Red Barrel.

You may recall that back in July of last year, I wrote of Bexley Council's plans to rejuvenate and improve the gardens in Pier Square, next to Erith Pier. Now, revised plans have been submitted for planning approval; with luck the works will happen before the Erith Pier Festival 2020, which is to be held in September of this year. If plans are approved the newly renovated public space will also be used as a venue for community events and festivals with new landscaping, seating and lighting. The Council has worked closely with architects BDP and land owner Morrisons on the new draft design for Pier Square which will transform it to a more attractive space to spend time. The designs incorporate comments made by local people during a public consultation held in April 2019. The planning application also sets out plans to appoint an artist or designer to develop creative space or a series of artworks that will add to Pier Square. Students from The Cass School of Architecture at London Metropolitan University will help to develop the brief for this creative opportunity and will be part of the selection panel. The students studied Erith’s history and regeneration potential during 2018. Their work culminated in an exhibition at The Exchange in 2019. A decision on the plans for Pier Square is expected in the Spring.

The dismal service currently being provided by the Woolwich Ferry is not going to improve any time soon; listeners to the excellent Time 107.5 FM will know that the radio station gives regular, hourly traffic reports, including the status of the Woolwich Ferry, which recently has been out of service very much more than it has been working. As I have previously written, there have been a series of engineering problems with the electro magnetic docking system used by the new ferries. I have heard that the new so called "state of the art" system is actually far more complex and harder to operate than the old manual hydraulic system. It also does not latch if there is a swell or a strong cross - current, both of which are common on the River Thames at Woolwich. There has also been a long standing dispute over the pay for the ferry crew, which is about to lead to another couple of labour strikes. You can read the details on the excellent 853 website here. 

I discovered an interesting historical fact quite recently. The huge, 219 metre (719 feet) tall antenna tower at Crystal Palace, that supplies TV and radio signals for a large part of London and the South East was designed and built by Erith based company British Insulated Callender's Construction Co Ltd (later known as BICC) with steelwork fabrication by Painter Brothers Ltd, Hereford, back in 1955. Much of the tower’s construction was prefabricated and test erected in sections in the Callender’s Erith works before it was pulled apart and transported to site for final erection. When completed in 1956, the tower was the tallest structure in Greater London, a title it held until the completion of the One Canada Square Tower in Canary Wharf back in 1991. The first transmission from Crystal Palace took place on 28 March 1956, when it succeeded the transmitter at Alexandra Palace where the BBC had started the world's first scheduled television service in November 1936. In November 1956 the first colour test transmissions began from Crystal Palace relaying live pictures from the studios at Alexandra Palace after BBC TV had closed down for the night. In May 1958 the first experimental Band V PAL 625-line transmissions started from Crystal Palace. The transmitter tower holds another record, one that cannot be beaten. On 18 July 1986, with the First Night of the Proms on BBC2, the transmitter became the first in the world to transmit stereophonic sound using the NICAM digital sound system. On 2 December 2009, the site entered service as one of the first DVB-T2 transmitters in the world, carrying a variant of the BBC's Multiplex B broadcasting high-definition TV services. All of the analogue television services transmitted from the Crystal Palace tower were discontinued back in 2012; all TV signals are now from a digital multiplex. The only analogue output of the tower is now FM radio (BBC radios 1,2,3,and 4) a couple of independent local stations, along with some legacy services on Medium Wave. The historical connection that Callender’s had with the BBC back in the day was wider than merely being the constructor of the Crystal Palace transmitter tower. Callender’s had an amateur band, called The Callender’s Cableworks Band, which was active between 1898 and 1961, of which all members were employees of Callender's at Erith. They rehearsed and performed in their leisure time, while the company in its role of patron lent its name and supplied uniforms and instruments. The band broadcast prolifically on BBC Radio in the 1920s and 1930s. The Band was started in the 1890s as a Salvation Army brass band, but because they felt limited as to the types of music which they were permitted to play, they formed their own temperance band. However this caused difficulties in purchasing their own uniforms and instruments, so their employer, Callender's, stepped in as patron. From then on they were Callender's Cableworks Band under various forms of that name. They were always an amateur band, rehearsing and performing in their leisure time. The Senior Band had a high reputation, and in 1932 were described as the finest in the south of England. In 1929 Jim Thompson joined the band; later in 1939 he was to found the Belvedere Male Voice Choir. In 1932 the band consisted of all brass instruments, plus four saxophones. At the time they were the only brass band with saxophones. In competitions over the years they had 25 wins, 11 second places and 3 third places. By the end of 1932 the band had performed on radio a total of eighty times – something unprecedented at the time. The band finally disbanded in 1961 as members retired and few young volunteers could be found.

Back when flat screen televisions were first made available around twenty years ago, they had a finite life. The early plasma screens were normally good for around 30,000 hours of service, the problem was that whilst the screens were bright and had a very good viewing angle, they used a lot of power, even when in standby, and when on they got very hot. When LED screens came along, their life was substantially longer, and again the limiting factor was the life of the backlight – a common issue. Newer screen technology now available is OLED, and Samsung's proprietary QLED. An OLED display works without a backlight; thus, it can display deep black levels and can be thinner and lighter than an LED screen. In low ambient light conditions (such as a dark room), an OLED screen can achieve a higher contrast ratio than an LED, regardless of whether the LED uses cold cathode fluorescent lamps or an LED backlight. The trouble is, the screens are very expensive, and they are difficult to manufacture in the large sizes that a lot of customers want nowadays; on top of this, as the OLED screens generate their own light, the screens “burn out” relatively quickly, and the colour rendition fading – blues especially “wash out” quite early on in the life cycle of the TV screen. QLED is similar to LED, but with more of the visual characteristics of OLED. All this in actual use may be relatively unimportant, as other factors are far more likely to affect the length of life of a modern flat screen television. Most TV’s on sale nowadays have so called “smart” functionality built in – the ability to stream media from companies such as Netflix and Amazon Prime Video, for example, and access to the web and sites such as YouTube is now something many people take for granted. In my opinion, the limiting factor in the real – life durability of a modern smart TV is not actually the display technology hardware, but is rather how long the TV remains in software support from the manufacturer. How long updates, patches and software downloads are available for the TV. For example, I have a Samsung TV from 2012; many of the applications installed on it will no longer run, as they went out of support in 2016. The TV itself still works fine, but if you want watch BBC iPlayer, for instance, you are stuffed. The issue here is that most smart TV’s use a version of the Android operating system – which is constantly being updated and modified by its creator, Google. The problem is that the TV manufacturers usually stop providing Android updates to TV’s after a couple of years, and sooner or later versions of apps for TV’s stop working on older versions of the Android operating system. It seems from my research that a TV will cease getting OS updates at around the fourth year from the point of purchase. It seems to me that TV’s are going the way of the computer and the motor car – they are now seen as time limited, disposable devices. What do you think? Leave a comment below, or Email me at hugh.neal@gmail.com.

A short piece by local transport enthusiast Dana Wiffen:- "It seems ironic that from the 1900's to the 1960's we had two forms of Transport that did not pollute the air, both running from electric overhead wires. In London Trams ran from 1860 (as horse drawn up until the 1900's) then until 1952 as electric with the last one running from Woolwich to New Cross in that year, although some were sold to Leeds and continued to run until 1959. Trolleybuses ran in London from 1931-1962 on 68 routes around London with the 696 Woolwich to Dartford, and the 698 Woolwich to Bexleyheath were the two main routes locally. Both trams and trolleybuses were replaced by diesel motor buses which in the most have been withdrawn today with newer electric or semi-electric buses replacing current stock as the emission zone is extended further into the outer London Boroughs. Some areas such as Croydon reintroduced trams in 2000 as have other Cities in the UK, while Blackpool has continued and still run Trams, with their heritage stock being a major tourist attraction".

After an Email conversation earlier this week, I was reminded of something. There was a period in the 1980's when British Rail ran a series of fast food outlets called Casey Jones Burgers. The restaurants were located at the major rail stations such as London Bridge and Charing Cross. The burgers were quite indescribably vile; they certainly bore absolutely no resemblance to the paragon of great burger - ness featured in the advert above. They were actually composed of greasy, gristly, zombie flesh - like cold grey meat on the outside, and lava hot in the middle so that molten cheese scalded the roof of your mouth like dairy based napalm (I think they microwaved the burgers). Rumours abounded when the Casey Jones opened at Charing Cross, all of the feral pigeons that plagued the station concourse suddenly disappeared. It was all very coincidental. Fortunately Casey Jones did not last too long, and eventually Burger King took over their station locations. they are now nothing other than a distant memory. If you have any recollections of Casey Jones Burgers, please get in contact and let me know. Email me at hugh.neal@gmail.com.

The following very atmospheric photograph was taken recently by Ian, the webmaster of The Belvedere Splash Facebook group. It shows the view from Woolwich Road in Upper Belvedere towards the recreation park. The housing in this part of Upper Belvedere has changed little in 150 years; indeed, many of the houses are in part of a conservation area. If you are a member of The Belvedere Splash, and have seen this photo on that site, I have not stolen the image - Ian actually sent it to me for use, before he published it himself.

It has been brought to my attention that the long dead brewing name Watneys is now back in business. It is now a trendy new craft beer range. You can see their website here. Back in the 1960's and 1970's Watneys was a mass producer of keg ales, their most popular and well known was called Red Barrel. Red Barrel was originally developed as an export beer that could be transported for long distances by sea. Red Barrel, like all keg bitter, was filtered, to remove the yeast. It was then pasteurised and carbon dioxide was added. The "keg" was linked to a tank of carbon dioxide which effectively forced the beer up from the cellar. There was no need for the traditional long-handled beer pump. Keg was usually served chilled and was fizzy, with froth on the top. Red Barrel was tentatively trialled at the Sheen Lawn Tennis Club where Watneys' Master Brewer, Bert Hussey, was a member. He was convinced that once sampled it would be instantly popular. By the early sixties, Watneys were able to claim that it was the country's most popular keg bitter. It was also the first. Red Barrel today is regarded with distain; in the 60s it was a premium product. Watneys negotiated a contract with BEA for Red Barrel to be supplied to passengers. Given that air travel, especially on scheduled flights, was still a privilege of the few, this must have been quite an achievement for Watneys and must say something about the quality image that the brand then had. Watneys were also able to sell Red Barrel at all bars on the new luxury liner, the QE2. As well as supplying to non-traditional outlets, Watneys also had a fair share of the Free Trade market, selling over one million barrels of beer, mainly Red Barrel and Watneys Pale Ale. So their products must have had some sort of following outside Watney Mann pubs where it might have been the only choice. Against this, however, "Which" reported on 1972 on keg bitters and their view was that there was little to choose between one keg and another. All were bland tasting and fizzy. There was also little reason for preferring keg over traditional beers such as Watneys own Special Bitter, which was somewhat cheaper. Keg, though, had the image and at the time, people preferred its consistent quality. More traditional brews were considered downmarket. Part of that image was a strong advertising campaign and Watneys were very astute at linking their products with the pop world. The Liverpool group, The Scaffold, famous for drinking to "Lily the Pink" drank to Watneys Pale Ale. Watneys Red Barrel was promoted with a television campaign and a slogan "Roll out the barrel". The campaign was supposed to suggest that drinking Red Barrel would promote "good fellowship, friendliness and happiness associated with beer drinking". Red Barrel was by no means Watneys only product. Watneys Special Bitter had been available in London for many years. In 1969 they took the decision to market it nationally in all Watney Mann houses. It was a traditional draught bitter, cheaper than Red Barrel. The late sixties was a time of rapid change in the brewing industry. New trends seemed to come and go quickly. Draught stout was quickly gaining a following. Watneys tried to compete head to head with Guinness for a time with a trial of Colonel Murphy's Stout. It did not prove successful. They had to accept that Guinness had cornered the market and sell draught Guinness in their houses. An agreement with Carlsberg Lager in 1969 was, however, more successful. Watneys were surprising latecomers to the lager market. Carling Black Label had been on sale in the UK at Bass Charrington houses for several years and Whitbread linked up with Heineken as long ago as 1961. However, Watneys jumped at the right time and joined the lager market before it really took off in the 70s. Another feature of drinking in the late sixties and early seventies were strong ales available in small bottles. The most well known is Whitbread's Gold Label - "Strong as a double scotch, less than half the price". Watneys produced two beers in this category "Export Gold" and "Stingo" barley wine. The new owners of the brand seem to be aiming their products up - market; I feel their use of the name is somewhat ironic, considering the bland and anodyne beers that the original Watneys used to sell.

Now for the weekly local safety and security updates from Bexley Borough Neighbourhood Watch Association. Firstly the report from Barnehurst ward:- "Good news first, there has been no Incidents of vehicle crime in the past week. We have however suffered a burglary in Erith Road on Thursday 23/01/2020 between 10.25am -10.35am where the victim returned home to find the front door open and the lock damaged. Various items were taken from within the property. We ask residents to stay alert as a male was captured on CCTV in Hillingdon Road approaching a front door to peer through a window. In the background was a vehicle with lights on parked in the road. The driver's side door was seen to open therefore it is believed there were at least two suspects. Fortunately no attempt was made to force entry however it shows they were in the area! Our next community contact session will be at Barnehurst Golf Course on Wednesday 5th February 2020 at 11.00am". Belvedere ward:- "There have been several garage break-ins across the ward in what appear to be secluded areas (stand-alone garage blocks rather than garages attached to residential properties). Having visited victims of these crimes in Upper Park Road, Essenden Road and Lesness Park recently, the team have been informed that these incidents involve two males who appear to be using a light grey / light metallic silver BMW car. The driver remains in the vehicle whilst the passenger attempts to forcibly open garages by cutting the padlocks. There were also residential burglaries in Regent Square and Ashburnham Road in the past week. Entry was gained to both properties via the rear of the property by smashing glass in the rear doors to enter. The team visited a resident of Kentish Road who had contacted us for advice as he had been visited at his home by an unknown male claiming that he would require roofing repairs to his house. The male then made efforts to obtain a substantial amount of money from the resident whilst no work had been done. Thankfully, the resident refused to pay the money and contacted police to report". Bexleyheath ward:- From Neighbourhood Watch Member - in Hawthorn Road:- "A neighbour has reported that she and several other neighbours saw 3 white males 'strutting' down the middle of Hawthorn Road at about 4pm on Saturday 25th Jan. They walked down the road (away from The Broadway) and then walked back up. They were pointing and gesticulating at various features of the houses and garages and at one point walked down the shared drive of 14 Hawthorn Road. They didn't knock at the door of the owner. Later the same afternoon, her husband opened the door to a couple who told him about gangs leaving marks for potential burglaries. I said that burglars would be more likely to text or take a photo rather than leaving any possible evidence. I said that I would pass on this information as there may have been other sightings. It could be something or nothing. She was also concerned about the drug dealing she has seen/ heard about on the corner by the Memorial on Methuen Road". From Neighbourhood Watch Member - in Rochester Drive:- "There was an incident reported this morning for an attempted burglary in Rochester Drive on 26 Jan 2020 at 22:40. Two men drove up in the car what looked like a Mercedes A-Class. Both men exited the vehicle and one of them went to the property to try and forcibly enter while the other man stood near the car. The occupants were upstairs trying to put their 2 year old to sleep. The lady who is also now 8 months pregnant is distraught at the thought that she could've been face-to face with the buglers if she hadn't locked her front door earlier than usual. Thankfully they left quickly. There are video footages from the ring door camera as well as the CCTV. The car registration isn't obvious but we are not sure if the police are able to extract the number plate details". From Neighbourhood Watch Member - in Belvedere Road:-"We had a very suspicious occurrence on 20th Jan 2020 at 10.30pm. 2 young men black hoodies with black masks knocked at a neighbours door. They left apologising when the door was answered and walked out on the drive. They said looking for the next door neighbour. They got in a silver ish colour small car Y555 SPY. We checked with neighbour and they were not expecting anyone and no one knocked on there door after. The description of people matches with another post on FaceBook where two males tried to force entry to a house when a child answered the door. I believe they were put off by a male answering or were expecting the house to be empty. Police report filed and Neighbourhood police informed as car reg seems legit". Crayford ward:- "One residential burglary and one attempted burglary to report over the last week. The burglary occurred in Glebelands between 3pm and 7:30pm on Thursday 23rd January. Entry was gained via the unlocked back door. An untidy search was conducted with a laptop, a hoover and various other household items taken. An attempted burglary occurred in Clive Avenue on Sunday 26th January. The Ring doorbell motion sensor was activated at 11:07pm and showed a male approach the door with his hood up and a scarf covering his face. No entry was gained. There were four incidents of motor vehicle crime reported over the last week. There was an attempted theft from motor vehicle in Samas Way on Tuesday January 21st at 10:30pm. The suspect was wearing a hoodie and tried to break into the vehicle but ran off when the alarm went off. Criminal Damage to motor vehicle occurred in Ridge Way when a wing mirror was smashed. Nothing was taken. The incident occurred between Monday 20th and Wednesday 23rd January. A white ford transit company van was broken into in Ridge Avenue overnight of Tuesday 21st January. It appears nothing was taken. Between Friday 24th January and Sunday 26th January a black Vauxhall Vivaro was broken into in Tanners Close. The driver's side window had been smashed and it appears the airbag had been taken". Erith ward:- From Neighbourhood Watch Member - in Vickers Road:- "At 04:15 hrs on Friday 24th January what appears to be a male with a push bike was trying all the car doors. He was successful in one car as the owner had left the car unlocked". From Police SNT Team:- "This last week we carried out a warrant in Erith which involved Northumberland heath SNT and North End SNT a number of knives where recovered and 3 stolen mopeds, arrests were made. This was a good team effort from everyone involved – check out Erith SNT Twitter page for some images ( @MPSErith )On the Saturday 4th of February it is the Ward panel meeting in Erith invites will be sent out, if you are interested in attending and live in Erith please email us. We have been having ASB issues in Erith Park, we posted out letters (over 500) to all residents in the area, we are also working with Orbit housing and Bexley ASB team on ways to tackle this". Northumberland Heath ward:- "Attempted burglaries - Attempted garage burglary at Becton Place. Suspects were seen entering the garage and had stolen a bicycle . Between 1945 and 2025hrs on Tuesday 28th JAN an unknown suspect ripped off the side gate and gained access as a trespasser to a garden of Frinstead Road, Erith. From there, the suspect broke into the garden shed and may have used a tool taken from there to try and wrench open the back door to the house. Entry to the house was not gained but the door was scuffed. Tesco's on Bexley Road have also reported low level shoplifting. The suspect is known to police. Theft from motor vehicle on Detling Road. The CCTV camera has now been installed at Northumberland Heath Recreation Ground . The Local Policing have already received positive feedback from local residents. S.59 Warning has been issued to a driver of a moped witnessed by a member of the public driving dangerously along Sussex Road / Northumberland Heath. The next contact point will be on Wednesday Sunday 5th February at 4.30pm at Mill Road Library. Residents will be able to obtain a smart water kit".

Slade Green and Northend ward:- "Between Friday 24/01 and Sunday 26/01 we had 4 overnight Theft from motor vehicles. They were in Hazel Drive, Cornwallis Close, Jenningtree Road and Appold Street. Not only were all 4 crimes committed during night time hours but all 4 also had valuables and personal belongings on show (sat navs, phones, expensive jacket etc). This reiterates our regular warning of not leaving any items in your vehicles at any time. Last week PC James assisted Erith SNT in executing a warrant on their ward. 3 stolen mopeds were found along with drugs resulting 2 arrests made at the scene. PCSO Mark along with other PCSO colleagues from North Heath, Erith and across the borough carried out high vis patrols of the Broadway last week after recent reports of several knife crimes in the area". Thamesmead East ward:- "Motor vehicle crimes - Mangold Way Sat 18/01/20 between 7pm – Mon 20/01/20 9am windscreen wipers completely snapped off by unknown suspect/s from victim's vehicle. Yarnton Way Monday 27/2/20 between 2:30 – 3:30pm Victim reports vehicle front passenger window smashed, glove box ripped open containing a pencil case with bank cards and house keys inside, removed by suspect/s unknown. Southmere Drive Monday 27/1/20 between 2pm – 7:30pm Victim reports vehicle broken into Dash Cam and loose change removed by suspect/s unknown. Pointer Close Monday 27/1/20 between midday – Tuesday 28/1/20 3pm victim reports front and rear registration plates removed by suspect/s unknown. It has since come to light the plates have been use on another vehicle which made off from a petrol station without paying for fuel. Criminal Damage - Glimpsing Green Monday 27/01/20 between 05:56 – 05:58 am Victim was in bed and was woken by the sound of banging coming from the living room. Victim went into the living room and saw suspect had broken the glass door and had their hand inside trying to reach for the door handle. Victim shouted “what are you doing”? and the suspect ran off towards the park. Theft - Sydney Road Friday 10/1/20 between 11pm – 11:10pm a property which is undergoing building works has had materials stolen from the drive. Good News - After complaints by residents in Glimpsing Green of youths causing antisocial behaviour and smoking cannabis, the team made several patrols of the area and found a suspect smoking in possession of cannabis. The suspect was subsequently interviewed and processed. The team are investigating a recent theft from Taris shop in Yarnton Way, involving a number of young people who have been identified via CCTV. All to be interviewed at a later date. Just to reiterate all crime will be investigated and taken seriously by the team". West Heath ward:- "One attempted garage burglary in Milford Close between Wednesday 20/01/20 09.00 – Tuesday 21/01/20 09.00. The padlock to the shed was broken off but nothing was taken. An attempted burglary took place in Bedonwell Road on Monday 27/1/20 at 00.40. A pane of glass was smashed on the inner front door, entry was not gained. A dark coloured BMV was seen making off towards King Harolds Way. One residential burglary in Brampton Road on Tuesday January 28/01/20 between the hours of 11.45 – 18.45. Entry was gained via the back door. A safe was stolen from the property. Theft on number plates from a vehicle parked in Woolwich between Thursday 23/01/20 19.30 – Friday 24/01/20 at 07.00 .Theft of a catalytic converter in Amberley Road on Tuesday 21/01/20 between the hours of 10.00 – 1500. Theft of catalytic converter in Gipsy Road also on Tuesday 21st January between 10.30 – 6.30. A number of personal items were stolen from a vehicle that was broken in to in Brabourne Crescent between 21.00 0n Tuesday 28/01/20 and Wednesday 29/01/20 at 07.45 when the victim discovered the car had been broken in to. One criminal to a van in Selsey Crescent between Sunday 26/01/20 0800 – Monday 27/01/20 at 07.30 when the owner discovered the vehicle had been covered in graffiti. The team have been busy conducting proactive patrols in and around the ward. Two arrests for domestic criminal damage and Domestic ABH. Following information received, three positive stop and searches were made in Powys Close and a male was issued with a penalty notice for the possession of cannabis".

The end video this week is some unique aerial footage taken over Barnehurst - it gives a very unusual perspective on the area. Please feel free to send comments / stories to me via Email; my address is hugh.neal@gmail.com.

Yates.

Thanks to a couple of enterprising Maggot Sandwich readers, more information has come to light regarding the former White Hart pub in Erith High Street. It turns out that the building is now owned by a company called Dhadda Estates Ltd, whose registered address is at 95 Woolwich Road, Upper Belvedere. The company are actually the builders that refurbished and extended the former pub building, originally for The Wellington Pub Company, but it would appear that they liked the building so much, and could see the clear commercial opportunity that the historic local building offered, that they purchased it from Wellington. From what a couple of readers have told me, Dhadda Estates specialises in refurbishing and converting former pub buildings. The White Hart is a locally listed building within the Erith Riverside Conservation Area. It was built in 1902 to rehouse a White Hart pub that had operated on the site since at least 1715. The main part of the building has been converted into a number of self contained apartments, but the ground floor, former bar area is still looking for a new use. Local rumours have included it becoming a Gelato parlour, but at this point nothing seems to be clear; Bexley Council merely state that:- "There are plans to put the building to use once again, with a new café or restaurant on the ground floor and flats in the upper storeys". The general consensus is that the conversion work to the locally listed building has been carried out sensitively and to a high standard of workmanship. It will be interesting to see how the phase two of the project is undertaken - that is the low rise apartments which are to be constructed in what used to be the pub garden, adjacent to the existing retirement apartments in Riverside Court. 

You may recall that last week I mentioned that Bexley Council had published the final version of their growth strategy document, and that I felt that it had a number of mistakes and erroneous assumptions. One fact the growth strategy document makes amply clear in several places is that it thinks that the long suggested but subsequently abandoned plan for a river crossing between Lower Belvedere and Rainham is now back on. The document makes a number of references to the crossing. To expand:- There is a degree of polarisation of opinion regarding the necessity of extra river crossings; Latest estimates have London’s population growing by 1.5 million in the next 15 years, with South East London already taking on vast new housing developments - Erith alone has Erith Park, Tower Hill, the currently under way redevelopment of the former Riverside Swimming Baths site, and the large development at Erith Quarry. The combination of all of these new homes will mean an influx of several thousand new residents to the area. Proponents of the river crossing scheme believe more road links linking the north and south banks should be built sooner rather than later to accommodate the extra traffic the new residents will bring. There is also a discrepancy between crossings in the West and East of London – there are twenty six Thames crossings between London Bridge and Kew Bridge to the west, while there are only eleven from Tower Bridge to the Dartford Crossing in the East. I have mentioned the proposals to build either a bridge or a tunnel that would link Lower Belvedere with Rainham in Essex on several occasions before. Both options have plusses and minuses. There are a number of factors to consider if building a bridge at Belvedere:- 1) It would be close to major working wharves and would therefore require a high and long span, which could increase the cost to be similar to the cost of a tunnel at Belvedere. 2) Pedestrian / cycle facilities could be accommodated, although users would be exposed to poor weather. 3) Being further from the London City Airport, there is more flexibility on the type of structure that can be built than at Gallions Reach (there is a legal restriction of fifteen metres on the height of any structure located a kilometre or less from an airport). Conversely a tunnel would have its own issues:- 2) It could be a similar cost to a bridge. 2) It would have little or no impact on shipping. 3) It potentially has less of an impact than a bridge on local properties and the future development of the area, particularly after construction. 4) It would be less susceptible to poor weather than a bridge. 5) A pedestrian and cycle tunnel could be considered less attractive to users than a bridge. My suggested solution would stretch between the Ferry Lane roundabout, South of Rainham town centre and the A2016 Bronze Age Way / Picardy Manor Way roundabout in Lower Belvedere. In effect, this would connect the A13 and Rainham in South Essex with the A2 and M25 via Bronze Age Way, and the South Circular via the A2016 Eastern Way towards Woolwich. This coincidentally is pretty much the same route that the the official crossing solutions (both tunnel and bridge) would take. It could also have the added bonus of connecting Rainham and Belvedere railway stations via a regular bus service through the tunnel. My vision would be of a structure very similar in size and scope to the existing Medway Tunnel which links Strood with Chatham in Kent. The Thames tunnel would use the same kind of immersed tube construction that the Medway Tunnel does – that is, sections of prefabricated reinforced concrete tunnel sections are sunk into the river, joined together, then the water is pumped out. This relatively new method of construction is well suited to shallow and medium depths of water, and creates tunnels which are both very strong and relatively cheap to construct. Unlike the Medway Tunnel, I would hope that the Lower Thames tunnel would permit the use of bicycles via a raised cycle / walkway kept physically separate from the vehicular traffic. As previously indicated, by the time any tunnel of this nature had been constructed (which I understand normally needs an Act of Parliament) the level of harmful pollutants emitted by vehicles will be far lower than the levels now, and many of the cars may well be zero emission via either conventional batteries, Hydrogen fuel cells or possibly other zero emission technologies. What do you think? Please leave a comment below, or Email me at hugh.neal@gmail.com.

Dana Wiffen, Chair of Bexley Borough Neighbourhood Watch Association has issued the following appeal to Maggot Sandwich readers:- "Message to all Erith Neighbourhood Watch members - do you know your DWO's? DWOs are your Dedicated Ward Officers of which there are normally 2 PCs and 1 PCSO. All Coordinators should know their DWOs and we appreciate that some do and some don't. We together with Bexley Police are working to encourage DWOs to visit our members especially when they are cocooning around a burglary in your road/area. We also ask if you could try to introduce yourselves. A good way of doing this is at one of their regular 'coffee with cops' or similar meetings which are detailed in their Ward updates below. They will pleased to meet with you and make you feel welcome. We are hoping that all our Coordinators will get to know their Ward Officers over the coming weeks. Please let us know how it goes. Appeal for new co-ordinators. Over the last 3 weeks of January 2018 Erith has had burglaries in the following roads that have no NW-Cover, if you are interested in joining NW please contact by Telephone: 0208 284 5537 or email: bexwatch-office@btconnect.com. They are Queen Street, Carlton Road, Christchurch Avenue & Chandlers Drive. If you live in any of the above roads please consider joining Neighbourhood Watch in an effort to reduce this sort of crime in your road". The weekly Neighbourhood Watch local safety and security updates will appear later in this edition. 

Another former pub / wine bar is being transformed, after years of being left empty and abandoned. Readers with a good memory may well recall that when Bexleyheath Broadway was rebuilt and pedestrianised in the early 1990's, after the opening of The Broadway Shopping Centre in 1984, some new retail and bar / restaurant units were created on each side of the re-routed Mayplace Road West. On one side a block including The Furze Wren pub, TK Maxx and some other retail units, and on the other side of the road is located Bexleyheath bus halt and a large, purpose built bar / restaurant building. The building was originally occupied by Yates Wine Lodge - an Oldham based pub chain with most of its outlets in the North of England. Yates is the oldest pub chain in the UK, with the first branch opening in Oldham in 1884. In earlier times, it invented its own range of drinks which it called Blobs, which consisted of sweet Australian wine and brandy, sugar, lemon and hot water. The pubs were the first to be visited on a "pub crawl", they were the first port of call on a night out. It was most popular on Fridays and Saturdays, and many were quieter in the early week; the pubs were not often seen as family pubs, though were regularly the start of a hen night or stag night or just the start of a "pub crawl". The reasoning being that "The Blob" was an affordable and easy start to the night, with its cheap (comparatively), high alcoholic content and being hot, it didn't take many to get the consumer "in the mood". Yates in Bexleyheath was OK during the daytime - a bit like a trendier version of Wetherspoons, but at night it was a nightmare - under age drinkers and people binge drinking before getting the free mini bus to a nightclub in Swanley. I recall waiting at nearby bus stop after a Friday night cinema visit in around 2004; two women, who were apparently mother and daughter were fighting in the street - it turned out that they were both having a relationship with the same man. This was fairly typical of a night at Yates; It got so bad that the bus stops in Mayplace Road West were closed on a Friday and Saturday night, and Yates and The Furze Wren (then called Lloyds) opposite had different closing times enforced by magistrates to try and stop fights when the places turned out. One local commented at the time:- "Don't think a single punter in there hasn't got any Burberry in their wardrobe. Regular 2-pot screamers getting into fights and girls (yes girls!) getting glassed - Nice!" Another Bexleyheath local commented:- "Yates is an awful place. Just a large, sterile drinking den with no atmosphere worth mentioning. The food is mediocre at best and the bar staff make you feel like you should be privileged your getting served by them. The clientele are the type that wouldn't know a decent pub if it came up and poked them in the eye. One good point is that places like this attract the scum and keep them out of the decent pubs in the area." I could not have described the place any better. In 2005 the central Yates company was subject to a takeover by the Laurel Pub Company, and the Bexleyheath Yates was sold off - it had become unprofitable after it introduced a £5 entrance fee on Friday and Saturday evenings, and the bar on the first floor had been closed down. It re - opened some time later, rebranded as RSVP Bar - as you can see in the photo above - click on it to see a larger version. This struggled on for a couple of years, but never recaptured the popularity of Yates when it was first open. The RSVP Bar seemed to make most of its money by selling alcopops to teenagers, and many of its former customers instead went across the road to the increasingly successful Furze Wren - which was / is operated by Wetherspoons. RSVP Bar closed and the building was empty for over a year, before a company took over the building with plans to turn it into an Afro - Caribbean restaurant. They spent ages on building work, with little progress towards opening being apparent. The whole restaurant project soon collapsed when a Nando's branch opened directly opposite it on the corner of Mayplace Road West and Geddes Place. Since then the building has been empty and apparently abandoned, with only a couple of faded posters and menus from the ill fated Carib Restaurant in the windows to remind passers by of the failed project. Very soon after the building was left empty, thieves broke into the electricity substation at the back of the structure, and stole most of the copper wiring and pipework from the building. It has now been several years since anything happened to the building. I was passing it by on Tuesday morning on my way to a meeting when I noticed builders in the place, and some positive signs of activity. After some research, I have discovered that the building has recently been sold for just under £1.5 million to law firm McMillan Williams. The solicitors are having the ground and half of the first floor of the former bar / restaurant converted into client facing office space. The remainder of the first floor, and all of the second floor will be sublet to another organisation in due course. I am pleased that the landmark building is finally being put back into productive use - it has been an eyesore in the centre of Bexleyheath for far too long, and in many ways I am surprised that it has taken such a long time for it to be returned to use. After all, it is in the centre of Bexleyheath; it has excellent road connections with the A2 and the M25 and is only a short train ride from central London. If you want decent food and a superbly kept and served pint of real ale, the building is only ten or so minutes walk from the Robin Hood and Little John in Lion Road. 

I was expecting some critical comments following on from my observation last week that for me personally, mobile phones have more negative aspects than positive ones, and that this is the reason that I don't have one. In fact quite the contrary happened - I had a number of messages from readers who agreed with me, and one who even envied me for not having one. Whilst this was going on, I was sent the cartoon that you can see above, which dates back to 1926. As you can see it was amazingly prophetic in its predictions in respect of the potential problems that being constantly in telephone contact could bring - and indeed have, as we now know. The cartoon was originally published in the Daily Mirror; it was drawn by a man who went on to become known as "The father of the British strip cartoon". His name was William K Haselden; He was the second of five children of Adolphe Henry Haselden and his wife Susan Elizabeth (née Kerridge). Haselden's parents were both English but met in Seville, where his father was director of the Seville Gasworks. Haselden's father died during a family holiday to England in 1874, and the remaining family stayed in England, settling in Hampstead. The young William's education at a private school was cut short due to the family's financial problems, and he left school at the age of 16 with no formal artistic training. He worked unhappily as an underwriter at Lloyd's in London for thirteen years before some of his sketches were accepted for the periodical The Sovereign. When this ceased publication a few months later, he obtained some freelance work on the Tatler and St. James's Gazette. After approaching the offices of Alfred Harmsworth in 1903, Haselden managed to obtain a full-time post on Harmsworth's new venture, the Daily Mirror - a newspaper that was at the time aimed at an almost exclusively female readership. Here he remained until his retirement in 1940. At the Daily Mirror, Haselden originally started with political cartoons, but soon settled into his trademark style of gentle, conservative social commentary reflecting on middle-class fashions and manners. His cartoons usually consisted of a single frame divided into a number of panels, for which he has been viewed as the father of British strip cartoon. Haselden often lampooned social and technological trends of the time by making bold predictions about how the future would transpire, including fashion, mobile camera phones and feminism. His daily cartoons on the fads, fashions, foibles and follies of the age soon earned him a large following. His style was gentle, subtle and his tone conservative. His targets were the upper middle-class householder and his family, and he was greatly exercised by the advances made by women, their careers, their voting rights and their increasing independence from the corset, both the physical and the metaphorical one of male domination. A viewpoint with which at the time the majority of his readers would have approved. From 1906, Haselden contributed to Punch as a theatrical caricaturist, retiring in 1936 due to increasing deafness. Haselden spent most of his working life resident in London, but from the mid-1930s spent more time at the family's holiday home in Aldeburgh, Suffolk to where he eventually retired. He died of natural causes on Christmas Day, 1953. His obituary in The Times recalled the hallmark of his work as its "unfailing amiability". Its editorial of the same day complimented his work as a sourcebook for the social historian, adding that "the man who could avoid the cartoonist's two pitfalls of cruelty and insipidity was no small artist, even in a small field".

Now for the aforementioned local safety and security updates from Bexley Borough Neighbourhood Watch Association. Firstly, Barnehurst ward:- "We have had two reported burglaries this week both in Marden Crescent, The first occurred overnight on the 1st February where a shed was broken into by suspects forcing the locked shed door, no property was taken. The second occurred on the 1st February between 8am – 12 Noon where a suspect has apparently gained entry to a property through an unlocked window and taken £1000 cash from within. Please be vigilant and make sure that all doors and windows are locked when leaving your home, even for a short period of time. I am pleased to inform you that all the animals seized from our warrant with the RSPCA last week are reported as doing well. The investigation is ongoing and I will update you all with any further news when I am able Please join me at Hall place car park on Tuesday 13th February at 1pm to discuss any local issues that you may have. Thank you to all our twitter followers who now number over 400, we would like a lot more so please spread the word and follow us @MPSBarnehurst for news on what you team are up to and up to date crime prevention advice". Belvedere ward:- "Update on what we’ve been up to: On Friday the team located a stolen bike on Picardy Street. Items were found in the bike which have been submitted for forensic analysis; CCTV enquiries were also conducted. We will welcome any information that will aid our investigation to come forward regarding a person on a damaged black moped in the Picardy Street area. The bike was displaying a registration of LJ55LYA – there are images of the bike on our Twitter page: @MPSBelvedere . On Monday PC Green conducted the search of some unused garages that appeared to have been lived in. PC Green & PC Holmes interviewed a male on Tuesday in relation to 2 racial public order offences. PC Green will be looking to progress with the matter and deal with the suspect suitably. PC Green & PCSO Worrall also held a crime prevention surgery at ASDA on Tuesday. On Wednesday PC Green attended Belvedere Junior School to talk to parents about Online Safety and Sexual Awareness. PCSO Worrall was making efforts to sign more roads up to Neighbourhood Watch. PC Rob assisted in the arrest of a male who was found in possession of cannabis. More updates on what we have been up to can be found on Twitter: @MPSBelvedere and Facebook: Belvedere Police". Brampton ward:- "Brampton Ward continues to be one of the safest Wards in the Borough with only two crimes affecting residents directly. There was a theft from motor vehicle in Long Lane where the victim had a bag containing valuables including a purse and laptop taken from the car along with other items. The bag was later discovered with most items including the laptop returned to the owner; unfortunately the purse was not recovered. Please if you can do not leave anything of value on show in your car. There was also an attempted distraction burglary in Sheldon Road where a male dressed in a high vis jacket knocked on an elderly resident’s door. He claimed to be working for the water board and demanded entry, fortunately the victim refused and the man made off. Enquiries made to Thames water showed that there were no operatives in the road at the time of the incident. Thames Water also assured us that they will always show ID and that there is a number to ring to check if they are at your door". Christ Church ward:- "Unfortunately we have had three residential burglaries reported recently. One burglary was reported in Lewin Road. The suspect broke a rear window at the property to gain entry. Another burglary occurred in Woodlands Road and on this occasion a side window was broken to gain entry. Both of these burglaries occurred on the 31/01/2018. The third burglary occurred on the 02/02/2018 in Oaklands Road, whereby entry was gained through a rear window. On the 02/02/2018 a report of a theft of motor vehicle in Chapel Road was received. On the same day there was a theft of number plates from a vehicle on Woolwich Road. Criminal Damage to a dwelling was reported on the 31/01/2018 on Woodlands Road, a window had been smashed. Also criminal damage was reported along Oakland’s Road where a CCTV camera was damaged. A robbery was reported on the Broadway on the 02/02/2018 near Barclays Bank. In the area of Nationwide Bank an elderly female had cash taken from her bag on the same day. Two theft of purses where reported also on the 02/02/2018. One of these incidents happened inside Peacocks and the other was an elderly female outside the Conservative Club. In relation to this particular incident investigations are on-going. On the 04/02/2018 a report was received for a theft of a mobile phone from Arcadia Lounge Bar. The team are conducting patrols along Hawthorn Road & Methuen Road and the surrounding streets. Residents have reported drug dealing and anti-social behaviour in the area. This information has come direct from the residents to us but so far we have not received any further information from other sources, I.E.101 On the 15/02/2018 at 11:00hrs the Christchurch team shall be available outside the Bowling Alley, Bexleyheath, conducting a bike marking event. The team shall be offering free bike marking to the public in conjunction with Bike Register. Please feel free to pop along and if you wish bring your bike along to get it registered. On a daily basis, the team conducts targeted ASB patrols around the ward in known area’s which have been highlighted via information and intelligence. At this time these patrols are mainly in the area of the Broadway, including ASDA and the car parks on the ward". Colyers ward:- "We are pleased to report that Colyers have had no reported burglaries this week. However there were 2 theft from motor vehicles and 1 vehicle interference. Of the 2 theft from vehicles, one was in the early hours of Saturday 3rd February in Coniston Road Bexleyheath. Two males were seen searching a car and were cashed away empty handed by an eagle eyed resident. The other was in Eversley Road sometime between 2pm Sunday 4th February and 8am Monday 5th February, the side passenger window was smashed and the Satnav stolen. Lastly, sometime between midnight and 9am on Monday the 5th February in Appledore Avenue a car window was smashed and the vehicle searched but nothing taken. Our next Community Contact Session is on Monday 12th 1pm in Cupcakes Bakery on Colyers Lane". Erith ward:- "PCs Gill and Tom have been across the ward in plain clothing and made an arrest. New NHW members in Tower Road, Morris Drive. Anti-social behaviour took place in both McDonalds and Dominos. The CCTV has been viewed for both and we are looking at identifying those involved, Drugs found in Compton place. PS Young has been patrolling the ward in the CCTV van and on motorbike January Recap: Your Erith team executed 2 search warrants & found a drugs factory. We conducted weapon sweeps on several estates, finding weapons & drugs. We have reduced and are continuing to reduce ASB and associated crimes in hotspot areas". Lesnes Abbey ward:- "Burglary - No Burglaries. However remain vigilant at all times. Remember lock windows and doors.  Motor vehicle crimes - On Friday 02/02/18 between the hours of 06:00am and 04:20 pm a motorbike parked in the car park behind Wilton Road was damaged; Overnight of Sunday 04/02/18 and Monday 05/02/18 a vehicle parked in Wolvercote Road had bodywork dented. The victim had been visiting friends. Dates for your diary. All are welcome - Monday 12/02/18, a Community Contact Session will be held at the Bostall Library Community Group, King Harold's Way between the hours of 11:45am until 12:45 pm. An opportunity for members of the community who prefer face- to–face contact to speak with a Dedicated Ward Officer; Police surgery on Tuesday 13/02/18 4:00pm until 5:00pm at the Bostall Library Community Group, King Harold's Way; Half term event: Kite making event for children on Tuesday 13/02/18 between the hours of 10;30 am until 3:00pm. Location : Lesnes Abbey Lodge, Lesnes Abbey Ruins, New Road, Abbey Wood, SE2 0QJ. Any Burglary or Motor Vehicle Crime prevention information wanted, please contact the Lesnes Abbey team on the details above". North End ward:- "Only one crime of note this week. A family had racist comments made to them in Dale View on Friday evening. A suspect has been identified and this is an ongoing investigation with all the correct reassurance etc put in place. After recent calls regarding cannabis being smoked in the stairwells at Grange House, we have been and knocked on every door in the block giving reassurance, gaining intel and giving all residents our team contact details to report any further issues. Patrols will continue inside the block. Last Thursday myself and PC Telfer got some lunch from Morrison’s in Erith, as we left a male was outside smoking cannabis. He was promptly stopped, his joint seized and then issued with a cannabis warning. Luckily, lunch wasn’t ruined! The following day, in Frobisher Road, PC Telfer stopped another male who had cannabis on him and after several checks, it was discovered he had already had a cannabis warning so he ended up with a £90 fine. Maybe next time he will not be so vocal. At our ward panel meeting last Thursday, the residents chose, Drug Issues, Robbery and ASB as the ward promises for the next 3 months. Our surgeries and street briefings will now be call Community Contact Sessions (CCS). These will take place at least one per week and they are now a chance for members of the public to come and report crime on top of the usual chit chat and confidential intel reporting". Northumberland Heath ward:- "Good news this week officers from the team arrested a male youth for possession of cannabis and possession of a weapon following a stop and search. Home visits are still being conducted to parents of youths coming to Police attention in and around Bexley Road. There were two commercial robberies in the Brook Street area this week on the same evening of Thursday February 1st February. The robber made off with cash and cigarettes having threatened staff in two separate premises with a knife. One criminal damage to a bedroom window in Nurstead Road last Friday evening. A double glazed window was cracked and the victim believed a beer bottle was thrown at it .A transit van was stolen from a driveway in Parsonage Manorway overnight between Sunday February 5th to Monday February 5th. A tyre was stolen from a parked car in Becton Place on Sunday February 4th and also criminal damage to a motorbike parked on a drive in Hurlingham Road. One attempted burglary reported this week but it is unclear exactly when this took place. The victims had left ladders in their garden which had been moved and an attempt was made to force the kitchen window open. Thankfully entry was not gained. Our next drop in Police Surgery will be held at the Library in Mill Road Erith this Friday February at 4pm. All are welcome to attend. We have had a report of of two males in Horsa Road impersonating police officers over the last week. This took place on the afternoon of Tuesday January 23rd. The males were in plain clothes and stated they were conducting arrest enquiries, they had a warrant holder with a gold coloured police badge but no ID card. Please check all credentials of any callers carefully. A genuine caller will not mind waiting outside while a phone call is made to check their identity, particularly is an appointment has not been previously booked. Please also be vigilant of any suspicious telephone callers. On Saturday January 27th an elderly resident in Horsa Road received a call from a male claiming to be from BT. The male insisted that there was a problem with the internet speed and tried various tactics to persuade the gentleman to part with money to resolve the problem. Thankfully the gentleman reported the call to police and did not answer any further calls from the number. On Sunday January 28th overnight in to Monday 29th a Ford Fiesta was stolen in Northumberland Park. The victim still has the keys and there is no tracker fitted to the vehicle. On Monday January 29th, also in Northumberland Park, a vehicle had the back window smashed in. Entry was not gained and nothing was taken; On Wednesday January 31st a caravan was broken in to in Little Heath Road and a battery charger was stolen; One Burglary in Ling Road between Saturday January 27th between 7.30pm and Sunday afternoon of January 28th. The victim went to Bexley Road to get a takeaway and left his wallet in his coat in the house. He discovered his wallet missing the following day. Unfortunately the victim did not lock his front door properly. Please always check that your UPVC door is locked properly by putting the handle up and locking the door with the key. --- A vape shop in Brook Street had goods stolen to the value of over £100 on the evening of Tuesday January 30th. Three youths distracted the shopkeeper and stole the items before running away. The team held a coffee with cops event at the Tea on the Pantiles teashop on Saturday January 27th and will continue these at various locations across the ward". Thamesmead East ward:- "31/01/2018 Muskovy House, Kale Road, 17:00 – 1030am, Vehicle Interference. Person(s) unknown have smashed the tailgate window on her car possibly in an attempted entry into the vehicle although Victim does not think any entry gained and is confident no property stolen from the vehicle; 02/02/2018 Manor Close SE28 02:00 – 09:00am - Residential Burglary. The door is a UPVC sliding door with a large pane of glass, door frame had been bent away from the door in two places. As if a tool had been prizing it away. Entry not gained; 03/02/2018 Argali House, Kale Road 17:00 – 17:20 Theft Of Motor Vehicle Unknown suspect has stolen the victim's vehicle from outside her home address. On 07/02/2018 the team attended a meeting at Sporting Club Thamesmead with Fiona Hamilton (Thamesmead Communities Manager) from PEABODY to discuss partnership working at both The Link in Bazalgette Way SE2 and The Sporting Club. Fiona informed the team there are some exciting activities over the half Term holiday check out the clubs Twitter page on @SCThamesmead. Date for your diary: Tuesday 13th February 2018 14:15 – 15:15hrs Thamesmead East Police Surgery. Crime prevention advice – Remove any personal belongings from your motor vehicle. If you lock your car using a remote key fob please try at least one of the door handles to confirm it's locked before you walk away. Always lock your car when unattended, even for a few moments. Never leave items in view in your car or home. Keep your purse or wallet secure".

The end video this week shows some footage taken at the Erith Model Railway Society show at Longfield Academy on the 28th January 2018. Please feel free to leave a comment below; alternatively you can Email me at hugh.neal@gmail.com.

The Eastside Quarter.

The photos above were taken by me on Thursday evening on and around Erith Pier. The second phase of the Erith Lighthouse Project was launched, with a luxury gin cocktail event, hosted by The Exchange, the Erith based arts commissioning group. It also marked the launch of an art installation by artist Julia Snowdin on Erith Pier; she has created a number of decorated yacht sails which will be lit at night by solar powered up lights to illuminate and animate the pier. The art installation was commissioned by The Exchange, and funded by Orbit and Wates Housing Associations. A series of events will be taking place in the Lighthouse structure from now until the 24th September. A series of pop - up - restaurant events will be happening at the Lighthouse - click here for details. 

Reports in the local press about the prices of the houses to be sold on the Erith Quarry development site focus on the lack of affordability of many of the properties for local people. Whilst some houses will be marketed on a part rent / part buy scheme, many will only be offered for outright sale. Unlike many other recent local housing developments, which have concentrated on (relatively) affordable one and two bedroomed apartments and houses, the housing stock on the Erith Quarry site is mainly larger two, three and four bedroomed houses for the growing family. The reason for this is that the new estate is aimed at a different demographic, and one that the local area has not until now catered for in new build housing. Over the last few years, with the redevelopment of the notorious old Larner Road Estate into the much more pleasant Erith Park, the controversial (and still unoccupied after  the fire) Moat House apartment block, and the currently in construction redevelopment of the old Riverside Baths site – these have all been designed to cater for the part rent / part buy, affordable rental and first time buyer sector of the property market. Erith Quarry is looking at the established, rather more prosperous second or third time buyer, and to bring in middle class people from outside of the area, who up until now might not have considered in buying a property in Erith. House prices in other parts of Greater London have increased far more quickly than locally in the past, though with the forthcoming opening of the Crossrail development, prices are now starting to creep up. I have been told that the Erith Quarry site is aimed at older, professional people with children, who are looking to purchase a larger property in an area that has good commuting access to central London. Not only is the Erith Quarry site in close proximity to Erith Station, but it is also very convenient for the A2, the M25 and the South Circular. The site developer, London and Quadrant are attempting what might be construed by as some social engineering – encouraging a relatively affluent new influx of residents, who hopefully will spend their disposable income on local products and services. Whether this actually turns out to be the case will only become apparent over time. The bottom line is that the area needs all sorts of housing, and after decades of under investment, the area is finally getting the attention that it has long deserved. More housing opportunities, including what is hoped will be a substantial proportion of affordable part buy / part rent and affordable rental properties are planned for the old site of the Bexley Council offices in Bexleyheath Broadway. The site has stood empty since the old offices were demolished in 2014, and it had been assumed that the site, which was purchased by Sports Direct, after the original buyer Tesco cancelled plans to build a super store on the land, would have become a Sports Direct store, with flats above it. This now appears to be not the case after all. Developer Bellway have put forward proposals to construct a seven storey apartment block with five hundred one, two and three bedroomed apartments on the 3.7 acre brown field site, which will be called The Eastside Quarter. I have concerns as to exactly what proportion of apartments will be affordable, as the site is about as prime as you can possibly get in The London Borough of Bexley - very close to the A2 and the M25 and only a minute or so's walk to Bexleyheath Town Centre - you even have a cinema and restaurants across the road! I wonder how Bellway will market the development? I suspect that it will in due course appear in the Wednesday property edition of the London Evening Standard as an ideal purchase for commuters into London. In an interview in the Bexley Times this week, Linda Bailey of Bexley Council said:- "After a number of years of sitting empty, a planning application for this key site in out town centre will now be coming forward. We have already been very clear with Bellway about our expectations for a high quality scheme and are encouraged that they share our aspirations and commitment both for this site and the town more widely". If things go according to Belway's plan, the new apartments should be on the market by the end of 2018. What do you think? Leave a comment below, or Email me at hugh.neal@gmail.com.

Last Saturday local arts commissioning group The Exchange held a workshop for local people to attend; the idea was to get as many opinions and feedback as possible about re - launching Erith Market after the disastrous attempt made by Bexley Council last year. I was booked to attend the consultive event, but had to pull out due to a pressing personal commitment. The results of the workshop were as follows:- "The Market needs to be on a weekend to ensure enough people are able to attend it; it needs a better location than the unsuccessful attempt in Morrisons car park; it should have a variety of stalls as it can’t compete with cheap shops in Erith on price alone; it should offer more than just shopping – e.g. music, workshops, activities for children, street food – a real day out. The Market could include opportunities/subsidised stalls for non established traders e.g. teenage market, free stalls for local entrepreneurs, car-boot stalls – maybe we trial it with a Christmas market. To compete with other markets it would be great to become a destination market – need something unique to do this". Many thanks to Sarah Batten from The Exchange for the information. If you have any thoughts or suggestions regarding what would make a good and lasting relaunched Erith Market, do contact me and I will be happy to pass the information on.

The problem with rogue moped riders continues, indeed, it has seemed to me over the last couple of weeks, the gangs of scumbags are getting bolder than ever, no doubt fuelled by the knowledge that the Police are hamstrung by their current rules of engagement. I know that many, including Dana Wiffen, Chair of Bexley Borough Neighbourhood Watch Association are campaigning for the rules governing the way the Police are permitted to act in respect of criminal bike and moped riders to be made much more flexible and aggressive. If this happens, it may be too little, too late. Public opinion in respect of criminal riders is hardening rapidly. I was standing in a queue for one of the cash machines outside of Erith Morrison’s last Sunday afternoon, when seven or eight helmet less riders on a selection of quad bikes, trials bikes and mopeds – all without number plates came roaring round James Watt Way – most pulling wheelies, as is their bone – headed wont. Two blokes in front of me were talking, and one said to the other “I am fed up with this – they think they own the road. I have a mind to get an old van, stick some false plates on it and go looking for them. They might take notice after a few of the bastards had been rammed off the road, legs broken, and their bikes torched!” This was probably just hot air, but it does reflect the growing frustration that the general public have with the current situation. The illegal riders, many of whom are also involved in multiple crimes such as drug dealing and vehicle theft, seem to get away with impunity. If things carry on as they currently are, I can see vigilante action taking place. What do you think? Leave a comment below, or email me at hugh.neal@gmail.com.

I have some new information regarding the forthcoming Kentish Belle micro pub, which is located almost right next door to Bexleyheath Station; the place was due to open some months ago, but from what I have gathered, a series of legal and practical problems have caused delays. Work has finally begun on converting the former hardware and fancy goods shop into a micro pub; I checked the place out on Tuesday afternoon when I was in the area for a meeting. The owners of the Kentish Belle now have set an opening date for early in November – though I feel that this is somewhat ambitious bearing in mind the extensive modifications that are required of the existing building. I look forward to being in a position to review the place once things are finished and the micro pub finally is able to open.

So far over two and a half thousand signatures have been collected in a petition to try and save Bexleyheath Police Station from closure under a plan devised by London Mayor Sadiq Khan. Local MP David Evennett is behind the campaign to keep the central Police station; in an interview with the News Shopper, he said:- “A move of the front counter services and the Police HQ to Sidcup would be highly inconvenient and I also believe response times in areas of my constituency would be negatively affected, including Bexleyheath, Crayford, Erith, Slade Green, and Welling. I urge Bexley residents to respond to this consultation and to oppose the reckless and unacceptable proposals put forward by the Labour Mayor of London”. Whatever the party politics of the situation, the practicalities of closing Bexleyheath Police Station seem non-existent – almost certainly planned by someone with little if any local knowledge. As anyone local will know, if an arrest is made say in Northumberland Heath, the arresting officer will then have to escort the prisoner to Marlowe House in Sidcup for processing – which is about as far across the other side of the Borough as is possible. How long an officer will be away from their patrol area whilst escorting the prisoner across the Borough is not known, but it does seem to me to be a poor use of an officers time. Conversely, if instead the officer takes the suspect to another station such as Plumstead, they will be in for a lot of extra paperwork and administration.

The period photo above shows the Ritz Cinema, which was located in Pier Road, Erith, until 1956. It originally opened as The Picture House on 8th November 1928 with 400 seats. It was built for and was operated by the Sydney Bacon Circuit. It was the first cinema in the local area to show ‘talkies’, when on 14th October 1929, "The Broadway Melody" was screened. The Picture House was taken over by the Union Cinemas chain in December 1935. They closed it in June 1937, to be modernised and enlarged to the plans of architect Percy L. Brown. The seating capacity was increased to 1,170, all on a single floor. The proscenium was 38 feet wide, the stage 11 feet deep and there were two dressing rooms. It re-opened as the Ritz Cinema on 2nd August 1937. Union Cinemas were taken over by Associated British Cinemas (ABC) in October 1937. ABC closed the Ritz Cinema on 24th November 1956 with Dean Jagger in "X: The Unknown" and Simone Signoret in "The Fiends"(Les Diabolique). The building was later demolished and was replaced by a row of shops, located next door to Electricity House, and opposite the car park which became the home of Erith Market for many years, and is now back in use as a pay and display car park. Nowadays there is absolutely no sign of this classic old cinema on the site, and indeed I only became aware of it through the study of old documents. If you have any old photos of Erith and the surrounding areas that you would like to share, please forward them electronically to me at hugh.neal@gmail.com.

Following a six month trial period, Morrison's supermarket in Erith is reverting to its old Sunday opening hours. The current 11am to 5pm schedule is reverting to the previous 10am to 4pm opening hours. Personally I liked the 5pm closing time, but it would seem that I was in the minority - and I know the later closing time was extremely unpopular with the supermarket staff. Whatever the Sunday closing time, you will still see people entering the store to do a full weekly shop ten minutes before closing time, and I somewhat doubt that this will change in the near future. From what staff tell me, the main reason that the opening hours are reverting to the original schedule is that the store was losing a lot of money by opening at 11am rather than 10am. Apparently a lot of retired customers liked coming in relatively early on a Sunday morning to do their weekly shop. When the opening time was changed to 11am, the "early" shoppers encountered a large number of people who had just got up, and the supermarket got very crowded, with long queues at the tills. This discouraged the former early shoppers, who subsequently took their business elsewhere - and subsequently revenues on a Sunday plummeted. I understand that Morrison's management hope that they can attract their former early morning customers back with a reversion to the old Sunday opening hours.

Following my article on Fixed Odds Betting Terminals (FOBT) and betting shops in general last week, some shocking new information has come to hand. Figures released on the amount of money gambled by Bexley residents last year show that a total of  £208,239,246.00 was put up in bets, and a total of £9,683,125.00 was lost in betting shops. Bear in mind this is just the London Borough of Bexley, not the entirety of Greater London. If these figures are not shocking enough, the total amount of money cumulatively lost just in the London Borough of Bexley between the years 2008 and 2016 comes to an eye watering total of £65,601,721.00. Well over sixty five and a half million pounds. Last week, 888, one of Britain’s biggest online gambling firms, was fined £7.8m after allowing more than 7,000 people who had chosen to exclude themselves from its casino/poker/sport platform to access their accounts and continue gambling. Also last week, a Guardian newspaper investigation found that betting firms were using third-party companies to harvest personal data, helping bookmakers and online casinos target people on low incomes and those who have stopped gambling. Bexley has a total of thirty seven licenced betting shops which house a total of one hundred and thirty four FOBT machines.

Activity reports for last week from Bexley Borough Neighbourhood Watch Association; firstly a report from Barnehurst ward:- "We are pleased to report there have been no burglaries on Barnehurst Ward in the past week. The only Incident reported was a theft from a motor vehicle in Pinnacle Hill where a personal piece of equipment was taken from the vehicle. Patrols to the Barnehurst Golf Course area continue due to anti-social behaviour issues with youths causing disruption. We are working together with Bexley Council and Management from Barnehurst Golf Course to address this situation". Belvedere ward:- "The team has had a busy week since the last update. On Friday 1st September we were called to a nuisance motorbike in ASDA car park. The vehicle had made off just before we arrived. However the security in ASDA had detained a shoplifter. We ended up arresting a male that was wanted for four shop liftings. He was also arrested for going equipped to steal and for Failing to Appear at court back in March! The male was subsequently charged for all the offences and charged. On Saturday 2nd September the team helped out with an event at the Sikh Temple on Lower Road during the day. In the early evening there was a call to some youths breaking into a garage on Ambrook Road. We attended and chased four males, one of which was caught and searched. He was taken home to his parents and other names have been brought to our attention for causing the damage to the garage door. Enquiries are on-going. If anyone has any information with regards to this incident, please contact us via the Neighbourhood Watch Team or directly on 020 8721 2050 or Belvedere.SNT@met.police.uk. Sunday 3rd September was no different. We located a stolen motorbike in an alley on Maida Road. It seems that the bike was stolen about two weeks ago from Greenwich and dumped. The alley is located behind 2 – 6 Maida Road, the bike was orange and black in colour. As above if anyone has any information regarding this please contact us. While we were dealing with the stolen bike we were alerted to a fight on Norman Road, junction with Maida Road. There were about six people present at the time. We did arrest a male for Common Assault. Upcoming meetings/Police surgeries: Friday 15th September, 1400 – 1500 at Belvedere Library & Wednesday 20th September, 1130 – 1200 at the Pop in Parlour". Brampton ward:- "It was looking like another quiet week on Brampton with no crimes of significance reported, unfortunately this changed on Sept 4th when we had a particularly nasty aggravated burglary in Long Lane culminating with a large amount of jewellery and cash being taken following threats to the victims. Police are following up on leads. The local police team are in contact with the victim offering reassurance and crime prevention". Crayford ward:- "Unfortunately there has been an increase in motorcycle theft this week, one was recovered after being found dumped. There was a non-residential burglary in which Tops Tiles had an iPad stolen. We held a 'Pop up Cop Shop' in Town Hall Square and spoke to lots of residents. Accompanying us was our mobile CCTV unit which identified a van with no insurance, the vehicle was confiscated. On Tuesday 5th September we visited an Alzheimer support group in Wolsley House and gave a crime prevention talk to the members".  Northumberland Heath ward:- "It’s been a good week, with a very low level of crime having been reported in North Heath. In fact for a few days over the last week there was no crime reported at all. The team continues to focus on Anti-Social behaviour on the ward. Since the day of action last week whereby five drug warrants were executed, targeting drug dealing in North Heath, reports of drug dealing and reports of Anti -Social behaviour around Bexley Road, there have been no new incidents. The team are aware of concerns by some residents of a group of younger youths riding pedal cycles in an Anti- Social. The team have been out on patrol and will be looking to take positive action to give advice to these youths and take action if any offences are being committed. Of the crimes of note reported in North Heath, a vehicle has been stolen from Byron Drive at some point over the last three weeks. The stolen vehicle had been SORN off road and been parked in the same position for a year. There has also been information of drug dealing in The Pantiles from a Black Vauxhall. The team will be out on patrol keeping an eye in this". Thamesmead East ward:- "No Burglaries to report. On Thursday 31st August between 8-5pm, a vehicle was stolen from the Dexter House car park, Kale Road. This particular vehicle had been notified SORN by the owner, and appeared in an abandoned state. During the early hours of Sunday 3rd Sept a motorbike/scooter (that was chained up) was stolen from outside an address in Manor Close. Just to make everyone aware, between the 15th and 17th Sept a summer fete will be held at Southmere Park, starting at 2pm. Lots planned. 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. Contact us on 020 8721 2049 or Thamesmead.SNT@met.police.uk for more information, (or reply to this email to contact the NW office direct) For latest news from Bexley Police visit our twitter pages @MPSBexley and @MPSThamesmeadE". North End ward:- "We have had a burglary this week in North End Road. Access gained via the back door (which was locked). Fortunately the victim had a burglar alarm which scared the offender(s) away. The victim was away on holiday at the time but was made aware by his neighbour who was also the person who called police. This sort of communication is exactly how Neighbourhood Watch schemes can help these situations even more. Once he returns from holiday, we will be asking about setting a new watch in that road as there isn’t one at this time. Great work from PC Mark Brookes-Smith and PCSO Lorraine O’Hara in stopping a male with cannabis on him last week, he will have his court date soon. A stolen bike was reunited with its owner after being reported seen dumped in bushes in North End Road today, yet again, PC Brookes-Smith was on hand to deal with the incident".

A report published last week paints a very poor picture of the government's smart meter roll - out project, which has gone drastically over budget and under target in the last year. In an interview with technology news website The Register, Gordon Hughes, an economist at the University of Edinburgh said:- “The introduction of the smart meter is a dog's breakfast. At best it is misconceived and an astonishingly expensive project. For those claiming it will bring major savings, I say they need to grow up.” The £11bn project is supposed to put smart meters into eighty per cent of households by the year 2020. A Dutch study from earlier this year also found that some smart meters are capable of giving wildly inaccurate readings, exaggerating energy consumption by up to 582 per cent. As government figures have gradually watered down their language when referring to the project – the Conservatives’ 2016 manifesto referred to “offering” smart meters to households – it could be inferred that the “80 per cent coverage by 2020” target will be missed. Estimates vary widely over how many have been installed so far but the figure appears to be somewhere in the low millions, as compared to the UK’s 27 million households. With the UK slated to leave the EU by 2020, it is unlikely that any financial penalties will result if the target is missed. The prime reason the energy companies wish to roll out smart meters - with all of the inherent security and safety problems that I have outlined in detail in previous articles on the subject - is not to save energy, but to reduce their company overheads by being able to read the meter remotely without needing an employee to go door knocking to physically read the meter.

You may recall that I wrote at some length recently about the lack of a council organised annual summer festival in Bexley. The council decided back in 2014 that they would permanently cancel the excellent Danson Festival, and instead outsource what had previously been a free event to a commercial company that charged £7 per adult for entry at the gate. Numbers attending the event were subsequently down by a considerable margin. My attention was drawn to our neighbouring outer London borough across the river - Havering. The London Borough of Havering is similar in size and residential demographic to Bexley, and in pretty much every criteria can be seen as a very similar area. What is very different is Havering Council’s attitude towards an organised summer festival in the borough. The event took place in Harrow Lodge Park, a public open space of a very similar size to Danson Park, complete with a lake. In pretty much all available metrics, the two neighbouring boroughs could be said to be very easily comparable. The difference that really strikes me is that The Havering Show is a massive affair that is totally free to the public. Here is a short account of the events that took place at the show over the weekend of the 27th and 28th of August:- “Around 55,000 people attended this year’s Havering Show over the bank holiday weekend (27 & 28 August) to enjoy entertainment, food, and some of the best weather the Show has seen. With temperatures reaching 27 °C, and now in its 39th year, this year’s Show saw crowds arrive in thousands to enjoy top acts including 90s chart topper Kenny Thomas, who headlined the Time 107.5FM stage on Sunday, along with Angie Brown and The Dualers. The winner of The Voice – Kids, local girl Jess Folley and BBC Let it Shine TV star Luke Stanley also took to the stage and wowed audiences. On Monday evening, Ray Lewis and his band ‘Still Drifting’ got the audience ‘in the groove’, with classics including ‘Ain’t no stopping us now’, and a medley of Motown hits. Rock n’ Roll legends the Blockheads also took people down memory lane when performing the famous ‘Hit me with your Rhythm Stick’. Paul Young and his band Los Pacaminos filled the Fairkytes Live stage area when they performed and Rainham based RCWA wrestlers entertained crowds all weekend. Families enjoyed a Community Performance Stage, funfair rides, trade and craft stalls, street food, licensed bars and much more. Leader of the Council, Councillor Roger Ramsey, said: “We’ve never seen such big crowds at the Havering Show, and of course, the great weather had a big part to play, but the entire offer was very impressive. There truly was something for everyone. And thanks to generous sponsorship from many local businesses, we were again able to keep the Show free for all to attend.” Sponsors include Time 107.5FM, West and Coe Funeral Directors, Romford Recorder, Kosho, Vauxhall Romford, Kia Romford, Toyota Steven Eagell and Serco”. Quite why Bexley can no longer organise and run a similar festival is beyond me; from what I have been told in the past, the old Danson Festival used to operate at a modest profit, and the claims that Danson Park had serious drainage problems were nothing but a smokescreen – if it had indeed been the case, how did the council subsequently allow a private company to operate a for profit festival on precisely the same site only one year later? An event of the scale of the old Danson Festival / The Havering Show can (and in Havering’s case, does) attract considerable sponsorship – it does not mean that Bexley Council would need to stump up a large amount of cash to underwrite the event. I have to say that the only conclusion that I can realistically come to is that Bexley Council are just mean spirited – they know the cost of everything and the value of nothing. You can see a short summary video of The Havering Show below; something we are unlikely to see in Bexley for the foreseeable future. It does strike me that perhaps if we were to organise a delegation from Bexley to visit The Havering Show next year, we could send out some kind of message to Bexley Council? One that with their current track record, they would likely ignore, I am afraid.