The Catford Bridge Tavern bought by Camden pubco

Pubco Antic has lost its fight to hang on to The Catford Bridge Tavern, a pub the team brought back from the brink and then fought their landlords to prevent it becoming retail. They announced on Twitter:

It is with very heavy heart that we must announce we are closing @catfordtavern. We are all absolutely gutted. Such a huge shame. I guess it's the danger of creating such a fantastic pub. It's all down to the type of lease. Unfortunately these things do happen.

But the good news is that the drinkers of Catford can welcome their new Camden overlords, since the pub has been bought by Camden Bars, the pubco behind the Lock Tavern, which was once twinned with the Amersham Arms in New Cross.

Hopefully, this might spur Antic to refocus their attention on reopening Jam Circus, which languishes up the road in Crofton Park, still scarred by smoke and fire.

Thanks to Matt and Monkeyboy for the spot.

Lewisham Hospital saved

Amazing, wonderful news. Lawyers acting for the campaign to save Lewisham Hospital from the threat the closure of key services say:

The High Court today (31 July 2013) found that the Secretary of State for Health, Jeremy Hunt MP, had acted outside his powers and therefore unlawfully, in deciding to substantially cut services and close departments at Lewisham Hospital. 

In today’s judgment Mr Justice Silber said that the decision of the Secretary of State must be “quashed” as he had acted outside his powers as Secretary of State, and in breach of the National Health Service Act 2006, when he announced to Parliament that services at Lewisham Hospital would be downgraded and closed. 

The BBC reports:

The judge gave [Hunt] permission to appeal against the decision. Mr Justice Silber said recommendations of the Secretary of State had to have regard to, or be supported by, GP commissioners. It was quite clear that the Lewisham GP commissioners did not give support to the proposals, said the judge. 

He went on: "On the contrary, they strongly opposed them although those GP commissioners in a number of surrounding but different areas were happy with them. I considered that it was the absence of support from the local GP commissioners which constituted an additional reason why the decision of the Secretary of State cannot stand."

Brockley immortalised

Ladywell

Simone writes:

Being a massive fan of Brockley and an artist, I've made some postcards of my favourite local landmarks (Carpet Corner I know is a strange choice of landmark but it makes me happy) and was wondering if you'd be interested in doing a shout out about these packs? I'm hoping to persuade some local shops to stock them.

These came about because ten year ago some pals and I did a billboard campaign called 'Happiness in Brockley' and one of the posters had my rabbit Fluffy and his Dad on Endwell Rd. This is a kind of a follow on from that image (in Brockley).

Visit Simone's blog here.

Brockley Road

Lewisham's green spaces in top 10 nation-wide

Lewisham has won 14 Green Flag Awards from Keep Britain Tidy, giving it the joint-seventh-highest score for local authorities nationally. Green Flags are awarded based on criteria including cleanliness, management and safety.

Lewisham borough picked up 13 Green Flags for its outstanding parks, including Hilly Fields, Ladywell Fields and Telegraph Hill Park while Horniman Gardens, which is managed by the Museum Trust, also collected an award.

Lewisham also retained several Green Flag Community Awards (formally the Green Pennant Award) and picked up a new one for Frendsbury Gardens, the West Brockley park that was transformed in 2008.

Councillor Susan Wise, Cabinet Member for Customer Services, said: “I’m especially pleased that Frendsbury Gardens has received an award. As one of our newer open spaces, it’s a great example of how a community, supported by the Big Lottery fund, has turned around a disused space into something which is now award-winning.”

Click here for the BC Greenspaces map.

El's Kitchen is hiring again

El from Ladywell deli and caterer El's Kitchen writes:

We are looking for part-time sales staff to join our young and friendly team of foodies.

If you love good food, care about how it’s produced and can commit to working for us during the busy Christmas period, we’d welcome your application.

We are looking for people who can demonstrate:

· A passion for great-tasting British and European food
· A strong customer service ethic and good communication skills
· A desire to deliver great shopping experiences for our customers
· A zeal for cleanliness
· A keen desire to learn more about food production and provenance, sales techniques and customer satisfaction
· The legal right to live and work in the UK
· You need to be aged 18 or older

If you are interested in working with us, please pop into the shop and pick up an application form or email your CV to el@elskitchen.co.uk

Crossrail for Woolwich approved

London Reconnections reports that the planned Crossrail station for Woolwich will now be built, following a long period of wrangling and doubt. This looked inevitable after funding was agreed for preliminary work, but it's nice to have it confirmed. LR says:

Woolwich Crossrail station did not feature in the original Crossrail bill, and it is this which has resulted in a more torturous path to funding and prospective completion.

Finally in July this year a final agreement was reached. Yesterday on 25th July, Lord Attlee announced to Parliament that a compromise between all parties had been agreed. A legally binding agreement was now in place and Crossrail had been instructed to complete the station works. 

The full breakdown of that compromise has yet to emerge. Based on the details available, however, it seems that Crossrail will receive fixed additional funding of £54m to cover the cost of completing the station works. This £54m is made up of contributions from Greenwich Council, additional local developer contributions, funding from Berkeley Homes [full disclosure: a client of BC's employer] and contributions from both the Greater London Authority (GLA) and TfL.

The more transport connections for South East London the better and this project should accelerate the much-needed regeneration of Woolwich. With thanks to Richard on the South East London forum.

The Ladywell Tavern closes for a minimum of two months [UPDATED]

One-time Lewisham pub of the year The Ladywell Tavern, closed at the weekend. The landlord's plan is to shut the pub for a minimum of two months, to allow for refurbishment while the high street roadworks drag on.

The Misty Moon Gallery, located in the pub's premises, will remain open throughout this time.

As we've seen with Jam Circus, pub-reopening timetables can slip badly and it will be reassuring to see the builders and decorators move in. The loss of the Ladywell Tavern, even temporarily, is a big blow for Ladywell, which is now pretty short of places to go in the evenings.

With thanks to Lorna and Melanie for the news.