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POCKET HOMES MEASURING JUST 38 SQUARE METRES
PLANNED ON SITE OF FORMER SYNAGOGUE
By Ruby Gregory Local Democracy Reporter
A FORMER synagogue and car park in Streatham could be demolished and redeveloped to make way for 92 new properties including ‘pocket’ homes measuring 38sqm – just one square meter above the legal minimum.
Developer Pocket Living has submitted a planning application to Lambeth Council to redevelop 35-37 Leigham Court Road, as well as some land located to the west and the back of 39-49 Leigham Court Road in Streatham.
The site includes Leigham Court Road public car park and toilets, and a synagogue which has been closed since 2021. Another synagogue, called the South London Liberal Synagogue, is located less than a mile from the
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site. Lambeth Council’s Planning Applications Committee has been recommended to approve of the plans at a meeting later this month (November 18).
Pocket Living was first created in 2005 and is responsible for building developments across London, including in Croydon and Waltham Forest. It describes its homes as well-designed and affordable, which are available for renters or first time buyers at 80per cent local market value.
The Government sets minimum legal standards for space in new build homes, which is generally 39sqm for a one-bedroom home for a single occupant, however this can be reduced to 37sqm if it has a shower room instead of a bathroom.
So far, more than 125 pocket homes for first-time buyers have been delivered across
three sites in Lambeth. Under its plans for Streatham, Pocket Living intends to build 15 social rented homes, along with 31 discount market rent homes and 46 homes that will be private.
According to a council documents, the plans will deliver 35per cent ‘affordable’ housing by habitable room. Nine homes are set to be wheelchair accessible. The discount market rent units, known as ‘Pocket Rent Homes’, are one-bed homes designed for a single person that measure 38sqm in size.
The 46 private homes are called ‘Pocket Sharer’ homes which are larger and contain en-suite bathrooms. Tenants will share communal areas, such as a living room, kitchen and dining space. During the public consultation stage, the plans received 44 responses in support and 43 objections.
Those in support of the development praised it for its affordable and social housing provision, and said the accommodation was of a high quality. However several conflicting points were raised by objectors, saying the development is poor quality and the affordable housing provision is insufficient.
Planning officers said the development would provide “a good-quality environment for future occupiers” and said the accommodation was well designed with unit sizes “according with policy”. If approved, the development will comprise of four buildings ranging from three storeys to six storeys in height. The Planning Applications Committee will ultimately hear and decide on the plans later this month.
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Frewin; Mandy Stong
By Evie Flynn
A SPRAWLING 10,000 sq ft riverside mansion in Deptford, which used to be owned by Rupert Murdoch’s News International, has been put on the market with a price tag of £8 million.
The Georgian-era house dates back to the early 1700s and is currently a private residence and creative arts venue.
It is said to have been purchased by its current owners, Willi Richards and Chris Mazeika, for just £195,000 in 1998 after their friend turned it down, saying it was too old and too rotten.
Known as the Master Shipwright’s House, it is one of the last above-ground survivors of Deptford Dockyard, which dates back to the 1500s.
It is made up of two structures, the main Master Shipwright's House and his office building attached. Equipped with ten bedrooms, six bathrooms, and ample living space, it is a country style house in the middle of London.
The office building is believed by some to have been the first working office building in the country.
A Master Shipwright's house would have been the residence and offices of the senior shipbuilders who oversaw the design and construction of ships during Deptford's successful maritime era.
Deptford Dockyard, was once once of the most important naval dockyards in the world and was used to build and maintain ships for 350 years, after it was founded by Henry VII in 1513 and closed in 1869.
Rupert Murdoch's News International bought this area of the dockyard, which also included The Great Storehouse, from the Ministry of Defence in 1980. It was used by the company as offices and a dining room for executives when they were shipping paper out of the dock.
In 1990, News International demolished the site and the Master Shipwrights House has since been restored by private owners.
In the last 27 years, the current owner Willi Richards, who acquired the house along with his partner from being "in the right place at the right time" undertook a huge restoration project as the house had no electricity or running water.
The house would have had many royal visitors over hundreds of years. In 1708, after the house underwent a restoration from its Tudor form, the issue went to the government of over expenditure and somebody said that the house, having been fit for King James VI and Elizabeth I had become more of a Shipwright's Palace, rather than the Master
Shipwright's House.
Even modern day 'royalty' have been to the house in the form of celebrities. The infamous Kate Moss and Mario Testino shoot, where Kate was captured lying on top of the grand piano smoking a cigarette.
The owner recalls Tom Jones, Rod Stewart, Donald Sutherland, Derek Jacobi, and Idris Elba as just some of the celebrities who have been in the space, either for fashion shoots or movie filming.
It was even used as the filming location for Luther's apartment in the BBC drama starring Idris Elba.
The house looks over sprawling uninterrupted views of London on the bank on the river, with lots of sunshine and light due to the large plot. You can even hear the movements and waves of the Thames at the foot of the garden.
To the East, you can see Greenwich and the Royal Naval College and to the North West you can see Canary Wharf towering above and the start of the City.
Currently, the owner says thirteen people live in the house and that is is "ideal for multigenerational living."
The interior has exposed plaster walls and the only paint used is the grey framing on the staircase and around the doors, to preserve the atmosphere of the period building.
English Heritage has described the house as 'light touch' and a benchmark of not overdoing the decoration and renovation.
The kitchen, on bottom floor, has three units, multiple sinks, an aga and multiple cellars.
In the garden, olive groves and fruit trees line the garden in a sheltered garden, which current owner describes the house as "something of an oasis".
The house is surrounded by high walls, which would have kept the British shipbuilding tactics secret and when the current owners moved in, the garden was a car park.
The house is being sold by Tim Phillips Prime Property Agent, who specialises in high net worth real estate.
The Master Shipwrights House, Watergate St, London SE8 3JF
Tom Edden is Paddington's Nosey Neighbour
£8M DEPTFORD MANSION FOR SALE
The scene of the Kate Moss and Mario Testino shoot
The views of Canary Wharf from the bottom of the garden
MARTIAL ARTIST TACKLES A ‘PICKPOCKET’ WHO WAS ARMED WITH A HAMMER AT BOROUGH STATION
By Evie Flynn
IVAN SKOKO, 29, put his martial arts training to use on the Northern Line last month when he leapt to the rescue of a commuter, whose phone was allegedly targeted by a ‘pickpocket’ armed with a hammer.
Ivan, who is a black belt in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu (BJJ), wrestled a man to the floor on the Borough station platform on Tuesday October 28 after hearing a “female scream” in the carriage he was riding in.
The 6ft3, black belt Jiu Jitsu champion, said he jumped up from his seat straight away, stopped the doors from closing and followed the man onto the platform.
He used a judo takedown, known as a ‘foot sweep’, before holding the man on the floor whilst a passer-by alerted the railway staff.
The suspect also had a claw hammer and two reportedly stolen phones in his pocket, one of which had sticker of a cat on the phone case.
Ivan was returning from training at Fight City Gym in Elephant Park, where he is an instructor, and was headed northbound to Hackey. “I had my airpods in so I wasn’t paying attention,” he told us. “A female screamed really loud and everyone turned around.
“I thought someone was hurt and I am first aid trained, so I immediately ran up to her without even thinking about it.”
The woman explained that a man had tried to grab her phone, but rushed off the train when she screamed. Ivan battled commuters out of the way and approached the man the woman identified on the platform.
As Ivan says he held the man down, railway staff phoned The British Transport Police. Ivan shared his
details with the police and left the scene, although he said he has requested the CCTV footage to see precisely what happened.
Ivan believes this incident highlights the importance of self-defence training. He said: “People who don’t have any training can get hurt, I can deal with these guys very easily.
“People should always be prepared to fight. It is better to be a warrior in a garden than a gardener in a war. When a fight comes to me I am more than happy to win the fight.”
Ivan is currently undefeated in the black belt division in all competitions he has taken part in this year. He is now the British Champion in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, after winning the British Open.
He said: “Most of the time I am going about my day minding my own business, but this year I have become much more aware. If I am around, the people are safe.”
Ivan said that alongside a friend also chased two alleged pickpockets on the New Kent Road earlier this year.
Between March 2023 and 2024, the Metropolitan Police received more than 79,000 reports of pickpockets, according to the Office for National Statistics.
A spokesman for the British Transport Police said: “Officers were called to Borough Underground station at around 7.30pm on October 28 following reports of an attempted theft.
“Officers attended and a man was arrested on suspicion of theft, possession of an offensive weapon, and handling stolen goods.
“Enquiries are ongoing, and anyone with information is asked to contact British Transport Police by texting 61016 or by calling 0800 40 50 40, quoting reference 661 of 28 October.”
Ivan said he followed a man onto the platform and held him on the floor.
By Izzy Clarke
A 26-YEAR-OLD man was rushed to hospital last night with a 'gunshot wound' after reports of a 'shooting' on Peckham Hill Street last week.
Thankfully the man's injuries are not life-threatening, police have confirmed.
The whole of Peckham Square was cordoned off by police last Thursday while they investigated the incident. No one has been arrested or charged so far.
A spokesperson for the London Ambulance Service said: “We were called at 6.38pm on Wednesday 5 November to reports of a shooting on Peckham Hill Street, SE15.
We also dispatched a trauma team in a car from London’s Air Ambulance.
“We treated a man for a gunshot wound and took him a major trauma centre.”
A Metropolitan Police spokesperson said: "Police were called at 18:41hrs on Wednesday, 5 November to Peckham Hill Street, Southwark to reports of a shooting.
'Officers attended, along with the London Ambulance Service, and a 26-year-old man was taken to hospital in a serious condition. It is not believed to be life-threatening.
horrified and saddened that a man was wounded in a shooting in Peckham Hill Street yesterday. My thoughts and the thoughts of us all are with him, his family and loved ones.
"I'm hugely grateful for the quick work of police and the ambulance service and the council will work closely with police as they investigate. People in Peckham will see extra officers and patrols in the area over the next few days.
"Police have asked anybody who witnessed the incident – or has information – to call 101, quoting crime reference 6590/5NOV.
Anyone with information is asked to contact police on 101 or online, quoting 6590/5NOV. Whole of Peckham Square cordoned off after 26-year-old man hospitalised with gunshot wounds
“We sent resources, including an ambulance crew, an advanced paramedic, an incident response officer and a paramedic in a fast response car.
"No arrests have been made at this stage and a crime scene remains in place.
Councillor Natasha Ennin, Southwark Council Cabinet Member for Community Safety & Neighbourhoods said: "I was
"We will keep working across Southwark in close partnership with police to keep people safe."
Ivan said he followed a man onto the platform and held him on the floor Two phones were found, along with a hammer
A police officer arrested a man at the scene
Winter Market Place
Lewisham
EXCLUSIVE
By Issy Clarke
A WHEELCHAIR user has claimed the lifts inside Herne Hill Station are ‘constantly broken’, which has led his 45-minute commute to balloon to ‘almost five hours’.
Nathan Rollinson travels from Herne Hill Station every day on the Thameslink train to Farringdon or the Southeastern train to Victoria.
From there, he takes either the Elizabeth Line from Farringdon or the District Line to Westminster followed by the Jubilee Line to the O2 Arena in Greenwich where he works.
But for the last three weeks, the lift to Platforms 1 and 2 at Herne Hill Station has been out of order because of water damage in the lift shaft – spelling disaster for Nathan, who claims his arduous commute becomes even more of a challenge.
“I can go to Denmark Hill and get the overground to Canada Water but the lifts at both of those stations are always knackered.
“Or I could get the bus to Brixton then the tube to Green Park and change to the Jubilee line, but that can be a pain."
It's not the first time this has happened.
Nathan claims the Herne Hill lifts are 'always broken' and that three times the lifts have been repaired only to break down ten minutes later.
And the other stations in the area aren’t much better, leaving Nathan with limited options when the Herne Hill lifts are down.
“Peckham Rye has no lifts. Elephant and Castle rail station has no lift, Brixton rail station has no lift, West Dulwich has no lift, East Dulwich has no lift, at Tulse Hill the lift isn’t working, the lift at West Norwood Station isn’t working… it’s a nightmare.”
Taking the bus to work would take "more than an hour. And people with pushchairs often don't make room, so there isn't space for me to get on."
Normally when the lift breaks down, Nathan is sent to a Southeastern or Thameslink station with working lifts and is placed on another train back to Herne Hill where he can get off from the other platform.
"I've been sent everywhere and anywhere, to Penge East, Bromley, Wimbledon...
"One time both lifts were out of order so they couldn’t even send me to Wimbledon and put me back on the train the other way to get off from the other platform.
"They told me: the only way out is you getting on your butt and going down these stairs. And these stairs are steep. So they carried my chair down for me, which is about six kilos, because otherwise they would have literally had to call the Fire Brigade and the Ambulance Service."
The other alternative is a free taxi service that rail companies legally have to provide for disabled passengers when they can’t provide step-free access. This requires him to pre-book at least two hours in advance, but that system isn’t without its problems. "If it is rush hour, no cab wants to do the train work because they get paid less than they would on the metre."
In addition, the rail companies only provide taxi journeys from one station to another on their network, meaning Nathan can’t be taken home all the way from Greenwich and instead has to go to another Southeastern station with working lifts where he can be picked up.
Nathan claims on multiple occasions he has sat shivering on the platform at Bromley Station late at night waiting for
'MY 45 MINUTE COMMUTE FROM GREENWICH NOW TAKES UP TO FIVE HOURS'
Wheelchair user slams
'always broken' Herne Hill lifts as he battles South London's poor step free access at stations
a taxi to come and pick him up all the way from central London, because staff there allegedly hadn't been told to expect his arrival and therefore hadn't booked a taxi in advance.
He claims: "One time they had to pay someone £120 to come all the way from central London, on top of the taxi fare, to come and get me in the middle of the night. By the time I got home it was almost 4am."
Nathan, who often works late-night shifts, claims that even when the lifts are working, the 'understaffing' of the station still means commuting home can take up to two hours.
"The staff at Herne Hill don't work past 10pm. So if I'm on the last train home, they have to call someone to come from
Bromley to put the ramp down so I can actually get off the train."
After we got in touch with Southeastern, which is in charge of the station, to ask when the lifts would be back in use, David Wornham, passenger services director at Southeastern Railway, said the lift would 'hopefully' be up and running within the next few days.
"The good news is that the repair doesn’t need scaffolding, which means it should take less time," he told us last week. "If everything goes to plan when contractors are on site this Friday, we’re hopeful the lift will be working again by the weekend."
But Nathan claims engineers have told him that both lifts are more than 20 years old and need complete replacing.
He added there were “only three or four disabled people in Herne Hill, so I think it’s just not a massive priority. But there are loads of elderly people who live around here who struggle with the stairs too.
“I saw an elderly woman go flying down the stairs the other day, and that wouldn’t have happened if the lift had been working.”
Nathan raised the problem with his MP Helen Hayes, who has piled pressure on Southeastern to repair the lifts at Herne Hill Station.
Just last month, the MP for Dulwich and West Norwood led a debate in Parliament about step-free access in which she pointed out that of the ten stations in her patch, only three had
lifts– Herne Hill, East Dulwich and West Norwood, with only Herne Hill providing lifts to all platforms.
Hayes told us: “It is essential that all passengers can access our railways. As not all stations are step free, it is vitally important that where we have lifts they are kept in good working order.
“As soon as I became aware of the disruption at Herne Hill, I raised my concerns with Southeastern Rail pressing for urgent action to repair the lifts. I have now received a response, and I understand that works are scheduled to start today and the lifts should be reinstated very soon.”
“I am continuing to campaign for investment in accessibility at our local stations. I recently led a debate in
Parliament to call for further action and I was pleased to meet with Lord Hendy, the Minister for Rail, in October to make clear the need for more step free access in Lambeth and Southwark.”
Transport watchdog London Travel Watch said it was “unacceptable” that the lift had been out of order for so long and called on station companies to make lift repairs a “top priority”.
A spokesperson said: "The ongoing issue with the broken lift at Herne Hill station is deeply frustrating and has dragged on for far too long. It is also unacceptable when passengers are told that repairs will take place on a certain date if they then don’t go ahead. This makes travelling around London hugely difficult for people who rely on lifts to be in good working order.
"We have been assured by Southeastern that repairs to fix the issues caused by water ingress are due to take place this weekend, and we will continue to monitor the situation to make sure these are completed and fit for purpose, along with other longer-term repairs to the lift.
"Train operating companies must make lift repairs a top priority, making sure that any repairs offer a permanent solution rather than a temporary patch. Clear, timely and honest communication is crucial, as travellers need reliable updates to plan their journeys with certainty and confidence."
Just 42 per cent of London's rail stations are step-free, compared to 54 per cent nationally, according to the London Assembly.
Yet last year it was revealed by the Disability News Service that Network Rail failed to spend £65 million of the funds it had been allocated to carry out step-free access upgrades.
A spokesperson for Network Rail
told the outlet this was because "some schemes had taken longer than planned". It comes after another station which Nathan can't use, Peckham Rye, recently came under scrutiny for its lack of stepfree access after a planned £40 million upgrade which would have given it lifts for the first time was shelved by Network Rail.
After outraged residents contacted us to express their concerns that elderly and disabled passengers were being forced to slide down the stairs on their bottoms, Network Rail submitted a £9 million temporary bid to alleviate some of the problems with the station before funding for the full scheme becomes available.
South Eastern Railway's David Wornham told us: “We’re really sorry the lift at Herne Hill is out of service. The issue was caused by water getting into the lift shaft, and our team is working with contractors to get it fixed as quickly as possible.
“The good news is that the repair doesn’t need scaffolding, which means it should take less time. If everything goes to plan when contractors are on site this Friday, we’re hopeful the lift will be working again by the weekend.
“We know how essential step-free access is, and we’re especially sorry for the impact this has had on passengers who’ve faced long diversions or had to rely on alternative transport. Our lifts are remotely monitored so we can respond to issues as swiftly as possible when they arise and we are doing everything we can to get the lift back up and running as soon as possible.”
The lift was fixed at the weekend but reportedly for only 10 minutes and as we went to press it was said to be still out of order.
‘Pupils
Kingsdale Foundation School
First Class and Top of the Class
achieve exceptionally well in a wide range of subjects and attain highly at GCSE and A level.’ Ofsted 2023
Applications
for Sixth Form courses are now being accepted
Take advantage of the chance to visit Kingsdale Foundation School and see for yourself how we bring the best out of our students. A tour of Kingsdale Foundation School enables you to realise why we receive such glowing reports. In the Autumn term 2025 you will have just that opportunity as we will be holding Sixth Form Open Evenings for September 2026 entry.
Harnessing talent!
Kingsdale is a dynamic, exceptionally popular and progressive school that has invested £30m to develop an award-winning educational learning environment. In our specialist academic Sixth Form Campus, students study a combination of respected traditional, performing arts and creative A Levels in addition to alternative high value Level 3 courses. Our average class sizes are approximately ten in the Sixth Form. We also pride ourselves on our excellent links to the best higher education institutions in the world. A residential trip to Harvard and Yale in the USA is organised annually.
Scholarships in Mathematics and the Creative & Expressive Arts are on offer for gifted and talented candidates who meet our entry requirements. Scholars receive free individual or small group tuition provided by expert professionals to the value of ~£1,000 per annum. Prospective students are invited to come along to our Open Evenings to explore the fantastic opportunities and inspiring state-of-the-art facilities in our dedicated Sixth Form Centre. As our most recent Ofsted Report states : ‘ ‘Pupils are rightly very proud of their school. They really enjoy their learning and talk with enthusiasm about the school’s culture of mutual respect and inclusivity.’ Ofsted 2023 Sixth Form/Year 12
Wednesday 26th November 2025 4.30-7pm
The amazing achievement of attaining 10A*s & 4A Grades between them at A level have enabled Eve, Ben, Rosa & Freya to study Classics, Philosophy, English at Cambridge University and Economics at Oxford respectively!
By Cameron Blackshaw Local Democracy Reporter
A CONCERT series that took place within the grounds of the Old Royal Naval College in the summer wants to double its capacity and increase its number of events for 2026.
Labyrinth Festivals Limited has applied to Greenwich Council to expand its ‘Labyrinth on the Thames’ event
Described as an “outdoor contemporary dance music series”, Labyrinth took place on six nights across two weekends in Greenwich earlier this year.
The dance and electronic festival took place during the first two weekends of August this year, with DJs Black Coffee, Solomun and Fisher blasting out house and techno sets to thousands of punters in the historic surroundings.
Australian alt-rockers Band Empire of the Sun headlined too, with a live set.
The festival, which was a sell-out, saw musicians perform on a stage next to the river facing south, while punters enjoyed the performances standing in the open space between the Sir Christopher Wren-designed buildings of the UNESCO World Heritage Site.
The event organisers want to increase the number of concerts from six to nine next year and also double the daily capacity of each concert from 4,999 to 9,999.
Labyrinth also wants to introduce ‘family friendly events’ to next year’s programme which would allow the entry of under 18s, as well as permit glassware in “artists, hospitality and premium table areas”.
The new premises licence application that will allow the Labyrinth on the Thames expansion is set to be heard by Greenwich Council’s Licensing SubCommittee this week.
Council officers have not objected to the application, but are proposing further conditions such as “the formalisation of a comprehensive Noise Management Plan” to mitigate the expansion.
Four residents living nearby have made representations opposing the concert series expansion plans, with one objecting in the “strongest possible terms”. They said “low-frequency bass” carried through Greenwich Park at this year’s events and neighbours suffered disruption from noise, crowd
LABYRINTH ON THE THAMES COULD ALMOST DOUBLE IN SIZE NEXT YEAR
dispersal, anti-social behaviour, and litter, including nitrous oxide canisters.
The East Greenwich Residents Association also made a representation.
The group did not object to the concert series continuing outright, but it has asked the council to limit the event to a maximum of six nights.
During an unrelated planning inquiry earlier this year, a Greenwich Council officer claimed the Old Royal Naval College did not seek planning permission for the Labyrinth on the Thames event before it was staged.
The Greenwich Foundation, which looks after the college, disputed this and said it had “maintained an ongoing
dialogue” with Greenwich planners.
In response, the council said it did receive a planning application, but it was too late for the authority to make a decision prior to the concert series taking place.
A council spokesperson said back in August: “We have raised this with the Old Royal Naval College and we are in discussion about how they secure permission for events.
“We will not be taking enforcement action against the Old Royal Naval College. An event licence is in place and they have engaged with us about making suitable arrangements going forward.”
£20K REWARD A YEAR ON FROM SYDENHAM SHOOTING
By Issy Clarke
A CASH reward of £20,000 has been offered by the police for any information about the murder of a ‘much loved’ 30-year-old man after he was shot a year ago.
Curtis Green (pictured), was about to become a father when was fatally shot on Wells Park Road, Sydenham the morning after a house party in Hensford Gardens on Sunday 10 November, 2024 shortly after 10am.
Two other people - a man and a woman - were also shot and left with severe injuries, but Curtis died at the scene.
Detective Chief Inspector Samantha Townsend, who is leading the homicide investigation, said: “It has been a year since Curtis was fatally shot and two others were severely injured.
“I am appealing to anyone who has
information about what happened to Curtis. I am especially keen to hear from those who were in Hensford Gardens at the time of the shooting.
“The slightest bit of information can assist, you may not think the information that you have is important, but it may prove vital to this investigation.
“If you come forward, we will support you and try our best to ensure that we are able to protect your identity.
“Curtis’ family have had to face a year of not knowing what happened in the moments leading up to his death, please come forward with any information you may have, and help us provide his family with the justice they deserve.”
Curtis’ family are also appealing for anyone with information to come forward. They said: “We, his family, appeal to those who know something
to be brave and come forward.
“You have a chance to heal our heartache, you can speak out and ensure that you do not have to experience the hurt, grief, stagnation and destruction that we have had to endure.
“Curtis was and still is a much-loved member of our family and community. His son has now been born and will grow up not physically meeting his father. We miss Curtis every single second of every single day.
“If you know anything about what happened please come forward so that we can have some justice.”
Alexa Loukas, London regional manager at the charity Crimestoppers said: “Curtis Green was a much-loved young man whose life was cruelly taken, leaving family and friends devastated.
“We’re urging anyone who has information about what happened
that night to come forward.
“Crimestoppers is offering a reward of up to £20,000 for information given anonymously that leads to a conviction. You don’t have to speak to police or give your name—just tell us what you know.
“We won’t ask who you are, and we can’t trace your call or online report.
Curtis’s family deserve answers, and your information, no matter how small could help deliver justice for Curtis.”
Crimestoppers, which is independent of the police, is supporting this investigation by offering a reward of up to £20,000 for information the charity exclusively receives – either online at Crimestoppers-uk.org or by calling 0800 555 111 at any time –that leads to the conviction of those responsible for the murder of Curtis Green.
The reward is available for three months and is due to expire on 10 February 2026. Anyone with information is asked to call the incident room on 0208 721 4961, or you can call 101 stating reference number 2527/10NOV24. You can also submit information to the police through an online portal.
Black Coffee performing at Labyrinth on the Thames 2025. Credit: @sin_hart_
10 NEWS
By Matt Hasdell
LONDON BUS drivers and supporters marched to Transport for London’s (TfL) Southwark offices last week to call for urgent action over ‘unsafe’ and ‘unhygienic’ conditions.
In October, drivers alleged cockroach infestations plagued bus routes including two in South London.
According to a post on the London Bus Forum, the worst affected routes are the 159 from Streatham to Oxford Circus, the 345 from Peckham to South Kensington and the 55 from Walthamstow to Oxford Circus.
One driver on the 159 route told the site: “I went to take a sip from my drink and felt something in my mouth. I spat it out and saw it was a cockroach. I felt sick and ended up vomiting.”
Drivers at the march said this highlights deeper systemic neglect towards them by both TfL and its contracted bus operators.
The protesters began in Islington and headed across the Thames to TfL's offices at Palestra House, campaigning for the 'Bus Drivers' Bill of Rights' to be implemented.
Over 27,000 people signed a petition ahead of the protest demanding the Mayor of London, Sir Sadiq Khan, and TfL to include the proposed bill into drivers’ contracts.
The proposal sets out 12 key demands to improve conditions for London bus drivers, and includes a “safe work schedule free from forced overtime”, adequate rest breaks, safe and clean workspaces and “respect for drivers’ dignity”, among other requests.
Campaigner Tom Kearney, 58, was hit by a bus in Oxford Street in 2009, leaving him in a two-week coma with punctured lungs and severe brain trauma.
Since then, he has become a prominent spokesperson for bus safety in London and hopes to help reduce the number of people killed or injured by public transport in the city, and he joined the drivers on Wednesday.
In research submitted to the London Assembly Mr Kearney said that TfL's "first consideration is not safety" and the organisation's main target is buses being on time.
Assembly Members Caroline Russell, Neil Garratt and Keith Prince joined the drivers in their call to TfL and the Mayor.
BUS DRIVER MARCH AFTER COCKROACH SCARE
They
Cllr Garratt, whose father was a bus driver, said to the protesters outside the offices: "For TfL and for the Mayor, bus driver welfare and the public safety risk that comes from having poor welfare is a cost they don't want to pay."
Cllr Prince has long been a vocal campaigner in City Hall on behalf of transport workers. In October, he put a question to the Mayor to ask why he “refused to embed bus drivers’ rights in contracts.”
Sir Sadiq responded: “Many aspects of the proposed ‘Bus Drivers’ Bill of Rights’ are already covered by existing agreements, actions or legislation.”
He added: “All operators have
their own policies, procedures and agreements, which have been collectively bargained and cover all aspects relating to their employees at work.”
Cllr Prince spoke to us during the protest: “All of my questions highlight the neglect and the contempt the Mayor has for bus drivers, which is surprising because he is the son of a bus driver himself."
He added: “They need to have proper rest times. They need to not have to work seven day shifts and, more importantly, need basic human things like having a toilet at the end of the route. It is just unacceptable.”
One driver at the protest said he had
Campaigners marched to Southwark demanding better conditions for drivers
to use bottled water to cool himself during a heatwave and another said driving a bus is “not a safe job” due to the demands from employers.
TfL figures say five million bus journeys are made every day in the city, with 675 bus routes served by over 8,700 buses, largely operated by private companies under contract to TfL.
Lorna Murphy, TfL's Director of Buses, said: “Bus drivers play an essential role in keeping the capital moving. Alongside bus operators, we take their safety and welfare seriously and we rightly require operators to meet high standards.
“We are working together on a
range of measures to further improve working conditions, health and wellbeing. We are committed to ensuring that all staff have a fair work schedule, with safe vehicles and access to the facilities they need to carry out their roles effectively.
“We would like to reassure colleagues again that any reports from drivers are always fully investigated, and our operators should never take action against people raising concerns about welfare. We value all feedback from the thousands of people who work tirelessly to keep London's bus network moving, and will carefully consider any proposals for improvements to safety and welfare.”
By Evie Flynn
POLICE ARE offering a £20,000 reward for anyone who has information about the murder of 27-year-old Kyrone Moodie who was fatally shot in Clapham. Officers are on the hunt for any information that could lead to the identification, arrest and prosecution of the person or persons responsible for his death.
Three people have already been charged with murder and remain in custody.
However, police believe several witnesses have yet to come forward, and there may be additional people of interest.
Detective Chief Inspector Sarah Lee, who is leading the investigation, said:
“While my team has made significant progress, we are now appealing to the public to help ensure that everyone responsible for this tragedy is held accountable.
“In particular, the residents of New Park Road may hold vital information that could help us identity more people involved.
“Were you in the area on Monday, 8 September?
“Did you see or hear anything suspicious?
“A reward of £20,000 is now being offered to encourage the public to speak up and help us.”
Kyrone was shot on Monday, 8
September on New Park Road in Clapham just before 9pm.
He was treated by officers at the scene before being rushed to hospital, where he was sadly pronounced dead the next day.
A 20-year-old man was also injured. Kyrone’s family continue to receive support and updates from specialist officers.
To provide information to police directly, call 101, giving the reference CAD 7805/8SEP2 or Operation Concito.
To provide information anonymously, call Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111. They are an independent charity, separate from the police. They won’t ask for your name and can’t trace your call.
Kyrone Moodie
Protesters holding the ‘Bus Drivers’ Bill of Rights’
London Assembly Member Cllr Keith Prince speaking to Tom Kearney ahead of the protest
Winter at the Southbank Centre
Come together for a magical Winter at the Southbank Centre with spectacular shows, luminous art, cracking activities, a wondrous Winter Market and more festive treats making spirits bright this winter.
This year’s Winter season offers holiday fun for all to enjoy the festive magic of London in winter.
Be wowed by spectacular shows – there’s a magical musical stage adaptation of Top Hat, the return of family favourite Bluey’s Big Play, the chance to join TV’s favourite doctors in Operation Ouch: Quest for the Jurassic Fart! and the hilarious Sh!t Theatre: EVITA TOO.
Enjoy live music spanning classical music, Christmas carols and festive favourites.
At the Hayward Gallery, experience the Gilbert & George: 21ST CENTURY PICTURES exhibition with vibrant, large-scale images that centre the human experience and reflect the duo’s motto, ‘Art for All’. Highlighting
There’s cracking free activities and family fun for
Winter Light outdoor art exhibition, the Koestler Arts: Night Owls and Abstractions exhibition, dances, ceilidhs, crafting, music and New Year’s celebrations.
The popular Winter Market returns, lining the riverside with popup bars, street food stalls and independent craft traders. Keep your belly merry with plates of festive burgers and fondue fries, duck wraps, spicy chicken boxes and Nepalese spiced dumplings. Round it all off with sweet treats like churros and indulgent cookies. Ward off the cold by cradling a mulled wine or hot chocolate while you browse for gifts, jewellery and decorations made by independent creatives. Under the bridge you’ll find Wunder Bar, a festive sing-a-long bar with a Bavarian twist. Opposite the Queen Elizabeth Hall, right on the river, Fire & Fromage are back with cheesy indulgence, warming drinks and cosy riverside vibes.
Plus, for the first time, the beloved Queen Elizabeth Roof Garden will be open throughout the winter months, transforming into a destination for mulled wine and warming drinks, nestled above the bustle of
Winter at the Southbank Centre Image credit: Adam Luszniak
Gilbert & George: 21ST CENTURY PICTURES Image credit: Installation view of Gilbert & George: 21ST CENTURY PICTURES. Courtesy of the Hayward Gallery. Photo by Mark Blower. Bluey’s Big Play
credit: Courtesy of Dressing Room 5
Hat. Image credit: Johan Persson
Countdown. Image credit: Alice Boagey
LIFE OF A SLAVE ABOLITIONIST HAS BEEN MEMORIALISED IN A CHILDREN’S BOOK
By Evie Flynn
A NEW children’s book, written and illustrated by two local men, is based on the life of Olaudah Equiano, whose slave narrative became a best seller in the 18th century.
The children’s book focuses on Olaudah Equiano, who was kidnapped from his home in Nigeria at the age of 11 and sold as a slave.
Equiano survived a transatlantic journey to Barbados, where he was bought and sold several times. During this time, he came to London under enslavement of an officer of the Royal Navy.
Equiano lived briefly in Deptford and in a house on Maze Hill, Greenwich, in 1767 after buying his freedom. Today, a Blue Plaque marks 111 Maze Hill, where he stayed.
His autobiography, The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano sold so well that nine editions were published during his life and helped secure passage of the British Slave Trade Act 1807, which abolished the slave trade in Britain
Hugh Closs, a Surrey Quays local, was inspired by Equiano’s story on his visit to the Royal Naval Museum in Greenwich, where they have a bust sculpture of him.
Using his writing skills and knowledge of children’s fiction, Hugh read Equiano’s memoir and did a talk at Peckham
Library.
Hugh asked his artist friend, Tayo Fatunla, a Nigerian cartoonist, to make some illustrations for the powerpoint.
He said: “I believed more people should know his story than a dozen people in Peckham on a random Tuesday, so I
decided to write a book and asked Tayo to do the illustrations for it.”
The book features Greenwich, Deptford and Bermondsey, as well as other parts of the world Equiano would have visited. There are now tributes to Equiano dotted around South East London.
In Deptford Park, there is a bench dedicated to him and on the Pepys Estate next to the Thames, he featured on the ‘Wall of Ancestors’ alongside Elizabeth I.
On Telegraph Hill, there is an eyecatching tribute to Equiano. It stands on a ceramic plinth with three sides, which
symbolises both the triangular route of the Atlantic slave trade, as well as the three phases of Equiano’s life (child in Africa, slave and free man).
The inspiration for the book sits in the National Maritime museum in Greenwich has a sculpture by Christy Smyingtom which is based on the only known accurate portrait of Equiano, from the front of his autobiography.
The book costs £9.99 and you can get a copy by emailing equiano@colnehouse.net.
The front cover of the new book
Author Hugh Closs
St Thomas’ Hospital cook wins NHS Chef of the Year
By Maxine Brigue
A CHEF manager at St Thomas’ Hospital won the national NHS Chef of the Year 2026 award at the end of October.
Nedko Rusev, known as Chef Ned, teamed up with Joe Omolo, — an apprentice chef from Strepping Hill Hospital in Stockport — marking the first time that two trusts have merged to form a team in the NHS Chef competition.
The pair’s winning menu consisted of a Greek saganaki pastry, a cauliflower steak and a fig sponge with mascarpone.
Judges described the meals as “standout, elegant, refined, and packed with flavour.”
Alongside the national title, Chef Ned also took gold for best plant-based recipe.
Chef Ned originally planned to compete with colleague Chef Scott Ferguson who had to withdraw for personal reasons.
Chef Ned said: “I’m delighted to be NHS Chef of the Year – it’s a real honour and I’m very grateful.
“Scott and I worked hard through the heats to get this far. Even though he couldn’t take part in the final, Scott and I spoke every night of the week to fine-tune the recipes and discuss techniques.”
Chef Ned and Joe Omolo were crowned with the prestigious national title following an intensive grand final week in York in late October.
Chef Ned joined St Thomas’ Hospital in 2017 and he is well-known throughout for his intricate fruit carvings.
Rob Cormack, general manager of catering central services at Guy’s and St Thomas’, said: “Ned is a great chef, and a fantastic mentor to colleagues, encouraging and supporting them to develop their potential.
“He’s a real asset to our catering team and we’re thrilled he’s been named NHS Chef of the Year.”
CONFISCATED KNIVES ARE TURNED INTO OUTDOOR GYMS
Every week, Callisthenics world champion and Steel Warriors coach, Simone Ming, leads sessions in Denmark
By Maxine Brigue
A FITNESS charity that makes outdoor gyms from knives confiscated by the police says it is fighting violent crime by giving young people support and a sense of purpose.
Founded in 2017, Steel Warriors uses moulted-down metal from weapons seized by the Met to make callisthenics gyms around London.
The charity — which has grown to six gym locations — empowers at-risk young people through their free classes, school visits and gym programme at Brixton prison.
Callisthenics is a form of strength training that uses body weight and compound exercises to work multiple muscle groups at once.
Jenny Oklikah, Steel Warriors’ chief executive, told Southwark News that they chose callisthenics as their sport of choice because it is “attractive and exciting” for young people when they see someone who is good at it.
Oklikah, 54, said: “Callisthenics is great for functional fitness and great for goal setting.
“Young people will set goals on what
they want to achieve then take that ability to set and achieve a goal into other areas of their lives. For example, schools report many young people not getting on with mainstream PE or sport but getting on well with callisthenics.”
One 16-year-old boy who was excluded from mainstream education said: “As soon as I started Steel Warriors classes I knew I had found something I liked. I was always quite sporty but didn’t really get on with sport at my school.
“I felt like it was for a different type of person. I felt comfortable here, like it could make me better and give me a focus. I look up to my coaches, Tayo and Colin. I see that I could be more like them.”
For each of their gyms, — located In Lambeth, Haringey, Stratford and Brixton — Steel Warriors require two tonnes of steel or 8,000 knives. After receiving the knives from the police, the charity, which is the first of its kind in the UK, shreds and melts the steel into form.
Oklikah said: “We get great results. 75 per cent of young people who come to our sessions say they feel better about themselves and more than 90 per cent say they learn new things.”
Alongside their public park gyms, Steel Warriors run mobile events in schools
and a 10-week programme in Brixton prison.
Oklikah added: “This is a collaboration between Steel Warriors, the Metropolitan police and Brixton prison, and we are seeing very strong early results.
”We found that younger men who are more attracted to callisthenics are less likely to be in prison educational and vocational programmes so we also provide access to educational support for the prison’s literacy and numeracy classes.
“We’re also adding an awards ceremony at the end so that men who have excelled in this round can support men on subsequent programmes.”
Jenny Oklikah grew up in northwest London and joined Steel Warriors as CEO last year — bringing with her six years of experience working in organisations that provide sport, mentoring and employment support.
Oklikah said: “I have a strong connection to Steel Warriors’s work due to my longstanding commitment to social justice and providing opportunities for young people to develop skills, talents and future prospects.”
Every week, callisthenics world champion and Steel Warriors coach, Simone Ming, leads sessions in Denmark
Hill’s Ruskin Park on Mondays and Wednesdays.
Ming, 33, said: “The community we have grown here is unmatched.
”We have a very mixed group of people coming to our classes from six-year-olds up to pensioners from all backgrounds. It’s a great place to really feel included in a great sport.”
Steel Warriors, which focuses on choosing areas with higher levels of deprivation, is expanding to Enfield and looking to open three new locations by the end of this year.
Ming added: “One of our members told me that he was on the wrong track but I encouraged him to come to one of the classes. He was able to build up his skillset and change his whole life around. This member is now a personal trainer and a coach for Steel Warriors.”
Steel Warriors have 12 full places for the TCS London Marathon 2026 but are looking for runners to participate in the following three years. Each runner will commit to a minimum fundraising target of £2,500 which will cover six months of free community classes.
For more details on how to support or donate to Steel Warriors check out their website: www.steelwarriors.co.uk/ marathon and Instagram: @steelwarriors.
Hill’s Ruskin Park
Coaches Tayo Awoderu, Demi Alvanis, and Colin Dappah outside Brixton Prison
Nine years on: Croydon tram crash victim’s mother reflects
By Harrison Galliven Local Democracy Reporter
“YOU LEARN to adjust and you can’t do nothing but accept the situation,” says the mother of a tram crash victim, who son’s life was cruelly taken away.
It’s been nine years since Jean Smith learned the devastating and lifechanging news that her son, Mark, had died. More traumatic than losing him was the manner in which he died – one of seven tragically killed in the Croydon tram crash.
“It just bugs me a little bit that there are all those people that get on the tram every day and they haven’t got a clue what happened,” she told the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) ahead of the ninth anniversary.
Mark, 35, from South Croydon, boarded the New Addington to Wimbledon service on November 9, 2016. Of the 69 passengers on board, seven were killed and 62 injured, 19 seriously, in what became the worst tram disaster in the UK since 1959.
The crash happened shortly after 6am as the tram approached a sharp bend near Sandilands tram stop. The speed limit suddenly dropped from 50mph to 12mph, but the tram did not slow down significantly and overturned.
The crash resulted in the deaths of Dane Chinnery, 19, Philip Logan, 52, Philip Seary, 57, Dorota Rynkiewicz, 35, and Robert Huxley, 63, all from New Addington, and Donald Collett, 62, and Jean’s son Mark, who were both from Croydon.
Jean says she still struggles with the memories nine years on and chooses to visit the crash site every year rather than attend the larger public ceremony organised by Croydon Council, which took place last Sunday. Each year, she and her husband go to Sandilands to remember their beloved son.
Nowadays, Jean and her husband avoid travelling on the tram whenever possible. She said they only recently
boarded one for the first time in years, but they never ride one that goes near the Sandilands junction.
As the years have passed, Jean feels many in Croydon are beginning to forget the day that shook the borough. Despite this, she remains positive.
“If it didn’t relate to you personally you would have got back on that tram and would have forgotten all about it because that’s life,” she said.
She added: “I have heard that some people who got on that tram that day and were hurt had no choice but to get back on. They had to get over their own fears, but we have a choice and don’t have to rely on it all the time.”
Jean still keeps in touch with some of the other families, though less often these days. She said the lead-up to each November is harder than the day itself, describing it as “a relief” once it passes.
Investigators later found the tram driver had likely lost awareness before the crash, possibly due to a brief episode of microsleeping, and criticised the lack of adequate signage warning of the sudden speed change.
An inquest returned verdicts of accidental death for all seven victims, including Mark Smith.
In 2023, the driver Alfred Dorris was cleared of all charges at the Old Bailey following a lengthy legal process. Jean said the inquest process left her feeling drained and disappointed, describing it as “mentally exhausting”.
The Smiths, along with the other victims’ families, spent countless hours in courtrooms across London, but Jean feels that all those years did not bring justice.
“Unless you are in a courtroom every single day like me and my husband were, you think the law will be about the whole truth and nothing but the truth, but I learnt in that courtroom that is not the case. Truth is very selective and barristers are very clever with how they put their point across.
“I try my hardest to put it to the back of my mind because I am not going to
let it control the rest of my life, but I think about Mark every single day, we all do.”
Mark’s son Lucas is now ten, and Jean says he is growing into “a welladjusted young man”. She told the Local Democracy Reporting Service: “In the early days he was always asking questions about his dad, but he doesn’t much now.
“When you ask him about it he says, ‘I don’t want to talk about it, Nanny, because it upsets me’. Now he’s got some of his dad’s qualities and I hope he gets more of his dad’s qualities as he gets older.”
She said she keeps a box of documents from the inquest and court cases for him to read one day, so he can know the full story of what happened to his dad. Jean previously told the Croydon Advertiser how over 700 people came to Mark’s funeral, with both family and friends travelling from as far as America, Australia, Ireland and Lithuania.
Croydon Council will held its official memorial service on Sunday, November 9 in Market Square, New Addington. The ceremony, led by Civic Mayor Richard Chatterjee, included floral tributes, a period of silence and the laying of wreaths, with the borough’s Executive Mayor Jason Perry, emergency services and local residents in attendance.
Mayor Perry said: “Each year on 9 November, we come together to remember those who lost their lives in the Sandilands tram derailment. It’s a moment to stand with the families and others affected by the tragic events of that day, and to reflect on the impact it had on our community.
“Nine years on, we continue to honour the memory of the seven residents who died. They remain in our thoughts.”
If you have been affected by the tram derailment, Croydon Talking Therapies (formerly IAPT) offers a range of psychological therapies to those aged 18 years and over, who are registered with a Croydon GP.
Jean and her husband will not get on a tram that goes past the Sandilands Junction, where their son lost his life Credit: Google Maps
Mark Smith was killed in the Croydon tram
A firefighter pays his respects. Credit: Tara O’Connor
CLAPHAM JUNCTION STATION PLANS
By Charlotte Lillywhite Local Democracy Reporter
CLAPHAM JUNCTION train station could be transformed with a new crossing and entrances to tackle overcrowding.
Wandsworth Council has shortlisted three options to improve the station, which is one of the UK’s busiest, by increasing capacity and upgrading connections through it.
The council agreed in 2023 to draw up a masterplan to improve the station and its surroundings to meet emerging targets for the area, which has been earmarked for at least 3,000 new homes, shops and infrastructure development over the next decade.
By Ruby Gregory Local Democracy Reporter
PLANS HAVE been submitted to convert a Grade II listed hotel in Blackheath into accommodation for elderly people.
The plans, from Elysian Blackheath LP, have been submitted to Lewisham Council’s planning portal and could see the 175-room Clarendon Hotel turned into specialist older persons accommodation for 77 people.
The hotel is located at the top of Blackheath Village at 8 to 16 Montpelier Row and is pat of a row of Georgian terraces that are all Grade II listed.
According to Visit Greenwich, the terraces were originally built for city merchants and seafarers back in the late 18th century.
The buildings were gradually adapted into hotel use from the mid-20th century. There used to be two other hotels called the Regency and Heathview which were located on either side of the Clarendon
The authority is working with partners including the Greater London Authority (GLA), Transport for London (TfL), Network Rail and landowners on the masterplan.
THE THREE SHORTLISTED OPTIONS IDENTIFIED THROUGH STAGE ONE ARE:
1 A new overbridge with a public link across the railway at the eastern end of the station and new station entrances on either side;
2 A new overbridge with a public link across the railway at the western end of the station, and new station entrances on either side. This would replace the current overbridge in the long term;
3 A new underpass (subway) with a public link under the railway at the eastern end of the station and new station entrances on either side.
The authorities have completed the first stage of the masterplan process, which involved exploring more ambitious alternatives to an existing proposal from Network Rail to build a new bridge at the eastern end of the station to slash congestion at minimal cost. A report by council officers said this would be a “missed opportunity” as it would not provide new entrances or unpaid crossings to improve connections through the station or unlock its development potential.
The second stage of the masterplan process has begun and will examine how each option would work with key
development sites and the wider area. This stage will establish an outline for land uses, design principles for new buildings and public spaces, landscaping and phasing. It is expected to be completed by autumn 2026.
The report said: “It is acknowledged that the station itself requires significant investment to meet current and future needs and to support the wider growth strategy for the area, including growth within the Winstanley-York Road regeneration area directly north of the station. The station is an essential interchange for millions of passengers each year, and whilst there have been some improvements in recent years, the station has not received the necessary investment to deliver significant capacity
and passenger experience upgrades required.
“Furthermore, key development sites identified for development in the Local Plan have significant interfaces with the station itself, and therefore the future of the station and these development sites cannot be properly planned without looking at the area holistically.”
The final outcome of the masterplan is anticipated to become a supplementary planning document (SPD), which will provide more detailed planning and design guidance to support policies in the Local Plan, be used to help determine future planning applications and help to build a business case to the government and other sources for funding for works to the station.
Grade II listed hotel could be convert for the elderly
Hotel however they reportedly became part of the current business in the late 1970s.
Under the proposals, the building would be restored to provide accommodation for elderly people that would include a gym, health and wellbeing facilities and a restaurant that would be open for members of the public.
Elysian Blackheath also intends to demolish part of the site so a new extension (pcitured) can be built at the back of it containing blocks that would be two to four-and-a-half storeys tall and would be connected by glazed links.
The proposals have been described as a positive contribution “to an identified housing need in the borough” as the accommodation is expected to help lower the burden on the NHS and will help free up “underutilised” family housing in the borough.
The plans were submitted on September 19 and are yet to be determined. Elysian Blackheath has also asked for listed building consent
The proposals have been described as an opportunity to bring a “dated and declining facility” back into use that supports the need for older person’s accommodation in Lewisham with “substantial” regeneration benefits.
what’s on
WRITE AND SEND KOESTLER YOUR HAIKUS
THE ANNUAL Koestler Arts exhibition is a great leveller, it is where prison inmates and art connoisseurs come together on common ground where nobody is judging anyone else, writes Michael Holland.
In fact, any judging has already been done, once in Koestler HQ by art experts choosing the works that get displayed, and earlier by the law courts that sent people to jail where they were able to find the creativity within themselves.
This year's common ground is once again The Southbank Centre where, with a keen eye, you can identify the inmates there; those who are acting as tour guides and stewards, and some who are the artists on day release. They have a quiet beauty about them, a look that comes from having experience of both sides of life. They exude a confidence that shows they are not phased by art enthusiasts, a confidence that comes from their art being on the walls being looked at and admired.
Every year Koestler choose a curator who will bring something special to the exhibition, someone who will have walked a path that wasn't merely creative but had diverted down roads most people do not have to walk.
Inua Ellams is a poet, playwright and performer who came to this country as a child and spent many years in a limbo of never knowing if he would get full citizenship. It was granted recently, so Inua lived as a refugee and knows what it is like to live with no safety net, when each day the rug could be pulled from beneath your feet.
And that was what he brought with him when he curated this show and saw the many depictions of owls in the thousands of works put forward; he
thought about how prisoners might do their most creative work at night, like owls, so he called the exhibition Night Owls and Abstractions. Many of the artworks show a longing for freedom, for the power of flight, for an escape from the walls and the bars.
He opened the gallery space up to fellow poets who wrote verse to hang alongside the art. Luigi Coppola was in attendance, a teacher and poet from SE London who told me, 'Inua asked
me, along with other poets from the New Poets Collective, to contribute, so I wrote haiku inspired by the artworks on display by the artists in criminal justice settings.'
This combining of inmates and professionals coming together through art adds another level to what Koestler has always done. Each artist will not only know that their work is in an exhibition seen by thousands, but it has also energised other creatives to
make more art to complement it. And that is a beautiful thing. With money and materials lacking in jail it was good to see many 3D works made from found or recycled objects. One enterprising artist from HMP Wymott used cell furniture smashed up by angry prisoners to make beautiful trinket boxes. They deservedly got a Gold Award for Woodcraft. There was a bag made from can ring-pulls, a pirate ship in
full sail built from all the flotsam and jetsam found on any prison wing.
There is always the poignant (Dear Dad) and the witty( Bingo Wings) and the harking back to a simpler time of board games with the family, but with a harsh reality check (Monopoly); plus the intricate matchstick and prison soap creations that have been a Koestler staple from back when the matches had to be picked up from the exercise yard and the soap from the prison stores. There are poems to read and music to listen to, cushions to admire, handmade quilts and an embroidered sheet that pleaded for Freedom.
My favourite, though, was Welcome to A Wing, a simple composition, almost devoid of colour, a man in silhouette arriving on the landing, an empty, soulless place that offered no warm welcome. He holds a piece of paper, seemingly with the rules to abide by during his time there.
You can almost see and feel what is going on in his mind: the regret of being in jail and not with his family, the shame his loved ones will feel when the neighbours shun them, the sorrow of not being a father to his children and not seeing them grow up. This one resonated with me more than any other.
This is an art exhibition that every year earns the right to be seen. Inua hopes that visitors will be inspired by the exhibition to explore their own creativity. A QR code in the gallery will allow you to write and send Koestler your haikus.
Southbank Centre, Spirit Level, Level 1, Royal Festival Hall until December 14th. Free Admission. Check opening time details: https://koestlerarts.org.uk/exhibitions/ annual-uk-exhibition-2025/
WHAT CAN you do with a timeless classic Mel Brooks' film from almost 60 years ago? Merely make the small changes that puts your own stamp on it and hope for the best, writes Michael Holland.
And that is precisely what Patrick Marber has done. His background in comedy allowed him to add many visual gags that made this stage version just as memorable as the movie.
The Producers tells of Max Bialystock, a hotshot theatre producer with a sleazy backroom sideline of selling sexual favours to old rich women to pay for his productions, and Leo Bloom, a nerdy accountant who dreams of being a rich producer. This clash of personalities actually equalled a match made on Broadway when Bloom comes round to Bialystock's office to audit the books. An arrival that was badly timed on a couple of
levels. Nevertheless, the two men agree to produce a monumental flop ($2m worth of flop) by a far-right Nazi (Harry Morrison) that includes gays and a transvestite playing Adolf Hitler because flops can earn dollars. 'What could go right,' they confidently sang at one point.
Of course, these now are different times from 1967 when there was worldwide discrimination against the LGBTQ+ community. With a more enlightened world Marber has ramped up the camp to dazzling heights and gained a different audience from what Brooks had all those decades ago, when they would laugh at gay people for all the wrong reasons - The Garrick auditorium twinkled like a disco ball almost as much those on stage.
The opening numbers and pastiche choreography mirrored the sardonic vibe that Brooks' brought to his work to mock the status quo and laugh at it. They set up
the mood for the rest of the evening. There is a brilliant dance of the Zimmer frames and lots of high-kicking, goosestepping moves, but mostly The Producers sparkled and glowed with Trevor Ashley, perhaps, sparkling more than anyone and loving every glittery second of it.
Andy Nyman (Bialystock) struggles to balance out his sleazoid character with no redeeming features to work with, but he didn't care, he was the best thing in it as he made the unlikeable likeable, and we loved him anyway because of his comic timing and ability to belt out a big song.
Marc Antolin as Leo Bloom surprised with his light-as-a-feather fancy footwork and singing skills that helped him blossom from office geek to geezer of the week when he and Ulla (Joanna Woodward) became a pair.
But nothing works without the company coming together to make this one hell of
a razzamatazz night. They tapped and kicked and shuffled to create a fantastic chorus line and a great show that will go down as one of The Menier Chocolate Factory's finest West End transfers. I was a little surprised at how the dodgy duo turned out doing fine instead of doing time for fraud at the end, but it's human nature to like a happy ending, which we had that as a winning double because Mel
Brooks sent a congratulatory telegram that Nyman read out to one and all after the
The Garrick, 2, Charing Cross Road, London, WC2H 0HH until 21st February 2026.
Booking and full details: https://thegarricktheatre.co.uk/tickets/ mel-brooks-the-producers/
cast had taken their bows.
Photo by Manuel Harlan
Tom Edden is Paddington's Nosey Neighbour
TOM EDDEN knew he wanted to be an actor early on: 'Probably when I was very small when I realised that showing off came with instant attention and gratification! But as I grew up my knowledge and interest in theatre matured; thanks to a dedicated drama teacher my experience pointed my passions in one direction.' That direction turned out to be South East London and the noted Rose Bruford Drama College in Sidcup, writes Michael Holland.
'As students we all ended up living around Lewisham, New Cross and Greenwich. Then fifteen years ago, when I bought a flat, I chose Blackheath.'
Tom waxes lyrically about 'the green space of the Heath, Greenwich Park, the village feel of Blackheath and being not too far from the river,' adding randomly 'I also have a fondness for the Blackheath tea hut.'
A standard question in these interviews is whether an actor prefers stage or screen, but I've never had this response before: 'Work is the prize whether it’s on stage or screen'.
Tom did, though, express stage as a favourite when pressed: 'At its best, an experience with a live audience in a show you’re proud of, is really unbeatable.' He described the role that kickstarted his career: 'I’d been grafting away for my twenties and then I got a small but very showy role as an octogenarian waiter in the comedy ‘One Man Two Guvnors’ with James Corden. That was such a huge hit that it catapulted me from relative
obscurity to being in a show that the world and his wife saw and remembered. It was like riding a fantastic wave for two years, from the National Theatre, to the West End to Broadway.'
In recent times, Tom has enjoyed Waiting For Godot, with Ben Wishaw - 'a very challenging but hugely rewarding experience'; Cyrano De Bergerac with James McAvoy, 'because it was such an exciting adaptation and concept that audiences really went crazy for it', and ‘Crazy For You’, 'the joyful Gershwin musical in the West End because it was such a happy show to be part of.'
A memorable theatrical moment for Tom was working with his friend David Benson. 'We played waiters together in the most chaotic and hilarious restaurant scene in ‘One Man Two Guvnors’, and, together with James Corden, I’ve probably never had as much fun or made as much mess on stage.'
On the screen, Tom also has tales to tell: 'I had an incredibly stimulating and fascinating time working on Mike Leigh’s film ‘Mr Turner’ starring the great Timothy Spall as the genius painter. It was a privilege to watch those two masters at work.'
And now Tom can soon be seen in Paddington: The Musical. I wanted to know how he felt when he got the part.
'Excited of course! I’ve never originated a role in a new musical before, let alone a new British musical. The songs by Tom Fletcher are so infectious and joyful - I know audiences will fall in love with them. There is so much that audiences will enjoy in this production; the design
ACTOR, PRODUCER and writer Jack Holden has had theatre in his veins since he was young, so there was no overnight success for him just hard work put in over the years with solid performances that attracted the right attention. I first saw him in Cruise, an Olivier Awardnominated play that he wrote and starred in. I was mesmerised. Plus, he is always the stand-out act when you see him on TV, writes Michael Holland.
Now Jack is bringing KENREX back to London after great runs in Sheffield and
is magical, the cast is incredible and, of course, we mustn’t forget the furry star of the show.'
Tom will play Mr Curry. I asked about his character.
'Well, making friends isn’t exactly Mr Curry’s special skill. He’s the nosy, interfering neighbour nobody wants and is very animated by the appearance of a bear from Peru who definitely doesn’t meet Mr Curry’s neighbourhood watch regulations. But he’s a pussy cat, really, and just needs an act of kindness to cut through the layers of scepticism.'
Rehearsals are underway right now and Tom is loving it: 'The cast is so wonderful and talented, as are the multitude of creative departments bringing this amazing show together; the music, props, costumes - everything! It’s amazing to see it come together and I don’t know if I’ve ever been part of such a huge operation.'
Tom's excitement was infectious and he could see that I was just as excited to see Tom and the cast in this new adventure for the Peruvian bear.
'It’s as if this show is made for south Londoners,' he began. 'It’s a love letter to this amazing city AND,' he emphasised, 'it’s at the wonderful Savoy Theatre which is only five minutes walk from Charing Cross!! Perfect!'
Perfect indeed. My train ticket is booked from SE London to Charing Cross!
Savoy Theatre from November 1st 2025May 25th 2026.
Booking and full details: https:// paddingtonthemusical.com/
Old Vic Theatre School, where the likes of Olivia Coleman, Patrick Stewart and Daniel Day-Lewis all trained.
How did you get to make it on to stage and screen?
After drama school, I was lucky enough to sign with one of the biggest agents in the country. They started sending me to auditions all over London, and I hit the jackpot very early on: I was cast as Albert in the National Theatre’s production of War Horse in the West End. I performed in that for a year, which set me up for a career on the stage. Along the way, I acted in the odd bit of TV and film, then landed some bigger roles in Ten Percent on Amazon, and Marriage on BBC One in recent years.
Do you prefer stage or screen?
know where your next job is coming from, and you have very little control over your career as an actor — that’s what made me start writing a few years ago, and now writing makes up as much of my career as acting does. Is there someone who you feel has inspired you more than anyone else in your career?
Southwark Playhouse - a play that has already won him a prestigious awardand he wants to tell us about it. But first...
When did you realise you wanted to act?
I was always trying to entertain my parents when I was a kid - something to do with being the middle of five boys!
Then I got involved with drama clubs during secondary school. But things really kicked off for me when I heard about Drama Schools — I couldn’t believe there were places I could go and study acting. So, off I went to Bristol
Theatre is absolutely my first love, and I will always be making theatre as a writer, actor and producer. But film also inspires and excites me. The feeling of being on a film set is like nothing else. And watching a film you’re in on the big screen is a mind-blowing experience. So I haven’t answered your question… if I had to choose, I’d always come back to theatre!
Is there one role that you feel was a kickstart to your career?
There are a lot of rungs on the ladder of success. War Horse was the first rung, but then my first season at the Royal Shakespeare Company was also an important one. Then performing in James Graham’s play ‘Ink’ at the Almeida Theatre and in the West End was another big moment. You never really
Well I have to give thanks to my English and Drama teacher, Kathleen Lynch, who always encouraged me to pursue a life on the stage. My all time acting hero, however, has to be the late, great Philip Seymour Hoffman. He was mesmerising in every role he performed. He also ran a theatre company in New York, and he directed work too. I always admire creatives who do more than one thing; people like Phoebe Waller Bridge and Mark Gatiss.
And you've just picked up an award.
Yes! I was honoured to win the UK Theatre Award for Best Performance in a Play for my performance in KENREX.
It was good timing as we’re bringing the show back to London. To get recognition for your work is always nice, but particularly for this show, which I cowrote with director Ed Stambollouian.
We’ve been working on this idea for many years, so to receive good reviews and to win awards is a huge reward.
Tell me about your characters?
In KENREX I play some 20 characters, almost all of them from the small Missouri town of Skidmore. It’s a true story, and most of the characters were real people, but I’ve had to embellish
and exaggerate them to make sure the audience always know who I am at any point. To differentiate between the characters, I change the pitch, quality and tone of my voice, but I also make clear physical choices too. I’m also assisted by an incredibly complex sound design, full of all sorts of audio trickery, courtesy of our genius sound designer Giles Thomas.
Will Kenrex change when you get to The Other Palace?
This is the third outing for KENREX and this time it’s going to be bigger, brighter and louder than ever before! The Other Palace is a brilliant, modern theatre, with an excellent sound system, so I’m super excited to amp up the production and give audiences one hell of a ride. What’s next for you after this?
I’ve got several commissions as a writer which I’ll have to catch up on, but we’re also hoping KENREX has a future life beyond London.
Anything you'd like to add?
KENREX is a high-octane, spit-andsawdust thrill ride through the American Midwest. Fuelled by a footstomping Americana soundtrack from John Patrick Elliott, it’s part gig, part true crime podcast — and an unmissable night out for theatre-lovers and sceptics alike.
The Other Palace, 12 Palace Street, London, SW1E 5JA from 3rd December 2025 - 1st February 2026.
Booking and full details: https:// theotherpalace.co.uk/kenrex/
Tom Edden
Jack is Back
VicPal. Jack Holden in KENREX
Photo by Manuel Harlan
80 years of questions and answers after World War Two
Dulwich to Denmarka search for my big brother
EIGHTY YEARS ago in Dulwich, as VE Day celebrations roared across Britain, my great-grandmother Mary Robbins sat down to write a letter to her family in Ireland, writes Emily Driver...
Her son, Alfred, an RAF bomb aimer, had disappeared a year earlier:
“My dear Nellie,
“Glad to know the cursed war is over at last. Now I’m more keenly than ever looking forward to good news of Alf, or better still, seeing him in person. People went mad here, but I couldn’t participate. It made me wish more than ever he was here, after all, those brave boys we have to thank for our lives.
“I fully realise there are a lot that won’t come back, but I’m hoping a mother’s greatest wish that her boy is spared.
“Little did I think when I wished for a son that he would be involved in a war more terrible than the last, and it will take years and years to recover from it. But Alf to come back is my one obsession. I pray to God he will.”
Her missing son, Alfred Robbins, was born at St Thomas’ Hospital in 1924, five years after the devastation of the First World War.
His father, Albert, had joined the 4th Queens Own Hussars in Dublin in 1911, serving as a machinegun sergeant through some of the bloodiest battles of the Great War –from the Somme to Verdun. During the Blitz, he drove buses through bombing raids and blackouts.
In 1942, at 19, Alfred left his family home in Dulwich to join the RAF as a bomb aimer. Over two years he completed nine missions, earning the RAF’S highest decoration, the Distinguished Flying Cross, twice. A citation from a superior described him as showing “coolness and exceptional
fearlessness in the face of danger.”
On 16 April 1944, he married Ruth Robbins. Three days later, he was recalled from his honeymoon to replace a fallen bomb aimer on a topsecret mission. At 20 years old, Alfred was never to return to the new life he had just embarked upon.
Throughout the war, Alfred’s family lived in hope. At the end of the war, Ruth received the news she had feared most. She wrote to her mother-in-law to say she learned that Alfred’s Halifax bomber had been attacked by two German fighters. The crew shot down one enemy plane, but the second destroyed their tail, sending them into the sea off the Danish coast.
Mary’s letter telling her own family of the terrible news mingles her faith and utter devastation:
“I’ll hope on that perhaps by some miracle God has spared him to us. Even to the contrary, it will take me a long, long time to reconcile myself to it.
“What a terrible thought, your own flesh and blood blown to eternity just gun fodder.”
Mary and Albert died never knowing what became of their son. So did Ruth, who, according to family accounts, lost the will to live after his death.
LINDA ROBBINS - ALF BABY SISTER SEARCHES FOR ANSWERS
Half a century later, Alfred’s sister and my grandmother, Linda Castleton (nee Robbins), 82, who had been just 15 months old when he vanished, began her own search.
Through an RAF archivist, she discovered that her brother’s plane had been on a ‘gardening’ mission –the code name for mine-laying over the Baltic.
Her inquiries led her to the Danish Army barracks in Sonderborg, who put
her in touch with Gunnar Hounsgaard, a local historian and former teenage member of the Danish resistance.
“Gunnar was able to fill in the blank areas for me,” Linda says. “He told me that on the anniversary of the Halifax crashing into the Baltic, the local army and civil defence hold a service of remembrance every year at the site of the memorial stone.”
Linda and her partner travelled from their homes in Farmborough, Kent, to visit the memorial in 2011.
“They are grateful to the British for supporting them against the German invasion. After the service, we were the guests of honour at the reception," she said.
She thought the story might end there – comforted by the knowledge that her brother had been remembered for nearly sixty years, unknowingly, overseas.
But Gunnar found more. Searching
old resistance documents, he uncovered records that indicated that Alfred’s body had been recovered two months after the crash, during efforts to retrieve other airmen from the sea.
When his remains were moved to Aabenraa Cemetery, it appeared to Gunnar that his identification tag had been stolen – “presumably by thoughtless people in their eagerness to obtain souvenirs,” Linda adds.
For the first time, she believed she knew where her brother lay. Gunnar was certain that this archival evidence confirmed that Alfred was buried in an anonymous grave at Aabenraa.
For Linda, it opened up the possibility of at last marking his resting place.
A NAME WITHHELD
But her request to the Commonwealth War Graves Commission was denied this year. Without his identification, they said, they could not allow the
name to be added.
“The events of the Second World War changed the history of my family forever,” Linda says. “Both my parents died never knowing where their son died. Alfred’s wife Ruth became ill in 1949, and died aged 29, and I am told she didn’t have the power to live.
“It is through the power of the internet and the tireless work of the Danish archivists that I was given some consolation. I am very grateful to the Danish people for the care given to our servicemen at that time and for their gratitude given for all those who have their lives.”
Eighty years on, her brother’s grave in Aabenraa remains unmarked.
The war that ended in celebration for so many never truly ended for the Robbins family. For Linda, one small act – letters on a headstone – would mean that, after decades of silence, Alfred would finally have his name.
Linda visiting war graves. Image courtesy of Linda Castleton.
Alfred Robbins. Image courtesy of Linda Castleton.
Alf's medals
The memorial stone
Memorials
In loving memory of
Una Maud Daley
9th July, 1931 – 19th November, 2008
Former Mayoress of the London Borough of Lambeth Seventeen years on, you still remain in our hearts, and not a day goes by without us thinking of you. You were a wonderful wife, mother, grandmother and great grandmother, and a very special lady to family and friends alike.
We treasured the lovely times we spent together, but we are comforted in the knowledge that you are with the Lord.
May we all know God’s presence during our struggle to come to terms with your absence.
Sadly missed by Husband Rudolph (Rudy), Sons Clayton & Colin, Daughters Maureen & Marlene and Grandchildren & Great Grandchildren, Family & Friends.
Rest in Peace.
In loving memory of Justin Warrington
30.09.1975 - 29.10.2019
Aged 44 years
a much loved son & brother & a True Lion
Thinking of our beloved Justin on what would have been his 50th Birthday.
Taken from us so suddenly & unexpectedly.
Was loved so much by all his friends & family
Miss you Justin, the pain will never leave us
Love Mum, Brian & his loving brother Stephen
To place a funeral announcement, birthday, death notice, birth, anniversary or memorial in the paper, please email katie@cm-media.co.uk and she will price it up for you Announcements must be placed by 4pm on the Tuesday before that week's publication
Transport for London Public Notice
ROAD TRAFFIC REGULATION ACT 1984
THE GLA ROADS (LONDON BOROUGH OF LAMBETH) (BUS PRIORITY) CONSOLIDATION ORDER 2009 A302 AND A3200 GLA ROAD (WESTMINSTER BRIDGE ROAD AND YORK ROAD) VARIATION ORDER 2025
THE GLA ROADS AND GLA SIDE ROADS (BANNED MOVEMENTS) TRAFFIC ORDER 2024 THE A302 GLA ROAD WESTMINSTER BRIDGE ROAD, LONDON BOROUGH OF LAMBETH BANNED TURN VARIATION ORDER 2025
1. Transport for London hereby gives notice that on 7th November 2025 it made the above named Orders, under section 6 of the Road Trafc Regulation Act 1984. The Order will come into force on 21st November 2025.
The general nature and effect of the Orders will be to:
(1) make administrative changes to the existing any vehicle except buses, taxis and pedal cycles turning right from A302 Westminster Bridge Road into the A3200 York Road;
(2) make administrative changes to the existing any vehicle except buses, taxis and pedal cycles turning left from A302 Westminster Bridge Road into the A3200 York Road;
(3) make administrative changes to the existing Bus only route on the A3200 York Road to allow Buses, Taxis and Pedal Cycles;
(4) formalise the existing westbound bus lane, centre side on the A302 Westminster Bridge Road between the extended eastern building line of Gassiot House, No. 2 Lambeth Palace Road to a point opposite the extended eastern building line of No. 246 Westminster Bridge Road. Buses, Taxis and Pedal Cycles, Mon – Sun At Any Time.
2. The roads which would be affected by the Orders are the A302 and A3200 GLA Roads and Side Roads – Westminster Bridge Road and York Road in the London Borough of Lambeth.
A copy of the Orders, a map indicating the location and effect of the Orders and copies of any Orders revoked, suspended or varied by the Orders can be inspected by visiting our website at https://haveyoursay.t.gov.uk/tro and selecting the relevant borough and reference the Trafc Order relates to or by appointment during normal ofce hours at our ofce at the address below. To arrange an appointment please email trafcordersection@t.gov.uk. Copies of the documents may be requested via email at trafcordersection@t.gov.uk or by post at the following address quoting reference SNOREGULATION/STOT/JW/TRO/ GLA/2025/0616-0617:
•Transport for London Streets Trafc 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.
Any person wishing to question the validity of the Orders 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 Orders are made, make application for the purpose to the High Court.
Dated this 14th day of November 2025
Andrew Rogers Performance and Planning Manager
Transport for London, Palestra, 197 Blackfriars Road, London, SE1 8NJ
LICENSING ACT 2003
APPLICATION FOR GRANT OF PREMISES LICENCE
Take notice that we Cockpit Arts have made an application to Lewisham Council acting as the Licensing Authority, for a NEW PREMISES LICENCE in respect of: Cockpit Arts Studios, 18-22 Creekside, London SE8 3DZ
The details of the application are as follows: • Supply of alcohol on the premises Proposed Operating Hours: 12:00 – 22:00 Every day
The application and the Licensing Authority’s public register can be inspected at: Lewisham Council, Safer Communities Service, Licensing Authority, 4th Floor Laurence House, 1 Catford Road, SE6 4RU by appointment between Monday to Friday (except on public holidays) and between the hours of 9.00 am to 4.00 pm; or at www.lewisham.gov.uk
The last date by which responsible authorities or other persons may make representations to the Licensing Authority in relation to this application is: 5th December 2025
Any representations must be made in writing to the above address or by emailing licensing@lewisham.gov.uk
It is an offence knowingly or recklessly to make a false statement in connection with an application and the maximum fine for which a person is liable on summary conviction is unlimited.
Transport for London Public Notice
ROAD TRAFFIC REGULATION ACT 1984
THE A202 GLA ROAD AND SIDE ROAD (CAMBERWELL NEW ROAD AND FOXLEY ROAD, LONDON BOROUGH OF LAMBETH AND LONDON BOROUGH OF SOUTHWARK) (TEMPORARY PROHIBITION OF TRAFFIC AND STOPPING) ORDER 2025
1. Transport for London in consultation with the London Borough of Lambeth and the London Borough of Southwark hereby gives notice that it has made the above named Trafc Order under section 14(1) of the Road Trafc Regulation Act 1984 for the purpose specied in paragraph 2. The effect of the Order is summarised in paragraph 3.
2. The purpose of the Order is to enable surveys works to take place on the A202 Camberwell New Road.
3. The effect of the Order will be to prohibit any vehicle from:
(1) entering, exiting, proceeding or stopping on Bolton Crescent between its junctions with the A202 Camberwell New Road and the extended eastern building line of Nos. 66 to 68 Bolton Crescent;
(2) entering, exiting, proceeding or stopping on Foxley Road between its junctions with the A202 Camberwell New Road and the extended southeastern building line of No. 60 (PH) Camberwell New Road;
(3) stopping at the south-western kerb-line of Foxley Road between its junctions with Cranmer Road and the A202 Camberwell New Road;
(4) stopping in the Loading Bay outside of No. 39 and 41 Camberwell New Road;
(5) stopping on the southern kerb-line of the A202 Camberwell New Road between a point 4 metres south-east of the extended common boundary of No. 92 and No. 92a Camberwell New Road and its junction with Foxley Road.
The Order will also allow all vehicles to use the westbound bus lane on the A202 Camberwell New Road between the extended common boundary of Nos. 88 and 90 Camberwell New Road and its junction with Brixton Road.
The Order will be effective between 18th November 2025 and 20th April 2026 every night 10:00 PM to 5:00 AM 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 trafc 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 trafc signs for Foxley Road via Camberwell New Road and Vassal Road or in reverse to normal route of travel. For Bolton Crescent via Camberwell New Road (southbound), John Ruskin Street, Dale Road, Cook's Road and St Agnes Place to normal route of travel. Or via St Agnes Place, Kennington Park Place, Brixton Road and Camberwell New Road to normal route of travel.
Dated this 14th day of November 2025
Matt Standell Planning and Performance Manager Transport for London, Palestra, 197 Blackfriars Road, London, SE1 8NJ
LICENSING ACT 2003
APPLICATION FOR GRANT OF PREMISES LICENCE
La Madera Ltd has applied to the London Borough of Lambeth for the grant of a Premises Licence, in respect of the following premises: Monaco of Arch 574, 30 Brixton Station Road, London SW9 8PD which would authorise the following licensable activities:
- The performance of live music (indoors)
- The playing of recorded music (indoors)
- The provision of late night refreshment (indoors)
- The supply of alcohol (for consumption on the premises)
With opening hours: Monday 10:00-01:00
Tuesday-Thursday 10:00-00:00
Friday & Saturday10:00-02:00 Sunday 10:00-00:00
The record of this application may be inspected during normal office hours by an appointment at the Licensing Section, London Borough of Lambeth Town Hall, Basement Room B08 & B09, 1 Brixton Hill, London, SW2 1RW, or via the licensing authority’s website, at www.lambeth.gov.uk/licensing
A responsible authority or any other person may make representation to the licensing authority in respect of this application.
Representations must be made in writing, either by post to the above address, or by email to licensing@lambeth.gov.uk and must be received no later than December 3rd 2025
It is an offence to knowingly or recklessly make a false statement in connection with a licensing application, and the maximum fine for which a person is liable on summary conviction for that offence shall not exceed level 5 on the standard scale (£5,000).
GRANT OF A NEW PREMISES LICENCE
of applicant: ARSLAN ASIF Premises: PIZZA ON FIRE 40 LAVENDER HILL LONDON SW11 5RL Licensable Activities; Retail sale of alcohol on & off the premises Sunday to Thursday 11.00 TO 00.00 hours, Friday & Saturday 11.00
4.
5.
their reasons, within 21 days of this notice. Representors must at the same time send a copy of their representations to the applicant at the address given at the top of this notice. A Guide to Making Representations is available at www. gov.uk/government/ publications/a-guide-to-making-
6.
within 21 days from the date on which this Notice is published. Any objection may be communicated to, or be seen by, other persons who may have an interest in this matter.
Dated 7 November 2025 Ben Stevens Highways Network Manager
LONDON BOROUGH OF LEWISHAM BLACKHEATH COMMON
The London Borough of Lewisham has applied to the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs for consent under Section 38 of the Commons Act 2006 to carry out restricted works on Blackheath Common. The Planning Inspectorate will decide the application on behalf of the Secretary of State. The works are the installation of a single non turf cricket wicket adjacent to Talbot Place, Blackheath SE3. The non turf wicket is an English Cricket Board approved system with a green finish. It measures 30m x 2.74m and lies flush with the surrounding ground. A copy of the application form and accompanying documents can be inspected at: Wearside Service Centre, Greenscene Parks & Open Spaces, SE13 7EZ during normal office hours until the Date – 12th December 2025 – 28 days after publication. A copy of the application form and accompanying documents may be obtained by writing to: Greenscene Parks and Open Spaces at the aforementioned address or by emailing: David.Walton@ Lewisham.gov.uk
Any representation should be sent in writing ON or BEFORE that date to: The Planning Inspectorate, Commons Team 3A, Temple Quay House, Temple Quay, Bristol BS1 6PN or commonlandcasework@planninginspectorate.gov.uk
If you use artificial intelligence (AI) to create or alter any part of documents, information or data submitted with a representation, you should tell The Planning Inspectorate that you have done so when you submit it. See the detailed Use of artificial intelligence in casework evidence guidance for further information.
Letters sent to The Planning Inspectorate cannot be treated as confidential. They will be copied to the applicant and possibly to other interested parties. To find out more about how Planning Inspectorate uses and manages personal data, please go to the privacy notice.
David Walton, Sports and Leisure Manager, Place Directorate, Lewisham Council, Wearside Service Centre, Wearside Rd, Lewisham SE13 7EZ.
LICENSING ACT 2003
APPLICATION FOR GRANT OF PREMISES LICENCE
Alex Lawyer, Pansy Thomson have applied to the London Borough of Lambeth for the grant of a Premises Licence, in respect of the following premises:
JJ Caribbean Food Ltd, 1-3 Rathgar Road, SW9 7EL which would authorise the following licensable activities:
To sell alcohol Monday-Saturday 9am - 23:00 Sunday 10am - 23:00
The record of this application may be inspected during normal office hours by an appointment at the Licensing Section, London Borough of Lambeth Town Hall, Basement Room B08 & B09, 1 Brixton Hill, London, SW2 1RW, or via the licensing authority’s website, at www.lambeth.gov.uk/licensing
A responsible authority or any other person may make representation to the licensing authority in respect of this application.
Representations must be made in writing, either by post to the above address, or by email to licensing@lambeth.gov.uk and must be received no later than December 2nd 2025
It is an offence to knowingly or recklessly make a false statement in connection with a licensing application, and the maximum fine for which a person is liable on summary conviction for that offence shall not exceed level 5 on the standard scale (£5,000).
LONDON BOROUGH OF LAMBETH
ROAD TRAFFIC REGULATION ACT 1984 - SECTION 16A
TEMPORARY CLOSURE OF ALBERT SQUARE
1. NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that, to enable filming to take place, the Council of the London Borough of Lambeth, with the agreement of Transport for London, has made an Order the effect of which will be at certain times to temporarily;
(a) prohibit vehicles from entering or proceeding in that length of Albert Square which lies between Hampson Way and Nos. 13 and 26 Albert Square;
(b) prohibit vehicles from entering or proceeding in that length of Albert Square which lies between Hampson Way and the rear property boundary of 176 Clapham Road;
(c) prohibit vehicles from entering or proceeding in that length of Hampson Way which lies between Albert Square and the rear common property boundary of Nos. 2 and 3 Albert Square;
(d) suspend the cycle lane in the areas specified in 1 (a) and (b) above.
2. An alternative route will be available for affected cyclists and other vehicles via Clapham Road, Dorset Road, Bolney Street, Wilkinson Street, Albert Square and vice versa.
3. The road closure will only apply at such times and to such extent as shall be indicated by the placing of the appropriate traffic signs and will not apply to any vehicle in connection with the filming.
4. The Order will come into force on 20 November 2025 and will continue in force for a maximum duration of 1 day.
Transport for London Public Notice
ROAD TRAFFIC REGULATION ACT 1984
THE A24 GLA ROAD (TOOTING HIGH STREET, LONDON BOROUGH OF WANDSWORTH) (TEMPORARY PROHIBITION OF TRAFFIC) ORDER 2025
1. Transport for London hereby gives notice that it intends to make the above named Trafc Order under section 14(1) of the Road Trafc Regulation Act 1984 for the purpose specied in paragraph 2. The effect of the Order is summarised in paragraph 3.
2. The purpose of the Order is to enable junction improvement works to take place on the A24 Tooting High Street.
3. The effect of the Order will be to prohibit any vehicle from: (1) entering, exiting or proceeding on the A24 Tooting High Street between its junctions with Garratt Terrace and Garratt Lane/Mitcham Road; (2) entering, exiting or proceeding on the A24 Tooting High Street between its junction with Garratt Lane/Mitcham Road and the extended north-eastern building line of Nos. 57 and 59 Tooting High Street.
The Order will be effective between the 1st December 2025 and 2nd March 2026, every night from 10:00 PM to 5:00 AM or until the works has been completed. The prohibitions will apply only during such times and to such extent as shall from time to time be indicated by trafc 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 force alternative routes will be indicated by trafc signs via: Tooting Bec Road, Ambleside Avenue, Mitcham Lane, Streatham Road, London Road, Holborn Way, Western Road, Priory Road and reverse to normal route of travel.
Dated this 14th day of November 2025
Andrew Ulph
Co-ordination Manager
Transport for London, Palestra, 197 Blackfriars Road, London, SE1 8NJ
LONDON BOROUGH OF LAMBETH
ROAD TRAFFIC REGULATION ACT 1984 - SECTION 14
TEMPORARY TRAFFIC AND PARKING RESTRICTIONS –POMFRET ROAD
1. NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that, to enable BT (Sunbelt Rentals) to carry out repair and maintenance 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 or proceeding in that length of Pomfret Road which lies between its junction with Coldharbour Lane and a point opposite the common boundary of Nos. 184 and 186c Coldharbour Lane.
2. Alternative routes for affected vehicles will be available via Coldharbour Lane, Luxor Street and Flaxman Road and vice versa.
3. The Order will come into force on 17 November 2025 and continue in force 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 works will take place between 17 and 18 November 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 1 month.
Dated 14 November 2025 Ben Stevens Highway Network Manager
Transport for London Public Notice
ROAD TRAFFIC REGULATION ACT 1984
THE A203 GLA SIDE ROAD (MILES STREET, LONDON BOROUGH OF LAMBETH) (TEMPORARY PROHIBITION OF STOPPING) ORDER 2025
1. Transport for London hereby gives notice that it has made the above named Trafc Order under section 14(1) of the Road Trafc Regulation Act 1984 for the purpose specied in paragraph 2. The effect of the Order is summarised in paragraph 3.
2. The purpose of the Order is to gas works to take place on the A203 GLA Side Road – Miles Street.
3. The effect of the Order will be to facilitate the emergency gas works taking place adjacent to the bays, permitting access and maintain of two-way trafc ow on A203 GLA Side Road – Miles Street.
The Order will be effective at certain times from 12:01 AM on the 15th November 2025 and 6:00 PM on the 5th January 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 trafc signs.
4. The prohibition 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 14th day of November 2025
Andrew Ulph
Co-ordination Manager, Coordination & Permitting Transport for London, Palestra, 197 Blackfriars Road, London, SE1 8NJ
LONDON BOROUGH OF LAMBETH
ROAD TRAFFIC REGULATION ACT 1984 – SECTION 14 TEMPORARY TRAFFIC RESTRICTIONS –VAUXHALL STREET
1. NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that, to enable footway and carriageway renewal, the Council of the London Borough of Lambeth intends to make an Order the effect of which would be to temporarily suspend the southbound cycle lane in that length of Vauxhall Street which lies between the northern property boundary of Brockwell House and a point approx. 30 metres south of that boundary.
2. The cycle lane suspension would only apply at such times and to such extent as shall be indicated by the placing of the appropriate traffic signs.
3. The Order would come into force on 1 December 2025 and would continue for a maximum duration of 12 months (to allow for contingencies) or until the works have been completed, whichever is the sooner.
Dated 14 November 2025 Ben Stevens Highways Network Manager
Dated 14 November 2025 Ben Stevens Highway Network Manager LONDON BOROUGH OF LAMBETH ROAD TRAFFIC REGULATION ACT 1984, SECTION 14(1) TEMPORARY PROHIBITION AND RESTRICTION OF TRAFFIC, MILES STREET
LONDON BOROUGH OF LAMBETH ROAD TRAFFIC REGULATION ACT 1984 - SECTION 14
TEMPORARY TRAFFIC AND WAITING RESTRICTIONS –LEIGHAM AVENUE
1. NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that, to enable Thames Water to carry out zonal metering surveys, the Council of the London Borough of Lambeth intends to make an Order the effect of which would be to temporarily; (a) prohibit vehicles from entering or proceeding in a length of approximately 30 metres of Leigham Avenue that lies between No. 46 and its junction with Conifer Gardens;
(b) suspend the one way working in Leigham Avenue; (c) suspend the “no entry” from Gracefield Gardens into Conifer Gardens.
2. Alternative routes for affected vehicles would be available via Woodleigh Gardens, Gracefield Gardens and Conifer Gardens.
3. The Order would come into force on 1 December 2025 and would continue for a maximum duration of 2 months or until the works have been completed, whichever is the sooner. In practice, it is anticipated that the works would take 1 day to complete. If the works cannot be carried out or completed during this time, then the Order may have effect on subsequent dates within the maximum period of 2 months.
Dated 14 November 2025 Ben Stevens Highway Network Manager
LONDON BOROUGH OF LAMBETH
ROAD TRAFFIC REGULATION ACT 1984 - SECTION 14
TEMPORARY TRAFFIC RESTRICTIONS – FERNDALE ROAD AND BYTHORN ROAD
1. NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that, to enable Network Rail to carry out a bridge inspection, the Council of the London Borough of Lambeth intends to make an Order the effect of which would be to temporarily prohibit vehicles from entering or proceeding in; (a) Bythorn Road; or (b) Ferndale Road between Nos. 192 and 210.
2. Alternative routes for affected vehicles would be available via Ferndale Road, Allardyce Street, Santley Street, Concanon Road, Acre Lane, Brixton Road and Ferndale Road.
3. The Order would come into force on 29 November 2025 and continue for a maximum duration of 4 months or until the works have been completed, whichever is the sooner. In practice, it is anticipated that the works would take place overnight between 29 November and 1 December 2025 and 7 February and 9 February 2026. If the works cannot be carried out or completed during that time, then the Order may have effect on subsequent dates within the maximum period of 4 months.
Dated 14 November 2025 Ben Stevens Highway Network Manager
1. NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that, to enable gas mains replacement works, the Council of the London Borough of Lambeth has made an Order the effect of which will be to temporarily prohibit vehicles from: (a) entering or proceeding in Miles Street between its junction with Bondway and its junction with Wandsworth Road; (b) waiting, including for the purpose of loading or unloading, in Miles Street between its junction with Bondway and its junction with Wandsworth Road; (c) waiting, including for the purpose of loading or unloading, in Bondway between its junction with Miles Street and its junction with Parry Street.
2. The existing one way systems in: (a) Miles Street, between its junction with Bondway and Wandsworth Road; and (b) Bondway, between its junction with Miles Street and Parry Street; will be suspended during the works.
3. Alternative routes for affected vehicles will be available via Bondway, Parry Street and Wandsworth Road and vice-versa.
4. Vehicular access to premises in Miles Street will be maintained.
5. The Order will come into force on 10 November 2025 and continue in force for a maximum duration of 3 months (to allow for contingencies) or until the works have been completed whichever is the sooner. In practice, it is anticipated that the works will take 5 weeks to complete.
Dated 14 November 2025 Ben Stevens Highway Network Manager
(a) entering or proceeding in that length of Fountain Place which lies between Nos. 33 and 37 Fountain Place; (b) waiting (including waiting for the purpose of delivering or collecting goods or loading or unloading a vehicle) in that length of Fountain Place which lies between Nos. 33 and 37.
2. Alternative routes for affected vehicles would be available via Eythorne Road, Crawshay Road, Braham Road and vice versa.
3. The Order would come into force on 1 December 2025 and would 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 would be carried out on 1 and 2 December 2025. If the works cannot be carried out or completed during that time, then the Order may have effect on subsequent dates within the maximum period of 1 month. Dated 14 November 2025 Ben Stevens Highway Network Manager
NOTICE
LB
VOC
automatic image rotation. 25/03439/ADV
2B Elms Road London SW4 9EU Installation of 1no. external air conditioning condenser unit to the rear of the property, to sit on top of existing rear bay window roof to residential flat 25/03469/FUL
367 Kennington Road London SE11 4PT
(Use
Planning Permission related to these works with reference number: 25/03226/FUL) 25/03227/LB
1 Glenfield Road London Lambeth SW12 0HQ Replacement of windows (6 sash windows with Accoya Timber slim double glazed Sash), rear door and casement combination (with Accoya timber joinery with slim
double glazing unit). 25/03302/FUL
78 The Chase London SW4 0NG Replacement of single glazed timber sash and casement windows with double glazed timber sash and casement windows to Flat D.
2 Willoughby Mews Insertion of 1x rooflight
Dated this Friday 14/11/2025
9BJ
Opening on 26 November 2025 at 9.30am REASON FOR INQUIRY: “Demolition of the existing garage buildings and replacement with 8 single dwelling houses with associated landscaping. Partial demolition of the existing apartment buildings (blocks 1-8) to facilitate works to remedy structural defects and a single storey roof extension on each building comprising of a total of 16 apartments. Conversion of the Caretaker's Lodge into a community room. Internal and external alterations to the estate, including window replacement and repairs to existing fabric; alterations to services; engineering works; and hard and soft landscaping including alterations to boundary treatment, lighting, the introduction of children's play space, car parking and provision of waste, refuse, estate management and cycle storage. Please note: The reference number for this planning application is 20/01200/FUL but there is also an associated application for Listed Building Consent related to these works with reference number: 20/01201/LB”.
An Inspector appointed by the Secretary of State will hold an Inquiry opening on the date shown above to decide the appeal.
Members of the public may attend the Inquiry and, at the Inspector’s discretion, express their views. If you wish to participate in the Inquiry virtually where previously agreed you should contact the Local Planning Authority (planningappeals@lambeth.gov.uk).
If you, or anyone you know has a disability and is concerned about facilities at the inquiry venue, you should contact the Council to confirm that suitable provisions are in place.
Documents relating to the appeal can be viewed at the Council offices by prior arrangement or on the Council website (20/01200/FUL & 20/01201/LB)
Where applicable, you can use the internet to see information and to check the progress of cases through GOV.UK. The address of the search page ishttps://www.gov.uk/appeal-planning-inspectorate
Information about the appeal will be available and kept updated on the website at –www.lambeth.gov.uk/planning-building-control/planning-applications/public-inquiry-dorchester-court
Contact point at the Planning Inspectorate: Robert Wordsworth Address: 3rd Floor, Temple Quay House, 2 The Square, Bristol, BS1 6PN Tel: Tel: 0303 444 5608
Email: robert.wordsworth@planninginspectorate.gov.uk
Planning Inspectorate Reference: APP/N5660/W/24/3356597 & APP/N5660/Y/24/3356876
LICENSING ACT 2003
APPLICATION FOR GRANT OF PREMISES LICENCE
Maiko Polanco has applied to the London Borough of Lambeth for the grant of a Premises Licence, in respect of the following premises: Urbano Bakery & Cafe, 6 Hopton Parade, Streatham High Road, SW16 6EP which would authorise the following licensable activities: Supply of alcohol on premises
Recorded background music 9:00am - 23:30
The record of this application may be inspected during normal office hours by an appointment at the Licensing Section, London Borough of Lambeth Town Hall, Basement Room B08 & B09, 1 Brixton Hill, London, SW2 1RW, or via the licensing authority’s website, at www.lambeth.gov.uk/licensing
A responsible authority or any other person may make representation to the licensing authority in respect of this application.
Representations must be made in writing, either by post to the above address, or by email to licensing@lambeth.gov.uk and must be received no later than December 1st 2025
It is an offence to knowingly or recklessly make a false statement in connection with a licensing application, and the maximum fine for which a person is liable on summary conviction for that offence shall not exceed level 5 on the standard scale (£5,000).
Licensing Act 2003 – Notice of Application for a Premises Licence
Notice is hereby given that an application has been made to the London Borough of Wandsworth for the grant of a Premises Licence by Zip Babb Limited
The application relates to the premises known as: Zip Babb, 167 Putney High Street, SW15 1RT
The application is for the following licensable activities: ● The sale of alcohol for consumption on the premises
Proposed hours of operation: Monday–Sunday 11:30 to 22:00
The designated premises supervisor is Han Wool Song.
A copy of the application can be viewed at the Licensing Section, Wandsworth Borough Council, Town Hall, Wandsworth High Street, London SW18 2PU or online at https://www.wandsworth.gov.uk
Any person wishing to make representations in relation to this application must do so in writing to the Licensing Authority no later than 8 December 2025.
It is an offence knowingly or recklessly to make a false statement in connection with an application under the Licensing Act 2003.
Date of application: 10 November 2025
You’d want to know if someone was applying for an ALCOHOL LICENCE near you, right?
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Join over 150,000 USERS to find out who’s applying for what and where in your community.
The Public Notice Portal is a free to use, online service that will tell you who is applying for what and where. Plus, if you register, we’ll tell you about any plans for your community, helping you to stay informed. Keeping you
publicnoticeportal.uk
By Sports Reporter
BURGESS PARK Sports Centre has been held up as a “great example” of a facility improved by a Football Foundation investment - and the “positive impact on the local community will be felt for years to come”.
The centre recently hosted an event to celebrate 25 years of the Football Foundation driving grassroots impact. Richard Masters, CEO of the Premier League, Mark Bullingham, CEO of The FA and CEO of Sport England Simon Hayes were in attendance, along with Lioness legend Fara Williams and former Premier League star Anton Ferdinand.
The centre opened in June this year thanks to a £2.4 million grant from the Foundation.
Surrey Seven get new deals
By John Kelly
DULWICH HAMLET won for the first time in nine Isthmian League Premier Division games when they beat St Albans 4-2 at a soldout Champion Hill last weekend. Without a league victory since the start of September, Mark Dacey’s side raced into a 3-0 lead in the first half after goals from Sol Baugh, Danny Mills and Lonit Talla.
The hosts got a major second-half scare when Alex Dyer pulled a goal back and then Daniel Olaniyi Oluwaseun Oyetunde reduced the deficit further in
BURGESS PARK ‘GREAT EXAMPLE’ AFTER FUNDING BOOST
Football Foundation since it formed 25 years ago, enabling millions of people to lead more active lives,” Masters said.
"The Premier League is committed to supporting every level of the game, and providing pitches and facilities that benefit people across the country is a key part of that. The new development at Burgess Park is a great example of the many sites that have been improved through Football Foundation investment. Its positive impact on the local community will be felt for years to come.
"It is thanks to the ongoing success and growth of English football that we can continue to deliver vital funds into the Football Foundation, in partnership with The FA and the Government.”
Hayes aded: “For 25 years, the Football Foundation has been a driving force in transforming community sport across England.
“At Sport England, we’re incredibly proud to stand alongside the Foundation, the Government, the Premier League and The FA in this unique partnership that’s actively and positively changing the sporting landscape of our country.
“Together, we’ve helped create thousands of high-quality facilities that have given millions of people the chance to be physically active, healthy and connected through sport.
The unique partnership between the Premier League, The FA and government formed at the turn of the century with the goal of providing grassroots facility improvements for all, regardless of gender, race, disability or place.
The event offered an opportunity to look ahead, and with the exponential growth of the game, particularly among women and girls, the Football Foundation’s mission continues via its ‘Game Changing’ five-year plan officially launched at Burgess Park.
By Sports Reporter
SEVEN SURREY players have been awarded England Men’s central contracts.
Gus Atkinson, Sam Curran, Will Jacks, Jamie Smith, Jamie Overton and Ollie Pope have agreed new deals.
At the core of the new strategy are the Foundation’s Local Football Facility Plans, which have been developed in partnership with local authorities, county FAs and other community stakeholders. These plans are a blueprint for providing the grassroots football facility improvements that will deliver where need is greatest and impact is strongest, creating inclusive opportunities for generations to come.
“We are proud to have co-funded the development of grassroots facilities through the
All-rounder Tom Lawes has also agreed an England Development contract. Lawes has become a key part of the England Lions squad after four impressive seasons with Surrey.
the 64th minute.
But the Hamlet weren’t going to be denied in front of 3,334 in East Dulwich and Mills added the fourth in the sixth minute of added-time.
Dulwich moved up to fifth in the table before their midweek game against Wingate & Finchley at Champion Hill.
Dacey’s side travel to Burgess Hill Town this Saturday for a 3.03pm kickoff. That kick-off time is part of the National League’s 3Up campaign, aimed at pushing authorities to change the current system to the Football League to three teams promoted instead of the current two.
“As we look ahead to the next chapter, we’re excited to keep building on this shared success and ensuring that everyone, wherever they live and whatever their background, can enjoy the opportunities and benefits that great community sport provides.”
Ferdinand and his his brother Rio grew up in Peckham before both started their professional careers with West Ham United.
Anton said: “I’ve seen first hand the impact of Football Foundation supported facilities in South London and the country more widely and am delighted to be here to celebrate 25 years of investment into the game I love. These young people are so lucky to have such brilliant facilities, a luxury not all of us have had. I’m excited to see the impact of facilities like this in shaping the next generation of players at all levels.”
Williams, from Battersea, earned 172 caps for England, scoring 40 goals, and five caps for Great Britain.
Williams said: “The growth of the women’s and girls’ game in recent years has been incredible, but we know it starts with giving girls the same opportunities to play as boys. The Football Foundation is making that possible by creating safe, welcoming places where dreams can begin, like here in South London where I grew up. I’m proud to play a part in helping the next generation of girls fall in love with football just like I did.”
Rob Key, managing director of England Men’s cricket, said: “This year’s central contract group reflects the depth and strength of talent we have across England men’s cricket.
“We have awarded two-year deals to our multi-format players, so we can manage their workloads responsibly and give them the stability they need to perform across formats.
“We have also secured a number of white-ball players on longer agreements to help us plan effectively around the growing franchise calendar and ensure England remains their priority.
“This structure allows us to support our players properly while maintaining strong squads across all formats as much as possible.”
Lionesses exit to rivals
By John Kelly
MILLWALL LIONESSES were knocked out in the second round of the League Cup as rivals Dulwich Hamlet Reserves won 2-1 at Green Dale Fields.
Mia Lockett tapped home in the 50th minute after Maisie Joyce’s effort had been tipped onto the post.
But the hosts hit back and went through after goals from Natalia Davila and Shakira Sesay.
Millwall are back in L&SERWFL Premier Division action this Sunday when they host Saltdean United at St Paul’s in Rotherhithe (2pm).
Mia Lockett’s goals wasn’t enough
Anton Ferdinand puts the kids through their paces
Ferdinand and Fara Williams grew up in South London
From left: Mark Bullingham, Simon Hayes, Richard Masters and Stephanie Peacock
30 SPORT
By John Kelly
CHRIS
RICHARDS
reckons Crystal Palace defensive team-mate Tyrick Mitchell is the most underrated player in the Premier League after the left wing-back kept Brighton & Hove Albion danger man Yankuba Minteh quiet in the 0-0 draw between the sides at Selhurst Park at the weekend.
Mitchell was partnered on the left side by nineteen-year-old Jaydee Canvot, who was making his English league debut in place of the injured Marc Guehi in the M23 derby.
“I’m really happy with how everybody played today, not just offensively, but defensively too. Any time you can keep a clean sheet is always good,” Richards said.
“I think T’s the most underrated player in the Prem. Of course, I’m a bit biased, but when you see him week in and week out, against some of the best players in the league, he always keeps them to the bare minimum.
“I think it’s something that we’ve always seen from T. I’m happy that he got his flowers today for it.”
Richards also had praise for Canvot, a £23million summer signing from French side Toulouse.
Richards said: “He was great. I think we have a lot of captains in this team, to be fair.
“We have a lot of leaders, a lot of people who can step up and today Jaydee stepped into Marc’s spot and did really well. You know, that left side was on fire today. T was amazing.”
Richards added: “Two good teams going at it. You know, it’s a derby for a reason, so I think it was a good result. I think both teams played really hard, but yeah, overall we’re pretty content.
“It felt like [a derby] today. There were a few tackles and yellow cards, but you know, we love it. We love it – we enjoy a fight.”
It was the Eagles’ third clean sheet in four games. It was a fairly dour contest, the main drama being a VAR-overturned penalty after Canvot had been penalised for fouling Georginio Rutter. Instead, Rutter was booked after referee Tim Robinson had been sent to review the incident on the pitch-side monitor.
Oliver Glasner’s hosts had the last chance to win it but Seagulls goalkeeper Bart Verbruggen denied Yeremy Pino in stoppage-time.
RICHARDS: MITCHELL ‘MOST UNDERRATED’
Defenders
going into the game how good Minteh is, but we knew how good we are.
“Jaydee slotted in. He’s a great young player, so we were confident. We know our triggers, we know when to press, when to stay. We work on that in training.
“Jaydee’s a great player so we knew
“I think we [the defence] have an understanding as a team from training sessions, and from all the matches we’ve played. We’ve played a lot of games this season,” Mitchell said.
“We train hard. The manager implements his style on us very well in training, so every single player, whether you start or don’t start, we know what we need to do when we’re on the pitch.”
Sunday’s draw was Palace’s seventh
help
Palace to point in M23 derby
match in 22 days between the October and November international windows.
They have eleven games in just over five weeks in November and December.
“You’re human so you get tired, but you want to play games more than you want to train!” Mitchell said.
“We’re happy that we play Thursday and Sunday, so we can’t complain.
“It’s tough. It’s very different from last season because of the Conference League but it’s good, I like it!
“I just want to do well for Palace and wherever that takes me, that takes me, but my main thought is to perform for Palace and get up the table.”
Addicks have Wind taken out of sails - but boss ‘proud’
By John Kelly
NATHAN JONES said he was “proud but disappointed” after Charlton Athletic’s five-game unbeaten run came to an end with a 1-0 defeat to Wrexham at the Stok Cae Ras last weekend.
Josh Windass scored the only goal of the game from the penalty spot thirteen minutes from time after Onel Hernandez had been penalised for handball.
Harvey Knibbs went close to giving the Addicks in the lead in the first half only to be denied by the crossbar.
Three substitutes were involved in the goal, Hernandez handling James McLean’s cross and Windass finding
the bottom-left corner of Thomas Kaminski’s goal.
Wrexham goalkeeper Arthur Okonkwo had denied Sonny Carey and James Bree in the first half, and he was the home hero in the ninth minute of added-time at the end of the game when he tipped Luke Berry’s header over.
“I’m proud but also disappointed,” Jones said. “The group are giving me absolutely everything. Kayne [Ramsay] shouldn’t have played today, neither should Lloyd Jones, neither should James Bree. But with the crisis we’ve got in terms of defensive options, they had to, and I’m really proud of the work rate and everything they give me.
“They’ve been phenomenal and it’s taken them [Wrexham] a moment of madness really to beat us. We showed our qualities. We had enough chances to have got something from the game. It’s just that, one, we couldn’t get the goal, and two, it’s been a moment of madness which has cost us.”
There was an element of controversy about the handball, though Jones felt his player should have done better.
He said: “There’s no danger. James McClean crosses one in, it’s big, it beats everyone. When Onel’s there, he’s just got to get his head on it and somehow contrives to touch it with his hand, although I don’t actually
know if he did touch it with his hand. But his hand’s there, so it gives the referee a decision to make, and that’s the difference.
“We had to gift them something, and we did, because I didn’t see them scoring. I didn’t see them breaking our defence, but I only have pride for the group.”
Charlton had a number of injury problems in north Wales. It was a similar situation last April when Phil Parkinson’s side defeated Jones’s Addicks 3-0 to win promotion from League One.
Charlton have two weeks to prepare for their next game at home to Jones’s previous side Southampton during the third international break
of the season.
“We need it,” Jones said. “For the first time we’ve really, really needed it. Bree couldn’t take a set-piece today and he’s, for me, the best in the league at doing it, but he couldn’t take it because he’s injured. Lloyd and Kayne shouldn’t have played — they had temperatures and sickness. They had to separate from the group and couldn’t train yesterday, but such is the crisis in the defensive area that they played.
“We’re not at our ceiling, but I’m so proud of the group, how they go about their work and how they do everything I ask them to. They’re humble, they work, and I’m proud of the group.”
© Keith Gillard
Tyrick Mitchell shields the ball from Georginio Rutter
Eagles defender
Chris Richards
Neil
‘NONSENSE’
Alex Neil dismisses Boro links
By Will Scott
ALEX NEIL dismissed reports linking him with the Middlesbrough job.
Reports emerged ten minutes after the Lions kicked off on Saturday that the Yorkshire club were eyeing up Neil as their first-choice target to replace the Wolves-bound Rob Edwards.
Neil was appointed Millwall head coach on December 31, 2024, guiding the Lions to within two points of the top six in his first season. He previously had stints at Hamilton Academical, Norwich City, Preston North
End, Sunderland and Stoke City, achieving promotion three times in his career.
He currently has Millwall sixth in the Championship after the opening fifteen games of the season.
Neil was asked about the reports by this paper following Millwall's 1-1 draw with Preston at The Den.
"I certainly haven't seen that, no," Neil said.
"It's not even on my radar. I don't even know anything about it. It's the first time I've heard about it. You've caught me off guard with that one. Nonsense."
EVANS EXTENDS LOAN
By Will Scott
GEORGE EVANS’ loan deal with National League side Hartlepool United has been extended to January.
The 20-year-old goalkeeper has made seven appearances for the Pools so far, keeping two clean sheets for the National League side.
Evans made a decisive intervention in his most recent match for Hartlepool, saving a penalty as the Pools beat Halifax Town 1-0 away from home.
Evans first joined Hartlepool on
a 28-day loan in early October, six months after he made his firstteam debut for Millwall.
Injuries to Lukas Jensen and Liam Roberts meant Evans was drafted from the under-21s into the first team, and he started the final four matches of the season, having previously just made one senior appearance.
He won man of the match in the Lions' 1-0 win against Swansea City on April 26, making four saves to ensure Millwall left The Den with a clean sheet.
Evans signed a long-term contract with the club in the
Millwall trio called up for international duty
By Will Scott
MIHAILO IVANOVIC, Dan Kelly and Max Crocombe have been called up for international duty during the international break.
Goalkeeper Crocombe will travel to South America for New Zealand's friendlies against Colombia and
Ecuador on November 15 and 18, respectively.
Striker Ivanovic will link up with Serbia under-21s, ahead of their friendlies against Czechia on November 14 and USA on November 18.
Scotland under-21s have called up midfielder Kelly for their two European Championship qualifiers. The first
away in Gibraltar on November 15, then a home fixture against Bulgaria on November 18.
Promising under-18s duo Ralphie Beckwith and Lyndon Snelgrove also earned international call-ups.
Beckwith was called up by Wales under-16s for their three Football Federations Cup fixtures in late
October and early November. The midfielder excelled in the last of those, a 2-1 win over Turkey on November 4, scoring a penalty en route to winning man of the match.
Defender Snelgrove will be part of the England under-17s camp for their fixtures against USA, Ivory Coast and Australia.
Browne uses head to send Dons through
By John Kelly
MARCUS BROWNE scored the winner to send AFC Wimbledon through to the last 32 of the EFL Trophy after they edged out Bromley 2-1 at Hayes Lane on Tuesday night.
Substitute Browne headed home
Nathan Asiimwe’s cross as Johnnie Jackson’s Dons responded well to their 5-0 League One defeat to Peterborough United at London Road last weekend.
Antwoine Hackford gave Wimbledon the lead in the fourteenth minute before Idris Odutayo levelled in the 33rd minute.
The Dons have a break until
November 22 as their scheduled game against Stockport Country this weekend was postponed due to international call-ups.
”We’re now through in the Vertu Trophy and we’re in a great position in League One. So if you stand backwhich we can now because we’ve got a little break - and assess the season as a whole, I think we’ve been brilliant. And obviously we just had a couple of tricky results to deal with,” Jackson said.
“What you don’t want is for that to continue. So we come here and we just have to fight and scrap our way to a win, which is sometimes what you’ve got to do. Sometimes that’s the best way to do it when you’re in a little rut,
if we’re going to call it that.
“So, yes, really, really pleased with the reaction because obviously Saturday hurt everyone, all of us. And I’m really pleased that we had the opportunity to have a game quickly because now we’re not going to play for ten days.
“I think a lot of these lads could do with a bit of a break, a bit of a pause, a little bit of a breather. You’ve got to remember, some of these boys only had four weeks off in the summer as well.
“They’re straight back into a higher division with even more demands. So, fair play to them for getting us to this point. It’s a well-earned breather
and I’m looking forward to what’s to come.”
Meanwhile, Ravens boss Andy Woodman was looking at the positives.
The hosts had 20 attempts at goal compared to the Dons’ three.
Woodman said: “That was pretty much their first team. We’ve mixed it, some players to get some minutes and some younger players. There was loads of good learning for our younger players and it’s gets us fit and ready fo the Christmas period.
“I don’t like losing any game but I thought we weer decent tonight.”
Bromley, who are just a point off the play-offs in League Two, host Barrow this Saturday (3pm).
summer.
After recovering from an injury earlier this season, he made three appearances for the under-21s ahead of his loan move.
Millwall’s other loanee, Adam Mayor, is enjoying a successful loan at ex-Lions boss Neil Harris’ Cambridge United.
The 20-year-old has made fourteen appearances for the U’s, scoring three goals. Cambridge are currently twelfth in League Two, and have progressed to the FA Cup Second Round and EFL Trophy Round of 32.
Fulham in Silva talks
By John Kelly
FULHAM ARE in talks with boss Marco Silva over a new contract.
That is despite the Cottagers’ poor start to the season that has left them just a point above the relegation zone.
Some reports have claimed that the club are weighing up replacing Silva. Silva wasn’t happy with Fulham’s summer transfer window and his current deal runs out at the end of this season.
Former Everton boss Silva was recently linked with Nottingham Forest and with Tottenham Hotspur in the summer before Spurs appointed Thomas Frank. Silva has led Fulham to finishes of tenth, thirteenth and eleventh in the Premier League after guiding them to the Championship title in 2022.
George Evans in training
Alex
Max Crocombe has made six league starts for the Lions
Sport INSIDE
Glasner: JD Canvot
to the very top
By John Kelly
OLIVER GLASNER believes Jaydee Canvot has “all the hardware” to become a top centre-back after the France under-21 international replaced injured captain Marc Guehi and helped his side to a clean sheet in the 0-0 draw against Brighton & Hove Albion last weekend.
Canvot, 19, was making his Premier League debut in place of Guehi, who was on crutches after suffering what Glasner said was “a heavy bone bruise” after getting a kick in the 3-1 win against AZ Alkmaar the previous Thursday.
Palace hope Guehi will return after the International break.
“Jaydee replaced Marc one to one in this position and I think he had a very good game,” Glasner said. “The whole team really defended well. It was a very intense game, many duels. Brighton have a lot of pace in their attack and we did so well defensively.
“I spoke to the back three [on Saturday] where they feel most comfortable because Chris Richards played the left position when Marc was injured when we arrived and he did very well.
“I asked JD if he feels comfortable playing on the left side. For me, it’s always the best, if we have to make a change, we change it one to one than if we have to change three or four positions. Then we said, ‘okay, we’ll play it in the same way’.
“It also helped him playing next to Tyrick Mitchell, who is a great defender and he showed it. I
THREE LIONS BOSS OPEN TO LONGER STAY
Mission one accomplished with World Cup qualification
By John Kelly
THOMAS TUCHEL is “open” to extending his England contract beyond next summer’s World Cup.
Former Chelsea boss Tuchel, 52, took over from Gareth Southgate in October 2024, officially starting the job in January, and already has mission one accomplished - qualifying for the tournament in Canada, Mexico and the United States.
Tuchel signed a deal through to the
end of the tournament and has led the Three Lions through a perfect qualifying campaign with two games to go.
“I open up the possibility,” Tuchel said. “There’s always a possibility.
“If everyone, the FA is happy with me, there’s always the possibility, but the focus is now for camp.
“[The job is] not more fun than I thought. I find it just reassuring. I find it as exciting as I was hoping it to be.
“I didn’t know exactly what was coming. I knew that I would love to
work with the players, but I was not aware what demands of international football for a coach actually means.
“Am I missing the daily work with the players? Yes, still, but it is very exciting so far to be close to this group of players and to shape this group of players, and of course, lead the group into a World Cup, so the best is yet to come.
“The most exciting part is yet to come and I’m looking very much forward to it. Personally, I’m in a good place, I like where I am. It’s a
lot of fun. It’s very demanding, so all fine.”
Meanwhile, Chelsea defender Trevoh Chalobah was called up this week with injured Crystal Palace centre-back Marc Guehi not expected to be involved.
Tuchel gave Chalobah his England debut against Senegal in June after giving him his Blues debut in 2021.
England play Serbia on Thursday (November 13) before concluding their campaign away to Albania next Sunday.
“I was happy with his [Canvot’s] performance against AEK Larnaca, despite his mistake that led to a goal. What I mention often is it’s part of development, especially as a young player.
“He had an excellent game at Liverpool. I see him in training, what he can do. That’s also the reason why we signed him: we see he has all the hardware you need as a centre-back. He has pace, he’s tall. We have to work with his heading, especially in attack.
“He’s comfortable in the build-up. I think if he gets more confidence, he’s even better in the build-up than what he showed [against Brighton] – more like at the end, because he also can drive into the midfield.
“That’s what we could see. That’s why we signed him and now it’s for him, giving him time, step by step, helping him to become the best Jaydee he can be.”
Jake Cooper
Thomas Tuchel watches midfielder Declan Rice in possession