Woolwich to get Crossrail after all....!

March 22nd - Written Ministerial Statement...

Douglas Alexander (Secretary of State, Department for Transport) - Hansard source

The House will recall the extensive discussion in the Crossrail Instruction debate on 31 October about a station at Woolwich, adding £186 million to the cost of the scheme. This could simply not be afforded given the scale of the overall funding challenge. I said then, however, that I was willing to give Cross London Rail Links Ltd-the Crossrail Company-the time needed to explore with others, including the London Borough of Greenwich, whether there was a way of significantly reducing that cost.

I am pleased today to inform the House of important developments that point a way forward.

The key to this has been Greenwich Council's recent proposal for a major revision to its spatial plan, to allow a significantly higher density of development at Woolwich. This, in turn, has prompted Berkeley Homes to offer a means of enabling a station to be built at Woolwich but, crucially, without adding to the current cost of Crossrail.

In light of this, agreement has been reached in principle with Berkeley Homes under which they will build the basic box structure of a station at Woolwich and then construct their own development overhead. This will all be done at their own risk, using their own money, to the specification laid down by CLRL, with a payment back to Berkeley Homes of the saving CLRL will make through avoiding other works at Woolwich, when it constructs the line there.

In due course, Berkeley Homes would then arrange for the completion of the station box to full operational status. Both they and Greenwich Council recognise that the completion of the station would be conditional on receiving sufficient funding contributions from those developers and businesses that stand to benefit from a Crossrail station at Woolwich. The contributions would be in addition to any London-wide Crossrail funding arrangements that may be agreed and no additional public sector debt capacity would be made available. Fit-out of the station could take place only once sufficient private sector contributions had been received.

More work needs to be done to flesh out this deal but the House can now have sufficient confidence that Berkeley and Greenwich Council have the commitment and the right incentives to do that. This is a very significant change from the position last October as there is now a clear way forward that can deliver a station at Woolwich without adding to the costs of Crossrail already identified.

On this basis I am now able to bring forward an amendment to the Bill to provide powers for the station. In due course, the House will be invited to agree a further instruction to the Committee in respect of Woolwich.

Greenwich Waterfront Transit plans on show

Greenwich Council are giving residents the opportunity to visit a consultation exhibition and find out about plans on a major new transport scheme and how they will be linked into a range of local improvements to nearby roads and public spaces.

The Greenwich Waterfront Transit (GWT) will be a brand new fast, frequent and reliable service between Abbey Wood and North Greenwich Station, via Thamesmead and Woolwich and experts from Transport for London's GWT team will be on hand to update people on its progress.

The exhibition will be set up in Woolwich Town Centre on Friday 23 and Saturday 24 March, next to Natwest Bank in Powis Street, and there will also be an opportunity to speak with council staff about the range of regeneration schemes taking place in Woolwich and across the rest of the borough.

Deputy Leader of Greenwich Council and Cabinet member for Regeneration, Councillor Peter Brooks said, "A huge wave of change will sweep through Greenwich over the next decade and events like this give residents an opportunity to find out exactly what will be taking place. I would like to encourage residents to take the time to visit and give their views on the plans for their borough."

For more information on the regeneration process set to transform Greenwich, visit the Council website at www.greenwich.gov.uk

New Licensing Applications 5th March

National Maritime Museum, Park Row, London SE10 9NF: Regulated Entertainment Supply of Alcohol and Late Night Refreshments
The applicant wishes to provide the following licensable activities: -
• Plays • Films
• Indoor Sport • Live Music
• Recorded Music • Performance of Dance
• Provision of Dancing Facilities
• Entertainment of A Similar Nature to Music and Dancing
• Late Night Refreshment • Supply of Alcohol On and Off
the Premises
Hours: Monday and Tuesday 1000hrs till2330hrs, Wednesday to Saturday
1000hrs till 0030hrs and Sunday 1000hrs till 2230hrs.
Deadline for objections: 5 th April 2007
The application is for films to be shown indoors only. But live and recorded music are to be outdoors as well, including the grounds of Queens House, Flamsteed House and the Planetarium Courtyard

Planning Applications - March 2007

Note. Details of most planning applications can be found in the East Greenwich or Old Dover Road libraries or at the Strategic Planning, Peggy Middleton House, 50 Woolwich New Road, Woolwich SE18 6HQ. If you wish to comment or object to any planning applications you may do so and you have approximately 21 days from the date of publication on the Greenwich Council website. That date is shown in the heading below. As it takes some time for the printing of the Westcombe News it can on occasions be too late for any submission, so it is now intended to publish these applications also here on the Westcombe Society Blog on a more frequent basis, hopefully weekly, but this will depend partly on the Greenwich Council website itself.

Week Ending 2/3/07

Marks & Spencer, 17 Stratheden Parade 07/0441 /V. Replacement of trolley bay within car park and variation of Condition 2 of outline planning permission dated 17.7.1980 (Ref.181/80R)relating to the provision of parking spaces

Week Ending 9/3/07

9-20 Wycherley Road 07/0517 /TP
Large London Plane Tree - Crown reduce by 30%, remove deadwood, lift and replace paving after works to surface roots.


Week ending 16/3/07

25a Charlton Road 07/0567 /TC
Fell conifer in rear garden and replace with suitable deciduous tree

21 Vanbrugh Fields 07/0589 /TC
Beech tree in front garden - crown lift to 5m, reduce by 25% and thin by 20% (to reshape tree in fastigiate habit)

Marks & Spencer, 17 Stratheden Parade 07/0558 /F
Replacement canopy at the rear of the building

Marks & Spencer, 17 Stratheden Parade 07/0562 /F
Replacement of plant equipment on roof

42 Vanbrugh Hill 07/0566 /F
Erection of a dormer window and roof light to rear elevation, roof light to front roof slope, erection of a summer house to rear garden, hand rails to front entrance door, decking and railings to rear elevation (Re-submission).

60 Foyle Road 07/0528 /TC
Fell juniper in front garden and replace with smaller specimen large fuschia shrub

Week ending 23/3/07

111 Humber Road 07/0599 /F
Change of use of basement and ground floor from commercial to a self-contained flat.

Week Ending 30/3/07

Flats 1-12 Bletchley House 109 Mycenae Road 07/0680 /F
Removal of communal entrance door and installation of door entry system

40 Westcombe Park Road 07/0694 /F
Erection of a single storey rear extension. (RESUBMISSION)

Planning Applications - February 2007

8 Ulundi Road 07/0142 /CP
Erection of a single storey rear extension

81 Humber Road 07/0127 /CP
Insertion of a window to the rear elevation

55/57 Invicta Road 07/0111 /SD
Submission of details pursuant to condition 2 (facing materials) of appeal decision dated 1/11/06 (Planning Ref:05/1945/F)

68 Beaconsfield Road 07/0093 /F
Erection of a single storey summerhouse in the rear garden

Flat1 Ferndale Court Westcombe Park Road 07/0210 /F
Replacement of all windows with UPVC windows, remove living room windows and replace with French doors

Marks & Spencer, 17 Stratheden Parade 07/0212 /A
Erection of an internally illuminated sign to existing flag pole

2 Ingleside Grove 07/0187 /F
Erection of a single storey rear extension and two dormers to rear roof slope

12 Old Dover Road 07/0148 /V
Removal of condition 1 from planning permission dated 23/8/06 (Ref:06/1609/F) for opening hours

1 Highmore Road 07/0149 /F 07/0151 /C
Demolition of existing dwelling and erection of a new family dwelling house and tree works

Flat 1 61 Westcombe Park Road 07/0217 /F 07/0228
Erection of a single storey rear conservatory

155 Humber Road 07/0305 /F
Erection of a single storey rear infill extension and rear conservatory

155 Humber Road 07/0308 /C
Removal of rear lean to, ground floor bay window, window and rear door and erection of single storey rear infill extension and conservatory

Marks & Spencer 17 Stratheden Parade 07/0370 /F
Erection of fencing on top of existing wall and erection of a CCTV camera pole

38 Westcombe Park Road 07/0361 /F
Erection of a single storey extension, garage to side elevation and velux windows to rear roof slope. (Resubmission).

Former Petrol Filling Station 6 Stratheden Road 07/0338 /F
Demolition of existing petrol filling station, removal of underground petrol storage tanks and erection of a 4-storey building comprising of 14 flats with associated parking. (Resubmission).

10 Hardy Road 07/0348 /F
Replacement of 9 common area screens

15 Ulundi Road 07/0352 /F
Erection of a single storey rear extension

Treeworks:
2 Beaconsfield Road 07/0150 /TC
Re-pollard 6 lime trees on Beaconsfield Road frontage. Crown thin by 30% plane tree SE side and remove ivy

2 Beaconsfield Road 07/0258 /TC
Fell pear tree in rear garden - implicated in structural damage to adjoining property

40 Beaconsfield Road 07/0394 /TC
Reduce two lime trees in the rear garden back to previous reduction points

21 Hardy Road 07/0396 /TP
Copper beech X 2 Minor prune away from building to clear 2m and balance. Larch - encroaching on larger tree -Fell, Holly - Prune back lower limbs, Elder - minor prune to shape to a max 20%, Cypress - dying from the top - Fell (there are a number of dead and windblown trees that are also to be felled but are exempt from regulations)