East London Line in recognisable location shock

A key part of East London Line infrastructure has been winched in to place in recent days. We post this picture up (courtesy of DarJoLe) not so much because it required a record-breaking crane to winch this bridge over Shoredith High Street in to place, but because it shows how close the ELL runs to Liverpool Street Station, on the east of the City.

The tall building on the right is called Broadgate Tower. It sits next to Liverpool Street and is part of the City's controversial eastward march in to Hackney. Meanwhile the tall thing in the foreground is the Gherkin.

Crofton Park services boost planned

Crofton Park could benefit from greatly increased train services, according to the latest draft of the Strategic Rail Plan, developed by Network Rail. But it could come at the expense of the services enjoyed by our neighbours in Nunhead.

Lewisham Council has long-campaigned for increased train services to Catford (presumably to appease the gentrified hordes that are currently invading that area, eh Ross?). As part of the consultation, Lewisham Council made a submission in support of the option to route the extra trains south-eastwards to Catford and Bromley rather than through Lewisham towards Bexley. This option would improve train frequencies to Crofton Park, Catford, Bellingham and Beckenham Hill.

However, over in Nunhead, it's a plan which Cllr Fiona Colley is doing her best to scupper, on the basis that it could lead to reductions in local services. As you can see on her blog, she claims it could lead to:

• No direct trains between Denmark Hill and London Bridge (currently 2 per hour)
• Direct trains between Peckham Rye to London Bridge reduced from 8 per hour to 6 per hour
• Direct trains between Queens Road to London Bridge reduced from 8 per hour to 6 per hour
• No direct trains between Queens Road and Victoria (currently 2 per hour)

The review takes place against the backdrop of the completion of the high-speed rail link to Kings Cross, the green-light for Thameslink and the plan to extend the East London Line to Clapham Junction:

• High Speed One frees up network capacity in South London
• Thameslink will allow for more north-south rail journeys through London Bridge and will expand the capacity of Blackfriars
• The East London Line Extension will provide new options for commuters in the Queens Road area

An increase in services to Crofton Park and Catford is currently the likely option, subject to the second phase of the East London Line extension being approved (itself a virtual certainty).

The strategic review is ongoing, but the plans relate to services from 2011 onwards.

Thanks to Ed for the information.

Trees again

Earlier this week, we reported that a Lewisham College lime tree was about to join The Elizabeth Oak in Greenwich Park and the tree that used to stand atop One Tree Hill on the list of famous ex-trees.

Having read the feedback in reposnse to that article, which detailed Lewisham Council's proposal to cut it down and replace it, officers from the Council have offered to meet with Cllr Dean Walton and some Brockley Central readers to discuss the plans and talk about the Council's wider strategy for managing trees in the area, which is clearly a topic that many who live here feel very strongly about.

We think this is a very positive gesture on their part and shows that your views are being read and reflected on by the Council. Invariably, these issues are more complicated than we reduce them to, so the start of a dialogue about this case and the wider issues it represents is a good first step.

The meeting would be on-site in the early morning, around 7.30am, in order to allow people to get to work afterwards. It will take place in early April, before the scheduled felling of the tree.

If you would like to attend the discussion, please email Brockley Nick at the usual address and we will put forward some names to the Council. If we are oversubscribed, Brockley Central will pick 2-3 people to attend. We will also report on the meeting, for the benefit of all BC readers.

Brockley in the media

The Times, How rail projects such as Crossrail are changing London's property map.

March 28th, 2008

"Several other rail projects will be finished well before Crossrail and are already having an impact. By June 2010, the East London Line will run from Dalston Junction, in the North, to New Cross, Crystal Palace and West Croydon in the South. It will stop off at the southeast London suburbs of Brockley, Honor Oak Park, Forest Hill, Sydenham and Penge West, turning the current trickle of property buyers from the City and Canary Wharf into a steadier stream.

"By 2011, the long-awaited extension between Dalston Junction and Highbury & Islington will be complete. Prices in Dalston, a more inaccessible and less gentrified part of Hackney, have already risen in anticipation of the link. For example, a one-bedroom flat at The Interchange scheme would have cost £210,000 off-plan in 2006, but these small flats are now being sold for £250,000. "

Get ready for the Fun Run

Team Brockley Central is planning to take on the 5km Hilly Fields (April 27th) Fun Run and we've been given a training plan by Erin Essex, written by no-less an authority than Mike Gratton, who apparently won the London Marathon 25 years ago.

Here's Part One for those of you currently mulling it over. Part Two contains some useful advice on how to avoid dying, so if you're not a seasoned runner, perhaps you should wait for the next episode before stepping out. Brockley Central accepts no liability for any injuries you may suffer as a result of this training plan, nor any dog muck you may accidentally run through:

All people have different levels of ‘trainability’ and natural potential. It is possible for complete beginners to make very rapid progress and move up the targets, while others find initially that they can’t achieve the early training levels. There are two golden rules whichever level of improver you find yourself: a) Build-up very gradually, and b) You must rest and recover before training becomes beneficial.

Building-up: Even if you come from a good level of fitness, trying to build-up too quickly will certainly get you injured. Running is a repetitive activity that involves your foot hitting the floor repeatedly with considerable force being transmitted up through the legs and into the lower back. The reason that experienced runners can handle such high levels of training is because they have taken years to get there. Your body adapts slowly to new stresses and a product of regular running is that your bones will harden and become more resilient to the new forces. So fit people beware: your engine (heart & lungs) may find it easy – but after a while your legs won’t.

Rest & Recover: The natural thought is that you get better when you train hard. While that is not altogether untrue, the reality is that your body actually gets fitter while you are resting. Here’s how it works: during hard exercise your body gets tired, waste products build up and energy levels fall as you have used up fuel - you are technically less able than before you started training! If you continued the same level of activity over several days you would become progressively more tired and eventually you will breakdown – either with injury or illness. However, when you stop and rest your body starts to repair the damage, which it will do to a higher level than before as the body recognises a need to adapt to the new stresses that you’re subjecting it to.

Frequency: A regular training pattern is more important than any one session. There is a cumulative effect from training regularly which is not achieved by doing all your training on one or two days each week.

Going the Distance: For 5km races it is usual to train up to and over the race distance.
Your training is done to encourage physiological changes in your body – one of these is the ability to use different forms of energy. The most efficient energy source is glycogen – basically a sugar stored in the muscles. This will last for about 1 ½ hrs of fairly rigorous exercise – like running. Therefore this will be your prime energy source during the event. After that has gone the body learns to use fat for energy – which we all have a big supply of. The faster you run the more your body uses glycogen as an energy source, when you are running slowly you will be in the fat burning zone – although this does not mean you will loose loads of weight, which is more a balance between calories in and calories used.

Don't forget to collect your application forms from the Broca.

The Dog and Bell, 116 Prince Street, Deptford

Please post your comments and reviews here.

The curious case of the silver welly

"Who so Hurleth This Welly Furthest O’er this Field, is Rightwise King Born of All Brockley."

When someone sends you an email like this, you can’t not try to help:

Hello Nick, sorry to trouble you with this.

At a summer fair on Hilly Fields last year I took part in a welly throwing contest and won a delightful silver welly on a plinth. I was asked to return this before this years and don't seem to have the detailsof the man who gave it to me. I am happy dropping it off, but I don't know where. It was very windy and the bands roof cover blew off if that gives you any idea of which day it was. If you could put me in contact with the organisers that would be great.

Are you the person this man needs to speak to? Do you know the person who is?

If so, please email us at nick.barron@gmail.com and we will reunite you.