Cowboy builders.

The photo above shows the ground works that have been carried out to prepare the old Erith Riverside Swimming Baths site for redevelopment as a new residential site consisting of 12 mews houses and 55 apartments overlooking the River Thames. The workers clearing the site had a bit of a shock - their instructions were to level and grade the site ready for the foundations of the new structures to be dug. It had been assumed that the site was clear. It soon became apparent that this was actually far from the case. When the old swimming pool was demolished, the workers at the time were instructed to remove all construction materials from the site; it turns out that they did something far easier; in a giant equivalent of lifting a rug to sweep dust underneath it, the demolition workers just knocked down the building and used the rubble to fill the hole left by the drained and empty swimming pool itself. It would seem that something in the region of seventy percent of the construction material thought to have been carted away during the demolition process is still currently on site! This is going to add time and money to the site clearance programme. I wonder if any recourse or compensation can be sought from the historical demolition company for doing such a shoddy and half arsed job? It would seem that cowboy builders can affect large commercial developments as well as individuals.

Malcolm Knight of the excellent Bexley is Bonkers blog has been writing about the changes that Bexley Council have been making to the rules governing the use of Bexleyheath Broadway. A Public Spaces Protection Order has been imposed. This somewhat drastic measure is apparently designed to combat perceived anti-social behaviour. According to the Bexley council press release, the order prohibits “behaviour in a manner which causes, or, is likely to cause harassment, alarm or distress to another person. The  riding of pedal cycles, skateboards, roller blades, hover boards or other similar devices within the restricted area in a manner which causes, or is likely to cause, harassment, alarm or distress to another person, and the playing of any type of ball games in the designated area". According to the Council’s own documentation, Failure to comply with the PSPO without a reasonable reason for doing so is a breach of the order and a criminal offence. Significant and/or persistent breaches of the order could lead to a fixed penalty notice being issued or a summons to court. The charge for receiving a fixed penalty notice is £100, which would be reduced to £60 if paid within 14 days. All individuals breaching the conditions of the order would be monitored by a range of agencies to provide other necessary support and interventions. Council staff will take action to try to manage the risk that any young people who receive a fixed penalty notice gain a criminal record without fully understanding the potential of their actions”. This all seems somewhat draconian, and rather reminiscent of the kind of social policies employed by Kim Jong Un in North Korea. Civil rights group Liberty say:- “Public Space Protection Orders (PSPOs) are broad powers which allow councils to criminalise particular, non-criminal, activities taking place within a specified area. Unfortunately, we have frequently seen them used against the most vulnerable in our society, the homeless.  PSPOs are also being used to limit freedom of speech and the right to protest. PSPOs simply fast-track vulnerable people into the criminal justice system – rather than divert them away from it”. I get the feeling that this is a direct response to the recent riot amongst gangs of school age children that took place in Northumberland Heath, and that made the national news. Whether such an order is actually required is another point entirely. It seems to me to be an over – reaction, and a case of “doing something because we can do” – not because they actually need to. It does rather seem to me that it is going down the path of the infamous “Not the Nine O’ Clock News” over zealous policeman sketch, where a dim, racist and vindictive copper is being hauled over the coals by his boss, for repeatedly arresting the same man for “offences” including – “walking on the cracks in the pavement, possession of an offensive wife, wearing a loud shirt in a built up area during the hours of darkness, urinating in a public convenience, and looking at me in a funny way ”. I understand that the PSPO concept is shortly to be tested in court. Liberty and other similar organisations are keen to challenge the legality of the sweeping conditions that PSPO’s can impose. I get the feeling that once again we may encounter the law of unintended consequences. Time will tell. What do you think? Leave a comment below, or Email me at hugh.neal@gmail.com.

Maggot Sandwich readers of long standing may recall that quite some time ago I explained why I refused to take advertising on the blog. One of the reasons I cited was that I did not want to be at the thrall of an advertiser or sponsor, and thus be muzzled as to what content I wrote. It would seem that my feelings on the subject have now been crystallised after a report from The Advertising Standards Authority specifically targeting Vloggers (video bloggers) who have been promoting commercial products and using product placement in their videos, for which advertising agencies and public relations firms have been financially rewarding them for. Whether The Advertising Standards Authority actually have any power over Vloggers is debatable; many are based outside of the UK, and other may be based in the UK, but use platforms that are hosted outside of the UK. I suspect that the ASA are having a bit of a “fishing trip” to see who they can scare into submission. I think that in many cases their words may prove to be an empty threat. I get the feeling that the ASA don’t really have much of a clue as to exactly how video services such as YouTube actually operate. Whilst a file may be uploaded from an I.P address in the UK, it may end up being hosted on a server in the USA, Japan or a host of other locations, from which it is then “broadcast” to viewers via the World Wide Web. Which country is legally responsible for video content? The country from whence it was uploaded, or the country that hosts the video files? Users may upload files using a proxy, mirroring the upload to a third location anywhere in the world – The Advertising Standards Authority would need the resources of GCHQ to track activity of this nature, and I cannot see it ever happening. I think some clueless Whitehall Mandarin is blowing off steam over something that they really don't have a handle on. Let’s see what happens.

The picture above may look familiar - and that is because I have used it before - I am recycling some second hand photons; it used to pretty much sum up Christmas in parts of Erith to a tee; the bus shelter even looks passingly similar to one almost opposite Pewty Acres. Nowadays the town is changing in such a rapid way that I feel that it is the very last time I will be credibly able to use the image, even in a satirical context. Erith is changing for the better in so many ways. As many readers may already know, I don't send Christmas cards, for a number of reasons, mainly as I think them redundant now that much of the world is now online, and via social networking, Email, Twitter and a host of other services, people keep in contact all year round, not just via a once a year bit of printed card. Cards use a huge amount of natural resources, both in their production and transportation, and generally get shredded or dumped after the annual festivities. I think we really need to move on from them. Think of this as my virtual season's greetings.

I know many regard me as a grumpy old curmudgeon when it comes to the Christmas festivities; and I suppose I am to an extent. I suppose having no children does mean that I don’t see the holiday from their perspective. For the most part it is a period for me to endure, rather than enjoy. I am not saying that the festival is a complete anathema, but it sometimes feels that way. One thing I really detest is the journey home from work on the couple of weeks’ before the Christmas break. One invariably encounters “amateur drinkers” who have been on a boozy Christmas lunch; not able to hold their drink (or to know when to stop before the effects impaired their actions) they generally make the lives of their fellow commuters insufferable, even if it is just by sitting close by and breathing alcohol fumes over their fellows; I have to say that when in the office, either in Canary Wharf or Watford, my habit is to start early and finish early. In doing this I avoid the worst excesses of those suffering from a Yuletide surfeit of Dizzyade. I feel sorry for fellow commuters that have to travel later in the evening – I have been there in years past, and it is not pretty!

You may have noticed that the Maggot Sandwich has been published rather earlier than normal this week; this is for a very good reason; This afternoon I will be attending a private screening Of the new Star Wars film “Rogue One”, and I won’t be around when I normally make the latest edition go live at around 1pm. In a tradition that stretches back as far as this time last year, mega Star Wars fan and all round good egg Nav Bhamra organises a private showing of the latest movie in the Star Wars franchise, with any profits being donated to worthy causes. I will feature photos taken at the event on the update next week.

The effects that the sudden and very unexpected closure of Northumberland Heath based double glazing company PJ Plastics continue to be felt. It would seem that there are a number of creditors who have lost money due to the failure of the company – individuals had given substantial deposits for windows and doors that will now not be delivered. One person, who wishes to remain anonymous wrote:- “We have just become a victim of PJ Plastics' demise. Having ordered a very large double-glazed window for our dining room at the end of September, and paid the deposit, we were looking forward to having the work done in the New Year. But, on a trip to North Heath post office, I noticed their shop across the road looked eerily empty. Closer investigation revealed the notice in the window advising of their closure. I feel particularly aggrieved because only six weeks had elapsed between them banking our deposit and then posting their notice of closure. Surely any financial difficulties they had must have been known to them when they accepted our order. Needless to say, we have received no communications from the company or the liquidators and I suspect they will have preferential creditors who will be given first options on any assets they have. This probably means we will lose our deposit and become a victim of fraud. My wife contacted the liquidators but they weren't particularly helpful. She also contacted her bank as she paid the deposit using her debit card. It is possible she may get her money back but they make it harder than it is for credit card payments. 'Twas ever thus! The silly thing is that if PJ progressed our order and built the window it will be of no use to anyone else. We put that to the liquidator suggesting the situation might be resolved but they did not get back to us”. This is a situation that I expect is quite widespread; if you have suffered as a result of the failure of PJ Plastics, do drop me a line – it can be in complete confidence, should you so wish. People should not have to suffer as a result the poor management and financial fragility of a vendor. Ironically as a previous customer of PJ Plastics myself, I am covered by my FENSA warranty – something not available to customers who have not had their goods delivered. The implications for a relatively small independent local company going bust can be far wider than many might imagine.

On a related subject, I was pleasantly surprised to see that the Erith branch of Cash Generator has now closed for good; US-owned Cash Generator plans to close all but a handful of branches and make hundreds of staff redundant, according to a claim from company insiders. The Erith branch is one of the first of a total of 68 branch closures. It is the latest in a string of lenders to scale down after being criticised for charging sky-high interest rates. A Cash Generator worker said in a recent interview: “We have moved away from offering loans to people on benefits, which was regarded as irresponsible lending. Now we have been told that stores not making a profit will be going.” Sister company Cheque Centre pulled out of the payday lending market after criticism by financial regulators. Both firms are owned by American loan giant Axcess Financial. The Financial Conduct Authority brought in rules last year capping how much lenders can charge. Since then, the number of payday lending shops has fallen from 1,400 to under 500. Earlier this year Wonga, Britain’s biggest online lender, revealed losses of £80 million following the clampdown. Cash Generator were notorious for huge markups on second hand goods they bought from cash strapped people, then sold on to other customers on a tight budget. A fairly typical example of the kind of customer service can be read from a disgruntled customer who writes:- "The Guarantee they offer here means nothing as they will just accuse you of dropping the item or whatever they need to say to make it your fault not theirs!. The consumer rights act 2015 also means nothing it would seem as when I returned a not fit for purpose, #Lenovo PC (PC screen doesn't light up!) to them on 19th October less than 24 hours after leaving the shop with it, the staff member laughed at me, and refused to repair replace or give me a refund of my £119.99 payment.  We also rang the manager direct and she flat out refused too!, preferring instead to accuse us of dropping it when we haven't, and their is no evidence or marks on the product to warrant this.  Not only that but come to think of it the item had no CE markings, or PAT testing label on it, And was sold to me with a 2 pin foreign plug attached to a cheap looking, 3 pin UK adapter! I am sure that alone is a breach of some consumer law or other!.  I am very disappointed at this shops non - existent customer service, they are liars.  I hope to prove it in court too!, my home has CCTV which shows I never dropped it getting it from my car, and the street I walked down and car park are covered, I shall instruct my solicitor to obtain footage from the CCTV operator.  I hope they get a massive fine for breaching consumer rights and the manager and staff members involved get what they deserve (sacked).  They have let down the Cash Generator Brand, And damaged my customer confidence in them I shall never recommend or shop there again". Quite. I view the likes of Cash Generator and Cash Converters in exactly the same light as Brighthouse - organisations designed purely to exploit the least well off in our society. I am glad that Cash Generator have closed down in Erith, and hope that they all rot. No loss at all.

Bexley Borough Neighbourhood Watch Association have just issued the following warning to local residents:-  "We have been made aware that burglars are targeting Bexley in the run up to Christmas. We are asking our volunteers to be extra alert and to note any suspicious persons or vehicles in your areas and to report this activity to us straight away. These thieves are gaining entry by smashing in back doors which must create some noise. If you hear what could be a burglary in motion please report it to police on 999; if you see suspicious activity such as persons hanging around or vehicles parked that are not familiar, please report this with full details such as date/time/registration number of vehicle and description of person(s) directly to us at Neighbourhood Watch. We will ensure it goes directly to the appropriate police department. Police Patrols are going to target the A2 slip roads in an effort to combat this increase in theft, which is thought to be by persons from outside of the Borough".

The photo above shows Erith High Street in 1910. By the look of it, the photo was taken in the Spring / Summer and on a Saturday afternoon, due to the number of men one can see standing around chatting. Back in those days of large families and small houses, the men would be told to stay out of the house until meal times. Working hours were long, and it was quite normal to go to work on Saturday mornings - one of the reasons football matches usually kick off at 3pm or thereabouts nowadays - a historical hangover. The only building in the photo above that still exists is the Cross Keys Centre, which you can just see in the centre distance. Everything else was demolished back in 1966 when the town centre was redeveloped - a move that many locals regret to this day.

Newly opened Erith gym Fit4Less has got off to a very good start. Pre – opening member registrations were the highest of any gym in the franchise chain, and since then the number of members has reached full capacity. I understand that monthly renewal levels are very high, and word reaches me that the place is already so successful that Josh Waters, the owner is in negotiations with Bexley Council about expanding into the vacant industrial unit next door. Bearing in mind that until Josh and his team took the corner unit opposite Erith Health Centre, it had been unoccupied and ignored since the building was constructed. It is now interesting to hear rumours that a couple of other businesses are showing an interest in taking the unit next to Fit4Less, after they have seen the success that the gym has already experienced. I think that especially bearing in mind the financial investment (not to mention risk) that Josh has put into the building, he should most definitely have first option on the adjacent unit. Erith town centre is finally opening up at night – not only is the gym open until late, but also the newly opened Riverside Fish and Steak restaurant opens until 11pm in the week, and midnight at the weekend. The whole pattern if town centre usage is now changing as it no longer becomes empty and barren after 6pm, as was the case for many years. I suspect that this pattern will continue to change and evolve, as other businesses realise that there is both life and customers after the retail shops close for the evening.

I am trying to discover more about a very colourful and larger than life character who lived in Erith during Victorian times; his name was Robert Austen, but he was more popularly known as "Robert the Devil" - he was an exhibitionist and showman, and I understand he had a strong man act that sometimes toured around North Kent and beyond. He had a couple of party tricks. He often drank in the pubs on Erith river front, and was notorious for betting other drinkers a pint of ale if he could swim across the River Thames from Erith to Coldharbour Point in Havering, Essex and back - which he invariably did. As I have previously written, the currents and undertow in and around Anchor Bay make this one of the most lethal stretches of the Thames for swimmers, and why most people who enter the river end up getting fished out by the Police or RNLI as corpses. It would appear that Robert Austen was a very strong and confident swimmer who could repeatedly challenge this - (although I would hazard a guess that he timed his swims for slack tide). On top of swimming the river, Austen would permit a man to break a granite kerbstone over his chest with a sledge hammer - for the price of a gallon of beer! More information if you have it please.

Do you remember that back in 2004 Coca Cola released a bottled water product called Dasani? The UK launch of Dasani is now taught in business schools as to how not to launch a product, and when you have launched it, what not to do when the launch does not go as planned. The problem was that Dasani was actually filtered tap water from Sidcup, where Coca Cola then had a bottling plant. Close similarities were seen with the "Only Fools and Horses" episode "Mother Nature's Son" where Del and Rodney sell tap water as "Peckham Spring" bottled water.  Bearing in mind that Peckham and Sidcup are only a few miles apart, the press picked up on this with glee. The video below tells the whole story of how the American Coca Cola executives completely mishandled the situation and made things worse than they already were, mainly due to not understanding British culture and slang phrases - as you will see in the short explanatory video below. It makes for fascinating and quite amusing viewing. Please feel free to leave a comment below, or Email me at hugh.neal@gmail.com.

Riverside Fish and Steak opens.

The photos above show the opening day of Riverside Fish and Steak in Erith Riverside Shopping Centre. I was invited along to get some photos of the brand new restaurant ahead of its official opening on Monday, when many local dignitaries will be visiting. Bearing in mind the Maggot Sandwich is published once a week on a Sunday, I thought that I would try and get a scoop on the place. They had opened very quietly at lunchtime, not expecting much trade, but the place was soon full of customers, both to sit down and have a meal, and for those who wanted fish and chips to take away. I arrived on site at around 4.15pm, well after the lunchtime service, and before the dinner service was due to begin. As you can see from the photos above, there was only one couple eating at the time - not surprising, as they were either having an extremely late lunch, or a very early dinner. The place looks amazing - you walk in to be greeted with a traditional fish fryer counter, but when you look around, you are in a clean and modern European restaurant. Click on any photo above for a larger view.  The menu is extensive and very reasonably priced. The level of local interest about the new fish and steak restaurant has been intense. The owner, George, already owns the massively successful Mambocino coffee shop / cafe in Erith Riverside Shopping Centre - a place that quite regularly has queues out of the door, especially for Sunday lunch. The problem Mambocino has is that it is forced to close at 6pm then the shopping centre security gates are closed. The new restaurant has entrances outside of the area protected by the security gates, and it can stay open until late in the evening. Riverside Fish and Steak is a more upmarket venue which will be fully licenced from Monday (the licence should have been granted before the opening on Friday lunchtime, but as will be of little surprise to anyone, Bexley Council cocked up the paperwork, so the licence has been delayed until next week).  Nevertheless the choice of location and cuisine is spot on. The restaurant will, I predict be extremely popular - the fact that they offer both a proper "sit down" service, and a takeaway option will definitely appeal to many local people. There is nothing remotely similar in Erith. At present the Riverside Fish and Steak restaurant does not have a website or online presence, but I think that it will not be too long before something will appear online, even if it is just a Facebook page such as already exists for Mambocino.  Have you tried the new restaurant? What did you think? Leave a comment below, or Email me at hugh.neal@gmail.com. 

The photos above show that work has begun on the redevelopment of the old Erith Riverside Swimming Bath site on the corner of Erith High Street and Walnut Tree Road. After what seems like an age (actually six years from initial inception), the project to build 12 mews houses and 55 apartments overlooking the River Thames has started. I know that some people have been concerned about the proximity of the Walnut Tree Road electricity substation, which I understand takes power from Essex via large cables that run under the River Thames and feeds the power from them into the National Grid. This structure will be pretty much next door to the new development, and from what I have been told, there is absolutely no prospect of it being relocated, as it forms part of the regional power infrastructure. The former swimming baths site is actually somewhat larger than it appears when viewed from the High Street; a corner of the space actually exists behind the car park of the Running Horses, which many locals may be unaware of. London and Quadrant were the organisation that originally submitted a proposal for the Thames Gateway Project back in 2010 – the notorious plan which showed the Riverside Gardens being built upon. This was what prompted the formation of FORGE (Friends Of Riverside Gardens Erith), and the campaign to preserve the gardens. It turns out that it was a mistake at the printer – London and Quadrant at no stage wanted to build on the gardens – it was a cock – up with the printer using the wrong file; by the time they realised it was a couple of weeks later and thousands of leaflets had already been distributed. Last year I was told by a London and Quadrant senior executive that the gardens and the scenic view across the river was the reason they wanted to build on the swimming pool site in the first place, and that they would hardly shoot themselves in the foot by building on that very view! I think many locals are justifiably cautious about the development, wondering if it could be "creeping redevelopment" with the Riverside Gardens merely being a further, future phase. The Riverside Gardens are an absolute gem and deserve to be preserved for the enjoyment of all local people for the years to come. The image below shows the new Riverside Baths site development in an artist's impression. 

Bexley Police seem to have a revolving door policy when it comes to Police chiefs. Chief Superintendent Geoff Boothe, is leaving to move to Croydon this month, having held the Bexley role for only around eighteen months – in my opinion not nearly enough time to understand the particular problems and issues that Bexley has to deal with. This is not the first time that Bexley Police have had a very short time in service leader. Boothe was interviewed recently in the Bexley Times; he said of the recent riot in Northumberland Heath. "The word gangs is very emotive. If you are saying there is potentially a gangs problem in Bexley, I would say there is not. Was there a disturbance? Of course there was. Did our officers respond to it? Of course they did. The question is what was the cause and the approach has been what can we do in partnership with others to find out what the cause was? We have been working very closely with schools to identify whether or not there are issues. There is an ongoing investigation and there have been a number of arrests. It is not a gangs issue and not specifically a schools issue. Because Bexley is quite a low-crime area, when you have incidents like this it appears worse. In any other area, it probably would not have made such headlines.” Regular Maggot Sandwich reader, and occasional contributor Chairman of Bexley Borough Neighbourhood Watch Association Dana Wiffen said the borough appeared to be “the breaking-in ground for borough commanders”. I cannot say that I disagree; I am not going to quote any specific incidents to support my view - some of you will already be aware of my personal experiences - but that is most definitely a story for another time. 

Some very unwelcome news was released on Friday. The NatWest Bank in Northumberland Heath is due to close,  which will mean that no bank will have a physical presence in the town in the future. The Bexley Times have reported that local MP Teresa Pearce said: “This is very bad news, NatWest is the last bank in town and is extremely busy. I have asked NatWest for more details on their rationale for closing this branch as it is very well used. The bank say there is a branch in Bexleyheath, but if Northumberland Heath closes there will be no NatWest in the north of the borough.” According to the bank, a dramatic rise in the number of people using online and mobile banking was the driving factor for the cause. The fact remains that the demographic of Northumberland Heath does contain a significant proportion of older people who are statistically less likely to be comfortable, or even familiar with online banking, potentially leaving a large hole in the Natwest service for the area.

The government are currently discussing the future of traffic calming measures, mainly in an attempt to reduce the level of air pollution caused by the emissions of internal combustion engines. A report was published on Thursday which recommended that speed bumps should be removed, speed limits made variable on England’s motorways, sometimes dropping as low as 50mph, and a congestion charge considered in more cities to cut air pollution and save lives. The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) released a series of recommendations on Thursday which it said would “promote a smoother driving style” and help keep emissions down. Health officials said vehicles created more emissions when they were speeding up and slowing down, as on congested motorways. To keep a more consistent speed, they said, the limit could be temporarily lowered to 50 or 60 mph when traffic is stop-start. That represented a “more sensible” approach than having lower fixed limits, Nice’s Prof Mark Baker said. The officials added that some speed bumps encouraged people to speed up, then slow down. They urged planners to consider using average speed technology on the roads to promote smoother driving. Locally, when Manor Road in Erith was resurfaced back in July 2014,  a series of speed bumps were installed.  Locals have since seen the law of unintended consequences come into play. The speed bumps are primarily located on the stretch of road to the East of Frobisher Road, and are designed to slow traffic heading towards and from the long, straight section that connects to the various industrial estates that make up the Eastern half of Manor Road. The bumps are in the form of low, square shaped areas that are highlighted in fine red gravel. I stood for around ten minutes on Saturday morning, watching the behaviour of vehicles approaching these speed bumps, and it was not what I was expecting. Instead of slowing down before driving over the bumps, almost every single driver instead chose to swerve into the gap between the bumps, and continue without slowing down. This has the effect of forcing traffic in both directions to share the middle of the road. It would appear that the speed bumps are actually making the road more, rather than less dangerous due to the irresponsible behaviour of drivers. I am not sure what can be done to remedy this, other than constructing a barrier down the middle of the road, which would be neither practical or desirable. If you have recently travelled on the road, what were your experiences? Did you feel the new design was inherently less safe than the previous one, or were you satisfied with the new configuration?

Every day I get Emailed stories from public relations companies promoting all sorts of tat and rubbish; most of the messages go straight into the virtual bin, but the following press release caught my attention - and I think that you may well find it of interest too:- "Morleys department stores to open its ninth store in partnership with NewRiver and London Borough of Bexley. 25 November 2016: NewRiver and the London Borough of Bexley are delighted to announce that they have secured Morleys as a new anchor department store for Broadway Shopping Centre, Bexleyheath. Morleys, one of the UK's leading independent department stores will take a 50,000 sq. ft. store, creating another high-quality anchor for the shopping centre, swiftly occupying the former BHS, which closed in August 2016. The new store marks a further enhancement of the town centre retail offer and importantly will create up to 100 new jobs. With a total footfall of 9.5 million shoppers per year, the existing shopping centre already boasts an excellent line-up of national retailers, anchored by M and S, H and M, New Look, TK Maxx, Boots and Sainsbury's. NewRiver REIT, the long leaseholder of the shopping centre and retail park, have worked closely with the London Borough of Bexley, the freeholder, to secure this exciting new retail offer for the town, part of NewRiver and the Council's ongoing investment in the town centre. Founded in 1927, Morleys is one of the UK's leading independent department stores with eight existing stores in the UK, including their first store in Brixton together with Wimbledon, Ilford, Holloway, Tooting, Upminster, Newbury and Enfield. Spanning two floors, the new department store will trade as 'Morleys', retailing fashion, beauty and menswear on the ground floor, with a full home, gift and toy offering on the first floor, complemented by both a cafe and restaurant in store. The new addition will be Morleys' ninth department store and follows on from their recent redevelopment of 'Camp Hopson' Department & Home store in Newbury, West Berkshire. The new Morleys store is expected to open in April 2017 following significant investment and a comprehensive modern fit-out. Bernard Dreesmann, Executive Chairman of Morleys said: "We are excited about the opportunity in Bexleyheath and are confident that we can bring something new and fresh to the area". Nick Sewell, Director at NewRiver said: "We acquired Broadway Shopping Centre and Broadway Square in April 2016 and have worked closely with the Council to secure a desirable new anchor store to replace the former BHS Store. We are delighted to be introducing Morleys Department Store who will bring an excellent, aspirational and high-quality retail offer for the centre and town centre, further enhancing the retail mix for our shoppers." Cllr Teresa O'Neill OBE, Leader of the London Borough of Bexley said: "In partnership with NewRiver, we are pleased to have swiftly secured an excellent new department store with Morleys. We have met with the management team of Morleys and are confident they will introduce a fantastic new offer to complement the already thriving town centre as part of our ongoing regeneration plans for Bexleyheath." Personally I had never heard of Morleys before, but as the store intends to employ around a hundred local people, it can only be a very good thing indeed. If you have experiences  of Morleys stores elsewhere, then please either leave a message below, or Email me at hugh.neal@gmail.com.

When British supermarket chain Tesco launched its Clubcard back in 1995, it was a forward-looking idea, so much so that Lord Ian MacLaurin, then Tesco chairman, suggested that he knew more about his customers after three months than he did after 30 years in the retail business. More than 20 years later and despite advancements in technology elsewhere in retail, and with the advent of things such as CRM (Customer Relationship Management software), the loyalty card remains very much the same. Still, they are logging items purchased by customers, gathering data that helps retailers build a profile then target them with offers or incentives to come back to the shop or restaurant again. But with new data streams now available to retailers, it raises the question: is the importance of the loyalty card scheme and its data diminishing? Do you still find you use loyalty cards, or are you leaving them at home and using a mobile app instead? I get the feeling that the next year will show a substantial change in the way shoppers operate, with a greater use of "buy online and then collect from the store" - I think that shops are already beginning to become collection points - as we have already begun to see with Argos, and to a lesser extent with other high street big names. The fight is clearly on for market share, and retail organisations which show flexibility and better levels of service to their customers are going to be the winners. 

I get the occasional bit of feedback over the choice of content in the Maggot Sandwich; as it follows a magazine type format, I try and have a fairly broad selection of subject matter, most loosely based about news and opinion in respect of the local area. From time to time I will branch out to cover a subject of a broader interest, usually with a science or engineering theme. This week I am exploring a subject that until now has been firmly in the realm of science fiction (which links in very nicely with the poster above - who says that i don't plan these things?), but may actually have a basis in scientific fact – if it does turn out to be true, it could well be the biggest single discovery of the 21st century. There have been hints in recent news that NASA may be on the path to discovering warp bubbles that could make the local universe accessible for human exploration. NASA scientists may be close to announcing they may have broken the speed of light. According to state-of-the art theory, a warp drive could cut the travel time between stars from tens of thousands of years to weeks or months. The catalyst for the trending warp-drive excitement is the Electromagnetic Drive or EM Drive, a thruster that was engineered to steer rockets which eliminates the use of a propellant originally intended for moon missions, Mars missions and low-Earth orbit operations. The experiment that led to the possibility of faster than light interstellar travel took place in the vacuum of space. According to posts on NASASpaceFlight.com, a website devoted to the engineering side of space news, when lasers were fired through the EmDrive’s resonance chamber, some of the beams appeared to travel faster than the speed of light. If that’s true, it would mean that the EmDrive is producing a warp field or bubble.  But "How?" If the laser beams are moving faster than the speed of light, then it would indicate that they are creating some sort of warp field, or bubble in the space-time foam, which in turn produces the thrust that could, in theory, power a spaceship bound for the centre of the Milky Way or one of its dwarf galaxy satellites. The bubble would contract space-time in front of the ship, flow over the ship, then expand back to normality behind it. It would be inaccurate to describe the spaceship as moving faster than the speed of light, but rather space-time is moving around the ship faster than the speed of light. Harold G. White, a physicist and advanced propulsion engineer at NASA and other NASA engineers are trying to determine whether faster-than-light travel — warp drive — might someday be possible. The team has attempting to slightly warp the trajectory of a photon, changing the distance it travels in a certain area, and then observing the change with a device called an interferometer. In 1994, a Mexican physicist, Miguel Alcubierre, theorized that faster-than-light speeds were possible in a way that did not contradict Einstein by harnessing the expansion and contraction of space itself. Under Dr. Alcubierre’s hypothesis, a ship still couldn’t exceed light speed in a local region of space. But a theoretical propulsion system he sketched out manipulated space-time by generating a so-called “warp bubble” that would expand space on one side of a spacecraft and contract it on another. An Alcubierre Warp Drive stretches spacetime in a wave causing the fabric of space ahead of a spacecraft to contract and the space behind it to expand. The ship can ride the wave to accelerate to high speeds and time travel. The Alcubierre drive, also known as the Alcubierre metric or Warp Drive, is a mathematical model of a spacetime exhibiting features reminiscent of the fictional "warp drive" from Star Trek, which can travel "faster than light”. Alcubierre-warp-drive-manifold “In this way, the spaceship will be pushed away from the Earth and pulled towards a distant star by space-time itself,” Dr. Alcubierre wrote. Dr. White, the New York Times reports, has likened it to stepping onto a moving walkway at an airport. Alcubierre’s theory, however, depended on large amounts of a little understood or observed type of “exotic matter” that violates typical physical laws. Dr. White believes that advances he and others have made render warp speed less implausible. Among other things, he has redesigned the theoretical warp-traveling spacecraft — and in particular a ring around it that is key to its propulsion system — in a way that he believes will greatly reduce the energy requirements. But ”We’re not bolting this to a spacecraft,” he said of the technology. Richard Obousy, a physicist who is president of Icarus Interstellar, a nonprofit group composed of volunteers collaborating on starship design, said “it is not airy-fairy, pie in the sky. We tend to overestimate what we can do on short time scales, but I think we massively underestimate what we can do on longer time scales.” Dr. White likened his experiments to the early stages of the World War Two Manhattan Project, which were aimed at creating a very small nuclear reaction merely as proof that it could be done. Personally this all sounds fascinating – and potentially it could be an amazing development. I get the feeling that the reality will be somewhat different. The science is barely understood, and I am certain that there will be setbacks and problems as yet unimagined by the physicists and engineers currently researching warp drive. Nevertheless it remains a tantalising possibility of what may be to come – perhaps Star Trek is not quite as far-fetched as many had imagined? Only time will tell. What do you think? Leave a comment below, or Email me at hugh.neal@gmail.com.

Riverside Baths redevelopment.

The photos above were taken by me on Wednesday evening at the London and Quadrant exhibition to show local people the development they propose for the old Erith Riverside Swimming Baths site. The event took place in the refectory of Bexley College in Walnut Tree Road. I anticipated that I would be at the exhibition for little more than twenty minutes, but ended up staying there for over ninety.  I must admit that I arrived at the venue with somewhat of a preconception of what I was about to see. I was under the erroneous impression that the site was to get a single monolithic low – rise tower block, but this is certainly not the case. London and Quadrant hope to build a low – rise block, but they also hope to construct a number of three and four bed town houses both behind and to one side of the main block. To be honest, it does not look too bad, though the exterior design of both the apartment block and the houses does to my mind at least look like it is going to date quite quickly. You can see an artist’s impression below this paragraph - click for a larger view; one thing several visitors to the exhibition noticed was that whoever put together the graphic did not have any local knowledge. As you can see, a black car is shown travelling down Erith High Street from the East to the West – everyone in Erith knows this would be impossible, as the road is one – way from West to East! Nevertheless, it will be interesting to hear what feedback London and Quadrant get from the event. I know that some people were concerned about the proximity of the Walnut Tree Road electricity substation, which I understand takes power from Essex via large cables that run under the River Thames and feeds the power from them into the National Grid. This structure will be pretty much next door to the proposed new development, and from what I have been told, there is absolutely no prospect of it being relocated, as it forms part of the regional power infrastructure. The former swimming baths site is actually somewhat larger than it appears when viewed from the High Street; a corner of the space actually exists behind the car park of the Running Horses, which many locals may be unaware of. One thing I discovered during a couple of conversations I had at the event was that I did find out one thing of interest. London and Quadrant were the organisation that originally submitted a proposal for the Thames Gateway Project back in 2010 – the notorious plan which showed the Riverside Gardens being built upon. This was what prompted the formation of FORGE, and the campaign to preserve the gardens. It turns out that it was a mistake at the printer – London and Quadrant at no stage wanted to build on the gardens – it was a cock – up with the printer using the wrong file; by the time they realised it was a couple of weeks later and thousands of leaflets had already been distributed.  I was told by a London and Quadrant senior executive that the gardens and the scenic view across the river was the reason they wanted to build on the swimming pool site in the first place, and that they would hardly shoot themselves in the foot by building on that very view! I think many locals are justifiably cautious about the development, wondering if it could be "creeping redevelopment" with the Riverside Gardens merely being a further, future phase. Opinions in respect of the height of the tower block, the provision of a children's play area, more off - road parking and the colour of the bricks used in the structure have already been fed back to London and Quadrant. There will undoubtedly be more on this subject in the weeks to come. Leave a comment below, or email me at hugh.neal@gmail.com if you have feelings on the subject.

On Monday evening I saw something that made me want to bite my tongue; I knew however that if I said anything I would have most likely got a barrage of abuse. I was standing in the queue at a checkout in Morrison’s. There was a couple in front of me; they looked to be aged in their mid-sixties, and were expensively dressed. The man pulled out his wallet to pay for the contents of their trolley – he had eight or nine debit and credit cards, and inside the wallet was a white address label type of sticker – and written on it were the PIN numbers for each of his cards, along with the three digit number on the reverse of the cards. I could not believe someone would be so stupid as to record the PIN numbers of all of their cards and to keep the information in the same, easily stolen place. He was obviously worth a bob or two, and it was an open invitation for a mugger or pickpocket to steal from him. Not only that, but if he did have his wallet stolen, any money taken from his accounts using the legitimate PIN number prior to his reporting the theft would not be refunded by the bank or credit card company. Madness.

The Maggot Sandwich football reporter, Brian Spurrell has some encouraging news this week:-

DERES MAKE HISTORY AT HOLBEACH

Holbeach United    2          (Dube 3, Duffy 70)
Erith & Belvedere   3          (Walker 13, Miller og 34, Marsh 100)

FA Vase Fifth Round, 14 February

Erith and Belvedere FC made club history in Lincolnshire yesterday, reaching the quarter-finals of the FA Vase for the first time.  An outstanding extra-time winner by Adam Marsh, described by manager Matt Longhurst as “a goal worthy of winning any game”, took them into the last eight, where they host North Shields on 28 February - two rounds from Wembley! Holbeach, of the United Counties League, had an almost identical league record to Deres in the Southern Counties East, so a close tie was to be expected.  But it began with a calamity for Deres - a long goal-kick from Nick Conroy fell for Livo Dube, catching Deres keeper George Kamurasi in no-man’s-land as he advanced and lobbing him from 30 yards.  1-0 to Holbeach after three minutes. The lead lasted just ten minutes until a well-worked move saw Adam Marsh set up Byron Walker on the left-hand side of the box, who controlled the ball expertly and slotted past Conroy to equalise. Kamurasi’s kicking looked distinctly nervy for a while after this, and Danny Spencer nearly capitalised on one dodgy clearance, but the giant Ugandan has few peers as a keeper at this level and soon proved his worth with outstanding saves from Jamie Clarke and Jake Duffy, while at the other end Alfie May and Allan Matthews just failed to get a final touch in a scramble. It was Matthews who set up the goal that put Deres ahead on 34 minutes, but with little Deres input – his cross was headed back to the keeper by Kern Miller, who held his head in his hands as the stranded Conroy missed the header and the ball rolled into the net.  Despite Dube’s shot just wide just before half-time, Deres looked comfortable in the lead. The second half produced fewer chances but still an engrossing game.  Deres were 18 minutes from victory when a defensive mix-up saw the ball cannon off a defender into the path of Duffy, who made no mistake just inside the box to make it 2-2.  Duffy set up Miller for a chance soon afterwards which went too high, but 33-goal striker Alfie May came closest to a late winner on 86 minutes when his dipping shot was tipped over the bar by Conroy. Holbeach had shaded the second half, but Deres stepped up a gear in extra-time, and the tenth minute brought the best move of the match.  Substitute Ben Wilson was released down the left wing and sent over an inch-perfect cross which was met on the volley by Marsh.  An emphatic shot bulged the net to cause mayhem among the Deres team and on the bench. Deres were able to defend from the front for most of the remaining 20 minutes, and frustrated Holbeach went down to ten men when substitute Matt Nolan was shown a red card for clattering Sam Groombridge.  The Deres defender suffered a painful ankle injury, but with all three subs having been used, tried to return to the fray in the manner of Monty Python’s Black Knight missing a limb or two; he had limped five yards onto the pitch when the final whistle went. The Deres are thus in the last eight of a national competition for the first time since the FA Amateur Cup of 1945-46.  The Vase is a successor to the Amateur Cup (scrapped in 1974): not quite an equivalent competition but some of the cast are the same.  At the same stage in 1946 E&B beat Eastbourne, whom they beat in the first round this season; and the Amateur Cup was dominated by north-eastern teams, who have won five of the last six Vase finals.  North Shields are tournament favourites and will be very tough opposition in a fortnight’s time.
Holbeach United - Conroy, Anton, Parker, Warfield (Gibson 69), Miller, Spencer (Cartwright 19), Beeson, Duffy, Steadman, Clark (Nolan 60), Dube.
Deres - Kamurasi, Matthews (Minter 87), Craig, Richmond, Groombridge, Johnson, Hales, L. May, A. May, Marsh (Parkinson 120), Walker (Wilson 66)
Attendance - 265 Thanks Brian. could it be our local team will make it all of the way? Brian will be covering developments; expect an update from him in the coming weeks.

Over the last few years I have occasionally mentioned radio stations – both legitimate and otherwise that I have worked for in one manner or another. I have always had a deep interest in radio – even when I was at primary school, I would find old radios and pull them apart to try and work out what made them tick; at one stage I managed to convert an old Bush valve receiver into an amplifier / speaker for my bedside transistor radio – even if it was only to listen to Ed Stewart on “Junior Choice” on Radio 1. When in secondary school I started to listen the land based pirates which you could find all across both the Medium Wave and (what was then termed VHF) FM bands. The early 80’s were a formative time for unlicensed broadcasting – at that point little government thought had been given to widening commercial licences, and things such as community stations and special event licences just did not exist – with the notable exception of Radio Thamesmead, which at that time was available via cable only to residents physically located in Thamesmead. All sorts of pirate stations broadcast from whatever high points they could find – usually the roof of a tower block – radio signals on the FM band travel in straight lines, so the higher up the transmitter / antenna are, the further the signal can theoretically travel – though other factors also come into play. My own favourite stations at the time were Alice’s Restaurant, and later Rock FM, which broadcast out of the Epping / Hainault area. Another station – which only came on during Monday nights was called Imagine – it played melodic rock and electronic music from bands like Tangerine Dream. When I was in the 6^th form at school, I worked Saturdays at independent computer store Silica Shop in Hatherley Road, Sidcup, and so was not at home to listen to the various other pirate stations that broadcast on Saturdays. A friend handed me a cassette he had recorded of a pirate station that he said sounded like nothing he had heard before. I listened to the tape and was doubly astounded; firstly the station sounded very slick and professional – they had jingles and sound effects, and even had hourly news bulletins. Secondly, I recognised several of the voices as being people I knew, including one who was a school teacher of mine! I said nothing and carried on with the Saturday job. Sometime later when I had left school, I bumped into several of the people whose voices I had heard on the tape – typically we met in a pub – the Fox in Upper Belvedere (which back then was excellent, unlike now). One thing led to another and I was invited up to the studio. The station was called Radio Lumberjack, and it was run from a large semi-detached house in Bexleyheath. Most of the upper floor of the house had been converted into a main studio and a newsroom / production facility. Unusually for such a setup, the transmitter was located in the studio itself. Normally land based pirates would have a small, low powered UHF link transmitter which sent a hard to track signal to a much more powerful VHF FM transmitter located on the roof of a nearby tower block; the thinking behind this was that the authorities could easily track and confiscate the main FM transmitter, but the low power link signal was far harder to detect – thus meaning it was less likely for the studio to also be raided – though this still was a danger. I later found out that the reason the chap behind Radio Lumberjack was unconcerned about the possibility of being raided was that his day job was as a member of the Department of Trade and Industry Radio Investigation Service – the pirate radio hunters of the time! He knew well in advance of any possible raids, and any documents pertaining to Radio Lumberjack promptly got “lost”, so the station got no official investigation at all, and operated with impunity for several years. Having such a “mole” right at the heart of the opposition proved invaluable later, when a number of Radio Lumberjack staff became involved with Radio Caroline – but that is a story for another day. Radio Lumberjack broadcast an eclectic range of music, interspersed with comedy sketches and novelty jingles. I soon became a regular presenter, hosting the evening album music show between 8pm and midnight – allowing pretty much all the other DJ’s to disappear up the pub. The humour on Radio Lumberjack was pretty surreal – much of the comedy material was written by the station staff. There were many spoof adverts, with commercials for fictional companies such as “Bethlehem Motors – car faith healers – save money and save your soul! With one simple low cost prayer, we can have your vehicle back on the road”. “Tacky’s Nightclub, with your host, Bland Groover”. Also, “Gaskets motor spares – suppliers of neo Georgian suspension, arc brake lights and stained glass windows”. Best of all, a commercial for the Thamesmead Tourist Board, with a cod salsa song “it’s the place for fun, it’s the place for sun, come to Thamesmead – go on day trips to all the popular holiday destinations like the Belvedere Rift Valley – home of the world famous earwig farm; enquire at the Thamesmead Tourist Board office – the little green hut behind the bike sheds in Thamesmead High Street!” It was all very slick and professional; the chap that ran the station was a big fan of Kenny Everett, but had his own unique style. Each presenter had their own introductory jingle – mine started with an incredulous voice – “oh my God.... It’s Arthur Pewty!” followed by the sound of Stuka dive bombers, explosions and collapsing buildings, accompanied by a massed band of Daleks screaming “Arthur Pewty, Arthur Pewty!” It was all very over the top and wacky. My pseudonym came from the meek and mild insurance salesman Arthur Pewty from the famous Monty Python sketch about the marriage guidance counsellor. When I first started my evening show, I racked my brains to think of a suitably surreal and silly name for it. I had already got my nickname, and recently I had read a history of 1960’s offshore station Radio London, where John Peel got his big break into radio. John Peel had a show called “The Perfumed Garden” where he played a lot of hippy music and recited poetry sent in by listeners (some of it toe curlingly bad, but I digress). I thought that my show needed a really surreal title, so, as a play on “John Peel’s Perfumed Garden”, “Arthur Pewty’s Maggot Sandwich” was born. I was part of Radio Lumberjack for a couple of very happy and memorable years, and made friends that I still have to this day. The station naturally ran its course, and in time some of the more dedicated members – the station owner included became involved in Radio Caroline. That is a story for another time.

Bexley Neighbourhood Watch Association have recently made the following announcement:- “We are pleased to announce that working together with Officers from St Michael's Safer Neighbourhoods Team in Bexley that we have managed to achieve full Neighbourhood Watch coverage in St.Michael's Ward. This ward, the first in Bexley and one of the few in London to achieve total coverage, now have all of the 56 streets on the ward covered by Neighbourhood Watch, with around a thousand residents signed up. Sergeant Bryan Young, head of the St Michael's Safer Neighbourhoods Team said: “When I joined St Michael's ward over a year ago, one of my commitments was to reduce the fear of crime in Welling. I thought that one of the best ways to do this was involving the community through increasing Neighbourhood Watch and community contacts. My team have worked really hard from the beginning of October when I set the task of getting every road on the ward covered by Neighbourhood Watch. As part of The Met Police's Operation Shine Campaign, my team leafleted every one of our 56 streets and spoke with many residents and as a result, I am proud to confirm that we now have 100% Neighbourhood Watch coverage on the ward”. Dana Wiffen, head of the Bexley borough Neighbourhood Watch Association said: “We are pleased to announce that St Michael's Ward is the first in the Borough to reach 100% coverage this is largely due to hard work of St Michael's policing team who have canvassed hard on our behalf although it would have not been possible without the full administration back-up of our Neighbourhood Watch office, so well done to Claire Tack and the team of volunteers for also making this possible and ensuring that all those that said yes at the time of the police visit still wanted to continue a week or two later. Inspector Paul Sanders said: “As the Inspector for the area which includes St Michaels ward, I am really proud of what has been achieved here. The police team have gained the support and trust of the public and have secured 100% Neighbourhood Watch coverage. This is a fantastic achievement and I am incredibly grateful to those residents who have made this happen. St Michaels enjoys low crime levels and a joint police and community effort will ensure it stays that way and becomes even safer”. This will hopefully now act as an incentive for other police teams in Bexley to work towards the same goal, already Sidcup, Blendon and Penhill are working in this way with monthly roadshows”. As many readers may know, I also run a large Neighbourhood Watch group; if anyone is thinking about getting involved with Neighbourhood Watch, and is not sure how to get started, please drop me a line and we can have a private chat. It is not difficult, and you can really make a difference to local safety and security. It can also help to foster an old – fashioned sense of community, with an added benefit that many insurance companies offer better rates to both house and contents insurance in areas where there is an active Neighbourhood Watch presence.  Drop a line to hugh.neal@gmail.com.

Several news sources have announced that the maximum limit for NFC equipped debit card cashless payments (sometimes known as “bonk and pay) is to be raised from £20 to £30 this coming September. Personally I am concerned by this – for many people £30 is a substantial sum of money. To be able to “spend” or make a transaction of up to this amount simply by being in proximity with a suitable reader is something that has long worried me. When the contactless cards were first issued the maximum limit for a non – PIN number payment was set at £10; the banking industry has long lobbied for this to be increased. The problem is that contactless technology is not 100% reliable, and it also has a history of security vulnerabilities, as I have described in the past. Just like when Chip and PIN was introduced, where the onus on proving the transaction had / had not occurred was transferred from the bank to the individual, the responsibility for the security of your bank account is biased strongly on the side of the banks – basically any transaction that happens on a “bonk and pay” card is the responsibility of the card user, not the bank. Getting refunds from swipes made in error, or where a fault occurred can be extremely difficult. There is also the issue of non – Pound sterling transactions not being limited to £20 (£30 in September) due  to a fundamental fault in the way the limit rules are enforced. Personally I think that swipe to pay is not for me – I have a bog standard “Chip and PIN” card, which might be slightly less convenient in certain limited circumstances, but it is a whole lot more secure - unless you are the gentleman I mentioned earlier in this posting, of course! If your bank sends you a contactless card which you might not actually want, you can contact them to replace it with a standard card. This is a service that the banks don't advertise, but do offer if asked directly. I asked for a standard card when my previous bank debit card turned up with contactless payment enabled, and when my current card arrived in the post at the end of December, I was anticipating having to visit my branch to ask for a replacement – my concerns were unfounded; it would seem that the bank had made note of my preferences and sent me a bog standard card – a nice touch.

Regular readers will no doubt recall my musings on the empty former Port of London Authority building on the Erith Riverside Gardens, next to the wooden jetty that is used by Erith Rowing Club and others (see the photo above - click for a larger version). I had wondered why it has been left unused for so long – from my understanding it has water and power, and would make an ideal sub – base for the RNLI, who have major bases in the Pool of London and at Gravesend, but nothing in between. Another organisation that could benefit from the riverside office could be the Maritime Volunteer Service - is a uniformed civilian maritime training organisation and support emergency service in the United Kingdom. It was formed in 1994 as a response to the disbandment of the Royal Naval Auxiliary Service (RNXS). Volunteers follow similar rates and ranks, traditions, vales and ethos as the Royal Navy and Merchant Navy. The patron of the Maritime Volunteer Service is HRH Prince Michael of Kent, Honorary Rear Admiral, Royal Naval Reserve and Commodore-in-Chief, Maritime Reserves. The Maritime Volunteer Service has over 450 members in more than 30 units around the coasts and estuaries of the United Kingdom. The founding unit of the MVS was MVS Portsmouth. Each unit meets weekly for training which is put into practice afloat using a range of craft including powerful RIBs, launches, dories, purpose made rescue craft and even offshore training ships. One unit has even purchased a hovercraft to provide safety cover in shallow waters and mud banks. The MVS maintains strong links with the Combined Cadet Forces, the British Armed Forces, the Merchant Navy and other maritime organisations.  The aims of the Maritime Volunteer Service are:-  (1) To train people in nautical and maritime skills to recognised international standards. (2) To assist at maritime events around the country. (3) To provide a support emergency service both afloat and ashore in times of need. The nearest MVS units are in Putney and in Gravesend – once again, a unit somewhere in the middle would seem to be a good idea. Erith has a very strong maritime history and tradition; surely something of this nature would be a good idea? What do you think? Leave a comment below, or Email me at hugh.neal@gmail.com.

The Crossrail project is likely to make the most significant changes to the transport infrastructure of the local area since the Dartford tunnel first came into operation in 1963. It will halve the time taken to travel across London from East to West or vice versa, and it is likely to bring investment and new residents to areas that until now have been thought of as being undesirable. I feel that Woolwich is going to benefit greatly; ever since I was small, Woolwich has been touted as “the next big thing” – but for one reason or another it has never really taken off. I feel that this is now on the verge of change. The Docklands Light Railway terminus at Woolwich Arsenal station brought relatively wealthy residents to the Royal Arsenal development, though as I have written previously, it is a pity that so many of them treat the estate as a gated residence, and don’t venture into Woolwich town centre. Crossrail will bring more new people to the town, and with them, new money. General Gordon Square was given a much – needed makeover prior to the 2012 Olympic Games, and one of the historic buildings in the square has now been rebuilt and given a new lease of life. The former headquarters of the Woolwich Equitable Building Society have now become a very classy pub and restaurant, right in the heart of Woolwich. I have to say that I have not visited it yet, but hope to put this right in the very near future; reviews on the place are universally positive. The existing up – market pub / restaurant in the town is The Dial Arch, which is actually located on the Royal Arsenal site. It is a nice location and building, but in my experience the food is at best adequate, and very expensive in comparison with other local Young’s pubs such as the excellent Malt Shovel in Dartford. I know that The Dial Arch will have higher overheads than The Malt Shovel, but charging nearly double for the same meal is just too much. The Woolwich Equitable will provide some good competition for high quality food and real ale. I will review the place in the near future. If you have already visited The Woolwich Equitable and have thoughts that you would like to share with others, please get in contact in the usual manner.

To end this week we have a new Simon's Cat cartoon - always a real treat. This one is a Valentine's Day special called "Butterflies" - OK it is a day late, but who's counting? Comments below as usual.