Thameslink works cause St John's headache

Martin writes:

We are having a nightmare in St. Johns with the ongoing railway work. Network Rail have converted the woodland area opposite the station into a works depot for the broader Thameslink project. They have done this without planning permission and consultation.

For those of us living around it, it has become a noisy sometimes 24 hour nightmare. What’s more, they seem to now be extending their depot by constructing new permanent buildings.

This photo shows the currently muddy works deport, complete with the foundations for new buildings that do not have planning permission despite needing it as we are in a conservation area.

Living with the has been difficult over several years and they have partly destroyed the woodland area that makes Cliff Terrace such a special street. We understand that the work has to take place and that it will ultimately benefit everyone, but we are tired of the every expanding, unpermitted work they are doing on our street.

What makes it even more difficult is that our local labour councillors seem to completely indifferent to the difficulties we are experiencing. We are a small community have been imploring them for years to help us, but they just talk about the issue and deliver nothing. They have been aware of the work since before it has started, and have been involved, but have proved completely ineffective in dealing with network rail.

This is a plea to our local councillor Sophie McGeever and Lewisham planning department to help address these problems. We want the work to stop and we want the area to be properly replanted.

V22 Ladywell Bridge

V22, an art organisation that provides studio and workshop space for creatives, is opening a new facility beneath Ladywell Bridge. They say:

V22 are pleased to announce that we are taking a ten year lease on seven arches under Ladywell Bridge which lead onto the station and back onto the park. The studios have good height and some are glazed back and front with great light.

Ladywell Bridge will be opening in March 2017.

Studios and workspaces at V22 are available to rent by artists as well as selected creative businesses and social enterprises.

For more information please contact studioenquiries@v22london.com

- Thanks to Paul for the heads-up.

Budgens4Life

Pratik from the Crofton Park Budgens writes:

You may have seen some recent press reports regarding the closure of 36 Budgens stores nationwide.

In July 2016, The Food Retailer Operations Limited (TFR) bought 36 stores from the Co-op and traded them under the Budgens brand.

However, due to financial issues the company TFR experienced, it has gone into administration.

Just to confirm:

We are an independently owned store.

We have been here since 1980, and are currently in our 37th year!!!

In this climate of increased competition, we know how lucky we are to have such lovely people shop here.

And with your continued support we will be staying open.

Printworks: All that's fit to print

Friend of BC, James, has been to The Printworks in Canada Water and after an all-day rave at our new resident 'culture destination', he is keen to tell you how impressed he was by the soundproofing. The party animal writes:

We descended on London’s newest, and perhaps only thing resembling a super club – the arts venue Printworks – on Saturday, for the second in their Spring series of day parties.

Formerly a printing facility for the London Evening Standard and Metro, located a short walk from Canada Water station, the 16 acre site has the capacity to host 5000 people, although for this particular sold-out party the attendance was a mere 2,500.

Big things had been written about Printworks in the lead-up to its opening in early February and it’s safe to say that all expectations were completely and utterly exceeded. A world-class DJ line up, on this occasion playing a mixture of house, disco and techno, a sound system that was loud and clear but didn’t leave your ears ringing afterwards and a truly spectacular light and laser show combined with slick and efficient organisation to produce the best clubbing experience my friends and I have experienced anywhere in the world – Berlin included.

The best part of all? In the smoking area outside you couldn’t hear a thing, so the neighbours hopefully won’t be bothered too much. Well done to LWE, the promotion company behind the event – it’s great to finally see a new London venue having a license approved, rather than revoked.

Deliciously Ella (probably doesn't do) Crofton Park

UPDATE: After some sleuthing by BCer Joe, it appears this is a false alarm. The address mentioned relates to a recruitment firm. Which makes more sense, if we're honest. Sorry for the mistake. Still, the news that we have a newish recruitment firm in our midst is almost as exciting, eh!?

@BrockleyCentral just seen in a magazine @DeliciouslyElla opening in SE London #croftonpark pic.twitter.com/WmzrUCe4Up

— Kim McGowan (@McGowanKim) March 6, 2017

Deliciously Ella, the 'natural eating' evangelist and blogger, is recruiting for a head pastry chef to work in a new branch of her Mae Deli in Crofton Park.

When my wife's business, Homemade London, gave up the lease on our old shop in the West End, the Mae Deli moved in and soon there were queues round the block for very-nice-but-undeniably-pricey produce. This will be a real test of the SE4 market's spending power.

East London Line trains could get juiced to 24tph

The most recent minutes from TfL's Programmes and Investment Committee notes that they are exploring the possibility of using new digital control systems to amp-up the East London Line service and deliver 24 trains per hour, rather than the current peak of 16.

Digital signalling effectively means that computers drive the trains and can do so more efficiently than humans, squeezing more trains on to the same track. Southern train services might also be increased.

Bring on the rise of the robots.

Thanks to Monkeyboy for the heads-up.

Fair Funding for Lewisham Schools

Cassie writes:

The National Fair Funding for All Schools Campaign is holding a public forum for parents, teachers, head teachers, governors and councillors in Lewisham to raise awareness about the proposed cuts to schools’ budgets.

The event will be chaired by Lewisham parents who are engaged with the National Fair Funding for All Schools'campaign and will be attended by Vicky Foxcroft MP, Cllr Luke Sorba, Nicky Dixon (CASE Lewisham,) Matt Dykes ( National Fair Funding For All Schools Co- Founder.) Other speakers to be confirmed.

Our aim is to build a local coalition of parents, teachers and leaders in support of the National Fair Funding Campaign to stop these proposed devastating cuts. Lewisham parents, teachers, and heads we'd love to hear from you, please join us. This is not yet a done deal as the consultation closes on 22nd March 2017; the government must hear our voices.

The Government’s proposed new funding formula will see schools in Lewisham Deptford suffer massively. Across the country, the average loss per primary school pupil by 2020 is £339, in Lewisham Deptford it’s 40% more than that at £558. Secondary schools here will also suffer hugely, with an average loss of £717 per pupil by 2020.

It is a free event but tickets must be reserved here.