South London Weekly - April 4th 2025

Mayor says he ‘loves driving’

THIS THAMESMEAD

And it’s a leasehold with only 60 years left

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COUNCILS ON THE ‘BRINK OF

DISAPPOINTED FUNDING REFORM WAS NOT IN RACHEL REEVES’ SPRING STATEMENT

By Sebastian Mann Local Democracy Reporter

LONDON COUNCILS have renewed calls for local government funding to be reformed following the Spring statement.

Chancellor Rachel Reeves’ speech, delivered last Wednesday, 26th March, laid out a series of welfare cuts and a hefty boost to defence spending, but little in the way of support for local authorities.

London boroughs receive around 28% less funding per person compared to 2010 and London Councils, which oversees the 32 boroughs, says they will be left grappling with a combined shortfall of at least £500million in the coming year.

The statement functioned as an update on how the national finances have fared since the Autumn Budget in October and is not a fully fledged budget in its own right.

The Chancellor of the Exchequer said the government was on track for a near £10billion surplus in its day-to-day spending by 2030, but benefits and Universal Credit will be cut by around £4.8bn.

Some £2bn has been invested in social and affordable housing, which she said will bring the government “within touching distance” of the national aim of building 1.5million new homes over the next five years. A further £13bn has been allocated for infrastructure projects across the country.

Claire Holland, the leader of Lambeth Council and chair of London Councils, said the “worsening crisis” had “worrying implications” for local services and the capital’s chance for growth.

She said: “The combination of years of structural underfunding, fast-rising demand for services such as homelessness and social care, and spiralling costs has pushed boroughs to the brink of bankruptcy.

“We know MPs share our concerns and want better funding solutions. Boroughs are as determined as ever to work with the government on our shared priorities, including more focus on prevention,

delivering affordable housing, and boosting economic growth.

“Restoring stability to our budgets and local services is key to achieving this.”

Some three-million UK families will lose around £1,700 a year in welfare by 2030, according to data from the Department for Work and Pensions.

Redbridge Council leader Kam Rai said that while he “welcomed” the additional money for housing, he wanted to see a “concrete commitment to comprehensive [council funding] reform”.

Cllr Rai continued: “Every year, this administration delivers a balanced budget. However, with rising costs and demand, we need an urgent increase in funding from MHCLG to ensure this remains the case. We are still working diligently to make the case for fair funding for all local authorities, not just Redbridge.”

He continued: “I would still like to see a concrete commitment from the Chancellor and Secretary of State for Communities to comprehensive reform of local government funding as soon as possible.”

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Redbridge is the fourth lowest funded London borough and ranks as the eleventh most deprived.

He added that Redbridge would “work at pace” to tap into the new £13bn infrastructure fund to repair Broadmead Road Bridge, which has been closed since July 2023.

A spokesperson for Havering Council said changing planning laws will not “flick a magic switch and see thousands of homes built overnight”.

On top of funding new housing schemes, Reeves also announced a £625m construction skills package to “boost” training and produce 60,000 new workers over the next four years.

The council said: “Yes, there is a skills shortage and the announcement to fund further training is good. However, the cost of materials and construction are high, and there is still uncertainty around some of the legislation for safety in high rise blocks –which is contributing to the delays.”

Due to “systemic underfunding,” Havering was forced to borrow an unprecedented £78m last month to balance its budget.

Its biggest pressures are social care and temporary housing – issues many boroughs struggle to tackle.

The spokesperson added: “It is clear that public finances are in a difficult place and the government needs to ensure that money is going to the right places.

“We will watch with interest to see the detail in how the savings announced around public sector reform will be spent. Particularly in supporting local authorities to ensure they can continue delivering vital services to residents.”

Calvin Bailey, the MP for Leyton and Wanstead, secured a debate in Westminster Hall on Wednesday to focus on the pressures councils face.

He said: “In Leyton and Wanstead, and across the capital, we value our local services hugely, so there is deep concern about pressures on borough budgets which threaten London’s future growth and prosperity. After so many years of underinvestment, the government is right to recognise that the council funding system needs reform.”

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Rachel Reeves delivers the Spring statement. Parliamentlive

‘Uninhabitable’ home sells for £117k

By Isabel Ramirez

A TWO-BED flat in South London in such a bad condition it was described as ‘uninhabitable’ has sold at auction for £117,000above its guide price. The ground-floor property in Thamsemead was initially priced at just £90k - due to its poor condition and leasehold status.

But at a competitive auction last week, it sold at £117,000which property expert and CEO of homebuying platform OneDome, Babek Ismayil, says proves just how desperate buyers are to get onto the property ladder - even when a home is barely livable.

Mr Ismayil commented: “A property just over £100k in London might seem like a bargain, but this sale highlights

the extreme affordability crisis buyers are facing. Even in an uninhabitable state, without a working kitchen, the property still sold for well above its guide price.”

The flat, located in a purpose-built block near Abbey Wood station, includes a reception room, kitchen, two bedrooms, a bathroom, and access to communal gardens.

The walls are covered in mould and

Penthouse with Tower Bridge views for sale at £1.85m

By Isabel Ramirez

A THREE-BEDROOM penthouse near Bermondsey station, with views of Tower Bridge, is on the market for £1.85 million.

Spanning 1,700 sq. ft., this duplex apartment sits in Luna House, Bermondsey Wall West on the River Thames.

Down the road in Rotherhithe, a threebedroom apartment in one of the new Canada Water Masterplan buildings, The Founding, would set a buyer back over £2m.

Spread over two floors, the penthouse features floor-to-ceiling windows, balconies, and a mezzanine level offering views of St Paul’s Cathedral, The Shard, and Canary Wharf.

The lower level includes an open-plan kitchen and living area with sliding doors leading to a balcony. The kitchen has modern cream cabinetry, wooden flooring, and integrated lighting.

A staircase with glass panels leads to the mezzanine, which provides additional living space. The penthouse has three bedrooms, two of which are en-suite, along with an additional bathroom. All rooms have modern finishes and built-in storage.

Robin Chalk, Head of Tower Bridge at Anderson Rose, commented: “This penthouse is one of the most extraordinary homes in the Southwark area, with views that are truly

second to none, it is a rare privilege for anyone who has the opportunity to experience them.

“The location, open-plan layout and contemporary design this home has to offer makes it an attractive option for professionals or a family.”

Residents of Luna House have access to a daytime concierge, lift, bike storage, and two secure parking spaces.

Located five minutes from Bermondsey Underground Station, the property offers quick access to central London via the Jubilee line.

Viewings are by appointment only through estate agency Anderson Rose. For more information, contact 020 3324 0188 or visit www.andersonrose.co.uk.

it needs a full refurbishment before it can be lived in.

Also with just 60 years remaining on its leasehold, it would be difficult to secure a traditional mortgage for the home.

With a six-week completion period available, the sale was expected to attract cash buyers rather than those relying on mortgage lending.

Mr Ismayil added: “With average

house prices in the capital soaring to almost £600,000 – more than 12 times the average income – affordability has never been worse.

“And from April 1, the stamp duty nil-rate threshold for all buyers will drop to £125,000, meaning even the cheapest London properties will likely incur tax—piling yet another cost onto buyers in an already unaffordable market.”

It’s

station

The mezzanine

The property needs a ful refurbishment before it can be lived in

The kitchen

DEVELOPMENT WITH TOWERS 44 STOREYS HIGH GETS GO AHEAD

It will be on the site of Mercato Metropolitano at Elephant and 153 of the nearly 900 homes will be social rent

By Robert Firth

Local Democracy Reporter

A POPULAR food hall at the heart of the Elephant & Castle community will be bulldozed to make way for almost 900 homes in tower blocks up to 44 storeys high.

The controversial Borough Triangle development, which covers an area the size of one and a half football pitches, was narrowly approved by councillors at a Southwark planning meeting on last Wednesday, March 26.

A slew of buildings will be bulldozed to make way for the Berkeley Homes scheme, including the 100-year-old locally listed Institute of Optometry and a former papermaking factory home to the Mercato Metropolitano food court for the last nine years.

A replacement food hall is part of the planned development. But until it is finished, most of the 40 traders with stalls in Mercato Metropolitano will have to find alternative arrangements. Up to 12 will be rehoused in a temporary nearby location by Berkeley while the scheme is under construction.

An office block, flexible café or retail space and a new community centre, which is expected to be occupied by a Latin American group, also form part of the plans. The development would create 1,780sq metres of public space. Buildings that would escape the bulldozer include a locally listed former Baptist church at 82 Borough Road and the façade of next door 83 Borough Road.

Berkeley has set aside a £200,000 business relocation fund to support some of the 423 workers who will be uprooted by the scheme, including the food court traders, and employees of the London School of Musical Theatre, the Institute of Optometry and a vehicle hire firm.

Nina Wessel, a resident who lives near to the development site, said the closure of Mercato Metropolitan would be a huge

loss to the local area. She said: “Over the last nine years this market [Mercato Metroplitano] has become the heart of our community.

Ms Wessel, who is spokesperson for the Save Borough Triangle campaign, added: “It now attracts over 600,000 yearly visitors, provides safe and inclusive spaces and offers activities for children and adults alike. The traders provide jobs, support families and sustain the local economy. This isn’t just a market. It’s a key reason people want to live here.”

But Andrea Ferrario, who runs German Kraft Brewery, a beer stall within the food court, said he supported plans to demolish the existing food hall and create a new one.

He said: “People have between six to 12 months [leases at Mercato Metropolitano].

That’s not enough to establish your business and to give it the security to continue. Having a longer lease, it will help you to establish your business, build your clientèle.”

Ms Wessel also raised concerns about the loss of light to surrounding homes due to the height of the towers. Dipesh Patel, from Southwark Council’s planning team, admitted that there would be ‘major adverse impacts’ on daylight to properties on the Scovell estate, which is opposite the Borough Triangle site.

Of the planned 892 flats, 230 will be affordable (up to 80 per cent of local market rates) and 153 will be social rent. The scheme amounts to 35 per cent affordable housing, in line with the council’s policy.

But just 13 per cent of the new flats will have three bedrooms or more despite the council’s own policy for the area requiring a minimum 20 per cent. However, over twothirds of the 153 social flats will have three beds or more.

Victor Chamberlain, the area’s Liberal Democrat councillor, branded the amount of affordable housing in the development ‘unacceptable’. He said: “Just 153 [homes] are for social rent. That is 17 per cent. Another 77 are so-called affordable or

intermediate homes.

“In SE1, the average one-bed sells for £659,000. At a shared ownership affordable rate that would still be £527,000.

“That is 16 times the average salary of a Southwark worker – completely out of range for the vast majority. It is a wasted opportunity on one of the last few major sites in SE1.”

An official from Berkeley Homes said the Borough Triangle development would create a ‘thriving, diverse and welcoming neighbourhood with world-class architecture’.

He added that in response to feedback from residents, Berkeley had ‘reduced the height of the tallest two buildings by a net six storeys, added 54 more social rented homes, [and] tripled the number of fourbed social rent homes’, before submitting the final plans.

Councillors waved through the plans by a vote of four to three. Councillors Kath Whittam, Gavin Edwards, Esme Hicks and Richard Livingstone voted in favour.

Councillors Nick Johnson, Darren Merrill and Reginald Popoola voted against.

All are from Labour, except Cllr Johnson who represents the Liberal Democrats.

Councillor Helen Dennis, cabinet member for new homes and sustainable development, said: “We urgently need more affordable homes for local people and despite the many complexities around this site, I am pleased we have secured a policy compliant affordable housing offer – at 35% affordable including 25% social rent homes. That will deliver 153 homes for Southwark families on the housing waiting list which are desperately needed.

“The development will also deliver a 5,000sqft new community centre earmarked for the Latin American community and a new home for Mercato Metropolitano. Through discussions with the developers we have also earmarked a contribution of £1m to mitigate some of the impacts on residents of the neighbouring Scovell Estate.”

WHAT LOCALS SAID

NINA WESSEL, who lives streets away from the planned development, said the buildings were too tall and would result in the destruction of the area’s only tourist attraction.

She said: “Our main concern is the shadowing: it’s the height of the buildings. It’s 44 and 38 floors. It’s really overpowering. You have tourists coming to the market [Mercato Metropolitano]. It’s the only tourist attraction we have in Elephant and Castle. There’s nothing else.”

Developer Berkeley Homes has confirmed there will be the opportunity for 12 traders in the food court to relocate to a temporary nearby location when Mercato Metropolitano vacates the current premises in 2026. According to Southwark Council planning documents, Berkeley has committed to providing the remaining stall holders with a relocation package.

But Andy Ng, who runs Mauritian

takeaway Mazavaroo Club in Mercarto Metropolitano with his wife Sophie, said to date he had received no information about how the 12 traders who could remain would be selected.

Despite this Mr Ng said he wasn’t opposed to Berkeley’s plans . He said: “I understand people are opposed to having a tall building, but this place is not historic. Normally I’m not pro kicking people out but nobody lives here.

“I’m fine with the development as long as it’s safe and there’s a courtyard and playground for me and my kid to play. There’s nothing around here where we can go and play.”

Mr Ng added that the current food hall wasn’t ideal, noting that the former paper mill became uncomfortably cold in winter and sometimes suffered power cuts during busy times like Saturday evenings.

GI of the proposed Borough Triangle development (centre)

Andy Ng, owner of Mazavaroo Club in Mercato Metropolitano, said he wasn’t opposed to Berkeley\’s plans

The Mercato Metropolitano food hall in Elephant and Castle

© Southwark Council planning documents

By Issy Clarke

DOUBLETREE DOCKLANDS pier, where the Uber-Boat by Thames Clippers goes from, has closed ‘until further notice’ with extra services running from Greenland Pier to Canary Wharf every half an hour.

A new pier is being built at the Rotherhithe end and the one at Canary Wharf is being upgraded to support a new electric cross-river passenger ferry due to launch some time in the spring. The 150-passenger ferry, operated

by Uber Boat by Thames Clippers, arrived on the river on March 6 and is being performance-tested before it begins ferrying customers in a couple of months.

Once up and running, the service will cross the river every ten minutes on weekdays and every fifteen minutes at weekends. The price of a ticket will remain unchanged at £4.10.

The pier is expected to be out of service for a total five weeks but this is ‘subject to change’ and dates will be confirmed in the coming weeks.

By Robert Firth Local Democracy Reporter

A SOUTH London family has been living in temporary accommodation 140 miles away in Herefordshire for over five years.

The family is one of 256 homeless households from Lambeth borough who were staying in temporary housing outside the capital as of December 31 last year, a Freedom of Information (FOI) request shows.

Another Lambeth family had been in temporary accommodation in Herefordshire for over four years of the end of 2024, according to the same FOI, submitted by the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS).

Lambeth’s town hall in Brixton is more than a three-and-a-half hour drive from Herefordshire Council’s headquarters in Hereford. The train journey from Brixton to Hereford takes around 3 hours and 45 minutes and involves several changes.

Other families from Lambeth were living in temporary accommodation in Walsall in the West Midlands (127

miles away), Birmingham (121 miles away) and Tendring in Essex (86 miles away) as of December 31, 2024.

FOI data shows the number of Lambeth households placed in temporary accommodation outside of London has increased nine-fold in four years from 29 in 2020 to 256 at the end of last year.

Councils are required by law to provide people living in the borough who become homeless with temporary accommodation while they look to find a suitable permanent home.

A severe shortage of cheap housing in London and the South East coupled with a surge in people becoming homeless means local authorities in the capital are placing more and more people further away from the city.

Lambeth Council is currently providing 4,700 homeless households with temporary accommodation—an increase of 50 per cent in the last two years. The council spends £100 million per year on housing families in temporary accommodation, the News reported that Southwark the largest

social landlord spends £37 million on temporary accommodation.

A council spokesperson said:

“Lambeth is one of the country’s biggest social housing landlords, with more than 33,000 council homes, but we are on the front line of a national housing crisis. We are committed to providing the most suitable accommodation available to everyone who comes to us needing a roof above their heads.

“But the acute shortage of affordable accommodation – in Lambeth, London and the South East – and the rising number of people needing a home means it is not always possible to find suitable, permanent accommodation within our borough.

“This means we sometimes have to house people in temporary accommodation, outside Lambeth, until somewhere permanent becomes available.”

The same FOI revealed one family from Newham had been sent to Middlesbrough, around 250 miles away, where they lived in temporary accommodation for eight years.

6 NEWS

By Evie Flynn

GALA, PECKHAM RYE PARK:

An independent and community-based festival, celebrating their 10th year anniversary this year. They are all about bringing soulful sounds to the community.

Tickets start at £43.50.

Date: 23rd-25th May

WIDE AWAKE, BROCKWELL PARK (PART OF BROCKWELL LIVE):

From the people behind MOTH club and the Shacklewell Arms, Wide Awake is an independent festival for underground music fans.

Headliners Kneecap, CMAT, and English Teacher are joined by other cutting-edge leftfield artists, such as iconic feminist artist Peaches.

Tickets start at £54.50.

Date: 23rd May

FIELD DAY, BROCKWELL PARK (PART OF BROCKWELL LIVE):

Field Day has been celebrating underground music and diverse audiences for the last 15 years. Field Day continues to shape the future of electronic music and returns this year with internationally celebrated DJ Peggy Gou.

Tickets start at £64.50.

Date: 24th May

CROSS THE TRACKS, BROCKWELL PARK (PART OF BROCKWELL LIVE):

A jazz, soul and funk festival headlined by Michael Kiwanuka and jazz quartet Ezra Collective. The line up is set to include a mixture of heritage legends and up-and-coming artists.

Tickets start from £59.50

Date: 25th May

CITY SPLASH, BROCKWELL PARK (PART OF BROCKWELL LIVE):

City Splash is a May Bank Holiday

10 OF THE BEST SOUTH LONDON FESTIVALS THIS SUMMER

With summer around the corner, it’s time to put these South London events in your diary

celebration of Caribbean and African culture with Reggae, Dancehall, Dub and Amapiano music. City Splash advocates for Black music, culture and food and is the world’s biggest independent one-day celebration of Caribbean and African culture, Tickets start at £39.50.

Date: 26th May

PROJECT 6, BROCKWELL PARK:

A festival dedicated to ‘bass-heavy sounds’, including garage, grime, house and jungle. Project 6 returns to Brockwell park this May with dates

Date: May (exact date

UPTOWN FESTIVAL, BLACKHEATH COMMON:

A family-friendly festival headlined by Boy George and Culture Club, allowing you to relive music through the decades and experience their free, interactive entertainment. Tickets start at £52.50.

Tickets: start at £52.50

Date: 27th July

By Lousia Woolf

SOUTHWARK PLAYHOUSE is preparing to welcome a brand new festival this Spring and will premiere the work of four of Britain’s most exciting young theatre companies writes Louisa Woolf...

The four plays cover diverse themes. From a feel-good comedy about a Hollywood conspiracy. a heartfelt story of a DJ using music to rediscover herself on her journey from addiction to recovery. The programme also features a story of two gay best friends navigating their sexuality and a HIV

diagnosis, and a play built from real conversations about climate with young people.

The festival performances are the culmination of a year-long residency at Southwark Playhouse’s Borough theatre on Newington Causeway at the Elephant & Castle.

Ebenezer Bamgboye, Programming Associate and creator of the FORGE scheme, says: “This festival comes at a time of sharp decline in spaces and opportunities for talented artists of younger generations to get an exciting new idea up on its feet and in front of an audience for the first time.”

The four companies, Shepard Tone,

Speakbeat Collective, November Theatre and Visual Sauce, will premiere their shows throughout the week.

Artistic Director Chris Smyrnios says:

“It’s a great privilege to have been able to play a small part in supporting these talented companies in developing their wonderful shows.”

“You will not only have a great night out, but you will also have the warm glow of supporting some epically courageous emerging artists and theatre companies.”

All tickets are £10 and there are discounts available if you book multiple, on sale now www.southwarkplayhouse. co.uk

BIG

The only place to see Skepta perform live in 2025, the Big Smoke festival returns in August. Presale tickets are released on 7th March.

Tickets: start at £64.40

Date: 9th-10th August

RALLY, SOUTHWARK PARK:

Curated by GALA and Bird On The Wire, RALLY is a one day music and arts festival inspired by DIY culture, celebrating the importance of community, the festival is usually followed by the annual FREE

Tickets: Pre-sale sign up available

Date: 23rd August

BATTERSEA PARK IN CONCERT, BATTERSEA PARK:

Open concerts paired with picnics on August Bank Holiday Weekend, celebrating classical, disco, jazz and blues sounds. Special appearances from the Royal Philharmonic Concert Orchestra.

Tickets: Early bird tickets start at £43.10

Date: 23rd-25th August

Bermondsey club in former MOT centre declared best night out in London

By Issy Clarke

A FORMER MOT testing centreturned electronic nightclub in South Bermondsey has been declared the best night out in London.

Venue MOT, which has attracted big names including Jamie xx and Demdike Stare, took the top spot in a ranking by Time Out magazine of London’s best clubs - one of four in Southwark to make the top 10. The club is located in Unit 18

of the Orion Business Centre on Surrey Canal Road between a hose manufacturer and a property maintenance company.

The Carpet Shop on Rye Lane in Peckham claimed third place, while Corsica Studios came in at eighth and Omerea in Borough took the tenth spot. Legendary venue Ministry of Sound, which recently revealed it will be launching a recurring sober rave event this summer, came in at 24th.

SMOKE FESTIVAL, CRYSTAL PALACE BOWL:

Bermondsey Carnival (watch this space for more details).

POPULAR MARKET IS CLOSED DOWN

EXCLUSIVE

By Isabel Ramirez

A POPULAR Sunday market at Canada Water has been shut down after the company had its licence revoked by the council.

The last weekend of the market was on Sunday, 30 March, which was operated by The Market Network in Deal Porter Square and welcomed 25-30 traders every week.

Southwark Council claims the company, which also runs weekly markets in Wapping and Tower Hill, ‘did not meet the conditions of its licence’.

However, William Cutteridge, who owns The Market Network, disputes this entirely: “We have always paid our rent promptly and we are fully up to date on payments,” he said. “There are no valid grounds for them to terminate our licence.”

Cllr John Batteson, cabinet member for climate emergency, jobs and business, said: “It’s very important to us, and residents, that people have nice things to do in their local area, like shopping at a local market, and that small businesses can thrive.

“This is why we need to ensure that they operate in a safe and regulated way. Deal Porter Market trades at Canada Water throughout the week, 10am-8pm Monday to Saturday, and the council licenses those businesses individually.

managed differently and opens on Sundays only. It is operated privately by The Market Network, which charges a higher fee for stallholders to trade. It opened in April 2022 but unfortunately, the operator has consistently not met the conditions of its licence, and therefore it has been revoked.”

William’s real concern is for the regular stallholders who now risk losing income.

These include the owners of Jou Jou’s Bites, Fiesta Gözleme, Fabs Ceramics and Mr Porchetta.

“People’s livelihoods are at risk for no good reason whatsoever,” he claimed.

“There are so many traders that rely heavily on this income week to week to live their lives. It seems a totally erratic decision that’s been made without knowledge of the knock-on consequences on normal people’s lives.”

He has started a petition to save the

market.

The council spokesperson added that there would be no changes to market trading at Deal Porter Market throughout the rest of the week and they would be ‘looking at ways to support individual traders to continue operating on Sundays at Deal Porter Square.’

Fabiana Faria Da Cunha, who is Head of Markets at the Market Network said: “The livelihoods of not only my own career but also the traders who rely on these markets are under serious threat due to the erratic and unjust decisions made by Southwark Council. We are simply trying to support new and small food enterprises, giving them the opportunity to access hungry audiences and thrive in a competitive market. This is our purpose, and it’s something we’ve been passionate about since day one.”

William argued that although they charged a higher fee for stallholders, it was justified by the effort they made to increase footfall - including giving their traders access to marketing, content creation, and ensuring there is seating to fit up to 100 customers.

NO SAUNA OR STEAM AT NEW LEISURE CENTRE

‘BECAUSE THEY’RE BAD FOR THE ENVIRONMENT’

EXCLUSIVE

By Liv Facey

THE BRAND-NEW Canada Water Leisure Centre will not include a sauna or steam room Southwark Council admitted, because they aren’t environmentally friendly, writes Liv Facey...

The Canada Water Leisure Centre, scheduled to open in spring 2025, will replace the nearly 60 year old Seven Islands Leisure Centre.

The new facility will feature a learner pool with a movable floor, an 8-lane 25-metre swimming pool, a 4-court sports hall, a gym equipped with 150 stations, and three group exercise studios.

However, it will not have a sauna or steam room, with local authority chiefs saying their energy use clashes with the council’s environmental plans. One of Southwark Council’s key objectives is to achieve ‘carbon neutrality’ by 2030.

Councillor Portia Mwangangye, the Cabinet Member for Leisure, Parks and Young People, said: “The new Canada Water Leisure Centre was designed with efficiency in mind.”

The council has stated that saunas and steam rooms are not only expensive to run as keeping them warm uses a lot of energy, but including one in the new centre would have compromised its ability to achieve an ‘excellent’ rating under the BREEAM standard, a sustainable building certification.

“The decision was based more on the overarching policy around decarbonisation than specifically around saunas and steam rooms,” Cllr Mwangangye explained.

She also clarified that there are ‘no plans’ to remove any existing saunas or steam rooms at other locations, and there will be a sauna installed at the new Surrey Docks Fitness and Watersports Centre in future, once its existing gas boilers are replaced with a ‘state of the art water-sourced heat pump’.

Peckham author shortlisted for children’s novel about being a young man in South East London

By Louisa Woolf

A PECKHAM author has been nominated for a prestigious Carnegie award for his children’s book exploring masculinity and growing up in South East London, writes Louisa Woolf...

Nathanael Lessore was born in Camberwell and grew up on the North Peckham Estate. He went to school at St Thomas the Apostle - an all-boys school - and still lives in Peckham now. The Carnegies, the UK’s longest

running book awards for young people, have identified ‘masculinity and what it is to be a young man today’ as the prevalent theme of this year’s shortlist.

In particular, the awards are commending marginalised male perspectives explored with empathy and hope.

His latest book, The King of Nothing, is one of eight on this year’s shortlist. It is a story about a self-proclaimed bad boy whose unlikely new friendship makes him question his priorities which ‘challenges readers to look inwards at their own behaviour’. Through writing he is able to

represent life in South East London as the funny, warm, adventurous world that wasn’t always portrayed as such when he was a child.

Lessore’s debut novel, Steady for This, also depicted life growing up in South East London. “Growing up, we lived on different estates but life was a laugh – we were always playing out,” he explained.

“Books about places I grew up are usually gritty stories, so I didn’t want it to be that.”

The winner will be announced on 19th June and will be awarded with a specially commissioned golden medal and a £5,000 cash prize.

Canada Water Market on Sundays has been run by the Market Network for the last three years

The Canada Water Leisure Centre will be housed in the basement of the Dock Shed building

Valeria and Tony from Mr Porchetta

Owners of Fiesta Gözleme are regular traders on Sundays

NEW CROSSINGS AND CYCLE ROUTE ON LONDON’S LONGEST

HIGH STREET CRITICISED BY LOCAL LIB DEM COUNCILLORS

By Noah Vickers Local Democracy Reporter

PLANS TO transform Streatham Hill’s part of the A23 road with new pedestrian crossings and a protected cycle route have been criticised by local Liberal Democrats, who argue residents have not been properly consulted on the scheme.

Transport for London (TfL) announced last week that construction work will begin this summer on the project between Sternhold Avenue, next to Streatham Hill station, and Holmewood Road, at the top of Brixton Hill.

As well as making it safer and more pleasant for people to walk and cycle along the main road, the scheme also includes improvements to bus lanes by removing parking and loading bays.

The project was initially consulted on by TfL over six weeks between February 10 and March 22 of 2020, and included drop-in sessions at Streatham Tate Library and Streatham Space Project. However, as this period coincided with the emergence of the Covid pandemic in the UK, the consultation was then extended to April 19 for feedback online or by post.

The survey ended up receiving 1,118 responses, of which 83 per cent said the changes would make cycling through the area safer, and 70 per cent thought it would make walking safer.

TfL has now published on its website a raft of documents outlining the plans’ precise technical details, and have invited residents to share any comments or questions about the scheme by writing to them within the next 21 days.

But Donna Harris, who leads the Lib Dem opposition on Lambeth Council, warned that not enough publicity had been given to the “highly disruptive” construction works – which are expected to go on until spring 2027.

“Streatham residents are fed up with being left out of decisions that directly impact their daily lives,” she said. “TfL has quietly posted a 21-day consultation on

its website for highly disruptive works –but how many locals even know about it? It’s a disgrace.

“Residents should have been properly informed, and a local venue should have been set up to answer questions, just as was done at Streatham Space Project half a decade ago.

“Many residents will have come and gone without ever knowing this project was in the works. TfL and Lambeth Council must do better – consultations should be meaningful, not just a tick-box exercise.”

TfL did not respond when approached for a comment in response to Ms Harris. However, in its press release on the scheme last week, TfL insisted that the construction programme has been “planned to minimise disruption for local residents and businesses as much as possible, including maintaining traffic flow and avoiding night working where possible”.

The organisation added: “TfL will continue to monitor roads during the works and implement signal strategies to relieve congestion and assist the bus network.

“TfL will also work closely with bus operators to minimise any impacts on bus services as much as possible and 24/7 bus garage access will be maintained. TfL will be working closely with Lambeth Council to monitor and address any impacts on local side roads and the surrounding road network.

“Side road closures will be staggered to avoid multiple impacts to residents. All loading and parking will be facilitated on borough roads to prevent additional congestion to the A23. A TfL public liaison officer will also consult with local businesses about bespoke loading arrangements as needed.

“A comprehensive customer communications campaign will be put in place to ensure customers are aware of these works and their impacts and are equipped with comprehensive travel advice and information. TfL will also be launching a dedicated travel advice page

closer to the start of these works.”

The scheme has been backed by Lambeth Council’s Labour administration, with the authority’s deputy leader Rezina Chowdhury saying it will be “transformational” for Streatham.

“New pedestrian crossings and safe cycling infrastructure, improved bus lanes, extra trees and greenery will be a huge boost to the high street and great benefit for businesses, residents and road users,” she said.

“TfL will work to monitor any impact on the local road network and minimise disruptions for residents. We will support them in making sure that happens.”

Squatters have moved into a cinema after its sudden closure

By Robert Firth Local Democracy Reporter

SQUATTERS HAVE reportedly moved into a South London cinema which closed suddenly six months ago. The intruders are believed to have taken over the former Catford Mews building in Catford town centre around a fortnight ago.

Employees at neighbouring businesses said the squatters had mostly kept a low profile, except two Saturdays ago (March 22) when they allegedly held an all-day rave in the building.

A Holland and Barrett employee told the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) that when he turned up to work he could hear booming music coming from next door. He added: “The police came later in the afternoon and stood outside. I think it had stopped by the time I closed up for the day.”

Another local, who declined to give their name, said: “It’s exactly how you’d imagine it to be with squatters. There’s music, noise and partying. Who knows how they’re going to the toilet

or showering. I’m just glad I’m not the one cleaning up after them when they’re kicked out.”

The Catford Regeneration Partnership Limited (CRPL), a firm wholly owned by Lewisham Council, manages the Catford Mews building. The CRPL served an eviction order on the building’s illegal occupiers on Monday (March 31). A possession hearing is scheduled to take place at Bromley County Court on Thursday (April 3).

When the LDRS knocked on a side door to Catford Mews on Tuesday (April 1), there was no reply. A notice stuck up outside, apparently by the building’s occupiers, warned outsiders not to enter the property and said there was at least one person inside at any time.

The apparent occupation of the former Catford Mews site by squatters is a setback to Lewisham Council, who have been trying to bring the building back into use since it closed it down in October following a rent dispute with the operator. Local Labour MP Janet Daby released a statement on February 4 saying the council had received

‘several promising bids’ from potential new operators and was reviewing them, with a decision ‘expected imminently’.

According to a source, a council official told a local meeting on February 13 that an announcement about the future of Catford Mews was expected within weeks. But there have so far been no further updates from the Labour-run council about the venue’s future.

Catford Mews’ previous operator, Really Local Group (RLG), had racked up £650,000 in unpaid rent to the CRPL when it was shut down by Lewisham Council in October last year, the local authority said at the time. Lewisham Council has been contacted for comment.

A CRPL spokesperson said: “We have made the council aware of an issue at 32 Winslade Way and are taking the necessary actions to resolve this. CRPL, supported by the council, is keen to bring the unit back to life as soon as possible, and we have been working to identify a new operator who will be able to bring an exciting new space to Catford.”

An image posted on X (formerly Twitter) by London’s Walking and Cycling Commissioner Will Norman, showcasing TfL’s plans for Streatham Hill.

The former Catford Mews cinema on April 1, 2025

Tfl Graphic Computer Generated Image Of The Completed Scheme, View Looking Northbound Towards Bus Stop T, At The Tierney Road Junction.

KING’S COLLEGE HOSPITAL TO TRIAL BRAIN IMPLANTS TO TREAT PEOPLE WITH ALCOHOL & OPIOID ADDICTION

By Isabel Ramirez

PEOPLE SUFFERING from severe alcohol and opioid addiction are to be offered a revolutionary new technique involving planting electrodes in the brain to improve self-control.

The technique – known as deep brain stimulation – is to be trialled at King’s College Hospital in London and Addenbrooke’s Hospital in Cambridge.

The team behind the BrainPACER study is currently recruiting individuals with severe alcohol or opioid addiction who are interested in taking part.

Deep brain stimulation (DBS) is a neurosurgical procedure that delivers ongoing stimulation to the brain. DBS acts as a brain pacemaker to normalise abnormal brain activity. It is welltolerated, effective and widely used for neurological disorders and obsessive compulsive disorder.

Although there have been several proof-of-concept studies that suggest DBS is effective in addictions, BrainPACER – a collaboration between the University of Cambridge, King’s College London and the University of Oxford – is the first major, multicentre study to use DBS to treat craving and relapse in severe addiction.

that involves implanting a slender electrode in the brain and a pacemaker under general anaesthesia. These electrodes deliver electrical impulses to modulate neural activity, which can help alleviate symptoms of various neurological and psychiatric disorders. During surgery, thin electrodes are carefully placed in precise locations of the brain. These locations are chosen based on the condition being treated. For addiction, the electrodes are placed in areas involved in reward, motivation, and decision-making.

Keyoumars Ashkan (pictured), Professor of Neurosurgery at King’s and the lead surgeon for the study, said: “Deep brain stimulation is a powerful surgical technique that can transform lives. It will be a major leap forward if we can show efficacy in this very difficult disease with huge burden to the patients and society.”

Dr David Okai from the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, King’s College London, said: “DBS is safe, reversible and adjustable, so it offers a flexible option for managing chronic conditions. We hope it will offer a lifeline to help improve the quality of life for patients whose treatment until now has been unsuccessful.”

Their addiction is hugely harmful to their health and wellbeing, to their relationships and their everyday lives.

“Initial evidence suggests that deep brain stimulation may be able to

Chief Investigator Professor Valerie Voon, from the Department of Psychiatry at the University of Cambridge, said: “While many people who experience alcohol or drug addiction can, with the right support, control their impulses, for some people, their addiction is so severe that no treatments are effective.

Family still searching for answers after death of teenage musician

help these individuals manage their conditions. We’ve seen how effective it can be for other neurological disorders from Parkinson’s to OCD to depression. We want to see if it can also transform the lives of people with intractable alcohol and opioid addiction.”

The primary aim of the Brain-PACER

study is to assess the effects of DBS to treat alcohol and opioid addiction in a randomised controlled trial study. Its mission is twofold: to develop effective treatments for addiction and to understand the brain mechanisms that drive addiction disorders.

DBS is a neurosurgical treatment

Details on the trial, including criteria for participation and how to sign up, can be found on the Brain-PACER website.

The research is supported by the Medical Research Council, UK Research & Innovation.

Walworth man pleads guilty to stabbing five former colleagues in distribution centre warehouse

By Izzy Clarke

THE FAMILY and friends of a talented teenage musician who died last summer are continuing their fundraising efforts to cover the legal fees of an inquest into his death, with £24,000 raised so far.

Fourteen-year old Raymi Saldaña Rojas, who lived in north London with his parents, drowned last July in Holland while on holiday with friends, and his parents are hoping the inquest will help them in their search for answers into the circumstances of his death.

Ahead of the coroner’s inquest, Raymi’s parents have been told they need to raise £58,000 to cover the costs of their legal fees.

On March 11, friends and supporters gathered at Mercato Metropolitano

in Elephant & Castle to listen to live performances by musicians from the family’s native South America and take part in a raffle, raising more than £2,000. Raymi was in a band with his parents Jeanette and Carlos which they set up during lockdown, releasing an album of Latin American folk music. They often performed in Southwark, including at the Tate Modern and Mint Street Festival in Borough.

The family said the campaign, originally supposed to close on March 2, has been extended while more paperwork needed for the inquest is gathered from Holland.

The family is not eligible for financial aid because Raymi died abroad. Donations to the campaign can be made here: www.crowdjustice.com/ case/justice-for-raymi

By Izzy Clarke

A 31-YEAR-OLD man from Walworth has pleaded guilty to stabbing five people in a distribution warehouse he used to work at in Sutton.

Babah Sesay, 31, appeared at Croydon Crown Court on Thursday, 20 March.

He admitted 10 charges related to the incident, including wounding with intent and actual bodily harm.

On the morning of Thursday, 23 January

Sesay burst into a distribution centre in Beddington where he used to work and attacked several former colleagues.

Five men were taken to hospital - one in his 50s, two in their 30s and two in their 20s where none of their injuries were confirmed to be life-threatening or lifechanging.

Despite Sesay fleeing the scene, he was arrested an hour later at a nearby restaurant. He was taken to hospital with minor injuries following his arrest, before being transferred to custody.

He was later charged with five counts of wounding with intent, two counts of aggravated burglary, one count of actual bodily harm, one count of assault by beating and one count of possession of an offensive weapon.

Detective Superintendent Dan Rutland, who leads policing in south London, said: “The swift actions of our officers helped to ensure no one was seriously hurt in this incident.

“I hope this, and the judicial result, brings closure and comfort to those involved and highlights to the community that we will not tolerate violence in any form.”

Sesay will be sentenced at Croydon Crown Court on Thursday, 5 June.

Friends and supporters gathered at Mercato Metropolitano earlier this month

The teenager drowned on holiday with friends in Holland

FREE COMMUNITY SPORTS GARDEN IN BOROUGH SET TO HAVE £5MILLION REVAMP

By Evie Flynn

THE MARLBOROUGH Sports Garden, located just off Borough High Street, is set for a £5million redevelopment after securing major funding.

This will transform the Garden into a vital community sports hub to ensure fair access to physical activity for children in Southwark. Construction is expected to begin in September 2025 and completion targeted for early 2026.

The revamp will majorly upgrade existing facilities, across football, basketball, netball, beach volleyball, athletics and more. It will also have brand-new changing rooms, toilets and a café.

This free-to-use space has been ran by Bankside Open Spaces Trust (BOST) for 10 years. BOST is an environmental and volunteering charity who work to provide green space and outdoor activities to enhance the wellbeing of urban communities.

The current Sports Garden sees 55,000 visits per year, which is grow to increase to 75,000 under the new investment. The first funding partners include London Marathon Foundation, Kusuma Trust, Southwark Council and Fabrix.

Sports pitches, community classes and sustainable facilities, all free to use

plans. This includes a sustainably built and run pavilion, with a green roof with solar panels and increased greening across the site.

Spaces where children can enjoy sport and exercise is needed. Southwark has the highest rates of childhood obesity at Year 6 of any local authority in England (Everybody’s business- Southwark Healthy Weight Strategy 2016-2021, Southwark Health and Wellbeing Board).

The garden itself has a rich history dating back over 100 years. It was first opened in 1921 by Counsuelo Vanderbilt Balsan, Duchess of Marlborough who decreed the space be used as an outdoor recreation area.

We asked Jack Harrison, Head of Sport at BOST, how they plan to measure the developments success, aside from visitor numbers. He replied that BOST will be measuring its “overall impact on the community”.

This impact will be social, offering a “safe and structured environment for young people, helping to reduce anti-social behaviour”. Harrison also

hopes the project will “improve health and wellbeing” and they will track community engagement consistently in collaboration with schools and grassroot sports clubs.

Harrison says that it is a priority for BOST to work together with the community, with regular consultations and feedback sessions so residents and future users can share their thoughts.

F A ALBIN & SONS

There is also a sustainable vision to this redevelopment. Architects Cullinan Studio have worked with BOST to ensure sustainability is at the fore-front of the

The current Duchess of Marlborough attended the site earlier this month to look over the redevelopment plans. BOST is seeking corporate partnerships and community support to bring this vision to life. They urge any organisations who share a passion for community wellbeing and grassroots sports to get involved in the project.

Development plans for Marlborough Sports Garden

Plans for Marlborough Sports Garden pavilion

By Robert Firth

Local Democracy Reporter

A MUM of a South London child too anxious to attend school has been awarded £1,500 from her council after it failed to arrange alternative education.

The unnamed girl, known only as B, missed out on classes for six months due to Lewisham Council’s delays in offering her replacement tuition elsewhere.

The Local Government Ombudsman (LGO) said the situation caused the girl and her family ‘distress, frustration and uncertainty’, in a report from February. B’s mum, known only as Dr X, informed the council that her daughter was unable to attend school due to anxiety in November 2023.

The girl’s school offered her mindfulness and lunchtime support session if she could attend. But alternative arrangements for her education in the meantime were not put in place.

In December 2023, the school’s attendance officer sent a letter to Dr X warning her she could be taken to court if her child continued to skip classes. Later the same month, B’s doctor informed the school that she had a diagnosis of autism, which was a potential cause of her non-attendance at school.

Lewisham told the LGO it took steps to arrange alternative education for B upon receiving the doctor’s evidence. But it did not manage to secure replacement tuition for the girl until April 2024, four months later. As compensation, the LGO ordered the council to pay Dr X £1,500 and remind attendance staff of their responsibility to provide education for children who don’t attend school full-time.

The LGO said: “We have found the council at fault for a delay in providing access to suitable provision after receiving a medical letter. This caused distress, uncertainty and frustration for Dr X and her child.

“The council has agreed to apologise, make a symbolic financial payment and remind its staff of the Ombudsman’s

MUM OF CHILD TOO ANXIOUS TO ATTEND LEWISHAM SCHOOL GETS £1,500 AWARD

guidance on how we expect councils to fulfil their responsibilities to provide education for children who do not attend school full-time.”

A Lewisham Council spokesperson said: “We have reviewed the Local

Government and Social Care Ombudsman’s decision regarding Dr X’s complaint and accept the findings. We have apologised to the family for the disruption to their child’s education, and acknowledge that we

should have done better.

“We are committed to learning from this experience and are actively reviewing our attendance and hospital outreach programme policies and processes to ensure that

children facing health challenges receive the support they need without unnecessary delays. Safeguarding the wellbeing and educational development of all children in the borough remains our top priority.”

School absence rates remain far higher than before the pandemic

By Noah Vickers Local Democracy Reporter

EDUCATION SECRETARY Bridget Phillipson has vowed to boost attendance in schools, as absence rates across the country remain far higher than before the pandemic.

In a speech at an east London school Ms Phillipson said the Government was committed to resolving the “crisis” of poor attendance through a “shared national effort”.

Data from the Department for Education shows that, before Covid the absence rate across England’s schools was 4.7 per cent. This jumped to 7.6 per cent in 2021/22 and by 2022/23 had only come down slightly to 7.4 per cent.

The most recent public figures show that in the academic year 2024/25 to date, the absence rate has dropped a little further, to 6.7 per cent, but ministers argue progress must accelerate.

In her speech to teachers – who had gathered from across London at Mulberry Academy Shoreditch – the Education Secretary suggested that some schools were failing to show enough willingness to improve the situation.

“Our data shows that there are schools

facing similar challenges, but with significantly different performance on attendance,” she said.

“Some [are] doing really well, others not quite making enough progress, not yet learning from the best, and I just can’t accept – I won’t accept – damage being done to students’ prospects.

“I expect schools falling behind on attendance to catch up, and fast, because we all know that children’s life chances are at stake.

“I know that’s what you want too, and many schools are already working incredibly hard to improve their attendance figures – because there’s nothing inevitable about the state that we’re in. Yes, we had a pandemic, but attendance was moving in the wrong direction even before that.”

The minister also stressed the importance of boosting children’s sense of belonging in order to drive down absence rates, warning: “A third of UK children do not feel they belong at school – the worst rate in the OECD.”

In London, the absence rate in the academic year so far – 6.2 per cent – is lower than any other English region, but the capital has also made the smallest amount of progress compared with other

parts of the country, year-on-year.

Speaking with the Local Democracy Reporting Service after her speech, Ms Phillipson said: “This is something that parents, schools and Government need to do as a collective national effort.

“We are providing schools with more tools around data that they can use, we’re supporting them to develop ‘whole school’ approaches to really double down on tackling the attendance crisis that we face.”

Asked about the fact that London has seen better levels of attendance than other regions, she said: “London is in a better starting position, but progress is slower than what we would like, and that’s why the work that we’re leading today with school leaders is so important.

“There are children who are regularly missing significant periods of time out of school, often for complex reasons, but alongside that, we know we can make a lot of progress if we take action as early as possible…

“The reason that attendance is so crucial is that we know that we can’t deliver high and rising standards in our schools if children are not there – children being in school is essential in order to deliver that brilliant education.”

Bridget Phillipson MP, Education Secretary

Walk Your Way to Better Mental Health –And Join London’s Most Inspiring Walking Events

This May

This National Walking Day (Wednesday 2nd April), there’s never been a better time to take a step towards better mental wellbeing. Whether it’s a daily stroll or a larger fitness goal, walking can have a transformative impact on your mental and physical health, and now, you can walk with purpose too.

A recent survey commissioned by breast cancer charity Walk the Walk revealed that 82% of adults say going for a walk improves their mood and mental health. Walking is more than just exercise, it’s a simple and powerful way to improve your daily wellbeing, build resilience, and find space for self-care.

To mark the occasion, Walk the Walk invites you to get involved in something truly meaningful this May, with two unforgettable events in the heart of London.

Step into Spring with Purpose

Saturday 17th May, Walk the Walk’s iconic challenge, The MoonWalk London, returns to Clapham Common. This unique overnight walking event sees thousands of women and men walk a half or full marathon in decorated bras, raising awareness and

vital funds for breast and other cancers.

Alongside it, the 5K ZOOM offers a fun, familyfriendly daytime event, perfect for all ages and fitness levels. Whether you’re a seasoned walker or just starting your journey, both events promise community spirit, entertainment, and a sense of accomplishment like no other.

The 5K ZOOM – A Perfect Introduction

The 5K ZOOM takes place earlier that same day and is ideal for newcomers to Walk the Walk events. It’s a lively and accessible 5 kilometre route through Clapham Common, filled with music, fun, and a welcoming atmosphere. It’s open to all ages, making it a fantastic opportunity for families to walk together.

At the finish line, participants are greeted with a hot drink, a muffin, and a collectible medal, leaving with fun memories made.

The MoonWalk London

For those looking for a bigger challenge, The MoonWalk London offers two distances: the Half Moon (15.1 miles) or the Full Moon (26.2

miles). The route weaves through central London under the night sky, filled with live entertainment, cheering supporters, and an atmosphere that’s both powerful and joyful.

Open to anyone aged 13 and over, the event is about more than just walking, it’s about unity, determination, and the power of a community walking together for a common cause.

New for 2025: Lights, Music, and the Magic of Musicals

This year’s MoonWalk theme celebrates musicals. From Mamma Mia to Matilda, Hairspray to Hamilton, participants are encouraged to dress as their favourite characters for a vibrant night of walking and celebration.

Walk the Walk is also introducing more LED light installations than ever before, transforming the night-time route into an immersive, glowing celebration. In addition, iconic London landmarks will once again Light Up Pink, creating a city-wide show of unity and support.

Walking for Wellness – Five Tips from the Founder

Walk the Walk’s Founder and Chief Executive, Nina Barough CBE, shares her five tips for turning walking into a habit:

1. Schedule it – treat your daily walk like a meeting and commit to it.

2. Plan a few routes – have walks mapped out for different lengths of time.

3. Dress appropriately – comfortable clothing and good footwear make all the difference.

4. Track your steps – using an app or pedometer helps with motivation.

5. Make every step count – even short walks or walking between rooms add up.

Sign up today at walkthewalk.org

Special offer: Register now for The MoonWalk London and receive a second entry at half price.

SOUTHWARK’S NEW HOUSING SYSTEM COMES TWELVE YEARS TOO LATE FOR ONE WOMAN

Sadiq Khan announces £6 million funding boost towards helping those caught up in domestic violence

By Noah Vickers

Local Democracy Reporter

SURVIVORS OF domestic violence in London are set to benefit from a £6 million funding boost announced by Sir Sadiq Khan, which will go towards grassroots community organisations providing “lifechanging” support.

The mayor’s investment will be used to fund groups who help victims with housing and legal advice, counselling and specialist play therapy for children, among several other initiatives.

According to the latest data, an estimated 2.3 million people experienced domestic abuse across the UK in the year to March 2024. The figure comprised approximately 1.6 million women and 712,000 men – and stood at roughly the same overall level in the previous year.

This additional funding forms part

EXCLUSIVE

By Issy Clarke

SOUTHWARK

COUNCIL

is launching a consultation on a new housing allocation system which would give priority to victims of domestic abuse.

But for one domestic violence survivor, it is 12 years too late and she still lives in fear.

The resident, who has not been named for her own protection, claims she has been bounced between 12 temporary properties since being moved out of her council house, which she loved, over a decade ago for her own protection.

“I loved the house, it was beautiful, and my children loved it too. They were really upset that we had to lose it” she said. Since then, her ex-partner has located and attacked her more than once, while one of her children is caught in a spiral of gang crime.

But despite her high level of risk, she has still not been moved out of the area and was only given Band 3 housing priority two years ago.

Around 47 per cent of housing applicants are in Band 3, which includes people who the council has a duty to house as they have not made themselves intentionally homeless and those with medical issues being made worse by their housing condition.

In 2020, the average wait time for a three bedroom property in Band 3 was over five years. Since then, the number of people waiting for a Southwark Council property has increased from around

13,000 to more than 18,000.

She told us she has repeatedly tried urging the council to increase her banding or to have her case nominated to another local authority, but has had no success.

This is despite the fact she meets the council’s requirements for Band 2 housing priority, which includes people who need to move because of a risk to their well-being or health.

Compounding her situation, last month she was given an unfurnished flat to stay in after her temporary accommodation flooded for the ninth time in five years.

She and her family were taken to the property in the middle of the night but when they arrived they found only a cooker and a fridge with nowhere to sleep, forcing them to stay on a friend’s sofa for the night until the council provided beds the next day.

“We had to eat all our meals from the edge of our beds for weeks” she said. “But it was warm and safe - so I took it.”

She has now been moved back into her property but claims it hasn’t been properly fixed.

She said when she walked back into her home, she found the walls were peeling and the vinyl floor sticky from the water damage.

Her local MP said: “It is outrageous how the tenant has been treated. The council is asking someone to live in a home that nine times they have claimed they have fixed but is still leaking and damaging her possessions.

“They have failed to communicate, to move her somewhere more appropriate and to fix the problem with her home.

“She is stressed and upset and the council’s officers have let her down time and time again.”

It comes as the council begins consulting on changes to its housing allocation scheme which gives preference to survivors of domestic abuse.

The new proposals, which are being consulted on until June, include giving additional preference to young adults leaving the care of Southwark Council, and for applicants escaping domestic abuse.

The proposals would change the current Bands 1-4 to Bands A-E. They would also keep local lettings policies, with some proposed changes.

For more information go to www. engage.southwark.gov.uk/en-GB/ projects/southwark-housing-allocations

Councillor Helen Dennis, cabinet member for new homes and sustainable development, said: “I can understand why this has been a stressful situation for the tenant and I apologise to her for the confusion and for the temporary flat not being as it should have been when she arrived. The furniture was delivered the next day and I hope she is now settled while we deal with the repairs in her permanent home. As soon as the works have completed we will let her know that she can move back to her own home – she can get in touch with us at any time if she needs further support.”

The council added she has since been placed in her more stable temporary accommodation with repairs fully complete and is being supported by its housing teams.

of his wider Domestic Abuse Safe Accommodation programme, which has seen £54 million invested in housing and support over the last four years

Speaking with the Local Democracy Reporting Service at Lambeth Town Hall last month, Sir Sadiq said: “The key thing that we’ve all got to do is prevention. We want to stop somebody becoming the victim of domestic abuse and violence in the first place.

“That’s got to start in school. Nobody’s born with the values that lead them to beat up their partner. So starting school in terms of healthy relationships, teaching boys how to respect girls – we’ve got to make sure we tackle misogyny.

“At the same time, we’ve got to make sure that women who are victims of domestic abuse and violence have the confidence to report it. Often, a victim will go to their GP many times before they go to the police.

“In the past, the police have not been responsive to the victims of domestic abuse. We know for those who, for example, bring forward complaints of rape, very few of those lead to convictions, so the criminal justice system needs a huge amount of improvement.”

The mayor’s additional £6million of funding forms part of his wider Domestic Abuse Safe Accommodation programme, which has seen £54 million invested in housing and support over the last four years.

Since the programme’s launch in 2021, more than 23,500 survivors of domestic abuse have been helped by it, according to Sir Sadiq’s team.

“We’ve got to remove the stigma when it comes to domestic abuse and violence,” the mayor said.

“I’m really pleased the Government’s got a target – which I fully support –of halving the [number of] victims of violence [against women and girls] by 2034, and we’re going to support the Government getting there.”

Martina Palmer, head of services at the charity Refuge, said: “Refuge is delighted to welcome a new strategy for domestic abuse safe accommodation from the Mayor’s Office for Policing and Crime (MOPAC).

“Violence against women and girls (VAWG) in London remains at ‘endemic’ levels, and funding for safe accommodation for survivors is an integral part of what’s needed to make good on the Government’s pledge to halve VAWG within the next decade.”

THIS MAN KILLED CHARITY VOLUNTEER FOR BRUSHING PAST HIM AT SOUTHWARK TUBE

By Issy Clarke

A MAN who punched a charity volunteer after he ‘brushed past him’ on the escalator at Southwark tube station has been found guilty of manslaughter.

Rakeem Miles, 23, from Walworth, killed 28-year old Samuel Winter, a physiotherapist and a volunteer with several charities, with a single punch on August 22 last year.

The court heard how, on Thursday 22 August 2024, at around 9.30pm Samuel got off the Jubilee line eastbound train and was walking up the escalator when he ‘brushed past’ Miles, who proceeded to chase and attack him.

Miles ran after him through the ticket barrier and up the stairs, tearing his top in half and yanking him to face him, before landing a deadly punch on Samuel’s head, leaving him collapsed on the stairs.

Samuel was hospitalised with a brain injury and tragically died two days later on August 24.

The police learnt Miles had used the same card to top up his Oyster at a shop near the station a day earlier. When they visited the shop on August 23 the shopkeeper said Miles had just left. They arrested him outside on suspicion of

committing grievous bodily harm.

He was charged with murder but cleared by the jury after a trial, but was convicted of manslaughter last Friday March 21 at Inner London Crown Court. A sentencing date has been set for 8 May at same court. Senior investigating officer Detective Chief Inspector Paul Attwell said: “This was a truly tragic incident where one person’s actions and one punch has changed the lives of Samuel’s family forever. Samuel’s family described him as gentle and kind, and he will be sorely missed by all those who love him. I hope this outcome helps to

bring them some peace and we reiterate our requests to give the family privacy at such a difficult time.

“It only took one punch from Miles to end Samuel’s life and forever change the lives of those around him. He showed no remorse for his action, leaving Samuel at the station and continuing on with his evening. The quick-time and thorough investigation by the teams involved meant Miles was identified and apprehended quickly. There is zero tolerance for violence on the railway and I’m glad to see this conviction.”

What to do if you witness harassment and hate on the Tube or on a bus?

By Noah Vickers Local Democracy Reporter

ONLINE TRAINING sessions have helped Londoners intervene if they witness harassment and hate crimes on the Tube and bus network.

The transport authority says the sessions had “empowered” passengers to become “active bystanders” if they see others being harassed or discriminated against when travelling around the capital.

The sessions were delivered by expert staff at Protection Approaches, a national charity working to prevent all forms of identity-based violence.

It comes after TfL last year said that an increase in reported sexual offences on public transport across the capital was “a positive sign” that more people are alerting the authorities when it happens.

TfL credited this trend to a poster campaign it had launched encouraging passengers to report harassment where they witness it.

The organisation said at the time:

“Tracking research has not indicated any significant increase in incidents on the network, therefore the increase in number of reports is a positive sign that the campaign is helping to raise awareness of what constitutes sexual harassment and our zero tolerance approach to any form of abuse on our network.”

This training sessions took place online on March 21, March 27, March 31 and April 3 – and examined different scenarios of hate crime and harassment by encouraging

participants to discuss the meaning of being an ‘active bystander’ and how to support fellow passengers safely.

London’s deputy mayor for transport, Seb Dance, who said: “Everyone should be able to use public transport without fear of abuse and TfL has a zero-tolerance approach to hate crime.

“Londoners have told us that they want to be able to intervene safely if they witness a hate crime, and having the right knowledge can make all the difference.

Silvertown Tunnel is set to open next Monday

By Issy Clarke

SILVERTOWN TUNNEL is set to open next week, linking the Greenwich Peninsula to east London, with discounts for local businesses and some residents. Opening on Monday, 7 April, the tunnel is just under one mile long and will link Newham and the Greenwich Peninsula.

Off-peak charges will be £1.50 for cars, motorcycles, and small vans, while peak-time fees will range from £2.50 to £4.00. Larger vehicles, such as heavy goods lorries, will pay up to £10. The tunnel will be toll-free overnight, starting at 10 pm.

Once Silvertown opens, the same charges will also apply to the Blackwall Tunnel.

Bus travel will be free for the first year ‘at least’ according to TFL, including the Cycle Shuttle Service which will run every 12 minutes. To complement the opening, new bus routes will also launch on 7 April. These services, including the Superloop 4 (SL4) between Canary Wharf and Grove Park, will initially be free for at least a year. The number of buses crossing the river will increase significantly, from six per hour to 21, with all vehicles producing zero tailpipe emissions.

“That is why I’m pleased TfL is funding free training sessions to empower customers to step in safely when they see harassment on the transport network. An attendee of a Protection Approaches training session said: “I would absolutely recommend the training.

“It helped me feel more confident in standing up against harassment and prejudice. The tools and techniques discussed in the sessions have already proven to be useful and have proven to make a real difference.”

Local businesses from Greenwich, Newham, or Tower Hamlets will get a £1 discount on the off-peak charge for the first year, and there will also be a 50 per cent discount for local residents on benefits from the 12 East London boroughs, including Southwark and Lewisham.

First proposed in 2012, the tunnel aims to ease congestion, provide faster and more reliable journeys, and improve air quality around the Blackwall Tunnel. It will also introduce new public transport options and cycle connections, enhancing travel in the area. Commuters could save up to 20 minutes on journey times during peak hours. To manage traffic and recover construction costs, user charges will apply at both the Blackwall and Silvertown tunnels.

Convicted Rakeem Miles

28 year old Samuel Winter was killed by a single punch

ASBESTOS REMOVAL TAKING TIME AT ‘NOTORIOUS’ TOWER BLOCKS

CROYDON’S AMBITIOUS Regina Road regeneration is in full swing, but a lot of work is still yet to be completed on the former council tower blocks, according to contractors.

Following widespread reports of mould and poor conditions in the 1960s-built blocks, residents voted to demolish and rebuild homes on the South Norwood estate.

Residents of flats 1-87 were all relocated throughout 2024 following the 88.1% vote to demolish the flats in the Spring of last year. Hoardings have since surrounded that block for the past few months, with demolition officially starting in January.

Demolition contractor Colemans has secured the site, which sees over 30 workers on site each day. Despite a constant buzz of activity on the site, the demolition is made difficult due to the abundance of asbestos in the building.

During a visit to the site last week, workers on site told the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS): “There’s a lot of work needs doing here, it’s a pure asbestos building.

“I think it’s going to be many more months of work before we get rid of the lot.”

According to its own expected timelines, the council expects the demolition of flats 1-87 to be complete by August 2025.

Throughout this time, resident engagement will continue with community consultations on the design for replacement housing, plus monthly working group meetings covering topics like demolition, design, community spaces, and estate security.

Submitting a high-quality planning

application is key to the Regina Road project, but other critical steps must also be addressed before. These include securing full vacant possession, further community engagement, demolition, and finding a contractor for the rebuild.

The second tower, housing flats 89 -123, is scheduled for demolition between Autumn 2025 and February 2026. According to a source in the Regina Road resident’s working group, it is now empty following the recent relocation of its last two families.

The council is now in the process of finding alternative homes for the families in the third block.

Mayor Jason Perry acknowledged Croydon’s shame after the conditions at Regina Road were exposed. The council has since approved a new direct delivery model for the project, which includes demolishing the three high-rise blocks and replacing the 191 council flats with up to 450 homes, with at least 200 council-owned.

The tower blocks were built in the 1960s using the large panel system to tackle the housing shortage, and similar

accommodation is still home to around 100,000 people across the UK today.

A spokesperson from Croydon Council told the LDRS: “Work to demolish the first block at Regina Road is set to begin this month and will be completed by summer. We are working with contractors Colemans who are on site preparing for the work, which will be carried out safely and carefully. The site will be monitored for noise, dust, and vibration, and residents will continue to receive regular updates.

“The demolition is part of wider plans to regenerate the estate and build at least 225 new council homes, along with green spaces, a pre-school, and community facilities. These changes will make the area a better place to live, and we’re working closely with residents to make sure the plans reflect everyone’s needs. We’ll submit the full plans for approval in summer 2025.

“The next phase, which includes 89123 Regina Road, will follow once the blocks are empty. We will continue working with residents to help them find new homes ahead of this next stage.”

HAN ZIMMER’S FILM AND MUSIC CENTRE IS A STEP CLOSER

By Adrian Zorzut Local Democracy Reporter

A PROPOSAL to turn former BBC studios in Maida Vale into a ‘world leading’ film and music centre run in part by famous composer

Hans Zimmer is a step closer to becoming reality. Zimmer’s MVS Partnership LLP has applied to turn the dated studios into a state-of-the-art film and music production arena under one roof.

The proposal includes the complete removal of audio recording studios and replacing them with up to 30 composer suites, writing studios as well as general workspace. There are also plans for ‘breakout areas’, a kitchen and bar.

This all forms part of MVS’ vision of a building divided loosely into two zones – visual and audio – in line with the company’s distinct partnership of film and music businesses. The building is set to operate 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

The larger part of the building would be dedicated to MVS’ music business while filming is based in newly-built studios at ground and basement level. MVS stressed there would be no ‘hard line’ between the two sections.

The application has received blowback from residents who are concerned the 400-person space would lead to more traffic and noise. MVS said running a 24/7 operation was ‘akin’ to similar offices in the borough and would provide flexibility in what has been described as ‘dynamic schedules’ of film and music production crews.

It has also proposed restricting noise between 11pm and 6am and has no plans to run concerns inside. They also said plans for a central staff cafe and bar space could reduce disturbances as workers choose to stay inside.

Westminster City Council said the proposal does not include any dedicated on-street parking meaning anyone looking to park would need to pay for this themselves. The council also anticipates people will use public transport or make use of cycling bays to travel to the studios.

A report by the council read: “The

proposed development seeks to create a facility of international importance to film, television and music that will act as a catalyst for the North Paddington Creative Enterprise Zone, London and according to the applicant, the UK and the global creative industries which is fully in accordance with all levels of planning policy at a strategic level.”

MVS also proposed freshening up the building’s white stucco-clad masonry and installing planting and seating areas at both entrances. There will be four state-of-the-art music studios and 30 music practice rooms.

A large space at the southern end of the building will be adapted to create a new ‘visual wing’ with a range of hightech facilities, including a sound effects studio and editing suites, according to the applicant’s website. The basement level will be excavated to create a new screening room and sound studio while the roof will be replaced and include solar panels. There are also plans to restore the building’s original roller skating roof trusses and install biodiverse green roofing.

MVS is offering £137,000 in financial contributions, including £21,000 in carbon offset payments. The former BBC site was purchased by the partnership in 2023 from the broadcaster and had been listed for a reported £10.5m. MVS will take full ownership of the premises in 2026 when the BBC moves to new studios in Stratford, East London. Maida Vale Studios is a GradeII listed building.

The BBC converted it into studios in 1933, and since then has hosted a huge array of artists from The Beatles to Beyoncé and Sir Elton John.

In 2018 the BBC announced it was to move its live music hub to Stratford, having previously described the Maida Vale site as ‘wholly unsuitable for the 21st century’. It had previously been a roller skating rink built in 1909.

MVS is a partnership between Zimmer and his long-time business partner Steve Kofsky, and leaking UK film producers Tim Bevan and Eric Fellner. Westminster City Council were set to review the application on at the time of going to press.

Teenager charged with 29 offences following investigation into homemade weapons

By Kevin Quinn

EIGHTEEN-YEAR-OLD SHAKHILE

Ntsele appeared in court last week after being charged with 29 offences relating to possession of firearms and explosive substances.

Ntsele, of Wandsworth Road, was first charged on Saturday, 29 October 2024 with one count of threatening a person with an offensive weapon and one charge of threats to kill. The charges relate to an investigation which was prompted by an incident at Ntsele’s home address

in Clapham on Sunday, 27 October 2024.

OIfficers attended the address and he was arrested at the scene after a variety of homemade weapons were allegedly found.

As part of the investigation, led by Trident Officers within Specialist Crime South, Ntsele was further charged with manufacture of a weapon on Friday, 8 November last year.

Over four months later on Thursday, 13 March this year Ntsele was charged with 26 further offences - eight charges of possession of explosive substances with intent to endanger life, eight of making explosive substances for an unlawful purpose, five of possessing a firearm with intent to endanger life and five of possessing a firearm without a certificate.

He has since appeared in court.

By Harrison Galliven Local Democracy Reporter

The studios will include break-out areas and office space. CGI of office space. Credit: MVS Partnership LLP/ Stiff + Trevillion / WCC.

The Regina Road complex was built in the 1960s using the using the ’then-innovative large panel system

Credit: Harrison Galliven

This Regina Road resident says she has to clean her flat constantly to keep the black mould away.

Credit: Tim Clarke

MAYOR DESCRIBED HIMSELF AS SOMEONE WHO ‘LOVES DRIVING’ WHEN ASKED ABOUT ULEZ

By Noah Vickers Local Democracy Reporter

SIR SADIQ Khan’s controversial decision to expand the Ultra low emission zone (Ulez) across all of London was not “an anti-motorist policy”, the mayor has claimed in a podcast interview.

Speaking with Dr Hilary Jones on The Dr Hilary Show, Sir Sadiq said he is “not anti-car” and described himself as someone who “loves driving”.

The Labour mayor argued that the policy was in fact “anti-poison” and that the Ulez involved “a combination of carrots and sticks” to reduce air pollution across the capital.

The zone’s expansion, which took place in August 2023, was fiercely resisted by Sir Sadiq’s Tory opponents, who said the £12.50 daily charge for non-compliant vehicles was piling misery on London’s poorest drivers during a cost of living crisis.

Conservative mayoral candidate Susan Hall put her promise to scrap the Ulez expansion at the heart of her campaign for City Hall last year, but she was defeated by a margin of over 275,000 votes.

A recent analysis based on the first year of the zone’s expansion found that levels of roadside nitrogen dioxide (NO2) – which is created by NOx exhaust emission gases – were on average up to 4.8 per cent lower across outer London than would have been expected if the expansion hadn’t occurred.

TfL sources said this change had resulted in a “substantial improvement” in the capital’s air quality, with the benefits “rippling beyond London” across the Home Counties.

The Tories said the analysis was a “fantasy” based on guesses and assumptions, and which failed to highlight that transport emissions were already decreasing as Londoners switched to cleaner cars, many of them electric.

But the mayor insisted on his recent podcast appearance that the policy was necessary to bring pollution levels down.

Sir Sadiq told Dr Hilary: “We had to have a combination of carrots and sticks. So the first thing is, this is not an anti-motorist policy. I’m not anti-car. I

love driving. The issue is anti-poison.

“You may not realize it, but if you’re driving a non-compliant vehicle, an older diesel or an older petrol [car], you as the driver are breathing in this poison. Your kids in the back, they’re breathing in the poison. If you’ve got an older parent next to you, he or she’s breathing in the poison and those around you are as well.

“So what we did from City Hall is give support financially in terms of a scrappage scheme, to make it as easy as possible for a small business, for a charity, for a family to transition.”

He added: “When I began this journey in London, there were only 39 per cent

of vehicles compliant. It’s now 97 per cent of vehicles [that] are compliant. There were only 12 per cent of vans compliant. It’s now [over] 90 per cent of vans that are compliant.

“So we’re not making money from this, because if your vehicle’s compliant, you don’t pay a penny more and you get the benefits of clean air. So, you know, it has been important to take people with us. And the way we’ve done it, if I’m honest, Hilary, is incrementally.

“We began in central London. There was initial opposition. We showed it worked. We then moved to inner London, with more boroughs involved.

We showed it worked, then we moved to all of London. The research published last week is a year’s worth of analysis of these various monitors across London and we can see it works.”

In his re-election manifesto, the mayor committed to “keeping the

London-wide Ulez standards the same over the next four years”.

He reaffirmed that promise in an interview earlier this month, as he pledged not to “move the goalposts” in relation to which cars and vans are exempt from paying the levy.

By Issy Clarke

LONDON’S AIR has become significantly less polluted after the expansion of Ulez, according to a new report from City Hall

The report published last month looked at the effects of the Ultra Low Emissions Zone on air quality in the capital, a year on from its Londonwide roll out in August 2023.

Across the capital the concentration of nitrogen dioxide (NO2), a gas known to cause lung cancer and asthma, fell

in 99 per cent of monitored areas since the introduction of ULEZ in 2019

It found there was an 80 per cent reduction in the number of people exposed to illegal levels of pollution in the most deprived communities living near London’s busiest roads.

The boroughs that saw the biggest fall in NO2 emissions were Sutton, Merton, Croydon, Harrow and Bromley.

The data also found there was a 58 per cent reduction in non-compliant veichles in September 2024 compared to June 2023.

Last month, statistics published in response to a Freedom of Information Request revealed Transport for London had raked in £71 million thanks to Ulez charges. The largest charges were paid by drivers in boroughs which only became part of the zone after its London-wide expansion in August 2023 - including Croydon, where drivers coughed up £4.1 million.

Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, said:“The decision to expand the Ulez was not something I took lightly, but this report shows it was the right one

Which borough saw the biggest pollution drop?

for the health of all Londoners.

“With boroughs in outer London seeing some of the biggest reductions in harmful emissions and London’s deprived communities also seeing greater benefits, this report shows why expanding Ulez London-wide was so important.

“Thanks to Ulez and our other policies, all Londoners are now breathing substantially cleaner air - but there is still more to do, and I promise to keep taking action as we build a greener, fairer London for everyone.”

Mayor Sir Sadiq Khan spoke with Dr Hilary Jones on his podcast about his decision to expand the Ultra low emission zone (Ulez). © The Dr Hilary Show

what’s on

LOVE AND DEATH AND ROCK ’N’ ROLL

I’VE HAD my ticket for Wilko: Love and Death and Rock ’n’ Roll for months, but I’ve been waiting years to see a show that lionises one of British music’s true icons, writes Michael Holland.

Doctor Feelgood were without a doubt a great band, but you mainly went to see Wilko Johnson when you bought tickets for one of their gigs because he created a rush in your body that you wanted to feel again and again.

Jonathan Maitland’s play opens with Wilko (Johnson Willis) proclaiming ‘Astrology is bollocks! You can’t see the future.’ He then shows off his astronomy knowledge by telling us that ‘Saturn is 547.6million miles away from Canvey Island’.

Canvey Island, a small town on reclaimed land in the Thames Estuary, takes pride of place in Wilko’s life. While many call Kent— on the other side of the Estuary— the Garden of England, he proudly adds, and Essex is the patio.

The story continues with his bully father dying and his snob mum trying to get him to sound his aitches, a torment that continues with his teachers at school. He and his friends form a skiffle band and Wilko meets the love of his life, Irene. They marry. He goes off to study literature at university. He graduates. He teaches literature. He gets the sack. I feel as

THE NEWS caught up with local legend Mark McGowan, the performance artist extraordinaire whose art pieces always upset those who deserve it most.

He spoke about his past exploits and his current work and said this two-day music extravaganza - SXSE x RSD25(South By South East x Record Store Day 2025) is “going to be massive!”. It will feature 38 artists. 18 DJs. 4 venues. 2 days. 1 wristband, celebrating Record Store Day 2025.

Dash The Henge Store, The Old Dispensary, The Bear Camberwell, and The Greyhound Peckham, in partnership with Two Tribes, are joining forces again to provide two days of live music and DJs in Camberwell, their little corner of South East London, on Saturday 12th & Sunday 13th April.

Dash The Henge Store will open at 9 a.m., and the resident DJs will soundtrack the first couple of hours for all the early risers, with live music commencing in store from 11 a.m.

Over the road at The Old Dispensary, live music kicks off at 2 p.m. with bands and artists programmed throughout

if I’m on a whistle-stop tour through Wilko’s life, with no whistles and no stops. The musical interludes of Feelgood classics allow some respite from the ride and give a reminder of how good they were.

Another band is put together—

Doctor Feelgood. With Wilko writing the songs to get away from merely

being another cover band, they begin to get noticed, but Wilko is argumentative and uncompromising. With his degree and his narcissism, he feels superior to just about anyone he meets, and it does little for band cohesion. He puts the others down, telling lead singer Lee Brilleaux that he has no talent, when, in fact, he was one of the best front men

the day and offset with the shop so you don’t miss a beat!

Down the road at The Bear Camberwell, in partnership with Naturalite Sound System, DJs will be spinning vinyl back to back on a dub sound system from noon until late.

Meanwhile, at The Greyhound Peckham, bands will be playing in their basement venue with DJs spinning throughout the day with an extended license so the party can continue into the early hours!

Sunday sees things kick off at noon with another full day’s programming, including a screening at The Bear Camberwell of The Guard, complete with an introduction from The Nickel Cinema and a Q&A with writer/director and Camberwell resident, John Michael McDonagh.

McGowan, though, in between enjoying the sounds, will be The Bromley Poet Tree reading poetry while dressed as a tree, alternating with being dressed as a bee to give out amazing bee facts. “Do you know bees have five eyes?” he declared. Before I could show my amazement, he was off again: “Bees

fly by their two vocal cords!” He made a buzzing sound. “It’s the vibrations that lift them up,” he said while rising slowly from his chair. Before I had a chance to ask for some explanation, he hit me with, “Bees have OCD, that’s why their hives are spotlessly clean.”

I was absolutely bee-ed out by now, and he saw my surrendering as open season on bee facts: “Queens fight each other by pooing on each other; bees are from The Devil - My bee schtick is Bee Amazing, Bee Extraordinary…” He was truly buzzing now.

Mark will also be displaying work with the Bethlem Performance Collective at The Kabinett Gallery, the former bus inspector’s shelter, opposite the bus garage at Crystal Palace Parade, all through April.

Wristbands available now on DICE: https://link.dice.fm/o060dbc08cbb Full schedule and alphabetical artist/ DJ list available here: SXSE x RSD25Schedule

Watch the full interview with Mark McGowan here: https://youtu.be/ zzm4el5quQw

first half ends on a melancholy note. We spend the interval raving at how good the band are, with much praise saved for Jon House’s Lee Brilleaux and David John’s skill at playing the spoons.

The writer has got right inside the mind of Wilko Johnson, and the actor has too. Johnson Willis makes Wilko real. he ensures we do not see him as some obnoxious, druggie boor but an educated man who quotes from Wordsworth, T.S. Eliot, Joseph Conrad and William Blake; who connects Shakespeare’s Sonnets to rock ’n’ roll songs, and deals with life-ending cancer with a spirit and outlook we could all do with.

around. Wilko leaves and drops into a musical doldrums while the band continue to have more success.

Adding more pain to an existence increasingly lived with drugs, Wilko his diagnosed with terminal cancer. He decides not to undergo deblitiating treament but to live his final months saying goodbye on a farewell tour. The

Georgina Fairbanks(Irene), Georgina Field (Sparko) make up the cast that deliver a great story and fantastic music. And it is the music that makes me overlook the too many facts being dropped into the script like confetti. The second half ends with smiles all round, a three-song finale and an appearance from Charlie Chan, the man who made a miracle happen. Go and find out how that miracle happens.

Southwark Playhouse Borough, 77-85 Newington Causeway, London, SE1 6BD until 19th April.

Booking and full details: www.southwarkplayhouse.co.uk/ productions/wilko/

Photo by Mark Sepple

L-R Johnson Willis, Jon House, Georgina Fairbanks & Georgina Field (Wilko, Queen’s Theatre Hornchurch)

Heading south - our pick of upcoming spring events

Baby Yoga

Book in for the Old Royal Naval College’s Baby Yoga this month and take part in a memorable yoga class for new parents to bond with their baby in a grand setting. Carve out some time to stretch, release tension and build strength in a mindful and enjoyable way while meeting other new parents in the local area.

Teacher Toni Osborne has taught postnatal yoga full time for over a decade at yoga studios across London.

This class will feature breath exercises and synchronised yoga poses that will help you strengthen the core and pelvic floor, increasing energy and balancing the nervous system.

It is open to all caregivers and pre-crawling babies, and it is suitable for all yogis, with modifications offered to suit all levels.

Dates: Monday 28 April 2025, 10:30am

Tickets: £37

Queen Mary Undercroft, Old Royal Naval College, King William Walk, Greenwich, SE10 9NN ornc.org/whats-on

The Wizard of Oz at Churchill Theatre

Fly over the rainbow with this exciting adaptation of The Wizard of Oz at Churchill Theatre. Join Dorothy as she goes on a magical adventure to the Land of Oz. Along the way, she makes new friends with the Scarecrow, who longs for a brain, the Tin Man, who really wants a heart, and the very cowardly Lion, who is desperate to be brave and have some courage. Dorothy needs to find her way home, but it’s not going to be easy with the Wicked Witch of the West keeping a close eye on her. Will the Great and Powerful Oz be able to help? Starring Bromley’s very own Fanny Galore as Glinda Galore, alongside a professional cast of West End performers, this colourful story is packed with hilarious jokes, dazzling dance routines, glittering scenery and plenty more for all the family. There’s no place like Churchill Theatre.

Date: Wednesday 16 April 2025, 2pm and 6pm Tickets: £19.50 to £23.50 Churchill Theatre, High Street, Bromley BR1 1HA trafalgartickets.com/churchill-theatre-bromley

Baisakh Biryani Supper Club Dinner

Calling all foodies: book a spot at the Baisakh Maharani Supper Club for an evening filled with exquisite food and great company, brought to you by chef Priya Deshingkar. The event is hosted at the home of Paroj and Deepta in Greenwich, where you will indulge in a feast fit for royalty and experience the rich flavours of Old Delhi and Awadh. Come hungry, bring your own drinks for a tipple and get ready to have a fantastic time.

Date: Saturday 12 Apr 2025, 7pm

Tickets: £54.88

Valegro House, 114 Norman Road, SE10 9LJ www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/baisakh-biryanisupper-club-dinner-tickets-1287666096959

Four Seasons at The Albany

A theatrical love letter to nature for children and their families, catch Four Seasons at The Albany. Join an intrepid team of magical gardeners as they tend to the marvellous menagerie of flora and fauna at every stage of nature’s miraculous journey. Four Seasons is a celebration of the wonder and weirdness of nature and our place within it, all set to an exciting score of seasonally inspired tracks, including, of course, Vivaldi’s piece. Expect enchanting and innovative theatre featuring puppetry, physical theatre and clowning fun – everything we’ve come to expect from Olivier Award-winning Little Bulb (Hibernation, CBEEBIES’ The Nutcracker).

Date: Tuesday 8 April 2025, 1pm and 3pm

Tickets: £9.50

The Albany, Douglas Way, SE8 4AG www.thealbany.org.uk/shows/four-seasons

Easter activities at the Queen’s House

Head to the Queen’s House for an egg-citing array of events this Easter holiday. From musical storytelling sessions to craft workshops, there are plenty of drop-in activities suitable for all ages and abilities. You can meet historical characters connected to the Queen’s House, take part in an origami tulip-making workshop, and sail into the world of 18th-century exploration with a musical storytelling adventure inspired by George Stubbs’s famous painting The Kongouro from New Holland.

Dates: Sunday 6 to Sunday 20 April 2025, 11am-4pm. Tickets: Free Queen’s House, Romney Road, SE10 9NF www.rmg.co.uk/whats-on

One of south London’s biggest comedy nights returns to Woolwich Works this April with a rip-roaring line-up headlined by Troy Hawke. Troy Hawke is the self-styled president of the Greeter’s Guild, whose online videos complimenting everyone – from complete strangers outside Poundland to joining Manchester City at training – have amassed millions of views over the past year. He’s been a stand-up star for years and made memorable appearances on BBC’s Live at the Apollo and other shows. He takes to the stage with Laura Smyth (BBC’s Live at the Apollo) and Edinburgh Comedy Award nominees Josh Pugh and Ania Magliano. This event is BSL-interpreted, and you can see where the BSL interpreter will be positioned when you select

Date: Saturday 26 April 2025, 7:30pm

Woolwich Works, The Fireworks Factory, 11 No 1 Street, Royal Arsenal, SE18 6HD

History

A THOUSAND BLOWS: HOW MUCH OF THE FORTY ELEPHANTS’ STORY IS TRUE?

By Issy Clarke

A THOUSAND Blows tells the overlapping stories of London’s criminal underbelly in the 1880sbut just how historically accurate is it?

The show tells the entwined stories of Mary Carr’s Forty Elephants, an allfemale gang of thieves who plotted elaborate heists from their base in Elephant and Castle, and London’s shadowy illegal boxing scene.

The Forty Elephants were a real-life notorious criminal gang who operated from the 1870s until as late as the 1950s, and Mary Carr was elected as their scheming leader in 1890.

Hezekiah Moscow was also a real person, who arrived in London from Jamaica in the 1880s and worked as a lion tamer at the East London Aquarium before becoming a successful boxer.

But while much of the show is rooted in real events and people, the suggestion that these two worlds were linked is largely down to the imagination of show creator Steven Knight.

“I’d always wanted to tell the story of

the Forty Elephants” he recently told the BBC.

“Both of those true stories are amazing, and the fact is they were both happening at the same time and in the same place.

“I thought it would be interesting to imagine what would have happened if Mary and Hezekiah had met – and that’s what this show is about.”

There was no real life version of the romantic relationship between Mary and Hezekiah, who meet in the show’s first episode - in fact, it is highly unlikely their worlds would have collided at all.

Coincidentally, the real Hezekiah did marry a white woman called Mary, although she had nothing to do with Mary Carr or the Forty Elephants.

Also fictitious is the audacious heist that takes place in Episode 4, when the Elephants go undercover in Buckingham Palace to steal Queen Victoria’s gifts for the Chinese Emperor during his visit to London.

“There were a lot of nasty things and people going on in London at that time” said Sarah Elizabeth Cox during a Q&A, a consultant historian on the series.

“The phrase we prefer to use is ‘inspired by real characters who lived and fought together’.

“There’s lots of inspiration taken from real events, but it is drama.”

The heist may be been made up, but the real Elephants were known for their daring acts of organised theft.

The women used to dress up as housemaids and target the homes of wealthy families - other times, they would pose as aristocratic women and ransack high-end jewellery and department stores.

Ironically, part of what made their crimes possible were the stifling standards of female ‘respectability’ that dominated Victorian society.

“One of the reasons why shoplifting becomes a sort of female pursuit, is because women’s clothing is designed to hide their shape” said David Olusoga, an executive producer and historical advisor for the series.

“They just had more capacity to put more pockets and more layers to hide things.

“So the kind of prudishness of Victorian society creates the perfect

kind of outfit for shoplifting. Being ‘respectable’ creates this sort of opportunity that Victorian gentlemen didn’t have.

“We often forget Victorian women were involved in crime. But when you look at the transportation records of the people who ended up in Australia, although they were overwhelmingly male, there were thousands of Victorian women who ended up there and very often that was for shoplifting and violence.”

The first series, set in the 1880s, focuses on Mary Carr’s reign as ‘Queen’, and shows a young Alice Diamond cutting her teeth as an Elephant under her mentorship. In reality, Diamond was only born in 1896 and did not become the gang’s leader until the 1920s.

But with confirmation from Steven Knight that season two has already been shot, we certainly haven’t seen the last of the Forty Elephants on our screens.

The fizzing chemistry between Hezekiah Moscow and Mary Carr provides one of the show’s most compelling sub-plots © Disney

An A Thousand Blows omnibus appeared in Dalston last week, where the real Hezekiah Moscow and Sugar Goodson would have boxed

Southwark Pensioners’ Centre

Transport for London Public Notice

ROAD TRAFFIC REGULATION ACT 1984

THE A24 GLA ROAD (CROWN LANE, LONDON BOROUGH OF MERTON) (TEMPORARY PROHIBITION OF STOPPING) ORDER 2025

1. Transport for London hereby gives notice that it has made the above named Trafc Order under section 14(1) of the Road Trafc Regulation Act 1984 for the purpose specied in paragraph 2. The effect of the Order is summarised in paragraph 3.

2. The purpose of the Order is to enable electrical vehicle charging point installation works to take place at A24 Crown Lane.

3. The effect of the Order will be to prohibit any vehicle from stopping in the:

(1) Parking and Disables Persons Vehicles bay outside Nos. 30A to 40A Crown Lane;

(2) Loading, Unloading and Disabled Persons Vehicles bay outside Nos. 22B to 28A Crown Lane.

The Order will be effective at certain times 7:00 AM on 7th April 2025 until 6:00 PM on 7th April 2026 or when the works have been completed whichever is the sooner. The prohibition will apply only during such times and to such extent as shall from time to time be indicated by trafc signs.

4. The prohibitions will not apply in respect of:

(1) any vehicle being used for the purposes of those works or for re brigade, ambulance or police purposes;

(2) anything done with the permission or at the direction of a police constable in uniform or a person authorised by Transport for London.

Dated this 4th day of April 2025

Matt Standell

Performance and Planning Manager

Transport for London, Palestra, 197 Blackfriars Road, London, SE1 8NJ

Transport for London Public Notice

ROAD TRAFFIC REGULATION ACT 1984

THE A302 GLA ROAD (GROSVENOR GARDENS, CITY OF WESTMINSTER) (TEMPORARY PROHIBITION OF TRAFFIC) ORDER 2025

1. Transport for London hereby gives notice that it intends to make the above named Trafc Order under section 14(1) of the Road Trafc Regulation Act 1984 for the purpose specied in paragraph 2. The effect of the Order is summarised in paragraph 3.

2. The purpose of the Order is to enable crane operation works to take place on the A302 Grosvenor Gardens.

3. The effect of the Order will be to prohibit any vehicle from entering, exiting or proceeding on Grosvenor Gardens between its junctions with Buckingham Palace Road and Beeston Place.

The Order will be effective at certain times between 12th – 13th April 2025, 26th -27th April 2025 and 10th – 11th May 2025, 24th – 25th May 2025, every Saturday 5:00 AM until Sunday 8:00 PM or when the works have been completed whichever is the sooner. The prohibitions will apply only during such times and to such extent as shall from time to time be indicated by trafc signs.

4. The prohibitions will not apply in respect of:

(1) any vehicle being used for the purposes of those works or for re brigade, ambulance or police purposes;

(2) anything done with the permission or at the direction of a police constable in uniform or a person authorised by Transport for London.

5. At such times as the prohibitions are in force alternative routes will be indicated by trafc signs via Victoria Street, Vauxhall Bridge Road, Neathouse Place, Bridge Place, Eccleston Bridge, Buckingham Palace Road and Grosvenor Gardens to normal route of travel. For vehicles >18T via Buckingham Palace Road, Pimlico Road, Lower Sloane Street, Sloane Square, Cliveden Place, Eaton Gate, Eaton Square and Hobart Place to normal route of travel.

Dated this 4th day of April 2025

Paul Matthews

Co-ordination and Permitting Area Manager, Transport for London Palestra, 197 Blackfriars Road, London, SE1 8NJ

Transport for London Public Notice

ROAD TRAFFIC REGULATION ACT 1984

THE GLA ROADS AND GLA SIDE ROADS (LAMBETH) RED ROUTE

CONSOLIDATION TRAFFIC ORDER 2007 THE A23 AND A3200 GLA ROADS (BRIXTON HILL AND STAMFORD STREET) E-SCOOTER AND CYCLE HIRE

BAYS VARIATION ORDER 2025

1. Transport for London hereby gives notice that on 28th March 2025 it made the above named Order, under section 6 of the Road Trafc Regulation Act 1984. The Order will come into force on 5th April 2025.

2. The general nature and effect of the Order will be to Introduce an at any time hireable e-scooter and cycle only bay: (1) on the western footway of the A23 Brixton Hill between a point 11 metres north of the extended southern building line of Effra Court, No.12 Brixton Hill and a point 8 metres northwards. The bay will be located 3 metres west of the western kerb-line of Brixton Hill and will be 1.8 metres wide; (2) on the north-western footway of the A3200 Stamford Street between a point 13.5 metres southwest of the extended south-western building line of No.108 Stamford Street and point 15 metres south-westwards. The bay will be a trapezoid located 1 metre northwest of the north-western kerbline of Stamford Street and will be 1.4 metres wide.

3. The roads which would be affected by the Order are the A23 Brixton Hill and A3200 Stamford Street in the London Borough of Lambeth.

4. A copy of the Order, a map indicating the location and effect of the Order and copies of any Order revoked, suspended or varied by the Order can be inspected by visiting our website at https://haveyoursay.t.gov.uk/tro and selecting the relevant borough and reference the Trafc Order relates to or by appointment during normal ofce hours at our ofce at the address below. To arrange an appointment please email trafcordersection@t.gov.uk. Copies of the documents may be requested via email at trafcordersection@t.gov.uk, or by post at the following address quoting reference SNO/REGULATION/STOT/GK/TRO/GLA/2025/0082: •Transport for London Streets Trafc Order Team (SNO/REGULATION/STOT)

Palestra, 197 Blackfriars Road London, SE1 8NJ

Please note due to hybrid working access to post is restricted and requests for documents may be delayed.

5. Any person wishing to question the validity of the Order or of any of its provisions on the grounds that they are not within the relevant powers conferred by the Act or that any requirement of the Act has not been complied with, that person may, within six weeks from the date on which the Order is made, make application for the purpose to the High Court.

Dated this 4th day of April 2025

Adam Duff, Network Performance Delivery Manager, Transport for London Palestra, 197 Blackfriars Road, London, SE1 8NJ

Transport for London Public Notice

ROAD TRAFFIC REGULATION ACT 1984

THE GLA ROADS AND GLA SIDE ROADS (WANDSWORTH) RED ROUTE CONSOLIDATION TRAFFIC ORDER 2008 A205 GLA ROAD (UPPER RICHMOND ROAD) VARIATION ORDER 2025

1. Transport for London hereby gives notice that on 28th March 2025 it made the above named Order, under section 6 of the Road Trafc Regulation Act 1984. The Order will come into force on 7th April 2025.

2. The general nature and effect of the Order will be to introduce a Parking and Disabled Persons’ Vehicles Bay outside No.125 Upper Richmond Road No Stopping Mon-Sat 7am - 7pm Except 10am-4pm parking 1 hour No return within 2 hours.

3. The road which would be affected by the Order is A205 Upper Richmond Road.

4. A copy of the Order, a statement of Transport for London’s reasons for the proposals, a map indicating the location and effect of the Order and copies of any Order revoked, suspended or varied by the Order can be inspected by visiting our website at https://haveyoursay.t.gov.uk/tro and selecting the relevant borough and reference the Trafc Order relates to or by appointment during normal ofce hours at our ofce at the address below. To arrange an appointment please email trafcordersection@t,gov.uk. Copies of the documents may be requested via email at trafcordersection@t,gov.uk, or by post at the following address quoting reference NMR/REGULATION/STOT/LL/TRO, GLA/2025/0132 •Transport for London Streets Trafc Order Team (NMR/REGULATION/STOT)

Palestra, 197 Blackfriars Road London, SE1 8NJ

Please note due to hybrid working access to post is restricted and requests for documents may be delayed.

5. Any person wishing to question the validity of the Order or of any of its provisions on the grounds that they are not within the relevant powers conferred by the Act or that any requirement of the Act has not been complied with, that person may, within six weeks from the date on which the Order is made, make application for the purpose to the High Court.

Dated this 4th day of April 2025

Henry Cresser

Planning and Performance Manager

Transport for London, Palestra, 197 Blackfriars Road, London, SE1 8NJ

LICENSING ACT 2003

Notice of application for a Premises Licence.

Name of applicant: Lisa White

Postal address of premises: Eden Play Cafe, Church Lane, Chessington, KT9 2DR

Application details: The application seeks the grant of a new premises licence to authorise the sale by retail of alcohol (for consumption on the premises) on Saturdays and Sundays from 12:00 to 18:00

Full details of the application can be inspected on the licensing register, online at kingston.gov.uk or in person at the address given below.

Deadline for representations: 24th April 2025

Representations must be made in writing to the Licensing Authority by post: Licensing Team, Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames, Guildhall 2, High Street, Kingston upon Thames, KT1 1EU or by email: licensing@kingston.gov.uk

It is an offence to knowingly or recklessly make a false statement in or in connection with an application, punishable upon conviction by an unlimited fine.

Notice of application for a Premises Licence.

Notice is hereby given that MW LONDON INN LTD has applied to Wandsworth Council for a new premises licence at Meiwei London, 313-315 Putney Bridge Road, London, SW15 2PP for Supply of Alcohol – Monday to Sunday – 10:00hrs to 00:00hrs and Late Night Refreshment – Monday to Sunday – 23:00hrs to 00:30hrs

Any person who wishes to make a representation in relation to this application must give notice in writing by 24th April 2025 stating the grounds for making said representation to: Wandsworth Licensing Authority, Regulatory Services Partnership (Serving Merton, Richmond and Wandsworth Councils) Merton Civic Centre, London Road, Morden, Surrey, SM4 5DX or by email: licensing@merton.gov.uk

The record of this application may be inspected Monday to Friday (except Bank Holidays) by prior appointment at the offices of Wandsworth Licensing Authority, Regulatory Services Partnership (Serving Merton, Richmond and Wandsworth Councils) Merton Civic Centre, London Road, Morden,Surrey, SM4 5DX between the hours of 10.00 a.m. and 4.00 p.m. Information on all new and variation applications received by the Licensing Authority can be viewed on the Council’s website www.wandsworth.gov.uk

It is an offence, under section 158 of the Licensing Act 2003, to knowingly or recklessly make a false statement in or in connection with an application, punishable upon conviction by an unlimited fine.

LICENSING ACT 2003

Notice of application for a Premises Licence.

Name of applicant: Kingston Race and Equalities Council

Postal address of premises: Kingston Carnival- Market Place, Kingston, KT1 1JT

Application Details: Kingston Carnival, Market Place. This new application seeks the provision of live music, recorded music, dance and anything of a similar description, 11:00h- 20:00h on the day of Kingston Carnival only.

Full details of the application can be inspected on the licensing register, online at kingston.gov.uk or in person at the address given below.

Deadline for representations: 29th April 2025

Representations must be made in writing to the Licensing Authority by post: Licensing Team, Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames, Guildhall 2, High Street, Kingston upon Thames, KT1 1EU or by email: licensing@kingston.gov.uk

It is an offence to knowingly or recklessly make a false statement in or in connection with an application, punishable upon conviction by an unlimited fine.

To place a public notice, please email em@cm-media.co.uk

Transport for London Public Notice

1. Transport for London hereby gives notice that it intends to make the above named Trafc Order under section 14(1) of the Road Trafc Regulation Act 1984 for the purpose specied in paragraph 2. The effect of the Order is summarised in paragraph 3.

2. The purpose of the Order is to enable sewer pipe repair works to take place at A202 Camberwell Church Street.

3. The effect of the Order will be to prohibit any vehicle from stopping on Camberwell Church Street between its junctions with Artichoke Place and Wren Road.

The Order will be effective at certain times from 7.00 AM on 21st April 2025 until 7.00 PM on 5th May 2025 or when the works have been completed whichever is the sooner. The prohibition will apply only during such times and to such extent as shall from time to time be indicated by trafc signs.

4. The prohibitions will not apply in respect of:

(1) any vehicle being used for the purposes of those works or for re brigade, ambulance or police purposes;

(2) anything done with the permission or at the direction of a police constable in uniform or a person authorised by Transport for London.

Dated this 4th day of April 2025

Claire Wright Co-ordination Manager Transport for London Palestra, 197 Blackfriars Road, London, SE1 8NJ

Transport for London Public Notice

ROAD

TRAFFIC REGULATION ACT 1984

THE A2 AND A3205 GLA ROADS (OLD KENT ROAD AND BATTERSEA PARK ROAD, LONDON BOROUGHS OF SOUTHWARK AND WANDSWORTH) (TEMPORARY PROHIBITION OF TRAFFIC AND STOPPING) ORDER 2025

1. Transport for London hereby gives notice that it intends to make the abovenamed Trafc Order under section 14(1) of the Road Trafc Regulation Act 1984 for the purpose specied in paragraph 2. The effect of the Order is summarised in paragraph 3.

2. The purpose of the Order is to enable abnormal load movement works to take place along the A2 and A3205 Old Kent Road and Battersea Park Road.

3. The effect of the Order will be to prohibit any vehicle from:

(1) entering, exiting, proceeding or stopping on Old Kent Road between its junctions with Peckham Park Road and Commercial Way;

(2) stopping on the northern kerbline of Battersea Park Road between its junctions with Stanmer Street and Meath Street.

The Order will be effective at certain times from 7.00 PM on the 12th April 2025 until 11.59 PM on the 29th December 2025 or when the works have been completed whichever is the sooner. The prohibitions will apply only during such times and to such extent as shall from time to time be indicated by trafc signs.

4. The prohibitions will not apply in respect of:

(1) any vehicle being used for the purposes of those works or for re brigade, ambulance or police purposes;

(2) anything done with the permission or at the direction of a police constable in uniform or a person authorised by Transport for London.

5. At such times as the prohibition is in force an alternative route will be indicated by trafc signs for vehicles travelling in a southerly direction via New Kent Road, Newington Butts, Walworth Road, Camberwell New Road, Peckham Road, Peckham High Street, Queens Road, New Cross Road, Amersham Road and Lewisham Way to normal route of travel. For vehicles travelling in a northerly direction via Queens Road, Peckham High Street, Peckham Road, Camberwell New Road, Walworth Road, Newington Butts and New Kent Road to normal direction of travel.

Dated this 4th day of April 2025

Claire Wright Co-Ordination Manager Transport for London

LONDON BOROUGH OF LAMBETH

Notice Under The Town and Country Planning Acts

NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that the Council is considering applications as set out below under the following categories; FUL – Full Planning Permission LB – Listed Building VOC – Variation of Condition ADV – Advertisement Consent

Written representations should be made within three weeks of the date of this advertisement to the Director of Planning, PO Box 734, Winchester SO23 5DG. Any comments made are open to inspection by the public and in the event of an appeal may be referred to the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government. Confidential comments cannot be taken into account in determining an application.

Application plans can be viewed online at www.lambeth.gov.uk/searchplanningapps – search using the reference number at the end of each application listing.

30 Courtenay Street London SE11 5PQ Replacement of existing single glazed timber sash windows with slimline heritage timber sliding sash and casement windows with integrated glazing bars. 25/00710/FUL Sunnyhill Nursery School Sunnyhill Road London Lambeth SW16 2UW Installation of an Air Source Heat Pump on the south-west elevation

(Please note: The reference number for this Listed Building Consent application is 25/00527/LB but there is also an associated application for Full Planning Permission related to these works with reference number: 25/00526/FUL) 25/00527/LB

13 Aquinas Street London SE1 8AE Replacement of rear French doors and 2x rear windows with timber replacements. 25/00759/LB

47 Strathbrook Road London SW16 3AT Erection of a single storey ground floor rear extension and rendering of front elevation. 25/00844/FUL

23 Cornwall Road London SE1 8TW Application for Listed Building Consent for the replacement of all existing windows (like for like)Ground And First Floor Flat. 25/00845/LB

Station, comprising three new residential buildings of 21 storeys, 16 storeys and 17 storeys providing a total of 479 homes (Use Class C3), plus small scale commercial floorspace of 108m2 (Expanded Use Classes A1-A4 and D1), works within the Nine Elms Station 'boxes', a new public square, and associated works.) granted on 17.12.2021

Amendments to the floorplans, elevations, and other drawings as necessary:

- Accommodate a second staircase to each block and other requirements to meet Building Regulations:

- Fire Safety Approved Document B (2024)

- Alterations to the unit layout & mix of each floor o Alterations to the building floorplates; inc. balcony positions, size & type (i.e. in-set to projecting), façade design & external roof top amenity area;

- Addition +2 storeys to Building A and +1 storey to Building B

- Minor amendments to the Residential Entrances o Changes to ground floor retail unit (resulting from relocation of transformer room from upper level to the pavilion to ground floor)

- Additional plant proposed on Building B roof to accommodate the generator

Changes to quantum:

- Changes to the number of homes (479 to 514)

- Changes to the unit size mix

- Changes to the number, unit size mix, and proportion of affordable housing

- Reduction in Retail GIA at ground floor (-31sqm) resulting from relocation of the transformer room from upper levels to ground floor.

REASON FOR RECONSULTATION:

- Updated description of development

- Complete set of planning documents now available to view on planning webpage 24/03680/VOC

The Hanover Arms 326 Kennington Park Road London SE11 4PP Retention of partial replacement glazing on the south east and north east elevations at ground floor level. (Retrospective) (Please note: The reference number for this Listed Building Consent application is 25/00797/LBLB, but there is also an associated application for Full Planning Permission related to these works with reference number: 25/00796/FUL)

ROAD TRAFFIC REGULATION ACT 1984 - SECTION 14

TEMPORARY TRAFFIC AND PARKING RESTRICTIONS –ATKINS ROAD

1. NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that, to enable telecommunication repair and maintenance works to be carried out, the Council of the London Borough of Lambeth, with the agreement of Transport of London, have made an Order the effect of which will be to ban vehicles from entering in that length of:(a) Atkins Road (westbound), which lies between South Circular Road and Scrutton Close (alternative routes for affected vehicles will be available via Poynders Road, Clarence Avenue and Atkins Road); (b) Atkins Road (eastbound), which lies between Scrutton Close and South Circular Road (alternative routes for affected vehicles will be available via Atkins Road, Thornton Road, King’s Avenue and South Circular Road).

2. The bans will only apply at such times and to such extent as shall be indicated by the placing of the appropriate traffic signs.

3. The Order will come into force on 7th April 2025 and it will continue for a maximum duration of 1 month or until the works have been completed whichever is the sooner. In practice it is anticipated that the works will be carried out in two phases and that the bans referred to paragraph 1(a) and (b) above will have affect between 7th April 2025 and 11th April 2025 but if the works cannot be carried out or completed on those dates then the Order may have effect on subsequent days and dates up to the maximum period of 1 month.

Dated 4th April 2025 Ben Stevens Highway Network Manager

LONDON BOROUGH OF LAMBETH

ROAD TRAFFIC REGULATION ACT 1984 - SECTION 14

TEMPORARY ROAD CLOSURE – KILLYON ROAD

1. NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that, to enable water repair and maintenance works to be carried out safely, the Council of the London Borough of Lambeth have made an order the effect of which will be to temporarily ban vehicles from entering that length of Killyon Road which lies between the property boundaries of Nos. 61 and 63 and Nos. 71 and 73 Killyon Road (access for residents will be maintained)

2. An alternative route for vehicles affected by the closure will be available via Wandsworth Road, Union Road and Larkhall Rise and vice-versa.

3. The bans will only apply at such times and to such extent as shall be indicated by the placing of the appropriate traffic signs. A temporary two-way system will be introduced on Killyon Road at the junction with Larkhall Rise to enable access.

4. The order will come into force on 7th April 2025 and will continue for a maximum duration of 1 month (to allow for contingencies) or until the works have been completed whichever is the earlier. In practice it is anticipated that the order will only have effect between 7th April 2025 and 22nd April 2025, but if the works cannot be carried out or completed between these dates then the Order may have effect on subsequent days within the maximum duration of 1 month.

Dated 4th April 2025 Ben Stevens Highways Network Manager

LONDON BOROUGH OF LAMBETH

ROAD TRAFFIC REGULATION ACT 1984 - SECTION 14(2)

TEMPORARY ROAD CLOSURE – LILFORD ROAD

1. NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that, to enable drain and sewer maintenance, and repair works to be carried out the Council of the London Borough of Lambeth, have made an Order the effect of which will be to temporarily ban vehicles from that length of Lilford Road which lies between the north-eastern kerb-line of Claribel Road and the north-western kerb-line of Knatchbull Road.

2. Alternative routes for vehicles will be available for affected vehicles via Minet Road and Loughborough Road and vice versa.

3. The ban will only apply at such times and to such extent as shall be indicated by the placing of the appropriate traffic signs.

4. The Order will come into force on 7th April 2025 and will continue for a maximum duration of 1 month or until the works have been completed, whichever is the sooner. In practice it is anticipated that the order would have affect from 7th to 19th April 2025, but if the works cannot be carried out or completed in that time then the Order may also have effect on subsequent days up to the maximum period of 1 month.

Dated 4th April 2025 Ben Stevens Highway Network Manager

LONDON BOROUGH OF LAMBETH

ROAD TRAFFIC REGULATION ACT 1984 - SECTION 14

TEMPORARY CLOSURE OF BROMELL’S ROAD

1. NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that to enable works involving the operation of a crane, the Council of the London Borough of Lambeth intend to make an Order the effect of which would be to temporarily ban vehicles from entering that length of Bromell’s Road which lies between The Pavement and Venn Street, (access for residents and cyclists would be maintained).

2 The road closure would only apply at such times and to such extent as shall be indicated by the placing of traffic signs.

3. An alternative route would be available for affected vehicles via Bromell’s Road, Stonehouse Street, Cresset Street, Clapham Manor Street, Larkhall Rise, Rectory Grove, Old Town and The Pavement.

4. The order would come into force on 14th April 2025 and would continue for a maximum duration of 1 month (to allow for contingencies). In practice it is anticipated that the order would only have effect on 14th April 2025, between the hours of 8.am and 6.pm, but if the works cannot be carried out or completed during that time then the Order may have effect on subsequent days within the maximum duration of 1 month.

Dated 4th April 2025

Ben Stevens Highway Network Manager

LONDON BOROUGH OF LAMBETH

ROAD TRAFFIC REGULATION ACT 1984 - SECTION 14

TEMPORARY TRAFFIC AND PARKING RESTRICTIONSGIPSY HILL

1. NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that, to enable water main maintenance connection works to be carried out, the Council of the London Borough of Lambeth with the agreement of Croydon Council and Southwark Council, have made an order the effect of which will be to temporarily:(a) impose a one-way system in that length of Gipsy Hill which lies between Gipsy Road and Oaks Avenues, in a northwesterly direction (towards Gipsy Road); (b) ban vehicles from stopping, waiting and parking (including waiting for the purpose of loading or unloading a vehicle) in that length of Gipsy Hill which lies between Gipsy Road and Oaks Avenue (both sides).

2. An alternative route will be available for affected vehicles via (the roundabout at the junction of Gipsy Road, South Croxted Road and Dulwich Wood Park) Gipsy Road, Dulwich Wood Park, College Road, Crystal Palace Parade, Church Road, Westow Street and Gipsy Hill.

3. The ban and one-way system will only apply at such times and to such extent as shall be indicated by the placing of the appropriate traffic signs.

4. The order will come into force on 7th April 2025 and will continue for a maximum duration of 1 month (to allow for contingencies) or until the works have been completed whichever is the sooner. In practice it is anticipated that the order will have affect from 7th to 10th April 2025, but if the works cannot be carried out or completed in that time then the Order may also have effect on subsequent days up to the maximum period of 1 month.

Dated 4th April 2025

Ben Stevens Highways Network Manager

LONDON BOROUGH OF LAMBETH ROAD TRAFFIC REGULATION ACT 1984 - SECTION 14

TEMPORARY ROAD CLOSURE – KINGSMEAD ROAD

1. NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that to enable new gas main connection works to be carried out, the Council of the London Borough of Lambeth, have made an order the effect of which will be to temporarily ban vehicles from entering that length of Kingsmead Road which lies between No. 78 Kingsmead Road and a point 28 metres north-east of No. 78 Kingsmead Road.

2. Alternative routes for affected vehicles will be available via Northstead Road and Palace Road and vice versa.

3. The ban will only apply at such times and to such extent as shall be indicated by the placing of the appropriate traffic signs.

4. The Order will come into force on 7th April 2025 and continue for a maximum duration of 2 months (to allow for contingences) or until the works have been completed whichever is the sooner. In practice, it is anticipated that the works will take place between 7th and 11th April 2025, but if the works cannot be carried out or completed during that time then the Order may have effect at subsequent times within the maximum period of 2 months.

Dated 4th April 2025 Ben Stevens Highway Network Manager

LONDON BOROUGH OF LAMBETH

ROAD TRAFFIC REGULATION ACT 1984 - SECTION 14 TEMPORARY TRAFFIC RESTRICTIONS –MOUNT EPHRAIM LANE

1. NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that, to enable Thames Water to carry out maintenance and repair works, the Council of the London Borough of Lambeth have made an Order the effect of which will be to temporarily ban vehicles from entering that length of Mount Ephraim Lane which lies between Woodfield Avenue and the common boundary of Nos. 53 and 55 Woodfield Avenue.

2. An alternative route is not applicable as Mount Ephraim Lane is a no through road.

3. The ban will only apply at such times and to such extent as shall be indicated by the placing of the appropriate traffic signs.

4. The Order will come into force on 7th April 2025 for a maximum duration of 1 month or until the works have been completed, whichever is the sooner. In practice it is anticipated that the order will have affect from 7th to 18th April 2025, but if the works cannot be carried out or completed in that time then the Order may also have effect on subsequent days up to the maximum period of 1 month.

Dated 4th April 2025 Ben Stevens Highway Network Manager

LONDON BOROUGH OF LAMBETH ROAD TRAFFIC REGULATION ACT 1984 - SECTION 16A TEMPORARY CLOSURE – WATERLOO BRIDGE SLIP ROAD - FILMING

1. NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that, to enable filming to take place, the Council of the London Borough of Lambeth, subject to the agreement of Transport for London, intend to make an Order the effect of which would be to temporarily ban vehicles and pedestrians from entering that length of Waterloo Bridge slip road which lies between Waterloo Road roundabout Belvedere Road.

2. Alternative routes for pedestrians would be available via Waterloo Road roundabout, Stanford Street, Cornwall Road and Upper Ground.

3. The ban would only have effect at such times and to such extent as shall be indicated by the placing of the appropriate traffic signs and they would not apply to any person connected with the filming.

4. The Order would come into force on 13 April 2025 and would continue in force for a maximum duration of 1 day. In practice it is anticipated that filming would take place between 6.am and 11.am on the 13 April 2025, but if the filming cannot be completed during that time, the order may also have effect at other times on those days.

Dated 4 April 2025 Ben Stevens Highways Network Manager

all weekly and archive

Transport for London Public Notice

ROAD

TRAFFIC REGULATION ACT 1984

THE A316 GLA ROAD (CHERTSEY ROAD, LONDON BOROUGH OF RICHMOND UPON THAMES) (TEMPORARY PROHIBITION OF TRAFFIC AND STOPPING) ORDER 2025

1. Transport for London hereby gives notice that it has made the above named Trafc Order under section 14(1) of the Road Trafc Regulation Act 1984 for the purpose specied in paragraph 2. The effect of the Order is summarised in paragraph 3.

2. The purpose of the Order is to enable pedestrian island reconstruction works to take place on the A316 GLA Road Chertsey Road.

3. The effect of the Order will be to prohibit any vehicle from:

(1) Entering, exiting or proceeding on the southern arm of London Road between its junction with the A316 Chertsey Road and the extended common boundary of Nos. 202 and 204 London Road;

(2) Entering, exiting or proceeding on the northern arm of London Road between its junction with the A316 Chertsey Road and the extended common boundary of Nos. 217 and 219 London Road.

(3) entering, exiting, proceeding or stopping on Chertsey Road between its junctions with Whitton Road Roundabout and London Road Roundabout Works will be phased as such that not all restrictions may apply at any one time.

The Order will be effective from 7:00 AM on 4th April 2025 until 7:00 PM on 20th December 2025 or when the works have been completed, whichever is the sooner. The prohibition will apply only during such times and to such extent as shall from time to time be indicated by trafc signs.

4. The prohibitions will not apply in respect of:

(1) any vehicle being used for the purposes of those works or for re brigade, ambulance or police purposes;

(2) anything done with the permission or at the direction of a police constable in uniform or a person authorised by Transport for London.

5. At such times as the prohibition is in force, an alternative route will be indicated by trafc signs via: Chertsey Road, St. Margaret’s Road, Richmond Road, South Street and vice versa then onto normal route of travel OR Chertsey Road, Whitton Road and vice versa and then onto normal route of travel.

6. The A316 GLA Road (Chertsey Road, London Borough of Richmond Upon Thames) (Temporary Prohibition of Trafc) Order 2024 is hereby repealed.

Dated this 4th day of April 2025 Henry Cresser Planning and Performance Manager Transport for London, Palestra, 197 Blackfriars Road, London, SE1 8NJ

LONDON BOROUGH OF LAMBETH ROAD TRAFFIC REGULATION ACT 1984 - SECTION 14 TEMPORARY TRAFFIC RESTRICTIONS WATERLOO ROAD

1. NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that, to enable utility repair and maintenance works to be carried out, the Council of the London Borough of Lambeth, subject to the agreement of Transport for London intend to make an Order the effect of which would be to temporarily:(a) impose a one-way system in that length of Waterloo Road which lies between Sandell Street and The Cut in a south-bound direction (towards The Cut) (b) ban vehicles proceeding in The Cut from turning right into Waterloo Road; (c) ban vehicles proceeding in Sandell Street from turning left into Waterloo Road; (d) ban vehicles proceeding in Waterloo Road from turning right into Sandell Street

and

2. The

3. An alternative route would be available for affected vehicles via Stamford Street, Blackfriars Road, London Road, Garden Row, St George’s Road, Westminster Bridge Road and Waterloo Road.

4. Whenever the restrictions referred to in paragraph 1 above apply that length of the southbound

between Sandell Street and The Cut would be suspended.

sooner. It is anticipated that the Order would have effect on 14 and 15 April, between the

or

Dated 4 April 2025 Ben Stevens Highways Network Manager

notices at: www.southlondon.co.uk/category/public‐notices/ LONDON BOROUGH OF LAMBETH

5. The Order would come into force on 14 April 2025 and continue for 1 month, or until the works have been

LONDON BOROUGH OF LAMBETH ROAD TRAFFIC REGULATION ACT 1984 - SECTION 16A

TEMPORARY ROAD CLOSURE VOLTAIRE ROAD FOR BIG SHIFT SOCIAL EVENTS

1. NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that, to enable social events in connection with the “Big Shift”, car free events to take place in Voltaire Road, the Council of the London Borough of Lambeth, subject to the agreement of Transport for London, intend to make an Order the effect of which would be to temporarily ban vehicles from entering or waiting (including waiting for the purpose of loading and unloading a vehicle) in that length of Voltaire Road which lies between Clapham High Street and Slievemore Close on the dates specified in the schedule to this notice.

2 The bans would only apply at such times and to such extent as shall be indicated by the placing of the appropriate traffic signs.

3. An alternative route for affected vehicles would be available via Voltaire Road, Edgeley Road and Clapham High Street.

Dated 4th April 2025

LONDON BOROUGH OF LAMBETH

LAMBETH (MOVING TRAFFIC RESTRICTIONS) (AMENDMENT NO. 5) TRAFFIC ORDER 2025

THE LAMBETH (FREE PARKING PLACES, LOADING PLACES AND WAITING, LOADING AND STOPPING RESTRICTIONS) (AMENDMENT NO. 62) TRAFFIC ORDER 2025

THE LAMBETH (CHARGED-FOR PARKING PLACES) (AMENDMENT NO. 58) TRAFFIC ORDER 2025

(NOTE: This Notice refers to the continuation of restrictions on the movement of motor vehicles on Belvedere Road and Upper Ground around Waterloo Bridge, the conversion of the coach drop-off bays to “at any time” waiting restrictions (double yellow lines) on Waterloo Bridge Up-Ramp and a one-way working on Upper Ground with a contra-flow cycling provision as part of the South Bank Spine Route public Realm Project. These restrictions were introduced under an experimental Traffic Order but will now be continued in force indefinitely by the new Orders described below.)

1. NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that the Council of the London Borough of Lambeth (‘the Council’), on 1 April 2025 made the Lambeth (Moving Traffic Restrictions) (Amendment No. 5) Traffic Order 2025, The Lambeth (Free Parking Places, Loading Places and Waiting, Loading and Stopping Restrictions) (Amendment No. 62) Traffic Order 2025 and The Lambeth (Charged-For Parking Places) (Amendment No. 58) Traffic Order 2025, under sections 6, 45, 46, 49 and 124 of and Part IV of Schedule 9 to the Road Traffic Regulation Act 1984.

2. The general effect of the Moving Traffic Order will be to:(a) ban motor vehicles, proceeding in Upper Ground, past the slip road between Upper Ground and Waterloo Road (the

(c) implement a compulsory left turn for vehicles, except cycles, traveling south-west bound in Upper Ground onto the slip road between Upper Ground and Waterloo Road (the up ramp); (d) ban vehicles, except cycles, from entering Upper Ground at its junction with Barge House Street / Broadwall; (e)

3. The

of the

and

and Stopping Order will be to implement “at any time” waiting restrictions (indicated on the carriageway by double yellow lines) in: (a) the slip road between Upper Ground and Waterloo Road (the up ramp), the north-east side, between a point 8.6 metres south-east of the south-eastern kerb-line of Upper Ground and a point 73.4 metres south-east of that kerb-line; and (b) Upper Ground, between its junctions with Duchy Street and Barge House Street / Broadwall.

4. The general effect of the Charged-For Parking Places Order will be to remove the coach parking places on the north-east side of the slip road between Upper Ground and Waterloo Road (the up ramp).

5. Copies of the Orders, which will come into operation on 14 April 2025, of maps of the relevant areas and of the Orders amended by these Orders are available for inspection online at: www.lambeth.gov.uk/traffic-management-orders and at the offices of Lambeth Council’s Parking and Enforcement Group (Resident Services), 3rd Floor, Civic Centre, 6 Brixton Hill, London SW2 1EG, between 9.30 am and 4.30 pm on Mondays to Fridays inclusive (except on bank/public holidays). A copy of the Orders and the other documents are also available on request, by email to: Trafficorders@lambeth.gov.uk

6. Any person desiring to question the validity of the Orders or of any provision contained therein on the grounds that it is not within the relevant powers of the Road Traffic Regulation Act 1984 or that any of the relevant requirements thereof or of any relevant regulations made thereunder has not been complied with in relation to the Order may, within 6 weeks of the date on which these Orders were made, make application for the purpose to the High Court.

Dated 4 April 2025 Ben Stevens Highways Network Manager

Transport for London Public Notice

ROAD TRAFFIC REGULATION ACT

1984

THE A24 GLA ROAD (LONDON ROAD, LONDON BOROUGH OF SUTTON) (TEMPORARY PROHIBITION OF TRAFFIC) ORDER 2025

1. Transport for London hereby gives notice that it intends to make the above named Trafc Order under section 14(1) of the Road Trafc Regulation Act 1984 for the purpose specied in paragraph 2. The effect of the Order is summarised in paragraph 3.

2. The purpose of the Order is to enable electric vehicle charging point installation works to take place on A24 London Road.

3. The effect of the Order will be to prohibit any vehicle from entering, exiting or proceeding on the unnamed service road fronting Nos. 816-834 A24 London Road between its junction with London Road and a point 25 metres northeastwards. Local access will be maintained on the unnamed service road between its junction with Hamilton Avenue and a point 65 metres southwestwards.

The Order will be effective at certain times between 14th April 2025 and 9th May 2025, each night, 6:00 PM to 11:00 PM or when the works have been completed whichever is the sooner. The prohibition will apply only during such times and to such extent as shall from time to time be indicated by trafc signs.

4. The prohibitions will not apply in respect of:

(1) any vehicle being used for the purposes of those works or for re brigade, ambulance or police purposes;

(2) anything done with the permission or at the direction of a police constable in uniform or a person authorised by Transport for London.

5. At such times as the prohibition is in force an alternative route will be indicated by trafc signs for trafc to access the unnamed service road fronting Nos.816-834 London Road via its junction with Hamilton Avenue. Dated this 4th day of April 2025

Matt Standell Planning and Performance Manager, Transport for London, Palestra, 197 Blackfriars Road, London, SE1 8NJ

ROACH MAKES SURREY RETURN

By Sports Reporter

KEMAR ROACH will return to Surrey for the first four Rothesay County Championship matches of the season.

A popular figure at Surrey, the West Indies international is joining the Three Feathers for a fifth consecutive season and will be available to play against Essex, Hampshire, Sussex, and Somerset as Surrey aim to make a strong start to their title defence.

Known for his ability to seam and swing the red ball, Roach will link up with the squad ahead of the season-opener at Chelmsford and stay with the team till the end of April.

Surrey supporters will get the opportunity to see him bowl at the Kia Oval – a happy hunting ground for the fast bowler, having taken 65 wickets in fifteen matches in SE11 – against Hampshire (April 11-14) and Somerset (April 2528).

The 36-year-old seamer, who has been an important figure during Surrey’s historic three-peat of County Championships, has claimed 284 Test wickets for the West Indies and boasts 566 First-Class scalps.

Ninety-three wickets from Roach’s First-Class wicket tally have come whilst representing Surrey, which includes a

personal best of 8/40 in 2021 against Hampshire.

In May 2023, Roach was honoured with a Surrey cap for his contributions to the Club.

Last season, Roach collected 20 wickets as Surrey claimed their 23rd County Championship title. A highlight of his campaign was the impressive performance against Warwickshire at home, leading Surrey to victory with his season-best figures of 6/46 in the second innings.

Speaking about his return to the Three Feathers, Roach said: “I’ve enjoyed every moment of my time with Surrey over the last four years and I’m excited to join up with the team again.

“The Kia Oval is my second home and the environment led by Alec Stewart, Gareth Batty and Rory Burns is one of the best I’ve been a part of. I’m looking forward to contributing to more success for Surrey in whatever way that I can.”

Stewart, High Performance Cricket Advisor at Surrey CCC, added: “Kemar has been a big part of our dressing room in the last four years and it is great to have him back. His quality, work ethic, and commitment to the Club speak for itself.

“I am confident he will once again play an important role at the start of this season, and the group is looking forward to working with him again.”

Fish net vital St Paul’s win

By John Kelly

FISHER STRENGTHENED their SCEFL Premier Division play-off claims with a 3-1 win against Lordswood at St Paul’s last weekend.

With just three out of the four playoff places up for grabs and three points separating the four teams

in contention, Ajay Ashanike’s side couldn’t afford a slip-up in front of an attendance of 204 in Rotherhithe, and they didn’t disappoint.

Jack Gibbons gave the hosts the lead in the fourth minute before Tunde Abiola Aderonmu levelled three minutes later.

Kesna Clarke restored the Fish’s lead 36 minutes in and Billy Brown added the third four minutes from time.

Fisher are fourth with five games left, a point off Rusthall in third. Punjab United are a point behind Fisher having played a game more but Whitstable Town, a point further back in sixth, have two games in hand on the St Paul’s side.

Fisher host eighteenth-place Snodland Town on Saturday at 3pm.

Dubois not going to chase Taylor

By John Kelly

CAROLINE DUBOIS still wants to fight Irish superstar Katie Taylor - but insisted she wasn’t “too hung up” on it ever happening.

Dubois defended her WBC lightweight world championship with a points victory over Bo Mi Re Shin at the Royal Albert Hall last month.

Dubois got the belt after Taylor vacated it to stay at light-welterweight, where the 38-year-old is the undisputed champion.

“I’m not too hung up on it. Whether it happens or not is irrelevant to me,” Dubois said.

“There’s [other] big names as well. I don’t need to chase Katie Taylor.

“I’m so faithful that I don’t need to chase her. And to be honest, she doesn’t need me. So whether we fight, great. If not, it’s not a problem for me.”

“It’s just about what’s going to make the most sense.I want to unify, I want to become an undisputed world champion. So that’s the plan. And we’ll see what can happen.”

Terri Harper is a possible all-British unification bout.

Dubois added: ”I think now she realises there’s no other option. You know, she gets beat by Beatriz Ferreira, but she gets beat for no pay, really.

“Or she fights Stephanie Han for nothing. Or she fights me and gets beat, but at least she gets a payday.

“I think me and Beatriz are No.1,

No.2, whichever way you want to see it.

“We’re the best in the division. So I want to hold that one off to the end. I would love to be able to get that for undisputed.”

Dubois has her eye on being a multiweight champion.

“You see Natasha Jonas, she moved up in weight. You see Terri Harper, who moved up in weight,” Dubois said.

“Claressa Shields, she’s a phenomenal fighter. Amanda Serrano. The thing that these women all have in common is that they’ve conquered multiple weights.

“And I want to be like these girls. I want to be able to conquer multiple weights.”

Dulwich feel Darts pain

By John Kelly

A CAPACITY Champion Hill had their Saturday afternoon ruined as Dulwich Hamlet were beaten 3-0 by Dartford and slipped to the last place above the relegation zone in the Isthmian League Premier Division.

Hayden Bullas opened the scoring in the 23rd minute before Callum Jones struck in the 38th and 51st minutes to help the Darts maintain their one-point advantage over Billericay Town at the top of the table.

The visitors’ first goal came against the run of play after Dulwich’s Luke Wanadio had hit the post. The Hamlet failed to clear Samir Carruthers’ corner and Bullas volleyed past goalkeeper Dillon Barnes from the edge of the box.

Ex-Aston Villa midfielder Carruthers was also involved in the second when he crossed for Jones to head home.

Jones scored his thirteenth league goal of the season when he took one touch to set up the shot from just inside the box to leave most of the 3,334 in attendance deflated. There were further blows for Hamlet boss Bradley Quinton as Ryley Scott and Mark Marshall picked up injuries and had to go off. Dulwich are eight points above Hendon with five games left and travel to fourth-place Cray Valley PM this Saturday for a 3pm kick-off.

By John Kelly

DEREK CHISORA has confirmed he will retire after his next fight - and hopes it is against Daniel Dubois at Wembley.

Chisora, 41, is the mandatory challenger for 27-year-old Dubois’ IBF world championship title.

Chisora beat Otto Wallin in his 49th career fight in February, a title eliminator to face Dubois.

“Listen, at the end of this year, I’ll be retiring. I’m not going to lie to you. I’ll be out. Is it going to delay my retirement plans? No,” Chisora said.

“Whatever happens, this will be the last one. Yes, I’ll just walk away.

“You don’t understand, it’s not even up

to me, it’s up to my wife! This is it. She said, ‘if you have one more fight after this, I’ll leave you’. So I’m like: ‘Okay, fine.’ She said:

‘One fight and you’re out.’

“You can’t do that ‘one more, one more’ thing. This is a problem. This is where you get caught out and then problems happen.

“It’s the last dance. There’s no dance after. This is it. When I leave the ring, that’s it. Done.”

Chisora added: “We’ll see what happens, but I want that shot since the IBF made me mandatory for it. I want it, there’s no two ways about it. I want it badly.

“I want to fight Daniel. It’s a good story, because behind the whole thing is he’s trained by my old trainer. It’s a very exciting fight, and I just want that shot now.”

Photo by Ben Hoskins/Getty Images

Photo by Daver Anderson

Kemar Roach in Vitality County Championship against Warwickshire at the Kia Oval last year

Fisher celebrate Kesna Clarke’s goal

storm past

Terriers

By Georgia Garnett

CHARLTON

ATHLETIC manager

Nathan Jones lauded his team’s ability to bounce back following a dominant 4-0 victory over Huddersfield Town in League One on Saturday afternoon.

An opening-minute header from Matty Godden, two goals from Tyreece Campbell and a Greg Docherty shot deflecting off Huddersfield goalkeeper Lee Nicholls ensured the perfect rebound from a 3-0 loss to Peterborough the previous weekend.

It was Charlton’s eighth successive home win.

Speaking post-match, Jones said: “I think from start to finish we were outstanding.

“Last week we had a game where we got caught a little bit, got really the exact same aggressive high press when they go back, just it wasn’t as clinical as we were this week.

“But that’s how we play any time. Teams can risk and reward and leave team players out or not and not track you and they got lucky last week, we came up against a very good front four that caught us on a day where we were a little bit forward. It was the exact same last week and this week, to bounce back in that manner against the level of team that we played against was very, very good.”

The Terriers had beaten Charlton in their last five meetings and thrashed Crawley 5-1 the previous weekend. That led to the sacking of Rob Elliot, the former Charlton goalkeeper.

Jones added: “This is a very, very good side, came down from the Championship, big budgets, spent heavy in the January window, recruited well in the summer so realistically, you know, this is a wonderful performance.

“You have to consider the level of performance. I watched a team fold against them the other day, got their manager sacked, and I demanded from our group that I wasn’t going to let that happen to us.”

Campbell, 21, has scored seven goals in all competitions this season.

Jones said: “There’s plenty more to come and he’s a joy to work with, every day he works hard, every day he comes in with a smile on his face.

“It’s a dual thing, really. We have to give him the work and demand from him and keep him grounded and put him in the right areas, and then he has to respond, to be fair, and he has been responding."

CUP SEMI CALLS FOR EAGLES

Eze breaks Fulham as Palace two games away from glory

By John Kelly

OLIVER GLASNER hailed the togetherness of his side after Crystal Palace thumped Fulham 3-0 at Craven Cottage to book a Wembley FA Cup semi-final against Aston Villa.

After no wins in their opening eight Premier League game suggested the Eagles were in for a relegation fight, they are now potentially two games away from winning a first-ever FA Cup.

Goals from Eberechi Eze and Ismaila Sarr in the first half and Eddie Nketiah with fifteen minutes left sent Glasner’s side through to a last-four meeting against Villa, who have won the competition seven times, the last in 1957.

Glasner said the players often talk about the strength of the group.

“They mention it so often,” Glasner said.

“Especially at the beginning of the season when we didn't get the results, I said I'm really confident because I know the

character of every single player, and we knew we would always stay together, we will work hard together, and the results would come.

“We’ve just entered the crunch time, the last two months, and of course it's always good entering the crunch time with a win, but at the end we didn't achieve nothing at the moment, so it's always stay humble and keep working, and not just now talking about Wembley.”

Glasner wasn’t happy with Palace’s start against Marco Silva’s side. Fulham were the better team in the opening half an hour and Rodrigo Muniz went close.

But after Palace went 2-0 up within four minutes, the Cottagers rarely looked like getting back into it.

“We were really rusty after having three weeks no games, for the first fifteen, 20 minute minutes, but we always stayed together, the players on the pitch stayed together,” Glasner said.

“With our fans we have a great connection.

It's so important we always keep believing – we know that we will get our situations, we will get our moments, and this helps a lot, so for me it's a massive win, and we are very happy about it.

“I think the structure was really bad at the beginning. Some of us thought, ‘come on, what are we doing?’

“But when you don’t have many players for almost three weeks – and also before we didn't have a game together - and they have some different tasks to do in our game, it's just you have to change the mindset, and it's not so easy.

“We were really lucky. We lost at the beginning almost every single duel, we lost every single ball, and we were really high under pressure, but then we have to survive together, and never lose your belief.

“I think the first ‘hello’ was Jeff Lerma’s finish hitting the bar, and then of course Ebere Eze’s goal helped a lot to get this belief back, and then I think the structure was much better. We didn't allow them a

lot, we defended so well all the set-plays, all the crosses, and waited for the decisive moment.”

Captain Marc Guehi echoed his boss’s thoughts and also showered Eze - who also set up Sarr - with praise.

"If I'm honest, Fulham were on top in the first 20 minutes," Guéhi said. "But we showed good resilience in that time, we dug deep, stuck together, and we got our rewards.

"And that's what we expected of him, that's what we love from him. I tell him every day he's one of the best, but it's not about saying it, it's about showing it, and he did that.

"Big credit to the manager and the staff, we work on it every day, making sure we're set up in the right way.

"I think we're all leaders on the pitch as well when it comes to communicating and making sure people are organised, and that resilience and character on the pitch, which is what we need."

'I’m a bit disappointed’ - Ravens boss reflects on debut season

By Paul Green at Hayes Lane

BROMLEY BOSS Andy Woodman

admitted his frustration after Salford City effectively ended his side’s outside League Two play-off hopes with a 3-2 victory at Hayes Lane.

Things looked promising for the hosts when they went ahead after just eight minutes as Ossama Ashley got the final touch from Adam Mayor’s delivery for an own goal.

But the advantage was soon wiped out by Cole Stockton’s leveller and Salford were in front by the 28th minute thanks to Kelly

N’Mai, both goals coming after Bromley cheaply surrendered possession.

Stockton increased their lead just after the hour with his second of the afternoon and even though the prolific Michael Cheek pulled one back 74 minutes, Bromley couldn’t muster an equaliser.

Defeat left Woodman’s side ten points adrift of the final play-off spot and although it has on paper been a respectable debut campaign in the Football League, the manager felt things could have been even better.

He explained: “I think on the outside everyone on the outside would rate it as a

successful season because we were one of the favourites to go down.

“Perso nally speaking if you want the honest truth I’m a bit disappointed we aren’t higher and up in the play-offs because that’s what I set out to do.

“When you sort of look and reflect over the season, we’ve probably got ourselves to blame that we are not a little bit higher than we are.

“We were 3-0 up at Salford in the away game and got pegged back to 3-3.

“I’m just using Salford as an example because today we’ve gifted them two goals and there have been a lot of moments

throughout the season where we’ve done that.

“I know we are learning on the job but we can’t keep saying we are learning. We’ve got to make sure we are a bit more solid, a bit more resilient and a bit more street savvy.”

Despite now having very little to play for, the Bromley boss is still demanding his charges finish with a flourish with just seven games remaining.

Woodman said: “We’ve got to make sure we go back to keeping clean sheets.

“All of this nice play here, nice play there, scoring two goals - it is all irrelevant if you

keep conceding. That’s what we are doing at the moment.

“I’ve learnt one or two things about one or two players, which you do.

“We’ve got to make sure we finish this campaign as strongly as possible.

“It has been a great campaign but it hasn’t finished yet and we’ve got to make sure we get some momentum into the final games.

“Play-offs and all that, it’s not even a conversation now.

“But what is a conversation is that we finish as high up the table as we can for this football club.”

Eddie Nketiah celebrates his goal in front of a jubilant away end

THE ANATOMY OF A PENALTY SAVE

Lukas Jensen breaks down how he prepares for spot kicks, and why he was able to keep out Sunderland defender Luke O’Nien’s effort

EXCLUSIVE

By Will Scott

THERE WAS a nervous hush around the Stadium of Light as Luke O’Nien stood over the ball.

Sunderland had been in cruise control for 87 minutes but their onegoal lead was vulnerable to a late equaliser, and Alex Neil’s triple change in the 79th minute had sparked a late Millwall surge that had made the crowd uneasy.

This was the Black Cat’s chance to stamp out any potential comeback. The Lions were caught in transition, Japhet Tanganga caught Romaine Mundle late in the box and referee Robert Madley instantly pointed to the spot.

Any chance of a Millwall point would be lost if O’Nien found the back of the net. Only one man stood between Sunderland and a guaranteed three points. Lukas Jensen.

The Danish goalkeeper stuck his arms out, crouched and then correctly dove to his left, saving the ball with his knees. The game was still alive.

The Lions pushed for a goal and had a golden opportunity in injury time, but could not quite find the equaliser. Millwall lost the game, yet were only in the tie until the end because of their goalkeeper.

O’Nien’s penalty was weak, but Jensen was at a distinct disadvantage before he fired his effort, as are all goalkeepers. The expected goal (xG) of a penalty is 0.788, or to put it alternatively, roughly 78.8 per cent of every penalty is converted.

Goalkeepers attempt to give

themselves every advantage possible, and that starts in training.

“We do our analysis the day before,” Jensen told our paper. “So the whole goalkeeping union sits together and looks at the three, four most likely takers, what side they’re going to go, you work on the patterns, all that type of stuff. So you give yourself the best chance to save a penalty.

“Marshy [Goalkeeping coach Andy Marshall] stands and shows it from my side as well. So I’ve got double coverage of the potential side he is going to shoot in.

“It wasn’t a very good penalty I must admit, but it’s a save on my end and a penalty is definitely in the attacker’s favour. To be on the receiving end as a goalkeeper and actually make the save is just something I have to be happy about.”

“It was an awkward one, because it was actually underhit if you ask me. So I nearly dived too far. It hit my knee. It was not even with my hand or anything, it just hit my knee and then just went wide.

“I think what goes unnoticed is Jake Cooper. People have to re-watch it and then focus on what he does because he actually makes the second block from the second shot. He literally sprints back and then tries to get in front of the goal and make the block or just clear the ball. So that’s nearly equally as good as the save.”

Research ahead of the game is not the only strategies goalkeepers employ to gain an advantage. Aston Villa and Argentina goalkeeper Emiliano Martínez went viral during the World Cup for disrupting opposition takers by throwing the ball away, wasting

time or generally playing mind games and it worked. In the World Cup final against France he saved two penalties in the shootout to ensure Argentina won their third World Cup.

While Jensen does not quite go as far, he still attempts to play mind games.

“I heard a funny quote from Kasper Schmeichel,” Jensen said. “What he tries to do in a penalty situation is try go very close to the striker, try to put them off, get in their head and if you’ve got just a little bit in their head, you have already done your job, because then they’ll give you an indication or they’ll lose confidence as to what side they’re going to put it in.

“I’m just trying to do something similar. It doesn’t work very often because the higher level you get to, the calmer they’re going to be and obviously they know what side they’re going to shoot in. But if I can just do it a little bit, I can help myself.

“I faced three penalties this year. Saved one, one’s been put over the bar, which you could say was because of me, and then I’ve conceded one. So essentially I’m two for three, which I believe is quite good for the season.

“You have to be a little crazy in those situations just try to do something not ordinary. Because then the taker will start thinking about it and hopefully it will put him off a little bit.

“But try and be as big as you can. My favourite one is Thibaut Courtois. He looks so massive in the goal. If a goalkeeper looks that big in the goal, the striker has to think about it and I’m just trying to do the same, because I have similar physical aspects to him, so I’m just trying to do the same as him and then make the save.”

Fulham boss defends striker after miss in Arsenal defeat

By Paul Green at the Emirates

MARCO SILVA was quick to defend and praise Rodrigo Muniz after a big miss in Tuesday night’s 2-1 defeat at Arsenal.

The Brazilian had only been on the pitch a matter of minutes after coming off the bench to replace Raul Jimenez with Fulham already two down to goals either side of the break from Mikel Merino and Bukayo Saka. Muniz looked certain to halve the deficit but somehow placed a free header wide after being set up by fellow substitute Alex Iwobi.

Despite the howler, Muniz still managed to find the target deep into

stoppage-time to set up a tense late finish, although the Gunners held on for three points.

Silva said: “I think from a mental point of view it is good for him at least, but Rodrigo of course understands what is a striker like right now.

“He cannot be so down.

“Okay, we all understand that probably it was one of the easiest goal [chances] of his career so far, but sometimes the life of a striker is like that.”

The Fulham boss added: “The reality is you cannot be so down when something happens. I saw him fighting until the end to try to get something from the game.

“He scored one and even after that he was there on the game.

“That is the main thing for me, that he was already more mature and he understands what his job in our team is, what it means to be a striker at this level and sometimes you have to score that type of goal.

“But of course sometimes it can happen in this type of situation.

“The reality is he was able to score one goal and be on the game – that is what I demand from him.”

Bernd Leno did well to save Ethan Nwaneri’s volley but there was nothing he could do to prevent Merino’s 37th-minute effort going in via a deflection off Jorge Cuenca.

Martin Odegaard blazed wildly over early in the second half shortly before David Raya was called into action to deny Jimenez.

Leno required a brief spell of treatment after his stomach prevented Jurren Timber from doubling the home side’s lead on 54 minutes following a neat one-two with Odegaard.

William Saliba headed just over after rising high to meet Odegaard’s free-kick, while Adams Traore should have at least tested Raya at the other end after robbing Jakub Kiwior of possession.

But the Cottagers were undone in the 73rd minute as Arsenal added a

second.

Substitute Saka marked his return to first-team action with a simple close range header after Merino’s cross was flicked on by Gabriel Martinelli. Then came substitute Muniz’s 81stminute miss and there was still time for Ryan Sessegnon to head straight at Raya before Martinelli saw an effort ruled out for offside.

Muniz atoned for his earlier howler deep into stoppage-time with a consolation strike that went in off Saliba.

But it was too little, too late from the visitors and in truth they can have few complaints about the outcome.

Lukas Jensen has made 40 appearances in all competitions this season

Sport INSIDE

‘I

LOVE IT HERE’

Aaron Connolly is enjoying life at Millwall but admits future is uncertain with his contract set to expire

EXCLUSIVE

By Will Scott

AARON CONNOLLY wants to stay at Millwall next season but admits the decision is out of his hands.

Connolly, 25, joined the Lions on a short-term deal during the January transfer window after being released by Sunderland.

The Irish forward has made eleven appearances since joining, scoring once.

Connolly’s contract expires at the end of the season, and he hopes to have done enough on the pitch and the training ground to secure a long-term deal.

“It’s been brilliant, I love it here,” Connolly said. “Obviously I’m out of contract at the end of the season.

“I just want to get as many games as I can in and then there’ll be discussions coming up in the next few weeks, few months hopefully, and just see where we go from there. I’ve enjoyed my time here, but I don’t know what the future holds. So that’s out in my hands contract wise, but on the pitch that’s where I can do my talking.

“Here as well on the training ground because I think that’s probably the most important part that the gaffer is looking at from me, the day in, day out sort of stuff. On a Saturday I think I performed, maybe throughout the week I’d probably let myself down a bit at times in training, but that’s the sort of stuff that me and the gaffer to speak about. He wants me on it every day.

“Maybe in the last few years I probably would’ve taken my

foot off the gas if I’d had a few good games and then come up to training half trying and half not. But I need to be on every day with him because he is on me a lot, but I don’t mind it, I just need to realise that these are the parts that are going to get me long-term deals, the day in, day out stuff.”

When asked if he would like to be at Millwall next season, Connolly said: “Yeah, of course I would. I’ve probably played my best football for maybe a year and a half, since at the start of the season at Hull last year when I was scoring goals there and then obviously certain things interrupted that.

“I feel like I’m back enjoying it. I’m playing in a position that I like, kind of off the left or in that little pocket and [Alex Neil] gives me the freedom on the pitch to express myself.

Tyreece lightning for Addicks

By John Kelly

CHARLTON ATHLETIC are closing in on the League

One play-offs after their 2-1 win at Mansfield Town on Tuesday night.

Tyreece Campbell scored the winner in the 74th minute after team-mate Matty Godden’s opener had been cancelled out by Matty Craig in the first half.

The Addicks have a ten-point cushion back to Reading in seventh and still have an outside shot at automatic promotion as they trail Wrexham in second by six points with six games left.

“It was very hard fought,” Charlton boss Nathan Jones said. “There were so many pleasing aspects in terms of showing character, coming to a really difficult place to play. The crowd were up. They were really aggressive, fair play to them. They came after us.

“I thought we started quite well but then we weren’t really us. I didn’t feel we were relentless enough and that let them back into it but they deserve a lot of credit for that. But then second half we were a lot better.

“We made a few positive changes, for what we needed. Got the great goal by TC and then saw the game out really, really well. I’m really pleased because any win at the minute is excellent and this is a tough, tough place to come.”

“The fans as well on a Saturday, the QPR game at home was probably one of the best times on a football pitch I’ve had for a long time. Then obviously after as well the fans engaging with us joining in and obviously we were pushing quite near the play-offs around then. It’s probably a step too far for now.

“Hopefully if I’m back here next year, which I’d love to be, we can have a full pre-season, which also I haven’t had for about two, three years. I’ve kind of missed preseason so my body maybe isn’t ready to do a 46 game season until I get one of them in.

“We’ll have to see. That’s probably up to the club, but if the offer comes then brilliant, but if not then hopefully I’ll have some options to go for.”

It was Campbell’s eighth goal of the season and third in a week after his brace in the 4-0 win against Huddersfield Town at The Valley last Saturday.

Jones added: “I’ve been pleased with Tyreece Campbell since I came into the football club. He gets better, and better and better. It’s a joy to see because I’ve worked in the Premier League and he’s as good as I’ve seen.”

Charlton host twelfth-place Lincoln City on Saturday at 3pm.

Aaron Connolly after Millwall’s 1-0 loss to Sunderland on March 29, 2025