SEnine


De-railed SPY noted with interest that the railing on the high street has been


remove, sensibly except near crosswalks. What an improvement. It has been a long time coming and the response from residents surveyed, especially those par k ing where the rail once stood, is positiv e . But as one bit of clutter


disappears another is due. With the council proposal to charge for parking on the high street a team of ticket machines will no doubt spring up along the road.


Lots of waiting… SPY understands there are delays to proposals for parking restrictions


at Avery Hill. After a rushed-through holiday-time consultation period this summer on plans for residents’ parking, the matter was due to be discussed at December’s Highways Committee, but it didn’t even make the agenda.


Not that it mattered in the end. The meeting was postponed because councillors were unable to reach the town hall by road due to the snowy weather. Perhaps more gritters could be on the agenda for the January meeting?


SPY understands the problem lies with Bexley Council and cross-border warfare is about the break out. Not surprisingly, Bexley think the displaced parkers will just head a few streets onto their territory. Bexley aren't mincing their words. Something like 'Greenwich made this problem and Greenwich needs to sort it out'


Panel discussion…. Often a lone voice in the wilderness, SPY may have found a receptive ear


for his one-man-campaign to restore the old Eltham Baths’ magnificent art deco panels to public gaze. He understands Eltham Centre bosses are exploring placing the panels on the spacious walls of the foyer for all to see. SPY has


Have your say, your opinion counts


been assured by the baths’ new owners that they are happy to hand them over to be exhibited somewhere a little more appropriate than a private block of flats.


Anyone got the guarantee? SPY understands the builders are due for a call-out to Eltham Palace in the near future. After standing for 500-odd years, the 15th century Great Hall is showing signs of wear and tear. So, the scaffolding and sheeting is likely to be out some time during 2011 as English Heritage bosses count the cost of carrying out repairs to the creaking timbers and splintering stonework, which may require parts of the Hall to be closed for some time. SPY is told that EH plans to make a virtue of necessity and involve visitors in learning about the repairs and construction of the hall, whose building blocks are of Reigate Stone. Used at Eltham and Hampton Court the stone, no longer mined, was found to be too friable and builders like Wren preferred the more solid Portland for his works at Greenwich and St Paul’s. Mind you, 500 years and counting isn’t too bad…


Early delivery… SPY’s retail correspondent hears that building work at the Well


Hall Coronet is progressing ahead of plans. The first phase, 28 flats plus a mini-market, is moving ahead swiftly allowing Tesco’s to pencil in a May opening time, one month quicker than scheduled. Shoppers will have to wait a little longer for Tesco’s full roll-out, their Woolwich mega-store not likely to be open until Christmas 2012.


On the wrong path… But less good news for rivals Sainsbury’s. SPY’s ‘man at the check-


out’ has been told there are problems with plans to expand their heaving store towards the High Street. Philipot Path, which notionally runs behind the High Street from Court Road to Pound Place is an ancient right-of-way, making the construction of a supermarket across it problematic.


SPY@senine.co.uk


Arise, SE9… SPY’s court correspondent is getting all excited. He feels a Royal visit coming on and is setting aside April 2012 in his diary. It’s both the year of the Olympics and the Queen’s Jubilee on the throne, when she plans to confer Royal status on the borough. SPY learns that, as well as opening the refurbished Cutty Sark, a trip to the borough’s southern end is in prospect. Watch this space…


Riding for a fall… Green space campaigners are gearing up for a Second Battle of


Shooters Hill, SPY is told. Having lost over expansion plans for Christ Church primary, the greenies are worried about the plans new Olympic legacy horse riding facility currently heading towards the starting post. The plans are being saddled up as an attempt to persuade Olympic sceptics and Greenwich Park campaigners that 2012 will have some long-term benefits for the populace of the host borough. Unfortunately, it’s not a legacy that everyone’s looking for. The proposed site is causing apoplexy from likely neighbours, Woodlands community farm, enjoying an unbroken spell of success as an outdoor educational centre. However, plans for a 40-stable stable development with substantial indoor parade ring next door are something they’re hoping will fall at the first fence. In particular, the chances of them allowing the horses over their land seems remote in the extreme. The result, according to one source, would be a ‘prison for horses’ with riders being driven in by car from far and wide.


Intersections SPY's motoring correspondent is pleased to see something is being done about the most dangerous junction in SE9. The staggered junction in Archery Road and Orangery Lane has 'accident' written all over it. The proposal to add a speed cushion can only help, if only to reduce the speed of any accidents. However, it's disappointing there appear to be no plans to help pedestrians safely navigate their way across


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