Prosecco.

Erith Morrison's seem to have made some very good decisions as a response to the Coronavirus pandemic; as mentioned last week, the precautions taken to socially isolate customers and staff seem to work well, and cause minimum disruption to the shopping process. On the other hand, the store management have made some quite curious, if not completely perplexing decisions, as can be seen in the photo above - click on it for a larger version. The well used, popular salad bar has been closed and replaced with a large display containing crates of Prosecco. When one considers the requirement for all people to eat healthily, especially to maintain one's resistance to infection, it would have been thought that access to fresh vegetables and salad items would have been a premium consideration. On the other hand I can see that despite breath shields, the salad bar could be considered a potential vector for infection. Also, the salad and custom pizza creation area are relatively labour intensive, and with the need to have additional staff on the shop floor, directing customers to maintain a two metre distance from one another must involve making some pragmatic decisions; having said that, I am not entirely convinced that replacing fresh salad with a display of Prosecco bottles is entirely sending the right message to customers. What do you think? Email me at hugh.neal@gmail.com.

On another food and drink related theme, Brewer Shepherd Neame has provided a much-needed boost for local hop growers this week, by placing a bumper order for Kentish hops. Following shifts in production requirements prompted by the ongoing Covid-19 situation, the Faversham-based independent family brewer has tripled its usage of Kentish hops. It has therefore just purchased an additional 4,000kg of Kentish hops from local growers to meet demand. In an article originally published on the Produced in Kent website, Senior Brewer Stewart Tricker said: “Shepherd Neame has always been committed to supporting local hop growers, and we typically use around 85% Kentish hops in our ale portfolio, which includes great British classic ales such as Spitfire. We also use Kentish hops where possible to provide a robust bitterness in its other more contemporary beers, such as the Whitstable Bay collection and Bear Island collection, while using more aromatic continental or American hops to provide the desired hop-forward aromas. Following the Government decision to close all pubs last month, our current operational focus is to continue production at the brewery and maintain sales to supermarkets. The majority of these orders are for premium bottled ales, so we are now focusing our efforts almost exclusively on beers that use Kentish hops, such as Spitfire and Bishops Finger. This temporary change in demand has therefore resulted in an increase in our usage of Kentish hops.” The large order placed by Shepherd Neame offers much-needed support for the Kentish hop growers, many of whom have seen a collapse in demand from brewers following the closure of pubs. Chief Executive Jonathan Neame said: “Hops are an intrinsic part of Kent’s heritage, and Shepherd Neame is proud to have been based in the heart of hop country for more than 400 years. We are committed to supporting local businesses, and we hope that our order will go some way to helping Kentish hop growers in these extremely difficult times.”

I have written in the fairly recent past of the integral part The Red Barn pub in Barnehurst played in the resurgence of interest in traditional Jazz music in the UK in the decades following World War II. I have written in the past about the part played by musicians Chris Barber and George Melly, who played regularly at The Red Barn, but I have only touched on another, equally talented and influential Jazz musician. George Webb, who died on March the 10th  2010 aged 92, he was universally acknowledged to be the father of the postwar traditional jazz revival in Britain, serving as an inspiration to, and frequent band member with, the trumpeter Humphrey Lyttelton. The movement George created, which grew steadily in the late 1940s, led directly to the "trad boom" of the late 1950s and early 1960s in which he also played a leading part, first as pianist and bandleader and later as agent and promoter. George Horace Webb was born in Camberwell, south London, on October 8 1917, the son of a music hall artiste. His earliest memories were of his father and uncle (the "Brothers Webb") rehearsing their act at home. The family later moved to Belvedere, and George took a job at the Vickers Armstrong armaments factory in nearby Dartford. When war broke out in 1939, he was already a skilled machine-gun fitter and thus exempt from the call-up. A keen jazz enthusiast and self-taught amateur pianist, George helped organise entertainment in the factory canteen and, in 1940, began assembling a group of like-minded young jazz lovers with the aim of forming a band. The intention was to play in the style of the early jazz masters, whose music they knew well from records. In 1941, the band acquired a name: "George Webb's Dixielanders", and a regular place to play – the downstairs bar of the Red Barn pub in nearby Barnehurst. Modelled on King Oliver's Creole Jazz Band of 1922 to 1924, their music sounded alien, even barbaric, to ears brought up on crooners and English dance bands. George was fond of recalling the band's first appearance at The Red Barn: "By the time we had finished the first number we were playing to about ten people, the other 50 having fled to the saloon bar upstairs." A sometimes pugnacious character, he once defended the band's honour from a mocking onlooker by striding off-stage mid-performance, landing a heavy blow, then returning to the keyboard. But the word gradually spread, and over the next six years jazz devotees converged upon their unlikely suburban stage to enjoy the unique experience of hearing jazz in the classic style played live. One such visitor was Humphrey Lyttelton, newly demobbed Grenadier Guards officer, first-year art student and aspiring jazz trumpeter. He sat in with the Dixielanders and was soon invited to become a permanent member. As the style took off in the postwar years, a growing network of venues, along the lines of The Red Barn, became established around Britain. There were features in the music press, occasional radio broadcasts, and even recordings. In 1948, with its members scattering in search of employment, the Dixielanders folded and George joined Lyttelton's newly-formed band as pianist. Partly as a result of George's pioneering work, Humphrey Lyttelton quickly found a new audience among the growing student population. In place of the beer-sipping aficionados of The Red Barn, his band played for crowds of youthful dancers at venues in central London, and later around the country. It also recorded prolifically, with George's effervescent piano often featured. He was a small man, with tiny hands, which Humphrey Lyttelton said reminded him of a pair of kittens, scampering up and down the keyboard. In 1951, observing the growing popularity of revivalist jazz, George thought it a good moment to branch out into promoting jazz events. The most successful of these were the Sunday night sessions at the Shakespeare Hotel, Woolwich, which played to packed houses until the early 1960s. In 1955, George joined the staff of Jazzshows Promotions, booking bands and singers for the ever-expanding club and concert circuit. Leaving Jazzshows after 10 years, he set up his own management and agency business, numbering rhythm and blues groups as well as jazz bands among his clients. George barely touched the piano during these years, but returned to playing in the early 1970s. He toured Europe as accompanist to the singer Jo Starr and, in 1973, briefly formed a new version of the Dixielanders. In 1974 he took the tenancy of a pub at Stansted, Essex, a move which enabled him combine all his various activities. He ran the bar, booked the entertainment and sat in with visiting bands whenever he felt like it. In 1985 George gave up his tenancy and moved back to Belvedere, close to the scene of his early triumphs. On July 4th of that year he was guest of honour at the unveiling of a plaque at The Red Barn, commemorating his contribution to British jazz. He continued to promote jazz through his "Goodtime Jazz Festivals" and regularly attended the local Sidcup Jazz Club. Although officially retired, he resumed playing with gusto,  appearing as guest artist with many bands, formed several temporary outfits of his own, and was always the first to volunteer to perform at a charity event. In 1998 he took a prominent role in the celebrations of Humphrey Lyttelton's half-century as a bandleader. He continued to play with his "Band of Brothers" until the end of his long and colourful life.

The Coffee Tavern shown in the two historic photos above used to be a prominent building located in Nuxley Road, Upper Belvedere (NOT Nuxley Village - no such place exists - it is a fictional construct dreamed up by out of town estate agents and has no historical relevance). The Coffee Tavern was one of the oldest buildings in the area. For the last couple of decades it as been the home of (the currently shut due to the lock down) The Spice Master Indian Restaurant. The building that the restaurant is located in has a lot of history. It was originally constructed as a Victorian temperance cafe called the Belvedere Coffee Tavern and Refreshment Bar – see the period photographs above - click on either for a larger version. I can dimly recall it as a “greasy spoon” type cafe when I was a child, growing up in Upper Belvedere. I never went in it, but would go past regularly. In the mid to late eighties the cafe building was extensively extended and remodelled, to the extent that the owners got into some rather hot water with Bexley Council planning department, as the original structure was a grade II listed building, and they altered it so much that it lost its’ listing. At the same time it was extended, it changed from being a rather scruffy looking cafe into a rather upmarket Italian restaurant called La Dolce Vita, which seemed to be mainly  frequented by elderly Jaguar driving wide boys and their brassy wives. It was very popular at lunch times for people holding business meetings, and at weekends it was packed – especially for Sunday lunch when one would need to book in advance to stand a chance of getting a table. During the middle of this period, it was exposed by the News Shopper has having the worst kitchen hygiene recorded in Bexley to that date; the place was so bad that it was featured on at least one television consumer protection programme. This had the effect of killing trade off almost overnight. They cleaned the place up, and re-launched it the next year with a new name –“The Garden”, but people had long memories, and the trade did not return. One diner of the time told me ”It was nearly always empty and almost overly friendly with the service. We knew of its health and safety problems (but that was like a year before we'd started going there so it had cleaned up its act) and we had some lovely meals. We tended to use it as a "sod-it-we-can't-be-arsed-to-cook" night as it was local, quite reasonable and they had a tolerable/well priced wine list. It was nice enough but I'm not a fan of Italian Restaurants seeing as at home we eat a lot of Italian style dishes (pasta, lasagne, meatballs, Mediterranean salad etc) so I like to have stuff a bit different when I go out.  It was the height of mid-80's home decoration inside, if I remember rightly. Artex about 3ft thick and everything covered in fake Roman columns, plastic ivy and plaster statues with B and Q's finest wall-hangings and light fittings. Probably quite swish in the day but when we were there in the mid-90's it was a little tired and dated and not my type of thing at all”. Not long after this, it closed for good and lay empty and boarded up for quite a time.It was about at this time that I moved to Erith, and was less aware of the goings on in Nuxley Road than I used to be. The old restaurant building was again gutted and refurbished, this time as an Indian restaurant The Spice Master; the first competition for the venerable and long established Belvedere Tandoori, which was one of my introductions to high street curry eating back in the day. I did not try the new restaurant, now called The Spice Master for many years; I was working in the East End, and used to visit the legendary, and sadly now closed Sweet and Spicy a couple of times a week; I would also make regular lunch time trips to the Halal Restaurant in Mark Street E1 – which has been serving up genuine Bangladeshi food since shortly before WWII, and is one of the oldest continually in service curry houses in the UK. In many ways at this time I was spoiled for choice, and “ate what the locals ate”. Consequently I did become quite sniffy about ordinary high street curry houses and the food that they cooked. I felt that it was not “authentic” and was too engineered to suit a Western palate. In essence I had become a bit of a curry snob.  During this time, The Spice Master just curried on (oh the wit!) and our paths did not cross. Once I had moved on from the job based in the East End, the curry consumption drastically reduced, but I still had a degree of disdain for ordinary high street restaurants. Over the last few years I have come to realise that your high street curry is a thing on its own. It may not bear much resemblance to food you would eat in Bangalore or Karachi, but it has now been around for long enough to have created its own unique identity – it is what it is, and it is rightfully unapologetic. Most high street curry, whilst being called “Indian” is actually far closer to Bangladeshi cuisine, as most of the original restaurant owners came from Bangladesh, rather than India, but were quick to realise that in 1950’s / 1960’s Britain, most English people had not heard of Bangladesh, so a bit of inspired re - branding labelled the new food outlets as “Indian” restaurants.

Now for the weekly local safety and security updates from Bexley Borough Neighbourhood Watch Association. Firstly the report from Barnehurst ward:- "Good news for Barnehurst Ward, there have been no burglaries over the past week. There has also been no reports of vehicle crime. The team have been out and about, due to Covid-19 we have been asking people to return to their homes, we would sooner police by consent than issue fines, we have patrolled open spaces, car parks and supermarket areas". Belvedere ward:- "The team have been carrying out several patrols of open spaces and parks throughout the ward in the last week to ensure that current government guidelines in relation to COVID-19 are being adhered to. We are pleased to say that for the most part, there do not appear to be any issues around this as most people are keeping distance from others and most people observed are walking dogs and not loitering in any particular areas. However, we have been advised that there are several younger people that have been using the basketball court area of Franks Park on some afternoons (which has been closed by Bexley Council). Whilst we have not been witness to this as yet, we would advise that if there are people using the equipment in any of our parks/ open spaces, that you should call 101 and let Police know. Our patrols will continue and anyone seen using equipment will be spoken to and dealt with as required. With regard to crime on the ward, we can report that there have been no reports of burglary since our previous update. There have been two reported thefts from motor vehicles around the Picardy Road and Fremantle Road areas – number plates removed from vehicles that have been parked in the street. Please continue to follow the government advice and remain at home unless absolutely necessary – for food, medical/ health reasons or to travel to work (if you are unable to work from home). If you do go out, try to stay at least 2 metres from other people at all times. Should you decide to go out for exercise, this can be done alone or with members of your household – do not meet up with friends or other family members". Bexleyheath ward:- "Sunday 05/04/20 Theft of number plates from a motor vehicle Rydal drive Bexleyheath. The team have been out and about, due to Covid-19 we have been asking people to return to their homes, we would sooner police by consent than issue fines, we have patrolled open spaces, car parks and supermarket areas. Please observe the lockdown and only leave your property for the following reasons: Stay at home, unless: * shopping for basic necessities, for example food and medicine * taking exercise – alone or with members of your household * for any medical need, or provide care to a vulnerable person * travelling for work purposes, but only where they cannot work from home. BBQ's and picnics in public places DO NOT constitute taking exercise." Crayford ward:- "Just two crimes to mention this week. The driver's window of a black Peugeot 208 was smashed on Tuesday 31st March at 22.21 whilst parked in Station Road close to the shops, nothing was stolen. On Sunday 5th April at approx. 16.55 a female was robbed. The incident began in Thames Road by the Ford garage, a male approached the victim and tried to snatch her phone. She continued to walk down to Howbury Lane and the male continued to follow her and snatched the phone, an iPhone 11 in a blue case. He is described as an IC3 male, aged 25-35 years with a pencil thin goatee, dark clothing and wearing a green helmet, he was riding a blue pushbike and headed away up Lincoln Road. The team have been out and about, due to Covid-19 we have been asking people to return to their homes, we would sooner police by consent than issue fines, we have patrolled open spaces, car parks and supermarket areas. We were made aware of a white transit van parked in Ridge Way that appeared to be abandoned, it was on cloned plates and the vehicle had been stolen from Sussex, it was recovered to Charlton pound". Erith ward:- "We have been out on the ward on foot, bike and van questioning anyone we see as to reasons for being out in this lockdown. Crimes on Erith are low at the moment, we haven't had a burglary all this week but that does not mean we are not still focusing on the normal jobs we do. We have been concentrating on areas that are still getting high motor vehicle crime. Stay safe if you need information from us send an email to erith.snt@met.police.uk." Northumberland Heath ward:- "Unfortunately there has been a report of an attempted garage burglary in Silver Spring Close on 02/04/2020 at approximately 23:30hrs.The suspects were seen by a witness and made off from the scene. Males were seen getting into a black Volkswagen Scirocco. There has also been reports of a white transit van with the registration plates covered up . SNT have also assisted OXLEAS this week in completing a mental health assessment on an elderly gentleman. The team have Officers patrolling the ward next week and will be focusing on the ASB hotspots. There hasn't been any reports of Drug activity or ASB within Northumberland Recreation Ground since the camera has been put up. Also the wall has been removed by the council with a new mental fence which has prevent local youths from congregating. Please see our tweets on @MPSNorthHeath where your see good stories, advice & information on COVID-19 also scam warning advice. I must remind everyone you should only leave home for essentials such as food or medicine, or to exercise".

 Slade Green and Northend ward:- "Late night on Friday 03 April someone tried to force entry into the rear of McColls – again! Fortunately entry wasn't made. The shop's head office will be asked to improve the CCTV set up at the back of the premises. We are aware that the weather is nice at this time but we urge you all to not keep going out for unnecessary reasons. Far too many reports are coming to our team, and indeed across Bexley, of groups congregating in parks and open spaces. This needs to stop. Anyone seen outside in a group will be dispersed and fines issued accordingly if necessary. Our officers will be patrolling parks and open spaces whenever possible. Please, stay safe". Thamesmead East ward:-"No residential Burglaries to report this week. Vehicle Crime - Drake Crescent SE28 on Tues 31/4/20 10 pm – 7 am Victim reports front number plate removed by suspect/s unknown. Mangold Way DA18 on Thurs 2/4/20 between 11:30 am – Fri 3/4/20 5 am Victim returned to vehicle to find number plates had been removed by suspect/s unknown. Southmere Drive SE2 on Thurs 2/4/20 10 pm Victim reports vehicle not been used for two weeks due to COVID-19 restrictions when victim went to turn the vehicle over it was noticed the back seat had been pulled down by suspect/s unknown who have gained entry into the boot and removed a parcel. Redpoll Way DA18 Tues 7/4/20 2:30 pm – 11 am victim reports both front and rear number plates removed by suspect/s unknown". West Heath ward:-"Another week with no reported burglaries. One theft of a black Mercedes from a driveway in Longleigh Lane on Friday 03/04/20 between the hours of 1300 – 18.20. One report of criminal damage to a classic VW Beetle in Bedonwell Road on Friday 03/04/20 16.30 – 22.30. The team have been busy patrolling parks, open spaces and conducting reassurance visits to local shops during this this difficult and testing time. We have received reports of groups gathering in Clovelly Road and playing football. We all have a responsibility to each other and our communities to stay at home despite the recent good weather we are currently experiencing. We wish you a happy and peaceful Easter, stay safe and keep washing your hands!"

The end video this week is quite topical. It features classic comedy drama show M*A*S*H and how scenes from the show can teach people today many vital lessons in avoiding infections such as Covid-19. Do give it a watch and let me know what you think by Emailing me at hugh.neal@gmail.com.

Natural England.

The photo above shows a unique view of Erith which was taken by a reader a couple of years ago. It was taken from a flat in one of the old tower blocks on the former Larner Road Estate, which has now been rebuilt as The Erith Park Development. Pretty much all of Erith can be seen in this astonishing photograph - click on it for a larger view.

I am not an overall fan of Apple. I don’t see the point in the iPad (no keyboard, useless to me), I don’t like mobile phones in general, so the iPhone leaves me cold, and the iWatch is a solution looking for a problem that it has thus far been almost totally unable to find. Having said that, I do like Apple computers. I find them well made, thoughtfully designed and very reliable. The fact that Apple’s operating system is based on BSD Unix is a strong bonus too. For this reason I have been using an Apple iMac as my main personal computer since 2003 – a very long time before Apple were popular with the general public. In that time I have had three machines – Apple hardware seems (at least in my experience) to be longer lasting that your average Windows PC, though I do concede that you pay a hefty price premium for this longevity. In case you were wondering where this is leading, let me explain. The blog update this week may look very slightly different to normal; this is due to it being compiled and formatted on a different computer this week. My five year old iMac has died – it had been getting rather cranky for a while now, and it now looks like it will need a trip to the Apple store at Bluewater to get fixed. I have a pretty good idea as to what is wrong with it, and the fix should be relatively straightforward. My particular iMac model has a Sold State Drive (SSD) as well as a mechanical hard drive in it – the idea being that regularly used files, such as those used by the operating system are stored on there for very quick access, whilst files only used on the odd occasion are stored on the mechanical hard drive, which has slightly slower access times. I believe that the SSD drive has developed a fault – something not unknown with the particular model that I own. Most Mac users know little if anything that goes on under the hood of their computers, and this is fine – for many the Mac is just another domestic appliance. I, on the other hand do know quite a lot about how Macs tick; whilst they are deliberately difficult to fix or upgrade yourself (Apple try to lock you in to having everything done by them – at a price), they do have excellent inbuilt diagnostic and administration tools which very few users are even aware of their existence. You can boot a Mac into this mode to enable you to restore it to a previous configuration using the Time Machine utility, to return it to a factory fresh state – very useful if you are selling it. You can also transfer your files from an older Mac to a brand new one – all of your system settings will be replicated across – effectively setting up your new Mac to an identical look and feel to your old one. This used to be called “Mind Meld” – until CBS, the owners of the intellectual rights to Star Trek sent Apple’s lawyers a rather stiff letter objecting to this. Now it is just called file transfer. If you are curious, and own a Mac. You can access all of these powerful utilities by starting the computer whilst holding down the CMD and R keys. Be careful what you do when you get to the main utility menu – you can completely wipe your Mac if you pick the wrong option  – you have been warned.

A couple of messages from Bexley Borough Neighbourhood Watch Association:- "Please beware of an automated telephone call claiming to be Her Majesty's Revenue & Customs. The message tells you that you have tax owing and instructs you to press a number to be connected to your case worker. DO NOT DO IT! END THE CALL.! Bexley Borough is being targeted by this scam and has been for a few months. The message is generic and is played to anyone who receives the call. If you press the number to be connected to the case worker, you will be charged an extortionate rate per minute. Secondly, Bexley police are holding a bike marking event on Tuesday 30th May 2017 from 10 am to 4 pm at the Broadway Bexleyheath. Come along with your bikes and get them marked and registered for free. Neighbourhood Watch will also be there recruiting new Coordinators".

A technological milestone was passed last week, and very few people even realised. The patents that formerly existed on the MP3 audio file format have expired, and the owners, the Fraunhofer Institute have declined to renew them. In a statement published online, a representative of the institute said "Although there are more efficient audio codecs with advanced features available today, MP3 is still very popular amongst consumers. However, most state-of-the-art media services such as streaming or TV and radio broadcasting use modern ISO-MPEG codecs such as the AAC family or in the future MPEG-H. Those can deliver more features and a higher audio quality at much lower bit rates compared to MP3", MP3 built on the idea that the ear can be tricked – it' is called psycho acoustics – to allow information to be thrown away. The Fraunhofer team's work allowed audio wave files to be compressed into a file to one tenth or one twentieth the original size. Developed for commercial transmission – the work was funded by AT and T and Thomson – the Fraunhofer Institute's discoveries were first incorporated into the MPEG-1 standard in 1991. MPEG-2 layer III followed in 1994, and "MP3" became a file format with an .mp3 extension in July 1995. MP3 languished in the mid-1990s and was rapidly obsoleted by its inventors – almost overnight. The same developers' AAC format corrected many of the limitations of the original design. As Stereophile Magazine’s John Atkinson explained in an article on the Register website, when it came to AAC: "The designers of the codec obviously decided not to waste the limited bit budget by encoding information that would most probably not be heard even from the CD. Instead, they devoted those resources to a more accurate depiction of the musically significant regions at lower frequencies." However, the older, less efficient specification became a de facto standard after the Fraunhofer encoding software was acquired using a stolen credit card, pirated and repackaged with a bogus README file claiming: "This is freeware thanks to Fraunhofer". The original MP3 licencing model was intended such that encoders would be expensive, and decoders relatively inexpensive. This would allow people to buy software to listen to MP3s cheaply, but the creation of MP3s would be expensive, and thus handled by studios and music labels. This all changed when a high-quality MP3 encoder was leaked to the public, and suddenly it became possible to readily convert your CDs at home into the MP3 format. MP3 really took off with the release of the extremely popular music pirating service Napster in 1999. When that was eventually closed down after a series of legal cases, the format was well established. MP3 was by no means the best audio data format – the compression algorithms were not nearly as sophisticated as many of its’ rivals, but it was good enough, and thanks to Napster, it had become ubiquitous. Ironically as MP3 has now in essence become a free format, it is now in the shadow of other audio file formats such as FLAC, Ogg Vorbis and AAC which offer better sound quality at lower bit rates.

The recent death of former Bond star Sir Roger Moore got me thinking; quite a few famous people have come from the local area; Moore used to live for many years in Wansunt Road in Old Bexley Village. For some reason musicians seem to feature prominently – we have Kate Bush (Upper Wickham Lane, Welling), Keith Richards and Mick Jagger (Dartford), John Paul Jones of Led Zeppelin (Sidcup) and David Bowie (Beckenham / Bromley). Other famous local residents have in the past included Bernie Ecclestone (Bexleyheath), Lennox Lewis (Danson), Nevil Shute (Hatherley Road, Sidcup), Delia Smith (Bexleyheath) Linda Smith (Erith), Michael Crawford (Bexleyheath), Roald Dahl, (Hurst Road, Bexley), Sheila Hancock (Erith), Boy George (Shooter's Hill), and Sir Edward Heath (Old Bexley), and Steve Davis (Danson) All of these well – known and illustrious people have contributed to both the local and the national well-being in one way or another.

Word reaches me from a regular source of information (two days before the News Shopper published the story) that the Spice Master restaurant in Nuxley Road, Upper Belvedere was the target of a group of thugs recently. I understand that last weekend a group of six or seven youths tried to enter the restaurant; as it was close to closing time and the group were rowdy and very drunk, the owner refused to admit them. After some altercation the group eventually agreed to leave, but asked the owner to call them a cab. As the group were abusive, and in any case had not been customers, the owner declined. The group eventually left. I have been informed from several sources that the yobs turned up at around 2 AM, long after the restaurant had closed, and proceeded to break all of the windows. You can see the temporarily boarded up windows in the photo on the upper of the two photos above - click on it for a larger view. I know that Spice Master has a number of CCTV cameras; I am just hopeful that they were recording and managed to get some good images of the scumbags who carried out this spiteful attack. The lower photo  was taken last night, and shows the repairs to the restaurant, which is now back open and serving customers; thanks again to the same person who took both shots, and who wishes to remain anonymous. My understanding is that the total repair bill, not just including the broken windows, but also furniture and soft furnishings at the front of the restaurant comes to nearly ten thousand pounds. Whilst most of this will be covered by insurance, I do hope that this will be borne in mind when (if?) the culprits are brought to justice. 

The London Borough of Bexley is currently undergoing the largest amount of house and infrastructure construction since the 1930’s when much of the borough was transformed from farmland to suburban residential land. Places such as Barnehurst were pretty much created from scratch, and Bexleyheath was transformed from not much more than a large village into a bustling commuter town. A similar degree of transformation is happening now. We have already had Erith Park as the replacement for the much maligned Larner Road Estate; the Tower Hill development on the site of the old college, the shortly to commence redevelopment of the old Pop-In-Parlour, and the huge new 600 house development called Erith Quarry.  In April, the council’s cabinet approved a strategy outlining potential growth up to 2030, which includes bringing in 31,500 new homes and 17,000 new jobs in infrastructure by 2030. Thamesmead will also be growing substantially, where the Peabody Trust has plans for another 1,500 houses. Much of the council’s other figures hinge on the potential extension of Crossrail beyond Abbey Wood to Gravesend, calling at Belvedere, Erith and Slade Green, and potentially all of the way down to Ebbsfleet, to link up with the  forthcoming Paramount London Theme Park. The council believes the extension will help bring investment, including thousands of homes and jobs, to the towns. The council is asking members of the public for their opinion on this expansion. I am aware that many people have concerns about an increase in traffic and the pollution that this would bring. Others worry about how the local water and drainage would cope – especially as Sandcliff Road (known to locals as “Poo Mews”) has been flooded with raw sewage on several recent occasions when the outdated Victorian drains could not cope. Sandcliff Road is close to the site of the Erith Quarry development, and it is felt that major upgrades will be needed to the local drainage infrastructure to cope with the additional requirements of approximately two thousand extra residents. There are also concerns about the provision of healthcare and education,  To address  these and many other issues, the council are holding a series of consultations which will be open to the public. These events are to be held at the following times and locations:- Saturday June 10, 12 noon-4pm – Erith Riverside Shopping Centre; Thursday June 15, 3pm-4pm – Mobile van outside Belvedere Junior School; Thursday June 15, 4pm-7pm – Mobile van on Station Road, Belvedere; Tuesday June 20, 3pm-7pm – Morrison’s superstore, Erith; Thursday June 29, 9am-9pm – Bexleyheath Shopping Centre, Bexleyheath; Saturday July 1, 9am-6pm – Bexleyheath Shopping Centre, Bexleyheath. It will be interesting to see exactly how much the council will be listening, and how much of their plans are actually a fait accompli. It would be far from the first time that Bexley council have steamrollered through a project – witness the whole Belvedere Splash Park debacle.

Talking of things related to plumbing, a large number of people in Erith and parts of Lower Belvedere have had severe problems with low water pressure over the last week or so. I understand that a very large water main just off Fraser Road was damaged a while back, and it is taking Thames Water some considerable time to repair the fault.

Improvements are planned to the Thames riverside footpath all of the way from Grain, Westwards as far as Woolwich. I have been contacted by an organisation call Natural England, who are a non-departmental public body in the United Kingdom sponsored by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs. It is responsible for ensuring that England's natural environment, including its land, flora and fauna, freshwater and marine environments, geology and soils, are protected and improved. It also has a responsibility to help people enjoy, understand and access the natural environment. Natural England has begun to investigate how to improve coastal access along a 78 km stretch of the Kent coast and Thames Estuary between Grain and Woolwich. This new access is expected to be ready in 2019. The end point of this stretch was changed in April 2017 from Gravesend in Kent to Woolwich in London in order to join the capital to the England Coast Path along the Thames Estuary. Officers from Kent County Council, Medway Council, London Borough of Bexley and Royal Borough of Greenwich are providing Natural England with expert local advice and helping to make sure there is full consultation with local interests during the development of the route. Natural England is now visiting all the land on this stretch of coast that is likely to be affected by the proposals and discussing the options in detail with the people who own or manage the land, relevant local and national organisations who have an interest in the stretch. After final discussions have been held with those who have a legal interest in the land, Natural England will begin refining and checking their proposals to improve access to this stretch of coast. This may start sooner for some sections of the stretch than others. The proposals will be finalised and then published in a report to the Secretary of State for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs. This is expected to take place in spring 2019. Once published, the report will be available on GOV.UK and advertised in the local press. Copies of the report will be placed in council offices and other appropriate locations in the local area for people to view. Natural England will contact affected property owners and occupiers and the local and national organisations that must be notified by law, to make sure they are aware that the report has been published. Once the report has been published, local residents have eight weeks to comment on the proposals. Anyone who wishes to comment will be able to make a representation on the report and owners or occupiers of affected land will be able to make an objection. The Secretary of State will consider all representations and objections before making a decision about approval of Natural England’s report. For advice on making a representation or objection, Please click here to go to the relevant page on the Natural England website.

The photo above shows two radios that look very similar, but are actually markedly different. I know that I have many readers who are radio enthusiasts, and I want to ensure that you don't make the same error that I did. The radio on the left of the picture is a Tecsun PL 360 receiver, which I bought from a EBay seller in the UK. It was advertised as having Single Sideband (SSB) reception on the H.F bands. It does not. I complained to EBay, who refunded my money after confirming the radio was not as described in the advert. The Tecsun radio is actually pretty good - it covers the Long Wave, Medium Wave, VHF FM and Shortwave broadcast bands, and bearing in mind I got it for free (the vendor did not want me to return it) it is a nice little radio. The radio to the right of the photo is a completely different beast, the CountyComm GP-5 / SSB is a full communications receiver in a handheld unit. It is not available for sale in the UK; I had to personally import mine from the USA, and pay a substantial customs charge in the process. It covers Long Wave, Medium Wave, VHF FM, Shortwave broadcast bands and also the full LSB and USB amateur radio bands. It has digital signal processing - something remarkable in a small handheld radio. The GP-5 / SSB was developed for use by U.S emergency personnel and the military in natural disasters such as floods, hurricanes and forest fires as a means to keep staff in contact. The ability to listen to military and commercial H.F broadcasts, along with being able to monitor radio hams. I have spoken to Nevada Radio, one of the largest importers of amateur radio equipment into the UK to find out if they had plans to import this excellent little "all in one" radio receiver into the UK, but they said no. Although the units on sale for personal importation are absolutely brand new, they are technically U.S military surplus. The cost of having them UK type approved, along with the limited stocks available make it not financially viable to bring them in, unfortunately. If you would like details of where I got mine from, and the total cost of importing a unit privately from the USA, please Email me at hugh.neal@gmail.com.

A reader called Chris brought a story to my attention, which whilst a little outside of my normal coverage area, was potentially of interest to a large number of Maggot Sandwich readers. The betting company William Hill wants to convert the old Victorian building formerly used by Barclays Bank in Plumstead High Street into yet another betting shop. An article on The Weekender website reads:- "William Hill’s ongoing bid to open a shop on Plumstead High Street continues, with an appeal against the Council’s refusal for planning permission lodged with the planning inspectorate. The betting chain originally lodged their application for a change in use of 107A Plumstead High Street– from financial services (A2 license) to a betting office (sui generis) – back in 2016 but it was rejected. Following a rejected appeal and a re-submission of plans, residents are up in arms to see them once more attempting to get hold of the ex-Barclays Bank. Objecting residents said there is no need for another betting office in Plumstead, with three existing bookies within 100 metres of the property. One resident reported there are fears that a new betting office would encourage anti-social behaviour on the High Street, with groups of men reportedly congregating and drinking outside the betting shops that are already there. “I’m completely opposed to it,” said local resident and Plumstead and Abbey Wood Regeneration Committee (PARC) member, Lizzie Gould. “I’m not surprised they’re back again. “It’s well-known that betting shops target ethnic areas and deprived areas. It feels like a deliberate strategy,” said Lizzie, in reference to the clusters of bookies already in Plumstead. “It’s so important for people to get online and register their objections. In the last appeal there were over one-hundred objections but they’re banking on the fact that fewer people will complain each time. “We don’t need more bookies in an area that we’re meant to be regenerating. We need nice places to eat or nice places to buy food. “We [PARC] are prepared to have a massive campaign on this.” However, a spokesperson for William Hill insists that there is a “demand” for their services in Plumstead, having conducted “significant market research” in the area. “Footfall, rental rates and population density are the key factors in deciding where to place new developments of which there are now very few. Should we be successful with our appeal, we would be creating up to five jobs in the local area driving revenue and foot traffic to the local economy.” Residents can object or support the application up until June 2 on the Planning Inspectorate’s website. A decision is expected by late Summer. This potential additional betting shop forms part of a pattern. The overall number of adults gambling is increasing. Based on (admittedly quite old) figures from the 2010 British Gambling Prevalence Survey (BGPS; a large-scale research study previously funded by the Government), the number of adults participating in a form of gambling in the previous year (excluding the National Lottery) was 56 percent in 2010, compared with 46 percent in 1999 and 48 percent in 2007. The number of problem gamblers is increasing. BGPS data also indicate that the prevalence of problem gambling appears to have increased from about 0.6 percent in 2010 to 0.9 percent in 2013. This is equivalent to around 450 000 adults experiencing a situation where gambling ‘disrupts or damages personal, family or recreational pursuits’, and where gambling can become a disorder similar to drug or alcohol misuse.  Problem gamblers may be contributing more than 20 percent of all money spent in Britain on certain forms of gambling. Analysis based on BGPS data indicates that problem gamblers contribute as much as 27 percent of the overall betting spend in Britain on dog races, and 23 percent of money spent on fixed-odds betting terminals.  On the high street, betting shops are visibly clustering together. The overall number of betting shops in Britain has marginally increased (in 1961 there were 8802, while in 2013 there were 8889). However, concern has repeatedly been voiced by organisations – including the Local Government Association (which represents 370 councils in England and Wales) about betting shops ‘clustering’ together in large numbers in town centres. For almost half a million Britons today, gambling is no longer a recreational pleasure but has escalated to become a full gambling problem. This is where gambling ‘disrupts or damages personal, family or recreational pursuits’ as previously mentioned, and where it can become a disorder with traits similar to drug or alcohol misuse. Left untreated, a gambling disorder can have devastating consequences for:  the gambler – including higher rates of physical illness, the development of mental health conditions, severe financial difficulties, and criminal activity to fund gambling - and their family – for every problem gambler, 8 to 10 other people are directly affected, including spouses - who may experience domestic violence.

The ending video this week is interesting; it shows some aerial footage shot in and around Abbey Wood and Thamesmead by someone with an aerial drone. You get to see some nice footage of the improvements to the park land in and around Lesnes Abbey Ruins. Give it a watch and see what you think. Please feel free to leave a comment below, or Email me at hugh.neal@gmail.com.

A bed for the night.

The photo above shows Leader of Bexley Council, Teresa O'Neill (I will leave comments regarding her to my fellow local Blogger Malcolm Knight of Bexley is Bonkers), Mayor of Bexley, Eileen Pallen and a number of representatives from London and Quadrant Housing Association, the property developers of Erith Quarry, along with quite a few local school children.  You can read all about what they were doing on the building site in the press release here:-  "The first new trees have been planted at The Quarry, Erith by pupils from the Woodland Academy Trust and local dignitaries including Leader of Bexley Council Councillor Teresa O’Neill. 28 pupils from Northumberland Heath Primary School braved the January cold to help plant a variety of trees and shrubs at The Quarry, breaking ground on the space which will become the development’s ecology area. The planting followed an assembly presentation by Sharon Hosegood, the arboriculturalist working with developers L and Q and Andersons, which taught the pupils the importance of looking after the natural world. The pupils were also joined by the Leader of Bexley Council Councillor Teresa O’Neill, Mayor of Bexley Councillor Eileen Pallen and local ward councillor Councillor Edward Boateng.  They were given a tour of The Quarry and its ecology areas, which will measure 3.25 hectares – the equivalent size of three football pitches. In addition to the ecology area, The Quarry will be home to a new state-of-the-art primary school, Lime Wood Free School. The School will be run by Woodland Academy Trust, who also run Northumberland Heath Primary School. Councillor Teresa O’Neill OBE, Leader of the London Borough of Bexley, said: “The Quarry is an exciting development for the future of Erith and our wider borough so it’s right that the next generation have been involved in planting the first trees of The Quarry’s ecology area. Bexley is a borough that has many spots of natural beauty and open spaces for families to enjoy and I’m confident the 3.25 hectare ecology area at The Quarry will be an excellent addition to that.” Claire Ingrams, Principal Designate, Lime Wood Free School (Woodland Academy Trust), said: “It was fantastic to have our children involved in the planting of these trees at The Quarry. Both the talk from Sharon and the tree planting really helped develop the children’s understanding of local nature – you could see on their faces how fascinated and excited they were to be planting the first trees at The Quarry.” Christine Shea, Regional Sales Director at L&Q, added: “We’re thrilled to have planted these trees at The Quarry with the Woodland Academy Trust. The Quarry has played an important role in the lives of local people for centuries so we’re delighted to breathe life back into this site. That includes the creation of both the ecology area and a new primary school, which will ensure the next generation have just as fond memories of The Quarry as the past and present generations.” Sean Emmett, Operations Director at The Anderson Group added: “We believe in leaving anything we touch in a slightly better place than we found it.  This applies to tangibles such as places, buildings, people, but also to relationships, cultural characteristics and placemaking. Giving the site more healthy trees will in turn encourage wildlife and improve the whole feel of the site, taking it into the next stage of its place in history” Set to launch in spring 2017, The Quarry will comprise of an exceptional collection of around 470 family houses for sale, 130 unique apartments for private rent and a state-of-the-art three form-entry primary school. Prospective homebuyers interested in finding out more about The Quarry can register their interest at thequarryerith.co.uk and follow developments on Facebook and Twitter". You can see an exclusive video on the children's visit to the Erith Quarry development site at the end of this update. Thanks to Millie and Becky of Grayling for their help in putting the piece together.

The two "then and now" photos above - click for a larger view, were sent to me earlier this week by local history expert Martin Barnes, who runs the very popular Facebook site "Bexley Borough - The Bygone Years".  He has prepared many similar "then and now" comparison images for all around the borough, and he has kindly allowed me to use them - you may well see a few more of Martin's images over the coming editions of the Maggot Sandwich. Watch this space. 

On Monday evening I was carrying out my daily chore of taking my rubbish round to the recycling facility in Morrison’s car park in James Watt Way, Erith. As I have previously mentioned, I don’t have recycling boxes outside of Pewty Acres, as I find them unsightly and smelly in the summer. Instead I take all of my recyclable materials round to the recycling centre – effectively cutting out the weekly bin collection. It only takes a few minutes each evening, and it means that the house never has rubbish in it for any length of time. When I made the short trip on Monday, at about 8.30pm, I saw a car parked by the recycling hoppers; there were two women and a man in front of it, using light from the headlights to illuminate what they were doing. The man had forced open the Salvation Army clothing donation hopper, and was taking all of the clothes out of it, then passing them to the two women, who were then packing the stolen items into black plastic rubbish sacks, then filling the back of the blue Ford Focus with their stolen goods. I pretended to ignore them, and proceeded to deposit my rubbish into the correct collection hoppers. I keep all of my plastic, glass, cardboard and tins separate for this purpose. Whilst doing this I managed to get a look at the three thieves and made a mental note of the car registration number, which I later wrote down. Needless to say the incident has been reported; I will let you know more when I do. I detest thieving scumbags.

In a joint survey published earlier this week by upmarket estate agents Savills and The London Evening Standard, it was announced that homes priced at less than £300,000 are now an “endangered species” in London as huge demand forces up values in the capital’s last affordable neighbourhoods. The number of wards where prices averaged below the £300,000 mark plummeted from 104 to 40 last year, most of them in the outer fringes of East and South London, according to research. The analysis by estate agency Savills also shows that for the first time, there were more wards with a price average of over £1 million than there were with under £300,000. The £300,000 barrier is seen as significant because it represents the outer limit of affordability for a typical London household who have a joint income of about £50,000 and a 25 per cent deposit. That would still leave them needing to raise a mortgage four and a half times their salary — a multiple that few lenders are prepared to exceed. Lucian Cook, director of residential research at Savills, said in an interview in the Standard that: “The scale and spread of house price growth over the past five years means the £300,000 neighbourhood, though not extinct, has certainly become an endangered species in London. It is symptomatic of the housing affordability issues in the capital.” Five years ago almost half of London’s 649 wards had an average price below £300,000. Of the 40 sub-£300,000 areas left, 15 are in Barking and Dagenham, five in Bexley, four in Croydon, three in Havering and the others in Ealing, Merton, Haringey, Enfield, Redbridge, Hillingdon, Hounslow, Greenwich and Newham. The cheapest ward is Thames in Barking and Dagenham, at an average £228,386 last year. The London Borough of Bexley came out as the second most affordable borough in Greater London, with a percentage of wards in 2016 with average price below £300,000 of 24 percent. In 2011 the percentage less than £300,000 was 95 percent. Paula Higgins, of The HomeOwners Alliance, said in another interview in the Standard that: “Without parental support, young Londoners on normal salaries are effectively priced out of over 90 per cent of the capital’s properties.” Personally I think that the £300,000 definition of being "affordable" is very much on the high side; I don't think many families in the local area could be described as having a joint income in the £50,000 price bracket. Savills are an up market estate agency normally selling houses well in excess of the £1 million mark; I get the feeling that £300,000 seems like piddling small change to them, unlike us who live in the real world.

Bexley’s Churches, in association with local charity Housing Justice, are setting up a Winter Night Shelter for the rough sleepers of Bexley Borough. Sunday 22nd January has been designated as “Homeless Sunday 2017” The shelter will open on Sun 22nd January 2017 and will run every night until March (the date is not specified yet) The location of the shelter is going to be:- Monday nights - New Community Church, 24 Station Road, Sidcup DA15 7DU. Wednesday nights:- The Boys Brigade Hall, Bexleyheath DA6 7EE. Other 5 nights:- Salvation Army, 124 High Street, Welling DA16 1TJ. Guests may not turn up at the shelter without pre-registration, which will be done by Cornerstone Recovery at the Bexley Food Bank. The Night Shelter will be keeping a waiting list as there are only 12 places. There are guidelines and expectations which will be explained clearly to potential guests. Many volunteers are now in place, and the organisers have the following needs Volunteers for the Welling centre only are needed (Tues, Thurs-Sun nights).  Several people have offered donations in kind. Please address your offers direct to the team, who can assess if and how they can use them. Sidcup and Bexleyheath will finance the cost of food, heating, welfare etc. Welling venue will need help with funding for 5 nights. Other costs: Registration with Housing Justice to get started: £1500, training and other support, bedding, food.  The initial aim for financing the venture is £3000. If you wish to make a donation to this very worthwhile cause, cheques (or cash if delivered) should be made out to “Bexley Winter Shelter” should clearly be marked Winter Shelters and sent to Bexley Winter Night Shelter, c/o Welling Baptist Church, Axminster Crescent, Welling DA16 1HF. Please write your email address on the back of the cheque, or if no address then your postal address.

Work is shortly to start to refurbish the much loved Erith Riverside Gardens, which you can see in the photo above - click on the photo for a larger view. The proposals and the work specification can be seen below. Discussions are to be undertaken by the Friends Of Riverside Gardens Erith (FORGE) are due to take place early in February, and the execution of the work shortly thereafter. The proposals and specification state that:- "Prior to removal of shrubs the Contractor shall check for the presence of underground services. The Contractor shall dig out and remove shrubs of varying sizes from the bed by hand or mechanical method, ensuring that adjacent features are not damaged. Shrubs shall be cut down, levered out and have their roots removed. All shrub parts shall be treated as arisings. The Contractor shall not use other adjacent trees or shrubs as winching anchor points. The resultant hole shall be backfilled with material from the bed surface and when necessary with topsoil.  Soil shall be left level with adjoining hard surfaces and kerbs with a surface that has a medium tilth with no footprints or indentations. Reinstating Area with Grass Seed - The whole area shall be thoroughly cultivated by hand or machine to a depth of at least 150mm to relieve compaction and remove all weed growth and old turf. The area shall be graded to meet and match adjoining profiles and levels, and left level with adjoining hard surfaces and kerbs. If topsoil is required to make up deficiencies in levels, it shall be ordered and paid for separately on instruction by the Client Officer. The area shall be consolidated by treading and then raked to a fine tilth to leave the soil surface free of all weeds, Litter, Debris, hard debris and stones in excess of 25mm diameter The Contractor shall broadcast seed by hand or approved pedestrian operated machine onto a moist seed bed at the correct rate and evenness of application. The seed shall then be incorporated into the soil surface by raking with spring tined rake. The Contractor shall be responsible for establishing the resultant sward to the Standard of the adjoining area of which it is part by all necessary rolling, irrigation and cutting.  Any variations in soil level during establishment due to settlement, or any gaps that open between turves shall be dealt with at the Contractor's expense by top dressing, lifting and soiling and over seeding as required. Any damage to surrounding features would have to be rectified by contractor at their own expense. Planting - The Contractor shall carry out the planting of shrubs into an existing bed. Species, size and quantity of shrub must be agreed by the Authorised Officer prior to any planting works taking place. The Contractor shall accept full responsibility for the condition of delivered plants once they arrive on site. It shall be implicit in his acceptance that the contractor is satisfied that plants are to the standards specified by the Authorised Officer when ordered. The Contractor shall comply with the requirements of CPSE ‘Handling and Establishing Landscape Plants’ from the Horticultural Trades Association. Prior to planting all container grown plants shall be thoroughly watered, and bare root plants shall be immersed in water for a minimum of thirty minutes. Planting holes shall be dug on the day of planting. Planting holes shall be dug 100mm wider and deeper than the size of the root ball or bare root spread, and have the base broken up to a further depth of 150mm. The Contractor shall supply and mix recycled composted green waste into every planting hole by placing half in the base of the hole and mixing the remainder into the back fill. Planting shall be carried out to leave shrubs evenly spaced at the correct density, upright, with `best face' facing to nearest point from which it will be viewed, at the correct depth with nursery collar level with soil surface. A minimum space of 500mm must be left between the planted shrubs and any adjacent feature. The hole shall be backfilled with previously excavated topsoil, to leave each plant firmly anchored into soil by treading each 150mm layer leaving all roots in contact with soil and whole shrub undamaged. All excess backfill will be evenly distributed around the bed surface. On completion of planting all identification and supplier labels shall be removed. The Contractor shall evenly apply granular slow release fertilizer around the base of each plant over an area of 1m2. The surface of the soil shall be left with a medium tilth with no hard debris and stones in excess of 25mm diameter or litter present. There shall be no footprints or indentations present and the soil edge shall be left 75mm below adjacent hard or sward surfaces with a camber sloping gently up to the centre of the bed. The Contractor shall be responsible for the arrangement of supply of shrubs to site". I sincerely hope that FORGE get the go - ahead for the refurbishment work to the gardens, which are one of the highlights of Erith - the only place in the whole of the London Borough of Bexley where the public can get access to the banks of the River Thames. More on this story in the future.

Much has been said in the past of the work that Erith and Thamesmead MP Teresa Pearce has been doing to get step free access to Erith Station, and the London bound platform. She has been plugging away for a number of years now, trying to get Southeastern Trains to install a lift at the station, and thus far that campaign appears to have been broadly ignored by the train company. You can see Teresa’s “Get a lift installed at Erith Station” site here. Unfortunately the site is now closed to new submissions. I know that installing a lift is far more technically onerous and expensive than the relatively straightforward work carried out at Crayford – but the principle is the same; if Southeastern Trains have agreed to improve access at one local station, thus admitting that an access problem existed, then why would they not do the same for Erith Station, where the access situation is so much worse, and the station caters for far more travellers than Crayford does? The fact remains that if you are a wheelchair user, or a parent with a heavy pram or buggy, it is not possible to take a train towards London from Erith. You have to go on the Kent bound platform to Dartford, then change there to pick up a London bound train. This means you go three stops in the opposite direction, only to then come back on yourself. Apart from the inconvenience this brings, there is the added expense of what should really be an unnecessary journey. It struck me recently that the relatively new Bexley College campus adjacent to Erith Station would be an excellent opportunity for some joined up thinking to ensure that step free access to both platforms at Erith Station becomes a reality, but it would not appear to be the case - nothing has been done, and other local stations such as Bexleyheath get lifts - which don't really need a lift as there is a road and pedestrian bridge at one end of the platform that enables anyone able bodies or not to get from one platform to the other without the need for the use of stairs. 

In another travel related story, a report was published last week that will concern many public transport users in and around London. The Oyster card system has been called into question in respect of the amount of unused and unclaimed credit that exists. The number of “dormant” cards - those that have not been used for more than 12 months - has jumped to nearly 43.7 million, up two million since the end of June last year. The figures sparked fresh demands for Transport for London (TfL) to make it easier for passengers to claim refunds. The amount of money left on the cards has risen to nearly £236.6 million, with one of the reasons the 48-hour restriction on Oyster refunds. This means that if someone buys an Oyster card, pays the £5 deposit and puts money on it they can only claim a refund after 48 hours, which is hitting tourists and visitors to the capital. The increase in contactless travel is another explanation. Caroline Pidgeon, Liberal Democrat member of the London Assembly who highlighted the statistics, said: “Fourteen years since the start of Oyster the amount left on dormant Oyster cards has reached a staggering level with TfL now sitting on a massive cash pile of a quarter of a billion pounds. TfL should never forget that this is the public’s money they are holding and people should be able to reclaim it as easily as TfL take money from passengers in the first place. Ending the 48 hour restriction facing passengers before they can claim back their deposit and any remaining balance on a card is long overdue, and is just one of the many changes TfL need to make to ensure that people can easily get back their own money left on unused Oyster cards.” A recent report by the watchdog London TravelWatch examining the impact of the Tube ticket offices closures recommended changes to the system including the removal of the 48-hour restriction. It stated: “Passengers currently have to wait 48-hours from purchasing an Oyster card before being able to get back their deposit and any remaining balance on the card. This does not represent good customer practice especially for visitors to London who are only here for a short period of time. It should be possible for customers to get a refund on their Oyster card whenever required.”

After my observations last week on the sadly much in decline Belvedere Tandoori, which now no longer has a drinks licence - one reviewer on Trip Advisor wrote:- "I really like this restaurant, the food is always well cooked, tasty and not at all oily. But what a surprise to find they stopped serving alcohol on the 6th June. Can't see it surviving and we witnessed 4 people walking away when they read the notice on the door". I understand is up for sale have led to a couple of readers asking me about the local competition - the Spice Master restaurant, also located in Nuxley Road, Upper Belvedere. Spice Master is by far the biggest eaterie in Upper Belvedere, or possibly even the whole borough. The dining area is open plan, and even has a small dance floor in the centre. Several times a month the restaurant has a singer performing – quite often a tribute act such as an Elvis or Michael Jackson impersonator. I am not too keen on this kind of thing personally – you cannot hear to talk when the singer is performing, and for me talking is part of the whole dining out experience. Food – wise, the restaurant is pretty standard high street curry house, that is, Anglicised Bangladeshi and Punjabi dishes. The food is good, though not spectacular, portions are decent and service is excellent – the waiting staff to visitor ratio seems higher than in most curry houses in the area. My most recent visit was on a Friday night some time ago, and I suspect that they may well have deployed a few extra pairs of hands to cope with the increased number of guests that the weekend brings. I must admit that my own menu choices were pretty pedestrian – Chicken Korai (a dish that gets overlooked by some people, yet when they see, hear and most importantly smell the wonderful aroma of the chicken and peppers sizzling on the cast iron skillet that the dish is served from, they then wish that they had ordered it too).  Along with this I ordered mushroom pilau rice and a garlic naan – anything with mushrooms and garlic is always a favourite with me. Spice Master is never going to set the world alight from a culinary standpoint, but that is not what it is about – it knows its’ role – a large, bustling curry house with regular entertainment that a lot of people will like. An avant garde fine dining restaurant would just not work in Upper Belvedere, and it would be pointless trying. The owners of the Spice Master know what works and stick to it, which seems eminently sensible in my opinion.  If you have visited the place, please feel free to leave a comment on your thoughts about the restaurant. I am of the opinion that Spice Master will just hoover up the customers of Belvedere Tandoori now that it no longer serves alcohol, meaning that the owners will have a challenge selling the place now that the customer footfall has dropped off dramatically. What do you think? Leave a comment below, or Email me at hugh.neal@gmail.com.

It would seem that my speculation regarding the future of the proposed river crossing between Rainham in Essex and Lower Belvedere was not without merit; I have it on good authority that the whole plan has now been kicked permanently into the long grass by London Mayor Sadiq Khan. It would appear that he has pulled the plug on several of the proposed Thames river crossings, including both Gallions Reach and Lower Belvedere - as shown on the map above - click on it for a larger view. Fellow local Blogger Darryl of the excellent 853 Blog, who covers the Charlton, Lewisham and Greenwich area, has written extensively around the changes to the proposed river crossing strategy, which you can read here. I know that there will be mixed feelings amongst local residents regarding this decision.

The Metropolitan Police are promoting a service which has been in place for some time, but many people are completely unaware of it. The "Silent Solutions" system is used to help decide whether officers are sent out in response to a silent 999 call, thousands of which are made each day. If you ring 999 you will be asked which emergency service you require. If you do not say anything, the operator will ask you to cough or indicate in some other way if the call is an emergency. If you do not feel it is safe to make any noise (eg if you do not want to alert someone to your presence, say for instance during a burglary or a terrorist attack), then your call will be transferred to a system that will ask you to press 55 if your call is an emergency. National Police Chiefs’ Council Lead for National Contact Management, Deputy Chief Constable Alan Todd said: “The national ‘silent solutions’ system enables people to contact the emergency services without speaking by detecting background noise and prompting the caller to press ‘55’ if they want to be directed to police. Our steering group has reviewed the system and concluded that it is effective at enabling people who are unable to speak to contact the police while filtering out the huge volumes of accidental 999 calls made every day. However, the system is only effective if people understand how it works. The IPCC investigation into the police handling of the murder of Kerry Power demonstrates the tragic consequences of people not knowing how the system works. We are now considering how we can best educate the public and police officers about the system to ensure that those at risk of harm get the help they need.” A police spokesman added: "Please do not think that just because you dial 999 that police will attend. We totally understand that sometimes people are unable or too afraid to talk, however it must be clear that we will not routinely attend a silent 999 call".

The ending video this week is an exclusive, thanks to Millie and Becky of Grayling public relations, who sent me this short video showing the local school children planting trees on the Erith Quarry development site earlier last week. Do give it a watch, and please leave feedback by commenting below, or by sending me an Email to hugh.neal@gmail.com.