Ikea and air quality

Interesting post on 853blog:
Ikea claims Greenwich store ‘would improve air quality’

Furniture giant Ikea claims its proposed Greenwich store would improve air quality in the local area, according to documents sent to Greenwich Council.

But its detailed figures show any improvement would be “negligible”, while pollution would actually get slightly worse at Greenwich Millennium Village.

I think a serious bid to the local assembly for 10 Air Quality Eggs (about £120 each) around the area, monitored from residents homes would be an interesting proposition.

Forever and ever amen

Anonymous writes in a previous comment:

Another application now before council. Good cause and in the right location away from homes. But why in perpetuity rather than annual renewal to take account of any problems?

Good Hope Festival Ltd, Blackheath – area bordering Shooters Hill Rd, Prince Charles Rd & Goffers Rd, London SE3 0TZ
Plays, Films, Live Music, Recorded Music, Performances of dance, Anything of a similar description & Sale of alcohol on the premises
The first full weekend in August every year
Saturday 11:00 – 21:00
Sunday 12:00 – 21:00

Anyone know why licenses are offered in perpetuity?

(Gratuitous title link because I can)

Don’t worry the chip shop hasn’t gone

Soon to return with a delicious collection of Turkish cuisine, sucuk, olive oil based hot and cold mezzes, and delicious olives from around the region.. Only joking, I’m sure they’ll be providing crimes against food again soon. Can’t say I haven’t occasionally been tempted as I walk past though…

Ebenezer Smith

Jon writes:

I thought you might be interested in an old enamel sign I acquired some years ago.

Certainly am! The shop is mentioned in Bob Lands Memories of Blackheath post:

Ebenezer Smith was not an undertaker but an upholsterer, but his shop did look like an undertakers.

It’s mentioned in Blackheath Village and Environs (the green book):

Ebenezer Henry Smith (1872-1933) furniture dealer – pages 15,95,96,98,155
He bought the shop in 1899 form Robert Crickmore. His furniture and upholstery business remained in Blackheath until 1965, and he became a respected member of the Blackheath Chamber of Trade. He also added funeral undertaking to his commercial interests (this was quite common among furniture makers and upholsterers in the 19th Century). His shop was mostly left in the hands of a manager: until 1914 under the control of G.P. Baker, who was killed on active services at the end of that year; and from 1918-1946, A.G. Shapland, who became a director when the firm was constituted as a limited company. On Shapland’s retirement the business was controlled by Ralph Ebsworth Smith DFC (d1980), Ebenezer’s son. In September 1965 the upholstery business closed down, and was taken over by Messrs Findlater, Prentice, the wine and spirit merchants then trading at No 41 Tranquil Vale. The company was eventually absorbed by a large retail wine and spirits’ group and now trades as Wine Rack, a division of Threshers.

I make Number 41 the Costa coffee shop, not where Threshers was? I thought Threshers was on the other side?

Don’t forget Blackheath Assembly tonight

There’s a Blackheath Assembly tonight at 7.30pm, in St Matthews Academy, SE3 0XX. See the leaflet shown here. Perhaps some sort of preparation for next year’s Christmas lights could be discussed?

Paved paradise…

Every time I see an open space in London all I think is 'could build houses there'. So much space in Blackheath.

— Mike Bird (@Birdyword) January 4, 2014

@Birdyword Not in favour of building on #Blackheath, so many brownfield sites to use first @Blackheath_Hub @BlackheathSoc @blackheathbugle

— David Notton (@DavidNotton) January 4, 2014

.@Birdyword Every time I see CityAM I think ‘part of the problem, or part of the solution?’ @DavidNotton #Blackheath

— blackheathbugle (@blackheathbugle) January 4, 2014

https://twitter.com/__shirmcc__/status/419550048465485824
https://twitter.com/__shirmcc__/status/419550239042043904

@blackheathbugle wait, what?! Residents don't need public green space for wellbeing: running, walking, exercising dogs. Idiot @Birdyword

— Mrs Mackenzie (@loftspace) January 4, 2014

@Birdyword There are open spaces that'd be less of a loss to concrete first, though. Could get millions more homes in zones 5+6.

— Jonn Elledge (@JonnElledge) January 4, 2014

@JonnElledge @Birdyword yeah fuck it, they don’t deserve open spaces right?

— blackheathbugle (@blackheathbugle) January 4, 2014

@blackheathbugle @Birdyword They do; but they also deserve houses. Where would you like to build those houses?

— Jonn Elledge (@JonnElledge) January 4, 2014

@Birdyword disagree with the initial assumption. London is far more densely populated than most European cities.

— blackheathbugle (@blackheathbugle) January 4, 2014

@blackheathbugle So where do you want to build them? Genuine question, on the assumption that we need about 200k-300k new homes per year.

— Mike Bird (@Birdyword) January 4, 2014

@Birdyword @blackheathbugle How childish you are. Provoking the response you have and then complaining about it like a cry baby.

— Steve Haywood (@Cutdreamer) January 4, 2014

Not even sure what this one means. These people reeeeally don't like the idea of building things though. https://t.co/sPuWTicbGa

— Mike Bird (@Birdyword) January 4, 2014

@Birdyword Think about it for a little while. Not against building things. Against building on open spaces,and freebie right wing newspapers

— blackheathbugle (@blackheathbugle) January 4, 2014

@Birdyword @blackheathbugle no!! We need that space to breathe !! @MisterGreenwich

— American Tour Guide (@AmericanLDN) January 4, 2014

@Birdyword @blackheathbugle we already have loads of housing developments being built in borough of greenwich including blackheath area….

— Gemma Jade. (@gemmajadeeee) January 4, 2014

@Birdyword @blackheathbugle we really do not need anymore.

— Gemma Jade. (@gemmajadeeee) January 4, 2014

@Birdyword @blackheathbugle @RichardBlyth7 still plenty of brownfield small sites and elsewhere redev with increased densities #planning

— Janice Morphet (@janicemorphet) January 4, 2014

@JonnElledge Don't mention any of those places by name on here if you value your sanity.

— Mike Bird (@Birdyword) January 4, 2014

@Cutdreamer Amazing that people get so incredibly aggravated by it! Does it genuinely look like I was trying to provoke ire?

— Mike Bird (@Birdyword) January 4, 2014

@Birdyword WHAT?! #BLACKHEATH #HULKRAGE

— Blackheath Hulk (@blackheath_hulk) January 4, 2014

.@blackheath_hulk Alright, this one was good.

— Mike Bird (@Birdyword) January 4, 2014

SUCH FUN

@blackheath_hulk @Birdyword We hang people who attempt to build new houses on the heath.

— AlanWilliams (@Alan_L_Williams) January 4, 2014

https://twitter.com/lukeblackheath/status/419585139338141696

Christmas tree recycling 2014

Just like last year, Greenwich council will collect your tree if you leave it out with your rubbish. Lewisham council want you to trudge over to your nearest park with your tree.

Greenwich Council:

If you would like us to collect your real Christmas tree you must remember to remove all decorations then leave it next to your green-top bin on your normal collection day. Make sure you leave your tree where it can be easily seen by the collection team.

Lewisham Council:

Take it to one of these designated places, or pay £15 to have the council collect it from your door. Note that the pins on the map are VERY approximate – please correct them if they’re in the wrong places.

As I said last year, I cannot understand why two councils differ so much over such a simple thing. We need a randomised controlled trial to work out the optimum way to dispose of Christmas trees. Hope Greenwich wins…

Photo: Close Enough by flickr user Greenzowie.

UPDATE: As James points out, anywhere to the right of this line is Greenwich, so perhaps we will see more Christmas trees next to the bins on the right hand side of this line…

Blackheath station updated

I can’t read architectural drawings. As several people have pointed out, there is no plan at all to stick a whopping great shutter over the front of Blackheath station. Instead the plan is to keep the external windows and entrance unchanged, but to reduce the size of the newsagents at the upper floor, and to shift the ticket office to the right, which will make more room for ticket machines, as well as revealing the windows on the other side overlooking the tracks. Above is a before and after animated gif, to show the changes more clearly (hopefully). Sorry… I’ll get my coat…

Rolling shutters – just what Blackheath station needs

UPDATE: There is no plan to stick a great big shutter over the front of Blackheath station. I got it wrong. See the comments below, and this updated post.

Following on from the News Hopper’s piece today about the station improvements, below are some images from the plans. You can see the full set of documents on the Lewisham planning portal.

I don’t know about you, but nothing says “this area is dodgy” like a roller shutter with graffiti on it. That appears to be what’s been approved for the station following renovation work (minus the graffiti to begin with).

A spot of colour in one of the planning documents:

Unusually, the track in the bay remains in situ, although it is now heavily overgrown
and otherwise obstructed. The area to the north (now a car-park) was formerly an
area of railway sidings, where commuter trains were stabled when not in use.

The bay platform used to come into its own when a circus was taking place on
Blackheath. Many of the animals would arrive in train vans. The circus would then
process through Blackheath Village on to the heath. There is a local legend that on
one occasion an elephant took exception to a passing bus — and the bus lost!

£420,000 of our money spent on tinkering with the station again. Bear in mind the lifts took nine months to be installed last time. Looking forward to the grand opening in 2035!

Artist’s impression of (badly photoshopped) Blackheath station with a shutter based on an image by Onnola on Flickr.

Driving

Does anyone know how best to learn to drive around here? I have been sent so many requests for things like this – “does anyone know a good x, y, or z”, and I usually don’t post them. This is because unless I’ve used a service myself and appreciated it, I don’t think there’s much point.

However on this occasion, I’m stuck. I want to learn to drive. I tried about 15 years ago, but never got around to taking the test, so I’ve got to redo the theory test and everything, so I kind of know where the pedals are, and which end of the car is the front, but that’s about it… The prospect of having to navigate the south circular, or anywhere else in London currently fills me with dread.

Any tips or recommendations appreciated. Please don’t post your own businesses, only recommendations based on experience (I won’t publish comments if I suspect they are adverts). Many thanks!

Photo by David Avoura King on Flickr.