The Pheasant.

I took the photo above on Erith Pier on Friday morning; as you can see the place was completely deserted at the time. It really is one of the most under used and overlooked places in the London Borough of Bexley. On a calm and sunny day I cannot think of a nicer local place to be.

My scoop story last week regarding the closure of the Bright Steps Nursery by Bexley Police and Ofsted, and the subsequent unsuccessful appeal by the owner was picked up by the News Shopper. The article published in the paper and on their website attracted a lot of comments from readers - some constructive, some not so. You can read the News Shopper article by clicking here. Many thanks to the anonymous reader who tipped me off to the whole sorry situation; I depend on people telling me things - I am not the all - seeing, all knowing guru that some seem to erroneously think. If you have a local story that you think people would find of interest, then please send it to me - you can be completely anonymous, should you so wish. Email me at hugh.neal@gmail.com. 

You may recall that not long ago I published an appeal for historical information from Slade Green resident Roy Hillman; well here is an update:- "An update on the WW1 100 Years project at St Augustine Slade Green. We're doing pretty well finding information on the WW1 servicemen whose names are on the memorial, although found some extra 'doubts' too. Still three really difficult ones plus a couple where there's competing information and we haven't managed to discern which information is correct. An example of what we will have on display on the Remembrance weekend is attached. So a final plea for information on the following:- E Anslow - found three possibles on Commonwealth War  Graves Commission, nothing in any of the records that we could find ties them to anything locally - so we simply have initial and surname as shown on the War Memorial. No Anslow's on In From The Cold Project (identifies casualties missed by Commonwealth War Graves Commission). J Clayton - 83 (yes, eighty three!) possibilities on Commonwealth War Graves Commission, fourteen Clayton families in the Bexley & Dartford area in the 1911 census, just cannot find anything that ties in. A H Smith - 83 must be a favourite number - there are 83 A H Smith's on Commonwealth War Graves Commission, tons of Smith families locally - again, we just can't tie anything in. L Dudley - we're fairly sure we know who the local man is (originally Leonard Whiffen but took his stepfather's surname), but at different times Bexley's research has put out different information re L Dudley - a Captain in the Royal Fusiliers or a Gunner in the Royal Garrison Artillery. I cannot see anything to tie the local man to one of these records (We tried the reverse and tried to tie the war records to somewhere else, but that failed too). Can anyone prove this one way or another? F J Jenner. Bexley's research says this is Frederick John Jenner from Orpington / Cudham / Green Street Green area, and say the local connection is that his mother lived at Lyndon Road, Belvedere. Our own research shows that his parents married somewhere in Dartford district. Nonetheless we're not sure this is proven (all seems a bit tentative), and there is a 'competing' record - a Frank James Jenner, leading stoker on HMS Fortune, born Camberwell 1890, but we cannot see any local connection. Again, something that gave us more certainty would be good! W A Stevenson. Bexley's research says this is William Alfred Stevenson of 18 Etherow Street, East Dulwich. At the moment we can't tie to any local family. Finally, still wondering why one name in particular is NOT on our Memorial - any clues to why we be good. Thomas William Parmenter, died 28th August 1918. Private in the London Regiment. Born Erith, lived at 58 Arthur Street, employed at Callender's Cable Works in Erith. Married local girl Amy Colegate (and his sister married her brother)". If any reader has any historical information which might assist Roy, then please get in contact with me, and I will pass it on. You can Email me at hugh.neal@gmail.com. 

I have to say a big thank you to the many readers who contacted me over the last week in respect of my query about the remains of a bird that I found in my back garden recently. Opinion has been divided between two possible identities - a couple of readers thought the remains were that of a Sparrow Hawk, whilst a majority were of the opinion that it was actually a female (hen) Pheasant. I did actually take some photos of the remains that I did not publish last week, which I subsequently forwarded to a few respondents; one of these photos included a shot of a long, reddish - brown tail feather, which seemed to support the Pheasant identity. Subsequent to that, I have discovered that there are Pheasants living in and around Crossness, on the Thames marshes and wild land there. I was not aware of this, though it still does not explain how the remains of one ended up in my back garden. I suppose that it is also possible that Pheasants have taken up residence on the Slade Green / Crayford Marshes, which despite the best efforts of the illegal moped and bike riders, are still mostly unspoiled wild lands and marshes. Richard of the Thamesmead Grump website sent me the photo above - click on it for a larger view. Richard is a retired professional photographer, who takes stunning wildlife photos. He took the shot above, of a male Pheasant on the fence in his back garden; it is entirely possible that the remains found in my garden may have been its' mate. The photo does prove that Pheasants do live in the local area, as strange as I found this when I was first informed. 

The local area has been home to many famous and influential people, several of whom I have featured in the Maggot Sandwich in the past; one figure that I have not mentioned before is a somewhat larger than life character who lived in Bexleyheath for many years. Lenny McLean was was an English boxer, bouncer, criminal and prisoner, author, businessman, bodyguard, enforcer, weightlifter, television presenter and actor, and has been referred to as "the hardest man in Britain" by the tabloid press. McLean's pugilist reputation began in the East End of London in the late 1960s and was sustained through to the mid-1980s. He once stated that he had been involved in up to 4,000 unlicensed fight contests. In his later life, McLean became an actor, playing Barry The Baptist in Guy Ritchie's 1998 British gangster comedy film Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels. Lenny McLean was born into a large working-class family in Hoxton in the East End of London. His father, Leonard McLean senior, had been a Royal Marine during the Second World War, but after being debilitated by a near-fatal disease which he contracted in India, he became a petty criminal and swindler. He died when Lenny was four years old, and was buried in a pauper's grave, as many working class men of the time were. Lenny's mother, Rose, married again to Jim Irwin, who was, like her first husband, a career petty criminal. Lenny's new stepfather was also a violent alcoholic, who physically abused Lenny and his brothers for many years. By the age of ten, McLean had suffered many broken bones. However, when Lenny's infant brother Raymond was beaten brutally with a belt, McLean's great-uncle Jimmy Spinks, a feared local gangster, attacked Irwin, nearly killing him, and threatened to cut his throat should he ever need to return to protect the children again. Lenny admired his great-uncle thereafter and when he became a street fighter he said that he considered every victory to be won on behalf of his vulnerable younger self. He expressed the rage resulting from his abusive childhood with such abandon that often it would take several men to separate him from his defeated opponent. During his teenage years, McLean mixed with various criminals for whom he ran errands. He was arrested for petty crimes and served 18 months in prison. After he was dismissed from his first legitimate job for beating up his foreman, he worked at odd jobs. By the age of fifteen, McLean realised he could earn a living from fighting and pursued it as his main means of income. McLean's first unlicensed boxing match came about as a result of a chance meeting while in his late teens: when his car broke down in the Blackwall Tunnel he abandoned it and went to buy a replacement from an associate known as Kenny Mac, a gypsy used-car salesman in Kingsland Road, Hackney, only to find the replacement quickly failed too. McLean returned later to demand his money back, but rather than repay it, Kenny Mac offered to give McLean a new car in exchange for McLean fighting in one of Mac's organised unlicensed boxing bouts later that night in Kenny's yard. McLean's opponent was just under 7 feet (210 cm) tall and weighed 20 stone; he lasted less than a minute against McLean, earning McLean £500, a considerable prize at the time. Kenny Mac and McLean became friends and on numerous later bouts Mac acted as McLean's boxing manager, with McLean subsequently becoming the best-known bare-knuckle street fighter in Britain. With his growing fame, McLean also became known as "The King of Bouncers" around many of the clubs and pubs in London. McLean was also a publican, holding joint ownership of a public house in the East End of London named the "Guv'Nors" along with Charlie Kray, elder brother of the Kray twins, reputed to be the "most legitimate" of the three brothers. McLean was also been described as a "fixer" and a "minder" (or bodyguard) for criminals and celebrities including Mike Reid, Freddie Starr, Henry Simpson, Boy George, and the casts of television shows such as EastEnders and The Bill. According to McLean's autobiography, his name was useful for the smooth progress of various criminal dealings, and to warn off members of the Provisional Irish Republican Army and the Mafia. In 1992, McLean released an album of Elvis Presley covers. The album was entitled 'Lenny Sings...'. He claimed "The King meets The Guvnor. It's sure to be a winner." His lead single 'Blue Suede Shoes' failed to break into the top 200 and the album was subsequently scrapped. Being the best-known figure in unlicensed boxing produced for McLean not only fans, but also enemies, including some of his rivals's supporters, and some who had lost money betting on McLean's opponents. McLean also made enemies from years of ejecting people from pubs and clubs. He suffered two bullet wounds from separate attacks, and was attacked from behind and stabbed on two occasions. McLean has said that he later caught up with and punished one of his assailants, a drug addict named Barry Dalton, who had attempted to shoot McLean at his home while his children were in the house. Dalton had also made many other enemies, and a year later was found dead with a bullet in his head, a murder for which McLean asserted his innocence. Separately it has been stated that the murder of Dalton was ordered by a gang of East London gangsters, and that the murder was completely unrelated to McLean. McLean was featured prominently in a television documentary on nightclub security staff, titled Bounce: Behind The Velvet Rope. He gravitated towards acting after being introduced to an agent by three long-term show-business friends, Henry Simpson, Mike Reid and Freddie Starr, for whom with Archie Mills he had "minded", and also after "minding" the cast of television shows such as EastEnders and The Bill. After playing a brief un-billed cameo as a ringside spectator in the film of The Krays (1990), McLean appeared in such roles as Eddie Davies in ITV's Customs drama The Knock, and moved to other roles such as that of a police chief in The Fifth Element (1997), his largest acclaimed role being in Guy Ritchie's Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels (1998), playing the part of 'Barry The Baptist'. During the filming of Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels McLean was struck ill by what he believed to be the flu. He was subsequently diagnosed with pleurisy, although further X-ray examination proved he was suffering from lung cancer which had metastasised to his brain. He died shortly afterwards on 28 July 1998, at his long term home in Bexleyheath, a few weeks prior to the release of the film. Director Guy Ritchie dedicated the film to him and had billboards for the film changed to feature McLean in tribute.

Following my recent piece on The Riverside Fish and Steak restaurant and its sister Mambocino, both located in the Erith Riverside Shopping Centre, I went for lunch on Wednesday in Mambocino, and had a wonderful experience. The place, which originally was principally a coffee shop, is nowadays a thriving and very busy town centre cafe, serving a wide variety of hot and cold meals. I ordered a three egg, cheese and mushroom omelette with a side salad; my companion had toast with two poached eggs, mushrooms and a large sausage. I have to say that my omelette was the best one I have ever eaten - not necessarily something that you would expect from a small cafe, but there you are. We shared a large pot of (excellent) tea. The food was beautifully cooked and presented, and the bill came to just over £11 - very good value indeed. The place is constantly busy, and for good reason. You can read the TripAdvisor reports on Erith Mambocino by clicking here. 

An update from local charity volunteer John Salt:- “The Association of Bexley Charities ’78 held its Autumn Fair in the Geddes Place United Reformed Church hall, Bexleyheath, on the 27th October.  There were 13 stalls selling a wide range of goods, including Christmas cards, calendars, cakes, jams, jigsaw puzzles, model railway items, jewellery, knitted goods, children’s toys, handbags and books.  The weather was kind to us, which no doubt helped the attendance of more than 100 people.  The Mayor of Bexley, Councillor Brian Bishop and his wife, the Mayoress,  Councillor Christine Bishop, also supported the event,  spending more than an hour meeting the stall holders and as many other people as they possibly could.  The event was a great success, raising more than £1,000.”

Now for the weekly local safety and security updates from Bexley Borough Neighbourhood Watch Association. Firstly the report from Barnehurst ward:- "Barnehurst Ward has suffered two burglaries, both burglaries are in close proximity. On Tuesday 23rd October 2018 between 11.30 -20.50 hours in Manor Way suspects have gained access to the rear garden, a rear door had been forced and a window smashed. It is believed suspects had climbed over the flat roof of an extension to get to the rear of the property. Unfortunately a number of items were taken from the venue. The second burglary in Westfield Road could have taken place anytime between Monday 22nd October 2018 to Monday 29th October 2018. Again access is believed to have been gained by climbing over an attached extension roof. The rear door was found damaged and the glass smashed. A utility room was entered but suspects were unable to gain entry to the rest of the property due to a strong secure door within the utility room. The team have continued to work around Cheviot Close/garage area with PC Arif liaising with Orbit regarding the constant fly tipping and cameras being damaged at the location. Orbit Housing have now confirmed bollards will be put in place to deter unwanted visitors. We will update you as and when this happens. We cannot stress enough the need for residents to check the security within your home. Please ensure you have taken steps to make your home safe. There are gadgets available out there, some of which are cheap but effective. Where possible keep wheelie bins out of sight and if you see letters/leaflets hanging out of your neighbours letter boxes please push them through, the smallest of steps may prevent a burglary. Please join us for our next community contact session will be on Friday 09th November 2018 at 11.00am at Barnehurst Golf Club". Belvedere ward:- "PC Green has interviewed the driver of a vehicle who crashed into Belvedere Community Centre. The team have been working to reduce anti-social behaviour over the Halloween period, delivering ‘No Trick or Treat' posters to vulnerable people across the ward and restricting the sales of items such as eggs and flour. The team have been working to cover Belvedere on Halloween as well as the Guy Fawkes period. We have been investigating shoplifting offences that took place in ASDA and B&Q. Between midnight on Sunday 28th October and 6.30am on Monday morning, there was an attempted shed burglary in Victoria Street where it appears several rear gardens were entered by unknown person(s) who made efforts to gain entry to three sheds. No items were taken from any of the properties involved although damage was caused to padlocks. Should anyone have witnessed this or have any information in relation to this incident, we ask that you contact the team on 0208 721 2050. Our next Community Contact session is taking place on Friday 9th November 2018 from 9.30am at the All Saints church hall". Bexleyheath ward:- "We have had a burglary reported along Gravel Hill Close Bexleyheath on the Sunday 23/10/20018. Entry was gained via the side of the property on an upstairs window. The team are in the process of trying to resolve issues that are being raised by residents within the ASDA car park area. We are working in partnership with the council to tackle this issue. Patrols are also still continuing around Martens Grove and Grove Road including the garages to reduce anti-social behaviour. The team conduct regular hi-visibility burglary patrols along Woolwich Road & Lathan Road. Also patrols are conducted in the car park areas and the Broadway to reduce anti-social behaviour. Weapon sweeps are being conducted daily to find weapons that may be hidden away and then used in crime We have two reports of robbery on the Broadway both on the Monday 29/10/2018. One by McDonalds and the other by Goals in the Broadway. There was a report of a theft of purse. Suspect had bumped into victim and then taken purse which had happened in Primark. Please be aware and keep your personal items safe at all times. On Tuesday 6th November between 7pm and 8.30pm, we will be attending the NW Coordinators and Safer Neighbourhood Board meeting for Bexleyheath and Crayford wards to be held at Bexleyheath Police Station, Arnsberg Way. [NW Office: For Coordinators wishing to attend, please contact the office urgently to reserve your place if you have not already done so.] If you do wish to pass on information to Police then please contact Crime Stoppers on 0800 555111. Please do not hesitate to contact us via Twitter, Facebook, email and the ward phone. If you are after crime prevention advice, please look at the Met Police website which has lots of information that you may find useful. Remember in an emergency please dial 999 and 101 for non-urgent reporting". Crayford ward:- "Between 22.00 on Thursday 25th October and 15.00 on Friday 26th October entry was gained to a property in Heathview Avenue by the lower pane in the double glazed rear door being kicked in. In this instance nothing was moved or stolen and it is believed the burglars may have been disturbed. On Friday 26th October between 17.00-17.50 a Black Piaggio number plate PO59 MHL was stolen whilst parked outside Wilmoths Citroen dealers in London Road. On Friday 26th October a purse was reported as stolen in Crayford High Street, no suspect known. On Saturday 27th October at 11.05 a White Transporter Van had the door damaged whilst parked at Kennet Road. On Wednesday 24th October between 16.00-18.20 there was an attempted burglary in Bourne Mead, marks were seen around the front door lock to suggest that it had been tampered with. On Tuesday 30th October late evening, London Fire Brigade reported to police that there had been an arson at Cray Close, this property can be seen from Maiden Lane, did anyone see anything suspicious? There was a theft from Motor vehicle outside KFC on Tuesday 30th October, no details of the car, time or what was stolen has been given at this stage. A 110V Honda generator, a robotic crawler system and a tether feeder mechanism has been removed from a vehicle, believed to be Kennet Road between 10th and 12th October. On Tuesday 30th October between 15.00-20.15 a locked silver Carrera pedal cycle and chains was stolen from the bicycle rack outside Sainsbury's. Come along to Crayford Library on Wednesday 7th November between 2-3pm for crime prevention advice or just to say hello".

Erith ward:- "We have been carrying out weapon sweeps all week as part of a operation that covers Bexley, so far we are pleased to say we haven't found any weapons in and around Erith, We have been searching bushes and areas, in Compton place, Erith High street and west street. Adam and Mark went along to an Orbit funded Dog therapy event at a sheltered housing scheme which also raised money for the poppy appeal (See image above). Crimes this week - Theft of Motor Vehicle Cricketers Close; Theft from Motor Vehicle, Bexley Road; Making off Wm Morrison Supermarkets Plc, James Watt Way; Theft from Motor Vehicle St John's Road; Burglary Residential Erith Road - By suspect unknown entering the venue through the rear window and stealing property therein; Theft of Motor Vehicle - Park Crescent; Theft of Motor Vehicle Bexley Road. Upcoming dates: Saturday 10th November costa coffee Erith 2pm and Friday 16th November costa coffee Erith 1200 midday". Northumberland Heath ward:- "A fairly quiet week on the ward this week. No burglaries reported. Between Sunday October 21st and Tuesday 23rd, a car was broken in to in Sussex Road an untidy search conducted and a Sat Nav was stolen. A lorry was broken in to in Cray Road Belvedere on Thursday 25th October between 4pm – 4.45pm. Entry was gained via the driver's door and the door handle was snapped off. A envelope containing over £3,000 was stolen. We have received information from a resident in Buxton Road regarding trespassers in their garden in the early hours of Wednesday 31st October. The resident discovered the side gate to the property was left open, and on checking the CCTV, two males with their faces covered were seen looking at a motorbike in the garden, and pulling the cover of the bike off. They were also seen looking in to several cars in Buxton Road. Please be vigilant and report any suspicious activity at once. The team conducted a warrant in Hind Crescent last Friday and a quantity of class A and Class B drugs were seized". Slade Green and Northend ward:- "Three businesses were hit by overnight burglaries over the last weekend. On Friday 26th October staff at John Pye Auctions in Manor Road (close to the DVLA pound) discovered that during the early hours 17 batteries we taken from their site. CCTV enquiries are being made. At some time during the weekend, both Alsford Timber and SDL limited, who are both located in Ness Road halfway along Ray Lamb Way, had their padlocks on the front gates smashed off, nothing apparent stolen from SDL but Alsford Timber reported a quantity of res diesel stolen from the tanks. Again, due to the location of these incidents, CCTV footage is being examined. In happier news, PCSO Mark along with PCSO Adam from the Erith team attended an Orbit Housing Sheltered Scheme charity event on Tuesday at Hailey House Belvedere where residents from all of Orbit's schemes got together for a Halloween Quiz hosted by Mark, some lunch, a raffle and finally dog therapy with Nightingale Dogs who brought 7 dogs along for petting and activities with the residents who didn't want to give the dogs back! A great time was had by all and £150 raised for the Poppy Appea - picture above. On Monday, Mark also attended the Slade Green Big Local Stakeholders conference with many other partner agencies who were given a presentation from Big Local on recent events and upcoming projects before all joining in a workshop looking to share ideas on taking the project forward in the future. On Tuesday November 6th, we will be in attendance at the excellent Slade Green Seniors Film Club at the Community Centre from 1230. Our next Community Contact Session is Thursday 08/11/2018 from 11am in Forest Road Café. Please come and say hi if you are free". Thamesmead East ward:- "No Burglaries this week. Wednesday 24/10/18 Theft of Motor scooter in Kale Road. 9:20pm Discovered in Fowler Close Sidcup after tracker activation. The bike has been returned to the owner; Saturday 27/10/18 Vehicle Interference in Hartslock Drive between 8:18pm –Sunday 28/10/18 7:40 Driver's side window has been smashed nothing taken; Sunday 28/10/18 Theft from Motor vehicle in Wolvercote Road between 10am-8pm Front passenger window smashed entry gained loose change taken; Sunday 28/10/18 Theft from motor vehicle Hartslock Drive between 2pm – 230pm by unknown person smashing window of the victim's unattended car by means unknown searching through his property inside then making off empty handed. Our next contact session will be on Saturday 3/11/18 at our SNT base in Kale Road between 2-3 pm and Monday 5th November at The Link, Bazelgette Way SE2 between 3-4 pm.. To see what the team are doing check us out on Twitter@MPSThamesmeadE If anyone is interested in being part of the Ward Panel please do make contact with the team. The objective of the Ward Panel meeting is to set the ward priorities for the three months ahead. The meeting gives residents the chance to discuss other quality of life issues, which could also shape your SNT teams approach to the way your area is policed". West Heath ward:- "It has been a relatively low crime week this week which has allowed the team to focus on ASB around Halloween and bonfire night. There have been no reported burglaries, however, an old gas meter was stolen from outside a house in Oakehampton Crescent sometime on Tuesday 29/10/18 . A set of number plates were stolen from a vehicle in New Road over the weekend 26th/27th October and a car in Lodge Hill was criminally damaged believed by youths throwing stones".

The ending video is really where we came in; it is a short film shot earlier this year on Erith Pier, showing what the place looks like on a summer's day. The pier is certainly somewhere that needs to be better publicised - on a nice day it is a great place to visit. What do you think? Leave a comment below, or alternatively 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.

Clean for the Queen.

It is nice to begin on some good news this week; the photo above shows part of the main concourse in the Erith Riverside Shopping Centre. An announcement this week by Barry Owen, the manager of the shopping centre said that sales were up markedly on the same period last year. A greater footfall through the centre had also been recorded - more visitors will encourage more retailers to open outlets in the centre - as previously mentioned, I have it on good authority that Subway will soon be opening a branch, and the much loved Mambocino coffee shop / cafe will be expanding into a second unit so that it will be able to open for "sit down" meals in the evening - something currently sadly lacking in Erith. All in all things are looking good; hopefully the remaining unlet units will soon be occupied. 

Belvedere Splash Park was one of the largest free wet play parks in the country, with a lagoon surrounding a desert island and a mini-‘beach’, equipped with water sprinklers, showers, bubble jets and sprays. Parents brought their children from a very wide area to the park during the summer months; it was incredibly popular and very well used. The Splash Park was one recreational feature which brought many people to Upper Belvedere who might otherwise not visit the village. The Splash Park has been under threat for a couple of years now, and it would seem that even though a concerted and well organised campaign to preserve the park has been for nothing. Many observers, myself included were of the opinion that Bexley Council do everything possible to do exactly what they always intended to do despite so – called “consultation” – the Bexley Council motto of “Listening to you, Working for you” is laughably ironic. It is pretty certain that the Splash Park will not be refurbished – the final decision will be taken at a council meeting on Monday evening, well after the Maggot Sandwich for this week has “gone to press” on Sunday afternoon. One local rumour has been directly denied by the council – that is, that the larger recreation park on the other side of Woolwich Road would be moved onto the former Splash Park site, then the entire recreation park site, along with the adjacent Belvedere Library would be sold off to allow a high concentration flat development, thus making a pile of short term cash for the rapacious council, and a longer term cash cow in the form of annual council tax revenue from the residential development. Councillors flatly deny this is the case – but in my experience (with a few very notable exceptions) I find that you can always tell when a politician is lying – their lips are moving. In an interview with the Bexley Times, Councillor Daniel Francis (one of the notable exceptions in my experience) said “While I welcome the news that the council plans to retain inclusive play facilities on the site, it is deeply disappointing that over 100 years of a water facility on this site will be brought to an end. This decision would have been taken over a year ago, if it were not for the tireless work of local campaigners. I would like to place on record my thanks to all those campaigners and in particular to Ian Doherty for setting up the campaign, Rachael Thompson, Nicola Taylor and Alex Taylor for their work and in particular Faye Ockleford for her tireless work co-ordinating the campaign and the Save our Splash Park FaceBook page. I therefore welcome the assurances we have received that the council do not propose selling either of the Woolwich Road recreation grounds, and we will be holding them to account to ensure they keep their promise on this issue. While the council may claim this decision has been caused by lack of interest from companies to run a water facility, this is of course not the case. This decision is a purely ideological one taken by a Conservative council as a result of the reduction in funding from a Conservative Government.” A pity that he had to put the party political boot in at the end; I know that some Conservative councillors secretly backed the plan to save the Splash Park, but were too afraid to say so publicly for fear of retribution.

The “Clean for the Queen” event aims to recruit one million people to help tidy up the UK’s dirtiest areas in time for the Queen’s 90th birthday on the weekend on 4, 5 and 6 March. Prior to this weekend, it is rather unfortunate that the PR company promoting the positive event have chosen a negative way of publicising it. They have highlighted what they consider to be the twelve dirtiest places in Britain,  and they list Erith as one of those towns.  A photo of rubbish dumped on South Road in Erith was submitted and chosen as one of the dirtiest. Campaign director Adrian Evans said in an interview with the News Shopper: “The dirty dozen all share a common theme – they are local eyesores.  Rubbish has been dumped by people who can’t be bothered to dispose of it responsibly – bottles, cans, wrappers and bags.  We have chosen these grotspots to highlight just how bad the litter problem is and also to emphasise that everyone can make a difference to their local area by not littering. To show that these places would be so much more beautiful if the litter was cleared, the Clean for The Queen team and friends are undertaking to clean up three of the grotspots in advance of the Clean for the Queen weekend on 4, 5 and 6 March.” Other towns listed as being exceptionally dirty and rubbish – filled were Thurrock, Derbyshire (not a town, I know!), Stamford, Tooting, Birmingham, Chippenham, Cardiff, Ipswich, Brighton, Newcastle and Hammersmith. 

I have had several readers ask me about buying a new computer, and what they should look for. A couple of years ago many IT industry insiders were predicting the imminent demise of the desktop PC, to be replaced with tablet devices and mobiles. The only people who were expected to continue using tower PC’s were gamers who endlessly upgrade and tweak their computer hardware to get the best performance possible. In the end, the death of the desktop PC seems not to have happened after all. There is still a demand for desktop machines. I have some predictions for the next year and the personal computer. The switch to Windows 10 will really start to have an impact, as Windows 7 goes out of mainstream support – and very few migrated to the disastrous and buggy Windows 8 / 8.1. It is expected that plenty of organisations will look therefore decide 2016's as good a time as any to take the plunge on a new PC fleet, powered by Windows 10. The top three PC-makers – Dell, Lenovo and HP have released details of the products they think will appeal to their customers.  One thing all three companies think customers will want this year is size. Or more specifically, a lack thereof. Towers and mini-towers are now for workstation-wranglers only. The corporate desktop is now a margarine-tub-sized affair. That shrinkage has been made possible by three things, the first of which is the demise of optical drives. Nobody needs to load software from CD or Blu – Ray disc anymore, and USB sticks are now the dominant portable data medium. So out go optical drives and the space they occupy. Disk density helps, too, as a 500GB 2.5-inch drive is now easy to find at decent prices and solid-state disks are also cheap. Whatever storage device you choose, it needs less space than its predecessor, meaning smaller PCs become possible. Intel's Skylake processors are the third and biggest space-saver, as they run cooler and also boast built-in graphics. By requiring less cooling and removing the need for a graphics card, Skylake means PCs can shrink in size. Nowadays only hard-core gamers looking for ultra high resolution and very high frame refresh rates still feel the need for a separate, dedicated 3D graphics card, unlike the days of yore. Smaller PCs also have manufacturers thinking about what they can do with a shrunken system. Bolting the client to the back of a monitor is now a common trick. Lenovo's taken the idea further with the “TinyOne 23”, a small form factor PC designed to mate with a slot in a matching monitor. Personally it reminds me of a “Happy Shopper” Apple iMac, but without the slick design. 2016's new laptops will do what laptops have done since day one: get smaller, lighter and thriftier in the demands placed on batteries. Under the hood, the M.2 interface will make plenty more appearances, as a connector for all manner of devices but especially SSDs. The three manufacturers who were consulted expected to see 256GB SSDs as 2016's sweet spot, with demand for 512GB rising, but cost keeping demand muted. Solid state storage will continue to take over from hard disk drives, as SSD capacity increases, costs come down and their life is extended. The two biggest improvements SSD drives bring to the party are increased speed and decreased power consumption – no need to spin a physical disk around saves a lot of battery power. The newly introduced USB-C connectivity standard won't appear in all business laptops: consensus is it's too soon for business users to want it, but it's tipped for bigger things next year once its potential to replace desktop docks is realised. Users are tired of proprietary docks, the big three tell us, and USB-C is expected to clean up in coming years. One other advantage USB – C has will be welcomed by everyone who has ever needed to connect a USB lead to a PC. For the first time ever, the USB standard, version C will allow plugs to be inserted either way round – no more scrabbling around the back of a computer or TV, trying to work out which way the USB plug goes in (and it is always the wrong way first time – I think this is a universal law). Another new connectivity standard has also been launched with 2016’s new PC hardware in mind;  WiGig is a short-range wireless protocol that can transmit audio and video or data. It's felt that the standard will let a laptop drive a monitor and connect to peripherals. The standard will find its way into some laptops this year, with Lenovo planning it as standard and intending to release a WiGig dock. Dell and HP see later adoption of the technology, which should prove popular with business users. The ability to wirelessly connect to external monitors or 4K televisions will be something many users will wonder how they coped beforehand.  Laptops capable of doing duty as tablets are very much in demand, so touch screens are increasingly common across all three vendors' ranges, bringing with them the ability to contort devices into different working positions. Whatever you buy, in whatever form factor, expect it to come with at least 4GB of DDR 4 RAM – better still 8GB. Anything less is seen as cutting corners. On a slightly different note, There's a new Sinclair ZX Spectrum in the works - this time it's a handheld dedicated games console.The Sinclair ZX Spectrum Vega+ passed its £100,000 crowdfunding target on IndieGoGo in less than three days. At the time of publication £160,000 had been pledged by 1500 backers. The handheld, which follows last year's Sinclair ZX Spectrum Vega, comes with 1000 licensed games built-in and costs £100. A bit of background: the Sinclair ZX Spectrum Vega+ is marketed by the Luton-based Retro Computers (Sir Clive's Sinclair Research Ltd is a shareholder). The development and marketing of the Vega+ is under license from Sky In-Home Service Ltd, who inherited the intellectual property rights to the Spectrum computers from Amstrad. Retro said development of the Vega+ is complete and a fully-functioning prototype is ready to go into production. It has a colour LCD and can be connected to a television. As already mentioned, it comes with 1000 licensed games, but you can download additional games free of charge. The design concept of the Vega+ is the work of Rick Dickinson, who was responsible for the design of all of Sinclair's ZX computers in the 1980s. A short explanatory video is below.



Now here is some interesting information about a newly formed local crime fighting initiative:- "Bexley Borough Neighbourhood Watch Association has set up a BikeWatch scheme in Bexley to try and help reduce the amount of nuisance and crime from Biker gangs in the Borough of Bexley. The main problems are in and around Thamesmead and Erith (although not confined to these two areas) at the very least these gangs can cause a nuisance with the noise they make late at night with their bikes, but there has also been other instances where bike gangs have attacked individuals and where their behaviour on their bikes has endangered members of the public.As the numbers of bikers increase the police are struggling to cope, as often they are unable to chase the bikers as they drive off-road while being pursued by the police, additionally often by the time the police are able to respond to a call the bikers have gone, although the disturbance has already happened and residents have been woken from their sleep. Our BikeWatch scheme like many of our other non-residential schemes such as ShopWatch and HoundWatch offer membership to residents who are then able to report instances and give information on the bikers for example time the incident happened, the number of bikes, what they were doing, registration numbers and description of riders etc etc, which we would pass onto the relevant ward police team according to area/ward of the incident, and this enables them to build up information for possible prosecution. What this scheme also offers differently from our other schemes is that residents don't have to join, they can fill in a BikeWatch incident report card and send it to us without giving their details if they fear they could suffer from reprisals from these youths. We feel also that parents should also be brought to bear when bikers are caught as they often enable their children, by purchasing them a bike and by allowing them to be out on them sometimes to the early hours of the morning. The police have powers to confiscate the bikes and have them crushed and we hope that with this scheme and residents support more of the constant offenders will be caught and that dealt with in this way. More serious instances have included a lady with a buggy nearly being hit when a biker who was riding on one wheel slipped off nearly hitting her and her buggy / child in Erith, another where one of our members who was filming their illegal activity near a shopping centre was attacked and punched also in Erith, and a person being beaten to a pulp by a gang of bikers in Abbey Wood, plus gangs on bikes riding around at night stealing motor bikes from residents. THIS HAS TO STOP NOW, BUT WE NEED YOUR HELP PLEASE JOIN BIKEWATCH TODAY. For copies of our BikeWatch Cards please either ring 0208 284 5537 or email bexwatch-office@btconnect.com BEXLEY BOROUGH NEIGHBOURHOOD WATCH ASSOCIATION-we now have over 1,000 volunteers working to help to keep the Borough Safe why not join us NOW?" You can find out more about Bexley Neighbourhood Watch Association by clicking here. 

Fellow local Blogger Malcolm Knight, of the excellent “Bexley is Bonkers” blog has been making adverse comments on the changes made to the roadways and pavements in and around Bexley, principally in Sidcup High Street and Bexleyheath Broadway. His poor view of the changes in the street layout, removing the delineation between pedestrian and traffic areas into what some now called “shared space” matches my own. The town planners and architects seem to like this uncertainty of what is road and what is pavement, but the council tax paying public seem to not. It appears that our antipathy is mirrored by Councillor Stef Borella, Labour shadow cabinet member for traffic and transport, who views the works as a council vanity project. He said in an interview in the Bexley Times that “The works are costing £5.5million, that’s money that could have been spread elsewhere. You can put that money in places like Sidcup High Street, Forest Road in Slade Green, or in developing Belvedere. It’s such a vanity project to focus on developing Bexleyheath. When I was knocking on doors during the general election, I’d say around 85 per cent were opposed to the idea of these roadworks.” In my opinion the reason the money gets spent in Bexleyheath and the Southern part of the London Borough of Bexley is because that is where the governing councillors live; the poorer North of the Borough gets repeatedly ignored, as the residents of the North did not elect the councillors that are now in power. Danson Splash Park in Welling was not even considered for closure, but the much more popular and widely used Belvedere Splash Park was - you work it out.

The photo above shows the former Odeon, Erith when it was being used as a Mecca bingo hall back in 1985; it was a sad end for a glorious Art Deco building, constructed in 1937, and opened in 1938, it seated 1,240 people. You can see more period photos of the building by clicking here. Sadly, even though it was a Grade II* listed building, it was demolished in 1999, and now a block of flats and offices stands on the site. Wetherspoons had hoped to conserve the original cinema building and convert it into a pub / restaurant, but the close proximity of the Sherwood House sheltered housing scheme directly opposite meant that this was never going to happen - the levels of noise and disturbance at night would never have been permitted by the licensing authorities. 

MP for Erith and Thamesmead, Teresa Pearce has been getting rightly annoyed in my opinion in cuts being made to the Magistrate's Court system locally. Dartford Magistrates' Court has been axed in moves to "modernise" the justice system, the government has announced. Meanwhile, two justice buildings will be lost in the Greenwich borough - where both Greenwich Magistrates' Court and Woolwich County Court are to close. They were three of 91 buildings, 57 magistrates and 19 county courts, at threat of closure by the HM Courts and Tribunal Service.  According to the HM Courts and Tribunal Service, the 86 courts they are closing are used for just over a third of their available hearing time, the equivalent of less than two days a week. In Dartford, the proposal was to transfer all cases seventeen miles away to Medway Magistrates' Court - but 97 per cent of residents nationwide should still be able to reach their court within an hour by car. The workloads and hearings of Greenwich and Woolwich will be moved to Bromley County Court. In an interview with the News Shopper, Teresa Pearce said “The government has already slashed legal aid and increased court fees. Many are representing themselves because they cannot afford a lawyer. And now victims and witnesses will have to travel much further than before, further threatening their right to local access to justice. Many of the cases looked into at these courts are for family matters or less serious offences. The Ministry of Justice say it will only take 20 minutes from Greenwich to Bromley – well that’s just not my experience. It will take longer for police to transport prisoners and longer for witnesses or victims to travel to court at greater personal expense. I urge the government to reconsider these proposals. You cannot put a price on fair access to justice for all." To balance this, it has to be said that some of the court buildings that are being closed have been chronically underused in recent years. I understand that currently the inefficiency in the court system and the underuse of buildings is estimated to cost the UK taxpayer half a billion pounds a year. What is the answer? Leave a comment below, or Email hugh.neal@gmail.com.

Look out for increased levels of Police, emergency service and military activity in and around the local area in the next couple of weeks; Exercise Unified Response will simulate a tower block collapsing into Waterloo Underground station packed with passengers. The four-day exercise, starting on February 29th, aims to test the contingency planning of more than seventy organisations, from mortuaries to the Government’s Cobra committee. It will be staged at the decommissioned Littlebrook power station, near Dartford Crossing, and include two thousand volunteers playing casualties amid upturned Tube trains and thousands of tons of rubble. It is understood that the techniques being tested could also be used in a terror incident. Following the Paris suicide bombings and gun attacks in November, which killed 130, London firefighters wearing bulletproof vests have been trained to work alongside police while gunmen are still at large. The €1 million (£770,000) drill is funded by the European Union and will include specialists from Hungary, Italy and Cyprus. Part of the exercise is to test if they could get to trapped survivors faster than the July 7 terror attacks in 2005, and help reduce their trauma. It will be interesting to see what happens. If you have been contacted as a volunteer for the four day exercise, please let me know - Email me at hugh.neal@gmail.com.

The end video this week examines the future for the currently empty and derelict Spillers Millennium Flour Mill in Silvertown, Docklands. The iconic building has been used as a TV and film location, most notably in Stanley Kubrick's "Full Metal Jacket". It is now about to be refurbished and put back into use. The short video explains how the listed building is going to be restored and internally transformed; it makes for interesting and informative viewing.

Crayford Island.

The posters above are as they say, for the forthcoming "Our Erith" art exhibition, being hosted by the Friends of Christ Church, Erith. You can read more about the event, and how you can take part by visiting the "Our Erith" page of the Christ Church website here.

One of the perks of being a moderately well known local blogger is that I do tend to get sent all sorts of press releases and publicity documents before they are made available to the general public. One announcement reached me too late for last week's Maggot Sandwich update. Bexley Council have made a two decisions which will do nothing to increase their popularity with residents. Firstly they have cut the funding to Bexley Youth Services to the tune of a total of £358,000 by the end of March this year, effectively closing down much, if not all of the service. Up to twenty seven Youth Service jobs are at risk. The council claims that the restructure, which will target Bexley’s most vulnerable children - including those with special needs and those caught up in crime - is the right way forward. In the build-up to the announced cuts, an online petition against changing the structure of youth services gained more than two thousand signatures - this seems to have been in vain, as Bexley Council are steam - rollering through the cuts anyway. So much for their motto:- "Listening To You, Working for You".

The News Shopper are reporting the results of an extremely unscientific piece of data analysis that nevertheless sparks some degree of interest:- Bexley has been revealed as the happiest borough to live in London, according to tweets.  Data analysis company Tekja produced a new Twitter study which gave an insight into the capital’s happiest to saddest boroughs.  The data was collected through 50,000 tweets each day and Bexley came out on top – with Lewisham third bottom and Sutton last. The point of a tweet was determined by examining each word against a list of 2,500 English words rated for happiness from -5 (negative) to +5 (positive).  All of the results are being displayed at Somerset House’s Big Bang Data exhibition which runs until February 28. All very interesting, conversation provoking stuff, but it does not really stand up to any kind of rigorous analysis.

Word reaches me that a new shop will shortly be opening in the Erith Riverside Shopping Centre. Subway are opening an outlet in the vacant unit opposite the clothing store Blue Inc. I for one welcome the move; of all the “fast food” outlets, Subway offer by far the healthiest food options – and I find their offerings to be very tasty. They certainly will be a credible alternative to the salt, sugar and fat laden stuff sold by KFC and McDonald’s. Subway are far from perfect, but better than many of their competitors. I also understand that Mambocino still intend on taking the large corner unit opposite Argos (shown in the photo above - click on it for a larger view); not only does the very successful coffee shop / informal restaurant need the extra space to expand, but the new unit at the front of the shopping centre has a door that would allow customers to access the restaurant after the main shopping centre gates are closed and locked at 6pm every evening. This is the one issue that has prevented the evening opening of any business in the shopping centre. I understand that Mambocino wish to retain their current daytime premises within the centre, and to expand with an evening opening “sit down” restaurant opposite Argos. I feel that this is a very good idea; at present the only place where one can sit down to a knife and fork meal after 6pm is the café in Morrison’s – hardly somewhere you would want to book! I think Mambocino could well be on to a winner. My source informs me that the reason the whole development has taken such a long time is that new power cabling and a full kitchen ventilation system are having to be installed in both the prospective Mambocino corner unit and the smaller unit which will house the Subway franchise. Things are looking up when it comes to eating choice in the town.

Although, as many readers know, I personally detest mobile phones, I am acutely aware that many people run their lives around such devices. Tus I do keep an eye on developments in mobile phone technology. Windows Phone started off life as a promising alternative to Android and iOS five years ago. Microsoft positioned its range of Windows Phone 7 handsets as the true third mobile ecosystem, but it is time to admit it has failed. If a lack of devices from phone makers and even Microsoft itself wasn't enough evidence, the final nail in the coffin hit today. Microsoft only sold 4.5 million Lumia devices in the recent quarter, compared to ten point five million at the same time last year. That's a massive fifty seven percent drop. Even a fifty seven percent increase wouldn't be enough to save Windows Phone right now. Microsoft and Nokia have sold a total of 110 million Windows Phones compared to four point five billion iOS and Android phones in the same period. With Lumia sales on the decline and Microsoft's plan to not produce a large amount of handsets, it's clear we're witnessing the end of Windows Phone. Rumours suggest Microsoft is developing a Surface Phone, but it has to make it to the market first. Windows Phone has long been in decline and its app situation is only getting worse. With a lack of hardware, lack of sales, and less than two percent market share, it is time to call it: Windows Phone is dead. Real Windows on phones might become a thing with Continuum eventually, but Windows Phone as we know it is done. It won't stop Microsoft producing a few handsets every year as a vanity project, but for everyone else it is most certainly the end of the line. I doubt that many people will even notice, to be honest. 

I reported some time ago about the plans that Aldi had to challenge the domination of Sainsbury's in Crayford; news has now been released that the construction of the new Aldi store is now beginning. The new 18,200 sqft supermarket will be the prime focus of the development in Roman Way - which will sit adjacent to the Tower Retail Park, and just over the road from Sainsbury's. You can explore the area in the embedded Google Street View above. There will be 157 parking spaces on the site, and other smaller retail buildings. Planning permission for the store was passed last year, and Aldi hope to open in November. The new store is going to be located on the quaintly named Crayford Island, almost directly opposite the huge Sainsbury's, which I understand was the largest one in the country when it opened; I am unsure if it still holds that title nowadays though. 

You may recall that a couple of weeks ago I featured a story about a campaign to raise a petition to the government to remove the rail franchise from Southeastern. It all went quiet for a while, but finally a government response to the petition has now been published.  “The industry is working hard to improve services and we are reforming passenger compensation. We are determined to provide the service passengers expect across the country. We know that some passengers are very frustrated about the performance and the service they receive. We expect Southeastern to continue to work with Network Rail in order to minimise disruption and ensure services improve in 2016. The Department for Transport is closely monitoring the performance of the rail network across London and the South East and operators must inform customers properly when things go wrong. As the Chancellor stated in his Autumn Statement, we are committed to reducing the time threshold for which passengers can claim from 30 minutes to 15 minutes, and the Department is gearing up to reform the compensation arrangements as set out in that commitment.

As part of our robust franchising programme, the current operator of Southeastern is delivering millions of pounds of investment to improve journeys, which includes:

•       New high speed and classic services delivering more than 95,000 extra seats, including 1,000 extra seats on Southeastern’s High Speed services every day

•       Refreshing 112 trains and updating toilets on a further 190 trains as well as improving accessibility by investing over £10 million in the train fleet over the franchise

•       An obligation to improve stations by investing £4.8 million by 31 October 2016 and from January 2015 opening Cannon Street 21 hours a day with additional staff to assist passengers

•       Extra staff will be available at stations as Southeastern have committed to ensuring that its gatelines are staffed for 90% in London and 70% of opening hours.

•       The new £26m Rochester Station completion was opened on 13 December 2015 and forms part of the East Kent Re-signalling programme, an investment of £145m.

•       Strood Station - a £2.6 million project to demolish the current 1960’s style station and replace it with a modern building – Work is due to start in Spring 2016 and to be completed by 2017.

•       A programme to deep clean all Southeastern stations and a programme of station improvement works across the franchise.

Alongside this, our record investment in the railways, and the transformative work which the industry is doing on this part of the network, is essential in building a world-class railway, providing more services and better journeys. We understand that passengers are concerned about performance and the service they receive, however we know that Southeastern are working together with Network Rail in order to minimise disruption and to recover services faster where infrastructure failures occur. We would like this work to continue in order that service improvements continue. Southeastern have been working on their fleet of trains to improve capacity in the Metro area, and the Department for Transport is working with Southeastern to look at whether additional capacity can be introduced in the near term and improve the service for passengers. This Government has long recognised the importance of improving the performance of train operators, and through Network Rail we committed to seeing £38 billion invested in the rail network, and the hugely ambitious infrastructure projects such as Crossrail and HS2, as well the transformation of London Bridge. We closely monitor the performance of both the operators and Network Rail, and incentivise their performance through the Franchise Agreements and Track Access Agreements. Whilst we understand the frustration felt by all constituents affected by any delay, we would like to assure you that the Department for Transport is determined to see further improvements and provide the service that passengers expect". In a very long – winded and bureaucratic way the Department of Transport are in essence telling commuters to get stuffed. This is precisely what I was expecting; the only real light at the end of the tunnel is the news that there is a strong likelihood that the whole Southeastern franchise may be taken over by Transport for London, who have a pretty good track record of turning around failing rail businesses. Time will tell.

In the past there have been rumours (which I have reported) about the forthcoming Crossrail project being extended past its currently planned terminus at Abbey Wood, and extended down to the proposed Paramount London Theme Park. Until now there has been little concrete evidence that anything other than a bit of talk had been going on. This has now changed. The News Shopper have reported that MP for Bexleyheath and Crayford, David Evennett attended a meeting with other local MP’s at number eleven Downing Street last week. The event was to lobby the Chancellor of the Exchequer, George Osborne to agree to extend Crossrail down to Ebbsfleet. Evennett said “We have so much potential along the riverside but transport services must be improved and extended. Local rail services are poor and Southeastern has failed to cope with the growth in passenger numbers. The extension of Crossrail could give a huge boost to economic development in our area, together with new housing and business opportunities”. The group were lobbying for extra regeneration in the east of London and along the River Thames with constituencies in south east London, Kent and Essex represented at the meeting. Thus far, no decision has yet been made as to whether an extension will be allowed. Please feel free to leave a comment below, or Email me at hugh.neal@gmail.com.

The Maggot Sandwich has a guest contributor this week; Gary Drew is a well - known radio presenter who broadcasts a weekly show on Laser Hot Hits. Gary is a renowned authority on 1980 's Jazz Funk and Soul music, and he has a very wide background in radio broadcasting. He writes a piece on his take on DAB Radio, following the article recently submitted by Peter Moore, station manager of Radio Caroline. Gary writes:- "It is well known in free radio circles that I am a supporter of DAB and I have been on board with this method of broadcasting since 2005. However despite much banter and teasing from fellow free radio colleagues on laser and friends having a polite dig at me for this I began to take DAB seriously around late 2012. I am aware that early DAB began in the mid 90's with stations being duplicated on DAB in parallel with the analogue versions. In those early days it is true that if you was able to get a good signal (mostly from the national BBC stations) you were able to get decent quality 198 kbps or 256 kbps and mostly stereo or something called joint stereo. I didn't bother purchasing my 1st DAB set until 2003 but I sent it back within just 3 weeks out of disappointment as the signals were weak on my local services and there was lots of burbling and cut outs most of the time. By 2005 the network had improved but a consequence of this was dropping bit rates of many stations and switching to mono in some cases not just to fit more stations onto the multiplexes but also to improve signal quality for those who had purchased earlier radio sets. Back then DAB radios were expensive and I think I paid over £150 in 2005 for my trusty Sony midi system with built in DAB which still works very well to this day. As I knew the framework for DAB was being upgraded albeit slowly, I decided to stick with it and I wasn't bothered about mono or low bit rates as long as I could hear the station I wanted to listen to. The same applies today with me in that the bit rate and mono signals of some stations doesn't really concern me as long as it's out there and I can get it. Your average Joe public would think in much the same way even now.  A serious issue would be if the stations could not be heard or cut out much more often like the old world space radio service which I believe suffered that fate even though it relied on satellites to get a signal. However to be fair, although I never had world space radio myself I did hear reports that when it did work it was okay. I think it was a victim of early technology launching to the masses too early without being developed enough. A proven record of a success story in satellite radio would be Sirius XM in the USA. Anyway back to DAB and over the years many stations that were DAB only (the selling point) with no analogue alternative changed ownership or closed down or were taken over thus not lasting very long. Some of this was to do with investment and running costs or restricted listenership as DAB was still in its infancy in my opinion until at least 2010. By then it seemed that more stations were coming on board and lasting longer, reception was improving and stations became settled in that they would not be moved around on the multiplex as much forcing a retune. However that said I have had to perform 3 re-tunes since October 2015 as the operators of DAB can be a bit ruthless at times by moving a station to a different multiplex sometimes without warning meaning that the station is still on the air but your radio won't find it unless you do a rescan where it has moved frequency within the DAB bandwidth.  In 2009 I bought a Pure Evoke flow wi-fi radio for the internet mainly but also for DAB. This newer radio worked better than the Sony on DAB as the firmware had improved and it is upgradable over the airwaves. I wanted to get all the London stations I could get on FM many years ago but I am out of range where I am so DAB was the answer and having more than one DAB radio was better so in 2011 I bought a Pure One Mi for the kitchen. Now DAB was taking off with more stations being added every few months but it wasn't until around 2012 when I bought a Pure One Classic when the real fun began. It was now possible to record, pause and rewind live radio. The ultimate selling point for DAB was here and I have had many years of success with this radio by setting the timer when I'm away and being able to playback and listen again to my favourite shows. In December last year just a few months ago I learned that DAB+ upgrades were now available for some Pure radios and DAB+ sets were now on sale and affordable in the UK. DAB+ a better version of DAB had already been adopted in most of Europe and stations were (and are) still closing there to go onto the DAB+ platform. Many Medium Wave stations closed on New Years Eve in France and Germany and other countries are following soon. In the UK we are already starting to see medium wave closures  with BBC Radio Bristol due to close on February 18th. There are unconfirmed reports that BBC Radio 5 Live is to go digital only soon as well. I was lucky and managed to get a free upgrade sent to me from Pure for my Pure One Classic mark 2 and Pure Evoke Flow mark 1 but now some people are paying £10 for DAB+ upgrades and these can now be done over the air rather than by plugging the radio into a laptop with a USB cable like I had to do. There is an upgrade for the Pure One Mi but you have to pay and not all radio's will be able to update. Why pay £10 to upgrade? A very good reason is that the new national multiplex is already testing on 11A and some of the stations will be broadcasting in DAB+. A DAB+ test is already going out for engineers and this is moving forward at a pace. I am still a big fan of analogue radio and as a free radio broadcaster and DX'er myself - I get a lot of joy from listening to pirate, clandestine and free radio but in recent years I have found myself not wanting to put up with poor signals on shortwave so I use the Twente SDR in the Netherlands and likewise the noise floor on medium wave is intolerable at times so I would rather find the DAB or online equivalent of a station. FM is okay but limited by local range and national stations require retuning. In most cases RDS or EON on analogue FM will take care of the retuning process especially while driving. Internet and wi fi radio and phone apps are very good but there is some waiting to connect or sometimes there is buffering so DAB is better for me as it's almost as instant as analogue radio, you can get almost everything you get on analogue, you can pause, record and rewind, you can listen to stations out of area in the crystal clear like clear DX and DAB+ is already here and improving and it will not be going away. Small scale DAB multiplexes have started and these are for stations who cannot afford to go onto the DAB platform on their own so they can be privately funded or run as a group of stations. There are 10 near me on one SS multiplex and stations like Radio Caroline and Solar Radio are already on some of the small scale multiplexes but not in all parts of the UK (yet). I am also lucky in that I can get 6 local multiplexes with my nearest 13 miles away and my furthest 50 miles away which only comes in on good days. Sometimes the station ident comes up but with no audio. I would like to thank Hugh for the web space and close by saying - love it or hate it DAB is here to stay. The analogue noise floor will get louder as more people buy electronics and medium wave frequencies will be sold off. Bye for now". Thanks to Gary for that very informative piece; if you have a view on what he says, please leave a comment below, or Email me directly to hugh.neal@gmail.com.

Last weekend Erith Model Railway Society held their annual exhibition. One of south east England’s largest shows, it moved to a bigger venue this year at the Longfield Academy, having outgrown previous venues. Over two thousand visitors turned up to look at the model railway layouts. The exhibition encompassed over thirty quality layouts and sale of a range of products including transport books, DVD's and model building kits. You can visit the Erith Model Railway Society website here. The video below shows several layouts taken at last year's exhibition - do give it a watch.