news

Snippet
Work to renovate and repurpose the historic old Carnegie Library in Walnut Tree Road is
now fully under way. As you can see from the photo above, which I took last week, the
scaffolding has now been fully erected, and now covers the entire building. I have been told
that the first priority of the workers is to take off the current roof (which has been patched up
over the years and is not in a great condition), then to put on a temporary roof, and then
later replace the temporary roof with a bespoke new one, which will be designed to last a
minimum of 25 years. My reliable source also informs me that the builders have also had a
window survey done, identifying the repair need in advance of window repairs being carried
out. Dealing with these two elements will make the building watertight, something that has
not been the case for several years. When I visited the Carnegie Library during the open
day last year, water was coming through several windows, and a couple of trees were
actually growing inside the building! It is sad that the building has been neglected for over a
decade, but at least now that is finally being put right. I will be covering the refurbishment of
the old library in greater details in the months to come. Approval has now been granted for
the new privately run bus service that I have written about previously. The bus service will
operate on weekdays only, and will run between Harrow Manorway outside of Abbey Wood
Station, and Carlton Road in Northumberland Heath. The service will somewhat
inappropriately be called The Nuxley Navigator - as previously covered, Nuxley Village does
not exist - it is properly named Belvedere Village. The roads that the new private bus service
will cover 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 will be
opening at Abbey Wood Station at the end of this year, 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 "put down roots" in the area. 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 will do much to convince
people that they should move into the area, as housing is significantly cheaper than in other
parts of London, and the commuting issue will be at least partially answered by The Nuxley
Navigator - even if the name of the new bus service is inaccurate.
The photo above shows the current state of the redevelopment of the former Erith Riverside
Bath site on the junction of Walnut Tree Road and Erith High Street; one of a number of
housing developments currently in progress in the local area - click on the photo for a larger
view. Following my article on the redevelopment of the former tram shed site adjacent to the
London South East Colleges Bexley (yes, I know it is a dreadful, convoluted name) site last
week, I have had a handful of readers making negative comments about the level of
housing is being built all over The London Borough of Bexley; I merely report the news - I
don't make it. It would seem that quite apart from the residential developments currently in
progress that I have reported in the past, there are plans sponsored by Mayor of London
Sadiq Khan for more housing. A consultation is currently taking place in respect of this,
which is running until the 2nd of March. The part of the Greater London plan that affects The
London Borough of Bexley contains the following proposals that may well cause concern for
existing residents. In the draft plan, the Mayor of London proposes several measures to
address the capital’s housing crisis, including: Increasing the borough’s housing targets
four-fold, from 446 units a year to 2,145. Increasing the amount of housing coming from
small sites, mainly in Bexley’s residential areas around stations and town centres, eight-fold
from around 110 units a year to 856. Introducing a presumption that small housing
developments (up to 25 units) will get planning permission, with considerations limited to
privacy, heritage, biodiversity and safeguarded land such as green belt. Removing housing
density ranges so proposals are considered individually, but recognising that the existing
character of residential areas will need to change. Pressing for zero parking on
developments in places considered to have good public transport, such as Bexleyheath
town centre and Abbey Wood station. The draft plan also includes a range of other policies,
in a bid to produce an integrated economic, environmental, transport and social framework
for the development of London. The final version of the Bexley Growth Strategy, which
forms part of the Greater London Strategy was published by Bexley Council on Thursday of
this week; it is a sizeable document, which will take some considerable examination and
study. I have taken a good look at it, and I am of the opinion that it contains a number of
erroneous fundamental suppositions and basic flaws. Take a look for yourself and formulate
your own opinion - you can download the PDF of the final version of the Bexley Growth
Strategy document by clicking here.
You may not be aware, but the 13th of February has been declared World Radio Day by
UNESCO. UNESCO’s Executive Board recommended to the General Conference the
proclamation of World Radio Day, on the basis of a feasibility study undertaken by