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WestcombeNEWS
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Free to 3800 homes, in libraries and some shops March 2019 No. 2
A community newspaper commended by the London Forum of Amenity & Civic Societies
Enderby HouseEnderby House is to open as apub, probably in June, operatedby Young’s. Young’s pub groupalready operate the Dial Arch inWoolwich and Cutty Sark inGreenwich; also the Old Breweryon the Royal Naval College site(which they purchased fromMeantime) and the Richard 1stpub (formerly ”the Tolley”).
Greenwich ParkTwo more public consultationson Greenwich Park Revealed willbe held near the bandstand onThursday April 11th and Sunday14th April, 10am-4pm.
You can also contributeyourviews by email:greenwich-parkrevealed@ royalparks.org.uk
Cutty SarkMany congratulations to thegood ship Cutty Sark on her150th birthday
Goodbye to local papersWe are always sorry to lose anynewspaper, especially local ones.Greenwich Visitor closed itsdoors in December – we shallmiss it. Also, Reach (formerlyTrinity Mirror) has closed its free weekly newspaper The
Wharf in East London, blamingBrexit, a fall in property revenues and the delay ofCrossrail coming to the area.
Greenwich InfoA proposal to offer a company£1.3m to print and distribute the
fortnightly paper Greenwich Info,was criticised in a cross-partyscrutiny panel in December, andran into further trouble at aCouncil meeting in January.
Questions are being asked asto how efficiently the paper wasbeing delivered; in addition,questions have been asked about why the contract was not given to a local company,such as Greenwich Visitor. The WN has not put in a bid . . .
Rubbish tipIvy McGeorge told the WN: totake rubbish to the tip in Nathanway you need your drivinglicence or a council tax bill withyou. A Greenwich parkingpermit is not sufficient!
Välkommentill IKEA
Last year, the WN asked “When is aconsultation not a consultation?” The
brief answer is when respondents havealmost no time to respond.
Now the Council has done it again: on26th January, they asked us all to have oursay on its budget proposals for 2019/20 by10th February. Yes, we might haveresponded if we’d known about it, andbeen given enough time. Even so, makeno mistake: it’s a serious exercise whichcould have an impact on us all.
The problem faces councils all over thecountry. A Commons Public AccountsCommittee has warned the government isin denial about local government finances. Adult social care has been particularly
hard hit: the charity Age UK reports that inthe past twelve months 54,000 peopleacross the country have died waiting for asocial care package.
In Greenwich, the reduction in centralgovernment funding, combined withincreases in costs, means that for 2019/20,the Council is facing a £7.5m pressure onits budget. Cuts could mean reducingexpenditure on non-essential servicesand/or increasing council tax by 2.99%.
Your views count . . . The Council is asking residents for theirviews on three priority areas which couldreceive additional funding in 2019/20:* setting up a serious youth violence
reduction team to help combat and prevent youth and gang violence
* giving support and advice for people moving across to Universal Credit
* providing training and support to help people return to work.Cllr Christine Grice, Cabinet Member
for Finance and Resources, said: “Since2010, the amount of money we receivefrom government has reduced by over£125million – that’s well over £1,000 perhousehold. At the same time, our costshave risen due to inflation and becausemore people need our services. So far wehave been able to protect most services, byefficiency savings., but it is becomingincreasingly difficult to cope.
“Residents’ responses will feed into amuch more detailed consultation we willdo later this year as we prepare for the nextbudget cycle which starts in April 2020.”
Royal Greenwich has done well toprovide the services it does while keepingCouncil Tax reletively low; but this newswill come as little surprise to students oflocal council finance.
Leader’s statementCllr Danny Thorpe, Leader of the Council,said: “We have the 11th lowest council taxin London,, but the relentless cuts fromcentral government are making it increas-ingly difficult to protect our vital frontlineservices. We propose to prioritise the peo-ple who most rely on our services.” The consultation closed on 10th FebruaryThe 2019/20 budget was debated at FullCouncil on 27th. February.
Council cuts: have your say
At the end of January some 8,000school children sang in a concert at
the O2, raising money for a children’scancer charity – with more than 20,000parents and grandparents in attendance.
A proud grandparent who attended hernine-year-old grandaughter’s debut on thestage describes what happened:
“The concert was lovely, though wecouldn’t actually see Ruby on stage – youneeded binoculars – we never begrudgedthe £22.50 tickets (though there was a£7.50 “handling charge”).
“Before we went we checked up onparking at the O2 – £12.00 for six hours,that’s not too bad, we thought.
“But when we got there we were told itwas £35.00 for parking for events! Insidethe O2, thank goodness we took a packedlunch, but Ruby definitely deserved a treat.
“And that was another £12.00 for achicken-burger and chips!
“That 02 is nothing but a cash machine –and you wonder how much of the moneywe all spent went to charity?”
You have been warned!
02 Rip-off
Vivienne Raper
PHOTOS: Neville Grant
A real party atmosphere at the opening
The Westcombe SocietyDaffodil Tea Sat 16th March 2.00 - 4.00 pmThe Daffodil Tea for Senior Citizens is by
invitation; however anyone who didn’t get an invitation and who would like to come,
please ring Caroline on 020 8853 0948.
Ahuge queue of people lined up outsidethe new IKEA building for its official
opening on February 7th, eager to viewIKEA’s treasures inside. Serried ranks ofstaff, in their distinctive yellow livery,waving the blue and yellow Swedish flags,gave the customers a warm welcome withmusic and dancing as they poured in: areal party atmosphere.
IKEA Greenwich, which was dogged bytraffic concerns before its opening, claimsto be the company’s most sustainable store.
“We want to be more accessible topeople who don’t have cars,” an IKEAspokesperson told the WN. “We wantpeople to come with keys, phone andwallet and we’ll do everything else.”
The council’s employment service,Greenwich Local Labour and Business(GLLaB), which provides local residentswith training and local job opportunities,worked in partnership with IKEA to holdrecruitment roadshows across the borough.These were attended by almost 1,500 localresidents – and delivered pre-employmenttraining to over 200 unemployed locals.
The new store has employed more than350 people from across Greenwich andneighbouring boroughs, with 270 localresidents in Greenwich accounting formore than 60% of new employees.
IKEA launched the store over the periodof a fortnight, with multiple pre-opening
events, to address local concerns over air quality and traffic. Cllr Geoff Brighty, whoopposed IKEA’s original planning applica-tion, said: “The key issue for many resi-dents, particularly in the Westcombe area,was that with IKEA’s business templatethere would be an increase in traffic onalready congested and polluted roads.”
He added: “We need to see how the newstore settles into the area, and hopefully it
can work without causing too much of anadverse impact.”
However, sources close to the WNreport gave a mixed picture. One localresident said: “In the first few days therewere one or two times during a day whenthe traffic would be bad or the car parkwas full, but none of it lasted for anylength of time. On the first weekend, a carbroke down at the Sun-in-Sands and thisled to a traffic jam all the way toGreenwich – lots of people blamed IKEAfor it.” So, so far, so good?
Special transport provision An IKEA spokesperson told the WN thatthe store is the first in the UK to offer a24-hour delivery service. The first twelveweeks of opening will see offers includingsubsidised delivery costs within a 40-minute radius by public transport, andmarket hall products delivered by electricbike courier, Zedify.
IKEA have given £750,000 to the RoyalBorough of Greenwich Council ‘towardsthe promotion of travel by sustainablemodes of transport for co-workers andcustomers of IKEA’.
Proposed improvements have includednew bus lanes, pedestrian and cyclecrossings and bus lanes. 41% of customersare expected to arrive by car with the resttaking a bus, walking or cycling.
The travel plan for IKEA also refers toimprovements to cycling and pedestrianaccess, and ‘public realm improvements’.But these are unlikely to improve the‘grey and grim’ walk from WestcombePark station under the A2, Brighty says.
In a statement to the WN, Cllr DeniseScott-McDonald, Cabinet Member for AirQuality, Public Realm and Transport said: “We are working together with the police
emergency services, publictransport providers and IKEA to monitor, minimise and mitigate against the impact leading up to,
during and after the store opening and going forward.
“While a major retailer and jobcreator like IKEA opening up in the Royal Borough is to be welcomed, residents have veryserious concerns about traffic and air quality and it is rightthat they are addressed.”
March19xx_WN.QXD 22/02/2019 11:53 Page 1
Letters
WESTCOMBE NEWS
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Westcombe News March 2019 2
WESTCOMBE SOCIETY
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Views expressed are not necessarily those of either the Westcombe Society, or the Westcombe News.
WANTED! More volunteers todistribute the WN – and to help with
Westcombe Society’s communityevents. Please phone 8853 2756 if you would like to help.
Charity of the year
All editoriAl correspondence to:
neville Grant, [email protected] Tel. 020 8858 8489
All MAteriAl to Be sent to:[email protected]
deadline for the April 2019 issue:16th March
environment editor: MaggieGravellesub-editor: Annie Greyreporters: The community – thatmeans you!
environMent coMMitteeemily norton All queries and comments to: 020 8853 2756 [email protected]
distriBution emily norton and
volunteers.Volunteer distributors please phone 020 8853 2756 , we need your help!
AdvertisinG MAnAGerMarilyn little, 163 Westcombe Hill, se3 7dp 020 8853 1312
All adverts payable in advance bycheque to the Westcombe society. displAY: Single column 6cm x 6cm:One - four issues £35, five-plus issues £30each. Other sizes: please inquire. classified Ads (Market Place) 30p per word(A telephone number = one word. An email/web address = 3 words.) Deadline for all
adverts is 10th day of the preceding month.
printed by: trojan press
contact the Westcombe society:[email protected]: The Westcombe Society
chairman: Marilyn Little Tel. 020 8853 1312
The views expressed in the WestcombeNews are not necessarily those of theWestcombe Society or of the Editor. We take all reasonable precautions to pro-tect the interests of our readers by ensuringas far as possible the bona fides of ouradvertisers but cannot accept any responsi-bility for them. Any complaints should beaddressed to the advertiser.
To access back-numbers (in colour) go to:www.westcombesociety.org/westcombe-news/Westcombe Society’s Blog:http://westcombe.blogspot.com
From David Fletcher: I wonder if readers are aware of the almostcomplete demolition of the interior of the ArchesLeisure Centre in Greenwich (Google November2018 “Derelict Places” I fear for its future.
I have also contacted Cllr Geoff Brightyfollowing the Planning Department’s recent Blitzof Central Greenwich. I refer to the Council’sdecision to approve demolition of three towncentre buildings – The Bookshop and adjoining18th Century house, The Lord Hood Public House(both on Creek Road) and now the VictorianPublic House on Thames Street.
These buildings all provided character to theStreetscape and are being replaced by developers’maximising their profits with blocks ofcharacterless flats. I fear the Arches may well endup as the same. Ed: Please see page.3
From: Terry Sole Herne Bay I am trying to write something about the artists
who operated from or taught at Haimo Road adultinstitute (Eltham) during the 1960's to 1990's.They exhibited regularly at the Blackheath ArtSociety annual open exhibition each Easter andother South London venues.
They also organised painting in the grounds ofWoodlands, and in the summer camping and paint-ing in the South of France. Could your readersplease get in touch if they have any relevantinformaion. Terry Sole (Formerly of Coleraine Rd.)One New Street Gallery, Herne Bay Kent CT65AH. Mobile 07516756592.
From: Jenny Allen Librarian, John RoanThis year the libraries at The John Roan Schoolare running an Inter-Generation Book Project,where our students and local older residents gettogether to discuss the books that they enjoyedwhen they wereyounger, and what theyenjoy reading now.
We’d then like to putthe books discussed in atime capsule.
To launch the projectwe are holding a springtea party in our libraryat the Maze Hill site onFriday 29th March from1:30pm.
If anyone wouldlike to attend and discuss books with our specially trainedCommunity Librariansplease RSVP using theinformation below:0208 516 7537
“What local charity do you thinkdeserves to be the focus of the
Westcombe Society’s efforts to assistthem with a financial contribution?”
asks Chairman Marilyn LittleOver the years the Society has
assisted many locally-funded groupsincluding Riding for the Disabled,
Mumsaid, and South London SpecialLeague to name but a few.
We help them to further their goodwork with funds raised from events such
as our Quiz and the Christmas Bazaar.
We’re looking for nominations forthis year’s Charity of the Year, to be
voted on at the AGM in May – and alsofun fresh ideas for how to raise that all
important money to keeptheir work going strong.
Do send your ideas and thoughts [email protected]
Is it time to say goodbye to theWestcombe Society’s Christmas Bazaar
in aid of charity? This is a questionmembers of the Society are asking in lightof falling attendance over the last fewyears, fewer people turning up at this 20-year-old festive fair, reducing funds beingraised for the Society’s annualCharity of the Year.
In its heyday the ChristmasBazaar heralded the start of thelocal community’s Christmas celebrations.For most of its life the Bazaar had a lovelyDickensian theme with members of theWestcombe Society decked out in lace,long dresses and top hats. There wasmulled wine, roasted chestnuts, and dozensof stalls.
A celebrity would open the fair. MaryPortas was a popular guest of honour afew years ago. And for the children, aPunch & Judy show, and Santa’s grotto,have always been highlights.
The 2018 bazaar still had Punch andJudy and Santa, plus carols under the hugeChristmas tree, and it all seemed to godown a treat; but numbers were down andstall-holders reported less spending.
Members of the Westcombe Society,and other volunteers, work hard preparing
and setting up the Bazaar. The aims aretwo fold….to give the local community ahappy experience, and to raise money for achosen local charity of the year.
Some people now feel that the Bazaarhas too much competition from other localcraft fairs, and the reasons it was started in
the first place and has been sosuccessful over the years are notas relevant now. Perhaps theWestcombe Society needs to
move on and establish other fun, family-oriented fundraising events that are morein tune with changing lifestyles?
Others feel that the Bazaar still has aspecial place in the community’s heart, thatit is a colourful local tradition that stillbrings people together and is woven intothe fabric of a Westcombe Park year.
And so, dear readers, we put it to you. Isthe Christmas Bazaar a local treasure thatmust continue, or do you think theWestcombe Society needs to look at itsfund raising strategies with fresh eyes, andre-invent ways of raising money for localcauses that badly need financial support?
We’d love to have your feedback andideas to [email protected] or07939386215 Many thanks.Marilyn Little Chair, Westcombe Society
The Christmas Bazaar
DiBlackwell
From your editor:
Please note that this is a community newspaper: that means it is YOUR
newspaper! So make it yours by sendingin your own contributions – news, photos,
stories, feature articles etc.
Supported by
www.mycenaehouse.co.uk02088581749
90 Mycenae Rd, Blackheath Standard, SE3 7SE 400yds to Westcombe Park Train Station Free Parking
Go See/Go DoOver 120 things to Do and See each week
Learning, Concerts, Workshops, Exhibitions, Training,Workouts, Parties , Lectures, Social Events, Childrens
and Family Activities, Seniors, Clubs and Societies.
‘This place is buzzing’Time Out
www.mycenaehouse.co.uk 02088581749
Members & Helpers’ Party
The WN has heard that the date of theOnBlackheath event may possibly
change to July this year. Any such changeof date for the event would need to be putinto effect by a new grant application toLB Lewisham.
It is important that residents ofGreenwich are kept full informed, and tothis end, Greenwich Council could bewilling to forward any comments.
Please note these dates in your diary:Monday 4th March 7.00pm at AgeExchange - Blackheath Joint WorkingParty Open Meeting, open to anyone toexpress their views on anything to do withBlackheath – including OnBlackheath.Tuesday 12th March - This is the dead-line for comments on change in licence forOnBlackheath to allow variation of thecurrent OnBlackheath licence so thatOnBlackheath could take place on anyweekend between 1st July and 31stSeptember. There is some feeling that thenoise will be worse earlier in the summerbecause of light evenings and people beingin their gardens and having windows open.Therefore there may possibly be objectionsto a change of date because of increasedPublic Nuisance. EMILY NORTON
OnBlackheath change of date
One Saturday night last month Mycenae House was abuzz with good cheer at TheWestcombe Society’s helpers and volunteers’ party– a special annual event highlightingthe work of the Society. As well as a tasty buffet there was an eclectic and delightfulrange of music from harpist Cecilia. During the evening Marilyn Little presentedlife membership to former WN distribution manager Myles Dove as a huge thankyou for all his years of devoted community service, and also presented a cheque for£2275 to support the work of the Volunteer Centre Greenwich. Jon Fricker, trusteeand Vice-Chair of the Centre accepted the donation and outlined the valuable workof the organisation. Raising money for a chosen local charity each year is, along withbringing local people together, the Society’s passion. JANE WILSON
March19xx_WN.QXD 22/02/2019 11:53 Page 2
Have fun – joinour group! says Mary Bauckham
Westcombe News March 2019 3
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BAR MEMBER NO. JO28
The ArchesUrsula Bowyer
If you’ve been wandering aroundGreenwich Park on a Sunday morning,
near the bandstand, you might have noticeda bunch of rather unfit looking people intheir 50s and 60s running up and down aslightly wonky pitch marked out withcones, shouting to each other aboutpassing, and, more worryingly, throwing aball to try and hit some of the players.
This is Danish Longball, played, withvery little skill, by members of The BadFootball Club. Yes, we do play football,but only very occasionally, because wehave found that our favourite sport isDanish Longball.
It all started when my friend Lesleyannounced that she fancied playing cricketin the park. I was fresh from a ChristmasDay triumph in a family game of 5 a sidefootball, despite not having played fordecades.
My favourite game, I told her, was oneI’d played on the holidays I’d been on as achild. It’s a bit like cricket, rounders anddodgeball all mixed together. You can bevery fit and be got “out” very quickly inthe game, or you can consider yourselfpretty rubbish and be one of the last ones
scoring runs for your team. It’s a greatleveller and a lot of fun: Danish Longball.
We did indeed play football at our firstmeeting, badly, hence our name, and nowthe name lives on partly because we veryrarely play it at all.
Some of The Bad Football Club aren’tkeen on sport, so we mix up our monthlymeetings with country walks, city walks,card and board games sessions, and parties(always with games). We’ve also resurrect-ed the game of “lurky” which involves hiding behind trees in Oxleas Woods andrushing out to kick a can and free the“prisoners”. Last summer we even went ona camping trip which involved kayakingand singing (badly) around a campfire.
If you think that these activities soundrather childish, you’d be right. But after afew decades, the novelty of being a grownup is wearing thin. This is our chance toaccess our inner 8 year olds (maybe notwhen we’re necking the prosecco).
Lots of our members are single or leavethe other half at home. Most of them are abit past middle age but we have someyounger members too ( the youngest is 10).Loneliness is not something we talk about,
but just as going to a church could helpwith that, BFC is another place to meetlocal people regularly and to forge relation-ships through shared activity, humour, andthe foregoing of dignity.
We’ve been running for nearly fouryears now. It’s all going well, but the activ-ity I would like to promote to readers ofThe Westcombe News is Danish Longball.Although very many Bad Footballers willshow up to a country walk, there’s quite a bit of pleading around bad hips and dodgy knees and not-being-picked-for-school-teams when it comes to Danish Longball.You need at least eight players for a match,but really about 16 or 20 players wouldgive us a better game. Who knows? Wecould even start a league.
If you would like to come and join TheBad Football Club for a game of DanishLongball, please email me [email protected]. Our nextgame is on Sunday 3rd March, 12 noon, inGreenwich Park (meeting at the band-stand). After that the big game will be onSunday 19th May (same time and place).We also have some walks lined up.
Get in touch! All welcome!
The much-loved Arches Leisure Centreboasted a 110 station gym, a fitness
pool, a leisure pool including a spa pool,two exercise studios, a Crèche and aSauna. In addition it was home to variousswimming and sports clubs.
Many readers of the WN have fondmemories of the centre, with its lavender-coloured doors on the changing cubicles,and mourned its closure in June 2015,when it was up for redevelopment.
Today the building looks shabby andneglected. However, it has an interestinghistory. It was built to the designs of Horthand Andrews, the winners of a 1923National Architectural Competition toreplace the original 1850s building.
The 1850 baths were among the first inEngland to be built following the 1848Baths and Washhouses Act. This Acywasdesigned to give workers in the hurriedly-built bathroom-less terraces a chance towash as well as to learn to swim.
This building proved inadequate for thenumber of men returning from the forcesafter WWI to take up jobs in the thenflourishing Industry in Greenwich.
The Baths that replaced the originalbuilding in 1923 extend across a wholeblock of tTrafalgar Road. It is the largestbuilding in the street.
The interior, today: a sorry sight.
The arched symmetrical design wasinspired by Roman baths. It gave the streetorder and dignity, a worthy approach to thefamous buildings of Wren further alongTrafalgar Road.
The building had a character all of itsown, yet it fitted into the modest scale ofits immediate neighbours and ofHawksmoor, which it did not compete withor ape. It was renamed The Arches afterthe slipper baths (individual private bath-rooms) in the centre of the complex whichwere later replaced by a gymnasium.
The Arches was a ‘Locally Listed’building and its design has inspired manylater swimming pools – Bryanston Baths,Ironmongers Row, Porchester Place, all of them statutorily listed and in full workingorder. The Greenwich Society, anxious not
What will become of it?
to lose this fine character-filled buildingprepared a study in 2012 showing some ofthe unusual and original details of thedesign of this award-winning structure.
The Society was pleased that after theoriginal intention for the Arches to be soldfor demolition, the Council included thefollowing ‘Planning Guidance’ with theadvertisement for its sale:-
“... as a locally listed building located on a busy road and in a conservation area, the potential for development is subject to certain constraints and . . .
the preference would be for sympathetic conversion/ extension.”
For more painful photographs visit28dayslater.co.uk/threads/the arches
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The People’sVote helpsCommunityProjects
Yet again it’s been a bumper year forcommunity groups as the winners of
the Greenwich Neighbourhood GrowthFund are now revealed.
A remarkable 23 community groupsacross the borough will be receivingmoney to spend on improving their localarea. The successful proposals will delivera range of community benefits thatinclude: new and improved facilities andservices for people with learning difficul-ties; improvements to local parks and openspaces; public conveniences; sport facili-ties; health and well-being projects; a com-munity festival.
The money for the Fund comes fromthe Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL),a scheme introduced by Government thatallow councils to raise money from devel-opments which is then used to deliverinfrastructure improvements.
Over 3,200 votes were cast to helpdecide on the winning projects in the fourareas. This is the second round of fundingfor the Neighbourhood Growth Fund forwhich Royal Greenwich is divided intofour neighbourhoods.
Each neighbourhood is allocated a setamount, which is dependent on the amountof development in their area.
For the purposes of the scheme, theRoyal Borough is divided into four areas:Area one - Eltham and Shooters HillArea two - Blackheath and GreenwichArea three - Charlton and WoolwichArea four - Abbey Wood, Plumstead andThamesmead
In Area 2 - our area, the winners thistime are:Friends of Westcombe Woodlands – Seedto Tree ProgrammeMontessori Education for Autism –Blackheath/Westcombe Autism SupportYard ProjectGreenwich Millennium Village – 2019GMV Summer FayreFriends of East Greenwich Pleasaunce –Drinking fountain in the PleasaunceSt Alfege Church Greenwich – For yourConvenience, St Alfege ChurchThe Forum at Greenwich – Love YourLoosTalk About Art – Stained glass windowprojectGreenwich Mural Workshop – RathmoreHall mosaic bench repairs
Among the winners in other areas are:The Friends of Maryon and MaryonWilson Animal Parks Central Greenwich Children’s Centre – Charlton Park Rugby Football Club –Improving the lives of young peopleSeverndroog Castle
The next application round for theGreenwich Neighbourhood Growth Fundwill open in Autumn 2019.
Christine Bramble
March19xx_WN.QXD 22/02/2019 11:53 Page 3
Westcombe News March 20194
FEATURESReady, Steady - NO!WN reporter
Linda Baker looks at
The Problems of Academisation
The point of educationThe point of getting educated is to acquire mental grip: this is needed by everyone today,more than ever before. What has happened to mental grip? It seems to have gone AWOL
in many quarters, including Westminster and Whitehall. Unfortunately schools havebeen organised for thirty years mainly on the principle of getting students to memorise
facts and processes, pull them out in the examination, and hence end up with goodgrades. This fetish for memorization is not doing any good. This is not education.
Everyone needs much more grip than this. The PER Group was founded in 1993 and hasspent twenty-five years brainstorming what is required. We have meetings at Conway
Hall on March 2nd and May 25th. For more details email Chris Ormell [email protected] or go to www.philosophyforeducation.moonfruit.com.
British business is about to be hit by adouble whammy – in both cases what
could be called an own goal. And if youread nothing else, read the last paragraphof this news item.
First, half of the nation’s businesses arestill completely unprepared for any formof BREXIT. The percentage increases ifthe outcome is what Boris Johnson hasmost recently embraced – the No DealOption. (He has, it seems, decided that hispet idea Canada Plus Plus, is not so goodafter all.)
But that’s not all: HMRC is starting tointroduce a new system in April 2019 – it’scalled Making Tax Digital.
What’s more, a report from Advanced’sLatest Trends survey indicates that 43% ofbusiness owners don't understand theinitiative and are unsure whether they willbe ready for it.
Making Tax Digital is a key HMRCinitiative that aims to digitalise all taxreturns and submissions into one accountwhilst forcing businesses to transition todigital record keeping. HMRC hopes thiswill cut down on fraudulent behaviour aswell as make filing a tax return simpler formost businesses. What could possibly gowrong . . .
MTD starts officially with VAT in April2019 and moves on to Corporation Tax inApril 2020. The survey revealed that only57% of business owners are confident theyhave a solution in place for HMRC’s firstrollout of the scheme.
Whilst there have been widespread callsto delay, the first round goes ahead on the1st April, requiring VAT-registered busi-nesses above the threshold of £85k to keepdigital records and submit VAT returnsusing compatible accounting software.
Business owners currently keepingpaper records will be forced to transitionto a digital format or risk breaking the law.HMRC recommends using a compatiblebookkeeping software which will digitaliseyour records and give you the ability tosubmit your VAT return online.
For those looking to avoid learning anew bookkeeping software, you can usespreadsheets for your record keeping butyou will still need to find compatible soft-ware or an accountant to submit your VATreturn, as submission via the HMRC’sVAT gateway will be removed.
However, adoption of bookkeepingsoftware is not necessarily doom andgloom. Sandra Evans, of local accountancyfirm Finsbury Robinson, told the WN:
“Whilst this is an onerous change forsome businesses, there are some positivesfor those who choose to embrace onlinebookkeeping software.
“Modern bookkeeping software allowsyou real time access to your business’financials, thus giving you the ability tomake better decisions, especially in respectto cashflow. They also make reconciliationof your bookkeeping much easier and offermany additional time-saving features suchas invoicing, payment handling and creditcontrol.”
So, if your turnover is over £85k, youneed to act quickly! If it’s not over £85k,thank heaven for small mercies – andsmaller bank balances! But be warned,dear reader – it’s your turn next:income tax will need to be declared fourtimes a year from April 2020 ....
We hear a lot about schoolsbecoming academies. One thingwe know for a fact is that they
are not the answer to the underfundingproblems of the education system.
A BBC Panorama programme last yearexposed the ease in which academies canfall into the wrong hands. The onlyfinancial difference they then make is bytaxpayers’ money going into privatepockets, and management teams awardingthemselves fat salaries.
We are also told that academies raisestandards, and the Government have usedpoor Ofsted results as a prime reason fortaking schools out of Local Authority (LA)control. But there is no evidence thatacademies do raise standards higher than inLA schools; in fact, evidence suggests that,overall, academies achieve about on par.However, academies have a habit ofrestricting the curriculum to subjects thatare easily tested.
Why is this? Well, if you are running aschool as a financial business it is impor-tant to recruit the kind of child who willyield good results. Like a crop! Goodresults equal successful school! But formany academy trusts it has proved difficultto put this theory into practice.
Special Needs EducationThis brings me to the next bad habit ofacademies. They tend to reduce SpecialEducational Needs and Disabilitiesdepartments (known as SEND) to aminimum. They don’t want to ‘waste’money on children who do not auto-matically fuel the results machine. Themost expedient way to deal with this is topush children out of the academy systemand into the remaining LA schools, schoolsthat have a well-established strategy fordealing with the needs of children.
However, the funding for these childrenjust isn’t there. On the 22nd October, anarticle in the Guardian stated that SENDchildren are being failed by a system thatis ‘on the verge of crisis’. Nearly threetimes more parents today are winningtribunals than in 2011 because there arejust not enough suitable school placesavailable for their children’s needs. Andwhat happens if the Government fulfils itsdream and LA schools no longer exist?
What’s happening in GreenwichWe know that academies can be predatoryin their actions. Let’s look at what’s beenhappening in Greenwich. We have twoschools that have recently been underthreat of academisation.
One of these is John Roan, the oldestsecondary school in Greenwich, but with astate-of-the art new building, a listed oldbuilding, and other buildings and playingfields, all bequeathed to Greenwich andoverseen by The John Roan Foundation.The John Roan has been ground down overa series of years by changes of inadequatemanagement and by underfunding, andreceived a poor Ofsted assessment (whichmany believe was unfair) citing high
Our local school,the John Roan, has been hitting the headlines in the WN.The school was setup in 1677. It has
a proud past, and is rooted in thecommunity.
But what is itsfuture?
turnover of staff as a concern. Despitepleas from the LA, and strong local oppo-sition, the DFE are adamant to academise.Of course they are, because the school willbe a jewel in the academy crown.
However before Christmas, as readersof the WN will know, the UST withdrewits sponsorship, as it said it did not havethe resources to “address the challengesthat the school faces.”
Also, it was found that last year half amillion pounds had gone from the schoolbudget, much of it spent on so-calledschool improvement plans run by the UST,and leaving the school in deficit. The “pro-fessional services” of the UST failed toimprove the school, but the money hasgone. And now the UST has gone! But stillthe DFE has learnt nothing, and areobsessed on academisation at any cost,despite strong local opposition.
The second school under threat of acad-emisation was Sherington Primary School.But, hang on! This school was deemed tobe outstanding by Ofsted, so the argumentabout raising standards being the drivingforce for academisation was a bogus one.They wanted Sherington for an academyfor another reason, which is that it is mucheasier to do well as an academy if you startoff with a high-achieving school! The factthat the LA has been doing well doesn’tseem to matter, the suggestion being that aprivate company can do better. Theproposal was so strongly opposed that itwas thrown out.
Academies have developed an ethos thatdoesn’t sit well with educationalists andteachers. The children’s well-being is notat the heart of the academy philosophy, and the shocking statistics on mentalillness in children shows this.
For this reason teachers and educationworkers are taking industrial strike actionagainst academisation in Greenwich andaround the whole country. And teachersare stressed too, for numerous reasons, andmany are leaving the profession - some ofthem to teach overseas, inlcuding themuch-vilified EU!
They know that academies place demandson them that they cannot agree to. Theyknow that academies have little interest inthe conditions of employment for teachersand for education workers. And they alsoknow that academies frequently suffer a haemorrhage of highly qualified teachers,
leaving unstable and constantly changingstaffing conditions, sometimes withunqualified personnel taking classes.
The democratic deficitBut the most compelling argument againstacademies is the lack of democracy. AnLEA is answerable to the local electorate.The LA can deal with any problerms.Where do you go to in an academy? Tothe academy foundation that is the head ofthe business, but then where? Nowhere!
An academy has a 125-year lease thatcan’t be rescinded without a change in law.Once an academy trust takes over, almostanything can happen. In Greenwich, forinstance, the Greenwich Free School wasestablished in 2012, and was re-brokeredto ARK Multi-Academy Trust in 2018, theschool being “too onerous for the trustees”.In other words, it lacked the necessaryexpertise. It had a very high fixed pupilexclusion rate of more than 20%.
The trend now is for academies to joinup into large organisations. For example,Correlli College (Academy), established in2011, was by 2016 being given ‘support’by Leigh Academies Trust (LAT). By2018 the school had become the HaileyAcademy Trust. .
In Greenwich, we have had trusts thatlasted barely three years. And, around thecountry, there are about 200 so-called‘orphan’ schools that have been abandonedby their academy trusts, and left with nosponsors, and are unable by law to returnto their Local Authorities.
What about the future? What schools are future generations ofchildren going to go to? Who knows!Anyone who can afford to run a school canhave a go. Yet money is being wasted onacademisation. Already, the administrationcosts alone of implementing academisationhas been estimated at £2bn, all coming outof the over-stretched education budget.This is money that should have been spentdirectly on children’s education: as a result,LA schools – and indeed now academies –are being starved of funds.
The Guardian reported on 23 January2019 that the parliamentary watchdog, ThePublic Accounts Committee (PAC)concluded in its report that the education oftens of thousands of children has beendamaged by academy failures, and by themisuse of public funds.
Parents are rightly concerned that theirchildren’s education is being disrupted bythe fall-out from the academisation policy.Let’s spend the money on strenuousimprovements in locally elected LEAschools, where we have a chance to seeand influence what’s going on.
Anti-academy campaigns are gainingstrength and being heard. The fight now isworth it: at stake is the plight of educationfor our children – and for their children’seducation in the future.
March19xx_WN.QXD 22/02/2019 11:53 Page 4
Westcombe News March 2019 5
tHeAtre & operA
Arts
BLACKHEATH HALLSSat 2nd March 12.30 pm Trinity Laban FamilyConcert: TALL TALES, MYTHS & LEGENDS:The music of Anton Dvorak Age 4+ (PG)Sat 18th Mar R SNOW WHITE, ROSE RED,BEAR BROWN 11.00 am & 3,00pm Age 4+ (PG) Sat 30th Mar. SOURPUSS : a grumpy ginger cat11.00am & 300pm Age 3 - 8. (Parental Guidance)WORKSHOP 12.00 noon Recital Room Make yourown shadow puppet £4.00THE ALBANY, DEPTFORDFri 8th Mar. MASH UP Beat boxing music andpuppetry 13+Sun 10th Mar. TARZANNA Girl-power aerialtheatre Ages 3+Tue 19th - Wed 20th Mar. GLORY Funny storyabout wrestling Age 14+Sunday 24 March 1.00pm & 3.00pm. £7 / £24family ticket. Ages 3+. LYNGO THEATREPRESENTS JACK AND THE BEANSTALK Tues 26th Mar. FOOD FOR THOUGHTFood from around the world - how does it get on ourplates? Age 12+Thu 28th - Sat 30tth Mar. LIKKLE RUM WITHGRANDMA Jamaican story telling 14+Sun 20th Mar THE BOY AND THE MERMAIDAges 5+ ALL THE ABOVE: Parental GuidanceSHERINGTON CHILDREN’S CENTRE, Tel. 0208– 3053140 - 14, Sherington Road SE7 7JWDAD’S STAY AND PLAY every Wednesday, 1.00pm -2.30pm drop in Sherington Children’sCentre, all home dads welcome Each 2nd Saturday of the month – 10,00am -11.30am – free brunch/arts and craft [email protected] s, www.selondondads.org.uk
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Sat March 16th - Daffodil TeaSat 20th April - Easter Egg Hunt
May 17th. Westcombe Soc. AGMSun 15th Sept - Macmillan WalkFri 27th Sept Macmillan Coffee MorningSat 26th Oct - Quiz Night
tHe WestcoMBe societY MUSIC
INDUSTRIAL HISTORY SOCIETYPhotography Exhibition: "On The Fringe" atNumber 86 Cafe, Royal Hill Greenwich LondonSE10 8RT Until 21st March 2019.IN-WORDSApril 9th 7.30 West Greenwich Library: Irish poetJane Clarke will be reading from All the WayHome, inspired by WW1 letters & photographs &the Auerbach family, donated to Mary EvansLibrary in Blackheath, Compered by BlakeMorrison www.in-words.co.uk
spoKen Word
THE GREENWICH THEATRE, Crooms Hill,London SE10 8ES Box Office: 8858 7755Fri 1st - Sun 3rd March THE ODYSSEYHumorous Homer. Eves 7.30, Sat mat 2.30 pmTues 5th Mar. NARCISSIST IN THE MIRRORaward-winning dark comedy 7.30pmThu 14th - Sat 16th Mar. NO MIRACLES HEREMental health issues & music 7.30pmWed. 20th - Sat 30th Mar. LORD OF THE FLIESTues - Sat 7.30pm Wed Thurs & Sat Mats 2.30pmSun 24th Mar. LUKE JERMAY INTUITIONCan he read your mind? 7.00pmTues 2nd - Sat 6th April THE TRIALS OF OSCARWILDE Eves 7.30 Sat mat 2.30pmSE LONDON BASED MIDSUMMER OPERASemi-staged perf. of Giordano's masterpieceANDREA CHÉNIER in Italian.on Friday March29th at 7.00pm and on Sunday March 31st at5.00pm. With MSO's symphony orchestra and cho-rus conducted by David Roblou. At St St John'sWaterloo (opposite the station) and tickets costonly £24 if booked in advance (£22 concessions onFriday only). Phone number is 0207 652 0070. Thewebsite is http://www.midsummeropera.org.uk.
MYcenAe House live events: March
THE ARTS SOCIETY, GREENWICH King William Court, Univ. of Greenwich All lectures start at 7.45. Wine served from 7.15.Mon. 11th March NOMADIC TEXTILES OFCENTRAL ASIA talk by Chris Alexander: Housesmade from wool that warm in the depths of winter,carpets that tell stories, woven bands that appeaseancestors, embroideries that ward off evil, and kilims... Visitors welcome, please pay at the doorTHE ARTS SOCIETY, BLACKHEATH Thurs. 28th March Andy McConnell on MYUNEXPECTED CAREER IN THE WORLD OFGLASS 2.00pm. with tea and coffee, and lectures at2.30. Venue is St Mary's Church Hall, Cresswell ParkBlackheath Visitors welcome, please pay on the door.
WHAT’S ONBLACKHEATH HALLSWed Mar 6th. 2.30pm Opera MasterclassRecital room Free, booking required7.30 pm performance of lieder and arias 2hrsinc interval £10.00 | £8.00Thur. 7th March 8.00pm ALBERT LEE 75th birthday tour One of the world’s finestguitarists Great Hall £25.00Fri. 8th March LEVERET play traditionalEnglish folk music £16.00 Sat March 9th 7.30pm The Halls’ Orchestra &Chorus perform Bach & Walton £16 | £14Sun 10th Mar 11.00 am Recital room WOMENCOMPOSERS IN SONG £10 | £8.00Tue 12th Mar. 7.30pm TRINITY LABAN JAZZORCHESTRA Free, booking requiredWed 13th Mar. & Thu 14th Mar 7.00pmLEWISHAM LIVE FESTIVAL New work byyoung composers £8.00 | £6.00Sat 16th Mar. 8.00pm RAY GELATO & THEGIANTS 25th Anniversary Party £22 | £20Sun 17th Mar OPERA GALA NIGHT Doorsopen 6.00pm Performance starst 7.45pmTickets £50.00 £475 table of 10) including light supper. 4 hours long. A fund-raiserWed. 20th Mar piano recital Haydn &Schumann. Free booking requiredFri 22nd Mar THE HERMES EXPERIMENT6.00pm Free, booking requiredMon 25th Mar 1.10 pm CONCERT Mozart & Chopin piano pieces Free, retiring donationThu 28th Mar 6.00pm JONATHAN DOVE60th BIRTHDAY CONCERT FREE, bookingrequired. Local boy makes good, so a must forWestcombe Society members!
Fri 29th Mar 7.30 pm TRINITY LABAN SYM-PHONIC WINDS play modern pieces.Free booking requiredSat 30th Mar JUNIOR TRINITY LABANSPRING CONCERT Free booking Sun 31st March 3.00pm FROM RUSSIAWITH LOVE Russian composers celebratingsecret treaties! £10.00 | £8.00
MYCENAE HOUSE, Mycenae Road SE3Fri 8th Mar 8pm - JazzNights. Candlit Live Jazz music eventhosted by Dave Silk. £10. Thurs 14th Mar 4pm - Bach To Baby. Classical Concert forfamilies. £10.Fri 15th Mar 7pm - Global Fusion's St Patrick's Day Event.Great night of music, dance, poetry and food! £12Fri 22nd Mar 7.30pm - Musicspace_woolwich's SpringConcert. A mix of talent from the local area and beyond inaid of Greenwich & Bexley Community Hospice. £10.Sat 30th Mar 1pm - Children's Theatre: 'The NightingaleGame'. A world of shadows and songs, an epic journey! £5.For further information visit www.mycenaehouse.co.uk
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THE WHITE BOX5 Hare & Billet Road Blackheath SE3ORBMar. 1st-10th Exhibition: Victoria Rance OTHER-WORLD - imagining the lost creatures & localspirits of Blackheath Open Day Friday March 1st 11-8pm Friday to Sunday 11-6pm and by appointment: [email protected] - 24th March 2019 CHRISTOPHER PEM-BERTON and ALEXANDER PEMBERTONTwo artists, father and son, show paintings fromGreenwich, 1960 - 2018 Weekends only 11.00 - 6.00pm & by [email protected]
coMMunitY
CHARLTON & BLACKHEATH HORTICUL-TRAL SOCIETY Charlton House Old Library 18th March, 7,30pm Jim Buttress will present a talkon “Greenwich Park”. Jim was presenter of theBBC’s Big Allotment Challenge and was superintend-ent of the Royal Parks for 25 years. All visitors wel-come, £2. Also plant sales table, raffle and refresh-ments. https://cabahs.wordpress.com/St GEORGE’S CHURCHSat March 2nd. Talent Night 6.30 for 7.00pmFriday, 15 March 7:30 pm - AERIS BRASSENSEMBLE St George's resident instrumentalensemble offers another evening of amazing music.Come and be delighted. Free & open to the public.A retiring collection. Refreshments provided.SUNDAYS AT SUNFIELDS at Sunfields MethodistChurch 95 Old Dover Road, Blackheath SE3 8SJLunch! 1.00 - 4.00 pm First Sunday every month.ALL older people and their carers are welcome FREE, WESTCOMBE WOODLANDS Volunteer dates:2nd March, 7th April 4th May Sunday 2nd JuneCome to the Entrance Gate at the end of Seren Park
Learning is funSt Olave’s is a Prep School inNew Eltham for boys and girlsaged 3-11 years
Tel: 020 8294 8930www.stolaves.org.uk
! Broad, child-centred curriculum! Excellent results in the 11+
selection! Clubs, outings and residential
trips! Excellent pastoral care! Small classes! Specialist staff for PE, IT, Music,
French and Drama! Sibling fee reduction! Before and after school care
ST ALFEGE CHURCHSat 23 March 7.30pm Thomas Tallis Society Choir perform Tallis etcTickets £15, £12.00 online or on thedoor www.ticketsorce.co.uk/tts
March19xx_WN.QXD 22/02/2019 11:53 Page 5
Westcombe News March 2019 6
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Meet your neighbour: Neville Grant talks to
Joel Thomas, Director of BCfS
When you first meet Joel Thomas, youget the strong impression of a very
happy man who is passionate about music.So passionate that he appears to have timefor little else: a human dynamo withincredible energy. And he needs it! Apart from running five different choirs
at the Blackheath Centre for Singing, all ofwhich meet regularly in Mycenae House,he has now added two other commitmentsas organist at St George’s church, andchoir master to the church’s choir.
Born in Finchley, he went to school inNorth London, he took part in the musicmaking as a Junior at the Guildhall Schoolof Music on Saturday mornings – which hehighly recommends to any school childinterested in music.
He graduated from the Royal NorthernCollege of Music in Manchester – aformative experience: he says that thecollege did not just operate in its ownmusical enclave, but made a point ofinvolving the university in its activities.
Jules won his first award as a conductorin such a collaboration, over twenty yearsago. I first met him when he became StGeorge’s new organist; impressed by hisskill, I asked him if the organ was his
primary instrument. No, he said, it is thepiano. His first job? Freelancing – serious
music, not soft jazz in smokey night clubs;but soon, much no doubt to the relief of hisbank manager, he got a job as Director ofChoirs for Barnet Schools Music Centres.a job he did for seven years.
This was the period when as director ofmusic, he had to hone his skills as a con-ductor, a job that requires empathy with theperformers (and the audience) as much astechnical skill; he is now much in demandas a freelance conductor, virtually everyweek, working with some ten differentchoirs across London.
But he already runs those six differentchoirs in Blackheath: apart from StGeorge’s, which made dramatic progressunder his baton, they range from hisChamber Choir, which includes advancedsingers, some of whom are graduates inmusic; a “Singing for Pleasure” choir; a“Finding Your Voice” choir; a choir dedi-cated to pop, soul and jazz; and a small butgrowing children’s choir. All this work ispacked into Mondays, Tuesdays andWednesdays, leaving three – no , four –days of the week for his conducting thoseother choirs across London.
These involve a very wide repertoire:Monteverdi, Bach, Mozart, Carl Orff’sCarmina Burana, and modern works,including the American composer EricWhitacre. He even conducts the occasion-al opera – including a notable Dido and
Aeneas in St Alfege’s a while ago, wherehe will return to conduct Brahms’ German requiem at Easter.
Many readers will remember a splendid
performance of Bach’s Christmas Oratorio in December at St Margaret’s, Lee.
Joel seems totally inexhaustible. Howdoes he manage it? Mainly, it seemsbecause he is passionate about music.
He does have staff and volunteer teamto back him up. But the local choirs allneed their programmes worked out, select-ing music appropriate for each group; thenhe must get familiar with the scores formany other professional engagements–doubly demanding if as often happensthere is limited time for rehearsals.
I asked Joel which three pieces of musiche would choose if castaway on a desert island,and this nearly stumpedhim: on the classical side,under extreme pressure, hefinally nominated Tallis,Monteverdi and Brahms;otherwise he was veryeclectic, but placed folk atthe top of his list.
He must occasionallyunwind, surely. Yes,although he has only livedin Blackheath for threeyears, he has worked here
for ten, starting the BCfS in 2012. Heloves the green spaces of Blackheath andGreenwich Park, and exploring the Kentcountryside. But music is his passion.
So where are his singers coming from?All over our area in SE London: currentlythere are about ninety singers in his fivedifferent choirs: they don’t have to be ableto read music, and he enjoys working witha varied skill base, from children, andbeginners, to professionals.
I asked Joel what is the appeal of singingin a choir: he says it’s all about self-expression, fellowship – and theinclusiveness of it: you might never meetyour fellow-singers if it were not for thechoir. Above all, it generates joy: askanyone who sings in a choir, and they willtell you that singing makes them feelbetter, and there is scientific evidence tosupport this. With the world as it is, wecertainly do need more joy in our lives.So, come and sing!
Readers will be aware that the HeritageCentre was abruptly closed with no
clear steer on the future of the archivesand their accessibility. This is now theonly London Borough not to have aneasily accessible archive.
The original plan was to move theCentre to Anchorage Point, and while theWN understands that work on the plans is“ongoing” there has been a regrettabledelay in implementation.
Greenwich Archive Users Forum(GAUF) are still in discussion on thisdreadful issue with the Council and withthe Greenwich Heritage Trust (GHT).
It is understood that Trust staff hope tooffer a ‘bespoke’ service from March forexperienced researchers and, for others, anappointment service. It is not clear if thiswill be at Charlton House or elsewhere.Work is ongoing on cataloguing, anddigitisation is being considered.
Local planning authorities have a legalobligation to make information about thehistoric environment publicly accessibleas part of policy-making or developmentmanagement.If you would like to be added to theSupporters' List of GAUF, please contactElizabeth Pearcey ([email protected])
Heritage centre update
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Launched on 4 February 2019, the firstday of Children’s Mental Health Week,
a new online counselling service will givechildren and young people across southeast London, including Greenwich, accessto free, anonymous mental health andemotional well-being support.
The NHS across south east London hascommissioned XenZone’s online coun-selling service, Kooth, to give localchildren and young people aged 11-19access to free, anonymous mental healthand emotional well-being support.
Kooth has been available to youngpeople in Lewisham for two years. Over1000 children having already benefitedfrom the service so far.
For an initial period of 14 months theservice will now also be made available toyoung people across the remaining bor-oughs of south east London – Greenwich, Bexley, Bromley, Lambeth and Southwark.
Kooth offers access to self-help materi-als, mood-tracking and goal setting tools, counsellor messaging and peer-to-peer
support through moderated online forums.The forums address issues ranging from
exam stress and depression to self-harmand relationship problems. Qualified coun-sellors are available to support any child oryoung person in one-to-one sessions, from12-noon until 10pm on weekdays, andfrom 6pm until 10pm on weekends.
Young people can log on to Kooth.comfrom any connected device wherever theyare 365 days a year to access help and sup-port for their mental wellbeing.
Cllr David Gardner, Deputy Leader andCabinet Member for Children’s Servicesand Schools, said: “Through our YoungMental Health Ambassadors and Green-wich Young People’s Council we knowthat young people in our borough thinkmental health and well-being are a priority.
Now through Kooth they will haveaccess to professional advice all year roundat a touch of a button - just another way ofmaking sure that all our children andyoung people have the best start in life.”
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Planning applications can beviewed in the library, or at theWoolwich Library on the lowerground floor of the WoolwichCentre, 35 Wellington St. Theymay also be viewed on www. green-wich.gov.uk/planning
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Goodbye to Wet Wipes?
According to the non-profit Londonenvironmental organisation Thames
21, wet-wipes are changing the shape ofthe River Thames. Thames 21, whichcleans rivers and canals around the city,said its volunteers pulled 5,453 wipes fromone small area the size of a tennis court onthe river embankment near Hammersmithin a single month, an increase of more than1,000 wipes on last year’s figure.
“You need to go at low tide to see themounds forming,” said Kirsten Downer, amember of Thames 21. “ Wet-wipes areaccumulating and affecting the shape ofthe riverbed. These mounds look natural,but look closer: they are composed ofwet-wipes mixed with twigs and mud.”
Antiseptic wet wipes are widely used inthe NHS, and staff are trained to disposeof them properly – NOT down the loo.Wet wipes, especially baby wipes, havenow become a massive industry in the UK.
The main problem is that many peopleassume all wipes, baby or otherwise, areflushable, when in fact they containplastic, are not bio-degradable, and shouldtherefore never be put in the toilet.
In December, Water UK found that 93%of all sewage blockages in Great Britainwere due to wet wipes. There are some300,000 sewer blockages a year, costing£100m, and harming the environment.
Around the world, cities are finding hugesubterranean “fat bergs” blocking sewers:fat bergs are giant blobs of solid wastematter and congealed fat.
In Whitechapel, a fat berg the size of 11double-decker buses was found last year.This year, a fat-berg an astonishing 64m indiameter was found in Sidmouth, Devon.
And the wet wipes that aren’t blockingthe sewers are making it into the river, andnot just the Thames. Sewers, rivers andcanals all round the country are affected.
Our coastline, too: over the last ten yearsthe volunteers in the annual Great BritishBeach Clean Beach Clean-up have recordeda fifteen-fold increase in the number ofwet wipes. Last year, on average, therewas one wet wipe every five or six metres.
However, there is now light at the end ofthe sewer: wet wipes that are plastic-freeare being developed in Swindon, and willcarry a “Free-to-Flush” logo. This newfine-to-flush standard will make it easierfor consumers to buy an environmentally-friendly product.
Why on earth did the planners approve this?asks former planning officer ROGER ALLEN
Is this a question you have asked your-self when someone changed the use ofa favourite shop; unsympathetic
alterations were made to buildings or theirsurroundings; an extension was approvedfor the house next door; a tiny plot wasinfilled or yet more ‘mega-blocks’ werebuilt?
I’ll share my little secret. Until 6 yearsago, I was one of those pesky planners. Idealt with planning applications and rec-ommended what should be refused andwhat should be permitted, and why.
Planning regulations and governmentplanning guidance have changed since Ileft, but some general principles still stand.
Here’s a quick primer in why ‘theplanners’ aren’t all-powerful…
“Why don’t the planners stop it?” Only changes that planning legislationclasses as “development” need planningpermission. For instance, uses of land, oruses of space within buildings, are classedby the Use Classes Order into categories.
If the change is from one use in acategory to another, it simply isn’t“development”. Whether permission isneeded for a change of use depends onwhich categories are involved and in somecases on size of development.
Parliament has also granted automaticplanning permission for “permitteddevelopments”. For instance, yourneighbour’s small extension or gardenbuilding may be permitted development.
Planners are paid to suffer so that youdon’t have to, but a quick google of‘permitted development’ or ‘change of use’should lead you to the relevant pages onthe internet: ww.planningportal.co.uk for further information.
“This scheme’s outrageous! How couldthe Council allow the application to besubmitted?”Terrible the proposed development maybe, but if a planning application has thenecessary plans and forms properlycompleted, then the Council is OBLIGEDin law to consider it.
“Why didn’t the Council take far moretime and give the application properconsideration?”From receipt the Council only has eightclear weeks (for most applications), or 13
weeks for ‘major’ applications, before theapplicant can appeal to the Secretary ofState and hence take the decision out ofthe Council’s hands. This time includescompulsory periods of consultation.
“Why didn’t the Council get every lastdetail of this scheme to comply fullywith its policies?”National planning regulations encouragedetailed consideration of the ramificationsof application schemes (by requiringapplicants to submit supplementarystatements on design or sustainability) butthe inexorable ticking of the clock oftenundermines these good intentions.Unfortunately, applicants may well be ableto commit a dedicated project team tonegotiating an approval, whilst cash-strapped councils assign a developmentcontrol case officer, (who is probablydealing with dozens of other schemes) plusthe odd bit of input from specialist staff.
“Why didn’t they tell the applicant toappeal and be damned? The Council’sbeen utterly spineless, caving in on thisscheme.”You almost need a background in gamestheory to explain this satisfactorily. Officialplanning guidance presumes that allapplications or planning appeals should beapproved unless this would be “harmfulto matters of acknowledged planningimportance”.
This is obviously reasonable, since itrules out refusals based on prejudiceagainst particular types of applications.However national planning guidelines havesuccessively ruled out more and morethings from constituting “matters ofacknowledged planning importance”.
They have also stacked the rules bychanges such as redefining ‘affordable’housing as costing no more than 80%(!) oflocal market rents and allowing applicantsto duck out of providing any affordablehousing on the basis of a financial‘viability statement’.
Planning Inspectors can also vary quitea bit in their general attitude to localcouncils: some can be sympathetic, mostare neutral, but some can be distrustful of,or even hostile to, local authorities.
There are also considerations of cost instaff time and money in fighting an appeal,and the risk of having costs awarded
against the Council if the appeal is upheld.This shouldn’t, of course, stop councilsfighting appeals on schemes which areabsolutely dreadful, but in a time of mas-sively squeezed resources it may be betterto put up with a not-very-good schemewhich you suspect would be approved atappeal than to fight an appeal and lose.
“It’s all very well the Council imposingplanning conditions, as if that’s going tomake a bad scheme good”.National guidance says that councilsshould consider imposing conditions,where compliance with them would avoidharm to “matters of acknowledgedplanning importance”, rather than simplyrefusing permission. The problem comeswhen cynical applicants agree conditionsthey have no intention of complying witheven though non-compliance is oftenlooked upon harshly by planninginspectors at enforcement appeals.
“Why doesn’t the Council totally tiedown the applicant by imposing loads ofconditions on the approval?”Because national planning guidelines ruleit out. These say clearly that a conditionshould ONLY be imposed if it isABSOLUTELY NECESSARY to avoidharm to (you guessed it) “a matter ofacknowledged planning importance”.
Hopefully you are now reconsideringyour low opinion of ‘the planners’? Add tothat the fact that councils have to be able toprove at a Public Local Inquiry thatpolicies they wish to include in theirUnitary Development Plans are in line withnational policy guidelines. In the end, youmight be amazed that they manage toachieve anything worthwhile at all.
*Sel
ect l
ocat
ions
.
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