiti artists please get in contact so we can make further enquiries. Over Sunday 5th / Monday 6th May a garage was broken into at Camden Court. Nothing taken on this occasion. The locked was smashed but we would like to remind people to secure their garages and sheds as best you can. If anyone has any information about this garage break please get in contact". Bexleyheath ward;- "We have had no burglaries or attempted burglaries reported on the ward over the last week which is great news. There was a report of a theft from motor vehicle on Thursday 02/05/2019 along Haslemere Road Bexleyheath, vehicle was on the driveway and door was found ajar. There were four stops on the ward at the cinema car park and one was found to be in possession of cannabis. Two more had been stopped at Martins Grove Park, one issued with a community resolution and another with a fine. At the Bowling Alley car park another group was stopped and alcohol was confiscated from the group. There have been reports of youths climbing on the roofs of some of the shops on the Broadway and we have made identifications resulting in home visits with parents to prevent any further problems. Patrols are regularly conducted on the ward which includes the areas mentioned above where they have been conducting stops". Crayford ward:- "These are the crimes of note in the Crayford area this week. Between 20.00 on 28th April and 7.30 on 29th April a silver Ford Transit van and a grey Nissan belonging to the same person were broken in to by unknown means whilst parked in Mayplace Road East and golf clubs and power tools were taken. Between 17.00 on Friday 26th April and 08.00 on Monday 29th April there was an attempt to force the door on a courtesy vehicle whilst parked to the rear of buildings at Cray Parade, Crayford Way. Between 19.00 on Tuesday 7th May and 05.00 on Wednesday 8th May a van with the registration number LX68 OEK was stolen from Thames Road. We were at Old Road last Saturday delivering Met Trace (smart water) and will continue to do this over the coming weeks. On Thursday 16th May we will hold a community contact session at Crayford Library between 15.00-16.00, please come along if there is anything you would like to discuss with us. If you would prefer to speak with total anonymity please call crime stoppers on 0800 555 111". Erith ward:- "Criminal Damage to roof of the old working man's club in Valley Road, Erith; Criminal Damage to a motor vehicle in West Street, Erith Victim was in vehicle at time; Attention Burglary at the Tropical Café West Street, Erith . Happened between 22.15 – 22.30 hours on Monday 6/5/19; Criminal Damage to a fence panel Avenue Road Erith; Theft from a motor vehicle in Thanet Road, Erith. Victim reported that hers and another vehicle had wing mirrors taken from vehicles on Monday 6/5/19 between 15.30 –20.00 hours". Northumberland Heath ward:- "This week the team have continued target area patrols focusing around stop and search for drugs offences. Intel received recently regarding drug dealing/use taking place down the alleyways at the rear of Bexley Road. On Wednesday 1st of May the team conducted searches of these alleyways, this lead to two males being stopped and searched in the back alleyway of Hengist Road, 2 males were found in possession of class B drugs, one of the males was arrested and charged with carrying an offensive weapon (knife). This was a very good result for the team as knife crime is a high priority across the London Boroughs. On Tuesday 7th May the team recovered a stolen motorbike from Sussex Road, the vehicle had previously been seen being driven around the Northumberland Park recreation ground causing ASB and a danger to members of public. The team are pleased that this vehicle has been taken off the streets and can no longer be used in crime. There has been a spate of theft from motor vehicles again this week as detailed below. Please ensure your vehicle is locked after using your electric key, it appears that in most of these offences there is no damage to the vehicle and no signs of forced entry, leading us to believe that key signal interference is taking place. There are many options to prevent this including car key signal blocking pouches available on line. On the 1st of May at approx. 18:30 hours a white Mercedes panel van was stolen from Limewood Road, the CCTV shows the hazard lights flick on/off as if a key signal was used. On the 4th - 5th of May a vehicle was broken into overnight between the hours of 17:30-02:30 in Cartmel Road, DA7 On the 4th – 5th of May a vehicle was broken into overnight between the hours of 19:30 – 10:30 in Langdale Cres, DA7 On the 5th – 6th of May a vehicle was broken into overnight between the hours of 21:00 – 11:30 in Ightham Road, DA8 On the 6th of May a vehicle was broken into between the hours of 16:30 – 16:55 in Silverspring Close, DA8 Unfortunately we have had a burglary on the ward this week, in Swanton Road, entry was gained via conservatory roof and forcing open and entering through a bedroom window".

Slade Green and Northend ward:- "McColl's shop in Forest Road was broken into twice in the last week. In the early hours of Thursday May 2nd and Tuesday May 7th. The rear door was forced open both times and cigarettes were taken both times. There is CCTV footage that has been viewed. No positive ID on either suspect as yet but there are some positive leads. The shop has now secured the back doors. 2 garages just off Hazel Road were also broken into at some point between May 2nd and May 5th. A motorbike and tools were stolen from one but they have been recovered. Nothing taken from the other one. PCSO Mark attended the Slade Green Big Local Stakeholders Conference yesterday morning (Wednesday) with lots of new partner agencies all sharing ideas going forward. PC's Mark and James have made 5 stop and searches across the ward in the last week. One resulted in a PND being issued". Thamesmead East ward:- "Burglaries - On Wednesday 01/05/19 between the hours of 01:00 - 07:30am, house keys and motor vehicle keys taken from a property in Mangold Way. The suspect/s entered through an open kitchen window. A motor vehicle stolen, ongoing investigation through CCTV. On Thursday 02/05/19 at 00:30 a property in Maran Way was entered and a mobile phone was taken. The front door key had been left in the front door. Another burglary in Mangold Way, however on this occasion the suspects were caught in the property and arrested. Crime Prevention - Close and lock all your doors and windows, even if you're going out for a few minutes..Photograph and keep a detailed inventory of each item of jewellery and keep it in a separate place. Motor Vehicle Crimes - Overnight of Monday 29/04/19 and Tuesday 30/04/19 a vehicle parked locked and secure in Manordene Road was broken into, a set of jump start cables, a new dress and a laptop bag stolen .On Tuesday 30/04/19 at 11:00pm the front and rear number plates were stolen from a vehicle in Wolvercote Road .Between the hours of 09:30pm of Wednesday 01/05/19 and 09:30am of Thursday 02/05/19 a vehicle parked outside of Osney House, Hartslock Drive was damaged. Theft from Motor Vehicle ,between the hours of 9.00am on Friday 03/05/19 and 3.00pm on Sunday a vehicle parked in Portmeadow Walk had the rear quarter light window smashed, nothing taken. Sunday 05/05/19 between 8.00pm and 11.00am Monday 06/05/19 a vehicle was broken into and some tools taken. Motor Vehicle Crime Prevention - Did you know that your vehicle is like a shop window? If you can see ANY property left on view then so can a thief . Take it with you-- Mobile phone, coins, sunglasses, can earn quick cash are irresistible to the opportunist thief. Remember the cost of replacing a window is often much more than of what's been stolen. Wallets, handbags purses and credit cards should never be left in an unattended vehicle". West Heath ward:- "There were no reported burglaries on West Heath Ward between 01/05/2019 and 07/05/2019. There were however two thefts of motor vehicles and one theft from motor vehicle. 1) The victim woke up and discovered her car a green Audi A1 index LV65NUJ stolen from her drive in Preston Drive, Bexleyheath taken between 10pm hours on Sunday 05/05/19 and 7:34 am hours on Monday 06/05/19. The victim's car keys were not taken. 2) The victim last saw the vehicle a black Ford Fiesta index NX15JYE parked on the driveway in West Heath Road London around 7pm on Sunday 05/05/19 and discovered that the vehicle had been taken at 9:45 am on Monday 06/05/19. The victim's car keys were not stolen; Theft from vehicle: The victim's car was broken into between 7am and 7:35pm on Tuesday 7th May whilst parked on New Road London. Gym bag and house keys stolen".

The end video this week features a short film illustrating what happened when criminal fly tippers were caught red handed, illegally dumping rubbish whilst trespassing on a farmers field. I somehow doubt that they will be doing it again any time soon. Please feel free to leave a comment below, or alternatively Email me at hugh.neal@gmail.com.

The Installation.

I took the photos above yesterday whilst attending the licensing and installation of Reverend Simon Archer as the Priest in Charge at All Saints Church, Belvedere, and the Commissioning of his wife Tasha Archer in the role of Anna Chaplain - which I understand is primarily a role involved with the welfare of the elderly, and those suffering from the various forms of Dementia. As you will see from the photos above (click on any for a larger version), the event was exceedingly well attended; in fact the reception, which was held after the service in the church hall was so packed at one point that movement in the hall was actually extremely difficult. Apart from local parishioners, the Bishop of Rochester and the Archdeacon of Bexley and Bromley were in attendance, as was the Mayor of Bexley, and Teresa Pearce, MP for Erith and Thamesmead. Prior to his installation in Belvedere, Simon was the Curate at Christ Church, Erith. 

Veteran readers may recall that I first talked about the forthcoming, what was then termed The London Paramount Theme Park back in October 2012. The London Paramount Theme Park was originally scheduled to open at the latest by 2020, but due to a number of factors - not least that of major partner Paramount dropping out of the project a couple of years ago, the whole affair looked like it was dead on the vine. Last week the new consortium behind the theme park - the London Resort Holding Company, announced a new partnership had been agreed with ITV as the content provider - a bit less ambitious than Paramount perhaps, but still worthy of attention. The theme park will be built on the site of the derelict quarry site at Swanscombe, which has got to be excellent news for the entire region, if not the country as a whole. The proposed site features Europe’s largest indoor water park, theatres, hotels, restaurants and all manner of themed rides, all in a site spread over approximately 110 acres in the core resort, with another 600 acres surrounding; allowing for typical British weather, over seventy percent of the attractions will be under cover. The bill (at least now, but it is bound to escalate) is estimated to be in the region of £3.2 billion, and the park will employ 27,000 people, many of them from the local area.  It will be a massive boost for the economy for the whole of North Kent and South East London. One downside - whilst a lot of ITV content will be used in the new park, along with rides and attractions based on BBC shows such as Doctor Who, one other content contributor announced last week that it soo was pulling out. Aardman Animations, the creators of Wallace and Gromit, and Shaun the Sheep said in 2015 that the deal would “bring a number of the nation’s favourite characters to the resort and introduce them to a whole new international audience”. However, last week a spokeswoman for Aardman announced that the company is “no longer involved with this project”. A spokesman for London Resort Holding Company said: “The partnerships are under continuous review and when the agreement with Aardman expired both parties decided not to renew the partnership.” The park will be a complete economic game changer for an area that will encompass a vast swathe of the South East of England. Once the park is built and running there will be all sorts of permanent jobs needed to keep the place ticking over – electricians, security, engineers, cleaners, administrators – the list is as long as your imagination. The concept is to produce an attraction so large and absorbing that it will take a visitor around three days to see everything. It seems that the planners have been very clever in their thinking; they realise that much of the new economic growth is coming from China and the Far East. They realise that tourists coming a long distance will think “we can go to Disneyland Paris and ITV London in a one – week holiday”. The planners chose Northfleet and Swanscombe, as the area has excellent road and rail connections, is only forty minutes or so by rail from the coast, and is on the rail route to London. It also helps that the land in and around Northfleet and Swanscombe is dirt cheap brown field stuff that would be excellent for a change of use as a theme park. According to the London Resort Holding Company (the organisation behind the project, now in conjunction with ITV) want to present a very British feeling amusement park experience – they are not trying to emulate Disney, rather to make something with a unique and British identity. I would imagine the success of the Harry Potter Experience may well have stimulated this approach, though the Potter park will be miniscule in comparison with the ITV London site. The London Resort Holding Company team did not select Swanscombe / Northfleet for its new theme park on the ground of aesthetics (the place is full of old gravel pits, and is currently somewhat of an eyesore).  They chose it as the area has excellent road and rail connections, is only forty minutes or so by rail from the coast, and is on the rail route to London. It also helps that the land in and around Northfleet and Swanscombe is dirt cheap brown field stuff that would be excellent for a change of use as a theme park. People who complain about the potential traffic congestion that a large influx of new residents will do to North Kent should consider the huge number or well paid, permanent jobs the developments will bring – initially in construction and associated support services (the builders will need to eat, for example) and later all manner of trades and professions will be required to run the theme park. When I mentioned this to one local a few weeks ago, I got the response “But I don’t want to work in a furry character suit!” The reality will be that whilst suitable individuals will be required to dress up in character costumes, these will in a tiny minority. Most of the jobs involved in running a theme park are in areas like facilities – cleaners, repair engineers, project managers, electricians, administrators, security and the like – and these will no doubt have a wide appeal. The ITV London Park and the Ebbsfleet garden city will, if properly developed and run, be a huge benefit to the entire region in terms of economic activity. The one thing that does concern me over the town will be the price of property – if it is too high, the whole project could wither on the branch. Local workers at the theme park and surrounding businesses are likely to be on the low to middle incomes; there is no point in having half million pound homes in the town, if the average wage is in the region of £20 - £30K range. Developers will need to be realistic regarding their target market for this to work. Other parts of the country need the same, but the spur to building a new town is the availability of work for those that are going to live there – this is where Ebbsfleet / Northfleet / Swanscombe win out. The place is in the right spot at the right time. The project planners conservatively estimate that the park would attract around ten million visitors in the first year, and around fifteen million a year by the fifth, when there are more rides on offer. By way of comparison, Thorpe Park pulls in about two and a half million visitors a year. On top of the money visitors will bring into the region, there are the aforementioned new jobs that will result both directly and indirectly from the park. It is estimated the beneficial financial impact of the park will stretch from Greenwich to Dover, with thousands of permanent jobs being created both in the park itself, and in industries that service both the park, and the park workers themselves. The down side to the project is the loss of Paramount, and the on boarding of ITV has affected the project plan to a pretty dramatic extent. The earliest the new park will now open is 2024, and that date is dependent on construction beginning at the start of 2021, and I suspect that this date will be about as accurate as the originally announced date for the opening of the Crossrail project. 

The 14th annual Bexley Beer Festival is taking place at the Dartfordians Community Sports Club War Memorial Club House, Bourne Road, Bexley, Kent, DA5 1LW. It will be open on Thursday 9th May 2019 2pm-11pm, Friday 10th May 2019 11am-11pm, and Saturday 11th May 2019 11am-9pm. I hope to attend on the Friday, which is usually the busiest of the three days. The lower of the two images above shows the beer list for the festival - click on it to see a larger version.

Now, in an attempt for the Maggot Sandwich to be open, inclusive and neutral in reporting as possible, you can see the beer list above for the alternative Bexleyheath Beer Festival, which is being hosted at the Kentish Belle micro pub in Bexleyheath over the same weekend as the more established Bexley Beer Festival. I have had Emails from several readers with various opinions on the relationship between the Kentish Belle landlord Nick Hair, and Bexley CAMRA, which I am not going to go into here. Suffice to say that I refuse to get dragged into the disagreement. I wish to remain balanced and objective in my reporting. 

Following the Erith public space improvement public consultation, which I covered last week, Some output from both that event, and research carried out both by Bexley Council staff, and also by a couple of external consulting organisations has resulted in some initial conclusions, which I reproduce below for your information:- "Town centre users, business and stakeholders were asked about their ideas and priorities for improvement. Improving the retail offering topped the list (30 percent), followed by public realm improvements (28 percent), enhancing the connection with the riverside and regeneration (both 20 percent); and improving the culture and leisure offering (including restaurant and cafés). This feedback, combined with the wider evidence has led to the selection of the below key themes and suggested actions. The key themes for action arising from this vision are set out below: - Erith currently has limited place recognition and many people are unaware of its many strengths, including its interesting heritage and riverside assets. The Council, using its Greater Erith brand has been working to change this – and this brand is becoming associated with positive regeneration projects such as the Carnegie Building refurbishment and community events such as the Pier Festival. There are also a number of businesses and organisations operating locally which have an interesting marketing Erith to residents and visitors. However, there is a need for coordination of marketing efforts to ensure consistency of message and more efficient use of available resources. Part of place marketing is also to develop an inward investment pack to proactively market Erith to potential new occupiers to help deliver the improved offering demanded by town centre users. Accessibility and way finding – Linked to place marketing, the first view that many people have of Erith is from the A206 (Fish) Roundabout, which is not perceived by stakeholders to create a welcoming and attractive feel. Perceptions around way finding and signage have deteriorated since 2013. This needs to be addressed through both a review and rationalisation of the signage and improving the legibility for those who want to access the town centre by foot, bicycle and car. Work has already started on this aspect through the Erith Links project – which will improve linkages between the station and the town centre. Leisure and evening economy – In the town centre user survey Erith did not have any positive scores for the evening economy offer – and in fact the offer is extremely limited at present. Footfall data shows that there are very few visits to the town centre after the shopping centre closes at 5.30 (weekdays and Saturday). Whilst there are a number of takeaway outlets, a pub and a couple of restaurants, there is a distinct lack of diversity in the evening economy and the leisure offer more generally. Therefore there need to be short and long term measures to encourage a wider range of appropriate food and beverage and other leisure operators to locate in Erith – to build a more sustainable evening economy.  Events and markets – Linked to the Leisure and Evening Economy theme is the need to build a regular programme of special events to attract a diverse audience. These events can be used as a test trading environment for new businesses, and as trailblazers for new concepts, such as the London Borough of Bexley Town Centres Strategy - Erith Summary (Draft), Erith Lighthouse and Erith Kitchen events, which have demonstrated that there is a demand for evening food options in Erith. The first Erith Pier Festival was held in September 2018 and it is believed that this, and other events, could be developed in future to have a London-wide draw. Responses show that people miss the Erith Market and work needs to be done to investigate the feasibility of reintroducing a 21st century version into the town centre. Public realm – Erith scored the lowest of all of Bexley’s town centres with only 16 percent of respondents agreeing that it is an attractive place to spend time and only 20 percent thinking it had good quality public realm. The quality of the public realm needs to be improved and stakeholders want a greener town centre that has visibly improved connections to the river. Supporting businesses – There is a town centre forum that represents the views of businesses, residents and community organisations. However, participation by businesses in the forum is limited and the existing business community is small and relatively fragmented. There is also a limited offer in terms of work space. In addition to provision of a retailer-relevant business support programme – which is a borough-wide requirement – Erith would benefit from work to help kick start a business association, and the introduction of appropriate workspace in and around the town centre". Overall I think this assessment makes a lot of sense. Erith Town Centre is finally recovering after fifty years of under investment, and lack of attention from local government, all of which started with the demolition of the old town centre, and the construction of the horrendous, brutalist concrete shopping centre in the late 1960's and early 1970's. I can recall that as a child, my overall memory of the old concrete shopping centre was the smell of Jeyes fluid and stale wee - and I know that I am far from alone in that respect. What do you think? Leave a comment below, or alternatively Email me at hugh.neal@gmail.com.

Another IT anniversary happened this week; the Nintendo Game Boy hit 30 years since it was launched. The Game Boy was the first handheld game unit that could use interchangeable cartridges. Up until this point, all hand held games came with just one game, with maybe a few variants of it. Nintendo had been a big player in the single game market, with a range called “Game and Watch” – you got a simple game like a Space Invaders clone, and it also showed the time. This market had slowed – and Nintendo were looking for a new product. Their head designer Gunpei Yokoi came up with a battery powered hand held unit that housed an 8 – bit processor manufactured by Sharp, along with a whopping 8K of RAM. This might sound laughably puny nowadays, but when it was launched, the hardware was way more powerful than anything else on the market. It had a grey scale screen (colour displays were still a few years off, and even then, they would have had a catastrophic drain on the batteries). The Game Boy was designed to fit in a child’s pocket, and could be brought out to play during car journeys and the like. What made the Game Boy so massively successful (it sold more than 64 million units in the ten years it was in production) was that not only were there a mass of great games available for it (estimates are that around 800 titles were produced, including classics like Tetris, Pokémon, Super Mario Land and Zelda) but that Nintendo continually released add – ons, such as a rudimentary digital camera and printer, as well as a cable allowing two Game Boys to share game content ensures that the system continued as a viable toy for many more years than the seemingly low technical specification would suggest. There have been many hand held games computers since the Game Boy, but none have had the success or longevity in the market.

The historic photo above shows the magnificent Walnut Tree House, taken back in 1880. It was owned by the Parish family, who by the looks of it were not short of a bob or two – the place looked lovely. The patriarch, John Parish owned the ballast wharf in West Street, and the ballast pit in what is now the Europa Industrial Estate in Fraser Road. The very fine quality loam dug from the pit was taken to the wharf to be loaded onto freighter ships for transportation up to the great iron and steel forges on Tyneside, where it was used to make moulds for metal castings. I don't know what the Parish family would have made of the location nowadays, with 24 hour motor traffic using the De Luci fish sculpture roundabout, it would definitely be very different from when the house was occupied. As part of the Ex Libris Erith exhibition programme, local historian Ken Chamberlain from the Erith and Belvedere Local History Society will be giving a talk about the Walnut Tree House Estate, the land on which the Old Carnegie Library was built. The illustrated talk will include fascinating stories of the Carnegie gifted library, the tram shed and the electricity generating station. The talk will be taking place in the old library in Walnut Tree Road on Friday, May 24, 2019, between 7:30 PM and 8:30 PM. The talk is free to attend, but to manage numbers you need to book places online by clicking here.

Now for the weekly local safety and security updates from Bexley Borough Neighbourhood Watch Association. The first report comes from Barnehurst ward:- "The team have been busy increasing Smart Water coverage on the ward. Beverley Road almost has full coverage as we are hopeful this will be complete this week. Once we have finished with Beverley Road we will be starting Westfield Road. If you live on Beverley Road and have not yet received a Smart Water kit then please get in touch. The team are actively patrolling Drug and ASB area's as stop and searches' have been conducted at Hampton House, Erith Road. One male was found in possession of cannabis. We will continue to patrol ASB hotspots as well as increasing our smart water coverage and street a week coverage". Belvedere ward:- "We have been chasing around these nuisance mopeds this week trying to catch the riders. At least one of the mopeds was stolen. Thanks to our colleagues in Slade Green the stolen one was found abandoned and locked in a garage in Erith. This will have forensics completed with a view to trying to identify the thief. If any suspicious mopeds are seen please try and note the registration plate and let the team know. Theft of mopeds is a regular problem throughout the UK. Please try and lock your moped, motorbike and bicycle up in a garage if possible. If not able to please secure it with a heavy duty chain. We are continuing an investigation into two males that we searched in Mary Slessor House a couple of weeks ago. One had a metal grinder in their backpack. One interviewed, the other to follow. We will look to charge both males with Going Equipped for theft. We arrested a male while helping out in Erith for a Domestic ABH. Took four of us to detain him due to his bulky stature but he was eventually placed in handcuffs and taken to custody. DV will not be tolerated. Our next drop in session will be on Tuesday 07/05/2019 at 11:00 at the Belvedere Community Centre". Bexleyheath ward:- "There was a reported burglary reported on Tuesday 30/04/2019 along Bellevue Road Bexleyheath. Suspect had gained entry from the rear UPVC patio door, items taken as well as the victims vehicle. There has been one report of an attempted burglary along Haslemere Road Bexleyheath on the 26/04/2019 – Suspect had tried to gain entry to the front door of the property using a crowbar. Also a shop along the Broadway had reported a burglary. Steel doors were cut open and cigarettes and cash was taken. We have had three reports of Theft from motor vehicles: Tuesday 30/04/2019 – Brantwood Road Bexleyheath; Monday 29/04/19 - 30/04/19 Heversham Road Bexleyheath Sunday 28/04/19 - Monday 29/04/19 Gravel Hill Close Bexleyheath. Also a catalytic converter was stolen from a vehicle along Rossland Close Bexleyheath on Sunday 28/04/2019. A purse was reported as stolen from a shopping trolley whilst the victim was shopping on Monday 29/04/2019. Also there have been several push bikes stolen from a bike shed along Sovereign Court Sterling Road Bexleyheath. This was on Tuesday 30/04/2019. A group was stopped in the cinema carpark but had made off from Police. This particular group are known to us and further enquiries shall be made. During the dispersal zone on the Broadway, two males were stopped and one male was dealt with for possession of cannabis, the other male after a foot chase was detained and dealt with for assault on PC Laing and offensive weapon. Patrols have been and still will be conducted in and around the Premiere Inn car park and including the cinema car park to help tackle anti-social behaviour. If you do wish to pass on information to Police then please contact Crime Stoppers on 0800 555111 Please do not hesitate to contact us via Twitter, Facebook, email and the ward phone. 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:- "There has been three reports of theft of motor vehicles: Wednesday 24/04/2019 & Thursday 25/04/2019 along Crayford Road / Town Hall; Tuesday 23/04/2019 - Mayplace Avenue; Friday 26/04/19 - Thames Road Crayford. There have also been five reports of Theft from motor vehicles: Tuesday 23/04/19 – Two reports made along Woodside Road. Between Friday 26/04/19 & Saturday 27/04/19 – Another two reports made along London Road, Dartford; 29/04/2019 – Mayplace Road East. The team has been conducting regular stop & searches on the ward. The team have patrolled known drug hotspots on the ward and two stopped for possession of drugs and investigations are on-going. The team have a drop in surgery planned for the Wednesday 8th May between 10am and 11am at the Vintage Lindy Lou's Waterside Gardens". Erith ward:- "We have had meetings with housing officers regarding ASB in areas, this will be ongoing for a while but hopefully we get some good results on this. Weapons sweeps around Erith including West Street; Stop and searches for drugs in the Erith area daily. We have been doing surveys along West Street with local businesses trying to get some feedback on any issues, a full update with be provided on this. Weekly crime update Burg Res Saturday 13/04/2019 Chandlers Drive; Burg - Bus / Com Friday 26/04/2019 West Street; Theft of MV Saturday 27/04/2019 Lower Road; Burg Res Tuesday 30/03/2019 Pembroke Road; Burg - Bus / Com Wednesday 01/05/2019 Rutland Gate. The next Contact Community Session is on Saturday 11th May, 2pm at Costa Coffee".

Northumberland Heath ward:- "This week the team have continued target area patrols focusing around stop and search for drugs offences, this has led to multiple searches and a number of persons reported for drugs offences. Please continue to send us information regarding drug use and offences that are happening near you, some of your intel has led to successful stop and search incidents. There has been a spate of theft from motor vehicles as detailed below. Please do not leave belongings on display in your vehicles, especially sat nav cradles and phone chargers, this may lead to the belief that there could be items such as phones and sat nav's stored in your glove compartment. On Saturday 25th – Sunday 26th of April a vehicle was broken into overnight on Parsonage Manor Way; On Sat 25th – Sun 26th of April a vehicle was broken into overnight in Swanton Road; On Sat 25th – Sun 26th of April a vehicle was broken into overnight in Cartmel Road, DA7. On Sunday 26th April a Red Honda motorbike was stolen from Northumberland Park, DA8 between the hours of 17:30 -18:30. The good news is that we have had no reported burglaries on the ward this week". Slade Green and Northend ward:- "At some point between Saturday April 20th and Saturday April 27th, 2 garages were broken into. One at Sun Court, the other at Grange House. Both are very close to each other. A bicycle was taken from one and a moped stolen from the other. PC's Mark and James managed to recover the bike after seeing it being ridden close to Morrison's in Erith. Unfortunately the suspect got away after a chase but there has been some good forensics recovered from items left behind. 2 vehicle crimes to report. Number plates stolen from a car in Appold Street overnight on Thursday April 25. A vehicle was stolen from outside Northend Road overnight on Monday 29th April. Several good positive stop and searches have been made across the ward with fines issued as well as interviews and cautions given. 2 knives have been recovered during a weapons sweep in Manor Road/James Watt Way. One was behind a fence panel, the other was propped behind a windscreen wiper! Our next Community Contact Session is on Saturday May 11th at 9.30am in the Forest Road café. Our ward panel have this week chosen Off Road Bikes, Drug issues and ASB in Rainbow Road as our Promises for the next 3 months. If you require more information about our ward panel and how it works etc, please let us know". Thamesmead East ward:- "Unfortunately we have had six burglaries reported on the ward over the past week. Between Saturday 27th April, 2200 hours and Sunday 28th April 0300 hours, three burglaries occurred in Manordene Road. Also later in the day between 2000 – 2100 hours, two properties were broken into, Longworth Close, and a vehicle was stolen. The team will be conducting a street briefing during the evening of the 1st May to update any concerned residents. On Wednesday 1st May, the team attended Northwood Primary School offering bike security marking. We held our Ward Panel Meeting on the 30th April, with Inspector Hebdon, Councillors Amaning and Ogundayo in attendance. The priorities set for the next three months were as follows - Burglary, Anti-Social Behaviour and Bike nuisance. On Friday 26th April, the team visited a victim of crime for what appeared as a burglary. However through diligence and victim care it transpired there were serious safeguarding risks present. The victim was subsequently moved to another address, after discussions with Bexley Council, and Bexley Police safeguarding unit. Excellent piece of partnership working by all involved". West Heath ward:- "There were two reported burglaries on West Heath Ward between 24/04/2019 and 30/04/2019. In Elmstead Crescent the victim was away from 5.30am hours to 7pm hours Friday 26/04/19.On their return he was told told him that his house alarm had gone off between noon and 1pm. The side gate to the rear was open and the French doors were insecure and the lock damaged. There was no sign of search and at the time of reporting nothing is believed stolen. He believes that the suspects made off when the alarm sounded. In Brampton Road states that on Tuesday 30/04/2019 at 0415 hours a male was seen on doorbell CCTV trying to open the garage door and then he gives up. He then hears a car and the suspect hides behind a hedge. The suspect then walks off once the car had gone. There were two reported theft of motor vehicles between 24/04/19 and 01/05/2019. A white Audi Q5 index LS65 WGW was stolen from a driveway in Chessington Avenue, Bexleyheath between 0258 hours to 0310 hours on Friday 26/04/19. Also on Friday 26/04/19 overnight 2200 hours -0730 hours in Burcharbro Road a vehicle was stolen from the driveway. There were also 6 reported theft from motor vehicles. A victim reported someone breaking into her vehicle between 1300hrs on Thursday 25/04/19 and 0820hrs on Friday 26/04/19.The victim states there was no damage to the vehicle and she has the keys to the vehicle in the house...unknown how entry gained into the car and sat nav stolen. On Sunday 28/04/19 at about 1815hours the victim in Westergate Road had parked his car outside his friends address and a black suitcase stolen whilst he was insider. It is unsure if the car was locked. Car was broken into overnight Tuesday 30/04/19 between 9pm -6am in Selsey Crescent and various items stolen. Car was broken into overnight 4pm - 6am on Monday 29/04/19 in Cranbrook Road and speakers taken. Vehicle broken into overnight in Seaton Road overnight Monday 29/04/19 between 5pm -7am and 2 pairs of Designer glasses stolen Prada and RayBan".

The end video this week is from local historian Martin Barnes, and it shows the results of the great flood of Erith and Belvedere in February 1953, which caused so much damage locally. Please feel free to leave a comment below, or alternatively Email me at hugh.neal@gmail.com.