Hidden Figures.

The photo above was taken by me last night in Christ Church Erith; it shows the audience assembling for a showing of the excellent film "Hidden Figures" as part of Black History Month. I was unable to take photos of the full audience, as the main lights were turned off before the film started, and I did not want to use flash. The event was also to raise funds to go towards the installation of toilets inside of the church, a project being managed by the Friends of Christ Church Erith. Currently if you are visiting the church and need to use the loo, you have to take a trek round to the church hall - a fair distance, and especially quite hazardous at night, as much of the path between the church and hall is unlit. The film was a great success, although the start had to be delayed, as the DVD player initially used to show the film developed a fault, and a second player had to be used. The delay meant that the raffle draw which had been planned for the end of the event was brought forward. Nevertheless all those who attended enjoyed themselves, and a substantial sum of money was added to the toilet in the church project. More on "Hidden Figures" at the end of this week's update.

As regular readers will be aware, I am very keen on observing  the law of unintended consequences. Several of these unintended consequences are occurring either now, on in the very near future. Unfortunately very few people - and especially politicians, are aware of them. I am not about to debate the ins and outs (pun intended) of the whole Brexit issue, because (1) I don't do politics on the Blog, and more importantly (2) because it is outside of the remit of the Maggot Sandwich, which deals primarily with issues in the Northern part of the London Borough of Bexley. However, some anomalies have been discovered which do bear reporting. Among the daily two-dozen or so government updates on Brexit progress slipped in on Friday were a number considering the impact on copyright and intellectual property. Firstly: anyone using an EU satellite decoder to access programmes included in a UK broadcast (to avoid a charge) will be breaking the rules after Brexit. If you are accessing programmes in your native language, or otherwise using an EU decoder for any reason except to avoid paying you can continue to do so - all rather confusing. Also changing are rules on EU Portability Regulation. This currently allows people to access online services from anywhere in Europe as if they were at home. So you can use Amazon Prime or Netflix, for example, if you are a British citizen temporarily in another European country. European citizens have the same rights when visiting the UK. That arrangement will end come Brexit. Providers will no longer have an obligation to make sure that is possible, although they may continue to do so on a voluntary basis. The EU Orphan Rights Directive will also be removed. In simple terms this covers copyrighted items – films, books or photos – where the rights holder is either not known or cannot be found. It covers quite large amounts of material held by archives and museums and offered online. The British Film Institute, for instance, offers 170 orphaned works on a dedicated YouTube channel. Government advice is for cultural institutions to remove any orphaned works from their collection online, consider applying for a UK orphan licence, or if they have a UK licence find a way to limit access to only UK residents.

Plans have been submitted to Bexley Council Planning Department regarding the old Hainault building in Lesney Park Road. The submission is for the demolition of the existing buildings and erection of 25 dwellings comprising 5 x 4 bed, 7 x 3 bed, 5 x 2 bed houses and 8 x 1 bed supported living apartments together with car parking and associated works, as shown in the picture above - click on it for a larger view. The site has some considerable local history. The Infant Welfare and Maternity Home was opened in 1920 by the Erith Urban District Council in a large Victorian house named 'Hainault', bought for the purpose as a cost of £1800. The Home had six beds, three of which were in the maternity ward. There was also an infant welfare centre, and antenatal, dental and school clinics were held there.  The coach house and stables were converted into an operating theatre.  The staff consisted of two midwives, a ward maid, a cook and a caretaker. The Maternity Home remained open during WW2, although it was in a danger zone.  A temporary clinic was added in 1943.  In 1944 a flying bomb exploded nearby and caused considerable damage, but the only injury was to a baby in its cot. In 1945 the building was extended and the bed number increased to 22. In 1948 the Home joined the NHS under the administration of the Woolwich Group Hospital Management Committee. It was renamed the Hainault Maternity Hospital. In 1956 the bed numbers were increased to 24. In 1965 a delivery unit was added, which provided two first-stage rooms and a bathroom, WC and sterilising room. The Home closed in 1974 with 21 beds, a victim of the new NHS policy of placing maternity units in general hospitals. From 2009 until 2014 the Hainault became Hainault Hostel, a long-stay hostel with 12 beds for people with learning difficulties run by the MCCH Society Ltd. After 2014 it was closed, and is now being readied for demolition. My understanding is that the old buildings did not meet modern health and safety regulations, and would have been too difficult (and thus expensive) to modify.

A story that has not been picked up to date by the local media is a very worrying one. You may well be aware that Police Officers were called at 2.48pm on October 13th to Barnehurst Avenue following reports of males fighting in the street. Officers attended with the London Ambulance Service. A 20-year-old man was found suffering from a stab injury to his chest. He was taken to an East London hospital, where he died at 5.27pm that day. Two sixteen year old boys were subsequently arrested on charges of murder. What is far less well known is that a stabbing happened on Friday night in Erith. At around 11pm on Friday the 25th of October, a youth was stabbed in Aperfield Road, Erith; I understand he then staggered into Manor Road near to the zebra crossing outside of the Premier corner shop, where he flagged down a passing car and the sought aid. Police and Ambulance personnel were soon on the scene, and the whole of Manor Road was closed to traffic for several hours. It is understood that the injuries to the youth were relatively minor; nevertheless this is an alarming development. I am unaware and unable at this point to comment on the specifics of the case.

There has been considerable controversy and discussion on a number of radio enthusiast websites over the last month or so; the reason for the debate has been the fact that the 648 KHz Medium Wave transmissions from Radio Caroline have been much reduced in output power for some time, and many listeners have been concerned about this; some theorised that Caroline had deliberately cut the transmitter power to save on the electricity bill. This turns out to be far from the case, and the conspiracy theorists were incorrect. Radio Caroline Transmitter Engineer Alan Beech writes:- "Radio Caroline returned to the medium waveband on 648 KHz AM as a legal broadcaster at the end of 2017 after applying for and being granted the OfCom licence for the Essex and Suffolk areas of South Eastern England. You can hear us strongly in Suffolk and most of Essex, with the signal dropping off gradually further afield. Those with 'good' radios or communication receivers can hear us at considerable distances from our transmitter, depending on local conditions and other factors. In the 'watery wireless' days Radio Caroline, and other offshore radio stations, had to use radio-ships housing powerful transmitters to broadcast to their area of choice. These days, with an efficient aerial at a suitable land-based location extreme high power isn't as necessary – although our allocated 1 kilowatt ERP has challenged our engineers to get the best match between transmitter and aerial to squeeze every milliwatt of our power allocation up the aerial mast! Our (second hand) Nautel transmitter is housed at the former BBC World Service site at Orford Ness, an irony not lost on us. The site though is not open to the public, and being on an island isn't readily accessible to anybody except those that work there full time. Getting this far was a long process, but it has given the station a tremendous boost and helped prove that, despite the current pan-government trend of dropping AM in favour of DAB, there is still sufficient interest in old fashioned 'steam radio' – and indeed the radio sets to receive it. On Friday 11th of October our engineers made a long planned visit to our 648 transmitter site to give the equipment a general tune up and service. It was two years ago when we installed the equipment at Orford Ness in October 2017, and we knew that future access for maintenance visits would need careful planning and arrangement. Not just because it is located on a remote site only accessible by boat, but also our engineers all live 100-200 miles away and have their own busy work schedules. It is testament to the quality of the 25 year old Nautel transmitter and the other equipment which was expertly installed by our engineers that it has run for 2 years without requiring a single maintenance visit - something that was unimaginable when we were out at sea and equipment needed almost constant attention. However, our on site telemetry system reported minor problems following late summer thunderstorms, and over the past month or two our own observations plus comments from listeners were that our signal was not as good as it used to be. On site we found that two of the six power amplifier modules within the transmitter had shutdown (presumably as a result of lightning strikes) and would not respond to a remote reset command. These were manually reset and a general overhaul of the equipment was undertaken. The air filters for the cooling fans were found to be caked in dust and dirt and with these cleaned the airflow is now much better and the amplifier temperature much lower. All electrical connections were inspected for tightness and voltage and meter readings noted to make sure everything was within spec. We also took the opportunity to finely adjust our audio processing since this is much easier to do precisely when you have test equipment such as an oscilloscope and modulation monitor connected to the transmitter rather than adjusting remotely and relying on your ears! Overall we were impressed as to how clean and the stable the installation was, considering it is so close to a salt water environment. Various comments received from listeners during Friday all reported improved reception so it was definitely a worthwhile visit and gets our signal ready for those dark winter days when interference levels on the AM band generally increase". So there you have it - no conspiracy, merely a much overdue need for preventative maintenance. 

Another planning related story, this time with the controversial White Hart African Restaurant in Erith High Street. The restaurant has now been open for a year, after it got it original extended hours licence application rejected. It originally wanted to open from 10am until 5am the next morning, seven days a week. Last October a session of the planning committee sat in Bexley Council Offices to consider the application by the licencee, Mr Ojuanu Sodunke. It was unanimously rejected. In her representation to the sub committee, Councillor Nicola Taylor said:- "Erith does welcome this restaurant to the area and the opening is much anticipated. We have followed the restoration of the historic building closely. However, this establishment is close to residential homes. Behind it there are two retirement developments, and there are family properties close. All of these residents would be impacted. All of the residents have expressed concerns over the increase of public nuisance. The town centre is quiet in the evening. Residents have a fear the area will become an area known for excessive drinking, possibly worse. It seems mad to have an establishment open for these hours. We have got to consider the community as a whole". The White Hart already held / holds what is termed as a "Luxury" licence, which enables it to open until 1am on Friday and Saturday - more than enough time to operate as a restaurant and bar. Quite why Mr. Sodunke wanted to open until 5am still seems unclear. Now, exactly one year later, he has made a further licencing application. This time the request for a change in the licence conditions reads as follows:- "The application is to apply to change the Class Use of the Premises from A4 to mixed use A3/A4, as the premises predominantly trades as a restaurant under the current owners. This use of the premises commenced on the 17/10 /2018, when licensable matters were finally sorted out, and it was only when the applicant received a letter from Bexley Council advising that they did not have the correct permitted use to trade as a restaurant that this application was commenced. The application is also seeking to remove the following conditions from the current planning permission 15/02366/FUL. No Live Music. We wish this to be removed, to allow the applicant the flexibility to have live African music for certain events. given the soundproofing has been installed in relation to recorded music, the live music would be subject to the same conditions as recorded music and so would not cause a disturbance to the residents. Sales to cease at 23:00 hours Monday to Sunday and the premises closed at 23:30 Monday to Sunday. We wish to amend the permitted hours to align with those granted by the Licensing Authority, namely Sunday to Thursday 10:00 to midnight, with the doors locked at 00:30 hours, and Friday and Saturday 10:00 to 01:00 with the doors locked at 01:30. These hours have in the past been traded, with no complaint from residents and neighbouring properties". What this change in planning status does not address is the stark fact that The White Hart has been using the former pub's  beer cellar as additional restaurant space, despite being forbidden to do so by the London Fire Brigade, as the converted cellar space only has one entrance / exit, and no secondary fire escape. This restriction was made abundantly clear at the planning meeting last year, but photographic evidence shows that the former cellar area is in use despite being forbidden by the fire brigade. On top of this, the restaurant still only has a one star "Scores on the Door" hygiene rating, as you can see by clicking here. We need more restaurants, bars and other night time venues in the local area, but they have to be compliant with the regulations. Feel free to contact me in confidence at hugh.neal@gmail.com.

I have written at some length in the past of Hiram Maxim, the American born, but naturalised British subject who went onto to be granted a Knighthood. There was a second foreign born engineer and inventor who worked in Erith at around the same time as Hiram Maxim; his name was Thorsten Nordenfelt. He was a Swedish born and educated man who married a British woman and moved to the UK - his photo is above - click on it to see a larger version; initially they lived at an address in the Uxbridge Road, Paddington, after migrating to the UK in 1867. Thorsten and his British brother in law started a business trading high quality Swedish steel for British railway rails and engineering fittings. After a while, he founded the Nordenfelt Arms and Ammunition Company, which manufactured a variety of medium calibre deck mounted guns for arming motor torpedo boats and coastal patrol vessels. The guns were manufactured in Erith (as you may gather, in Edwardian times, Erith was a major centre for weapons manufacture, and many locals were employed in the factories).  The problem that Thorsten Nordenfelt had was that he  was an excellent engineer, but an absolutely terrible businessman. His arms factory was losing money hand over fist, and after much pressure from his bank – Rothschilds – Nordenfelt was forced to merge his company with Maxim to form the Maxim Nordenfelt Guns and Ammunition company, with Maxim as the majority shareholder. Two years later Nordenfelt was declared personally bankrupt, and lost complete control of the company, leaving Maxim the benefactor. Not to be deterred, Nordenfelt and his family upped sticks and moved to France, hoping to start afresh. He set up a new company designing arms, and developed a revolutionary new breech mechanism for the French 75mm field gun. This all went swimmingly until he received a letter from Maxim’s lawyers, reminding him that he had signed a non compete clause that Nordenfelt  had signed upon leaving the Maxim Nordenfelt company. The case went as far as the House of Lords, and was found partially in Nordenfelt’s favour, but by this time he had grown heartily sick of the arms business, and decided to go into the then brand new submarine business instead. He formed a new company with a vicar and keen amateur naval architect called the Reverend George Garrett. They jointly designed a new submarine – the Nordenfelt One, which weighed in at fifty six tons, was 19.5 metres long and had a range on the surface of 240 kilometres, powered by a one hundred horse power steam engine which gave the vessel a speed of nine knots. It was armed with a single torpedo, and a deck mounted gun. It had to shut down the steam engine before it could dive. It was accepted by the Greek Navy, but never saw active service, and ended up being scrapped in 1901. A Nordenfelt Two submarine was later built, followed by a Three, which was larger at thirty metres long; It did have one claim to fame – it was the first ever submarine to successfully fire a torpedo at a target whilst fully submerged. The final Nordenfelt submarine was the Four, which was commissioned by the Russian Navy, but in sea trials it proved to be unstable and very unseaworthy, and ended up running aground off Jutland. The Russians refused to pay for it, in yet another commercial disaster for Nordenfeldt. He then decided to call it a day and retired to Sweden, where he died in 1920 aged 78. Some small signs of Thorsten Nordenfelt do still exist in Erith. Nordenfelt Road, off West Street is one link, as was the Nordenfelt Tavern at 181 Erith Road – a local pub named after the man; it is now long closed and converted into flats, and so another link with our past is severed. Please leave a comment below, or alternatively Email me at hugh.neal@gmail.com.

The Association of Bexley Charities '78 held its Autumn Fair in the Geddes Place Reformed Church Hall, Bexleyheath on Saturday the 26th October. There were eleven stalls selling  a variety of goods including Christmas cards, calendars, children’s toys, knitted goods, cakes, jams, jigsaw puzzles, books, model railway items, jewellery, handbags, clothes and shoes. The refreshments, tea, coffee, cakes and cheese and ham rolls were particularly popular.  The event was very well attended by more than 100 people.  The Worshipful the Mayor of the London Borough of Bexley, Councillor Geraldine Lucia-Hennis and her husband, Peter Lucia-Hennis, also supported the event and spent more than an hour meeting and talking to the stall holders. Thanks to John Salt for the information and the photo above - click on it for a larger view.

Now for the weekly local safety and security updates from Bexley Borough Neighbourhood Watch Association. Firstly the report from Barnehurst ward:- "Unfortunately Barnehurst have suffered a burglary and an attempted burglary. Both Incidents occurred on Monday 21st October 2019. In Holmsdale Grove between 08.10pm – 11.00pm an untidy search was carried out throughout the property. Cash and jewellery were taken. It is believed entry was gained by forcing the front door which was not locked securely due to a faulty mortice lock. The attempted burglary occurred overnight in Westfield Road whereby tools were used in an attempt to gain entry. Tool marks were visible to the top and bottom frame. Thankfully no entry was gained.  In Eversley Avenue on Monday 14/10/19 overnight a vehicle was broken into and a wallet taken. Also in Eversley Avenue on Monday 14/10/2019 and again overnight an attempt had been made to steal a motorcycle from a drive way. The security chain was found cut and steering lock broken. A lock on the front wheel prevented the bike from being stolen.  In a private car park in Colyers Lane between the Friday 18th – Monday 21st October suspects have jumped over a fence to gain access to a BMW. The dashboard, gearbox, and door interiors were taken from the vehicle. On 22/10/19 victim returned to his van in Eversley Cross to find a side window smashed. Fortunately the van was fitted with an alarm, tracker and a steering wheel lock. Nothing was taken.The team attended a Diwali community event. Officers gave crime prevention advice and were happy to answer questions on local issues. The event proved very successful. We cannot stress enough the importance of looking at your home security especially at this time of year. Is the front of your property obscured by trees/bushes giving burglars more time? Do you ask neighbours to take wheelie bins in or remove leaflets sticking out of letterboxes? What items do you leave in your porch? (Items left here tell a burglar something about the residents) Do burglars see what your home is like by having a clear view through a window? Are you double locking your doors ? Think about things what you could do to make it look like someone is home. Alarm systems nowadays can be affordable and are very easy to use. Our community contact session will be on Tuesday 05/11/19 at 11.00 in Barnehurst Golf Club. Please pop along and meet the team. This is also an opportunity to meet other residents on the ward". Belvedere ward:- "PC's Rob and Marc have been undertaking patrols across the ward this week including plain clothed drug patrols and burglary initiatives. Two males in the past week have been stopped and searched by the officers and drugs found and cautions administered accordingly. These took place in Brook Street and Picardy Road respectively. PCSO Jay has been completing his usual sterling reassurance work and visiting those unfortunate enough to have been the victim of a burglary. Here he offers crime prevention advice along with the opportunity to take part in the smart water initiative which has been a huge success within the Met. A gentle reminder please to all residents about securing windows and doors at night and when leaving the property. The run up to Christmas historically can see a rise in burglary and theft offences, so therefore anything you can do to hinder these horrible crimes will stop you from becoming a victim". Bexleyheath ward:- "There was a theft of number plates overnight 19th October/20th October. Removed from a black Toyota Aygo whilst parked in Trinity Place". Crayford ward:- "On Saturday 12th October at 3.45am someone was disturbed trying to get in to a garden shed in Heathview Avenue, no entry was gained. A window was smashed by 2 male youths and one female youth in Crayford High Street on Tuesday 15th October at 21.10.  A female victim's black and white bicycle with black bags near the rear wheel that was chained up. was stolen from near the Doctor surgery in Crayford Town Centre. On Friday 11th October it was reported that a number of cards and pin numbers and letters relating to loans had been received at an address in Dale Road. It transpired that the postman had kindly told the residents that post was being stolen from external letter boxes, they had removed theirs and then received this post in their name which it is believed the suspect intended to steal from the external post box and use fraudulently. A large quantity of beef joints were stolen from Aldi on Thursday 17th October at 20.15, the IC1 male described as having dark hair got in to a grey Mercedes convertible to get away. A motorcycle was stolen from The Homestead between Thursday 17th October and Friday 18th October, no make, model or number plate given on the report.  Between 17.00 on Sunday 20th October and 8.29 on Monday 21st October the corner stone of a wall was damaged, shrubs were destroyed and vandalism occurred at Hall Place overnight. A car intentionally drove at a parked vehicle in the car park at Denton Road, moving it some distance. There was an attempted burglary in Crayford Way on Monday 21st October at approx. 21.45. The suspect smashed the porch door and attempted to enter the front door within but was disturbed by the homeowner, the suspect ran off and got in to the front passenger seat of a small black car. Iceland had meat stolen on Monday 21st October at 9.30am, the female was seen putting meat in her bag, she abused staff on being challenged, they have CCTV and photographic evidence. On Monday Monday 21st between 6.00 and 23.30 someone attempted to enter a property in Medway Road causing damage to the rear door lock, UVPC surround and seal, entry believed to be via shared access between houses. On Wednesday 23rd October at 00.55 a vehicle came in to the rear of Tower Retail park and attempted to jack up a silver Honda Jazz, on being disturbed the suspects chased the victim before making off. On Tuesday 22nd October number plates were stolen from a vehicle parked in London Road, no further details known at this time. Our next community contact session will be held at Vintage Lindy Lou's at Waterside Gardens on Wednesday 30th October between 10.00-11.00. Could I urge those of you with external mailboxes to consider that a criminal can get their hands in them and remove your post, gaining your identity and attempting to obtain credit in your name. The darker nights are really drawing in now, please visit www.met.police.uk/burglary to consider ways to keep your home safe and looking occupied when you are out". Erith ward:- "Trick or treating. We want you to enjoy Halloween, but remember, not everyone wants to take part! Here's a few things to remember when you're out this Halloween. • If you're going trick or treating, make sure you go with an adult and your parent or carer knows where you're going and when to expect you back. • Respect posters asking you not to trick or treat at someone's house. • Don't go trick or treating alone - stay with your group. • Eggs and flour are for baking. Don't throw them. • Be careful crossing roads in the dark. Residents advice - It is not just at Halloween when unexpected callers turn up on your doorstep. • Remember official visitors should always make an appointment beforehand • Look through the door view or window to see who is outside. • If you decide to open the door, put the chain or bar on first. • Check the caller's details before you let them into your home. Telephone the relevant organisation to confirm the caller's identity • Do not rely on a phone number that the caller gives you". Northumberland Heath ward:- "At 04:35 hours, the Police were called to Bexley Road, DA8 following reports of a male lying unconscious in the road. Police attended and established that the male was the victim of a fail-to-stop road traffic collision. The victim is a 26 year old male from the Bexley area. Enquiries are on-going at this time for the driver and vehicle. The victim remains in a critical condition at a hospital in South London. Police are asking for witnesses to come forward".

Slade Green and Northend ward:- "Only one crime of note. Around 4am on Saturday 19/10 a vehicle was broken in to on the new estate at Egerton Place next to Richmer Road. Items taken were a Satellite Navigator, an iPod and cash. Again we reiterate the importance of removing ALL valuable items from your vehicle at all times. Our police officers have been working late shifts doing ASB (Anti-Social Behaviour) patrols with our neighbouring SNT's in the last week and this will continue until after bonfire night. This time of year is always busier in terms of ASB so extra effort is being made across the borough to do targeted patrols in hotspot areas. Halloween will see many more officers patrolling during the evening times. PCSO Mark attended the Welcome Café at St Augustines church on Tuesday. 30 people were there to enjoy tea, cakes and lunch with Reverend Jim Bennett and church staff. (see photo above - click on it for a larger view). Our next Community Contact Session is on Monday 28/10/2019 in Slade Green Library from 3pm". Thamesmead East ward:- "Thursday 17/10/19 smashed window to vehicle. Another incident occurred between the hours of 04;30pm of 16/10/19 and 08;00 of the 17/10/19 the drivers window was smashed, nothing taken. Between Monday 21/10/19 at 10:00pm and 07;40 of Tuesday 22/10/19 the drivers side window was smashed .The vehicle was displaying both front and rear green taxi badges, nothing taken. Between the hours of 01;00am and 11:00am of Tuesday 22/10/19, the drivers window was smashed and a sat nav was taken from the glovebox. Two vehicle owners residing in Wolvercote Road ,but had their vehicles parked near Coralline Walk, the drivers window of one vehicle was smashed ,two pairs of glasses to the value of £210;00 were taken. Lensbury Way. Between the hours of 05:00am - 05:30am on Thursday 17/10/19, the owner of a vehicle heard a window smash and saw a suspect making off.£50.00 in change was taken. Officers conducting an arrest enquiry found the male to have in his address, property belonging to an recent victim of theft from a motor vehicle. Enquiries are ongoing".West Heath ward:- "One attempted burglary in Long Lane on Saturday October 19th between 6am – 6.30am. The occupant heard a noise and went downstairs but did not see anything. He went back up to bed and then the lights came on and he discovered the living room rear window damaged. He stated the window is double glazed and the inner pane was cracked. He looked out of his conservatory and saw a suspect in a hood jump over his wall and run away. He also stated when he heard the first noise it was the suspect trying the handle on his front door. We have had several motor vehicle crimes reported to us over the last week. One theft of a white Sprinter van in Bedonwell Road overnight between Tuesday October 22nd at 8pm and 7am on Wednesday 23rd when the victim discovered it missing. Theft on a front number plate from a vehicle parked in Bedonwell Road on Saturday October 19th at 11pm. A handbag containing a number of personal effects were stolen from a vehicle in Longleigh Lane between Saturday October 19th at 8.50pm and 11am the following morning. It is believed the vehicle was accidentally left unlocked. Please check your vehicles are locked and secure before leaving them unattended and do not leave any items on show for potential thieves to steal".

The end video this week harks back to the first news story in this week's Maggot Sandwich update (who says I don't plan these things?) It is the trailer for the film "Hidden Figures" as shown at Christ Church Erith last night. If you have not already seen this excellent movie, then I would strongly recommend that you do so. It is available on DVD and Blu Ray, as well as on several streaming video services - your mileage may vary. Email me at hugh.neal@gmail.com.

The decision.

On Wednesday I attended the Bexley Council Licensing Sub-Committee in the civic offices in Bexleyheath; the reason for the visit was to witness their deliberations in the case of the application for The White Hart African restaurant and bar in Erith High Street to open from 10am until 5am the next morning. What I encountered turned out to be the longest licensing sub committee session in the history of Bexley Council. The meeting started at 10am, and the decision was finally announced at a little after 3pm. It cannot be said that the committee did not take into account every consideration before coming to their conclusion. I have not attended a meeting at the civic offices before, and I was surprised at the number of local residents who attended the public part of the meeting - I was told that normally very few if any people turn up to watch the Licensing Sub Committee - but the level of concern and indeed anger in respect of the outrageous licence variation application by the operator of the White Hart led to a record turn - out. I have to say that Councillor Nicola Taylor did an excellent job of representing Erith residents and their serious concerns in respect of noise, disturbance, increased crime and associated issues to the sub committee. In her representation to the sub committee, Councillor Taylor said:- "Erith does welcome this restaurant to the area and the opening is much anticipated. We have followed the restoration of the historic building closely. However, this establishment is close to residential homes. Behind it there are two retirement developments, and there are family properties close. All of these residents would be impacted. All of the residents have expressed concerns over the increase of public nuisance. The town centre is quiet in the evening. Residents have a fear the area will become an area known for excessive drinking, possibly worse. It seems mad to have an establishment open for these hours. We have got to consider the community as a whole". Unfortunately the Police officers who attended to submit evidence on behalf of the Met were not the officers who had previously been involved with the case, and they were poorly briefed - and to be honest did not do a particularly impressive job. Nevertheless, other council staff including Mrs Eley and Bike Aideh, community safety co-ordinator presented compelling evidence to counter the claims made by the licensing consultant hired by Mr Ojuanu Sodunke, the licensee of The White Hart. Petitions had been submitted prior to the meeting by residents of Waters Edge Court retirement apartments and the Stone Court sheltered housing scheme, both of which are situated in very close proximity to The White Hart. Residents from both locations unanimously opposed the increase in opening hours. What was very noticeable was that apart from Ojuanu Sodunke and his legal advisor, nobody had anything at all positive to say about the application for increased opening hours. Indeed, during the consultation session it emerged that the use of the former beer cellar in the White Hart, which has been converted into a lounge / bar area could not be permitted, as it only has one staircase in and out of it, which contravenes fire regulations. Once all of the representations had been made, the Licensing Sub Committee then met to consider their decision - and the public were then asked to leave the room. I had arranged to meet up with News Shopper reporter Tom Bull prior to the event, and I sat and chatted with him in the atrium outside of the committee rooms whilst we waited for a decision to be reached. Tom is a extremely nice bloke, and very interesting to chat to. My respect for the work of local news reporters has increased substantially since talking to him - I just play at local journalism - it is his profession - and he writes fluently in shorthand - a skill I had thought long gone. Many of the local residents who attended the consultation session did not stay for the decision - something of a wise choice, as I discovered in retrospect. We waited, and waited until 3pm before the remaining attendees were finally re-admitted to the committee room, a full three hours had passed whilst the committee debated their decision. The committee chair read out a prepared statement which in essence said that they could not approve the requested extension in licensing hours and that the request was therefore not granted. I don't think that either the licensee Mr. Ojuanu Sodunke or his legal advisor were in any way surprised by the decision made by the sub committee; the fact remains that the White Hart already has what is termed as a "Luxury" licence, which enables it to open until 1am on Friday and Saturday - more than enough time to operate as a restaurant and bar. Quite why Mr. Sodunke wanted to open until 5am still seems unclear. He offered to block any entrance to the venue after 11pm, and to employ door staff, but even so, it does not take six hours to have a few drinks, a chat and to eat dinner. The feeling amongst many attendees was that despite his insistence that The White Hart was to be a restaurant and bar only, it was actually trying to become a night club - "by the back door". You can read Tom Bull's take on the story on the News Shopper website here. The council decision has set a precedent for the borough, and it has shown that Bexley will not grant very late night drinks and entertainment licences in residential areas - a decision that I and many other people can only applaud. What do you think? Leave a comment below, or alternatively Email me at hugh.neal@gmail.com.

An announcement from The Association of Bexley Charities '78:- "We are holding our Autumn Fair at the United Reformed Church, Geddes Place, Bexleyheath DA6 7DJ (near the Broadway Shopping Centre) on Saturday 27th October 2018 from 9.45 am  - 1.00 pm. There will be a variety of charity stalls selling Christmas gifts and cards, CDs and DVDs, collectables, jewellery, chutneys, jams, cakes, books, children’s toys and games and model railways. Refreshments will be available and the entrance fee is 50p (accompanied children FREE)". 

After the recent revelations that the Crossrail project opening was going to be delayed by a year, or possibly significantly longer, further developments have taken place recently. Discussions about the potential extension of the services from its current terminus in Abbey Wood, and extending it down to Ebbsfleet have been going on and off for years. Crossrail’s original route went to Ebbsfleet but was cut to Abbey Wood to save cash. London City Airport has offered to fund a station as part of its £480 million expansion. Crossrail, renamed the Elizabeth line when it eventually opens, passes within 170m of its runway. The opening of Crossrail’s central section has overrun by £590 million and been delayed at least until to next autumn amid a failure to get the new British Rail class 345 trains to work with signalling systems. Now senior politicians, business leaders and other persons of influence are calling for the service to be extended as was originally planned. Local MP Sir David Evennett said in a recent interview with the London Evening Standard :- "This is a crucial opportunity for the Government to create a boom of jobs, opportunities and homes in an area that needs investment to unlock its potential. It will join up our transport network, bring Kent and south-east London properly into the fold". The potential extension would add an extra ten miles of line, which would see trains call at eight additional local stations: Belvedere, Erith, Slade Green, Dartford, Stone Crossing, Greenhithe, Swanscombe and Ebbsfleet, linking with HS1 and Eurostar. Back in May, Jo Johnson agreed that there had been considerable change in South East London and North Kent since the decision to not extend beyond Abbey Wood had been finalised in The 2008 Crossrail Act, and in light of this said Government would take a fresh look at the case for extending to Ebbsfleet. Now that the giant theme park that was due to be constructed near Swanscombe - formerly called the London Paramount theme park, has been delayed yet again, and the development is now looking to be very doubtful. Bearing in mind one of the contributing factors into the Crossrail to Ebbsfleet extension was to provide increased public transport access to the massive theme park - the fact that the park is now looking increasingly unlikely does not seem to be influencing the calls to extend Crossrail. There are many other very good reasons the line should be extended - in fact many are questioning why the line did not run all the way to Ebbsfleet in the first place, as the cost savings in terminating it at Abbey Wood were actually not that large in the greater scheme of things. What do you think? Leave a comment below, or alternatively Email me at hugh.neal@gmail.com.

This week marks the 31st anniversary of the Great Storm of 1987. I doubt that many locals will be happy to commemorate the event, as the storm hit the London Borough of Bexley particularly hard. Something approaching twenty percent of the mature trees in the borough were uprooted or seriously damaged by the exceptionally high winds. I recall walking along the Woolwich Road in Upper Belvedere the morning after, and seeing a number of the large trees in the recreation park down across the road – the fire brigade were cutting them up with chainsaws requisitioned from the plant hire shop in Nuxley Road. One of the very impressive Georgian houses opposite the Eardley Arms was seriously damaged – the whole third floor and roof were crushed by a mature sycamore tree that had fallen directly onto it. I recall reading in the local paper that the insurance claim to rebuild the historic house was greater than if they had demolished it and built afresh. Just as well the listed building was lovingly rebuilt, as it is one of the nicest residential properties in the whole of Upper Belvedere. My most vivid memory of the Great Storm was looking out of my bedroom window at the fury of the weather outside; some workmen had been laying a new paved pathway directly outside of my parents house. A pile of large concrete paving slabs had been made ready for the workers to continue laying them the next morning – these I saw flying through the air as if they were pieces of paper. Very worrying, as my parents house was right at the highest point in the area, leaving an unrestricted avenue for the hurricane to attack. The garden shed ended up in a neighbours’ back garden – very much like one of the opening scenes from “The Wizard of Oz”.

There are widespread rumours circulating locally that the Nuxley Navigator private bus service is struggling to find passengers. The inaccurately titled Nuxley Navigator bus service operates on weekdays only, and runs between Harrow Manorway outside of Abbey Wood Station, and Carlton Road in Northumberland Heath. The roads that the new private bus service covers are as follows:- Towards Abbey Wood Station (mornings only) - Carlton Road, Brook Street, Parsonage Manorway, Swaylands Road, Matfield Road, Stream Way, Bedonwell Road, Orchard Avenue, Bedonwell Road, Glenview, West Heath Road, Brampton Road, Knee Hill, Harrow Manorway. Towards Erith (afternoons only) - Harrow Manorway, Knee Hill, Brampton Road, West Heath Road, Glenview, Bedonwell Road, Orchard Avenue, Bedonwell Road, Stream Way Matfield Road, Swaylands Road, Parsonage Manorway, Brook Street, and Carlton Road. The Crossrail service was due to open at Abbey Wood Station at the end of this year - although as we now know, this has now been significantly delayed, and many of the roads covered by The Nuxley Navigator are currently not covered by any existing bus service. The Nuxley Navigator features a reserved seat and, in London, standard rides are £2.40. A standard bus fare is £1.50. Chariot works by being pre-bookable but with predetermined stops, similar to a bus route. The real reason for the service is to connect the Erith Quarry housing development with Abbey Wood Station. The developers of Erith Quarry are aiming the new development primarily at second or third time buyers who want larger, family sized houses - for people who intend to live in the area permanently. In order to attract middle class professional people into the local area, they need so show that there are good commuting connections into London - something that The London Borough of Bexley has lacked up until now. The fact that we have no DLR or Tube services in the Borough has been a factor that has discouraged some people from moving into the area. Providing a purpose built mini bus link between the Erith Quarry site and Abbey Wood Station was designed to convince people that they should move into the area, as housing is significantly cheaper than in other parts of London. The problem has been that 1) Crossrail has been significantly delayed, 2) Erith Quarry has not yet opened, and 3) there is very little local awareness of the private bus service. On top of this, it is a bookable service, not a "hop on, hop off" service as per a normal bus ride. Lastly the service can only be booked via a mobile phone app, and one cannot use Oyster cards. The lack of passengers on the Nuxley Navigator is, I am led to believe, causing the operator, Chariot, and their sponsor, Ford to consider closing the service. If you have any information on this issue, please Email me in confidence - you can contact me privately at hugh.neal@gmail.com.

Now for the weekly local safety and security updates from Bexley Borough Neighbourhood Watch Association. Firstly from Barnehurst ward:- "Unfortunately, Barnehurst ward has suffered two burglaries in the past week. The first occurred on Sunday 14th October 2018 between 05.00pm and 0740pm in Selkirk Drive at a residential care home. Staff found damage to a window lock and an empty large red handbag was taken from an unattended room. On Tuesday 16th October 2018 a burglary took place in Hampton House Erith Road. Suspects entered the property after forcing open the front door, taking a large flat screen TV and cash from the property. Two suspects were seen walking down the rear of Hampton House by railway heading towards Barnehurst Road struggling to carry the TV. If anyone has any Information with regards these burglaries please let us know. We cannot stress enough with the lead up to Christmas burglaries tend to increase. You can prevent and deter burglars away from your property's by taking appropriate security measures. We as your local Policing team will be happy to advise on crime prevention so feel free to join us at our next community contact session at Barnehurst Golf Club on Tuesday 23rd October 2018 at 11.00am". Belvedere ward:- "We have been conducting burglary and ASB patrols into the early hours of the morning this week. Two officers have been patrolling in plain clothes looking for offenders. We have stopped several groups of people to disrupt and dissuade anti – social behaviour. One male was searched by PC Green and was found to be in possession of cannabis bear Belvedere train station. Another male was searched by PC Holmes and found to be in possession of cannabis in the Nuxley Road car park. We have also been making enquiries into outstanding wanted offenders. Through these plain clothed patrols we have been able to gather various intelligence about a range of issues on the ward. To make you aware, there has been an attempted burglary in Gideon Close and also a residential burglary in Bedwell Road this week. The team's next Community Contact session is set to take place on Friday 26th October 2018 from 12pm at the Belvedere Community Centre". Bexleyheath ward:- "Sunday 14/10/2018 - We had a report of a theft that was reported on a bus, bag was left on bus along the Broadway; Monday 15th & Tuesday 16th October 2018 – There was a criminal damage to motor vehicle that was reported along Braemar Avenue Bexleyheath; Tuesday 16/10/2018 – A theft of motor vehicle was reported along Martens Avenue Bexleyheath. Also, just to make yourselves aware, a NHW member had received a voicemail allegedly from the HM Revenue. It had stated that they were tax evading and if they do not call the number provided that there would be a warrant for their arrest. If anyone does get anything similar to this, could they please not respond and report it. In relation to Martens Grove – BMX Bike Park Proposal was attended by members from the SNT to see how this would impact on the local community and how the bike track would work in the area. Our next contact session shall take place on Wednesday 24th October between 10am and 11am at the Central Library Bexleyheath. Feel free to pop in and have a chat and spread the word. The team are in the process of trying to resolve issues that are being raised by residents within the ASDA car park area. Patrols are also still continuing around Martens Grove and Grove Road including the garages to reduce anti-social behaviour. As Halloween is approaching the team shall be conducting patrols around this period around the ward. We shall be visiting the shops to advise not to sell eggs to youngsters for obvious reasons. We do have posters that people can put up in windows for No Trick or Treating. We have enclosed an attachment which you may find useful. If you do wish to pass on information to Police then please contact Crime Stoppers on 0800 555111. Please do not hesitate to contact us via Twitter, Facebook, email and the ward phone. If you are after crime prevention advice, please look at the Met Police website which has lots of information that you may find useful. Remember in an emergency please dial 999 and 101 for non-urgent reporting". Crayford ward:- "Thankfully, another week with not too many crimes of note. On 9th October at 00.15 there was a theft from motor vehicle in Green Walk. Two portable DVD Players and a Sat Nav were stolen. There was no damage caused to the vehicle. The incident was captured on CCTV locally and the Male was seen to tamper with another vehicle, he was wearing a silver puffa jacket. On 9th October three parcels awaiting collection by courier were taken from a front garden in Crayford Way, the parcels contained a locket and 2 vintage cameras and other photographic equipment was taken. There was a theft from motor vehicle at Medway Road on 10th October at 22.20, three white Males stole power tools, this was captured on CCTV. It has been reported that a mobile phone and bank card were stolen by distraction from a business at Midfield Parade on 9th October at approx. 15.00. A Ford Transit, number plate PY56 GOP was stolen from Iron Mill Lane on 10th October. A window on the vehicle had been smashed a few days before. An elderly gentleman reported that his wallet was taken from his pocket whilst he was shopping in Sainsbury's on 12th October between 14.00-15.00. It was later found that his contactless card had been used locally. Please consider using a chain to attach wallets and purses to bags or clothing making it much more difficult to take, also consider keeping purses /wallets and other valuables inside a zipped bag or an inside coat pocket. In the lead up to Halloween, not everyone likes to take part in trick or treat, we have leaflets that we can deliver or email to residents, alternatively we have delivered some to Crayford Library for you to collect at your convenience. It wasn't possible to get to the Ellenor Shop as advertised on Wednesday 17th October, instead we will be at Crayford Library on Wednesday 24th October between 2-3pm. Due to the types of crimes being reported in the last week, please ensure expensive items are not left in vehicles and double check they are locked and secured when you leave them".

Erith ward:- "We hope you are all having a good week so far. This week we are having our Ward Panel meeting, I will send an update on this next week. The team have been actively stopping people in and around Erith for cannabis. 3 people were stopped in Bosworth house and searched. Thanks to the information that you provided to us. Again, theft from motor vehicles is on the rise, Please make sure nothing is on show when you leave your car / van. Crimes of note from the last week: Criminal damage Tuesday 09/10/2018 Riverdale Road - By unknown person damaging the victim's front door by hitting it with a stone. Their intentions were unknown; Possession Cannabis Saturday 13/10/2018 Bosworth House youth stopped in stairway. Theft Person Thursday 11/10/2018 Bexley Road - victim having had his mobile phone stolen out of his jacket pocket; Other theft Saturday 13/10/2018 - Wm Morrison Supermarkets Plc, James Watt way; Criminal Damage Under £500 13/10/2018 South Road – Lock on door damaged; Burglary Residential Monday 08/10/2018 West Street - Damage caused after break in via window Theft from MV Sunday 14/10/2018 St Fidelis Road - theft of front number plate. Theft from motor vehicle Friday 12/10/2018 Carrack House, Saltford Road - theft of front and rear car number plates". Northumberland Heath ward:- "Unfortunately over the past week we have had several burglaries reported to us. On Thursday October 11th between 1.45pm – 2300 hours entry was gained to a property in Belmont Road. The victim arrived home to see the external security panel flashing, the internal panel making a beeping noise and flashing repeatedly. The victim then went upstairs to find the bathroom damaged and a plant pot from the window ledge had fallen in to the bath leaving footprints behind. The victim left the property and reported the incident to Police. It is believed the address may have been targeted for theft of Asian gold, however it is not clear at this stage if anything has been taken. The second burglary took place in Hurst Road on Sunday October 14th between 7.30pm – 8.55pm. The suspect entered the property via a second floor window by climbing up the conservatory and forcing the window. It is unclear exactly what if anything was taken but an untidy search upstairs took place. One commercial business burglary this week in Bexley Road also on Sunday October 14th overnight into Monday October 15th. A rear door to the premises was forced open and it is believed a camera has been stolen. Several cars and a bus were damaged on Sunday evening October 14th near Elm Road by a group of youths throwing stones. One theft from a motor vehicle parked in Frinsted Road overnight between Monday October 15th and Tuesday 16th. The owner of the vehicle is an Uber driver and discovered a number of usb cables, an iPhone and his Uber licence missing from the vehicle. Our Ward Panel meeting took place Thursday last week. It was an opportunity for local residents to put forward their concerns to the team and the local Councillor who kindly attended. We will be continuing to focus on anti-social behaviour in Bexley Road and the surrounding area as well as increasing our presence in the Walsingham Walk and Streamway area following ongoing reports of drug dealing and taking in the area. Plain clothes patrols were conducted over last weekend on our late shift to try to identify and deter those responsible in these areas". Slade Green and Northend ward:- "Unfortunately, we have had a few crimes of note this week on the ward. On Thursday 11/10/2018 number plates were stolen from a car on Hazel Road. This is sadly becoming quite common across the borough. We do have a number of ‘anti-theft' screws at the office so please send us an email if you are interested and I will make sure you get some. This offer only extends to residents of our ward! Also in the early hours of Sunday 14/10/2018 a taxi driver was the victim of a nasty robbery on Sun Court (off Lincoln Road) where he was assaulted and had money and his mobile phone stolen. Enquiries are ongoing with a view to identifying suspects. In more positive news we have continued to make progress in identifying a group of juveniles causing anti-social behaviour primarily on Rainbow Road and Forest Road. A number of the group have received visits at home this week. Their parents have been informed of their behaviour and in all cases, parents were supportive of the local police. We have referred some of the group over to our dedicated anti-social behaviour team and consideration is being given to drawing up voluntary behaviour contracts. We still have further work to do in the run up to Halloween but we are making positive progress. We have had number of stop and searches across the ward this week with PC Mark-Brookes Smith seizing a small quantity of herbal cannabis on Appold Street earlier on today (Tuesday 16/10/18) and issuing the male in question with a £90 fine". Thamesmead East ward:- "Motor Vehicle Crimes - During the day of Thursday 11/10/18 a motorcycle parked and locked was stolen from outside the Lakeside Medical Centre ,Yarnton Way. A set of number plates were stolen from a vehicle parked in Seacourt Road between 12:00pm on the Saturday 13/10/18 and 07:00pm on the Monday 15/10/18. The next Community Contact Session is Wednesday 24th October between the hours of 2:00pm and 3:00pm at The Link, Bazalgette Way. It is an opportunity for members of the community who prefer face- to – face contact to speak with a Dedicated Ward Officer".

The end video this week is a driver's eye view of the route used by driving test examiners at the Belvedere Driving Test Centre. As is quite well known, the failure rate of students at the Belvedere centre is the highest in the UK - and it is regarded as the hardest place in the country at which to pass your driving test. The video below shows the very demanding examination course - and it makes for quite absorbing viewing. Let me know what you think.