Southwark News - February 20th 2025

millWall neWs

Issue 1725

Est: 1987

50p

February 20 2025

southwarknews.co.uk

broken bisCuits and Capitalism

Was the biscuit factory a worker’s paradise or is the truth less sweet?

‘balanCing aCt’ Finance boss: pages 22-23

see page 4

council budget sees no cuts to key services see page 4

exClusive

see page 4

six points oFF play oFF spot see page 10

What the Renters’ Reform Bill means for landlords and tenants Peckham on the march see page 11

see page 15

Elephant gang to hit our screens

2 NEWS Contents NEWS Pages 2-16 OPINION Pages 18-19 ARTS Pages 20-21 HISTORY Page 22-23 CLASSIFIED Page 24 PUBLIC NOTICES Pages 25-27

By Issy Clarke riCharD alDwinCklE of one Dulwich has led the collaboration between 15 anti-ltn campaign groups – including greenwich, islington and lambeth – to oppose “badly designed and socially unjust ltns”.

In an open letter published in The Times last month, several community groups called for stricter regulations requiring councils to obtain community support before introducing new traffic management schemes.

LTNs aim to restrict the flow of traffic through residential areas by using barriers and road signs.

The letter continued: “Our experience is that local authorities often impose schemes that do not have the backing of local people, and in many cases after public consultations showing that two thirds or more of respondents wanted them removed. This has eroded trust in local government.”

The campaigners urged Heidi Alexander, the Transport Secretary, to introduce stricter regulations that would ensure groups with protected characteristics such as disabled people are not disadvantaged by LTNs. Under statutory guidance, local authorities are obliged to consult communities before

dulWiCh residents lead national Charge against unWanted loW traFFiC neighbourhoods

implementing an LTN, but schemes do not need community support to go ahead.

This has led residents in several areas where LTNs have been introduced to claim the council ignored significant local opposition raised during the consultation.

The Dulwich Village junction has been a controversial area ever since the council made it an LTN in June 2020. Last year, we

broke the news that Southwark Council had made £26 million in fines from traffic cameras encircling the area.

Some have praised the LTN as increasing safety for pedestrians, including schoolchildren, and encouraging people to use healthier forms of transport.

However, other residents, say it has others argue it has made pensioners’ lives a misery.

Dulwich Village LTN

Elderly people reliant on cars have previously claimed the LTN has made them more socially isolated and quadrupled journey times to their doctors One Dulwich has previously argued the council’s LTN schemes have failed to encourage sustainable travel, pointing to government data suggesting minimal increases in cycling and walking.

Mayor accused of ‘utter hypocrisy’ getting workers back in the office

Pages 29-32

By Noah Vickers

© London Assembly webcast

Local Democracy Reporter

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Sir SaDiQ khan has been accused of “utter hypocrisy” by Conservative critics after he urged london’s businesses to encourage their staff back into the office, despite the fact that City hall operates on a “hybrid working” model.

The mayor told an event last week that London “cannot afford” to become a city where “the centre has been hollowed out”, and warned companies to think “very carefully” before deciding to reduce their office space.

But the Tories say that Sir Sadiq has played his own part in “hollowing out” London by relocating City Hall, in 2021, from its purposebuilt headquarters near Tower Bridge to a smaller premises in the Royal Docks.

The decision was taken as a cost-cutting measure, with the mayor’s team saying it will save the Greater London Authority (GLA) £58m over five years.

However, the current headquarters cannot accommodate all staff at the same time, meaning that City Hall employees typically

Sadiq Khan and Susan Hall clash at Mayor’s Question Time

Issue 1724

editor: Kevin Quinn reporters: Isabel Ramirez; Issy Clarke Sports editor: John Kelly Sports reporter: Will Scott arts correspondent: Michael Holland digital transformation editor: Katherine Johnston Media Partnerships: Anthony Phillips advertising: Clarry Frewin design: Dan Martin, Ann Gravesen Finance: Em Zeki - Tel: 0779 883 3758 em@cm-media.co.uk Subscriptions/announcements: Katie Boyd Managing & commercial director: Chris Mullany Managing & editorial director: Kevin Quinn Published weekly on a thursday at: Community Matters Media Ltd 1 Bermondsey Square, London SE1 3UN. news and Sport: 020 7231 5258 advertising: 020 7232 1639 news: news@southwarknews.co.uk advertising: hello@cm-media.co.uk Printed by Iliffe Print. Tel: 01223 656500 www.iliffeprint.co.uk

Est: 1987

50p

February 13 2025

find ways to make the office environment more attractive for workers in the first place.

Neil Garratt, leader of City Hall Conservatives, said: “If he’s moaning about businesses in London not getting people back in the office, maybe he should explain why he’s sticking with his plan of having most of his own City Hall staff working from home most of the time.”

Tory assembly member Susan Hall, who stood against Sir Sadiq in last year’s mayoral election, called him an “utter hypocrite” and said his remarks last week were “another case of do as I say, not as I do”.

A GLA spokesman said: “The move to the new City Hall is saving £58m over five years to

invest in vital services and stimulate economic growth across the capital. The new building is proving to be hugely popular with both staff and Londoners – and a busy and vibrant home for London government.

“The mayor believes that flexible working is important for many workers, business and organisations and of course there are advantages to home working, but spending time in the workplace and engaging face-toface with colleagues is also important – not only for personal development and teamwork, but to make the most of all the culture and leisure facilities our great city has to offer.”

The southwark news is proud to be the only independent, paid for newspaper in London

southwarknews.co.uk

EXCLUSIVE

WORLD’S FIRST COFFINS MADE FROM MUSHROOMS

Neil Garratt AM

spend two or even three days a week away from the office – an arrangement defended

by Sir Sadiq’s team as being good for staff “productivity and well-being”. Speaking at an event hosted by the consultancy firm Project Leaders last week, the mayor said he was concerned about young graduates who, due to their lack of office-working, may fail to strike up connections with their colleagues, or acquire certain skills in their first jobs.

In a message to the capital’s business community, Sir Sadiq urged employers to encourage their staff back into the office, though he also suggested companies should ‘ON A MISSION’

© London Assembly

SPORT

See page 5

TURNING THE QUAYS

Why is this man sitting in a wheelie bin of ice every day?

See Page 3

See sport

EXCLUSIVE

MILLWALL’S GOLDEN PATHWAY See page 8

Shopping centre conversion will see 2,000 capacity music venue, 200 new homes on food hall and vertical farm Old Kent Road site See page 4

See page 4

Southwark News started life as the Bermondsey News in 1987, as an A-4 photocopied sheet of paper and rapidly grew to cover the entire borough and the surrounding area. As the borough grew, so did the newspaper.

It is owned and run by Chris Mullany and Kevin Quinn.

Former reporters for Southwark News, they bought the title in 2002, after the founder Dave Clark died suddenly from cancer four years earlier.

A dedicated team of staff work tirelessly to cover as much of what is going on as possible and strive to ensure that a community-led, independent newspaper can survive and excel in a market dominated by national and multinational media groups.

Follow our social media to be updated on local news

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Southwark News is a member of the Independent Press Standards Organisation (which regulates the UK’s magazine and newspaper industry).

We abide by the Editors’ Code of Practice and are committed to upholding the highest standards of journalism. If you think that we have not met those standards and want to make a complaint, please contact 0207 231 5258.

If we are unable to resolve your complaint, or if you would like more information about IPSO or the Editors’ Code, contact IPSO on 0300 123 2220 or visit www.ipso.co.uk

NEWS 3

humbled by heroes on the bermondsey mile...

Leo Gregory, Green Street actor (left), and Roy Larner (right)

Review of photo exhibition celebrating the UK’s top community champions

By Michael Holland whEn a collaboration between protein drink maker ‘for goodness Shakes’ and marvel Studios come together to mark the release of Captain america: Brave new world, where better to commemorate the union than in the mash Paddle Brewery, a stalwart of the Bermondsey Beer mile.

But with Captain America busy promoting his film in Trump-torn USA, real heroes were needed for a photographic exhibition that lauded true heroism, so a call was put out for nominations for the nation’s unsung heroes who volunteer their time to help others - And Britain came through.

Men and women across the UK were put forward for Portraits of Today’s Everyday Heroes - often without their knowledge - and this week, they assembled in SE16 to launch an exhibition of their portraits taken by David Wren.

As they arrived at Mash Paddle, without capes and fanfare, they appeared normal, but when you spoke to them and heard their stories, their magnificence grew and grew.

Sue Hickey, born and bred in Southend, was diagnosed with a rare and aggressive form of breast cancer in 2021.

Some people would give up right then, but Sue became motivated to inspire others to be positive and fight the cancer. She led by example and accepted challenges to fundraise. When the doctors told her not to continue running and swimming, Sue adapted her exercise regime: ‘A week after one operation,’ she says, ‘I was at Parkrun, but walking instead of running.’ She swears by positivity as a way of battling the disease, and even when she lost all her hair, her baldness got her a part in a Zombie film. She laughs as she relates the tale.

Sue got the all-clear in 2023, but it never leaves her mind.

‘It’s always there,’ she reveals. But she says it with a smile.

Sophia Badhan had a troubled time as a teenager and didn’t feel that the health system helped her. Rather than accept the little care that was there, she ran her own campaign for eating disorder awareness at school and set up charity fundraisers, campaigns that she took forward with her when she went on to university.

‘Looking back on it now,’ begins Sophia, ‘I don’t know how I managed to do my ‘A’ levels and degree while running campaigns, but I found that the social action gave me energy’.

Sophia’s reward, along with improving her own mental health, was ‘meeting such great people, having such great experiences and having such wonderful opportunities’.

Her work in mental health has now earned Sophia several well-deserved awards.

When just a boy, Teame Tesfamarian escaped Eritrea when the war for independence became bloodier. His eldest brother was captured and executed.

Teame made a life here and became a black taxi driver but never forgot his homeland or the people who fought for its independence. He always kept his roots in Eritrea and had planned to go back for Martyrs Day in 2020 to run a 10k to honour those who had bravely fought as he had done in previous years. Covid stopped his plan, but he was determined to still run the 10k. He ran on his local streets while his wife recorded him and shared the video on social media. He started to get support online, and a friend suggested he run another 10k, this time to fundraise for The National Association of Eritrean War Disabled Veterans (NAEWDV).

Together with his sons, Teame set the goal of raising £1,000, which they achieved, so they upped it to £2,000, which they achieved, so they kept raising their target. This inspired Teame to organise regular charity campaigns and fundraising events for the NAEWDV. Teame spoke about the many Eritrean veterans who are getting care - some 24/7 - to enable them to live as independently as they can and emphasises that he will not stop in raising the funds to keep that good work going.

All the winners of this extremely worthy award did not know that they had been nominated for the Everyday Hero accolade, an honour that came as a surprise to them because they don’t see themselves as others do. It was this humbleness that filled the room and made everyone else proud to be there with them.

The exhibition will raise funds for Volunteering Matters. Mash Paddle Brewery Taproom, 92 Enid St, London SE16 3RD until 13th March.

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4 NEWS

What is in Southwark Council’s budget and what does it mean?

Cllr Stephanie Cryan, Southwark’s cabinet member for finance,

By Isabel Ramirez Southwark Council says it has got a balanced budget and is not going bankrupt unlike many other council’s across London,

In an interview with the cabinet member for finance Stephanie Cryan said their three-year budget means ‘no further cuts’ are being made to services.

Elsewhere in London, seven other councils are asking for more money from the central government, including Lambeth, Newham, Havering, Enfield, Barnet, Croydon, and Haringey.

This month it was revealed that Croydon alone was seeking a whopping £136million bailout. However, in Southwark the Labour adminstration says it has managed to balance its books, and unlike last year, it didn’t have to make any cuts to frontline services.

The budget (£489.29 million) has been fully costed and will be agreed on Wednesday 26 February.

KEY points

● Council tax up 4.99% - for example, a rise of £84.92 for band D ● £14m overspend on temporary accommodation, including £4m of the council’s reserves ● Up to £5m to be spent on Cost of Living support for the most vulnerable ● The council is getting £200.91m from the government (up from £173.46 million last year) ● Raising gym memberships by £12 a month ‘still won’t cover the cost of the service’

“The biggest spends are adult care and children’s social care.”

Last year saw cuts to adult and social care. “We ended up last year with around about £5 million deficit for this year,” Cllr Cryan explained.

However, she said the financial settlement from central government which included a £1.99m grant for children’s services and a homelessness prevention grant for adults (£3.15m), could pay off that deficit.

“So there wasn’t any cuts to the actual service itself,” she said.

And claims there were more efficiencies: “Some of it was around recouping the actual cost of care from

those who can afford it,” she explained.

Adult care includes nursing homes, supported accommodation, occupational therapy, social engagement support, home care, respite care, daycare centres, mental and health support. Whilst children’s social care includes youth offending services, SEND, family support, children’s homes, and fostering.

Council tax will rise by the maximum permitted amount of 4.99 per cent

Cllr Cryan justified the rise: “If we didn’t [raise it] we would have to look for another £7.5m worth of savings, which could impact on services.”

In 2025/26 a band D charge will be £1,877.90 which is a £84.92 increase from the band D Council Tax charge in 2024/25.

Southwark Council tax is the eighth lowest in London, with Wandsworth by far the cheapest at £990 per year for band D.

Help for those struggling to pay council tax is guaranteed for another year

That’s a scheme where people on low income can get a discount of up to 15 per cent off their council tax.

“If anyone is worried about paying their council tax, service charges, rent don’t suffer in silence,” she said, “ just get in touch straight away.”

The Housing Revenue Account

council bands (less likely to be energy efficient), and school uniform costs (for low-income households transitioning from primary to secondary up to £100).

“We’re trying to make sure we’ve got funding for lots of situations,” she said.

London is spending £4million per day on temporary accommodation

Like other councils, Southwark said this was one of their biggest pressures. Last year there were about 4,467 households living in temporary accommodation.

They have projected a total £14m overspend, including having to use £4m of the council’s reserves.

“There are other overspends but temporary accommodation is by far the largest amount.”

Cllr Cryan mentioned their costs ‘aren’t as high’ as other councils because they can use housing stock which is undergoing regeneration e.g. the Aylesbury Estate.

She referenced the incoming Renters’ Reform Bill, due to become law this year, saying it would help ease the strain on how much councils are spending on housing evictees in temporary accommodation by banning Section 21 evictions.

“A lot of people in the private sector have been made homeless through nofault evictions, so actually stopping that will help,” she said.

Tackling anti-social behaviour is a top priority for the council

Southwark Council’s Housing Revenue Account (HRA) - money used to repair council housing and fund major works - has a forecasted overspend of £8.1m.

Cllr Cryan said, unlike the general fund, it was “not as robust” as they would like. She blamed the previous government for this. “They didn’t give councils any money for what we lost because of rent caps.”

The council is investing an extra £600,000 for community safety.

Specific measures include increasing wardens and patrols on estates and a commitment to women’s safety, including delivering a new women’s safety centre.

The council recently just agreed to an extra £1m to upgrade CCTV across the borough - although this is not from this specific budget, rather the capital one.

This money comes from the Household Support Fund from central government.

Cryan explained there was a variety of support available, in the form of one-off cash payments.

This includes pension credit for older people (£200), care leavers (£100), energy payment for those in lower band

Last year, it was revealed that over half of the council’s homes were without smoke alarms and there were almost 2,000 overdue fire safety checks. This was after the council referred itself to the Regulator for Social Housing (RSH), apologising to tenants for this mistake.

In the last three years, the council

Up to £5m to be spent on Cost of Living support for the most vulnerable

All Southwark council homes should have smoke alarms by March 2026

has spent approximately £20m on fire safety.

The council has taken action to mitigate the risks of overdue fire safety actions and is ensuring urgent work is prioritised.

It has set aside a further budget of about £10m for fire safety work and will allocate more money if needed. “We’re also seeking to procure a new specialist fire safety contractor,” she said.

The programme is set to be completed

by March 2026.

the gym membership, it still won’t cover the cost of running the service.”

“If you benchmark us against other local authorities – we are still one of the lowest. That’s our comparator, you can’t compare that to gyms without pools. If you compare us to private gyms with pools we are a lot cheaper.”

‘No services suffered because of the Lower Road bus lane refunds’

From May-October last year we revealed the Lower Road bus lane did not have a valid Traffic Management Order (TMO). As a result, the council was forced to refund all drivers who had received a Penalty Charge Notice from there during that time. The amount totalled £119,000.

“It was our mistake,” Cllr Cryan admitted.

That said, she confirmed the refunds did not affect the budget. “No services suffered because of the bus lane fine refund. We hadn’t spent that money yet.”

She added: “If we get money from parking and highways it has to go on traffic. We can’t spend it on anything else.”

Gym fees might be up, but they still don’t cover the cost of the service

It was revealed that gym membership at the council’s eight leisure centres will rise by £12 a month.

Asked about the decision behind raising the monthly fees from £31.99 to £43.99, Cryan said: “It’s not been put up for five years. The previous provider lowered them, and it just doesn’t cover the cost.”

She went on to say they had made some significant investments in their leisure centres since bringing them back in-house. The brand new centre to replace Seven Islands Leisure Centre in Rotherhithe is due to open this year.

“But even now that we’ve increased

Council will earn up to £1m by 2026 by renting out their offices on Tooley Street

“There is space on the top floor and first floor that we can rent out,” Cryan says. This is all part of ‘using the space better’ and assessing the income they make from their buildings and assets.

There is also a café space in the building currently out for tender at the moment. It’s the smart thing to do,” she said.

In the budget, the council estimates they will earn up to £80,000 this year (2025-2026) renting out Tooley Street.

However, they weren’t able to tell us exactly how much renting out the space brings in.

Cryan added: “Our next biggest building after Tooley Street is Queen’s Road, we’re looking at bringing our children’s services in there – altogether.

So, this will free up some buildings across the borough.”

A look at running clubs across South London

NEWS 5

 Your Pace Or

From mates who used to rave and now run to one club that has had 26 marriages

By Eliza Frost 2024 was the year of Brat, Taylor Swift’s Eras tour and celeb lookalike competitions – and the year running clubs entered our everyday.

The rise of running clubs has been seen all across south London, one being Grove Lane in Camberwell, which has seen organic growth since it started in the summer of 2022, and now hosts five runs a week.

Founder Harry Swinhoe says he got into running when his new boss asked, “Are you coming for a run?”.

“It was an induction by fire,” he says.

“But I soon realised that running was really good for my mental health, my physical health, and it grounded me and gave me a sense of clarity throughout the day.”

He explains how “it’s nice to disconnect with the digital world and reconnect with what’s real”, adding: “I think running has been an antidote to isolation through Covid, or just too much exposure to digital and not enough real community.”

People are definitely seeking opportunities to connect, which is how run club Friday Night Lights began, too.

Sam Harridge explains that the group started as a way for sober runners to have the chance to socialise on a Friday night – without the pressure of having to “get drunk and ruin your weekend”. It is “essentially a bunch of mates who used to rave and now run”.

Sam adds of the community: “We have many people attend solo and find new friendships and communities that fit who they are,

including our own FNL volunteers.”

Runner Jordayne Frizzell has been a member of a few running clubs in south London, with the longest stint being with London City Runners on the Bermondsey Beer Mile.

She says that “the running community has been transformative for me, and I feel incredibly lucky to be a part of it”.

Of running in south London, Jordayne says what she loves most is “the abundance of green spaces”, adding: “Parks like Burgess, Southwark, Wimbledon and Greenwich are so beautiful to run through, especially in the summer and autumn months.”

Running through Earlsfield, Sophie organises casual run group Wandle Runners. She says: “The word ‘communities’ gets banded around a lot, but by putting the word ‘running’ in front of it, I worry that it can make people feel categorised. In that it is something that you need to be ‘good at’ or ‘want to improve upon’ to be a part of.

“And that’s not what Wandle Runners is about at all, it’s just a conduit to helping people meet friends who live locally. We are a running group, but most of our socialising doesn’t involve Lycra at all.”

The club doesn’t split into paced groups and they stop every couple of kilometres to allow runners of all speeds to mingle.

The group meets at the Pig and Whistle at 7:15pm every Tuesday.

And Sophie also shouts out Ceris and Lee for promoting the event in the pub and supporting the group.

Laura Pettitt is a member of

 Jordayne Frizzell

Wandle Runners and says joining has been “one of the highlights of my life in London”.

“As well as running together, the other members are my friends, and on our WhatsApp group there is everything from physio and running shoes recommendations to people suggesting local plumbers and organising to go for drinks or a roast,” she explains.

Laura has even signed up for a marathon in 2025, which “I never would have done if I wasn’t a member of Wandle Runners”.

Similarly, James Wyatt is unsure where he would be without his running club, Runhead AC, which meets every Tuesday at 7:30pm at the Old Nun’s Head in Nunhead, and everybody is welcome.

He joined back in 2016, “combining a bit of well-needed fitness

improvement with my love of a few beers”.

The first week, the group was “far too quick” but someone “kindly came to the back to help me get to the end”.

Fast forward to today, it has been quite the turnaround for James.

He explains: “Wanting to improve as a runner has created better life habits, accountability and discipline that go beyond the hobby.

“I realise I’m far from the first person to have struggled with their mental health and found solace in running, but I dig in to running when I’m not feeling my best and is one way to deal with the highs and lows life throws up.”

Through the community, he has strengthened friendships and met “great, inspiring runners” who are now friends.

Socialising and forming friendships is a key outcome of these running groups, it seems.

Liz Fox is a member of Your Pace Or Mine (YPOM), a group based in Hither Green, and got into running in her late 40s.

Liz says: “We all socialise as well as exercise. We are such a big group, and I have seen friends go from running 1 kilometre to ultra marathons. When we see the great achievements of our friends, we feel so proud.

“I am now nearly 56, and I will never break records, but I will be forever grateful for the amazing group of people in YPOM and the fact I can complete 10ks and half marathons, even if it is partying at the back.”

Lorraine Joseph is also a member of YPOM, and she explains how she wanted to do something for herself when she started to go through

 Lorraine Joseph

menopause.

“I was very nervous to go to my first club, but I was made to feel welcome,” she says. “It was a 5k run that ended with a run up a hill road.

Another runner, Tracy, stayed with me, and we walked-ran-walked-ran up that hill until we reached the top.

“The fact that she stayed with me encouraged me to come back the following week. It took me four weeks to get up that hill without walking, and Tracy and I talked and ran each time.”

And running clubs haven’t just built friendships, but romances, too. With many asking, are running clubs the new dating app? Based on what founder Tim Navin-Jones at London City Runners says, it could be correct.

Tim says there have been 26 marriages from those meeting at the club. Tim says this stems, perhaps, from the fact that “everyone is totally swiped out on dating apps”, adding: “They’ve become more vacuous than you can imagine, and people realise they want to meet someone in person.”

Better get practising that 5k PB.

6 NEWS

A Rainbow plaque could mark the site where the last two men executed for sodomy in the UK were arrested

@ Google Street View

New sensory room opens at King’s

James Pratt, from Deptford and Smith, who lived in Southwark, were arrested on Blackfriars Road in 1835 Paige Holdaway, Dental Nurse Practice Development Co-Ordinator (left) and Maalini Patel, Consultant in Paediatric Dentistry (right)

@ Southwark Lib Dems

By Callum Smyth A new sensory room with bubble mirrors and interactive lights has opened in the dental institute at King’s College Hospital.

The space, funded by King’s College Hospital charity, is expected to ‘transform the experience’ for younger patients who may find it overwhelming in areas such as large noisy waiting rooms.

The new sensory room will offer a safe and relaxing place for children who may become anxious, distressed or nervous about their appointment.

It will contain interactive lights and sounds, bubble mirrors, tactile wall toys, and soft seating, which can help patients relax and allow them to forget about the hospital environment.

Dr Mark Sayers, Clinical Director of the Dental Institute at King’s College Hospital, said: “This new sensory room will help children and their families who need a comfortable, soothing environment, improving their wellbeing and reducing their anxiety.”

The project to open a new sensory room was led by Maalini Patel, Consultant in Paediatric Dentistry, and Paige Holdaway, Dental Nurse Practice Development Co-Ordinator at King’s College Hospital, in collaboration with families and children who attend King’s Dental Institute for their treatment.

Cllr Victor Chamberlain is calling for a rainbow plaque to be erected on Blackfriars Road in memory of James Pratt and John Smith James Pratt and John Smith were arrested on Blackfriars Road in 1835

By Robert Firth Local Democracy Reporter A memorial for the last two men executed for sodomy in England has moved a step closer after a Southwark politician gave his renewed backing to the project.

Councillor Victor Chamberlain has announced he is working with local groups to bid for cash for a rainbow plaque to commemorate James Pratt and John Smith, who were hanged in 1835.

Pratt, from Deptford, then in Kent, and Smith, who lived in Southwark, were arrested on Blackfriars Road in August 1835 after a landlord spied on them allegedly having sex. Both men

were excused by the Alan Turing Law in January 2017, which gave pardons to men in England and Wales convicted under historical laws that outlawed homosexuality.

Cllr Chamberlain, member for Borough and Bankside, said Southwark Liberal Democrats and local groups were intending to apply to the Labourrun council’s 2025 Pride fund, with the aim of securing money for a plaque and unveiling ceremony. Up to £30,000 in cash is available through the fund this year for events that celebrate the borough’s LGBT+ identity and history.

The rainbow plaque would be erected on Blackfriars Road, where Pratt and Smith were arrested, under the proposals. Rainbow plaques,

which take their inspiration from English Heritage’s blue plaques, mark people or places that are significant in LGBT+ history.

A number of the plaques have been rolled out by Mayor of London Sadiq Khan, including one in Peckham remembering the Black Lesbian and Gay Centre which closed in 2000 and one at Haringey Civic Centre, which was the site of a number of protests after the 1980s Labour council launched a Lesbian and Gay Unit to highlight the rights of LGBT+ people to staff. Last year, Cllr Victor Chamberlain wrote to the council’s heritage department urging them to help secure a memorial.

Southwark has the fourth most

people identifying LGB+ (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual or other sexual orientation) in England after Brighton and Hove, the City of London and Lambeth.

According to the 2021 census, 8.1 per cent of the borough’s residents identify as LGB+.

Cllr Victor Chamberlain said: “Southwark is a proud home of a vibrant and growing LGBTQ+ community, and it’s important that our borough’s heritage is recognised and commemorated. A rainbow plaque for James and John is how we can pay tribute to them, and celebrate how much progress we have made—but also remind ourselves that progress is only achieved by a constant fight for rights and justice.”

By Isabel Ramirez

Hatcham Gardens, described the transformation as remarkable: “It really feels like I can’t even remember what it was like to have hoardings up.

It’s so open and inviting now.”

On Saturday, 8 February, volunteers braved the cold and rain to plant seven fruit trees as part of an orchard project funded by the King’s Coronation Fund and delivered by the Orchard Project. Around 20 people, including local parents and children, took part.

“One Year Six boy even came by himself to help out,” Mary added.

While the fruit won’t be ready for a few years, the community is already planning harvest celebrations for the future.

The park has quickly become a

hub of activity, with children playing football, fitness classes taking place, and families gathering after school – even in the colder months.

The newly opened Budgens shop nearby has also become a well-used local asset.

The Friends of Hatcham Gardens group remains active, with 25-30 volunteers regularly helping to maintain the space. They meet on the first Saturday of every month for a litter pick at 11 am and have plans to plant bulbs in March.

Mary is excited to see how the park continues to evolve. “I’m really looking forward to seeing how it grows and how we can use it.”

Follow the Friends group on Instagram: @hatchamgardensfriendsof

Locals plant community orchard at once-neglected park in New Cross Residents have continued to breathe new life into a park that laid derelict for four years in New Cross, with the planting of a community orchard.

Homeowners at 47 Pomeroy Street campaigned for 18 months to have Hatcham Gardens reopened after being promised it would be landscaped for community use.

Their efforts paid off when the park finally reopened last May after four years of delays by the Peabody Housing Association.

Since then, Hatcham Gardens has flourished, becoming a popular spot for local families.

Mary King, Chair of Friends of

NEWS 7

largest adult learning Centre getting Immerse yourself in love in Canada Water multi million pound reFurbishment

By Issy Clarke

By Callum Smyth

morlEy CollEgE in waterloo is getting a multi million pound refurbishment.

Phantom PEak in Canada water has been drawing crowds to an immersive town that feels like a reallife video game and now they have opened up love-themed adventure.

The adult learning centre, located at 68 Westminster Bridge Road, has been given £5.8 million by the Department of Education to revamp the centre.

Morley College is one of the UK’s oldest and largest adult learning centres and provides more than two thousand courses ranging from the visual arts to music and languages.

It has three sites in Waterloo, Chelsea and North Kensington.

The refurbishment, set to finish in Autumn this year, will involve replacing the roof and improving the building’s energy efficiency to help meet its target of net-zero by 2040.

There are also plans to modernise the centre’s main performance space, the Emma Cons Hall, by equipping it with better heating, acoustics and new infrastructure, and to improve accessibility to the Hall and the adjoining Jonny Harris studio theatre.

Dr Andrew Gower, CEO and Principal of Morley College London said the investment was “much needed”, adding: “The new Department for Education funded capital investment at the Waterloo Centre for Adult Education is a once in a generation opportunity for Morley to carry out essential repair works to the building, reduce our carbon footprint,

Visitors spend over four hours exploring a town created by Nick Moran, who is known as a bit of a legend in the escape room industry.

Exploring one of ten ever-evolving trails packed with intrigue, puzzles, and captivating characters. JoanaCon opens to give this make-believe town an air of romance.

Phantom Peak’s puzzles are designed so that even less experienced puzzlers will be able to do them, with one reviewer highlighting things like general observation, wordplay, and decoding.

and transform performance spaces to be accessible for all.

“This investment will create a lasting legacy for future generations of adult learners in London.”

A spokesperson from the Department for Education said: “Morley College’s London Waterloo Centre is an iconic

building offering essential education for generations of adult learners, especially serving the local communities in Southwark and Lambeth.

“This government is mission-driven to break down the barriers to opportunity and this investment will have a lasting impact.”

But to solve them, you need to interact with the characters (actors) dotted around the town.

Using your phone and the Jonassist website, you’ll be guided through unique storylines, which include The New Adventures of Jonas and The Real Househusbands of Phantom Peak.

Lovers will be able to sip craft cocktails like their unique sharing cocktail, the ‘Jumble Jackpot’, as well as enjoy a range of street food.

The cost are from £42 for per adult, £40 for per person for group books and £30 for young people, £20 for children and free for infants and those accessible requirements when accompanied by a companion.

Address: Canada Street, Surrey Quays Road, London, SE16 7PJ, Website: www.phantompeak.com

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8 NEWS

Herne Hill restaurant’s struggle with huge telecom boxes brought to Parliament

By Isabel Ramirez

Helen Hayes MP brought a petition calling for the removal of five huge telecom boxes from outside a Herne Hill restaurant to Parliament.

The countdown has begun for Umana Yana owners, as their nearly 13-year plight to remove five huge telecom boxes from outside their shop was heard in the House of Commons on Wednesday 12 February.

Since 2012, the Guyanese eatery has operated in the shadow of the massive boxes that completely obstruct its view from the street.

Raised by Dulwich and West Norwood MP Helen Hayes, who claims to have supported the restaurant for the last decade, the petition has been signed by over 1,700 locals.

It not only asks for the boxes to be removed but also for the government to bring forward laws to ensure this doesn’t happen in future to other businesses.

In addition, it demands that businesses be ‘duly compensated’ by telecom companies for any disruption caused.

Umana Yana owners Debbie and Junior sat patiently in the public gallery as their local MP presented their struggle to the House of Commons.

Helen Hayes said: “Deborah’s restaurant serves delicious Guyanese food, and I would commend it to all members in this house, but it has suffered a detriment in recent years as a consequence of the installation of enormous telecommunications cabinets obscuring the view of the restaurant from passing customers.”

“The petitioners therefore request that the House of Commons consider this issue and urge the government to bring forward legislation to ensure small businesses are not blocked boatyard fromTheview by istelecommunications where traders equipment, to ensure the removal of run theiraffecting small businesses equipment like businesses Umana Yana and that businesses are duly compensated by the telecoms companies for disruption.”

The government now has two months to consider the petition.

Speaking exclusively to the News after the reading, Debbie said: “It was good to be there - we just have to wait now.”

Left: Helen Hayes MP for Dulwich and West Norwood; Right: Debbie Monfries, Umana Yana owner Despite serving what many describe as “South London’s best rotis,” the lack of footfall due to the boxes means the restaurant has struggled to stay afloat.

Southwark Council recently refused Debbie’s long-standing request to have the boxes removed, a decision that she described as “heartbreaking” after over a decade of campaigning.

The council just implemented a policy that limits the development rights of telecommunication companies, meaning they will have to request planning permission to erect any future infrastructure - but that doesn’t help Debbie.

Last summer, her fortunes began to change after her story went viral on TikTok, following a video by Southwark News highlighting her struggles.

Among the hundreds of thousands who saw the video was Central Cee, one

of the UK’s most prominent rappers.

In a video produced by VICE, Central Cee made a surprise visit to Umana Yana, where he joined Debbie in her kitchen to learn how to cook traditional Guyanese dishes, including chana curry, chicken curry, and paratha roti.

She shared her special spice blends while playfully encouraging the rapper to improve his cooking habits and ditch the ‘instant noodles.’

After his visit, Central Cee announced a £15,000 donation to support the restaurant’s cause. He explained over text that £10,000 was to buy the solar panels she had been fundraising for, to reduce its steep electricity costs, while the remaining £5,000 was to be used to fund meals for people in need.

Debbie said that she was happy to hear other MPs knew of the restaurant and before the petition reading in the

House of Commons, they had asked Helen ‘Is that the one the rapper went to?’

She and Junior await the next steps and said they were hopeful. “By April we should get a definite answer,” Debbie added.

Helen Hayes MP for Dulwich and West Norwood commented: “I am really pleased to present the petition in support of Umana Yana to Parliament this evening. Umana Yana has faced unacceptable disruption to their trade as a result of the installation of telecommunications cabinets immediately outside the premises.

“Thank you to everyone who signed the petition both in person and online.

“I’ve been supporting Debbie since 2015 but the telecommunications companies have refused to move their cabinets. Because the cabinets

have been legally installed, there is currently nothing that can be done to enforce their removal.

“The petition rightly calls for legislation to protect small businesses like Umana Yana from telecommunications infrastructure and for fair compensation from telecom companies for disruption and loss of trade. I hope that the Government acts in response to the petition and I will continue to work with Debbie to support her business.”

We asked MP Hayes what she had done to help Umana Yana over the years. She said: “During that time, the focus has been on understanding the process that led to the cabinets being installed, seeking legal advice on the installation and lobbying the telecommunications companies who are responsible for the cabinets.”

Nunhead bus driver charged after nine-year-old died after a collision

By Isabel Ramirez A Nunhead man has been charged with causing death by dangerous driving after a nineyear-old girl died two days after being involved in a bus collision last summer.

Martin Asolo-Agogua, 23, of Nunhead, was also charged on Thursday, 13 February with causing death by careless driving

when under the influence of drink or drugs and driving whilst over the drug limit.

Police were called to the scene where a bus had collided with two children in Watling Street in Bexleyheath near the junction with Halcot Avenue on the morning of Saturday, 3 August 2024.

Both children were taken to hospital and, despite the best efforts of medical staff, nine-year-

old Ada Bicakci sadly died in the afternoon of Monday, 5 August.

Ada’s family continue to be supported by specialist officers.

Asolo-Agogua, who was driving the bus, was arrested on the day of the incident on suspicion of causing serious injury through dangerous driving and drug driving.

He has been bailed and is due to attend Bromley Magistrates’ Court on Monday, 24 March.

NEWS 9

ExclusivE

By Isabel Ramirez a PECkham primary school faces likely closure this summer due to falling pupil numbers and financial difficulties, according to a letter sent to parents.

By Issy Clarke

Southwark iS the uk’s fourth biggest takeaway hotspot, according to new analysis.

St Mary Magdalene C of E Primary School

“organisational stress on the school” and hindered the delivery of a balanced curriculum, the report found.

St Mary Magdalene is not the only school affected by falling pupil numbers.

In recent years, declining birth rates have placed similar pressures on schools across Inner London, including Southwark.

Between 2016 and 2023, births in Rye Lane and Nunhead & Queen’s Road wards—where the school is located—fell by 22 per cent. Across Southwark, the decline was even steeper, with a 33 per cent drop in births between 2012 and 2023.

Southwark Council has responded to these challenges with its ‘Keeping Education Strong’ strategy, which includes closing and amalgamating schools with low admissions. The borough has already seen multiple school closures:

combEr grovE primarY school (walworth) closed in August 2024.

townsEnd primarY school (walworth)

shut down at the end of the 2023/24 academic year.

cobourg primarY school

amalgamated with Camelot Primary School in August 2023.

London Overground line set for two more weekends of closures

By Isabel Ramirez

a lonDon Overground line, which stops at Rotherhithe, Canada Water and Surrey Quays, is set for two more weekends of closures.

The Windrush line will close on the weekends of February 22-24 and March 1517.

According to Transport for London, the closures relate to the upgrade of Surrey Quays station - due to be completed by 2026.

The work, which is well underway, will see the station get a second entrance, new ticket gates and lifts.

A further contingency closure for the Windrush Line is scheduled for July 12 to 14.

For more information visit www.t�l.gov. uk/plan-a-journey

harris frEE

merged with Harris Primary Academy East Dulwich in 2023.

st francEsca cabrini primarY school (nunhEad) closed in 2022.

Nurseries have also struggled. Ann Bernadt Nursery in Peckham shut in March 2024, while Banana Moon and Bright Horizons nurseries in Borough closed in early 2023 due to rising operational costs.

While the school’s closure will pose challenges for affected families, the council has assured parents that alternative faith schools with available places are nearby.

Additionally, Southwark boasts a number of “good” and “outstanding” rated primary schools where the council said displaced pupils could be accommodated.

The council spokesperson added that they would be supporting the school, families and children of St. Mary Magdalene’s will be supported throughout this process.

Parents will have an opportunity to discuss the closure in upcoming consultations, with local authorities promising support for affected children and staff throughout the transition.

The school was approached for comment but did not respond.

The number of fast food outlets have increased in Southwark despite its high levels of child obesity

New headteacher for Dulwich Primary School

By Callum Smyth

a DulwiCh primary school has announced their new headteacher, writes Callum Smyth...

Rotherhithe Overground Station

The figures for 2024 reveal Southwark had 204 fast food outlets per 100,000 people in 2024, just behind Blackpool (226) and Westminster (246).

The proliferation of takeaway spots comes despite the high level of obesity in Southwark, with around half of adults and 42 per cent of children in Year 6 classed as overweight or obese.

The council has mounted various strategies to tackle the problem, including rolling out more free school meals and providing free access to council gym and swim facilities on Fridays.

Camden had by far the largest number of vendors dishing out burgers and chips, with an eyewatering 417 fast food joints per 100,000 of the population – double the amount in 2017.

The north London borough replaced Bury in Greater Manchester which topped the list in 2017, but fell to 10th place last year.

Tower Hamlets entered the top 10 for the first time, while Hackney climbed from 58th in 2017 to ninth place with 166 fast food outlets per 100,000.

The figures were published by the Office for Health Improvement & Disparities (OHID) and cover outlets selling a range of greasy delights including pizza, kebabs and fish and chips.

Almost every local authority in the country saw the number of fast food joints increase or stay the same over the last few years.

Rishi Boyjoonauth will take over from Mr Graeme McCafferty at Rosemead Preparatory School and Nursery in September 2025.

This will be his third headship, having been a principal of an academy in Kent and most recently Head of Prep at Farringtons School.

Mr Boyjoonauth said “I was attracted by the diverse and inclusive ethos of the school, child-centred focus, as well as the strong academic results. I was instantly struck by the friendly and welcoming staff, diligent atmosphere in

the classrooms and the talented children at my interview”.

Last year, the school received two prestigious awards: In November, Rosemead was awarded Excellence and Innovation in Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion at the Independent Schools Association (ISA) Awards. This followed an earlier award for Best EDIB ( E q u a l i t y, D i v e r s i t y, Inclusion and Belonging) at the Education C h o i c e s Awards

@ Clotee Pridgen Allochuku / Flickr / CC 2.0)

St Mary Magdalene Church of England Primary School, located on Brayards Road, has struggled with low admissions for years.

Last September, it welcomed only ten new reception pupils—far below its capacity of 30. A consultation process on its closure will begin next month, with the possibility of a final closure in July.

In a letter to parents dated February 5, the school wrote: “We are writing to you with the sad news that our school is likely to close in July.”

They said they would be supporting the children to “find the best place for them to move to in September.”

Southwark Council first recommended the school’s closure in October 2023. In response, the school proposed reducing its Published Admission Number (PAN) to mitigate financial strain, but this has not been enough to reverse the trend.

Cllr Jasmine Ali, Deputy Leader and cabinet member for children, education, and refugees, acknowledged the difficult situation: “St Mary Magdalene Church of

England Primary School has seen many years of low applications, was judged to require improvement by Ofsted last year, and is running at a significant financial deficit.

“Staff, the Diocese, and governors have worked hard to find other options but agree that consultation to close is the next step.

“Having explored all options and considered the best interests of the children, the school and the council have reached the same conclusion: keeping the school open is not only financially unviable but would also impact the quality of education.”

The financial pressures on St Mary Magdalene are significant, with a reported budget deficit of £72,000. A recent council report indicated that there was “little hope that the rolls at St Mary Magdalene CE Primary will recover numerically in the near future.”

The letter also stated that “a previous offer of a SEND satellite provision using our building and bringing in additional income was no longer a viable option but our budget was planned without this income.”

Ultimately, the school noted that an increase in costs and unplanned expenditure had made its proposal to remain open “unsustainable.”

The lack of pupils has also placed

@ Google Maps

peCkham primary sChool ‘likely to Close’ in July

Southwark fourth biggest area in UK for takeaways

Image - Jorge Royan / http://www.royan.com.ar

10 NEWS

‘The numbers don’t add up anymore’

What the Renters’ Reform Bill means for private landlords and tenants Exclusive

By Isabel Ramirez There are few places in the country where the housing crisis is thrown into sharper relief than Southwark, where the average cost of a property is £502,000, and 18,671 are left on the social housing waiting list.

Rogue landlords and dangerous, uninhabitable homes are far too common.

The Renters’ Reform Bill aims to fix these issues, and more, but its detractors have said it could be a death knell for small landlords and see record numbers sell up, further reducing supply. Others say the legislation simply doesn’t go far enough.

With the new legislation, which has cross-party support, coming into effect in the first half of this year, we spoke with two landlords to get their views on the changes.

Bola Ranson, 50, has been a property investor for around 25 years. He is a full-time large-scale landlord with 49 properties, one of which is in Southwark.

At the other end of the scale is Paola.

She and her partner, who she said became landlords ‘by accident’ have three properties in their portfolio, one in Herne Hill.

First things first: what is the bill proposing?

The Renters’ Reform Bill will: ● Abolish section 21 no-fault evictions ● Abolish fixed-term tenancies; all tenancies will be on a rolling

contract Give people the right to request a pet (if tenants agree to pay pet insurance) ● Apply the decent homes standard to the private rented sector ● Make it illegal for landlords to put a blanket ban on tenants just because they have children or receive benefits ● Create a central database for the private rental sector where landlords have to register themselves and their properties the portal will also give local councils access to more data so that they can target criminal landlords ● Expand the legal reasons a landlord can use to evict a tenant ●

The latest housing reforms have broad support, shaped by years of campaigning for stronger tenant protections. But while renters welcome the changes, some landlords fear the impact on their livelihoods.

Take the abolition of ‘no-fault’ evictions. Renters will no longer have to fear being ousted without reason, as landlords must now provide a valid cause for eviction.

The stakes are high—between January and March last year, 2,682 households in England were forcibly removed due to Section 21 evictions, a 19 per cent increase in a year and the highest figure in six years.

It’s a change that can’t come quick enough for Southwark MPs and the council alike. For example,

Dulwich and West Norwood MP Helen Hayes called Section 21 evictions a ‘pernicious and a deeply destabilising force within the private rented sector.’ Hayes added that for many years she has ‘consistently been contacted by high numbers of constituents’ who have received them from their landlord.

Cllr Stephanie Cryan, Cabinet Member for Equalities, Democracy & Finance commented that the change would help ease the strain on how much councils are spending on housing evictees in temporary accommodation: “A lot of people in the private sector have been made homeless through no fault evictions, so actually stopping that will help.”

Landlord Bola, who has been in the industry for 25 years, says he has only ever evicted tenants for rent arrears. Under the new law, the threshold for eviction due to non-payment is rising from two months to three. He calls the change “unnecessary.”

“The process is already too slow,” he says. “Now a tenant can be three months in arrears before I can even start the process. That will kill off a lot of landlords—not having that security.”

Another key reform puts all tenancies on rolling contracts, limiting rent increases. Landlords will only be able to raise rent through a Section 13 notice, which can only be issued once per year.

If tenants disagree, they have the option to leave.

Bola isn’t too concerned. “Most tenants want to stay for a couple of years anyway,” he says.

But Paola, a small-scale landlord, worries about financial uncertainty.

“No more fixed-term contracts means if tenants keep moving, I could be left with longer gaps between tenancies,” she explains.

“That means months with no rental income.”

Raising standards across the rental market is a welcome move.

A Shelter report from December 2024 found that three-quarters of renters in England had endured poor or dangerous conditions in the past year.

Applying the Decent Homes Standard to private rentals gives tenants more power to challenge substandard living conditions without fear of retaliatory eviction.

Paul Williams, National Organiser for ACORN, calls the bill a ‘great step forward’.

“We welcome the end of Section 21 evictions, the end of bidding wars, and tougher action on landlords who break the law,” he said.

However, for landlords like Paola, other concerns loom large. The bill requires landlords to accept tenants on benefits, something she personally has no issue with—she has a tenant on housing benefits and has had no problems. But she’s uneasy about losing the right to decide whom she rents to while also not having rent paid directly to landlords.

“I want a level of security to plan ahead,” she says. “And I don’t feel small landlords are being supported.

The mortgage is no longer a business expense, and I’m taxed on rental income at over 50 per cent.

“The numbers just don’t add up anymore.”

Without rent controls, will the bill truly tackle affordability?

Campaigners argue it doesn’t go far enough. In Southwark alone, over 4,000 people are in temporary accommodation, often because they were priced out of their homes. Landlords acknowledge the affordability crisis—Bola has seen more tenants struggle with rent in recent years.

“We’re in a new climate,” he says.

“The cost of living is high, and tenants are being squeezed financially. That’s becoming more common.”

Labour has faced backlash for not introducing rent controls. Paul Williams insists the government must go further: “This bill does not address the affordability crisis. What we need is rent controls and a mass council house-building program.”

Yet, with councils struggling to build, private landlords will continue housing a huge portion of low-income and social tenants. The question is: will Southwark’s small landlords stick it out—or sell up?

For now, the rental market stands at a crossroads, with both tenants and landlords waiting to see the true impact of the reforms.

NEWS 11 Marnie Swindells (Prime Casino)

Landlord fined over £4,000 for renting out unlicensed property in Walworth

By Isabel Ramirez a lanDlorD has been fined £4,272 after he was found guilty of operating an unlicensed house in multiple occupation (hmo) in walworth.

hundreds marCh through peCkham to protest aylesham development

By Issy Clarke

morE than 200 people braced the wind and rain on Saturday 8 february to protest against the controversial redevelopment of the aylesham Centre.

The march, led by SHAPE (Southwark Housing and Planning Emergency), began at Peckham Square and continued around the site of the shopping centre before finishing at the entrance.

In addition to opposing the planning application, which was submitted

by Berkeley Homes last summer to convert the the 1980s shopping centre into a new mixed-use housing and retail

development, protestors highlighted the decision announced in December last year to lower the proportion of housing set at affordable rent to 12 per cent, down from 35 per cent. This revision means that out of 877 homes, 77 will be set at affordable rent.

A 30 day consultation period has been launched on the amended planning application, and locals will be able to attend two drop-in sessions to hear more and have their say. These will take place on Wednesday 26 February from 2-6pm at Peckham Library and Monday 3 March from 3pm at All Saints Church on Blenheim Grove.

Southwark Council’s policy requires new developments to provide a

minimum of 35 per cent homes set at affordable rent, with an additional goal of achieving 50 per cent – although both are subject to the conclusion of viability assessments run by the council and developer.

Berkeley Homes said the revised plans were due to “rising costs, exacerbated by the length of the planning process”.

However the Labour-run council hit back at the developer, describing its proposal for the crucial Peckham development site as “very disappointing”.

SHAPE will be holding another protest on 1 March at 1pm, with plans to march from Peckham Square to the Borough Triangle.

Mr Justice Arifa Smart was the owner and landlord of a property in Hillingdon Street, which was inspected

by Southwark Council and found to be operating as an unlicenced House in Multiple Occupation (HMO).

Mr Smart failed to respond to requests

by Southwark Council to provide information or alternatively to apply for a licence and as such was left with no other option but to refer the matter for prosecution.

He was found guilty at Croydon Magistrates’ Court on 8 January 2025 and failed to attend the sentencing hearing on 20 January where he was fined a total of £1,980 for the failure to license his property, failure to produce documentation and failure to provide information relating to the occupation of the property, in addition he was also subject to a victim surcharge of £792 and costs of £1500.

The landlords of unlicensed properties can also be made the subject of a Rent Repayment Order if the tenants of an unlicensed property request the First Tier Tribunal, this can result in the tenants receiving a refund of their rent

from their landlord.

Councillor Natasha Ennin, Cabinet Member for Community Safety & Neighbourhoods, said: “Unscrupulous landlords have no place in Southwark.

This case sends a clear message that we will not tolerate rogue landlords who ignore their legal responsibilities and put tenants in harm’s way.

“Tenants deserve to live in safe conditions and we are committed to upholding our licensing requirements.

We urge all landlords to comply with the law or face the consequences.”

More information on the council’s licensing schemes can be found on Southwark Council’s website.

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NEWS 13

Yo-Go electric buggie in Parsons Green Photos by Facundo Arrizabalaga/MyLondon

This is being billed as an alternative to cars in London

Taking a spin in a Yo-Go buggy

By Adrian Zorzut Local Democracy Reporter When it comes to transport, Londoners are spoilt for choice.

Buses, trains, taxis and the Tube take us to almost every corner of this amazing city, and there’s an ever-increasing drive for us to ditch cars in favour of sustainable transport.

Cyclists can now use London’s sprawling network of cycle lanes too. E-rental transport like e-bikes and e-scooters, though sometimes a nuisance in some areas of London, have shortened how long it takes to get from A to B. And Londoners may soon be blessed with another form of transport: the Yo-Go electric buggy. These fourwheeled golf-cart look-a-likes are being piloted in Hammersmith and Fulham and are slated as an alternative to short car journeys, and aimed at those who don’t want to cycle.

The buggies are also an upgrade from e-bikes and e-scooters as they give you space to put some shopping bags, and a roof over your head. Adrian Zorzut, who covers Hammersmith and Fulham as part of the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS), took one for a spin to see if they live up to their billing.

Rug up – it’s chilly

I trialled a Yo-Go in Parsons Green on Friday, February 7. After downloading the Yo-Go app I had to share my bank card details and a

DVLA licence check code to set up an account. Yo-Go advises first-time users to wait up to 24 hours for approval but I waited no longer than four hours for mine.

At 20p a minute to operate – and even less for monthly subscribers – Yo-Gos are being promoted as an affordable form of transport. The price drops to 5p a minute when parked up.

My 22-minute journey cost £3.75 and saw me cover just over a mile. The entire trip was insured – a perk for all Yo-Go drivers – and we had to follow the road rules like any other motorist.

The app’s in-built tracking system made finding the cart simple. The cart I hired was parked near a tree along Parsons Green. The cart’s bright yellow shell also means it is very easy to spot from a distance.

The carts come with the regular accessories you’d see in a car: seat belts, indicators (which are not automatic and are practically silent), two boots for storing bags, mirrors, a horn, a cupholder and USB ports.

Of course, there are lights to drive at night and a digital dashboard to track speed and battery life.

But these four-wheeled carts, although impressive and easy to drive, are missing an invaluable piece of structure – doors.

When I trialled one, I was drenched by rainwater and blasted from either side of the cart by chilly winds.

This made unlocking the car unnecessarily painful. My fingers were so cold my phone struggled to recognise them, which meant it took a while to access the Yo-Go

app and unlock the buggy. The seats and dashboard were also wet and required wiping down.

After several minutes of breathing profusely into my hands to warm them, my photographer and I finally set off around Parsons Green.

Passers-by stared at us in amazement while motorists furtively overtook us. Speed bumps quickly became our enemy as we tested the cart’s (mediocre) suspension.

There are only two gears – reverse and drive – and the carts only reach a maximum speed of 20mph, which oddly feels insanely fast when you’re centimetres away from the asphalt. YoGos are also fitted with a rear parking camera to help drivers reverse park.

For those of us who are more mobile, you can simply pop your head out the side to guide the cart in. Our one-mile journey saw us zoom down Broomhouse Road and Broomhouse Lane then turn left onto Daisy Lane before dashing up Peterborough Road past South Park and back to our parking spot.

Reaching 20mph takes little effort but be aware of the regenerative braking. Simply letting go of the accelerator pedal engages the brakes and if you’re travelling at maximum speed, you may be flung forward.

Thankfully those robust seat belts will keep you in place.

Dealing with the jolting braking can be easily overcome by slowly moving your foot off the accelerator. This form of braking is said to help reclaim some of the battery power.

These carts are incredibly fun and

easy to use and are a great way to get around your local area. Whether or not they replace short car journeys is yet to be seen. The lack of doors and heating makes them almost unbearable to drive in the winter rain though.

According to Yo-Go’s Chief Executive, Dr Sam Bailey, the company is not currently planning to insulate the carts.

He told the LDRS foldable seats could soon be introduced as a way to stop them from getting wet when not in use.

He also suggested people come kitted with gloves and a jacket to keep warm. He said: “If we are looking at

‘My 22-minute journey cost £3.75 and saw me cover just over a mile but I did get wet’

short journeys – which is around 10 to 15 minutes – then actually most of the time car heaters take longer to work than that. Also, everyone in London goes around with a coat and gloves but we will keep you dry.”

‘World first’ trial

These pay-as-you-go electric carts were launched last summer as part of a ‘world first’ trial, according to Hammersmith and Fulham Council.

If successful, they could be rolled out across London.

There are currently 10 located around the West London borough and

plans are already afoot to increase the fleet to 70, the LDRS understands.

Unlike dockless, rental e-vehicles, these four-wheeled carts must be returned to where they were collected.

Dr Bailey previously said: “Car usage in London is quite weird. Most of the journeys are under three miles, people popping out and about…There’ll be a reason they don’t want to cycle – it will be because they don’t want to get wet, or they think it’s dangerous.

“What we want to do is create something that feels more familiar, feels like driving something – where you’ve got a seat-belt, you’ve got a roll cage, you’ve got a roof, somewhere you can put some luggage – so that it’s sort of an easier swap, if you’re a car user, to move to something like this.”

‘An eco-friendly alternative’

Hammersmith and Fulham Council said they welcomed the pilot.

A spokesperson said: “These innovative electric buggies are another first for H&F as they offer residents and businesses an affordable, ecofriendly alternative. We welcome this pilot as we work to make local journeys cheaper, greener and more convenient.”

It has also been warmly received by the Mayor of London.

A spokesperson for the Mayor said: “We welcome new micro-mobility options in London, especially those that encourage Londoners to use their cars less or switch to cleaner modes of transport. It’s good to see boroughs innovating in this way and trialling new options and we will await the data and outcomes with interest.”

GREAT NEW SHOWS FOR SPRING! A Unicorn Production

22 MAR – 4 MAY

BASED ON THE BOOK BY ALEXIS DEACON

Tickets from £10.50

29 MAR – 19 APR

Ages 18 months - 4 years Tickets from £18.50

ADAPTED BY DEBBIE HANNAN

A Unicorn Theatre Production with Rose Theatre, Nicoll Entertainment, The Lowry, Northern Stage & MAST Mayflower Studios

21 MAY – 22 JUN

Ages 3 - 8

For ages 3 – 7

Tickets from £12.50

Ages 3+ Tickets from £12.50

20 MAY – 1 JUN

NEWS 15

First phase oF neW £2.4 million CyCle lane From rotherhithe to peCkham is unveiled

By Issy Clarke

PlanS havE been unveiled to upgrade a cycle junction on the old kent road, with construction set to begin next month.

The proposals, developed by Transport for London, will see the installation of a new cycle crossing on the Old Kent Road linking Brimmington Park and Ilderton Road, as well as a two-way cycle lane on the southern end of Ilderton Road, with work due to finish in July.

The upgraded junction is the first phase of Cycleway 62, an upcoming cycle lane developed by TFL in partnership with Southwark Council, which once complete will run from the Goldsmiths Road junction in Peckham to the Rotherhithe New Road roundabout.

The £2.4m project will be built in phases, with the entire cycle lane expected to be completed by early 2027, however this is dependant on other projects on the Old Kent Road, including the redevelopment of the Tustin Estate.

Plans for the second phase of the renovation of the 1960s Tustin Estate were submitted last year, which if

From Google Maps Right; The junction has been developed by TFL approved would lead to the creation of up to 300 new homes and a primary school.

Hundreds of new homes are set to be built on Ilderton Road after

developer Whittington Investments secured permission in 2023 to build 605 shared living apartments and 120 affordable homes between 71 and 161 Ilderton Road. In December

last year, it unveiled fresh plans to construct a further 260 shared living homes which would increase the total number of properties to 865, spread across towers reaching seven storeys

By Issy Clarke

In a statement posted on Instagram, Rashford and Lavery said they would be closing the popular spot in order to focus on the restaurant’s sister brand Forza Wine, which has two locations in Peckham and the National Theatre.

The post added: “All of that said, we couldn’t be more excited for what’s to come. We’ve spent the best part of a decade trying to explain that Forza Win and Forza Wine are two different things (that ‘e’ doing a lot of heavy lifting) – now it’s only Forza Wine you need to remember, and we’ll be slinging cauliflower fritti and custardos in more postcodes very soon.

“And where Camberwell is concerned, we’ve found someone lovely to take over the space and serve the community – more on that soon.”

Popular Camberwell Italian restaurant announces closure a PoPular italian restaurant in Camberwell is closing its doors after 12 years in business.

Forza Win on Camberwell Church Street will be serving its final customers on Friday 21 February.

The restaurant was opened by Bash Rashford and Michael Lavery 12 years ago, initially starting life as a supper club and later taking on premises in Shoreditch, Peckham and Bethnal Green before moving into its current building in 2022.

The restaurant is known for its traditional five-course ‘Italian-ish’ meal structure, served alongside its homemade Clemencello, an orange-flavoured spin on Limoncello.

Owners Bash Redford (right) and Michael Lavery

New series set in Victorian south London set to drop next week

By Issy Clarke a nEw drama set on the streets of 1880s victorian london is set to drop on Disney+ next friday (february 21.)

A Thousand Blows tells the story of the violent and shadowy world of illegal boxing in London’s East End. The show begins with the arrival in London of Hezekiah and Alec, two best friends from Jamaica who quickly get drawn into the capital’s underground boxing scene.

Erin Doherty, who starred as Princess Anne in series’ two and three of Netflix’s The Crown, plays Mary Carr, the leader of a fearsome all-female gang called

the Forty Elephants which ruled the streets of London in the 19th and 20th centuries. These women from Elephant and Castle posed as aristocrats to steal goods from top department stores before embarking on running an organised all-female gang.

The show is produced by Peaky Blinders creator Steven Knight and Stephen Graham stars as Sugar Goodson, a veteran boxer with whom Hezekiah enters into a dangerous rivalry which ultimately extends far beyond the boxing ring.

The show premiered at the British Film Institute in October last year and all six episodes due to drop at once next week.

in height.

More information about Cycleway 62 can be found at: www.haveyoursay.t�l. gov.uk/cycleway-c62

Image released following sexual assaults at Waterloo Station

Image released by British Transport Police

By Issy Clarke a CCtv image of a man has been released in connection with two sexual assaults in waterloo Station on December 17.

Gang leader Alice Diamond

Police believe the man may have information that could help with their investigation into the incident, which took place in a pub in the station at about 11.20PM. Anyone who recognises the man or who has any other information has been urged to contact British Transport Police by texting 61016 or by calling 0800 40 50 40 quoting reference 2400158542 of 17 December 2024.

Alternatively, you can call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.

16 NEWS

By Robert Firth Local Democracy Reporter South lonDon residents left without running water for three days say some with were unable to get to the only bottled water station made available and that fights broke out as people battled with stock pilers.

Taps ran dry in Crystal Palace, Sydenham and surrounding areas last Tuesday evening (February 11), after a water pipe burst in nearby Dulwich.

Households in SE19, SE23, SE26, SE27 and SW16 were affected by the outage, including seven schools and three care homes.

The affected residents who Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) spoke to last Thursday (February 13) at an emergency bottled water station set up in a Sainsbury’s car park in Bell Green said the lack of water was ‘annoying’.

Ernest Satheesbeen, who lives in Catford, said: “We’ve had no water for three days. At first I thought it had frozen, but when it continued being a problem I realised everyone was affected and it was more serious.

“It’s not great. I’m hoping it will be back to normal soon. I didn’t know there was bottled water here. I just saw it [the distribution hub] on my way to work. I asked the staff and they said I need to come around with my car to get it so I’m going to do that.”

Candice Brown who was pushing a trolley piled with bottled water through Sainsbury’s car park when she stopped to speak to the LDRS. The 47-year-old from Crystal Palace said it was the first of several trips she would be making to the collection point, as she was getting supplies for neighbours as well as herself.

She said: “It’s the first time I have been today but I’m coming back as I’m assisting other people. I had to help somebody carry a few bottles earlier.

The water is off and on at the moment.

Since I have been living in the area there has been a big problem with the water.

I think there has been a water pressure problem for a while.”

Anna Kakule, 27, from Sydenham, who was also without water, said: “It’s annoying.

The water has been going on and off for boatyard threeThe days.

Thereisis water but it stops where traders regularly and the pressure is not high. their “It’srun the first time I’ve been to collect businesses water.

I saw the collection point yesterday when I was passing by. I hadn’t seen it advertised anywhere.”

She added: “The water pressure generally is not good and the water is not hot enough. You can shower with just the hot tap on, without any cold water cooling it.”

Helen Hayes, MP for many of the affected residents, criticised Thames

no running Water For 3 days aFter Water pipe burst in dulWiCh

Ernest Satheesbeen from Catford was one of the residents affected by the water outage.

Drivers collect bottled water from the collection point at Sainsbury’s car park in Bell Green

Water for its ‘chaotic handling of [the] water outages’ in an open letter to the firm’s CEO Chris Weston on Thursday. Hayes, Labour MP for Dulwich and West Norwood, said she was concerned Thames Water had allowed such a big leak to occur at a critical pumping station and described the firm’s support for residents as ‘poor’.

She added: “The only bottled water station is located in Bell Green, which is inaccessible for many of my constituents who do not have a car.

“There appears to be no consideration for my constituents who will need to collect water on foot.”

On Wednesday last week (February 12) Thames Water had to close the distribution hub at Bell Green early ‘due to a security incident’. People on social media reported seeing people fighting over bottled water at the collection point.

Word of the free supplies appeared to have spread beyond affected residents

by Thursday (February 13).

One man the LDRS spoke to at the

Bottled water piled up at the Thames Water distribution point at Sainsbury’s car park in Bell Green.

water to those on our priority services register in the impacted area and have reopened our bottled water station at Sainsbury’s Southend Lane, SE26 4PU. Our teams are working 24 hours a day to resolve the situation, and we are sorry for any inconvenience this has caused.”

In a statement released at the end of last week Thames Water confirmed it had fixed the burst pipe, adding it was “working hard to flush and do our final checks to fully restore supplies to customers”.

percent increase between 2025 and 2030 approved last year by Ofwat, the water regulator, which it claims will not be enough to improve and invest in services.

If approved, bills for the 2025-26 year beginning in April would not be affected.

In a statement, the company said it had decided to challenge the price determination to “support the

investment and improvement that is required for Thames Water to deliver for its customers, communities and the environment for the next five years.”

The outage came as Ofwat announced on February 12 it would be investigating Thames Water after bosses admitted 100 environmental schemes funded by customers would not be completed on time.

Thames Water are now appealing for permission to raise bills

By Issy Clarke

L: Helen Hayes MP for Dulwich and West Norwood; R: Debbie Monfries, Umana Yana owner

bottled water station in Bell Green admitted he wasn’t impacted by the water outage, but had just come to load his car with free bottled water.

A Thames Water spokesperson said at the time: “We are sorry to customers in the Crystal Palace area who have experienced low water pressure or no water due to a burst pipe. Overnight our teams have worked to re-route water into the network with water supply now restored to the majority of properties.

“We will continue to deliver bottled

thamES watEr is expected to appeal for permission to raise water bills by 53 per cent over the next five years, despite the three-day water outage.

The water company, which currently has £19 billion of debt, will ask the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) to review the 35

Get the flu vaccine in Southwark by 31 March 2025.

Find out where at: www.selondonics.org/our-residents/your-health/local-nhs-services/ spring-covid-19-vaccination/

18 OPINION

Comment ‘Supporting nightlife to protecting children and campaigning for educational hub at William Blake’s house - here’s what I’m doing at City Hall’

L

ondon’s nightlife is a vital part of our city’s culture and I’m delighted to welcome the launch of the Mayor’s independent Nightlife Taskforce.

This expert group will tackle the challenges facing the sector, from rising costs to licensing issues, and ensure London’s night-time economy thrives.

As Southwark’s Assembly Member, I know just how important our borough’s vibrant nightlife is – from the bars and music venues of Peckham to the cultural hubs along the South Bank.

We must do all we can to support these spaces and the people who bring them to life.

Another key focus for me has been tackling child exploitation. At a recent meeting of the London Assembly’s Police and Crime Committee, I questioned the Met Commissioner about the support officers receive to identify and respond to such cases. I was reassured to hear that all officers and frontline staff are undergoing a week of dedicated

marina ahmAd

GLA Member for Southwark & Lambeth

Sir Sadiq Khan visited Fabric nightclub to meet the members of London’s new Nightlife Taskforce.

Photo by Caroline Teo/Greater London Authority

training on this critical issue.

The Commissioner also highlighted the need to strike a balance between law enforcement and safeguarding vulnerable children who are exploited by criminals to commit offences.

We need to ensure that young people caught up in crime, who themselves are victims, are treated as victims and given the support they need.

At a recent Plenary meeting at City Hall, I also called for action to save William Blake’s last remaining London home at 17 South Molton Street.

As one of Britain’s greatest poets and artists, Blake’s legacy should be celebrated, not forgotten. His home could become a world-class cultural

and educational hub, much like those of Mozart, Rembrandt and Burns.

I asked the Mayor to engage with the William Blake Fellowship and key stakeholders to protect this important site for future generations.

Finally, I’m proud to support the Mayor’s ‘Loved and Wanted’ campaign, launched on Valentine’s Day, which reaffirms London’s values of diversity, unity, and inclusion. More than 100 community organisations are taking part, sending a strong message that our city is a place where everyone belongs.

From supporting London’s nightlife, to protecting our children, I remain committed to making Southwark and London a better, fairer place for all.

OPINION 19

Southwark has balanced the books for this year without cuts

I

t’s good news that Southwark Council has managed to balance its budget, especially when some London councils have had to be declared bankrupt.

With several boroughs asking the government for emergency funding, the fact that Southwark hasn’t needed a bailout is a real achievement.

This could be in part down to Southwark’s decision last year to set a three-year budget - it gives stability and means the authority can plan ahead rather than lurching from one financial crisis to the next. The best part is that, unlike last year, no further cuts have been made to frontline services. Given how stretched things like adult social care and housing already are, that’s a huge relief.

That said, not everything is perfect. The council is having to spend money fixing past mistakes like the additional £10million now set aside for fire safety work, after it was revealed that thousands of council homes didn’t have smoke alarms. While it’s good they’re taking action, this should never have happened in the first place. The £119,000 in refunds for the Lower Road bus lane fiasco is another example - luckily, it didn’t impact services, but it’s still money lost due to poor oversight.

Then there’s the £14million overspend on temporary accommodation, which just shows how serious the housing crisis has become. While Southwark seems to be managing better than some other councils, these costs are only going to rise unless there’s a proper fix.

The 4.99% council tax rise is frustrating but, unfortunately, expected. Without it, the council claimed it would have to find another £7.5m in savings, which would likely mean cuts to services. At least there’s still support available for those struggling to pay, which is reassuring.

Looking ahead, the council needs to keep pressing the government for better long-term funding. They’ve done well to balance the books this time, but the challenges aren’t going away. Careful planning has helped avoid cuts for now, but the pressure on social care, housing, and public services will only increase.

cryptic Puzzle Clues Across

Clues Down

Quick Puzzle

Clues Down

Clues Across

1 Afraid (6) 2 Right (4) 3 Discerning (13) 5 Confirmed (13) 6 Wheat paste (8) 7 Unexpected (6) 9 European country (5) 14 Decreased (8) 15 Loose shirts (6) 17 A rodent (5) 18 Specialist (6) 21 Opposed to (4)

4 Investigated professional plot (6) 8 Time’s up for charges (7) 10 Painful experiences of gold transactions? (7) 11 A right young man for the crime 12 Bringing down the bird (5) 13 Feeling they put me in mixed tennis with team leader (9) 16 Fruit stolen from barrel? (9) 19 It’s forbidden thanks to jeering sound (5) 20 Postponement of French song (5) 22 Shows how Father attacks, we hear (7) 23 See it’s a short distance after the crop to the barn (3,4) 24 Men of the trees? (6)

4 Rascals (6) 8 Angles (7) 10 Swooped (7) 11 Dances (5) 12 Concise (5) 13 Act of flirting (9) 16 Truce (9) 19 Melody (5) 20 Catch hold of (5) 22 Deep ravines (7) 23 Voter (7) 24 Enjoyment of cruelty (6)

1 Rails about five who are competitors (6) 2 Chooses to stop out (4) 3 Not ‘Gentlemen, be seated’ (8,5) 5 Important occasions for Moscow landlady? (3-6,4) 6 Food for Bunny is seen to flourish (8) 7 Wish to end hostilities in dire circumstances (6) 9 Loves to unravel mysteries (5) 14 Figured the Editor was less feeling? (8) 15 Plain but sounds elevating (6) 17 A blow to astound (5) 18 Go to the streets for these meetings (6) 21 The circle will see to the work (4)

Solutions to last week’s crossword Cryptic

Across: 1 Rebels 7 Isolate 8 Contain 9 Nadir 10 Relenting 12 Ewe 13 Edam 15 Edified 17 Rear 19 Did 21 Partition 22 Moose 27 Noisome 24 Tangent 25 Anonym Down: Recorder 2 Bangle 3 Learned 4. Going 5 Landed 6 Peer 7 Indifferent 11 Ewer 13 Edit 14 Moonbeam 16 Edition 18 Abound 20 Disown 21 Pekes 22 Mite

Quick PUZZLE

Across: 1 Fringe 7 Amateur 8 Unclasp 9 Ratio 10 Slenderly 12 Sue 13 Sees 15 Despoil 17 Else 19 Met 21 Triumphal 22 Juror 23 To---nnage 24 Pinnace 25 Zealot Down: Foursome 2 Inches 3 Grandee 4 Harry 5 Mettle 6 Trio 7 Appropriate 11 Nude 13 Slap 14 Smallest 16 Immense 18 Strong 20 Thrall 21 Trial 22 Jape

20 ARTS

what’s on

Laden with quips and schtick White Bear Names Leo (Tim Hardy), Norma (Katherine Lyle) & Benny (Jeremy Kareken)

The White Bear Theatre, 138 Kennington Park Road, London, SE11 4DJ until 1st March.

Booking and full details: https://www.whitebeartheatre.co.uk/ whatson/the-value-of-names

Photo by Helen Murray

It was only last year that he had his first UK premier with his play Kunstler.

Now, The Value of Names, possibly his most produced piece, comes across the pond in a Hint of Lime Productions for another UK premiere.

The Value of Names is a threehander set on the patio of former actor Benny Silverman’s Californian ocean view house. Benny’s daughter Norma is following in her father’s shoes and forging a career on the stage.

Something Benny doesn’t like the idea of, but having grown apart from her since his divorce, he cannot influence her as much as he would like. When Norma’s latest play that she is to be in needs a new director, the production turns to an old hand. That old hand is Leo, who pays Norma and Benny a visit. Tensions are high as Benny and Leo have history. History that goes back to the 1940s and a much darker time in Hollywood, especially for those supposed communist sympathisers.

Benny and Leo are both East Coast Jewish entertainers, so, naturally, Sweet’s script is laden with quips and

schtick, which during the stronger parts of his performance Jeremy Kareken as Benny delivers with aplomb. Tim Hardy playing Leo did a fine job in not pulling his punches in the long exchanges with Benny. However, with a script so dense and incredibly light of action, the middle third of the play drags, especially when the odd line is dropped or stumbled over. Unfortunately that sucks the energy out of the piece and the scenes plod on crying out for a change of pace.

Katherine Lyle as Norma would be the pick of the performances; her stage handling and in the moments of direct address was at ease, and you wished for her role to be bigger.

With The Value of Names, Jeremy Sweet wants to tackle a range of topics, but sticking with the political and entertainment history is where its strength lies as the arguments made by Benny and Leo are compelling, if a little laborious. With the play in full flow and everybody hitting their marks and firing their lines off at pace, then there would be more to be had and certainly more laughs.

Photo by Zack Layton

Many in the UK are unaware of Jeremy Sweet’s writing - A playwright, journalist and theatre historian whose work dates back to the 1980’s, writes Christopher Peacock...

Live forever or switch off?

It is 1803, and murderers are hung, spirited away and dissected by surgeons seeking to know more about the human body, writes Dan Martin...

Next up, Luigi Galvani sends electricity through a corpse, and it twitches. Jump to 2074 when medical science has moved on and minds of the rich and recently deceased can be downloaded into young, fit humanoids to start their lives over.

That’s the theory. The reality is that the team at the clinic are still in the experimental stage whereby they upload brains into a robot to see how it works; will it have a memory, feel pain…?

One by one, the robot-brain collaborations malfunction and get switched off and replaced by another until Bridget(Alison Halstead) comes to life with the power to remember everything. So much so that she realises that she is actually dead and wants to know why she is here and what the

doctors’ plans are for her. The more she remembers being a young woman with a husband and a future, the more she resents being something that doesn’t have a heartbeat, an appetite, or a need to breathe.

She is a thing that is being tested and observed, and Bridget wants out of this immortal life.

Act 2 and Bridget’s elderly husband Harry(Tim McMullan) has been located with his elderly second wife Devina(Helen Schlesinger), 48 years after the accident that took Bridget’s life. In their 80s, the couple look around sixty because of the healthy diet they follow and the chip embedded in their neck telling them what to eat and when.

Harry feels he must take Bridget into his home.

This is when the morals and ethics of such a situation are brought to the fore. Davina feels jealous of this young woman who was once the love of her husband’s life, if not now in body, then in spirit. Harry, on the other hand, feels a cerebral rekindling of the love they once shared.

For him, it has been almost 50 years since they were last together. For Bridget, who has only recently been uploaded to her new body, it has been just ten days, so everything is fresh in her mind, but the man before her is far from fresh. Plus, he barely recalls their time together.

Oh, the quandaries laid before us by Lauren Moody and James Yeatman’s More Life were a talking point all the way home. Right now, I feel like I want to live forever, but would I really want to if it was possible?

Bridget gets to choose her future. Live forever or switch herself off… Seeing this great six-hander ensemble piece is the only way to find out.

Royal Court, Sloane Square, SW1W 8AS until March 8th.

Booking and full details: https://royalcourttheatre. com/whats-on/more-life/

Cleverly littered with historical detail

Tom Littler’s production of Howard Benton’s Churchill in Moscow gives the audience a front-row seat at the very unsteady, alcohol-laden, paranoiadriven negotiating table of Churchill and Stalin’s secret Moscow meetings of August 1942, writes Mary Bradshaw...

Staged in the round, the production leaves the audience no place to hide from the tension and huge weight of potential catastrophe at stake. However, Benton goes further than the suspense of thrilling intrigue, making broader reflections on the true meaning of power and the importance of language.

With Churchill and Stalin as the protagonists, it would be all too easy for playwright and actors alike to slip into tempting caricature – a ludicrous sparring match of hot-headed megalomaniacs would be a far too obvious choice. But the value of this play lies in its novelty. After all, laughing at pig-headed leaders would be nothing new for any of us. Instead, Roger Allam makes a far subtler character study of Churchill than many actors who have come before him – the Churchillian facial expressions and pronunciation of ‘Nazi’ do enough. Similarly understated is Peter Forbes’ portrayal of a Stalin hiding behind a bright-eyed ‘Uncle Jo’ persona with a warm Westcountry lilt.

These more measured portrayals allow both actors to give us many different Churchills and Stalins: the public, the private, and the ‘foreign’.

They also make the angry outbursts all the more terrifying for their unexpectedness. The lighthearted moments, too, are never farcical nor over-the-top.

Churchill in Moscow is not just a play about

Churchill against Stalin, nor about defeating Hitler, Imperialism vs Communism, aristocrat vs peasant, a supposed British diffidence vs Russian directness. It’s neither about the frightening thought that with the peace of the Western world hanging in the balance, the temper tantrum of one person could tip things over the edge. It is about all these things and more.

Having ousted their aides and interpreters, Stalin and Churchill communicate through grunts, mime and monosyllables, evoking those famous words of ‘we will bury you’ and the ‘black dog’. They voice the more frightening ideas of what power means. ‘Never let them laugh at you, keep them afraid,’ Stalin says. Genocide is deemed ‘necessary’ because ‘without force, there is no civilisation’. Yet these ideas are subtly replaced by brighter ones.

The play tells us that without language and tactful communication, there is no civilisation.

The interpreters Olga Dovzhenko and Sally Powell (played expertly by Elisabeth Snegir and Jo Herbert) save the day and save face. In one pivotal scene, Olga tells Sally that she has power: ‘You are the words.’

Benton’s script is cleverly littered with historical detail – from the suckling pig to Stalin’s tactical toasting – and, together with Tom Littler’s staging choices and direction and the cast’s powerful understatement, this critical political drama expertly avoids falling into ham-fisted cliché.

Orange Tree Theatre, 1 Clarence Street, Richmond, TW9 2SA until 8th March. Booking and full details: 020 8940 3633 (Mon-Sat, 10am-6pm) orangetreetheatre.co.uk

EVENTS 21

Heading south - our pick of upcoming winter events

The Windrush Front Room Exhibition

Celebrate the festival of colours by learning about South Asian connections to the objects we see in our night skies.

Join Royal Museums Greenwich for a live planetarium show to celebrate Holi, presented by a Royal Observatory Greenwich astronomer.

Discover how the moon’s appearance and position in the sky is linked to South Asian calendar systems, how this connects to the way the stars are grouped in Hindu astrology and learn more about India’s space exploration achievements.

Recommended for those aged 7+, under-5s will not be admitted to the show.

Take your friends and family down memory lane and learn about the history of Woolwich and the African and Caribbean Front Room at Woolwich Works.

Experience the Windrush Front Room Exhibition with the Glass Fish, Bluespot Gram, Jim Reeves LP, Plastic Pineapple ice bucket, home drinks bar and the Axminster carpet. With a series of events to accompany the exhibition, you can enjoy a reading from the best-selling novel Twenty-Eight Pounds Ten Shilling: A Windrush Story by author and curator Tony Fairweather and meet children’s authors K.N. Chimbiri and Juliet Coley.

Plus another author event where you will meet bestselling authors Ray Shell, Atabang Esin Eminue, Garfield Robinson and Rasheda Ashanti Malcolm at a Q&A and book signing. The exhibition will take place within the Visitors’ Book Café at Woolwich Works.

Date: Saturday 8 March 2025, 10:30am. Tickets: £10 Adult, £5 Child Royal Observatory, Blackheath Avenue, SE10 8XJ www.rmg.co.uk/whats-on/planetarium-shows/south-asian-astronomy-holi-show

Dates: Tuesday 4 and Sunday 16 March 2025. Tickets: Prices vary The Fireworks Factory, 11 No 1 St, Royal Arsenal, SE18 6HD www.woolwich.works/the-windrush-front-room-exhibition

Gr Th uf e fa lo

South Asian Astronomy: Holi Show

Join Mouse on a daring adventure through the deep, dark wood in Tall Stories’ magical, musical adaptation of The Gruffalo at Blackheath Halls this March.

Based on the classic picture book by Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler, dive into the world of the Gruffalo.

Searching for hazelnuts, Mouse meets the cunning Fox, the eccentric old Owl and the highspirited Snake. Will the story of the terrifying Gruffalo save Mouse from ending up as dinner

for these hungry woodland creatures? After all, there’s no such thing as a Gruffalo – is there?

Songs, laughs and fun for children aged 3 and up and their grown-ups. All children over the age of 12 months must have a ticket.

LGBT+ History Month Film Screening at the Deptford Lounge

Date: Saturday 15 to Sunday 16 March Tickets: Adult £17, under 16s £15 Blackheath Halls, 23 Lee Road, Blackheath, SE3 9RQ www.blackheathhalls.com/whats-on/thegruffalo

To celebrate LGBT+ History Month, this month’s weekly film in the foyer at Deptford Library will see a special free screening of Jamie Babbit’s cult queer classic But I’m a Cheerleader projected onto the big screen.

Free popcorn will also be provided, but you’re welcome to bring any additional refreshments to enjoy while you sit back and watch the film.

But I’m a Cheerleader sees Megan (Natasha Lyonne), who is pretty, popular and has a hot jock boyfriend – she’s a cheerleader – being told during an intervention from family and friends that she is gay.

She’s sent to the True Directions boot camp in an effort to alter her sexual orientation. While there, Megan meets Graham (Clea DuVall), a rebellious and unapologetic lesbian who helps her understand and embrace her sexuality.

With an all-star supporting cast, including RuPaul, Melanie Lynskey, Michelle Williams and Julie Delpy, But I’m A Cheerleader looks at the horrifying reality of conversion therapy with satire and a lot of queer joy.

Silent Disco under Helios

Date: Saturday 22 March 2025, 7:30pm Tickets: £45, students £30 Painted Hall, Old Royal Naval College, King William Walk, Greenwich, SE10 9NN ornc.org/whats-on/step-into-the-cosmos-silent-disco

© Old Royal Naval College

It’s time to party under the glow of Helios at the Old Royal Naval College.

Experience a silent disco like no other and dance the night away in the Painted Hall as it is transformed into a luminous dance floor where art, music and atmosphere combine for an unforgettable night.

Choose from three channels, each offering a mix of hits from the past and present. Space-themed cocktails available for purchase at the bar.

The event is for adults aged 18 and over, and you’ll need a valid form of ID to show on arrival.

Date: Thursday 27 February 2025, 7PM Tickets: Free Deptford Lounge, 9 Giffin Street, Deptford, SE8 4RJ deptfordlounge.org.uk/whats-on/event/but-im-acheerleader-1999-lgbt-history-month-screening

22 HISTORY

History

By Herbie Russell in 1889, a biscuit factory magnate made the novel decision to hire a dentist to look after his workforce. in that year alone, 1,053 rotten, infected and wonky teeth were plucked from employees’ mouths.

In an era characterised by miserable working conditions, poor pay, and cold, absentee factory owners, it was an impressive move from the Peek Freans’ biscuit factory.

Since then, much has been made of the factory’s philanthropic credentials. But just how good did those employees have it? Was it the workers’ paradise those Victorian bosses would have us believe?

Or do these sweet stories conceal a truth that is harder to stomach?

Peek, Frean & Co, Ltd, the birthplace of beloved treats like the Bourbon, the Garibaldi and Twiglets, was founded in 1857. What began as a small start-up at a disused sugar refinery in Dockhead quickly expanded to take on a vast 10acre site in Bermondsey.

The factory enforced some pretty restrictive rules on workers early on.

Women were employed from as early as 1864 but were forced to resign when they became married. After that point, factory bosses clearly felt they belonged in the home, and not on the grimy factory floor. As recompense, the women would receive a special bridal cake. The longer they had worked at the factory, the taller the cake.

Meanwhile, staff could expect the same gruelling hours being worked across Victorian London. 72-hour weeks were the norm and would not change for another 35 years.

But historians always warn we should not judge the past by modern standards. “The historian must not make the mistake of judging the past by modern standards. He must understand, not condemn,” G.R. Elton wrote in The Practice of History (1967).

After all, this was a factory trying to stay afloat amid a hugely competitive Victorian manufacturing industry.

Salesmen, made to wear top hats to keep up appearances, were being sent out with a horse and carriage to sell their wares to shopkeepers. Peek Freans was doing whatever it could to get a slice of the market before it was too late. And arguably, it was not long before the biscuit factory bosses were going above and beyond to please their workers.

One of the earliest signs of their good intentions was the sports teams they started up. In this aspect, the business was following in the footsteps of other rising manufacturers like Cadbury’s and Rowntrees which were adopting what has since been described as ‘paternalistic capitalism’. In the Midlands and York, these companies were establishing huge housing complexes for workers and their families out in the open countryside. Well aired, and clean, they had all sorts of amenities - medical, sporting and leisurerelated - on offer.

There was evidence of this attitude on the Bermondsey site. Though they did not tend provide housing, sport was seen as a worthwhile investment. The factory had its own cricket team from 1894 and the Sports Association was founded in 1903.

Even the women had their own cricket team. Sir Jack Hobbs, England’s foremost cricket star of the era, would even come down from the Surrey team’s home at the Oval to coach them from time to time.

The factory owner was happy for the

broken bisCuits and paternalistiC Capitalism

Was the Bermondsey biscuit factory a worker’s paradise or is the truth less sweet?

women to wear trousers on the field but this raised eyebrows in London’s wider sporting community. So much so, that amateur historians believe Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) made them swap them out for skirts before they could play competitively.

There was football, golf, bowls, and tennis, much of it played on the factory’s dedicated sports grounds in Lee, south east London, now belonging to Colfe’s School. It wasn’t just amateur athletes being catered for. There was a horticultural society, flower shows, a photography club and a library on site.

Frank Turner, who worked in the factory’s fire brigade for 29 years, fondly remembers representing a factory club at a tournament in the Netherlands in the ‘70s.

Now curator at the Peek Freans Museum, he said: “We went out in 1969 and they came over to play us in 1970. I had my retirement party with the Peek Freans hockey players and the Dutch players in Holland!”

In 1872, the working day was reduced from 72 hours per week to roughly 50

- nine hours per day with a half day on Saturday. Employees, who numbered around 300 at that time, were so pleased they gifted the three directors a gilt silver pen as thanks. While legislation already limited the hours worked by women and children, this universal reduction in working hours was ahead of its time.

The first female clerks, responsible for typewriting invoices and the telephone exchange, were employed in 1885. The new hires may have been surprised to find the company brochure had a dedicated ladies’ section called ‘Matters Feminine’. However, the suffragettes would not have been too impressed with its content. Topics mainly included cooking, family and fashion.

‘It is all very well for a man to smile at the feminine love of clothes, and dismiss them as being of very little importance in life. Women know better. Husbands, who profess not to admire fashions, are not slow to complain at the dowdy appearance of their wives,’ read one passage.

In the following decades, many of the women employed found promotions

were very much possible. Anne Edwards, who got a job as a clerical assistant in 1957, wrote: “Brilliant employers, they paid for me to attend Pitman’s College to extend my shorthand skills. They monitored my progress, my typewriting skills and promoted me from junior to manager’s secretary in the same department. I loved working there.”

In 1899, the factory hired its own dentist and chiropodist. The dentist extracted 1,053 teeth in the first year.

Workers were also given a suggestions box where they could deposit proposed changes to factory life and processes.

If the suggestion saved the company money, they could be in for a cash reward.

For example, when biscuit packets were sealed in the 1930s, the wrapping would often come unstuck and be disposed of. One woman suggested that, rather than binning the packaging, using a strip of sellotape to stick it back down. The factory soon saved £1,000 annually and she received a five per cent cut of the proceeds.

Workers were also rewarded for their loyalty. Prizes for long-serving staff

included silver spoons and an ornate clock after forty years, one of which, dating back to 1900, is displayed in the museum.

“They were good. With the suggestion schemes and things like that. They would listen to you. Let’s put it that way,” Frank said.

As in any workplace, mischief was sometimes necessary to pass the time.

Yvonne Fowler wrote: ‘As a kid, I always preferred Mrs Peek’s puds to mum’s homemade. However, dad confessed that they had competitions on how high the puddings would bounce when dropped down the stairwell.’

Gary Maygold, curator at the Peek Freans Museum, was even contacted by a woman who had kept her handwritten warning from her boss for having a snowball fight in the workplace. The fact it had enough sentimental value for her to keep decades later was testament to the good time she must have had there, he said. Another memorable story is that of a disgruntled worker who painted rude scenes into some of the more ornate biscuit tins. In 1980, upset at being made

HISTORY 23

History women getting ready in the changing rooms for their shift in the twiglets and cheeselets department circa 1984/85

salesmen would travel around london with samples of biscuits for potential wholesale buyers to try

© Georgina Belcher

sir Jack hobbs training the women’s cricket in 1935

a newspaper cutting telling the sordid story

For over a century, the sweet aroma of freshly-baked biscuits was the scented backdrop for thousands of families living around Bermondsey.

It was one of the last factories to go... redundant, he managed to sneak a couple having sex, swear words and copulating dogs into an otherwise serene garden scene.

Christmas was always a special time in the factory. Patrick O’Grady wrote: ‘I used to taste test the Christmas puddings from the line every morning at 10 AM when I was in the R&D department at

© The Peek Freans Museum

mr m c laws, appointed to the works committee in 1955

women working at the peek freans’ biscuit factory crica 1906

Peek Freans. we always had some brandy butter at Christmas time to make it extra special.’

A Works’ Committee, a forum for employees to air grievances, was established in 1918. In the mid-1950s, amid a post-war Labour shortage, staff were polled on whether to let Caribbean arrivals work at the factory. We do not know the results of the poll, but the Works Committee agreed to allow them to work in certain departments. In 1955, the committee’s first Black member - Mr

C Laws, was elected to the board.

By the late 19th century, “paternalistic capitalism”—where employers took an active role in their workers’ welfare— was gaining traction among forwardthinking industrialists.

Companies like Cadbury (Bournville) and Lever Brothers (Port Sunlight) were at the forefront of this movement, establishing entire villages for their workers. These developments went beyond workplace initiatives, providing housing, healthcare, education, and

recreation. By contrast, Peek Freans’ measures, while commendable, were less ambitious. Without dedicated housing or expansive welfare programs, the factory’s initiatives were largely confined to workplace-based activities.

Peek Freans’ approach to inclusion and diversity also warrants scrutiny. While the election of the factory’s first Black Works Committee member, Mr. C. Laws, in 1955 marked a milestone, the broader context of how Caribbean workers were integrated—or restricted—into the workforce tells a more complicated story. The mid-20th century labor shortage made such hires a necessity, but allowing workers of Caribbean descent into only certain departments suggests lingering biases. The 1950s poll on whether to employ these workers also underscores the conditional nature of their acceptance.

The limits of the factory’s goodwill came into sharp focus in the summer of 1911 in what would become known as the Bermondsey Uprising. Thousands of women downed tools and walked out of factories in Bermondsey and Rotherhithe

in protest against “appalling” working conditions and pay.

The women’s strike saw 12,000 workers walk out of factories on the first day, including from the Biscuit Factory. Eventually 14,000 marched to a demonstration at Southwark Park, where famous faces such as suffragette Sylvia Pankhurst spoke.

The strike could not have happened without Ada Salter, Bermondsey’s first female councillor, elected in 1909, and her friends Mary Macarthur, who set up the National Federation of Women Workers (NFWW), and Eveline Lowe, who was the first woman elected chair of London County Council.

“It was an age that was actually worse for women than the previous ones because of Victorian hypocritical morals,” historian and author Graham Taylor explained.

“They were actually worse off because of industrial revolution which forced them into machinery jobs, whereas 200 years ago in women’s industry they used to do basket weaving at home and they had skilled jobs and got money in. This factory work was not like factory work now. There were no trade unions and that meant the conditions were appalling.”

He said the Biscuit Factory wasn’t “as bad as some others” but remained places plagued by dangers and long hours for little pay. In August, 12,000 women walked out and all the factories came to a halt,” said Taylor.

“What happened was the women had become aware that if they came out on strike they would not be without assistance. Ada set up food depots and kitchens all along the river right from London Bridge down to Woolwich to help the dockers and the women,” Graham said. The strike, which lasted weeks, saw an increase in wages in all of Bermondsey and Rotherhithe’s 20 to 30 factories.

Edward Said, a renowned historian wrote ‘History is always written in the present tense, but it is also always written as though we are trying to make the past conform to the present, so that it becomes acceptable, meaningful, and reassuring,’ in The World, the Text, and the Critic (1983). That is the tight-rope everyone walks when looking back at the Biscuit Factory.

Speak to locals, and many will conjure up wonderful images of the factory, regardless of whether they worked there.

Many are undoubtedly influenced by the sweet bakery smells that coloured their childhood thanks to the Peek Freans. Sweet aromas wafting through playgrounds, into classrooms and across parks provide a scented backdrop to halcyon days of ‘simpler times’. Peter Webb wrote: ‘You could walk around Bermondsey blindfold and know where you were by the smell. Peek Freans’ was one of the nicer aromas.’ Many will remember mums and sisters bringing home bulging bags of broken biscuits, much to the delight of their families.

132 years after the business began, the biscuit factory closed on May 26, 1989.

While its history may have been complex, with workers fighting for their rights at times, the factory clearly played an important role in the lives of many locals families, putting food on the table, and giving the community a focal point. In a world of unstable work, this should never be sniffed at.

The Peek Freans’ Museum is based at 100 Drummond Road, Bermondsey, London. Find out more going on their Facebook account PeekFreanMuseum

24 CLASSIFIED CLASSIFIED AND COMMUNITY NOTICEBOARD

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FAMILY ANNOUNCEMENT

Memorial In loving memory of My Mum

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PUBLIC NOTICES 25

Thursday, February 20th 2025

LONDON BOROUGH OF SOUTHWARK

Town and Country Planning (Development Management Procedure) (England) Order 2015 NOTICE UNDER ARTICLE 13 OF APPLICATION FOR PLANNING PERMISSION

ROAD TRAFFIC REGULATION ACT 1984 SECTION 14(1) (AVONDALE SQUARE, BOYSON ROAD, NEWHAMS ROW, GROVE LANE, GREAT SUFFOLK STREET)

Proposed development at: Snowsfields Quarter, London, SE1 3SS Take notice that an application is being made by: Oxford Snowsfields Development Limited and Guy’s & St Thomas’ Foundation To London Borough of Southwark for planning permission for: “Demolition of the existing buildings and the construction of three new buildings, providing flexible commercial floorspace (Class E (g)), ground floor retail (Class E (a-b)), science on display (Class E(g)/F1), community performance floorspace (Class E/F1), a Public House (Sui Generis); cycle parking, servicing, refuse and plant areas, public realm and highway improvements, and other works incidental to the development.”

(TEMPORARY PROHIBITION OF TRAFFIC) 1.

The Council of the London Borough of Southwark hereby gives notice that to enable various works to be carried out, it intends, to make an order, the effect of which will be to prohibit vehicular traffic from entering part of the above named roads.

2.

Whilst the works are in progress, or whilst the authorised traffic signs/road markings are displayed, no person shall cause any vehicle to enter, proceed, stop, wait, load or unload at any time in: (2a) Avondale Square, at it’s junction with between Old Kent for 54m north (by Twelve Acres House) (2b) Boyson Road, at it’s junction with Red Lion Row (2c) Newhams Row, at it’s junction with Bermondsey Street (2d) Grove Lane, between De Crespigny Park and Champion Park (2e) Great Suffolk Street, at it’s junction with Union Street

Any owner* of the land or tenant** who wishes to make representations about this application should write to Southwark Council on the address below: Southwark Council Chief Executive's Department Planning Division Development Management PO Box 64529 London SE1 5LX *‘owner’ means a person having a freehold interest or a leasehold interest the unexpired term of which is not less than seven years. **‘tenant’ means a tenant of an agricultural holding any part of which is comprised in the land.

Submission Date: Signed: On behalf of: Date:

13.03.2025 DP9 Ltd Oxford Snowsfields Development Limited and Guy’s & St Thomas’ Foundation 20.02.2025

Statement of owners’ rights The grant of planning permission does not affect owners’ rights to retain or dispose of their property, unless there is some provision to the contrary in an agreement or lease.

Statement of agricultural tenants’ rights The grant of planning permission for non-agricultural development may affect agricultural tenants’ security of tenure.

LONDON BOROUGH OF SOUTHWARK BOOKABLE PERMIT LOADING PLACES – GOOSE GREEN The London Borough of Southwark (Bookable permit loading places) (No. 2) Order 202* 1. Southwark Council hereby GIVES NOTICE that it proposes to make the above Order under sections 6, 45, 46, 49 and 124 of and Part IV of Schedule 9 to the Road Traffic Regulation Act 1984, as amended.

2. The general effects of the Order, with the intention of improving the availability and turnover of kerbside loading (at times and locations of peak demand), would be:(a) to provide a new type of loading facility on the highway – which may be pre-booked and charged (currently the charge will be £0.00 per permit, for any class of permitted vehicle), online or via a software application, by the user (an ‘authorised permit-holder’) in respect of a specific vehicle, location and time period; (b) to make provision for the application for and grant of permits in respect of certain vehicles for the purpose of permitting waiting, only when loading, and for loading and unloading in designated bookable ‘permit loading places’, or where applicable, by virtue of an exception to waiting or waiting and loading restrictions, whilst those permits remain valid, and to set the terms and conditions of use and charges for those permits; (c) to amend the provisions of the London Borough of Southwark (Free Parking Places, Loading Places and Waiting, Loading and Stopping Restrictions) (Map-based) Order 2021, so as to provide an exception to waiting or waiting and loading restrictions at certain locations and at certain times in relation to authorised permit-holders’ vehicles – known as ‘bookable permit loading places’; and (d) to designate new inset bookable permit loading places, replacing an existing loading place in GROVE VALE, for the use of authorised permit-holders’ only at all times, at the following locations (note that all measurements are in metres and are approximate):(i) south-west side, from a point 2.5 metres north-west of the north-western kerb-line of Railway Rise north-westward for a distance of 10.5 metres; and (ii) south-west side opposite its junction with Vale End, from a point 13 metres north-west of the northwestern kerb-line of Railway Rise north-westward for a distance of 10.5 metres.

3. Permits for the use of bookable permit loading places (currently the charge will be £0.00 per permit, for any class of permitted vehicle), or for exception to waiting or waiting and loading restrictions in relation to authorised permit-holders’ vehicles, will be granted with validity periods of either 15 minutes, 30 minutes or 1 hour, subject to availability.

4. For more information contact the Council's Highways team Highways@southwark.gov.uk 5. Copies of the supporting documents (this Notice, the proposed Order, and a statement of the Council's reasons for making the Order) may be found online at https://consultation.appyway.com/southwark; and paper or digital copies of a plan showing the location and effect of the Order and the supporting documents may be requested by emailing traffic.orders@southwark.gov.uk, or inspected by appointment only at: Highways, Southwark Council, Environment, Sustainability & Leisure, 3rd floor hub 2, 160 Tooley Street, London SE1 2QH - from the date of this Notice until the end of a period of six weeks from the date on which the Order is made.

Email traffic.orders@southwark.gov.uk (or call 077 3132 4742) for booking details.

6. Anyone wishing to make any representations either for or to object to the proposals, may use our consultation portal at https://consultation.appyway.com/southwark; or send a statement in writing to: Traffic Order Consultations, Highways, Southwark Council, Environment, Sustainability & Leisure, P.O. Box 64529, London SE1P 5LX or traffic.orders@southwark.gov.uk quoting reference ‘TMO2425-039 Bookable loading Goose Green’ by 13 March 2025. Please note that if you wish to object to this proposal you must state the grounds on which your objection is made.

7. Under requirements of current access to information legislation, any letter, form or e-mail sent to the Council in response to this Notice may be subject to publication or disclosure, or both, including communication to other persons affected.

Dated 20 February 2025 Steven Grayer Interim Head of Service - Highways, Environment, Sustainability & Leisure

3.

The alternative routes for affected traffic will be as indicated by the signs displayed

4.

Exemptions will be provided in the Order to permit reasonable access to premises, so far as it is practical without interference with the execution of the said works.

5.

The restrictions will not apply to any vehicle being used in connection with the said works, or for fire brigade, ambulance or police purposes or anything done with the permission or at the direction of a police constable in uniform.

6.

The closure will be in operation on the following dates: (2a) 8th March (2b) 10th – 12th March (2c) 12th March (2d) 10th – 20th March (2e) 6th – 16th March

7.

Further information may be obtained by contacting Road Network Management at ttmo@southwark.gov.uk

Dated this 20th February 2025 Ian Law Traffic Manager, London Borough of Southwark, Network Management, Environment, Neighbourhoods and Growth 160 Tooley Street, PO Box 64529, London, SE1 5LX Ref: (2a) 90960394/Conway (2b) BOYSONRD-V9236/BT/Instalcom (2c) 000032130505001/thameswater (2d) SEC50/GROVELANE25/M&SWaterSU (2e) MCW-00001979-03thameswater LONDON BOROUGH OF SOUTHWARK HORSELYDOWN LANE The London Borough of Southwark (Charged-for parking places) (Horselydown Lane) Order 202* The London Borough of Southwark (Free parking places and Waiting restrictions) (Horselydown Lane) Order 202* 1. Southwark Council hereby GIVES NOTICE that it proposes to make the above Orders under sections 6, 45, 46, 49 and 124 of and Part IV of Schedule 9 to the Road Traffic Regulation Act 1984, as amended.

2. The effects of the Orders in HORSELYDOWN LANE (within existing Controlled Parking Zone ‘G’), would be to: (a) south-east side o/s Nos. 32 and 34 Horselydown Lane relocate an existing CPZ ‘G’ permit holders’ only parking place south-westward by 1.5 metres; (b) south-east side o/s Nos. 34 and 36 Horselydown Lane remove one existing electric vehicle only recharging bay, and increase the size of another existing electric vehicle only recharging bay to 12.5 metres (note that two existing recharging points would be replaced with a single recharging point serving two vehicles at any one time, and relocated from the footway to a build-out in the carriageway within the electric vehicle only recharging bay; and (c) amend existing waiting restrictions by (i) replacing 49 metres of timed waiting restrictions (single yellow lines) with ‘at any time’ waiting restrictions (double yellow lines ‘DYLs’) on the north-west side between its junction with Queen Elizabeth Street and its junction with Gainsford Street, and (ii) on the south-east side removing a total of 3 metres of existing ‘DYLs’ o/s Nos. 34 and 36 Horselydown Lane to accommodate the parking changes.

3. Southwark Council hereby GIVES FURTHER NOTICE, under sections 90A to 90I of the Highways Act 1980 and in accordance with the provisions of the Highways (Traffic calming) Regulations 1999, that it intends to construct a raised speed table of flat-top construction having a maximum height level with the surrounding kerb, and covering the entire width of the carriageway in HORSELYDOWN LANE extending from the north-western kerb-line of Queen Elizabeth Street north-westward for a distance of 7 metres, including ramps.

Notes: (1) ‘at any time’ means at all hours on every day of the week. (2) All measurements are in metres and are approximate.

4. For more information contact the Council's Highways Team at Highways@southwark.gov.uk 5. Copies of the supporting documents (this Notice, the proposed Orders, and a statement of Southwark Council's reasons for making the Order) may be found online at https://consultation.appyway.com/southwark; and paper or digital copies of a plan showing the location and effect of the Order and the supporting documents may be requested by emailing traffic.orders@southwark.gov.uk, or inspected by appointment only at: Highways, Southwark Council, Environment, Sustainability and Leisure, 3rd floor hub 2, 160 Tooley Street, London SE1 2QH - from the date of this Notice until the end of a period of six weeks from the date on which the Orders are made. Email traffic.orders@southwark.gov.uk (or call 077 3132 4742) for booking details.

6. Anyone wishing to make any representations either for or to object to the proposals, may use our consultation portal https://consultation.appyway.com/southwark or send a statement in writing to: Traffic Order Consultations, Highways, Southwark Council Environment, Sustainability & Leisure, P.O. Box 64529, London SE1P 5LX or traffic.orders@southwark.gov.uk quoting reference ‘TMO2425-037 Horselydown Lane’ by 13 March 2025. Please note that if you wish to object to the proposals you must state the grounds on which your objection is made.

7. Under requirements of current access to information legislation, any letter, form or e-mail sent to the Council in response to this Notice may be subject to publication or disclosure, or both, including communication to other persons affected.

Dated 20 February 2025 Steven Grayer Interim Head of Service - Highways, Environment, Sustainability & Leisure

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

26 PUBLIC NOTICES

Thursday, February 20th 2025

LONDON BOROUGH OF SOUTHWARK TOWN & COUNTRY PLANNING ACT 1990 (as amended) PLANNING (LISTED BUILDINGS AND CONSERVATION AREAS) ACT 1990 (as amended) The planning applications listed below can be viewed on the planning register at https://planning.southwark.gov.uk/online-applications/ You can use facilities at your local library or 'My Southwark Service Points' to access the website.

How to comment on this application: You should submit your comments via the above link. Comments received will be made available for public viewing on the website. All personal information will be removed except your postal address. Online comments submitted without an email address will not be acknowledged and those marked 'confidential' will not be considered. Written comments can be submitted to; Southwark Council, Chief executive's department, Planning division, Development Management, PO Box 64529, London SE1 5LX. Reason for publicity. The applications are advertised for the reasons identified by the following codes: AFFECT - development affecting character or appearance of a nearby conservation area; OR development affecting setting of a nearby listed building(s); DEP - departure from the development plan; EIA - environmental impact assessment (these applications are accompanied by an environmental statement a copy of which may be obtained from the Council - there will be a charge for the copy); MAJ - major planning application; STDCA - development within a conservation area; STDLB - works to or within the site of a listed building; 313-349 ILDERTON ROAD LONDON SOUTHWARK SE15 1NW (Ref: 25/AP/0228) Variation of Condition 1 (Approved Plans) of planning permission ref. 20/AP/1329 dated 13/05/2021 for 'Demolition of existing buildings and construction of two buildings, one of part 11 and 13 storeys and one of part 13 and 15 storeys, to provide 1,739sq.m (GIA) of commercial floorspace, 250 student accommodation bed spaces (Sui Generis) and 58 residential units, with associated access and highway works, amenity space, cycle parking spaces, disabled car parking spaces and refuse/ recycling stores.' The amendments include the following: - To allow the 41no. approved rental units to be provided, along with the 17no. approved intermediate units, as RentPlus rent-tobuy (intermediate tenure) units. Reason(s) for publicity: DEP (Contact: Paul Ricketts 020 7525 3212) 10 KNATCHBULL ROAD LONDON SOUTHWARK SE5 9QS(Ref: 25/AP/0255) Ground floor rear extension and changes to the side gate at the front of the property. (Within: Camberwell New Road CA) Reason(s) for publicity: STDCA (Contact: James Holmes 020 7525 0803) RAILWAY ARCH 221 42 BLENHEIM GROVE LONDON SOUTHWARK SE15 4QL(Ref: 24/AP/3708) Change of use to Sui Generis (including Class E, Class B8 and Class F), erection of a container within the rear courtyard for cooking purposes, new signage, together with external alterations and associated works. (Within: Rye Lane Peckham Multiple CA) Reason(s) for publicity: STDCA (Contact: Michèle Sterry 020 7525 5453) LAND AT 18 BLACKFRAIRS ROAD AND 1-7 STAMFORD STREET TOGETHER WITH LAND AT 18 BLACKFRAIRS ROAD BOUNDED BY STAMFORD STREET PARIS GARDEN AND CHRIST CHURCH LONDON SE1 (Ref: 25/AP/0301) Variation of Conditions 1 (Approved Plans) and 4 (Method Statement and Schedule of Works) pursuant to planning permission 23/AP/1855 dated 14/11/2024 for 'Listed Building Consent: Demolition of rear extension at 3-7 Stamford Street together with removal of roof-level plant and modern elements at 1 and 3-7 Stamford Street; internal and external renovation and

alterations throughout including replacement of windows, works to connect the listed buildings including a ground floor glazed infill between the buildings and all other associated and ancillary works'. The amendments include the following: change of use from public house and workspace (mixed use) to public house (single use) -minor interior amendments to stair/lift lobbies, bathrooms, and access points (to accommodate change of use) -method statement/schedule of works condition (4) to no longer refer to 2 Stamford Street (not part of site) Reason(s) for publicity: STDLB (Contact: Nathaniel Young 020 7525 0417) RAILWAY ARCH 221 42 BLENHEIM GROVE LONDON SOUTHWARK SE15 4QL(Ref: 24/AP/3709) Display of an externally illuminated advertisement, 3mm Corten steel fret duct sign, 815mm Diameter (Within: Rye Lane Peckham Holly Grove CA) Reason(s) for publicity: STDCA (Contact: Michèle Sterry 020 7525 5453) HMS BELFAST THE QUEENS WALK LONDON SOUTHWARK SE1 2JH (Ref: 24/AP/3815) Removal of existing canopy structures for replacement with a single pergola structure to the rooftop of the pavilion Reason(s) for publicity: AFFECT (Contact: Glenn Ruane 020 7525 5840) 166 TURNEY ROAD LONDON SOUTHWARK SE21 7JJ(Ref: 25/AP/0363) Installation of new patio doors and solar panels rear. (Within: Dulwich Village CA) Reason(s) for publicity: STDCA (Contact: Ibrahim Azam 020 7525 2876) 43 PECKARMANS WOOD LONDON SOUTHWARK SE26 6RZ(Ref: 25/AP/0346) Construction of a single-storey side extension, including addition of 2no. windows and 1no. door to side elevation, and replacement door and replacement glazed panels to rear elevation.

Installation of air source heat pump to side elevation. (Within: Dulwich Wood CA) Reason(s) for publicity: STDCA (Contact: Samuel Hepworth 020 7525 5465) 88A SOUTHWARK BRIDGE ROAD LONDON SOUTHWARK SE1 0EX(Ref: 25/AP/0359) Installation of 1 x blade style projecting sign 1 x fascia sign and window frosting with vinyl letters /graphics (Within: Union Street CA) Reason(s)

for publicity: STDCA (Contact: Ibrahim Azam 020 7525 2876) NEW CITY COURT 4-26 ST THOMAS STREET LONDON SE1 9RS (Ref: 24/AP/3804) Listed building consent for the restoration, rebuilding and refurbishment of the listed terraces for office use (nos. 4-16 St Thomas Street) including: Making good of atrium roof, entrance building and link building interface; Internal alterations within the terrace to reinstate the plan form and reconfiguration of circulation space on each floor; Reinstatement of front doors along St Thomas Street. (Related planning application ref. 24/AP/3803.) (Within: Borough High Street CA) Reason(s) for publicity: STDLB (Contact: Victoria Crosby 020 7525 1017)

single sliding automatic door, new aluminium framed glazing to the front windows, new aluminium louvres on the rear elevation, 1no. internally illuminated fascia sign and 2no. internally illuminated projecting signs. (Within: Walworth Road CA) Reason(s) for publicity: STDCA (Contact: Susherrie Suki 020 7525 0646) Dated: 18 Feb 2025 - comments to be received within 21 days of this date (or 30 days for EIA development).

STEPHEN PLATTS Director of Planning and Growth

10 BALDWIN CRESCENT LONDON SOUTHWARK SE5 9LQ (Ref: 25/AP/0337) Replacement of existing single-glazed timber sash windows with double-glazed timber sash windows and replacement of existing singleglazed uPVC casement windows with doubleglazed uPVC casement windows in the same style and appearance. (Within: Camberwell New Road CA) Reason(s) for publicity: STDCA (Contact: Ibrahim Azam 020 7525 2876) FIRST FLOOR AND SECOND FLOOR FLAT 216 WALWORTH ROAD LONDON SOUTHWARK SE17 1JE (Ref: 25/AP/0198) Construction of a second floor rear extension.

(Within: Walworth Road CA) Reason(s) for publicity: STDCA (Contact: Agneta Kabele 020 7525 3148) 65 DANECROFT ROAD LONDON SOUTHWARK SE24 9PA (Ref: 25/AP/0392) Construction of a single storey rear extension (Within: Sunray Estate CA) Reason(s) for publicity: STDCA (Contact: Agneta Kabele 020 7525 3148) 65 DANECROFT ROAD LONDON SOUTHWARK SE24 9PA(Ref: 25/AP/0393) Construction of a rear dormer roof extension and x3 rooflights to the front roof slope (Within: Sunray Estate CA) Reason(s) for publicity: STDCA (Contact: Agneta Kabele 020 7525 3148) 15 - 21 CAMBERWELL ROAD LONDON SOUTHWARK SE5 0EZ (Ref: 25/AP/0398) External alterations, including installation of a

TOWN AND COUNTRY PLANNING (GENERAL PERMITTED DEVELOPMENT) (ENGLAND) ORDER 2015 (AS AMENDED) CONFIRMATION OF ARTICLE 4 DIRECTION On 18 February 2025, Southwark Council confirmed a non-immediate Article 4 Direction removing permitted development rights granted by Schedule 2, Part 16 of the Town and Country Planning (General Permitted Development) (England) Order 2015 (as amended) at Land on the corner of Croxted Road and Norwood Road, in front of number 294 Croxted Road, and numbers 85-87 Norwood Road, London, SE24 9DA as shown on the map which accompanies the Article 4 Direction.

Development of the descriptions set out above should not be carried out on the land shown edged red on the map annexed to the Directions, unless planning permission is granted on an application made under Part III of the Town and Country Planning Act 1990, as amended.

A copy of the Article 4 Direction and the map can be downloaded from https://planning.southwark.gov.uk/online-applications and searching for case 24/AP/3639 The Article 4 Direction will come into force on 21 February 2025.

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PUBLIC NOTICES 27

Thursday, February 20th 2025

LONDON BOROUGH OF SOUTHWARK ROAD TRAFFIC REGULATION ACT 1984 SECTION 14(1) (BOUNDARY LANE, CARVER ROAD, CLEMENTS ROAD, GREAT SUFFOK STREET, JANEWAY PLACE, JANEWAY STREET, ODESSA STREET, SHAD THAMES, ILDERTON ROAD) (TEMPORARY PROHIBITION OF TRAFFIC) 1.

2.

The Council of the London Borough of Southwark hereby gives notice that to enable works to be carried out, it made, an order, the effect of which will be to prohibit vehicular traffic from entering part of the above named roads.

Whilst the works are in progress, or whilst the authorised traffic signs/road markings are displayed, no person shall cause any vehicle to enter, proceed, stop, wait, load or unload at any time in: (2a) Boundary Lane, Camberwell Road and Red Lion Row (2b) Carver Road, at its junction with Herne Hill (2c) Clements Road, between St James Road and Drummond Road (2d) Great Suffolk Street, between Loman Street and Copperfield Road (2e) Janeway Place, between Janeway Street and Wilson Grove (2f) Janeway Street, between Scott Lidgett Crescent (2g) Odessa Street, between No’s 20 (2h) Shad Thames, between Jamaica Road and Queen Elizabeth Street (2I) ilderton Road, between Rollins Street and Sharratt Street

3.

The alternative routes for affected traffic will be (2a) Camberwell Road, Boyson Road, Red Lion Row (2b) Herne Hill, Hollingbourne Road, Warmington Road, Ruskin Walk, Half Moon Lane (2c) St James Road, Webster Road, Storks Road (phase 2). Clements Road, Webster Road (phase 3). Southwark Park Road, St James Road, Clements Road (phase 4). (2d) Union Street, Great Guildford Street, Southwark Bridge Road, Sawyer Street, Loman Street (2e) & (2f) Wilson Grove, Emba Street, Scott Lidgett Crescent. (2g) Rotherhithe Street, Elgar Street, Gulliver Street. (2h) Queen Eliizabeth Street, Lafone Street, Tooley Street. Tanner Street, Tower Bridge Road, Fair Street, Tooley Street, Three Oak Lane, Queen Elizabeth Street. (2i) Penarth Street, Ormside Street, Manor Grove

4.

The existing ‘one-way working in Janeway Place, between Janeway Street and Wilson Grove will be made ‘two-way’ for access and egress purposes for item No. (2e) & (2f)

5.

Exemptions will be provided in the Order to permit reasonable access to premises, so far as it is practical without interference with the execution of the said works.

6.

The restrictions will not apply to any vehicle being used in connection with the said works, or for fire brigade, ambulance or police purposes or anything done with the permission or at the direction of a police constable in uniform.

7.

The closure will be operational on the following dates: (2a) 4th – 7th March (2b) 6th March (2c) 3rd March – 9th May and the works will be carried out in phases. (2d) 6th March (2e) 5th – 6th March & (2f) 5th – 6th March (2g) 3rd – 13th March (2h) 3rd – 28th March, Monday – Friday, between the hours of 07.45am – 4.30pm (2i) 28th February – 2nd March

8.

Further information may be obtained by contacting Road Network Management at ttmo@southwark.gov.uk

Dated this 20th February 2025 Ian Law Traffic Manager, London Borough of Southwark, Network Management, Environment, Neighbourhoods and Growth 160 Tooley Street, PO Box 64529, London, SE1 5LX Ref: (2a) BOUNDARYLANE-V9236 (2b) OGEA73252371 (2c) SEC50/CLEMENTSRD25 (2d) MCW00001979-03 (2e) 57116458 (2f) 14781289 (2g) -ODESSA-DECOM (2h) LBSSC13842 (2i) LBSCR13923-2

LONDON BOROUGH OF SOUTHWARK BOOKABLE PERMIT LOADING PLACES - WALWORTH ROAD The London Borough of Southwark (Bookable permit loading places) (No. 1) Order 202* 1. Southwark Council hereby GIVES NOTICE that it proposes to make the above Order under sections 6, 45, 46, 49 and 124 of and Part IV of Schedule 9 to the Road Traffic Regulation Act 1984, as amended.

2. The general effects of the Order, with the intention of improving the availability and turnover of kerbside loading (at times and locations of peak demand), would be:(a) to revoke The London Borough of Southwark (Dynamic loading places) (No. 2) Experimental Traffic Order 2023, which in effect removes the 5 trialled bookable ‘permit loading places’ in WALWORTH ROAD; (b) to provide a new type of loading facility on the highway – which may be pre-booked and charged (currently the charge will be £0.00 per permit, for any class of permitted vehicle), online or via a software application, by the user (an ‘authorised permit-holder’) in respect of a specific vehicle, location and time period; (c) to make provision for the application for and grant of permits in respect of certain vehicles for the purpose of permitting waiting, only when loading, and for loading and unloading in designated bookable ‘permit loading places’, or where applicable, by virtue of an exception to waiting or waiting and loading restrictions, whilst those permits remain valid, and to set the terms and conditions of use and charges for those permits; (d) to amend the provisions of the London Borough of Southwark (Free Parking Places, Loading Places and Waiting, Loading and Stopping Restrictions) (Map-based) Order 2021, so as to provide an exception to waiting or waiting and loading restrictions at certain locations and at certain times in relation to authorised permit-holders’ vehicles – known as ‘bookable permit loading places’; and (e) to designate new bookable permit loading places, replacing existing loading places, for the use of authorised permit-holders’ only at all times, at the following locations (note that all measurements are in metres and are approximate):(i) WALWORTH ROAD north-east side, from a point 55.5 metres south-east of the south-eastern kerbline of Browning Street south-eastward for a distance of 6.5 metres; (ii) WALWORTH ROAD north-east side, from a point 62 metres south-east of the south-eastern kerbline of Browning Street south-eastward for a distance of 6.5 metres; (iii) WALWORTH ROAD north-east side, from a point 68.5 metres south-east of the south-eastern kerbline of Browning Street south-eastward for a distance of 6.5 metres; (iv) WALWORTH ROAD south-west side, from a point 18 metres south-east of the south-eastern kerbline of Manor Place south-eastward for a distance of 7 metres; and (v) WALWORTH ROAD south-west side, from a point 25 metres south-east of the south-eastern kerbline of Manor Place south-eastward for a distance of 14 metres.

3. Permits for the use of bookable permit loading places (currently the charge will be £0.00 per permit, for any class of permitted vehicle), or for exception to waiting or waiting and loading restrictions in relation to authorised permit-holders’ vehicles shall be granted with validity periods of either 15 minutes, 30 minutes or 1 hour, subject to availability.

4. For more information contact the Council's Highways team Highways@southwark.gov.uk 5. Copies of the supporting documents (this Notice, the proposed Order, and a statement of the Council's reasons for making the Order) may be found online at https://consultation.appyway.com/southwark; and paper or digital copies of a plan showing the location and effect of the Order and the supporting documents may be requested by emailing traffic.orders@southwark.gov.uk, or inspected by appointment only at: Highways, Southwark Council, Environment, Sustainability & Leisure, 3rd floor hub 2, 160 Tooley Street, London SE1 2QH - from the date of this Notice until the end of a period of six weeks from the date on which the Order is made.

Email traffic.orders@southwark.gov.uk (or call 077 3132 4742) for booking details.

6. Anyone wishing to make any representations either for or to object to the proposals, may use our consultation portal at https://consultation.appyway.com/southwark; or send a statement in writing to: Traffic Order Consultations, Highways, Southwark Council, Environment, Sustainability & Leisure, P.O. Box 64529, London SE1P 5LX or traffic.orders@southwark.gov.uk quoting reference ‘TMO2425-038 Bookable loading Walworth Rd’ by 13 March 2025. Please note that if you wish to object to this proposal you must state the grounds on which your objection is made.

7. Under requirements of current access to information legislation, any letter, form or e-mail sent to the Council in response to this Notice may be subject to publication or disclosure, or both, including communication to other persons affected.

Dated 20 February 2025 teven Grayer Interim Head of Service - Highways, Environment, Sustainability & Leisure

Notice of Application to Vary a Premises Licence made under Section 34 of the Licensing Act 2003 Please take notice that I / we Planet of the Grapes Ltd have made application to Southwark Council to vary the Premises Licence in respect of Planet of the Grapes, Rear of 43 Lordship Lane, London, SE22 8EW The proposed variation is as follows: Closing time on Friday and Saturday changes from 22:00 to 00:00 Days

Start time

Finish time

The retail sale of alcohol:

Sunday to Thursday Friday & Saturday

10:00 10:00

22:00 00:00

The provision of regulated entertainment:

Sunday to Thursday Friday & Saturday

10:00 10:00

22:00 00:00

The provision of late night refreshment:

Sunday to Thursday Friday & Saturday

10:00 10:00

22:00 00:00

Opening hours:

Sunday to Thursday Friday & Saturday

10:00 10:00

22:00 00:00

A register of all applications made within the Southwark area is maintained by: The Licensing Service, Hub 1, 3rd Floor, 160 Tooley Street, London, SE1 2QH A record of this application may be inspected by visiting the office during normal office hours by appointment on 020 7525 2000; details are also available on our website at http://app.southwark.gov.uk/licensing/licenseregister.asp It is open to any interested party to make representations about the likely effect of the application on the promotion of the licensing objectives. Representations must be made in writing to the Licensing Service at the office address given above (or by email via licensing@southwark.gov.uk) and be received by the Service within a period of 28 days starting the day after the date shown below.

Note: It is an offence to knowingly or recklessly make a false statement in connection with an application. A person guilty of such offence is liable on summary conviction to a fine not exceeding level 5 on the standard scale.

Date of application: 12th February 2025

Photo by Lily Boorer

SPORT 29

dreWe marks return With goal

By Myles Thornton millwall lionESSES are just a point off third in the l&SErwfl Premier Division after their 3-1 win against ashford united at the homelands Stadium last weekend.

Millwall manager Ted Jones made three changes to the team that played in a 5-0 loss at home to Dartford last month. Millie Connell, Lucy Jellett and academy graduate Dani Menzes replaced Elise Jennings, Liv McGregor,and Grace Seely in the XI. Billy Burgess, Shannan Drewe, Chloe Francis, Emma Squirrell, and Kayda Townsend made up the bench.

The game was played in front of a crowd of 81 people, and it was the visitors who took the lead after sixteen minutes when Esme Johnson got on the end of a cross from Connell to finish.

Mia Lockett had to go off after 25 minutes. She was replaced by Drewe, who had last played for Millwall back in September, away to Fulham, and had been out since due to a foot injury.

Drewe showed how much she had been missed as just before the break she doubled Millwall’s lead.

Emel Huseyin crossed and Drewe emphatically fired home.

The Lionesses’ lead was reduced in the 57th when Kayleigh Harris

Surrey confirm coaching team

Esme Johnson was also on target for the Lionesses

By John Kelly SurrEy havE confirmed their coaching ticket for their first-ever professional women’s team this season.

Tom Lister, Dan Helesfay and Dieter Klein will work under head coach Johann Myburgh.

Lister was the head in 2020 when Surrey women won the London Cup and the London Championship before he joined the South East Stars to work under Myburgh.

Helesfay was an assistant coach at the Surrey Stars in the KSL before joining the Western Storm to take charge of their academy side. He became bowling lead at the South East Stars in 2023 and will have the same role at Surrey.

Klein had been a coach at Leicestershire since 2021 after retiring as a fast-bowler.

He joins Surrey as lead second XI coach, and will also have bowling responsibilities with Halesfay.

Surrey’s director of women’s cricket Emma Calvert said: “The coaching staff at any team are the bedrock for the side’s success and I’m so confident in the group we have here at Surrey.

“Tom, Dan and Dieter bring a wealth of experience in coaching and working in the women’s game and, under the leadership of Johann Myburgh, we have an outstanding staff ready to drive the group to develop into the best players they can be.

“Alongside this, we have confirmed a brilliant team across strength and conditioning, physio, pathway and operations and player support, to help drive this new side to success.

“We are all incredibly excited to get started and to start to drive the women’s game forward across the county and the region.”

pulled one back for the hosts.

Millwall gave themselves more breathing room in the 68th minute when Jellett played the ball through for Drewe who crossed and the Lionesses’ top-scorer, Ciara Watling, restored their two-goal lead.

Millwall are sixth in the table with 24 points from sixteen games, a point off third-place Fulham.

Dorking are six points clear in the only promotion spot. Second-place Dorking Wanderers are seven points ahead of Fulham.

Jones’s side are in quarter-final action in the L&SERWFL League Cup this Sunday when they host Leatherhead at St Paul’s in Rotherhithe. Kick-off is at 1.30pm.

Quinton’s Hamlet revival continues as drop fears recede

By John Kelly

DulwiCh hamlEt stretched their unbeaten run to four games with a 0-0 draw at hastings united - but boss Bradley Quinton felt it could have been more.

Quinton revealed he told his squad it showed how far they had come when a point away from home is a disappointment.

Before their current run, Dulwich had lost six games in a row, including the first three of Quinton’s spell.

The Hamlet have edged away from the Isthmian League Premier Division relegation zone and now have a sevenpoint buffer to the bottom four.

“I think apart from Dillon [Barnes] making a good save from the free-kick, it was probably 35 yards out, it was the only real chance that they had on our goal,” Quinton said. “We had two or three chances in the first half and then another two chances, in the second half.

“My chat after the game was, we’ve come a long way in terms of that we now feel that a point away from home is not enough for us. And that’s being really honest with the guys.

“We played the conditions. I think four weeks, five weeks ago, we probably would have crumbled there. But there were some good characters, good performances. And I think we can take that as a positive.”

Dulwich have kept three clean sheets

in their last four games after only one in their previous 20. Quinton was pleased with his side’s resilience.

“Especially in a game where it was a lot of long ball, a lot of long throw-ins, they just headed everything away,” Quinton said. “This is what we’ve worked on since we’ve come in. We’ve been organised in terms of where they should be and the gaps and the discipline and distances for one another.

“It’s something that we religiously work on. They’ve been superb, not just today.

Again, they look solid. They look together.

They’re playing a part. There’s some team performances.

“And on another day, today with the conditions, the ball probably would have

sat down and David [Bremang] probably would have scored. The one in the first half, I really quite thought he could have lobbed it, lifted it over the keeper, but it’s bouncing - really horrible conditions. I can’t take nothing away from David, he’s such a good player as well. And Ports [George Porter] at the end there was through. Maybe he could have taken a touch, but he’s only just come on.

“We need to take responsibility. But I think that’s just that calmness in front of goal, that we need to take a deep breath and just pass the ball in the back of the net rather than trying to smash it. But conditions here were tough.

“It feels like a disappointment that we didn’t take more than one point.

Obviously then looking ahead, it’s a full week training, three sessions. I feel like this is only the second or third time we’ve actually managed to get a full week with the lads.

“I think you can see in the short space of time what we’ve done in terms of the areas that we’ve had to approach. Being out on the training field is what we love.

I love personally doing that with the boys and being structured. The boys are enjoying it as well. They’re doing their runs after the game. They all want to be playing. And hopefully the injuries reduce and we can get as many players back out to be fighting for each other’s shirts.”

Dulwich face Potters Bar Town away this Saturday at 3pm.

contest against Priyesh Kanji from Southall ABC. Pearson said: “Frankie put on a boxing masterclass from the first bell and went on to get an impressive unanimous points win.

“This was Frankie’s first bout of the season as we have been finding it difficult to get him bouts following a good previous season. We now hope to get him another couple of bouts before he enters the ABAs in May.”

By John Kelly

belts and take the weight off Usyk’s hands.

Let’s get them belts,” Dubois said.

“Boxing at the moment is buzzing right now. It’s good I’m in a good position with the belt. I want to keep it going, keep this train moving.”

Parker won the WBO interim heavyweight title when he defeated China’s Zhilei Zhang in Saudi Arabia last March.

“It starts on Saturday. That’s the big one that sets up everything else,” Dubois said.

“I want to give Parker a lot of problems first and then that will just prepare me even more. All these fights will just prepare me for the next one, that’s how I look at it.

“How good can I perform? How quickly can I do the job? How clinical can I look?

These are questions I ask myself. I want to

get the best out of myself. So you need to fight whoever they put in front of you.”

Parker’s team have accused ‘Dynamite’ Dubois of looking past the challenge to Usyk.

“It’s almost like he’s got blinkers on like a racehorse,” Don Charles, Dubois’ trainer, said. “He’s a very, very unique individual.

“Mr Parker and his trainer, they’ve grabbed onto this thing of, ‘oh, you’re overlooking us’.

No, we’re looking at you and through you.

We’re going to run through you. Daniel’s going to run through you.

“They’re going to try and they’re going to fail miserably.

“Emphatic win, emphatic victory. Daniel Dubois, the IBF world champion, will retain his belt.”

Courtney follows Ellie’s path Dynamite Dubois has ‘blinkers’ on for Usyk

By John Kelly

lynn aBC had their first female boxer representing the club since current unified world champion Ellie Scotney in february 2015 at last weekend’s Broad Street and waltham Cross aBC club show.

Courtney Vernon fought Tilly Souch from Paddy Johns ABC and after a closelyfought contest she lost lost on a majority decision.

“I was really pleased with her performance as this was her first-ever bout and she did herself and the club very proud,” Lynn coach Terry Pearson said.

Lynn also had Frankie Hanratty in action. Hanratty boxed in an open-class

Courtney Vernon with Frankie Hanratty, centre, and Terry Pearson

DaniEl DuBoiS says this weekend is the “big one that sets up everything else” as he puts on his “racehorse blinkers” and eyes a rematch with oleksandr usyk.

Greenwich’s Dubois defends his IBF heavyweight belt against New Zealand’s Joseph Parker at this Saturday’s Riyadh Season event.

Unified world champion Usyk controversially defeated Dubois in 2023 when the referee allowed the Ukrainian extra time to recover from an apparent low blow before he stopped his opponent in the ninth.

“I always wanted to get my hands on them

30 SPORT sKY bEt championship Millwall - 1 Cooper 19’ wBa - 1 Bryan OG 26’ date: Saturday 15 February 2025 Man of the Match: Jake Cooper Referee: James Bell Attendance: 15,842 (2,002)

By Will Scott at The Den millwall wErE forced to settle for a point against west Bromwich albion last Saturday afternoon after Jake Cooper’s nineteenth-minute header was canceled out seven minutes later

by Joe Bryan’s unfortunate own goal.

The Lions started strongly, nearly scoring a number of times before Cooper broke the deadlock after an excellent cross by Femi Azeez.

The Baggies replied only seven minutes after Darnell Furlong’s low cross was deflected by Bryan into his own net.

It was mostly one-way traffic for the rest of the game - with Millwall testing Baggies goalkeeper Joe Wildsmith a number of times but they were unable to break through and secure the win.

After the Lions’ disappointing 5-1 loss to Plymouth in the week, it was still a muchneeded performance - while it was not consistent throughout the 90 minutes, they still looked incisive against a play-off team and probably should have left The Den with the win.

Alex Neil had clearly asked for a response from his side, and they delivered - coming out of the blocks quickly.

In the fourth minute Aaron Connolly won a free kick on the edge of the left-hand corner of the box. Joe Bryan put in a peach of a ball that Cooper rose up and got his head on, but directed his header over the bar from yards out.

Two minutes later, Bryan reacted quickly to intercept a long ball intended for Jed Wallace, galloped down the left flank before cutting it back to Casper De Norre on the edge of the box, who curled his effort just past the post.

After an uninspiring performance in the mid-week, Millwall’s attack was clicking in the opening 20 minutes - especially when they played directly and vertically. Azeez was the next to nearly break the deadlock in the 12th minute - Semi Ajayi misjudged the flight of a long Lukas Jensen goal kick, allowing Mihailo Ivanovic to win the ball high up the pitch - the Serb flicked it onto Azeez, who took a touch before firing his effort past the left post from just inside the box.

The Lions kept pushing and soon had something to show for their dominance.

In the nineteenth minute, Tanganga recovered the ball after West Brom cleared

baggies thWart resurgent lions

Jake Cooper nods Millwall into the lead against West Bromwich Albion

millwall put in much improved performance but only leave the den with a point a corner, passed it to Azeez, who cut back onto his left foot and whipped a cross into the six-yard box. Jake Cooper muscled past his marker and powered in a header that bounced under Joe Wildsmith and into West Brom’s net.

Millwall’s lead only lasted seven minutes after one of the Baggies’ rare forays into the Lions’ half. Grady Diangana fed Darnell Furlong in the box whose cutback deflected off Bryan and into his own net - his second own goal of the week.

West Brom nearly doubled their lead in the 29th minute - a short corner ended up with an unmarked Grady Diangana, who cut past the onrushing Aaron Connolly and crashed his effort off the bar.

The game lacked quality from then on, with a weak Ousmane Diakite header from a set-piece the only effort either team had.

Millwall had more of the ball and looked likelier to create a clear-cut chance but were unable to conjure anything up.

The Lions really ought to have been in the lead heading into half - aside from a fiveminute spell they had been the better side but only had one goal to show for it.

They started the second half brightly, and had a couple of opportunities early on to take the lead.

In the 53rd minute Cooper, who West Brom did not seem to have an answer for at set-pieces, had a header pushed over the bar by Wildsmith. The resulting setpiece fell to Tanganga, whose effort was scrambled away.

Again, after an early period of dominance, Millwall fell away a bit and struggled to hold onto the ball while West Brom lacked any real threat going forward. For the next

fifteen minutes, the Baggies had 64.2 per cent possession but failed to get a shot away.

Club-record signing Camiel Neghli was introduced in the 65th minute, and added a bit of impetus to the Lions’ attack, even having a header saved in the 72nd minute.

He had an even better chance to score in the 83rd minute when the ball fell to him at the back post - but his powerfully-hit effort was just about pushed over the bar

by Wildsmith.

Neghli was proving to be a real handful and again, nearly had a hand in a goal. The winger unleashed a powerful strike from outside the box that Wildsmith spilled Luke Cundle reacted quickly to get to the rebound first but his attempt to round Wildsmith was blocked by the Baggies’ goalkeeper.

Alex Neil rues ‘five-minute spell’ that cost Lions the win

By Will Scott

millwall BoSS alex neil was pleased with his side’s performance during their 1-1 draw with west Bromwich albion and thought they were unfortunate to not come away with all three points.

The Lions were the better side than the sixth-placed Baggies for most of the game, recording six shots on target to West Brom’s three and having 54.5 per cent possession.

“I thought we started the game really well,” Neil said. “I thought we deserved our goal.

“I thought it’s just a five-minute spell starting from a free kick that we put straight in the keeper’s hands, they break down the right, we don’t cover the space, which we

should do and we end up bundling the ball into our own net, and I’m thinking ‘really’.

“It was based on nothing. There was nothing happening in the game and there was no tactical element to it. It was just literally five minutes and then what you could see was probably a little bit of lack of confidence. At that point I thought the crowd started to groan a little bit and they’ve seen what we seen, which is what have you just done? They’ve let the game drift when you didn’t need to. So that was the frustration.

“But I thought we settled them down at half-time. To be honest, I was a bit frustrated, although they’ve played really well, I was more sort of focused on the part that we didn’t do well. Then I asked them to

get out second half, make sure you try and fix it, go on and try and play as well as you did for large parts of the first half.

“I thought they did that and probably even more, to be honest. I thought they did it more. I thought we had three or four really good chances, probably the last fifteen minutes to force the game. I thought the game was starting to dwindle a little bit in terms of energy.

“We would’ve been talking about a really good performance, really good win. Don’t get me wrong, we’re still talking about a really good performance, but it was a bit unfortunate we didn’t manage to get across the line.”

The Lions were undone by a soft own goal by Bryan, who redeemed himself with

a 87th-minute block on ex-Lions Jayson Molumby that prevented a likely goal.

“That little bit you’re thinking, you’re better than that,” Neil said. “We know he’s better than that. The next bit is he basically makes a game-saving challenge at the end.

“What I said to Joe was, I don’t mind the one that you clip into the keeper’s hands, that can happen for any player. It’s then we need to recover after that. We need to get back behind the ball. We need to get reset.

We need to make sure we’re doing the next action well.

“I think sometimes players maybe get a little bit of a sort of hard time unfortunately where I don’t think they deserve it. I thought he definitely redeemed himself with that tackle later on in the game for us.”

The Lions continued to push for a late winner but were forced to settle for a draw by a determined Baggies defense. millwall: 4-2-3-1 – Jensen; Bryan, Tanganga, Cooper, Crama; Mitchell (Saville 76), De Norre (Honeyman 76); Connolly (Neghli 65), Cundle, Azeez; Ivanovic unused Substitutes: Roberts, Wallace, Watmore, Emakhu, Bangura-Williams, Harding

west Bromwich albion: 4-2-3-1 Wildsmith; Styles (Holgate 70), Heggem, Ajayi, Furlong; Diakite, Molumby; Armstrong (Dike 77), Diangana, Wallace (Fellows 70); Lankshear (Grant 57) unused Substitutes: Griffiths, Swift, Price, Johnston, Mowatt

match prEviEw derby VS millwall SKY BET CHAMPIONSHIP Saturday, February 22 Possible Millwall starting XI: 4-3-3 Predicted starting XI: 4-2-3-1: Jensen; Crama, Tanganga, Cooper, Bryan; De Norre, Mitchell; Azeez, Cundle, Neghli; Ivanovic Last meeting: Sky Bet Championship (October 19, 2024): Millwall 1-1 Derby County (Ivanovic 85’) (Yates 78’) Match odds: Derby County 7/5 Draw 11/5 Millwall 2/1

SPORT 31

millWall Falter in preston Josh Coburn’s shot is blocked during Millwall’s 1-1 draw with Preston North End

sKY bEt championship Preston north end - 1 Riis 47’ Millwall - 1 Ivanovic 40’)

lions squander chance to close the gap to play-offs spots despite stunning ivanovic free kick

date: Tuesday 18 February 2025 Man of the Match: Femi Azeez Referee: Matt Donohue Attendance: 13,290

By Nathan Edwards at Deepdale millwall failED to close the gap

from the Championship play-off spots to four points after a laboured 1-1 draw away to Preston North End on Tuesday night.

The Lions struck first in this play-off pushing battle via a well-placed free kick

by Mihailo Ivanovic, five minutes from halftime.

But Alex Neil’s side were quickly pegged back after the break when Emil Riis pounced on Japhet Tanganga’s mishap.

The draw slightly dented Millwall’s hunt for promotion as they only closed the gap to six points and remain an outside shout for promotion, along with Preston, rather than forcing their way into the conversation with a statement win.

Millwall headed into this game against one of the most in-form teams in the Championship who were unbeaten in their last twelve home games, and the Lancashire side showed intent from the off.

Emil Riis found himself leading a counter-

attack in the fourth minute, and after chopping inside of Joe Bryan, he drove a shot towards goal that Lukas Jensen had to swat away.

But that early warning sign seemed to wake Millwall up, at least defensively, as the Lions dealt with Preston’s barrage of crosses resolutely.

Millwall’s aerial presence in an attacking sense would then nearly put them in front with Bryan finding space to whip a cross into the box that Ivanovic attacked to loop the ball onto the bar.

Neither side managed to really stamp their authority on the game with Luke Cundle collecting a Femi Azeez pass with just one defender to beat but was let down by a poor touch, 21 minutes in.

Only three minutes later, Azeez was then forced to produce a last-ditch block to deny Liam Lindsay, who beat Jensen to Stefan Thordarson’s corner, and with the ball still loose in the box Ryan Porteous hit a wild volley over.

Neil’s side struggled to test Preston’s

Alex Neil keen to take pressure off club-record signing Camiel Neghli scored five goals in 22 appearances for Sparta Rotterdam in the first half of the season

backline in the opening 25 minutes, apart from Ivanovic’s header, but did win a number of free kicks in dangerous areas of the pitch.

Originally Bryan was tasked with taking the first two free-kicks but couldn’t beat the wall, so on the third attempt, Ivanovic took over and put Millwall ahead.

In the 40th minute, the Serb stood over a free-kick on the right-hand side of the box and clipped a ball over Preston’s wall to beat a flat-footed Freddie Woodman in goal.

The Lilywhites looked to strike back immediately, with centre-back Lewis Gibson ballooning a volley over the bar in the closing stages of the first half.

But it was from long range that Millwall’s sturdy defence would come unstuck against only two minutes into the second half.

Tanganga failed to deal a goal kick with Riis approaching and from 25 yards out the Dane arrowed a half-volley that squirmed past Jensen in goal.

The Lions still posed a threat despite Preston’s growing momentum with Ra’ees

Bangura-Williams turning in the box but was unable to find the bend needed to beat Woodman.

With both sides given the opportunity to close the gap between themselves and the play-off spots to four points, the second half saw far more attacking impetus.

Kaine Kesler-Hayden, who had been marshalled well by Bryan and Jake Cooper, eventually found some space to cut in but scuffed his shot well past the post.

But that space was also open for Millwall on the break, especially through Azeez who was becoming a growing influence on the right-hand side.

The 23-year-old twice managed to positively drive at Preston’s defence before forcing Woodman into a save but these chances proved to be rare opportunities for Millwall.

Preston seemed to have found an extra level that the Lions struggled to deal with offensively, as McCann tried to swivel in the box but it resulted in an uncontrolled volley floating over the bar.

Despite missing the chance to slash the gap to the top six at Deepdale, the return of Josh Coburn, who has been injured since November 30, will give Neil hope that this three-game winless run will soon come to an end.

By Will Scott

“Camiel is going to be a very good player for us. But I think this one would’ve been a bit of a stretch expecting him to go into the midst of the Championship on a cold Tuesday night in Preston. That would have certainly been a challenge for him.”

Neghli has yet to record a goal contribution for the Lions, but has put in a number of promising performances after arriving to much fanfare as the club announced he was their record signing.

However, Neil is keen to downplay the importance of the fee paid for him.

“The whole club-record fee thing, you just need to put that to bed because it could be one pence more than we spent on another guy,” Neil said on Saturday. “What you find with deals is, deals are not as straightforward as you think they’re,

because you’ve got add-ons and you’ve got this and that, if he scores an overhead kick in the World Cup final. So I wouldn’t read too much on all that.

“What I will say is we did spend significant funds on Camiel. Camiel I feel is a technically really gifted player. I think the physicality of the Championship is going to maybe take him a little bit of time to get up to speed. But what you could see today was those flashes and moments where he lands on the ball.

“Technically he’s super equipped and tactically he’s very good as well because he’s come from Dutch football. A lot of the players in those types of countries are very, very good tactically. So Camiel will be a really good player for this club. I’ve no doubts about that. He just might be taking a little bit of time to bed in.”

alEX nEil said he did not bring on winger Camiel Neghli against Preston North End because of the physicality of the game.

Neghli, 23, joined the Lions for a club-record fee from Dutch side Sparta Rotterdam shortly before the January transfer window ended.

The former Algeria under-23s international has started two games and made a substitute appearance since arriving in south-east London, but did not play a part in Millwall’s 1-1 draw against the Lilywhites on Tuesday evening.

“Camiel Neghli is a really technical player and I just felt today’s game was more about competing, it was more about second balls, it was more about doing the nasty side of the game,” Neil said.

millwall: 3-4-2-1 – Jensen; Tanganga, Cooper, Crama; Bryan, Mitchell (Saville 78), De Norre (Emakhu 87), Azeez; BanguraWilliams (Coburn 58), Cundle (Honeyman 78; Ivanovic (Connolly 87) unused Substitutes: Roberts, Wallace, Harding, Neghli

Preston north End: 3-4-2-1 - Woodman; Gibson, Lindsay, Porteous; Hughes (Brady 62), Thordarson (Ledson 80), McCann, Kesler-Hayden; Potts (Osmajic 46), Greenwood (Frokjaer-Jensen 67); Riis (Keane 80) unused Substitutes: Bauer, Cornell, Evans, Meghoma

Sport

INSIDE

Southwark

neil: ‘i Just Want to be Competitive’

DREWE MARKS RETURN WITH GOAL

millwall boss not setting any lofty goals after preston draw leaves lions six points off play-off spots

By Will Scott

© Millwall FC

millwall BoSS alex neil is not setting any lofty goals for the rest of the season after his side’s 1-1 draw away at Preston north End on tuesday evening left the lions in fourteenth, six points off the playoff spots.

Neil was appointed head coach on December 30, and after a tricky first few games led Millwall to a three-game winning streak that saw the Lions look in with a chance of contending for a top six spot.

However, Millwall have since faltered, losing 5-1 away to Plymouth Argyle on February 12 before consecutive 1-1 draws left the Lions with just two points out of the nine available, missing the opportunity to gain on West Bromwich Albion in sixth place.

When asked what his goals for the rest of the season are, Neil said: “I think just to be competitive.

“What people need to remember is that’s Josh Coburn’s first minute since I’ve come here. That’s Aidomo’s [Emakhu] first minute since I’ve come here. Camiel Neghli just joined us.

“We are still trying to settle in and bed in new signings that we’ve just made as well as guys that have been

here for a while and we’re playing a different style so we’ve got loads to contend with.

“I think we’ve lost one in seven now, which it’s a pretty good record, I’m quite happy with that. We just want to crack on and see if we can try and win more games.”

Millwall’s thrashing at the hands of the Pilgrims was the first time the Lions have conceded more than two goals in a game since their 4-3 loss to Bristol City on August 17, 2024. Neil thinks the performance was an “anomaly”.

“We’ve been very good in most games,” Neil said. “Even if we haven’t played particularly well, we’ve maybe lost by one goal. The games have been very, very tight.

“If you look at the goals that we conceded against Plymouth, we basically scored four of them ourselves.

That was certainly an anomaly and I’m glad it is now, the last two games I think have proved that. We obviously want to try and win the next game, which is important.”

Millwall travel to face a Derby County side this weekend who are winless in their last ten games, and currently sit 22nd in the Championship after losing 4-0 away to Queens Park Rangers on Valentine’s Day.

page 29

Millwall duo return from injury against Preston

By Will Scott

millwall forwarDS aidomo Emakhu and Josh Coburn made their full return to first-team action on tuesday evening, coming on as substitutes during the lions’ 1-1 draw with west Bromwich albion.

Coburn, 22, replaced the hobbled Ra’ees Bangura-Williams in the 58th minute, nearly three months after the striker limped off during Millwall’s 1-1 draw with Oxford United with a broken metatarsal.

Emakhu, 21, made the Lions’ matchday squad for their clash with West Bromwich Albion last weekend and was introduced in the final five minutes of the draw on Tuesday - his first appearance since he sustained a groin injury during Millwall’s 2-1 loss to Norwich City on Boxing Day. The Lions now have plenty of attacking options in a squad that was bolstered by eight new signings in January - including forwards Aaron Connolly, Luke Cundle and Camiel Neghli.

Millwall boss Alex Neil is pleased with the array of attackers he has at his disposal.

“I think we’ve got genuine options that we can freshen it up or we can change it,” Neil said. “They certainly give us different strengths than what we’ve maybe had before. I certainly feel the squad’s stronger than what it was.

“I think particularly when you’ve got everybody fit you’re at your strongest, So I think we’ll get more variety across the squad, which is good.”

Aidomo Emakhu has made thirteen appearances this season THE RECYCLED PAPER CONTENT OF UK NEWSPAPERS IN 2014 WAS 83.5%

Alex Neil has taken charge of nine league games as Millwall boss, winning three, drawing three and losing three