Arthur Street.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The Pom Pom.

The photos above were taken by me on Friday, when I was the guest of Maggot Sandwich reader Manjinder, when he showed me around the building and conservation work that is currently being undertaken on the former Royal Alfred pub in Manor Road, Erith. Manjinder writes:- "A little about our story, in 2002 we bought a shop on Manor Road from a local chap called John Webb, 6 years later in 2008 we purchased a pub on the same Road called The Royal Alfred.  The shop was very small and we saw the opportunity of buying the pub to expand the business to bigger premises. The pub was previously run by Steven Taylor who was part of a family that ran some local pubs, Lord Raglan and Cross Keys were two of those pubs.  Although a steady trade it’s fair to say that from a business view point of view it was neglected and in decline. In addition to the opportunity of expanding our shop, the pub was also large enough to build some living accommodation on top, so we started plans to build flats above the pub. Major challenge the building work has been, but has definitely put a spring in our days learning new things and meeting all trades once you are involved you can't get enough! the challenge has been to make the flats above as much in touch with building as possible the open space , large windows, high ceilings etc, There was much concern locally that we would knock down the pub and also our planner suggested it as an option, but it was never entertained by us as we view the building as a landmark of the town and now the fact that when it is turned into a shop more people will share this with us. The local community will still be coming in for their drinks, but this time the drinks will be consumed off the premises! 'New Light' is the name most locals in Erith knew the Royal Alfred as, this name I am led to believe was given by local fishermen, as it was one of the first places in Erith to have electricity hence the light of the pub was visible from the Thames when the fishermen returned home.  After a chat with planning at Bexley Council we mutually agreed that the name above the door, The Royal Alfred will stay permanently! Thank you to all of the local community who have been supportive of the project and we look forward to seeing you all at the new shop." This is excellent news - the upstairs of the former pub will be large, light and airy apartments that reflect the history of the former pub, whilst the downstairs will be a larger version of the popular and long standing Londis corner shop that so many local people rely on daily. I think Manjinder and his family are onto a winner. I have already been invited back for another viewing when the conversion work nears completion. 

I am firmly of the opinion that Erith is heading for a renaissance. For the first time in several decades the town is growing in a positive manner. Not only are nearly two thousand new homes being built in the immediate vicinity, but many new enterprises are starting up. We have the new steak and fish restaurant shortly to be opened in the retail unit opposite Argos in Erith Riverside Shopping Centre, which will be the first proper “sit down” restaurant in the town centre. Fit4less – the new gym is opening at the end of October in the long empty units opposite Erith Health Centre (one observer commented that it could not be located in a more suitable location – should a gym user put their back out, they only need to go across the road to see a doctor). The old betting shop in Pier Road has been repurposed as a tutorial centre for children, and the old Blockbuster video hire shop has been turned into a soft play centre for small children. Erith is slowly becoming a much nicer place to live and work. I was told by someone in a strong position to know that they felt that in five years’ time Erith would be more akin to somewhere like Hoxton – a very desirable place to live that also formerly had been a fairly challenging environment in the past.

In a move that I don't think many could have seen coming, Bexley Council have announced that they are now back tracking on their plan to  privatise the borough’s libraries under a joint outsourcing exercise with Bromley Council. Proposals to outsource the borough’s libraries were revealed last October, but the council has decided to continue running the library service in-house following the receipt of tenders. Bexley and Bromley already share back office operations in many areas as a way to save costs. Some Bexley libraries have been handed over to local volunteers to run, but this has proved to be difficult - getting enough voluntary staff to ensure that the libraries are open for their usual hours is a challenge. What Bexley will cut in replacement for the libraries is unclear at this stage, but you can rest assured that cut further services they will. 

The Friends of Christ Church Erith are holding a fundraising quiz night on the evening of Saturday the 22nd October from 7pm until 10pm in the Church Hall, which is located behind the church in Victoria Road, Erith. Tickets are £5 each. I will be there - do feel free to come along. You can get tickets either by Emailing me at hugh.neal@gmail.com or by contacting focce1874@aol.com. You can read more about the Friends of Christ Church Erith by clicking here. 

UK residents have little faith in the government's ability to securely handle their private data - according to a wide-ranging survey which echoes findings by the National Audit Office last week. Just 22 per cent believed that the government has appropriate means to stop cyber-attacks and identity breaches, according to 1,500 people polled by YouGov on behalf of security consultants Covata. Only 37 per cent said they were confident that the government would keep their personal data secure; while 32 per cent believed departments would not be able to share information securely between public sector bodies. The findings come as the government intends to increase the ease with which the public sector can access citizen data via the Digital Economy Bill. However, 51 per cent said it would be easier to use online government services if departments could share more information. A recent report by the National Audit Office slammed Whitehall for its poor information security practices. It found the Cabinet Office is failing to coordinate the UK's government departments' efforts to protect information. It reported 9,000 data breaches in the seventeen largest government departments in 2014/15. Some 54 per cent named security as the number one priority for moving more government services online. In an open letter to the government, Covata wrote:- "At the very least, all sensitive information should be encrypted by default. Strict controls must be in place to guarantee that only authorised personnel can access this information. Who attempts to access which files should be constantly monitored to ensure no breaches of protocol. Departments should make it impossible for files to be shared by unauthorised channels, such as consumer-grade file sharing or cloud-based platforms". A little self interested coming from a security consultant perhaps, but nevertheless a fair comment. If government departments are concerned about data security, then the banks are even more worried - and some are taking some serious moves to deter fraud. I have explained in some detail in the past regarding the problems with banking, and the various methods criminals use to defraud the law abiding public. Nowadays there is little point in carrying out an armed robbery on a bank branch – the risks are great, the rewards limited, and the sentencing harsh in the very likely event that the perpetrators are caught. Conversely online fraud offers potentially unlimited gains, small risk of detection and comparatively lenient sentencing in the unlikely event of capture and conviction. It seems logical that cyber-crime is on the ascendant – however much we all detest it. Last week I explained how vulnerable “tap and pay” debit cards are to data interception and exploitation. This week I have some rather more encouraging news.  Today both Société Générale and Groupe BPCE, two of France’s largest banking groups, are preparing to roll out a new form of bank card that is substantially more secure than those currently in service.  The new cards use a patented technology called Motioncode. The cards initially look pretty much similar to bank cards that we are all familiar with, but on the back, where the signature strip is located, there is a small LCD screen which displays three additional digits, which change every hour for up to three years when the card is replaced. The additional digits are synchronised with the banks systems so that even if your bank card gets cloned by fraudsters, the verification code will only be valid for an hour, after which it will change. This is a similar security approach to that used by a number of large companies that use SecureID to verify remote access to their IT systems. Using an hourly changing additional verification number on a credit / debit card makes it exponentially more secure – but of course still vulnerable to physical theft. Motioncode technology is still in a relatively early stage of development, but it is hoped that it will be available in the UK within a year – here’s hoping the UK banks adopt it sooner rather than later.

The photo above shows a piece of Erith's history which is shortly to go for auction in the USA. The rather impressive looking Victorian naval gun is a Maxim 37mm heavy machine gun / light cannon built in 1890 in Erith. The reserve guide price for the weapon is $150,000 to $250,000. The video below was published recently on YouTube by a historical weapons expert called Ian. He tells the history of obscure and obsolete guns and the stories around them. In this video he recounts the history of the 37mm Maxim heavy machine gun / light cannon. It was popularly known as the "Pom Pom" gun, due to the noise it made when firing. Some locals will see where this story is going; The Maxim factory in Fraser Road, Erith (what is now the BATT Cables factory and warehouse) was where the guns were made in the 1890's, back then there was a test range to the rear of the factory where the guns were test fired before being shipped to their customers. To this day the Eastern end of Fraser Road and the houses in the surrounding area are still referred to as the "Pom Pom", although very few local residents will actually know why. Anyway, you can find out more about the locally made historical weapon in the video below.

Some news reaches me this week that is more than a little timely. Last week I mentioned that it would be nice to see a Micro Pub in Northumberland Heath. This week I got news that a planning application has been submitted to Bexley Council for a Micro Pub at 100 Barnehurst Road, in the shop unit previously occupied by the Aquacadabra the aquarium retailer. I think that Barnehurst would be an ideal location for a Micro Pub – it is close to bus and train public transport, there is only one pub in Barnehurst – and that is The Red Barn, next to Barnehurst station – which is a sports bar, mainly serving lager. This would offer no competition for a Micro pub serving hand drawn real ales in civilised company. It will be interesting to see what happens next – I cannot imagine that anyone would object to a Micro Pub in the area? Many thanks to Andy of The Broken Drum for bringing the story to my attention.

Whilst the mystery behind the continued closure of Moat House may have been solved (see the last edition for details), there are still many unanswered questions relating to the former Potion Bar / White Hart. The steel shuttering that has been fixed to the frontage of the building has recently been taken down, and some workers have been seen in the building. The place is just a shell now, and will need extensive refurbishment and reconstruction. The relatively short lived Potion bar was a hive of scum and villainy; it was Erith's drug supermarket and home to every criminal low life and lager drinker in the area. Both the Police and the Council had serious objections to the place almost from the day it opened - not just from the activities of the knuckle dragging, pond life clientele, but from the way the owners of the bar criminally disfigured the grade II listed building, when they ripped out the original salt glazed tile and acid etched glass frontage and replaced it with the plate glass frontage, contrary to the explicit instructions of the Council. I don't think that Potion Bar has ever turned a profit, despite the owners saving money by employing an unqualified and un - Police registered manager. I understand that the new owners will be obligated to install a replica of the original Victorian façade – the building is located in the Erith High Street conservation area. I am trying to find out what is going to be done with the rest of the building; a planning application was submitted to construct a low rise apartment block in what is currently the former pub’s garden, but I have not seen if this has been granted or not. I understand that the metal shuttering which until recently surrounded the building was installed at the insistence of the building insurers – empty buildings are rather likely to be gutted by metal thieves after copper water piping and electrical cabling. It would be good to see the open plan bar area of the former pub put back into use – though I doubt that it would be licenced premises again. If you have any information on the future of the building, please feel to email me with the information – hugh.neal@gmail.com.

It would seem that Transport for London’s plans for new river crossings to the East of London across the Thames are somewhat confused. Recent announcements by both TfL and the Mayor of London’s Office have promoted a new bridge for pedestrians and cyclists between Rotherhithe and Canary Wharf, a greener Silvertown Tunnel, and a new extension of the DLR to Thamesmead. Other ideas being examined are:- a new river bus between Canary Wharf and North Greenwich, and a new river crossing from Barking Riverside towards South East London. What seems to be missing from all of this is the proposed river crossing between Rainham in Essex and Lower Belvedere, which has been much discussed in the past. As I have previously written, the Rainham to Belvedere link would be best suited to a prefabricated sunken tunnel, using broadly similar construction technology to that employed in the Gillingham Tunnel. All of a sudden this road and rail link seems to have been dropped and forgotten. I am uncertain as to why this would be the case, as potentially a tunnel at Lower Belvedere could really take the pressure off the Dartford River Crossing – which has been suffering with severe congestion problems for a long time. Quite why the Rainham / Belvedere tunnel is now out of favour is not clear, and I know that other local bloggers are equally perplexed. On top if this, the congestion at the Dartford Tunnel / Bridge is now worse than ever – the transition from the toll booths to online toll payment was meant to speed up traffic flow, but in reality the reverse appears to the case. The design of the revised traffic flow actually seems to cause greater congestion. A letter written to the News Shopper last week really outlines this problem – which you can read here. The writer contends that the congestion problems with the river crossing are now reflecting badly on the whole town of Dartford. If you have any insight into the matter, then please drop me a line (which can be in complete confidence) to hugh.neal@gmail.com.

Crayford based specialist sports car manufacturer Caterham Cars have gone what appears to be a bit bonkers - they have launched a Harrods themed model of their sports car. Caterham Seven cars are stripped to the bone, raw track day and weekend racers - luxury in a Caterham Seven is fitting the (optional) heater. A spokesperson from Harrods was quoted as saying:- "Caterham is one of Great Britain's most famous and instantly recognisable motoring brands and it has been a pleasure to partner with the team there to create this Harrods special edition of the legendary Seven." Clearly someone who works there is a fan also! Based around a 420S model, the Harrods Caterham costs - brace yourself - £59,995 and is on display in-store right now. For that you get a gold-painted chassis, Harrods green paint with gold pinstriping, butterscotch leather and embroidered logos on the seats and a similar one on the gearknob. The intention of the car is to show the range and scope of personalisation options open to Seven buyers under the new Signature scheme. The result is a slightly odd mix of trademark Caterham Seven rawness and well-appointed Harrods luxury but, given the idea is you build it to your own specification, the world is your oyster. I can see wealthy people purchasing customised Caterham Sevens from Harrods as a weekend toy. You do sometimes see Caterham Sevens being test driven along Thames Road in Crayford, and along University Way, which leads to Junction One of the M25 and the Dartford River Crossing. This is because the Caterham Cars factory is located in Kennet Road, Crayford, just off the Thames Road.

Google launched a number of new products and services this week, which were widely reported in the popular press, and I won’t repeat here. One thing that did somewhat surprise me was that with all of the new gadgetry launched by Google, and the rumoured launch (that did not actually happen) of their new hybrid computer operating system called Andromeda, which – when it appears – is intended to merge Android and Chrome OS into a single monolithic product designed to be a rival to Windows, OS X and Linux. This was not what I found surprising; instead what I noticed was that Google seems to have given up on tablet computers.  It has been widely known for some time that tablet sales are declining. The most recent tablet sales data has the market at about 150 million units a year. Apple has a quarter of the market and Samsung has about 15 per cent. Vendors in third through fifth place – Lenovo, Huawei and Amazon – won't sell ten million units a year. The tablet market is sliding even faster than the PC market – by about 12 per cent a year compared to five per cent for PCs. It can also be seen that it takes more and more effort to get a tablet off the shelf: Apple has teamed with Deloitte to point out how an iPad might make sense at work, having already allied itself with IBM. Microsoft, meanwhile, has bundled training with its Surface-as-a-service pay-by-the-month plan for its hybrid laptop / tablet Surface products. Those hybrids, by the way, are considered the sole bright spot in the PC market, despite their relatively high price.  It would seem now Google's act of omission shows us that the company's assault on our personal space does not include a frontline role for a tablet computer. This  is not to say that tablets are doomed. They are clearly very handy devices in many applications. Personally I have found tablet devices to be a solution in need of a problem, but I know that many disagree.

Last weekend I carried out a full clear out of the loft here at Pewty Acres. I had not been into the loft for at least ten years, possibly quite a bit longer. To give you an idea as to how long stuff has been stored up there, I found a Sharp video tape recorder – and it was a Betamax model! I managed to clear out everything in the loft, most of which went to recycling. Understandably it was very dusty and I was covered. I did come across something that I don’t even ever recall coming into the possession of. Inside a well – sellotaped  cardboard box was a radio wrapped in a plastic bag. When I took it downstairs and opened it up, I found a mint, almost unmarked portable radio made by British firm Hacker. Back in the 60’s and 70’s Hacker were considered the “Rolls – Royce” of portable radios, and considered superior even to the well-known and widely respected Roberts brand. Hacker Radio primarily marketed its products to the UK domestic market, and were priced towards the top of the market. This, plus the relatively short period of operation (only nineteen years from start to finish) results in a lower brand awareness today compared to other household names such as Roberts Radio. However, Hacker products have a strong following among vintage radio enthusiasts and collectors, and in good condition they are worth serious money. The stated Hacker philosophy was to focus on technical performance rather than cost, and words to this effect are frequently found in printed material from the time. Many examples of their products survive today, and it is widely accepted among vintage radio enthusiasts that the build quality is higher than most similar sets from the same era. The model I have is the Sovereign – the top of the range model, and the version I have is the most highly desirable mark one version, often termed the RP18. This was Hacker's premium portable model, featuring AM and FM reception, and the name was used for four generations of the receiver. - The first generation, the RP18 Sovereign, was released in 1964, and was slightly larger than the contemporary Herald, which was the entry level model. The case was leather cloth-covered wood with padding for the front and rear panels, and was only available in charcoal black. The same large loudspeaker was used. The FM front end was bought in from German company Görler, and the rest of the tuner sections used Mullard AF11x-series transistors. User-adjustable station markers were provided to indicate the position of three favourite stations - but as these could only be moved over the lower half of the FM band (which only extended to 101 MHz), they were intended to locate the three national BBC services available at the time. The reason Hacker went out of business was that they would not lower their build quality, or technical standards in the presence of cheaper competitors from the Far East, principally Japan. Unfortunately my Sovereign is currently inoperative. I have installed two new PP9 batteries in it (the radio requires 18 Volts DC to operate), but it is dead. Fortunately I have located a specialist repairer of classic radios who can fix my Hacker and bring it back to life. I will be investing a few quid in getting the prestigious vintage radio back in full working order.

The end video this week comes from a young chap called Jamie Moreland; he runs a YouTube channel call Update News. He covers local news and current affairs stories with video reports like those of a broadcast TV news channel. He's very good, and I can see a bright future for him if he went on to become a professional news reporter. Have a watch, and see what you think.

The Homeleigh hoax.

The photos above show both sides of a promotional postcard from the multi award - winning Bexley Brewery, which is based on the Manford Industrial Estate in Manor Road, Erith, just at the foot of the Erith Wind Turbine. As many longer term readers will already know, I am keen to encourage and promote independent local businesses.  The Bexley Brewery is run by husband and wife team Cliff and Jane Murphy; they brew a range of very high quality, easy - drinking real ales, which they sell all over London and the South East. You can see exactly where their beer is available on this fully interactive map by clicking here. I have been contacted on several occasions by Google (who own Blogger - the blogging platform the Maggot Sandwich uses) to try and persuade me to take commercial advertising, but I refuse; it would make me lose my independence, and would make me beholden to the advertisers. The only companies that I promote are those with strong local links, and I promote them completely for free.

An interesting, albeit slightly disturbing case developed last week; a Maggot Sandwich reader contacted me out of the blue, to ask if I had heard anything about the former Homeleigh care home in Avenue Road, Erith. You may recall that I wrote about the Homeleigh care home back in May, when the story of how Bexley Council were planning on converting the building into a hostel for homeless people first broke. Since the Spring the story had gone quiet, and I must admit that I had thought very little more about it. The reader who contacted me told me that rumours were circulating locally that Bexley Council were planning on moving fifty families of Syrian refugees into the former care home, and did I know anything about it? This immediately sounded suspicious to me; the Homeleigh building is just not large enough to accommodate that number of people, and I had a gut feeling that the story was quite likely to be a malicious hoax. I contacted a few people who were in a position to know about such things, and I soon discovered that the story was indeed a hoax - that had apparently been started by extreme right wing group the English Defence League (EDL) on their Facebook site and that the Police were now involved. Thanks to fellow local blogger and investigator Malcolm Knight of Bexley is Bonkers for getting the hoax confirmed. It strikes me as somewhat of a coincidence that only last week I wrote about how some people will believe almost anything that is posted on social media, and an insight into the psychology of why this is the case. Not everything you see on the Internet in general or social media in particular is gospel truth. Sometimes interesting or gratifying or controversial facts, posts and memes are complete fabrications. The fact that tens of thousands of people have ‘Liked’ an article doesn’t prove that it’s true. (Though it doesn’t prove that it isn’t, either). The fact that one or more of your very intelligent and well-informed friends posted it isn’t conclusive proof that it’s accurate, either. Sometimes, very bright people fall for bogus messages because they want to believe them: for instance, because they fit with their political views, or offer some exciting gift, or refer to some threat that they don’t have the technical knowledge to recognise as improbable. Intelligence and omniscience are not synonyms. Sometimes, people just don’t care: they like the story the message tells too much to check it for factual accuracy.  The late scientist and philosopher Professor Carl Sagan produced what he called his “baloney detection kit” – a series of rules to employ when encountering any potential guile or manipulation. “1. Wherever possible there must be independent confirmation of the “facts.” 2. Encourage substantive debate on the evidence by knowledgeable proponents of all points of view. 3. Arguments from authority carry little weight — “authorities” have made mistakes in the past. They will do so again in the future. Perhaps a better way to say it is that in science there are no authorities; at most, there are experts. 4. Spin more than one hypothesis. If there’s something to be explained, think of all the different ways in which it could be explained. Then think of tests by which you might systematically disprove each of the alternatives. What survives, the hypothesis that resists disproof in this Darwinian selection among “multiple working hypotheses,” has a much better chance of being the right answer than if you had simply run with the first idea that caught your fancy. 5. Try not to get overly attached to a hypothesis just because it’s yours. It’s only a way station in the pursuit of knowledge. Ask yourself why you like the idea. Compare it fairly with the alternatives. See if you can find reasons for rejecting it. If you don’t, others will. 6. Quantify. If whatever it is you’re explaining has some measure, some numerical quantity attached to it, you’ll be much better able to discriminate among competing hypotheses. What is vague and qualitative is open to many explanations. Of course there are truths to be sought in the many qualitative issues we are obliged to confront, but finding them is more challenging. 7. If there’s a chain of argument, every link in the chain must work (including the premise) — not just most of them. 8. Occam’s Razor. This convenient rule-of-thumb urges us when faced with two hypotheses that explain the data equally well to choose the simpler. 9. Always ask whether the hypothesis can be, at least in principle, falsified. Propositions that are untestable, unfalsifiable are not worth much. Consider the grand idea that our Universe and everything in it is just an elementary particle — an electron, say — in a much bigger Cosmos. But if we can never acquire information from outside our Universe, is not the idea incapable of disproof? You must be able to check assertions out. Inveterate sceptics must be given the chance to follow your reasoning, to duplicate your experiments and see if they get the same result." Certainly some very thought provoking principles. What do you think? Leave a comment below, or alternatively Email me at hugh.neal@gmail.com.

News stories published in both the Times and the London Evening Standard this week report that there is a distinct chance that recently closed power stations may have to be brought back online to cater for the increased demand for electricity. Several major power plants were recently decommissioned due to their not meeting new and very strict environmental pollution standards. One of the power stations that may be affected is Littlebrook D in Dartford. Littlebrook D Power Station was closed down in March 2015. Littlebrook was actually a series of four separate power stations adjacent to each other, located on the south bank of the River Thames, next to the Queen Elizabeth 2 Bridge and the Dartford Tunnel. The first power station on the site – Littlebrook A, was the coal-fired Littlebrook A Power Station, built by the Kent Electric Power Company in the early 1930s. It was opened in 1939. Coal was initially brought to the station by rail, until a riverside pier was completed. The station was later converted to burn supplementary oil over coal, and remained in use until it closed in 1973.  The construction of Littlebrook B Power Station was delayed by the Second World War, and came into use between 1949 and 1950. Like the A Station, it originally burned coal, but was later converted to burn oil instead. It had a capacity of 120 MW and remained in use until 1975. Littlebrook C Power Station was opened between 1952 and 1956 by the Central Electricity Board, and had a total generating capacity output of 240 MW. Like the two earlier plants, it was originally coal-fired, but was converted burn fuel oil by 1958. The station continued operating until it was replaced by the D Station in 1981. This 'Station was built in response to a rapid demand for electricity as the Country emerged from austerity of the post war years.  The most recent station, Littlebrook D was an oil-fired power station and was built by the nationalised Central Electricity Generating Board. The station was built by the Cleveland Bridge Company with construction starting in 1976.  The first unit commissioning underway by 1981. The 1980s still saw a potential threat from the Cold War, and as such the CEGB designed Littlebrook D as a robust station with high plant redundancy, meaning that the station would form a pivotal role should disaster have struck the city of London. At this time, London was still dependent on several smaller generating stations within the city itself. Littlebrook D was one of a number of stations throughout the UK with black-start capabilities, meaning that it was able to start generating without an external power supply - the station would be one of the first to start generating should the UK experience a partial or complete blackout. Littlebrook D played a vital role in restoring power supplies to the South East of England in the days following the storm force winds of October 1987. As well as providing a black-start power supply to the country, the fact that they could synchronise and ramp up to full load in under five minutes means they were used to generate at the request of the National Grid Company (who operated the UK electricity grid system) to deal with short-term peaks in demand. Such peaks typically arise during the winter months, where evening demand is higher due to lighting and heating requirements. A modification was made to one of the boiler units which allowed for alternative fuel trials. Several were trialled at the Littlebrook D site as part of ongoing research into generating energy from more sustainable fuel sources. One of the main alternative fuels tested was wood chippings, but the energy density these supplied was far lower than fuel oil, so a far larger bulk of chippings was required to create a similar output of electricity. This was deemed to be unacceptable, and the trial was a failure. The station was finally owned by RWE nPower which is owned by the German utility company, RWE. They decided that Littlebrook would "opt-out" under the Large Combustion Plant Directive, an EU law aiming to deal with air pollutants created by the combustion of fossil fuels. This essentially meant that Littlebrook D would have to cease to generate after 2015 in its final configuration. The station ceased operating on 31 March 2015. Now the demand for peak power is such that there is a distinct possibility that Littlebrook D may be brought back on line to satisfy the increased demand. How many of the former staff could be brought back is debatable; many took early retirement, or have taken jobs in other industries by now. If one looks Eastwards along the River Thames towards Dartford, at night you can clearly see the red warning lights that outline the power station's chimneys has a warning against low flying aircraft. Whether we actually see smoke from the chimneys in the future is something that at present still remains undecided. What has been decided, however is that the power station site will be used as the location for a very large disaster recovery exercise in the New Year. The power station will provide the set for a significant building collapse involving a train station and mass casualties, after a deal between the London Fire Brigade (LFB) and Littlebrook owners RWE. The Exercise Unified Response, which has been a year in the planning, will take place at the disused building between February 29th and March 3rd  next year. No doubt more details will become available closer to the time.

One relatively new occupant of the high street is very much a Kentish invention; this year marks the tenth birthday of the Micro Pub. The very first Micro Pub – the Butcher’s Arms, was opened back in 2005 in Herne Bay; since then over two hundred Micro Pubs have opened – many in Kent and South East London, as well as plenty all over the country. Locally we have three – the Broken Drum in Westwood Lane, Blackfen, the Door Hinge in Welling High Street, and the Penny Farthing at Waterside in Crayford, conveniently situated right next door to The Crayford Tandoori - a match made in heaven if ever there was one. The massive popularity of Micro Pubs does pose the question, just what exactly is a Micro Pub? The definition of a Micropub is difficult. It is a set of ethics rather than a set of rules A 'Micropub' according to the Micropub Association is defined as follows: 'A Micropub is a small freehouse which listens to its customers, mainly serves cask ales, promotes conversation, shuns all forms of electronic entertainment and dabbles in traditional pub snacks' There may be differences between the pubs; they may or may not have a bar, they might serve beer straight from the cask or through hand pumps. But they are united in one philosophy. A simple pub with the focus on cask beer and conversation for entertainment. The basic premise is KIS, KIS – Keep It Small, Keep It Simple. The landlord of the Butcher’s Arms, and the person credited with creating the entire concept, Martyn Hillier said “The Micropub Association will be a place where like-minded real ale lovers can share their Micropub experiences. The Micropub Association will also be a platform for the new Micro Pubs to tell the beer drinking community about themselves. A successful Micropub is based upon good ale and lively banter and I want this to come across through the Micropub Association. Ultimately I’d like to think that we could become a useful lobby group to support the likes of CAMRA and SIBA, promoting the real ale experience”.

The photo above shows part of the river front factory in Erith High Street once used by electronics manufacturer Burndept. This looks to have been taken shortly before the building was demolished; the former Erith Riverside Swimming Baths can be seen in the foreground. Burndept once had another, larger manufacturing facility located in the former Vickers-Maxim munitions factory in St Fidelis’ Road, off West Street and close to the railway line and where Bronze Age Way now runs through. Burndept built all sorts of electrical and electronic devices, and did a lot of sub – contracting work for other companies. During the war Burndept produced military communication equipment until April 1941, when the Erith factory was almost completely destroyed by a German incendiary raid, forcing the company to relocate production to a former jute mill in Dundee. However, after the war, Burndept returned to Erith, where they set up business in Erith High Street and St Fidelis Road. During the 1960s, the company manufactured the SARBE lifejacket beacon for the RAF and a number of Commonwealth and foreign air forces. The beacon sent an automatic and continuous transmission of a homing signal as soon as the life jacket entered the water. They also built mobile two way radios for industrial and commercial use. The St. Fidelis Road factory shared premises with Vox musical instruments, maker of the world famous Vox AC-30 guitar amplifier, as used by pretty much every major band in the 60’s and 70’s. in fact, Burndept made the chassis and cases for many Vox organs and amplifiers. By 1965 Vox and Burndept (who by this stage were largely owned by the same parent company) were pretty much different departments within the same umbrella organisation. Later, the Vox brand was sold off to Japanese musical instrument maker Korg, and it is now no more than a label. Burndept struggled on into the late 1970’s, until finally becoming part of the Ever – Ready group. All operations in Erith ceased, and the final Erith High Street factory was demolished shortly after the photo above was taken.

The following article was sent to me by a regular Maggot Sandwich reader, and occasional contributor who chooses to remain anonymous. He’s of the opinion that the issue may well become contentious, and I have to say that I am bound to agree.  Here is what he brought to my attention:- “The future of the Skylark as a breeding bird in Bexley, and the survival of the Corn Bunting both here and in London as a whole – both of which species are red-listed due to major declines – will be in the hands of Bexley Council over the next couple of months as planning applications threaten key habitat both at Crossness on Erith Marshes, and on Crayford Marshes. At Crayford Marshes, a renewed planning application for a huge ‘logistics hub’ was due to be submitted to Bexley Council this month. If approved this will destroy a substantial part of the southern section, classified in the Sites of Importance for Nature Conservation (SINC) review as Crayford agricultural and landfill, which is Metropolitan Open Land. Both Bexley and Dartford Councils opposed the original application, which was turned down, but permission was granted on appeal to the Government. The previous owners of the site, Prologis, failed to commence the development within the five years allowed, and have sold up to an outfit called Roxhill which is reheating the proposal. Freight on rail sounds all very nice and ‘sustainable’, but the reality is that this is essentially a speculative scheme that’s about shunting ever more ‘stuff’ around the country and around the globe, is most likely going to result in a net increase of heavy lorry movements in Bexley and has nothing to do with reducing carbon emissions or resource consumption to truly sustainable levels, quite the opposite.  A condition of the original scheme was that monies would be made available for managing what was left of the rest of the marshes, but this is robbing Peter to pay Paul, with the logical outcome of basing conservation policy on such thinking being very little wildlife habitat left in Bexley at all.  The 2013 SINC review document says: ‘The extensive area of the site and its proximity to two Sites of Metropolitan Importance (Crayford Marshes and the River Thames) further increase its value.’ Indeed when taken together with the SINC cited as Crayford Marshes, of which it is geographically and functionally a part, it forms the largest such site in the Borough. Moreover, when taken in conjunction with neighbouring Dartford Marshes, the area delivers an expanse of open space and big skies no longer available anywhere else in Bexley. The 2010 Lawton Review of UK nature conservation policy made it clear that bigger, better-connected sites are required, not more diminution and fragmentation.  The SINC review recognised that this lower part of Crayford Marshes is ‘used as a high-tide roost for gulls, redshank [amber-listed], curlew [amber], lapwing [red] and ringed plover [amber], and supports breeding skylark [red] and corn bunting [red] and large numbers of finches in winter.’  According to Bexley Bird Report compiler Ralph Todd, some 230 Skylarks were counted on the former landfill area in December 2010, but very few birds still breed in Bexley. Indeed Skylarks now hang on as a breeding bird in Bexley only on agricultural land near Chalk Wood (status unknown), as a pair or two at Upper College farm where dogs running off-leash and human disturbance are threats to this ground-nester and at Crayford Marshes and Crossness where access restrictions give them a chance of rearing young successfully. The ‘Birds of London’ (2014) had Corn Bunting down to 20 pairs in the whole of the capital, whilst the 2013 London Bird report recorded it from six sites, down from 11 the year before, and apparently in inexorable decline. Our information is that Corn Bunting is now breeding within the boundary of the proposed ‘development’ area. Furthermore, we understand that Cory Environmental are submitting a planning application, before Christmas, proposing industrial development on the Cory/Borax fields at Crossness Nature Reserve, which lie either side of the Norman Road vehicle access road. These fields are within the gated boundary of what’s left of Erith Marshes, and are a key part of this fantastic habitat as far as the wildlife is concerned.  ‘Development’ here will have devastating consequences for the nature reserve, not least because it simply could not be any closer. The north field will bound the nature reserve on 3 sides, and the field south of the access track will bound it (and water vole-populated ditches) on 2 sides. The proposed development will put the entrance to the nature reserve smack bang in the middle of an unsightly industrial area if, indeed, continued access is permitted. More crucially, these maturing former brownfield areas (now valuable open mosaic habitat) have breeding Ringed Plover and Skylark upon them. Little Ringed Plover have been seen on them also with a chick seen, and photographed, this year. This year the Barn Owls chose to breed in the pole-mounted nest box in the Norman Road Field, perilously close (approx. 200m) to the proposed development areas. The very rare Shrill Carder Bee was discovered at Crossness in 2014. There are only 7 UK populations, of which the Thames Corridor (and thus, Crossness) is one. Given that they are brownfield specialists, the probability of them breeding on the Cory/Borax Fields is incredibly high. Indeed the London Plan has a target for provision of such habitat.  Building on these fields will also add to the increasingly hemmed in feel of what is left of Erith Marshes, which have been repeatedly chipped away at in recent years, with no attempt made to give anything back to nature where older industries have closed down and an opportunity has arisen to rebuild the size this fantastic site.  Cynics will also note that the Crossness (Erith Marshes) and Crayford Marshes planning applications are being submitted shortly before Christmas, and will recall that although Cllr. C. has still not given a precise sign-off date on the SINC review, it looks increasingly likely that it will be after these applications are considered. The review recommends Crayford agricultural and landfill for promotion from a Grade 2 to a Grade 1 site". It will be interesting to see what actually happens; I feel that the pull of relatively cheap land in close proximity to London will be strong for developers and the rapacious Bexley Council alike. 

The short film below compares the very earliest colour footage shot in London, back in 1927, with some contemporary footage that has been filmed shot for shot in the same location, only eighty six years later. It makes for fascinating viewing. Let me know what you think - either leave a comment below, or Email me at hugh.neal@gmail.com.