Southwark News - May 8th 2025

Issue 1736

Est: 1987

50p

May 8 2025

southwarknews.co.uk

WOULD YOU LIKE TO SEE THIS ON THE TUBE?

See page 14

Ward councillor councillor asserts that Southwark’s most controversial LTN will not be lifted ‘whilst there is a Labour Council’

‘All bets are off’ – Neil says Lions must start from scratch MILLWALL

HOUSING CRISIS:

WHAT ARE THE PROPOSED CHANGES FOR THOSE WAITING FOR A COUNCIL HOME?

EXCLUSIVE

‘HERE TO STAY’ See page 4

See page 4

See page 13

ANGELA RAYNER REFUSES TO SAY HOW MANY OF NEW GOVERNMENT HOMES WILL BE See SOCIAL-RENTED pages 8-10

2 NEWS

DRONES AND CCTV CAMERAS DEPLOYED

BY COUNCIL TO CATCH FLY-TIPPERS

Contents NEWS Pages 2-17

ARTS Page 20 EVENTS Page 21 HISTORY Page 22 PROPERTY Page 23 CLASSIFIED Page 24 PUBLIC NOTICES Pages 25-27 SPORT Pages 29-32

Contact us if you have a story on editor@ southwarknews.co.uk

By Issy Clarke

DRONES AND CCTV cameras will be used by the council to identify cars and vans used by fly-tippers as part of a fresh crackdown on the illegal dumping of waste.

The technology will be used to identify cars and vans used in fly-tipping so they can be crushed and destroyed by the police.

Fly-tipping is the illegal dumping of rubbish or unwanted bulky item on land where it shouldn’t be left, such as on roads or in a river.

The council’s blitz on the illegal disposal of waste comes in the wake of a national strategy launched by the Labour government to tackle fly-tipping.

A scheme being developed by the Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs will impose five-year jail terms for those who illegally transport

waste into England.

This adds to the recent announcement that Southwark will be increasing fines for fly-tipping from £400 to £1,000, to deter

Southwark Council shortlisted for Living Wage Champion Awards

Image received via Southwark Council

OPINION Pages 18-19

We are a London Living Wage employer DO YOU HAVE A STORY

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Call 0207 231 5258 You can WhatsApp us on 07494 070 863.

From left to right: Carly Fernandez, James Reed (Southwark Council), Marissa McKinnon, Cllr John Batteson, Suzann McLean, Bilan Suliman (back row), Lia Blomberg

‘CRAZY THINGS HAPPEN IN FOOTBALL’ Issue 1735

Editor: Kevin Quinn Reporters: Issy Clarke, Evie Flynn 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

May 1 2025

southwarknews.co.uk

VE DAY Southwark celebrations See page 4

After years of traffic mayhem, consultation starts on redesigning Rotherhithe’s Lower Road

MILLWALL EXCLUSIVE

MAKING WAVES IN SURREY QUAYS

See page 3

IT’S BACK TO THE DRAWING BOARD See page 4

EXCLUSIVE

See page 17 See page 4

DO WE HAVE THE BEST BAKERS IN UK? See page 9

criminals.

Ministers have also launched a rapid review to slash red tape blocking councils from seizing and crushing vehicles.

By Issy Clarke

SOUTHWARK COUNCIL has been shortlisted for a national award which celebrates organisations leading the way on the living wage in London.

The council has been shortlisted for the Industry Champion and Local Champion Categories of the Living Wage Champion Awards. Senior Programme Officer of Southwark’s Living Wage Unit, James Reed, has also been shortlisted in the Advocate of the Year award.

This year’s shortlisting comes following the addition of 105 newly accredited living wage employers in the borough in 2024, a large increase compared to other London boroughs.

Southwark News is a longstanding member of the London Living Wage accreditation scheme.

Southwark was previously shortlisted for the Local Champion award last year and won the award six years ago in 2019.

Cllr John Batteson, Cabinet Member for Climate Emergency, Jobs & Business said: “I’m extremely proud to see Southwark recognised as an advocate for the Living Wage and leading by example at a time when we know household bills are increasing and the cost of living continues to impact many individuals and families.”

Councils currently have to bear the significant cost of seizing and storing vehicles, but under new plans fly-tippers will cover this cost, saving councils and taxpayers money.

Welcoming the news, Labour’s spokesperson for Clean Air, Streets and Waste, Cllr James McAsh, said: “Our residents have had enough of the criminal dumpers who pollute our neighbourhoods with rubbish – and these new powers will help reinforce our zero-tolerance approach.

“We recently increased our fines for flytipping from £400 to £1,000 to deter this criminal activity, and now Labour’s new powers will help us in the fight against fly-tipping as we continue to make our communities cleaner, greener and safer.”

Southwark residents can report flytipping on the council’s FixMyStreet App or visit report.southwark.gov.uk.

In August 2023 Southwark was ranked fifth, and by December 2024 the borough was ranked third – Southwark being the fastest growing borough in south London in this respect.

Cllr Batteson said: ““Our Southwark Living Wage Unit has helped increase the number of accredited employers in Southwark to an impressive 425, meaning over 7000 Southwark workers getting a pay-rise on the London Living Wage because their employer has become accredited.

“We will continue to increase this number so more Southwark residents have stable jobs with good pay in strong and fair economy which everyone can benefit from”.

Southwark has an active stakeholder group of 20 Living Wage Employers that promote the London Living Wage and Living Wage Employer accreditation in Southwark. The group meets quarterly and carries out specific actions set out in the Borough Living Wage Place Action Plan.

Target sectors have been arts and culture, hospitality, the built environment and charities.

The group has targeted employers in these sectors because they are typically low-paying industries where the living wage can have the most impact.

The Living Wage Champion Awards will take place in Newcastle in July. You can see the full shortlist on the website.

The Southwark News is proud to be the only independent, paid for newspaper in London 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

FOUR NEW FOOD AND DRINK PLACES TO CHECK OUT

Bakery, cookie club, taco and wine bar - what takes your fancy?

By Eliza Frost

GAIL’S TAKES FORMER SOUTHWARK FIRE BRIGADE BUILDING

GAIL’S LATEST branch has opened in Southwark’s former London Fire Brigade building in SE1, where you can expect your favourite GAIL’s bakes – from the chocolate and tahini bites to the chocolate and almond croissants, yes, combined.

The new bakery also reflects GAIL’s aim to create positive changes to combat sustainability pressures through design and practices. All materials were selected for future reusability and the bakery is designed so that all spaces integrate into your, the customer’s, experience.

Serving GAIL’s artisan sourdough breads, sandwiches and cakes alongside its speciality House Blend coffee, the opening is ideal for your new morningcommute cappuccino or weekend loaf.

94 Southwark Bridge, SE1 0DG wwww.gails.com

NAMED AFTER THE MIGHTY AL PASTOR TACO

INSPIRED BY the founders’ time spent in Mexico City running nightclub, El Colmillo, El Pastor serves food inspired by the flavours of Mexico – and it features in the MICHELIN Guide, so we know it’s tasty.

Named after the mighty Al Pastor taco – which they serve in heritage corn tortillas with 24-hour marinated pork shoulder, grilled pineapple and a trio of salsas – the SE1 branch of the restaurant chain offers tacos, tostadas, quesadillas and lively scenes.

In drinks, think tequila and mezcal with punchy margaritas, Mexican twists on classics and Mexican beers.

El Pastor always makes tortillas inhouse daily using heritage corn sourced from Mexico by working with the initiative TAMOA, which protects corn biodiversity.

Menu highlights include the Baja Fish tacos – beer battered coley, cabbage,

chipotle mayo, pico de gallo and pickled red onion – and the Rajas tacos – cheese, charred poblano, jalapeño, roasted sweetcorn, served with salsa roja. And it has to be Frijoles refritos on the side – refried beans with avocado leaf and cheese. Delish.

7A Stoney Street, SE1 9AA www.tacoselpastor.co.uk

LUNA OPENING OPPOSITE ITS BIG SISTER IN SHAD THAMES

JAY PATEL, restaurateur and founder of Ninth Collective restaurants (which includes Legare on Shad Thames) has announced the opening of LUNA – a neighbourhood wine bar, bottle shop and restaurant in early 2025.

Setting sights on a spring launch, Luna will open right opposite its big sister Legare, offering 28 covers inside – including a counter dining bar, and a further 6-8 outside on the Thamesfacing terrace during warmer months.

Luna, taking its name from the moon’s role in biodynamic winemaking, will champion a classic style of wine bar. Jay and the team will work with suppliers that have portfolios with old-world producers, who use ethical farming practices, and biodynamic and organic principles, but above all produce delicious wine.

The food menu at Luna will be overseen by Legare head chef and cofounder Matt Beardmore (ex-Trullo), who steps up to executive chef role across the NinthCollective portfolio ahead of the new project. With the full menu yet to be released, a teaser of what you can expect includes oysters shucked over ice, crudos and carpaccios sliced to order, straightfrom-the-fryer French fries, and a few other surprises.

Unit 6, 36 Shad Thames, Butlers Wharf Building, SE1 2YR

AFTER SCHOOL COOKIE CLUB IN DIRTY LANE

LONDON’S FIRST plant-based cookie bakery, The After School Cookie Club crafts freshly baked, gooey, hand-topped cookies and cookie dough and ice cream creations.

With trays coming out of the ovens throughout the day, and topped by hand, you can enjoy all your favourite classic cookies – like choc chip or oat and raisin – as well as some tasty and inventive combos – like the s’mores cookie, strawberry marshmallow or peanut choc-caramel.

You can even buy bake-at-home kits, where each box contains a dozen cookie dough pucks ready to bake, a baking sheet, baking instructions and pots of vanilla-infused whipped coconut cream, chocolate ganache and Swiss chocolate buttons to melt, drizzle and dunk. Take your evening sweet treat to the next level.

Unit 216, Borough Yards, 22 Dirty Lane, SE1 9PA www.theafterschoolcookieclub.com

Peckham Fringe returns for the fourth year with new venue

By Issy Clarke

PECKHAM FRINGE is returning for its fourth year this May, expanding into Canada Water Theatre for the first time.

The festival will run from May 1 to June 6 and has a line-up that boasts an array of exciting and innovative shows ranging from theatre to comedy, dance and spoken word.

This year there will be performances at Canada Water theatre for the first time, an expansion from the festival’s regular spaces in Theatre Peckham’s Main Theatre and Studio 1.

Canada Water Theatre was taken over by Theatre Peckham in 2023.

This expansion means more artists and performers will have the chance to showcase their work, while also allowing more local residents to enjoy the performances.

Peckham Fringe was started to help break down barriers faced by creatives in showcasing their work.

This year’s festival opens with a performance of the Tony Craze Award-winning show Reparations, by Maryam Garad.

The one-woman performance tells the story of a female shoplifter’s inner psyche, and was inspired by Garad’s experiences as a Black British Muslim woman.

She said: “All my stories are influenced by my identity as a Black British Muslim woman.

“I want to write stories that allow people from similar backgrounds to see themselves on the stage.

“I hope my work can change the narrative that often sidelines Black and Brown voices.”

The line-up also includes performances such as Hoodminster, telling the story of the UK’s first Black Prime Minister, and Brains, a comedy about surviving a ‘dead boring apocalypse’.

Meanwhile, Street Smart follows a British Arab single mum and secret mathematical genius living in South London, who becomes involved in an academic scam which turns her life on its head.

The Fringe will close with Brother’s Keeper by Selorm Adonu – a spoken word performance exploring themes of brotherhood, love and loss.

Selorm, who also acts in the show, said: “Putting on Brother’s Keeper at Peckham Fringe last year has changed the game for me entirely as a creative.

“It’s taught me how to be a better writer, producer and actor, and overall a better artist.”

The festival’s line-up is selected by Theatre Peckham’s Ambassadors, a group of culture-enthusiasts drawn

from the local community.

They curate the programme with a view to ensuring it reflects a diverse range of voices from across the area.

Local writer and performer Jessica Siân said: “As Ambassadors, we bring fresh perspectives that shape the festival into a true reflection of the breadth of artistic talent.

“Our commitment to inclusivity and representation is vital in our mission to amplify underrepresented voices.”

The festival has been a launchpad for several successful shows, including NO ID by Tatenda Samisu, Bangtail by Lil Wenker, Sunny Side Up by David Alade, and I Love Acting but F the Industry by Faisal Dacosta and Raphel Famotibe.

The full Peckham Fringe 2025 programme can be found on the Theatre Peckham website at https:// w w w. t h e a t r e p e c k h a m . c o . u k / peckham-fringe-2025-shows-events/ Tickets range from £5 to £15.

4 NEWS

By Issy Clarke THE LONG-AWAITED renovation of Peckham Rye Station Square has taken a step forward, after Southwark Council appointed a contractor to demolish the shopping arcade.

Demolition of the 1930s arcade outside the station is going to begin this summer, with the new square set to be completed next year. Once complete the full project, which includes the full modernisation of Peckham Rye Station itself, will resemble what it looked like in the 1880s.

Construction company BAM Nuttal Ltd has been appointed to oversee the final phase of the project – which has been repeatedly delayed since planning permission was granted in 2016.

The first phase, the refurbishment of the building on the corner of Blenheim Grove, was finished last year – three years behind schedule.

Last year, the council told the News that plans to demolish the arcade had been put on hold due to ‘water ingress’ issues – otherwise known as leakage – and delays in relocating businesses.

Once the renovation of the square is complete, focus will move to the renovation of Peckham Rye Station itself, planing permission for which was obtained by Network Rail in 2023.

No date has been confirmed for this yet, as funding has not yet been agreed by the government.

Cllr Helen Dennis, Cabinet Member for New Homes and Sustainable Development at Southwark Council, said: “This is a massively exciting time for the residents of Peckham, and having let their passion be known for the regeneration of the station square, I’m glad we’re

RENOVATION OF PECKHAM RYE STATION SQUARE TAKES A STEP FORWARD

Ceramic poppies returning to Tower of London to mark VE Day

By Issy Clarke

Peckham Rye Station Square today

taking a step closer to delivering for them.

“With the help of BAM Nuttal Ltd, the GLA and Network Rail, Peckham Rye Station Square will be a welcoming, vibrant and picturesque space

which I’m sure the local community will take to heart.”

Gareth White, Operations Director, BAM, said: “We are really pleased to be awarded this contract, working closely with the team at Southwark Council,

to ensure a successfully delivery. This scheme will greatly enhance the area to the front of Peckham Rye Station, with many public benefits, and BAM are really proud to be part of this regeneration.”

SPRAWLING FIELDS of ceramic poppies have been installed outside the Tower of London to mark the 80th anniversary of the end of World War Two. More than five million people turned out to view the exhibition when it was first displayed in 2014 to mark the centenary of the First World War. The original display contained 888,246 ceramic poppies, each one representing a military life lost during the war.

On Tuesday, a display of 30,000 ceramic poppies from the original installation returned to the lawn in front of the Tower of London. The poppies “will pour across the lawn overlooked by the ancient White Tower, where the blood-red flowers will form a crater, with ripples flowing outwards”.

Visitors can see the installation as part of a general admission ticket, although a small part will be visible from the public footpath. The exhibition runs until Armistice Day on November 11.

Designer Tom Piper, who is responsible for the new display, acknowledged the scale of the 2014 installation could never be repeated, but said “we learned on subsequent national tours that smaller installations could still carry great emotional power”.

Legal thriller set in Peckham hit bookshelves last month

By Evie Flynn TOM GAISFORD is an immigration and asylum lawyer, plus a busy father-oftwo who for the past 13 years has been working towards publishing his debut novel Sanctuary.

It follows Alex, a young refugee lawyer in Peckham, who finds himself lost with all aspects of his life. The protagonist grapples with both professional and personal crises, trying to save his career as a refugee lawyer and secure the affection of the woman he loves.

The novel blends Alex’s narrative with elements of social commentary, exploring our treatment of asylum seekers and using the arts as a tool for cultural change.

Tom Gaisford told us that he draws heavily upon his own experience as a human rights barrister and his personal experiences of South East London.

Tom’s affiliation with Peckham began when he met his wife, who lived on Lyndhurst Way back in 2014.

They married in Lewisham Register Office and got their

first place together in nearby Brockley before relocating to Cadiz, Spain.

Tom said: “In those early days, we loved knocking around SE15: the cafes, South London Gallery, Anderson & Co., huevos rancheros at the Blackbird Bakery. The pubs: The Tiger on Camberwell Green and Stormbird, both of which feature in the novel.”

The Peckham-based law firm where Alex works is fictional, but is set in one of the Edwardian villas you see dotted around Peckham Rye. Here is an extract from the novel where Alex is enthusing about Peckham amidst a professional set-back: “Sometimes, the only thing for it is to step out of the office, take a deep breath and remind yourself why you’re in the job- renew your faith in it, if you will. And for this, Peckham is the perfect place.

“The brightly coloured cafe I’m sitting is owned by a Nigerian couple, run by an Ethiopian woman and the waiter who just brought me my cinnamon coffee is Polish… all these cultures under one roof, each informing the other like multiple narrative voices.”

In 2021, Tom stopped practising law and moved his young family to Guernsey, where he set out to write Sanctuary. Although he didn’t put pen to paper until much later, the seed for the novel came to him back in 2012.

Tom said the story idea, centring around seeking asylum, kept “nagging at him”. He had

such specialist knowledge of immigration law and he used this to start putting together the outline of a story. He remembers that in 2013 he then “moved swiftly onto the Bar, working as a barrister, which was super intensive.”

Tom said: “I didn’t have much time after than but I snatched moments to write when I could.”

He originally had a career in commercial law, but began doing pro bono work in the community and developing an interest in public law. When he eventually became a barrister, he appeared regularly in Camberwell Green Magistrates’ Court.

Tom suggests that writing a book around a legal topic, such as asylum law, faces its own challenges, remembering that he had to “re-visit and re-draft” aspects of his novel: “There were a series of home secretaries and policies that were getting progressively tougher. This kept messing with my plot.”

The book has so far received positive pre-release reviews. Suzi Feay, literary critic for The Guardian and The Financial Times, said: “Gaisford’s insider knowledge makes his cleverly constructed legal thriller a compulsive and genuinely enlightening read. Alex’s passionate hope is that a story can change the public’s perception of asylum seekers.

Maybe this one will.”

The novel was released at the end of April and is available on Amazon or the Cinto publishers website.

NEWS 5

By Issy Clarke EVELINA CHILDREN’S Hospital says a scheme which allows young patients to receive medical treatment at home is a ‘game-changer’ for families.

The Hospital at Home service provides medical care for children at home, either removing the need for a hospital admission or meaning they can be discharged sooner.

A recent study published in the medical journal Archives of Disease in Childhood showed that between 2018 and 2022, the Hospital at Home service helped 4,427 children either go home from hospital earlier or avoid a hospital admission altogether.

This in turn helped cut by more than 11,000 the number of days patients spent overnight across two major hospitals in south London – Evelina London Children’s Hospital and King’s College Hospital.

14-year-old Guilherme Niero Mansi, known as Gui, from Southwark is one of the children who has benefited from receiving treatment at home.

Gui was born with several medical conditions including a split spine and brain swelling caused by an excess of fluid in the skull, and as a younger child he spent long stints in hospital at the Evelina London.

His mum Debora said: “When Gui was younger, I’d need to take him to hospital, and then he could be there for a month.

And that could happen maybe four times a year.

“But now with the Hospital at Home team, if Gui needs anything that I can’t do myself, I’ll call them and they’ll come. If he has an infection they will come twice a day and they are really amazing – they are very consistent in how they do all the

Two hospitalised following flat fire on the Old Kent Road

By Issy Clarke

FEWER CHILDREN IN EVELINA HOSPITAL THANKS TO ‘GAME-CHANGING’ AT HOME SERVICE treatments.”

Dr Ronny Cheung, consultant paediatrician at Evelina London and lead investigator of the study, said the improvements in patient care offered

by Hospital at Home have provided the evidence to support a wider roll-out of the service for child patients across the country.

Commenting on the study, he said: “Across the NHS there is a growing ambition to introduce more tailored, home-based care for patients and reduce the time they need

to spend in hospital.

“We’ve already shown that the Hospital at Home model can work for adult patients, but until now there has been a lack of evidence showing it can be translated across to children and young people.

“Our results from the first 4 years of the children’s Hospital at Home service show it can be equally safe and effective – but just as importantly, it can also greatly improve the experiences of our young patients and their families. They have told us they are

far happier receiving care and treatment in the comfort of their own home wherever possible.

“The service allows children and teenagers to receive a range of treatments and observations for short-term illnesses in their own home, under the care of specially qualified children’s community nurses.

Common treatments that can be provided include giving medication, caring for wounds, collecting blood and measuring a patient’s vital signs.”

TWO MEN were taken to hospital on April 30 after a flat caught fire on the Old Kent Road.

Six fire engines and around 40 firefighters were called to tackle the blaze, which resulted in a lower ground floor flat being destroyed.

Firefighters wearing breathing apparatus rescued a man via an internal staircase and another man left the building before the Brigade arrived. Both were taken to hospital

by London Ambulance Service crews.

The Brigade’s Control Officers were called at 9:35AM and mobilised crews from Old Kent Road, Dockhead, Dowgate, Whitechapel and Lambeth fire stations to the scene. The fire was under control by 10:26AM. The cause is under investigation.

6 NEWS

By Issy Clarke

A DEVELOPERS’ plans to build 742 student rooms and 75 affordable homes across two tower blocks in Canada Water have been given planning approval by Southwark Council.

The 4.5 acre Dockside Canada Water development is next to Canada Water station and borders the site of the Canada Water Masterplan currently being delivered by British Land.

Canada Water Dockside got outline planning permission in March 2022, paving the way for what is described as the ‘frontage’ to British Land’s 3,000home Canada Water Masterplan.

The scheme by German developer Art-Invest also includes two office tower blocks on another section of the site called Plot A, which received planning permission in September 2023.

An outline planning application submitted in 2022 initially contained plans to use all the buildings as offices.

Art-Invest said the decision to use the land on Plot B for residential purposes instead was made in response to the ‘clear need’ for student accommodation in Southwark and could help ‘free-up’ homes for families.

In their release Art-Invest outlines an additional 75 affordable homes, but does not break-down how many will be at a social rent level, which the News will clarify.

The buildings are being designed by global architecture and interior design practice tp bennett and will include a landscaped courtyard and pedestrian route through the development leading to a large public square, Printworks Place.

Art-Invest will also be making landscaping enhancements to Surrey Quays Road, Canada Street and Green Street, as well as extending links to Canada Water via Maritime Street.

They said despite the revision “the proposals for Plot A remain unchanged from the detailed planning application submitted and approved by Southwark Borough Council in September 2023.”

Southwark Council approved the construction of a 24-storey and 11-storey block at a planning meeting on September 13, 2023. The two office buildings, which will also have shops and eateries at the ground floor, could create up to 6,500 jobs on a piece of land which is currently occupied by a temporary events venue and car parking spaces.

No one spoke against the proposals at that meeting. Luka Vukotic, who is leading the project for developers Art-Invest Real Estate, said at the time locals were in favour of the plans for the site. He told councillors: “We had really good feedback from the community and we were able to take on a number of comments and suggestions that made the scheme very successful.”

Since the changes to Plot B Luka Vukotic commented: “It was always our intention to progress our vision for Dockside in phases, with detailed proposals for Plot B following Plot A. Since securing outline planning for Dockside in 2022, we’ve given significant consideration as to the best use of Plot B so that it effectively

From Southwark Council planning documents

PLANS FOR NEW BUSINESS QUARTER WILL INCLUDE 742 STUDENT FLATS AND 75 AFFORDABLE HOMES

What the planned 24-storey office block could look like.

CGI of planned office blocks as viewed from Canada Dock

serves the local community, borough and the emerging new neighbourhood.

“We are pleased to now be able to put forward plans that offer a mix of uses to Dockside and helps alleviate pressure on the private rental market in Southwark by freeing up muchneeded family homes currently occupied by students.”

Art-Invest bought the site in March 2020, just before covid-19 triggered a move to working from home.

The chance timing led some to believe the new offices would struggle to attract companies in a postpandemic market.

This concern was especially pronounced given that Art-Invest is paying Southwark Council £27 million so they can build offices instead of homes on the site – money which will be reinvested into building affordable housing.

But Art-Invest’s scheme hopes to attract companies through the area’s unique amenities like the Russia Dock Woodland.

It is hoped that office workers would look forward to enjoying after work activities such as rowing and fly fishing – made possible by the multiple bodies of water that exist around the site.

Nenad Manasijevic, Principal Director at tp bennett, added: “We are thrilled to contribute to the Dockside Canada Water development, a project that exemplifies tp bennett’s commitment to fostering connected, thriving urban spaces through the design of high-quality residential and student blended living.

“This scheme will provide essential housing and enhance the local area with improved public landscaped spaces and access routes. The integration of passive sustainability measures ensures the buildings longevity, creating vibrant, inclusive environments that benefit both residents and the wider community.”

Art-Invest’s development will sit alongside the Canada Water Masterplan, British Land’s vast 53acre development.

In February we exclusively broke the news that uncertainty is growing over whether British Land’s Canada Water Masterplan will have more than 10 per cent affordable housing - having promised 35 per cent.

The £4 billion regeneration of the area includes a new town centre, with more than 3,000 homes, 40 new buildings, and three clusters of highrise towers.

Negotiations are taking place between British Land, the Greater London Authority (GLA) and Southwark Council to ensure that the affordable housing offering in the masterplan stays at 35 per cent.

Objectors fear that the offering of affordable housing will be substantially less after a viability report from January revealed that currently, the scheme would only be profitable with less than 10 per cent of affordable housing.

To make what they have promised possible - i.e. 35 per cent affordable housing - British Land said it was exploring options, including securing grant funding from the GLA and using the Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL).

8 NEWS

By Issy Clarke A FIFTH of housing applicants could no longer be allowed to bid on council homes while domestic violence victims and care victims will get higher priority, under changes being consulted on by Southwark Council.

Southwark says proposals will ‘ensure homes go to those who need them most’ – but campaigners warn desperate families could see themselves pushed down the waiting list.

There is a large backlog of people waiting to be rehoused in Southwark. There are more than 18,000 people currently on the waiting list, just 10 per cent of whom make a successful bid each year.

The twin pressures of limited supply and soaring demand have intensified the pressures on the council in recent years – which admits that even once the changes have been implemented it still won’t be able to meet local housing need.

Meanwhile, housebuilding has stalled with the council failing to start work

Newly finished council homes on Ivy Church Lane behind the Old Kent Road

Council homes on the Slippers estate in Bermondsey, South London being completed in 2024.

CREDIT: Southwark Council

on a single house last year – despite Southwark’s ambitions to construct 11,000 new council homes by 2043. But data shows most boroughs are in the same situation, with the latest stats revealing 23 out of 33 boroughs started zero new homes in the first quarter of 2025.

The council has blamed the construction slowdown on high inflation, interest rates and the need to focus investment on its existing housing stock in need of repair.

Despite the lack of social homes started last year, Cllr Helen Dennis, Southwark’s cabinet member for new homes, said the council delivered 11 per cent of London’s social rent properties – more than any other borough in the city.

At the same time, the number of empty homes in the borough has soared, with the latest estimates indicating roughly 1,600 houses are currently lying vacant; the second-largest number of any local authority in the UK.

WHAT IS A HOUSING ALLOCATION SCHEME?

The housing allocation scheme sets out how the council allocates its council homes. By law, every local authority has to have a housing allocation policy, but different councils have their own priorities and procedures when it comes to deciding who gets preference for a new home.

HOW DOES THE SYSTEM WORK AT THE MOMENT?

When you join the housing register in Southwark, the council will place you in a band depending on how urgently you need rehousing, with Band 1 being the most urgent.

WHAT ARE THE PROPOSED CHANGES FOR THOSE WAITING FOR A COUNCIL HOME IN SOUTHWARK?

Then every week vacant homes appear on Southwark Homesearch and families can bid for them. An offer is made to the applicant with the greatest priority, such as those who are overcrowded or have a medical need.

Within housing bands some people get extra priority – such as those who have improved their housing priority by volunteering in the community, or being on time with their rent.

This has been the system since 2005.

Before then, the council gave out houses to families based on how long they had been on the waiting list, with extra points given to those in urgent need.

WHAT HAS GONE WRONG IN SOUTHWARK?

The new system was supposed to ensure that families most in need of a new home were prioritised – but since

its introduction, the level of demand for council homes has soared, meaning severely overcrowded families are often left languishing on the waiting list for years.

The average wait time for a property ranges from around five years for a two bedroom, to seven years for homes with more than five bedrooms.

Many people with close knowledge of the system admit it is no longer fit for

Cllr Rachel Bentley

purpose, and believe major reform is necessary.

“The whole thing is a shambles,” Rachel Bentley, Liberal Democrat councillor for Bermondsey and North Southwark, told the us.

“It always feels like it’s really quite slow and bureaucratic.”

For instance, there are rules preventing a family from bidding on a home which would make them legally overcrowded, even if this would be an improvement to their situation.

“You might be in a two bed and a three bed would make you less overcrowded – but you’re not allowed to move,” she said.

Meanwhile, families have to bid on homes each week despite the small chance of being made a housing offer. If they don’t, they risk being removed from the waiting list.

“The bidding system as a whole is just a

really unproductive use of people’s time.

Invariably there aren’t enough properties, but if people don’t bid they can get struck off the housing register” said Cllr Bentley.

Last year the News exclusively revealed the council had introduced a direct lets policy allowing it to assign homes to families without placing them on the bidding website.

The result was hundreds of people were logging onto Southwark Homesearch each week – only to find there were no properties to bid on.

The council agreed to suspend the policy after three families threatened legal action and said it was in the process of reviewing the entire housing allocations policy.

A report published in December by the social housing watchdog condemned the council for ”serious failings’ and said the policy “prevented prospective tenants from bidding on some available homes.”

NEWS 9

Families declare the result ‘a victory’ for everyone on the housing waiting list after getting Southwark to stop direct allocation

(credit: Housing Action Southwark and Lambeth)

More than 18,000 people are currently on the waiting list, just 10 per cent of whom make a successful bid each year loads of people into it the waiting time will increase. So the point of the band being for urgent cases is undermined or lost.”

PRIORITY FOR CARE LEAVERS AND DOMESTIC ABUSE VICTIMS Two changes hailed as “very positive”

by Liz Wyatt include proposals to increase the housing priority for care-leavers and people fleeing domestic violence.

Domestic violence victims (currently in Band 3) would be placed in Band B once the new system comes into force, while 18-year olds leaving care (currently in Band 2) will be given Band A priority.

WHAT ARE THE CHANGES AND WHO WILL BE IMPACTED? CHANGES TO THE BANDING SYSTEM Almost a fifth of people on the waiting list will no longer be able to bid on properties under changes to the banding system.

Southwark wants to rename Bands 1-4 to A (highest priority) to E (least priority), adding a new band.

In effect, the council is splitting Band 4 in two, with the lower half being demoted to Band E. Band E will include all applicants assessed as having a low housing need – those people who do not meet the criteria of the other four bands. People in this band will not be allowed to bid on properties.

The council says this is because it doesn’t want to give people with a low chance of successfully bidding on a new home false hope.

The new policy won’t make it stricter to be in Band A; in fact the council anticipates the number of people in Band A will increase due to the new groups receiving priority.

Currently around four per cent of families are in Band 1, while the council predicts nine per cent will be placed in the new Band A. “The higher bands becoming bigger is a little bit concerning because the idea of the banding system is the top band is for emergencies, following by very urgent cases and medium need” said Liz Wyatt, a campaigner at Housing Action Southwark and Lambeth, a local housing support group.

The point of Band 2 being quite selective is it allows people to bid quickly but if you put

THE COUNCIL WILL STILL BE ABLE DIRECTLY TO ALLOCATE HOMES Last year the council came under fire over a direct offers policy which allowed it to offer homes directly to families instead of putting them on the bidding system.

The local authority said it was allowed to do this under its new annual lettings policy (ALP) published in May 2024, later scrapped following an exclusive investigation by Southwark News.

The current housing allocation system, drawn up in 2014, permits the council to introduce an annual lettings plans to give preference to “those in reasonable preference categories”.

But campaigners said last year that there was very little information about how people were being selected for direct offers, leaving families with urgent housing need with no homes to bid on.

The new system reserves the ability of the council to develop annual lettings plans, but includes specific circumstances where direct offers may be used – for example, where a person is under occupying their home, or to provide emergency housing to people who have been made homeless.

But Liz Wyatt warned annual lettings plans risked creating a second housing policy overriding the bidding system – potentially leaving high-priority families waiting longer for a new home.

“If the ALP overrides the bidding system people won’t understand what waiting times will be,” she said. “And [with] what we saw last year we had no idea who was being selected and what was happening.”

“Overall it just seems that a lot of power is being given to housing officers, and people won’t know where they stand.”

FAMILIES COULD BE FORCED TO LIVE EVEN MORE CHEEK BY JOWL Families in cramped housing could find themselves even more overcrowded under the new system, with tougher rules to qualify for a bigger home.

Currently, a family qualifies for Band

1 if they are ‘statutorily overcrowded’ – a definition which would include, for example, a family of three living in a two bedroom home. But new rules say a family needs to be missing three bedrooms to enter Band A. The definition of bedrooms includes living space, meaning a family of four could be living in a house with one bedroom and a living room, and would still not be considered overcrowded enough to qualify for Band A.

REMOVAL OF PRIORITY STAR AND GOOD TENANT AWARD People will no longer be given priority for reasons unrelated to housing need, with the council proposing removing incentives which reward good behaviour with an improved position on the waiting list.

Southwark says this is so that where you are on the waiting list better reflects your level of need.

It wants to axe Priority Stars, which reward people who have volunteered or worked in the community with extra priority within their band.

The Good Tenant Award, which grants some council tenants who haven’t fallen behind on rent Band 2 housing priority, is also set to be scrapped.

“This is a really good proposal from the council” said Liz Wyatt. “These aren’t really reflective of need.

“The Good Tenant Award means someone in housing completely suitable could get into Band 2 which is meant to be urgent.

We think that is reasonable and fair for that to be removed because it gives very high priority to people without housing need.”

Meanwhile, she said the Priority Star “benefits those who know how the system works. Probably half of people on the register don’t have the star which they qualify for.”

Cllr Sarah King, Southwark Council’s Cabinet Member for Council Homes, said: “Council homes change lives. In Southwark, the demand for council homes is huge, as it is across London. That’s why it’s so important they go to the people in the very greatest need.

“We’ve updated our proposed allocations scheme to give priority to those most in need including for example young adults leaving the care of Southwark Council, and for people who are escaping domestic violence.

“Our proposed scheme is now open for consultation and we welcome your views.

All feedback will be carefully considered.”

For full details of the proposed changes see the Southwark Council website. The plans are open for consultation until 1 June.

More families in Lambeth will be placed outside of London

By Robert Firth Local Democracy Reporter LAMBETH COUNCIL has admitted it will need to source more temporary accommodation in cheaper places outside of the city to save cash.

The Labour-run council’s new five-year homelessness strategy acknowledges ‘the need to source TA [temporary accommodation] in more affordable locations, including outside of London’.

In 2019 the council had a policy which said: ‘Unlike some other boroughs, we don’t place many families outside of London.’

The admission appears to be a departure from its outgoing policy, agreed in 2019, which stated the council’s approach was ‘focussed on keeping people in the borough and London’.

The 2019 policy added: ‘Unlike some other boroughs, we don’t place many families outside of London.’

Earlier this month the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS), revealed that 256 Lambeth families were living in temporary accommodation outside of London as of December 31 last year.

The data obtained through a Freedom of Information (FOI) request showed the number of households placed in temporary housing outside of London has increased nine-fold in four years, from 29 in 2020 to 256 at the end of 2024.

Homeless families from Lambeth were living in Herefordshire (140

miles away), Walsall in the West Midlands (127 miles away), and Birmingham (121 miles away) as of December 31, 2024.

Councils are legally required to provide people who become homeless with temporary accommodation, while they search for a suitable permanent home. An acute shortage of cheap housing in London, coupled with a rise in people becoming homeless, means local authorities in London are placing more people outside of the city.

Lambeth Council currently provides 4,800 homeless families with temporary accommodation— an increase of 50 per cent in the last two years.

The council spends £100 million per year on housing families in temporary housing.

Lambeth Council’s cabinet approved the Lambeth Homelessness and Rough Sleeping Strategy 2025-2030 at a meeting on Monday, April 7.

Councillor Danny Adilypour, deputy leader, said the new strategy was a ‘people-centred approach’ that focused on ‘prevention, early intervention and partnership working’.

He added: “This strategy sets out four priorities: ensuring that there is suitable accommodation for homeless people to move into, ensuring that rough sleeping is prevented, and when it does occur, it is rare, brief and non-recurrent, working together with our partners to prevent homelessness and finally improving the quality of the data we have on our homeless residents.”

Cllr Danial Adilypour, deputy leader of Lambeth Council

10 NEWS

ANGELA RAYNER REFUSES TO SAY HOW MANY OF 1.5M HOMES PROMISED BY LABOUR GOVERNMENT WILL BE SOCIAL-RENTED Local MP Florence Eshalomi has ‘pressed’ her for figures

© UK Parliament

© UK Parliament

Florence Eshalomi MP, who runs the Housing, Communities and Local Government Committee, said according to data provided by Shelter, Crisis and Savills, at least 90,000 social homes need building per annum to tackle the crisis.

However there’s a particular need for family-sized homes to get children out of temporary accommodation and reduce housing waiting lists.

The Vauxhall and Camberwell Green MP told the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS): “I’ve pressed the Deputy Prime Minister on the 1.5m [housing target], how many are going to be social affordable homes.

“It’s important we get those figures because then that can help key areas including London to deliver on those targets.”

Angela Rayner

David Simmonds

Florence Eshalomi

© Robert Firth

A SOUTH London MP in charge of a parliamentary housing committee says the biggest change needed to address the housing crisis is building more family-sized properties, as she presses the Housing Secretary for figures.

households in Ms Eshalomi’s constituency of Lambeth have expressed alarm at the dwindling number of larger social homes available to bid on, meaning families in need of three or four bedrooms have virtually no chance of finding a suitable home. Many have been on Lambeth Council’s housing register for over a decade.

The families, who are either living in overcrowded conditions or staying outside of the borough far from their workplaces and kids’ schools, claim they’re lucky if a single three or four-bedroom flat appears each month. They say the apparent decrease in the number of larger properties available has left them stressed and feeling hopeless about their chances of ever securing a suitable home.

One of the residents, Consuelo Gutierrez Collazo, said she has moved between temporary accommodation six times in the 10 years she has been waiting for a council house in Lambeth. The 41-yearold is currently living in an outer London borough with her three children, aged 10, six and four.

Marianela Ramos Apiricio, who has been waiting 11 years for a council house, said the drop in suitable homes appearing

from building affordable homes in the city.

Separately, a report by London Councils revealed 90,000 children are currently living in temporary accommodation in London. This equates to one child in every classroom living in temporary accommodation.

Antonia Jennings, Chief Executive at Centre for London, said it was clear the government needed to face London’s housing crisis head on. She said: “The problems are both acute and foundational.

The solutions must be both immediate and long-term.

“The changes made thus far are encouraging – we’ve seen increased investment in the Affordable Homes Programme, planning reform which allows building on low-quality sections of the green belt and the new Renters Reform Bill. But, these are only the very first steps.

We urgently need ambitious solutions that respond to the scale of the challenges facing the capital.

“From historic levels of homelessness to the sky-high costs of building new homes, the Government must get behind London’s leaders and invest in the capital to finally turn the corner on the housing crisis.”

The LDRS has previously covered how

In comments to the Local Democracy Reporting Service, Florence Eshalomi said the fact that most London boroughs saw no new homes start construction in the first months of this year was “really shocking” and that “nowhere near enough” properties are being built nationally.

The Labour MP also claimed that Housing Secretary Angela Rayner’s refusal to say how many of the Government’s promised 1.5m homes will be social-rented homes is because the Government is afraid of giving critics “a stick to beat them with”.

It comes as new analysis from think tank Centre for London found three in five London renters said rent was unaffordable to them personally, while over half of respondents (55per cent) said rent was one of the top three biggest problems with London’s housing market.

The think tank also found the upfront costs of meeting London’s annual housing targets was an estimated £2.2 billion.

These upfront costs – an estimate of the combined costs of the Building Safety Levy, Section 106, Community Infrastructure Levy and planning fees in London – are 43 times higher than the West Midlands, and 36 times higher than Greater Manchester.

This is believed to be putting off developers

© Robert Firth

Local Democracy Reporter

© UK Parliament

By Adrian Zorzut

through Lambeth’s bidding system was a ‘very bad’ development. The 33-year-old currently pays £1,600 per month for a two-bedroom flat she rents off a private landlord in Wandsworth and shares with her daughter, 13, and son, 11.

She said: “At the moment, it’s a struggle.

There’s usually just one property that has three bedrooms in a month, sometimes zero. A property a month is not enough for all the people needing one.”

A Lambeth Council spokesperson said at the time: “The shortage of family-sized accommodation and the need to use temporary accommodation is driving our need to make huge savings as a council.

“Homeless households supported by the council have increased by 50 per cent in the last two years and the cost of housing homeless households in overnight accommodation is expected to reach £100 million this year.

“It’s not just Lambeth that this is impacting. London Councils have reported that London boroughs are forecast to overspend on their original budget plans for this financial year by more than £700 million. Homelessness represents the largest single driver of London boroughs’ current financial pressures.”

Consuelo Gutierrez Collazo

Marianela Ramos Apiricio

‘Lost year for housebuilding’ says committee chair

By Adrian Zorzut Local Democracy Reporter THE FIRST ten months of the new Labour Government has effectively been a “year that we’ve lost” for housebuilding in the capital, the chair of Parliament’s housing select committee has lamented.

In comments to the Local Democracy Reporting Service, Florence Eshalomi said the fact that most London boroughs saw no new homes start construction in the first months of this year was “really shocking” and that “nowhere near enough” properties are being built nationally.

Ms Eshalomi, pointed to a recent report in The Times which said the building of new homes in London – of all types – has plunged to a 16-year low. Figures compiled by residential development

consultant Molior and shared with the newspaper show that 23 of London’s 33 boroughs recorded zero new housing starts in the first quarter of 2025.

“We’re almost a year into the new Government, since July – that’s a year we’ve lost,” the MP said.

Mayor Sir Sadiq Khan said in March he was the “first to admit supply has not met demand, and we have got to do better, and we’re going to do better with the support of national Government, councils, but also with some foreign investment”.

The most recent data for ‘net additional dwellings’ in England – which takes account of buildings being demolished or converted into flats, as well as conventional house-building – covers the 2023/24 financial year, when Rishi Sunak was still in Downing Street. It shows that only 221,071 new homes

were created in net terms, down 5.6 per cent on the previous year.

“That’s nowhere near enough,” Ms Eshalomi said. “So I want to use my role to push Angela Rayner and [housing minister] Matthew Pennycook on what is going on.

“But the sector is showing that there are some key issues – capacity within the sector, the tradesmen, the workforce – all those issues. I hope some of that will be addressed within the National Planning Policy Framework, so let’s wait and see what comes back to Parliament.”

She added: “It’s about recognising that [with] those homes, it’s not just about the targets, it’s about the people who are going to live in those homes.

“I think for far too long we think of the abstract, of just numbers. Let’s think about the people, and that’s what

I’m keen to do as chair of the select committee – bring it back to why we are building these homes.”

Ms Eshalomi was speaking to reporters at the Centre for London think tank’s annual housing summit. She was joined at the event by David Simmonds, the Conservatives’ shadow housing minister, who admitted that despite “some successes” in housing policy under the previous Government, “the overall level of total demand for housing is still comfortably outstripping” supply.

Mr Simmonds, MP for Ruislip, Northwood and Pinner, pointed out that London also faces the problem of some homes being under-occupied, for example when an older person lives alone in a home with several bedrooms.

“How do you create a housing market in which people feel willing, able, incentivised, to free up space that they

don’t need, so that those who are in housing need can make use of that?”, he said, suggesting this was a question the new Government needed to address.

Regarding Labour’s plans to reclassify ‘poor quality’ areas of protected green belt land as ‘grey belt’, for housebuilding, he said: “For London it’s a big issue, because around London, you have a lot of green belt… and that is environmentally important. It’s important for wildlife. A lot of it is agricultural land, which is important for the life of the capital itself.

“The big concern that I and my party have about the changes to the green belt is the risk that it becomes a developers’ charter for high-value, executive homes in the London suburbs, when actually what we need to think about is how we meet a much broader level of housing need.”

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NEWS 13

EXCLUSIVE

By Issy Clarke A MEETING about one of the borough’s most contentious low traffic neighbourhood scheme’s (LTN) descended into uproar after the local Labour councillor admitted it will not be lifted ‘as long as Labour controls Southwark Council’.

The Dulwich Village junction has been a controversial area ever since the council made it an LTN in June 2020. Last year, the News broke the story that Southwark Council had made £26 million in fines from traffic cameras encircling the area since they were installed in February 2021.

Fines can range between £60 and £120 depending on how quickly they are paid.

Cllr Richard Leeming made the comments during a meeting at Herne Hill Baptist Church organised by Dulwich residents.

“We didn’t do it on a whim” he said. “We did it very carefully looking at other places where similar schemes had happened.”

He stood firm, later telling the increasingly angry audience: “There are no plans to reopen the junction in Dulwich Village. It will not happen while this Labour administration remains in power.”

In January, the council installed a controlled parking zone (CPZ) in Dulwich Village, a scheme which restricts parking during certain hours of the day and can see people forced to pay £300 to park their cars.

While some have praised the LTN as increasing safety for pedestrians, including schoolchildren, others argue it has made pensioners’ lives a misery.

Residents put forward several suggestions during the meeting, including bringing in timed restrictions at the junction instead of a 24/7 closure, lifting restrictions during school holidays, and adding bus routes from East to West Dulwich, not just the existing P4 route which runs between North and South Dulwich.

Dulwich Village’s other councillor Margy Newens was also present at the meeting, and said residents and councillors were going to “have to agree to disagree” on the junction.

DULWICH VILLAGE LTN ‘WILL NOT BE LIFTED AS LONG AS LABOUR CONTROLS THE COUNCIL’ Hazel Broadfoot owns Village Books on Calton Avenue and claims business has dropped since the council installed a CPZ there in January

Labour Cllrs for Dulwich Village ward Richard Leeming and Margy Newens spoke at the meeting organised by local residents She admitted there were “all sorts of things that aren’t perfect” with the scheme, but urged residents to “move on and think positively going forward”.

Hazel Broadfoot, a local bookseller and Chair of the Dulwich Village Traders’ Association, said that at a meeting of local traders last week “every business present was concerned about drop of footfall since January and the introduction of the CPZ.” She warned: “Local businesses are not the geese that lay golden eggs. They cannot continue to pay higher and higher business rates, and higher and higher

rents, while they’re expected to survive on fewer and fewer customers.”

Cllr Newens later suggested that the faltering fortunes of local businesses was partly due to the increased cost of living, which had pushed customers towards cheaper alternatives such as Amazon prompting roars of outrage across the room and cries of “rubbish!”

This prompted the moderator to intervene, urging audience members to “please be respectful” in their questions to the speakers.

Ms Broadfoot hit back: “My bookshop

Giovanny Rendon Bedoya

has had to compete with Amazon since 1998 and has continued to thrive, especially during and after the pandemic lockdowns.

She added: “The barbers is one of the businesses that has been affected by the drop in footfall and the last time I checked you can’t get a shave on the internet.”

Speaking to the News after the meeting, Cllr Leeming said there “wasn’t an appetite in the council to re-assess the scheme.”

He added: “We recognise that times are hard for traders. But it is really important

to find out the real reason for that because if you identify the wrong reason and try to tackle that, you could make the problem worse.”

Not everyone wants to see the traffic management schemes scrapped. Those who support LTNs say they make streets safer and reduce climate emissions by encouraging people to walk and cycle instead of taking the car.

A spokesperson for Clean Air Dulwich told the News: “What was once a dangerous, car-dominated junction is now a safer, greener space for the entire community - a significant step forward, especially for the hundreds of children and families who rely on this key walking and cycling route to get to school.

“The transformation has been a gamechanger, enabling people of all ages to swap local car journeys for walking or cycling.”

In addition, those in favour of LTNs do cite some evidence based studies carried out elsewhere in the UK and in Europe that suggest making it easier for people to walk and cycle to their local shops can increase sales by up to 30 per cent.

The News asked Southwark Council whether it wanted to make any more comments on the scheme, but had not received a response at the time of publishing this article.

Fourth man charged with the murder of Giovanny Bedoya

By Kevin Quinn POLICE SAY a fourth man has been charged with murder following the fatal stabbing of 21-yearold Giovanny Rendon Bedoya in Walworth last month.

Twenty-year-old Zozoro Mohamed Olivier, of Lorrimore Square, Walworth, was charged last Friday evening, May 2, and was due to appear at Bromley Magistrates’ Court the following day.

The attack on Hillingdon Street, just off John Ruskin Street, in an area that sits between Walworth and Kennington, took place at around 9.16pm on Monday night April 14.

In a chilling statement Detective

Chief Inspector Kate Blackburn, who is leading the murder investigation, said police received a flurry of 999 calls “reporting that a young man had been stabbed and a number of people were seen carrying knives.”

Officers and ambulance crews had raced to Hillingdon Street and found Giovanny suffering from serious stab injuries. He was treated but was sadly pronounced dead at the scene.

DCI Blackburn added: “Our thoughts remain with Giovanny’s next of kin at this incredibly difficult time.”

Last month we reported how two men had already been charged with Giovanny’s murder and a teenager was arrested on suspicion of murder.

14 NEWS

WOULD YOU LIKE TO SEE THIS IN LONDON’S UNDERGROUND STATIONS?

Floor-to-ceiling adverts on the Elizabeth Line and ‘an immersive experience’ round the travelator at Waterloo could be coming soon Concept image of the proposed wraparound digital video advertisements on the Elizabeth line

© Global

Global has said it wants to use TfL’s advertising estate to ‘inspire’ Londoners

By Noah Vickers Local Democracy Reporter A PROJECT will see more than 1,000 digital screens installed across the Underground network, “designed to immerse, inspire and move Londoners like never before.”

that’s reinvested back into the transport system, TfL is a public service – it shouldn’t be so underfunded that Londoners are bombarded with ads just to keep the network afloat. I’ve already asked TfL for the Equality Impact Assessment to check they’ve accounted for the needs of neurodiverse passengers.”

Responding, a TfL spokesman said: “These digital wraps are still in early development and will be subject to testing and assessment before they can be introduced to the network.

“A full Equality Impact Assessment will also be carried out to ensure that the needs of all customers are fully considered.”

In addition to its plans for the Elizabeth line, Global has said it also wants to transform the 160-metre-long travelator at Waterloo Tube station into a “multi-sensory experience featuring eight massive, digital screens, combining sound, 3D visuals, scent and motion – a large format canvas that will

surprise and delight every passenger”.

They added that their plans were “underpinned by sustainability – from solar-powered screen assembly to carbonneutral materials and modular screens that can be repaired easily”.

Chris Forrester, Global’s managing director of commercial outdoor, said: “Since the launch of the world’s very first underground railway in 1863, Londoners have always looked to the Tube to tell them what’s going on, what’s new, and where they need to be.

“The corridors and carriages of the London Underground aren’t just ad space – they’re a part of the very fabric of London life and a creative canvas for advertisers.

Caroline Global’s vision is to transform Russell, Green the everyday commute into Party London an extraordinary experience Assembly that immerses, informs and member inspires.?”

By-election sees Labour lose its seat to the Greens © Google

By Ruby Gregory Local Democracy Reporter LABOUR HAS lost one of its councillor seats to the Greens following a local by-election in Lambeth on May 1st.

Paul Valentine is the new Green councillor for Herne Hill and Loughborough Junction ward after winning 48per cent of the vote with 1,774 votes.

Finishing in second place was Labour’s Stephen Jospeh Clark with 1,459 votes.

In third place was the Conservatives’ Jago Brockway with 183 votes, followed by Reform UK’s Lydia Aitcheson with 135 votes.

The Lib Dems’ Charley Hasted came fifth with 121 votes, followed by Marco Tesei from the Trade Unionist and Socialist Coalition with 30 votes, and lastly Adam Buick from the Socialist Party of Great

The Herne Hill Halloween celebration will take place in Station Square and Station hall above the train station Britain with 16 votes.

Last night’s by-election saw a voter turnout of 32per cent out of an electorate of 11,554.

The South London seat had previously been held by Labour’s Jim Dickson, a longterm councillor who was first elected to

Lambeth Council in 1990.

Mr Dickson announced he was stepping down from his role as councillor eight months after being elected as the Labour MP for Dartford in the July 2024 General Election.

Announcing his departure in March,

Mr Dickson said: “It has been an honour to serve the community and the borough for 35 years, and I firmly believe that it is a better place than I found it in 1990, as a result of the work of Lambeth Labour.

“I am proud of many things we achieved which have made a great difference in

people’s lives, including bringing in buffer zones for abortion clinics, increasing access to healthcare for our Trans friends and launching the UK’s first LGBT+ retirement housing.”

He added: “The improvements we have seen – which still have further to go – are down to an active and committed local community working closely with a supportive and engaged Lambeth Labour Council, and I know this will continue.

I wish whoever is elected in my place every success in serving this wonderful neighbourhood.”

Cllr Valentine will share Herne Hill and Loughborough Junction ward with two existing Labour councillors, Deepak Sardiwal and Pauline George.

Lambeth Council has a Labour majority with 57 councillors. The total number of Green councillors has now increased to three, while there are also three Lib Dem councillors.

© Greater London Authority

So says Transport for London’s advertising partner Global – which has just signed a new eight-year contract with the authority.

As well as the new standard-sized screens however, Global has said it also wants to deliver “world-first immersive formats”, including wraparound digital screens covering the walls and ceiling of the Elizabeth line’s underground walkways.

It also wants to transform the 160-metrelong travelator at Waterloo Tube station into a “multi-sensory experience... combining sound, 3D visuals, scent and motion.”

But the plans have sparked concerns at City Hall that commuters will be “bombarded with ads”.

It comes after the Elizabeth line was last year awarded the Stirling Prize for Architecture. Caroline Russell, a Green member of the London Assembly, said she feared more advertising could spoil the stations’ “beautiful, calming” design.

“Transport for London’s increasing reliance on wraparound advertising with sensory-heavy video screens raises serious concerns for neurodiverse Londoners,” she said.

“The Elizabeth Line stations are designed to be beautiful, calming environments through which many thousands of people pass every hour. It’s disappointing to see public transport, a space that should prioritise inclusion, being used to incentivise consumerism at the expense of wellbeing and accessibility.

“While advertising generates revenue

AT GREENWICH PENINSUL A

SUNDAY 18 MAY

SUPPORTING

Did you know?

If you don’t pay for your prescriptions, you can get SOME medicines free from your local pharmacy without needing to visit your GP What treatments are available on the scheme?

Southwark Pharmacy First Plus covers advice and treatment for the conditions below: • Allergies • Athlete’s foot • Blocked/

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Most pharmacies in Southwark offer the Pharmacy First Plus scheme.

Look out for posters in the pharmacy, ask your GP’s reception staff or look on:

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06/06/2024 15:13

NEWS 17

The events where people come together to talk about death and ‘make the most of our finite lives’

© Susan Barsky Reid

KENNINGTON’S DEATH CAFES Susan Barsky Reid, with her son Jon, the founder of the UK’s Death Cafe movement

Henrietta can’t get into her front room because it’s piled high with food donations

By Louisa Woolf LAST MONTH, I spent a Monday evening talking about death and dying with a group of eight strangers, over a cup of tea in Kennington.

© Google Street View

I visited my first Death Cafe, hosted in a cosy room at the back of the Jamyang Buddhist Centre, tucked off Kennington Lane.

It may sound like a bit of a morbid way to wind down after work, but the atmosphere at the Death Cafe was warm, and surprisingly cheerful. Their objective is to increase awareness of death and, in the process, help people make the most of life.

The session began with an introduction from our facilitator, Venerable Barbara Shannon, a Buddhist monk who had spent many years working as an NHS palliative care nurse, who invited us to go round in a circle and tell each other about why we had come to the Death Cafe.

This was enough to get us talking for the next hour and a half - I was taken aback by everyone’s openness and ease speaking on painful and personal experiences.

The conversation flowed easily, from our views on the Assisted Dying Bill, to the burden of caring for loved ones, to our wishes for our own deaths, to who is going to pay for our funerals.

It was wonderfully freeing to be so open with a group of strangers, exploring feelings and thoughts I had never spoken out loud before.

The first UK Death Cafe was founded

by Jon Underwood, at his home in Hackney in 2011. Also a practising Buddhist, and the centre manager at Jamyang at the time, Jon believed that speaking about death would enable people to live better lives.

Inspired by the ‘Cafe Mortel’ movement, founded by Swiss sociologist Bernard Crettaz, Jon decided to bring Death Cafes to London.

His mother, Susan Barsky Reid,

Kennington’s Jamyang Buddhist Centre facilitated the first Death Cafes alongside him, bringing her background as a psychotherapist to help develop the model.

“I think he thought that people would live better lives if they realised that their lives were finite, and there would be less bad things happening in the world,” Susan told me when I contacted her to find out more about how the movement began.

“He thought people escaped, that people distracted themselves from the thought that they were going to die.

“And that if they actually thought that they were going to die and knew that, then they would live a better life.

I think that was his idea.”

After watching him build the Death Cafe movement for six years, Jon’s family lost him suddenly and unexpectedly to a brain hemorrhage.

His wife, Donna Molley, described experiencing “the finiteness of life at its most brutal” with “shocking poignancy” when he died in 2017.

Jon collapsed after taking his two children swimming, and never regained consciousness. He was just

44.

Since then, Susan, and Jon’s sister Jools Barsky, have continued his work.

Susan described the movement’s growing success as ‘quite stunning’.

The events have spread far beyond London, with over 20,000 Death Cafe sessions hosted across the world, in 93 different countries.

While this Death Cafe was held in the Buddhist centre, they are secular events.

There are multiple spaces holding Death Cafes across South London, including the Bonnington Centre in

Vauxhall, Blackfriars Settlement and a queer Death Cafe at Queercircle arts space in Greenwich.

Throughout the 90 minutes we shared at Jamyang, some of the attendees revealed that they were grieving a loved one, had received a terminal diagnosis, or were caring for an elderly relative.

But Death Cafes are different from bereavement support or grief counselling. And they do not work for people who, for whatever reason, do not feel able to discuss death comfortably and openly.

During the session I learnt that to really benefit, you must bring a sense of curiosity, openness and willingness to talk about death, a topic we often avoid, but is impossible to escape.

Death Cafes simply provide a place to talk about a subject which will inevitably affect us all in myriad ways, but is so taboo it almost feels transgressive.

And there is something particularly freeing about approaching these difficult topics amongst strangers whom you are unlikely to meet again.

Susan described the “wonderful conversations which create such a closeness” with fellow Death Cafe attendees as “quite magical.”

When I asked Susan who Death Cafes are for, her answer was disarmingly simple: anybody who is going to die.

“That’s the thing we’ve all got in common,” she said. “We are all going to die, and let’s talk about it now.”

Death Cafes are facilitated according to Jon and Susan’s four founding principles. Firstly, there must be no intention of leading participants to any conclusion, product or course of action.

They must be open, respectful and confidential. They must not be for profit. And finally, there must be tea and cake.

With the ongoing debate surrounding the Assisted Dying Bill, conversations about our ideas around death are perhaps more important than ever.

Last month, Manx parliament agreed to pass a law to give terminally ill adults the right to end their own lives, meaning the Isle of Man will be the first part of the UK to allow assisted dying.

Our ideas, and potentially our policies, about how we view death and dying are evolving, and the Death Cafe provides a warm and safe space to discuss these ideas freely.

For Susan, the Death Cafes exist to help people live better.

She said: “If people can realise that their time is limited, they can make the most of, well, their life. It’s simple, isn’t it?

“If you’re aware that the end is coming at some point, then you can seize the day and not put things off.”

And it’s true, I left the Jamyang Centre that evening feeling comforted, connected and grateful.

Perhaps when we confront death head on, we are able to feel a little bit more alive.

The next Death Cafe at the Jamyang Centre in Kennington will be held on May 26th from 6:45pm until 8pm. They are held every other month.

18 OPINION

Comment

‘We are upgrading more than 30 GP practices in South East London’

I

AM REALLY delighted that this week the Labour government has announced new funding to modernise GP practices across the county at over 1,000 doctors’ surgeries.

These bricks and mortar upgrades, including more than 30 GP practices in South-East London, will lead to over 8.3 million more appointments each year once the works have been completed.

Backed by the government’s major cash injection of over £102 million, over 1,000 GP surgeries will receive vital funding to create additional

HELEN HAYES

space to see more patients, create modern facilites and improve patient care following years of neglect.

Right now, many GP surgeries could be seeing more patients, but do not have enough room or the right facilities to accommodate them.

From creating new consultation and treatment rooms to making better use of existing space and improving accessibility, these quick fixes will enable patients across the country to be seen faster.

This represents the biggest investment in GP facilities in years and is only possible because

the Government has chosen to invest £26 billion into the NHS. Bringing GP premises up to a similar condition across England is important to improve patients’ experience of NHS services, but it is just as important for creating a better working environment for doctors, nurses and other health professionals, which is vital for recruiting and retaining staff.

Lord Darzi’s independent report

on the NHS found that outdated, inefficient buildings create barriers to delivering high-quality patient care and reduce staff productivity.

His review found that many GP surgeries are housed in inflexible, outdated buildings that cannot enable safe, high-quality patient care. This week’s investment marks a crucial turning point in addressing this long-standing issue, helping create the modern,

purpose-built primary care facilities that patients and staff deserve.

This is the first national capital fund for primary care estates since 2020 and part of a comprehensive package of GP support, alongside recruiting 1,500 additional GPs and bringing hospital waiting times down.

The projects will be delivered during the 2025 to 2026 financial year, with the first upgrades expected to begin this summer.

and Cosmos in containers or borders make an unusual display. Miniature roses, thyme and scented stocks can be used to fill gaps in beds.

There are some stunning flowers to see in the May garden – including Peonies (Illini Warrior) and the magnificent Wisteria. Ceanothus is shimmering with an electric blue display of flowers; Choisya began flowering in mid-April and Rhododendrons are about to bloom.

Plants need regular feeding during flowering times as they quickly exhaust nutrients in the soil (especially ones in containers). envii SeaFeed Xtra – Organic Seaweed Fertiliser is a liquid plant food suitable for all plants, lawns, gardens and also house plants. It costs around £12.95 for a litre pack and is available from various online outlets.

There were lots of bees during early

April but flowers were in short supply due to the cold conditions. Sowing wild flower seeds will encourage butterflies, bees, birds and hover flies to visit your garden or window boxes. If seeds cannot be sown during May wait until September (and they will come up the following spring). Alternatively, sow a few seeds into pots that already have plants growing (providing there is some space) if this option is chosen make sure the top soil is loosened lightly and new compost is added. Here are some wild flowers to include.

Oxeye daisy (perennial) with interesting leaf variations on the same plant produces small white flowers and large yellow centres. Corn chamomile (annual) can grow to about 60cm, has white daisy like flowers and feathery foliage. Once planted it naturalises quickly. Musk mallow has delicate pink flowers and pale green foliage. Once established it will come up each year.

Corn marigold is an annual and seeds readily; the golden yellow flowers appear throughout the summer.

Annual Corn poppy – has strikingly

red delicate papery flowers. It seeds freely and makes a stunning impact when grown in large numbers. And finally, the annual Cornflower (C. cyanus) has deep blue flowers and light green foliage. It also seeds freely and usually comes up each year.

MP for Dulwich & West Norwood

There are some stunning flowers to see in the May garden

T

HE WEATHER has taken time to warm up. April temperatures were generally cool but with some exceptionally hot days, especially towards the end of the month.

The wind stayed easterly and northerly, which also made for chilly nighttime temperatures. These are tricky growing conditions for plants.

To prepare the garden and window boxes for summer have a mid-season tidy-up; remove faded and dying blooms from Spring bulbs and shrubs, weed around plants and then add compost (mulch) this provides nutrient and helps preserve moisture.

Combinations of dwarf Lavenders and scented Geraniums look good in window boxes. Herbs like Parsley grown with Calendula (Pot marigold)

OPINION 19

LTNs continue to create a massive divide

A

meeting of Dulwich residents last week laid bare the unresolved tensions surrounding the Low Traffic Neighbourhood (LTN) covering Dulwich Village junction.

The hour and a half long meeting saw countless questions fielded to Dulwich Village Cllrs Richard Leeming and Margy Newens - almost all of which concerned the LTN. Much of the furore surrounding the LTN can be traced back to the manner in which it was introduced.

Some residents at the time felt the council’s approach was underhand - the scheme was implemented during lockdown, when people were shut up indoors.

The council ran a consultation a year later which found two thirds of respondents wanted the scheme to be scrapped, but decided to push ahead with it anyway.

This was their right - consultations are not referendums, and the council is not legally obliged to defer to the outcomes. The council explicitly backs traffic management schemes which it views as essential to its environmental aims.

The latest development in the saga is a controlled parking zone (CPZ) installed in January, which local businesses claim has hurt trade because people can’t park outside their shops.

If there was any doubt about the opinion slant of meeting attendees, it was expressed in the rapturous applause that followed bookshop owner Hazel Broadfoot’s damning indictment of the CPZ - and the icy reception given to Cllrs Leeming and Newens.

It is not the case that everyone is opposed to LTNs - plenty of people like them, and want to see them retained. When an LTN scheme in Tower Hamlets was scrapped last year, residents crowdfunded a legal challenge to get it reinstated.

But the raw anger and frustration expressed by residents during the meeting, five years on from its initial installation, speaks to not only the strength of feeling stirred by the LTN, but also to the vital importance in politics of bringing people with you.

Cllr Leeming laid out in no uncertain terms that “the Dulwich Village LTN will not be lifted while this Labour administration is in power”, with Cllr Newens later expressing her hope that residents and councillors might be able to come together and move forward.

But it is hard to see the prospects of a rapprochement unless both sides are willing to cede some ground.

Residents made several suggestions during the meeting, including bringing in timed restrictions at the junction instead of a 24/7 closure and lifting restrictions during school holidays.

The Chair later acknowledged the gathering had failed to yield a “meeting of minds”. Going forward, the council should explore ways it can work with local residents to address some of their concerns - only then might we see a system that works for everyone.

Flyer_A5.pdf

1

12/10/2021

22:35

CRYPTIC PUZZLE Clues Across

4 Investigated professional plot (6) 8 Stayed the course and finished round the old city (7) 10 Knowledgeable after the finish that’s the position (7) 11 It’s no joke getting behind at sea (5) 12 Mr Wood, senior, we presume? (5) 13 Getting a rise? (9) 16 Was Robin Hood so bandy, then? (36) 19 What’s the wild dog doing? (5) 20 Where one is expected to take steps (5) 22 Classical welcome to the right communist is declared (7) 23 Stumped on the golfcourse (7) 24 Unruly sets I’d stop (6)

Clues Down

1 Praise about a former country (6) 2 Lied about being out of work (4) 3 They provide a firm basis for pressing matters (7,6) 5 Holidays somehow delayed RollsRoyce test (36,4) 6 Fifty in the band are dazzling (8) 7 Dry out the organ dull (6) 9 She could be an ideal girl (5) 14 Risks about a pound in church (8) 15 He somehow drew with the District Attorney (6) 17 Presumably you don’t mind if they are cross (5) 18 Is in awe of many mad dares (6) 21 It can take a hammering (4)

QUICK PUZZLE

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Clues Across

4 Photographer’s apparatus (6) 8 Claws (7) 10 Sinews (7) 11 Disturb (5) 12 Bottles (5) 13 Scent (9) 16 Helper (9) 19 Equipment (5) 20 Gum (5) 22 Sinister (7) 23 Paying attention (7) 24 Most vile (6)

Clues Down

1 Overwhelm (6) 2 Watering places (4) 3 Disturbances (13) 5 Annual commemorations (13) 6 Extreme selfishness (8) 7 Estimate (6) 9 Back (5) 14 Water sports (8) 15 Selfpossession (6) 17 Rip (5) 18 Muddle (6) 21 Nonalcoholic (4)

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CRYPTIC

Across: Steers 7 Galatea 8 Uncover 9 Phlox 10 Film stars 12 See 13 Isle 15 Addenda 17 Gist 19 Egg 21 Teaspoons 22 Delay 23 Nettled 24 Retreat 25 Adonis Down: 1 Stuffing 2 Excels 3 Revised 4 Claps 5 Stalls 6 Marx 7 Grease paint 11 Meat 13 Iago 14 Episodes 16 Deputed 18 Salute 20 Goblin 21 Types 22 Dark

QUICK PUZZLE

Across: Podium 7 Plateau 8 Incisor 9 Tiers 10 Geography 12 Rag 13 Seas 15 Terrace 17 Hate 19 Hen 21 Fattening 22 Wheel 23 Oppress 24 Suction 25 Unites Down: 1 Priggish 2 Doctor 3 Upsurge 4 Hasty 5 Recede 6 Fuss 7 Preparation 11 Gate 13 Seen 14 Suggests 16 Cheapen 18 Trench 20 Nicest 21 Flair 22 Wise

20 ARTS

what’s on

A Trip on this Piccadilly Line is a Must ‘COCKFOSTERS’ BY Tom Woffenden and Hamish Clayton has already attracted great reviews from earlier runs, so I was intrigued to get on board with James and Tori as they journey fhe 24 stops from Heathrow to Cockfosters at the other end of the line, writes Michael Holland

The commuter-related laughs begin when you are given a mock-up of a well-known giveaway paper - Retro which doubles as the programme. In the auditorium, people in hi-vis shout through megaphones about minding the doors and the train leaving at 7pm.

A simple but very effective set of a tube carriage frames the action, which is a blend of very good visual gags, song, dance and dialogue, starting with a passenger boarding and immediately taking off his sweaty, stinking socks to give them an airing.

Tori(Beth Lilly) and Jame(James Rees-Baylis) are strangers caught up in this mélange of commuters, tourists, beggars, buskers, hen parties

and the usual boring drunks.

In between stops the pair get to know each other. Tori has ‘trains in her veins’ so we get a potted history of the Underground that takes in why it went underground, Harry Beck, the designer of the iconic tube map, and other factoids to punctuate the gags and make this journey one of information and hilarity.

Ruby Tuby embarks and gives a song made up from every station name; American tourists can’t understand why they are advised to get a train ‘heading south on the Northern Line’; the ads for vitamins get a going over as do the Poems on the Underground series, with a Shakespeare appearing to give us a few lines of a sonnet.

Tori tells of a ‘yoga and jäger’ holiday, while poor James is constantly moaning and mourning his freshly ended relationship and his freshly cancelled stag do and wedding. We wonder if their chemicals are reacting and attracting...

At one point there is a Tube Quiz for

the audience to participate in(There is actually a station that contains all the vowels!), and a rap battle between North, South East and West London that was great for eliciting boos and cheers from various sections in the crowd.

Cockfosters delights us with every kind of tube train event that annoys: the homeless person looking for enough small change to get a bed that night or something hot to eat; the passenger who plays loud music, the others who want to strike up a conversation; the cougher and the sneezer.

A gang of Gooners get on and sing their anti-Tottenham song, much to

Photo by Manuel Harlan

This will go down as a cult classic

Old Vic Brightening The Company in The Brightening Air at The Old Vic (2025) SIBLINGS STEPHEN (Brian Gleeson) and Billie (Rosie Sheehy) continually bicker as they prepare a feast for the visit of their blind uncle Pierre (Seán McGinley),

a former priest coming back to the rundown rural cottage that he grew up in. This sets up the bickering between everyone who populates this ensemble piece,

writes Michael Holland.

Conor McPherson directs his own play, The Brightening Air, about myth, religion and - what I see as - a normal dysfunctioning family. He is the best

my Spurs-loving annoyance, but there is a comeuppance that appeases me.

The jokes come fast and don’t always reach their destination, but with so many you know a good one will be along soon.

Of course, it is James and Tori who take most of the limelight but my hat gets thrown in the air for Jimmy Bryant, Liam Horrigan, Natasha Vasandani and Emily Waters for their multi-tasking and multi-skilling as everybody else who gets on board this train.

The play ends after a magical 70 minute journey and Tori and James have reached the end of the line. I wanted a return ticket.

Cockfosters is very clever. It is very real. It is a paean to our Underground system and I did not want the journey to end. But when this one did it ended with a great cheer.

Bravo! Best play I’ve seen for ages. It could be another Operation Mincemeat and go from Southwark Playhouse to storming Broadway.

man for the job because nobody else could have known what he wanted from this script that mixes magic with the mundane minutiae of life.

Lydia(Hannah Morrish), a sister-inlaw is helping out; a sad-faced woman mourning the death of her marriage to Dermot (Chris O’Dowd) who turns up, not thinking his estranged wife would be there, with Freya(Aisling Kearns) - a girlfriend half his age.

Throw in the sex-starved ex-priest’s carer Elizabeth(Derbhle Crotty) who has history with Stephen, and local man Brendan (Eimhin Fitzgerald Doherty) who has had previous fumblings in the ‘covert’ with Billie, and is currently getting closer to Freya, (Dermot’s Girlfriend) then all you need at this crazy old farmhose is a flock of chickens on the loose. Hold the front page... The chickens are on the loose.

McPherson deftly directs these multiple stories into something quite mesmerising. At the same time drawing out excellent characterisations by an accomplished cast, and even though there were perhaps too many people involved, there was nobody I would want to take out of this fantastical equation.

Of course, for all the backstories to emerge via private conversation, there

is a lot of getting people on and off the stage to allow that to happen., and there are only so many doors to use without this becoming a farce.

But exit and enter they do, allowing us to discover: Lydia wants to give Stephen £500 to fetch magic water from the magic well that will make Dermot love her again; Brendan loves Billie (unrequited); Dermot has an ulterior motive of moving Stephen and Billie out so the family house can be sold, and the old priest wants to move back in... Obviously, nobody is actually happy in this mess, and, yes, there are other dastardly deeds going on and it becomes a little confusing when a miracle occurs, but there are some great comic lines considering they are such a miserable bunch, several poignant moments of sadness as most of them get an emotional breakdown monologue to get us back on their side, and The Brightening Air will become a cult classic because we left there helping each other over the various hurdles of confusion, while at the same time knowing we had seen a very special piece of work.

Southwark Playhouse, Borough (The Little), 77-85 Newington Causeway, London, SE1 6BD until 17th May. Standard tickets are £27 Booking and Full Details: www.southwarkplayhouse.co.uk

Old Vic, The Cut, SE1 until June 14th.

Admission: £13 - £77.

Booking and full details: www.oldvictheatre.com

EVENTS 21

© Old Royal Naval College

© Olive Tree Photography. Old Royal Naval College

Heading south - our pick of upcoming spring events

Greenwich Dog Show: The Greenwich Dog Show will be returning to the Old Royal Naval College with an expanded competition, more prizes and an exciting marketplace. There are 10 competition categories, including Best Bridgerton Lookalike, Glorious Golden Oldie and Best Unique Feature! Celebrity judge Jodie McCallum will be returning to help crown the cutest, scruffiest, speediest, and sillests of the pups. There will be gourmet pet bakeries, canine fertility clinics and specialist retailers. All dogs, big or small will be welcome to enjoy the fun.

Sunday 25th May, 10am- late. Old Royal Naval College, London SE10 9NN Tickets: Free to attend (book online), £10 to enter the competition

Caribbean Takeover in Greenwich Celebrate black history and culture in Britain at this free event at the Royal Museums Greenwich. There will be a series of free talks, such as ‘Historic Black Greewnich: What We Know and What We Don’t’, ‘Archeology: Healing and Care in the Caribbean’ and ‘Growing Up Under the Influence: A Sonic Genealogy of Grime’.

If you are attending as a family, there is storytelling with Diana Olutunmogu and numerous games and workshops throughout the day. For food, there will be numerous Caribbean food stalls on the lawn, such as Cummin’ Up, Caribbean Hut, Port Royal and the Global Vegan Bakery.

Date: Sunday 18th May, 11am-4:30pm Location: Royal Museums Greenwich, Romney Rd, London SE10 9NF Tickets: Free, no ticket required

Midsummer Music at Garrison Church

Deptford Dub Club

A cheap evening out at Fox and Firkin this May as if you are a fan of Reggae, Roots and Ska music. The Deptford Dub Club features a range of talent headlined

by Tessa Politt. The Slights will make an appearance, as will Ras Danny Dread, Dirt Bike Dub, Soft Wax and more. Music will be heard from the garden so you can enjoy the summer evening.

Blackheath Halls Orchestra will be at the open-air St. George’s Garrison Church in Woolwich for a summer’s evening on orchestral classics. They will perform classics including Gershwin’s Summertime, Rachmaninov’s Vocalise, Faure’s Pavane and Copland’s Old American Songs with guest soloist Dan Shelvey Guests can bring a picnic and make the most of the evening sun. There will also be a bar at the church.

Date: Saturday 24th May, 6pm Location: St. George’s Garrison Church, SE18 6BW Tickets: £12 (£5 for under 12s)

Date: Sunday 18th May Location: The Fox and Firkin, 316 Lewisham High St, London, SE13 6JZ United Kingdom Tickets: £3.30

Free Creative Workshop at Deptford Lounge As part of their ‘Festival of Belonging’, Deptford Lounge are welcoming all ages to a creative workshop to celebrate their exhibition on the theme of belonging.

This is part of Creative and Wellbeing Week. Participants will create a large yarn drawing collaboratively and each

person will contribute to a larger shared image.

Date: Tuesday 20th May, 3pm-6pm Location: Deptford Longe, 9 Giffin St, Deptford SE8 4RJ Tickets: Free, no ticket required © Deptford Lounge

22 HISTORY

History

By Debra Gosling DID ANYONE do anything to mark May Day last week ? It is the traditional recognition of spring and a day that for centuries was celebrated with relish by the people of Bermondsey parish.

On May Day 1601 they even played host to Queen Elizabeth l as she passed through on her way to Greenwich. The bell ringers at St Mary Magdalen church rang out a merry peal in her honour and the parishioners cheered and clapped as she rode in all her finery along Bermondsey Street.

In fact, Bermondsey and Southwark had plenty of ridings and pageants for the gentry but May Day was the ordinary people’s chance to have a laugh and a bit of a do. For hundreds of years the Bermondsey maypole was the focus of the spring celebrations - that was until 1617 when puritan clergyman Edward Elton arrived in the parish intent on making everyone as miserable as he was.

The origins of May Day and the maypole are said to have begun with the tree worship of the Pagans. It also has connections with the Roman feast of Florialia (meaning to blossom).

Traditionally, witches of the Middle Ages came together four times a year and one of these times was on the first of May, known as Beltane. To the Pagan culture Beltane is the time of milk and honey, of blossoming and blooming, of desire and satisfaction. The cow and the bee are significant symbols of spring, as cattle have the ability to produce copious amounts of milk and bees to produce honey, a magical ingredient.

In fact, it is the only pre-Christian festival that was not adapted by the church for its own purposes. Mayday stands midway between the long cold nights of winter and the days of plenty at summer’s end, so its key symbol is fresh spring growth.

The maypole stood on Horselydown near an artillery ground between what is roughly now old St John’s church and the railway. Back in 1617 Bermondsey Street was the only thoroughfare in the area, surrounded by meadows and fields. The quiet and stillness was only broken by the lowing of cattle and the baas of sheep.

St Mary Magdalen and Bermondsey House were the only main buildings ,surrounded by lilac trees and clear streams. Happily there were a few pubs in this rural idyll; at the other end of the street was the Black Swan Inn and further on in Crucifix Lane was the St Christopher Inn. No doubt popular places for the tanners and farriers at the end of a long day. Between the fields and market gardens were almshouses dotted here and there.

Locals mainly worked as servants or gardeners, either in the fields or up at Bermondsey Manor, converted after the abbey had been destroyed. There were also jobs to be had in the various knight’s mansions along the river. Others of a less feudal nature worked down by the Thames as watermen and fishermen.

There weren’t many recognised holidays in those times but May Day was one of them. People looked forward to their jig around the maypole. Bermondsey had a permanent one traditionally made out of birch, the stuff of witch’s brooms.

The night before May Day the women in the area would decorate it with flowers, hawthorn and herbs before rising early to wash their faces in the may dew, said to keep the complexion beautiful.

The focus of the day was on dancing,

Children dance around a traditional maypole in 2015

Morris dancers at Bermondsey Street Festival in 2016

St Mary Magdalene Church, Bermondsey

When puritans cut down the ‘unlawful, and superstitious’ Bermondsey Maypole drinking, pageantry and more drinking.

A special feast was put on and tables were laden with bread, cake, cheese, ale and cider. A local Bermondsey Belle was chosen to be the May Queen and she was dressed up in garlands of flowers and greenery. There would be a procession traditionally led by a piper and everyone would don costumes as jesters, damsels, princes or animals. One would come on a hobbyhorse and someone would dress the fool and hit the crowds over the head with an animal’s bladder (they didn’t have balloons then). Sometimes an archery contest was put on and prospective archers and their girlfriends would dress up as Robin Hood and Maid Marian.

Hawthorn flowers were gathered from the meadows to decorate homes; trees, cattle and donkeys were adorned with garlands of flowers and greenery. It was a typical bank holiday, complete with a fair and stalls selling trinkets. And wherever you find a village fete you’ll always find the inevitable Morris Dancers. After

they’d done their fertility dance they’d whip off their bells and head straight for the nearest cider barrel. Hours later they were to be found slumped in a corner with their flowery hats over their bleary eyes, bells all a-tinkle.

Besides the apple bobbing and sports the main feature of the day was the dance around the maypole. Both men and women sported garlands of blossoms in their hair. What a great day; a community expression of hope and joy for the coming summer.

But the Puritans frowned upon the mirth and merriness of May Day; for them it was far too Pagan a practice (and for this reason never really caught on in the States). To them the Morris Men were a rowdy bunch of drunks that encouraged bad behaviour, debauchery and drunkenness. As far as they were concerned, Bermondsey shouldn’t be enjoying themselves; they should be sitting quietly reading their bibles and be grateful!

Enter Edward Elton, the new Puritan vicar of St Mary Magdalen. As he strolled around his parish on the first of May he was disgusted by what he saw. Men and women singing and dancing around a Pagan idol, kids screaming and shouting with the excitement of it all,Morris men throwing up in the corner, not to mention the other corners being occupied for even less salubrious activities. What a bunch of sinners, this merry-making had to stop!

Arriving back at the vestry Elton called upon his parish clerk, Richard Eyres and together they made their plans to scupper next year’s fun and frolics. Just to aggravate matters, Bermondsey boy John Beare and his mates had already decided they’d erect a nice shiny new maypole to replace the tatty one they’d just danced around. The pole had been stood there for time immemorial and was now broken and decayed. If they left it as it was someone would get brained next year! Five pounds secured them the new pole and they set about installing it.

Distinguished knight of Camberwell, Sir Edmund Bowyer was strolling in his orchard taking the air when the dynamic duo of Elton and Eyres from St Mary Magdalen called upon him. He patiently listened as they complained of the rowdiness, lewd conduct and drunkenness that were occurring once a year in Horselydown. Finishing his rant Elton finally got down to the crux of the matter and asked Sir Edmund for his permission to cut down the Bermondsey maypole. But he, being a decent sort, declined to support them, stating that the pole did no harm and was just a welcome bit of fun for the community.

That was it - he was off Elton’s Christmas card list. Undeterred, the parish Puritans took their case higher and went to see the Lord Chief Justice of England who, after speaking to Sir Edmund, agreed that the pole was doing no harm and even ordered the new one to be erected. Old Elton wasn’t making any friends.

Once back in fair Bermondsey the enraged Elton decided he’d take the law into his own hands and formed an angry mob of likeminded killjoys.

He went about the district inciting and enlisting any troublemakers and activists he found and together they plotted the maypole’s demise.

For weeks Elton’s Sunday sermon was devoted to the evils of May Day, declaring its usage was unlawful, superstitious and idolatrous. He went on to use some most unholy language towards anyone that took pleasure in having a dance around the pole. In his eyes the Bermondsey folk regarded their maypole as an idol when all they really wanted to do was have a laugh and get sozzled.

Finally, in the dead of night Elton and his gang of unmerry men gathered around the new maypole and after having a good swear at it hacked it down with saws and ratchets. The pole was divided up into sections and the mob took it back to Elton’s rectory and threw it in his back yard. As daylight broke, locals were shocked to find that their pole had disappeared . Once news broke of who the culprit was Elton found he had his biggest congregation ever knocking on his door but he refused to even give them the broken pieces back.

Once again Sir Edmund had to deal with Bermondsey parish’s clergyman.

Instead of repenting his sins Elton showed nothing but contempt for the Camberwell knight. He got off lightly for the criminal damage but not before he was ordered to pay back John Beare his five quid.

Edward Elton died in 1624 and was buried in the chancel of the church and as a legacy, his sermons were published in book form. But for the people of Bermondsey it would be a long while before they got their maypole back.

Elton’s successor was one Jeremiah Whitaker, another Puritan who in turn was succeeded by his son William.

Puritan mania had by then taken over England and by the mid-seventeenth century all maypoles had been burnt and the Morris men had disappeared.

Happily, all the old customs were revived at the onset of the restoration when Charles ll, known as the Merry Monarch re-introduced maypoles along with gambling, brothels and theatres. William Whitaker was chucked out of St Mary Magdalen and once more Bermondsey skipped around the maypole in the green fields of Horselydown…hey nonny nonny!

24 CLASSIFIED & FAMILY ANNOUNCEMENTS CLASSIFIED AND COMMUNITY NOTICEBOARD

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Funeral Announcement

MICHAEL CHRISTOFI 28.10.1936 – 23.4.2025 It is with heavy hearts that we share the news of the passing of our beloved father, who passed away peacefully with his family by his side on Wednesday 23rd April.

He was a kind, caring and loving husband, father, grandfather, great-grandfather, uncle, and kind neighbour, and will forever be in our hearts.

Funeral Service: 12:00, Wednesday 21st May at St Peter’s & The Guardian Angels Church, Paradise Street SE16 4QD Burial: 1:30 Camberwell New Cemetery, Brenchley Gardens SE23 3RD. Join us in celebrating Dad’s life 2:30pm onwards, The Victoria, Pages Walk, SE1 4HL Please view our online memorial page where you can read and leave tributes to Michael or if you are able make a donation to the Alzheimer’s society in his memory. www.funeralguide.co.uk/133604 or QR code

PUBLIC NOTICES 25

Thursday, May 8th 2025

View all weekly and archive public notices at www.southlondon.co.uk/category/public‐notices/ LONDON BOROUGH OF SOUTHWARK

ROAD TRAFFIC REGULATION ACT 1984 SECTION 14(1) (GLENGARRY ROAD, HILLSBORO ROAD, THORNCOMBE ROAD, BERMONDSEY WALL EAST, RED POST HILL, LIMESFORD ROAD, REDCROSS WAY) (TEMPORARY PROHIBITION OF TRAFFIC)

NOTICE OF APPLICATION FOR A PREMISES LICENCE UNDER THE GAMBLING ACT 2005

Notice is hereby given that: Luxury Leisure of the following address:

Fifth Avenue Plaza, Queensway, Team Valley Trading Estate, Gateshead, Tyne and Wear NE11 0BL is applying for an Adult Gaming Centre premises licence under Section 159 of the Gambling Act 2005.

1.

The Council of the London Borough of Southwark hereby gives notice that to enable various 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.

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:

The application has been made to: Southwark Licensing Unit, Southwark Council Regulatory Services, Floor 3, Hub 1, PO Box 64529, London, SE1P 5LX.

(2a) Glengarry Road, between No’s 6 – 8 and it’s junction with Thorncombe Road (2b) Hillsboro Road, at it’s junction with Thorncombe Road, the LTN restriction will also be lifted.

(2c) Thorncombe Road, at it’s junction with Trossachs Road (2d) Bermondsey Wall East, between No’s 4 – No’s 7 (2e) Red Post Hill, between Village Way and Dulwich Village (2f) Limesford Road, between No’s 19 and Ivydale Road (2g) Redcross Way, between Park Street and Southwark Street

Information about the application is available from the licensing authority, including the arrangements for viewing the details of the application. Any of the following persons may make representations in writing to the licensing authority about the application:

3.

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

• A person who represents someone in any of the above two categories

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.

Any representations must be made by the following date: 29/05/2025

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) (2b) (2c) 19th May – 18th August (2d) 19th – 21st May (2e) 15th – 17th May (2f) 19th – 20th May (2g) 20th – 21st May

7.

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

Dated this 8th May 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) 9621-04 (2b) 9621-05 (2c) 9621-01 (2d) W119448145-00224 (2e) 67899965 (2f) 57185370 (2g) 40696553 LONDON BOROUGH OF SOUTHWARK SYDENHAM HILL ‘AT ANY TIME’ WAITING RESTRICTIONS The London Borough of Southwark (Waiting restrictions) (Sydenham Hill) Order 2025 The Lewisham (Free Parking Places, Loading Places and Waiting, Loading and Stopping Restrictions) (Amendment No. 2) Order 2025 The Lewisham (Charged-For Parking Places) (Amendment No. 2) Order 2025 1. Southwark Council hereby GIVES NOTICE that on 8 May 2025 Southwark Council has made the above listed (Waiting Restrictions) Order, and Lewisham Council have made the two above listed Lewisham 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 (‘the 1984 Act’), pursuant to arrangements made with the Council of the London Borough of Lewisham under section 9EA of the Local Government Act 2000, in accordance with regulation 7 of the Local Authorities (Arrangements for the Discharge of Functions) (England) Regulations 2012.

2. The effect of the Orders is to introduce new ‘at any time’ waiting restrictions (double yellow lines) in the following lengths of Sydenham Hill:Notes: (1) ‘at any time’ means operating at all hours on every day of the week. (2) All measurements are in metres and are approximate. (a) on the north and north-west side (which lies in the London Borough of Southwark):(i) at the entrance to Beltwood House (a total of 10 metres, 5 metres on each side); (ii) at the entrance to Countisbury House (a total of 20 metres, 10 metres on each side); and (iii) at the junction with Wavel Place (a total of 7.4 metres, 3.7 metres on each side); (b) on the south and south-east side (which lies in the London Borough of Lewisham):(i) at the southern junction with Mountacre Close (a total of 8 metres, 4 metres on each side); (ii) at the northern junction with Mountacre Close (a total of 9 metres, 4.5 metres on each side); (iii) at the entrance to St Clement’s Heights (a total of 16 metres, 8 metres on each side); (iv) at the junction with Tunbridge Court (a total of 10 metres, 5 metres on each side); (v) at the junction with Droitwich Close (a total of 10 metres, 5 metres on each side); (vi) at the entrance to Cissbury House (a total of 12 metres, 6 metres on each side); (vii) at the entrance to the Cuddy Bear Day Care Nursery on the Sydenham Hill Estate (a total of 14 metres, 7 metres on each side); and (viii) at the entrance to Eddisbury House (a total of 14 metres, 7 metres on each side).

3. Copies of the Orders, which will come into force on 12 May 2025, and of all other relevant documents are available for inspection at Highways, Southwark Council, Environment, Sustainability & Leisure, 3rd floor hub 2, 160 Tooley Street, London SE1 2QH, by appointment only. E-mail traffic.orders@southwark.gov.uk or call 077 3132 4742 for booking details.

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

Dated 8 May 2025 Steven Grayer Interim Head of Service - Highways, Environment, Sustainability & Leisure

To place a notice in this paper and online, please email em@cm‐media.co.uk

The application relates to the following premises: Admiral, Ground Floor Unit, 193 – 195 Southwark Park Road, London, SE16 3TU

• A person who lives sufficiently close to the premises to be likely to be affected by the authorised activities; • A person who has business interests that might be affected by the authorised activities

It is an offence under section 342 of the Gambling Act 2005 if a person, without reasonable excuse, gives to a licensing authority for a purpose connected with that Act information which is false or misleading.

MARINE AND COASTAL ACCESS ACT 2009 APPLICATION FOR Greenland Dock - Pontoon replacements Notice is hereby given that Gary Meeds, Southwark Council, 160 Tooley Street, London, SE1 2QH, has applied to the Marine Management Organisation under the Marine and Coastal Access Act 2009, Part 4, for a marine licence to undertake the removal of existing pontoon infrastructure and the construction of a new pontoon at Greenland Dock, Rotherhithe, London.

Copies of the application and associated information may be viewed on line in the Public Register at www.gov.uk/check-marine-licence-register.

Representations in respect of the application should ordinarily be made by: - Visiting the MMO public register at https://marinelicensing.marinemanagement.org.uk/mmofox5/fox/live/MMO_PUBLIC_REGISTER/search ?area=3 and accessing the ‘Public Representation’ section of case reference MLA/2025/00139 However, we will also accept representations via the following formats: - By email to marine.consents@marinemanagement.org.uk; or alternatively - By letter addressed to Marine Management Organisation, Lancaster House, Hampshire Court, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE4 7YH In all cases, correspondence must: - Be received within 28 days of the date of the first notice (ADD DATE); - Quote the case reference; and - include an address to which correspondence relating to the representation or objection may be sent.

The Marine Management Organisation will pass to the applicant a copy of any objection or representation we receive.

LONDON BOROUGH OF SOUTHWARK SCHOOL STREETS PROGRAMME: BATCH 2 – WOOD’S ROAD The London Borough of Southwark (Pedestrian and cycle zones) (School Streets B2) (No. 3) Traffic Order 2025 1. Southwark Council hereby GIVES NOTICE that on 8 May 2025 it has made the above Order under sections 6 and 124 of and Part IV of Schedule 9 to the Road Traffic Regulation Act 1984, as amended.

2. The effects of the Order are to introduce a pedestrian and cycle zone in WOOD'S ROAD, in the vicinity of John Donne Primary School. All motor vehicles, except permit holders, would be prohibited from entering or proceeding in the designated ‘School Street’ pedestrian and cycle zone, as listed below, between 8.30 am and 9.15 am and between 3.00 pm and 3.45 pm (Monday to Friday, during school term time, as determined by John Donne Primary School): The ’school street’ pedestrian and cycle zone in WOOD'S ROAD, will be between the southern kerbline build-out of Queens Road/Peckham High Street and its south-easternmost extremity (which includes the entirety of Colmore Mews and the entirety of Burchell Road of which there is no access to Queens Road from Burchell Road and vice versa).

Permits allowing vehicles to enter the ‘School Streets’ pedestrian and cycle zone described above would be available to residents of premises located within the zone, to registered carers or residents of premises located within the zone, to disabled person’s blue badge holders who are school staff, carers or dropping off and/or collecting pupils to the school and to SEND vehicles, by application to the Council. Exemptions would also apply in respect of emergency service vehicles.

3. Copies of the Order, which will come into force on 12 May 2025, and of all other relevant documents are available for inspection at Highways, Southwark Council, Environment, Sustainability & Leisure, 3rd floor hub 2, 160 Tooley Street, London SE1 2QH, by appointment only. E-mail traffic.orders@southwark.gov.uk or call 077 3132 4742 for booking details.

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

Dated 8 May 2025 Steven Grayer Interim Head of Service - Highways, Environment, Sustainability & Leisure

26 PUBLIC NOTICES

Thursday, May 8th 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, 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; PIP - application is for Permission in Principle; S106 - ; STDCA development within a conservation area; STDLB - works to or within the site of a listed building; ST THOMAS'S CHURCH 9A ST THOMAS STREET LONDON SOUTHWARK SE1 9RY (Ref: 25/AP/1070) Listed Building Consent for formation of outdoor seating area to front elevation within enclosed courtyard, including protective timber floor covering over existing historic flagstone paving, and creation of dedicated bin/storage store.

(Within: Borough High Street Borough High Street CA) Reason(s) for publicity: STDLB (Contact: Tracy Chapman 020 7525 1948) DOCKHEAD WHARF 4 SHAD THAMES LONDON SOUTHWARK SE1 2YT (Ref: 25/AP/1075) Introduction of Openreach full fibre cabling to property - to run via existing duct work, and via basement through existing metal trunking to risers and false ceiling voids. Addition of POU (point of entry) boxes outside internal flat doors.

(Within: St Saviours Dock St Saviours Dock CA) Reason(s) for publicity: STDLB (Contact: Rosie Poser 020 7525 7924) ST SAVIOURS WHARF 8 SHAD THAMES LONDON SOUTHWARK (Ref: 25/AP/1071) Installation of full fibre infrastructure to the

building at St Saviours Wharf to upgrade the buildings telecommunications network. (Within: St Saviours Dock CA) Reason(s) for publicity: STDLB (Contact: Rosie Poser 020 7525 7924) 7 - 12 BOROUGH ROAD LONDON SOUTHWARK SE1 0AN (Ref: 25/AP/1024) Listed building consent for proposed replacement of 2 second floor rear windows with double glazed windows. (Within: St Georges Circus CA) Reason(s) for publicity: STDLB (Contact: Anna Poulose 020 7525 3174) DULWICH SPORTS CLUB GIANT ARCHES ROAD LONDON SOUTHWARK SE24 9HP (Ref: 25/AP/1276) Retrospective application for replacement LED floodlighting to tennis courts 1 to 3. (Within: Dulwich Village CA) Reason(s) for publicity: STDCA (Contact: Andre Verster 020 7525 5457) SESSIONS HOUSE NEWINGTON CAUSEWAY LONDON SOUTHWARK SE1 6AZ (Ref: 25/AP/1265) Listed building consent for demolition of late 20th century Van Building. Reason(s) for publicity: STDLB (Contact: Tracy Chapman 020

Dated: 06 May 2025 - comments to be received within 21 days of this date (or 14 days for Permission in Principle, 30 days for EIA development).

STEPHEN PLATTS Director of Planning and Growth

LONDON BOROUGH OF SOUTHWARK

LONDON BOROUGH OF SOUTHWARK ROAD TRAFFIC REGULATION ACT 1984 SECTION 14(1) (STONEY STREET) TEMPORARY PROHIBITION OF TRAFFIC 1.

The Council of the London Borough of Southwark hereby gives notice that in the interests of public safety it intends to make an order, the effect of which would be to temporarily prohibit vehicular traffic in part of the above named road.

2.

Whilst the restriction is in place no person shall cause any vehicle to enter, proceed, stop, wait, load or unload in Stoney Street, between its junctions with Southwark Street and Park Street.

3.

The restrictions detailed in this order do not apply to cyclists.

4.

The alternative route for affected traffic will be: Borough High Street, Bedale Street, Cathedral Street, Winchester Walk and Stoney Street.

5.

Exemptions may be provided in the Order for any vehicle being used for the execution of statutory works.

6.

The restrictions would not apply to any vehicle being used for fire brigade, ambulance or police purposes or anything done with the permission or at the direction of a police constable in uniform or Southwark Council officer.

The alternative routes for affected traffic will be (2a) as indicated by the signs (2b) The Cut, Hatfields. (2c) Valmar Road, Morna Road. (2d) (2e) Forest Hill Road, Colyton Road, Cheltenham Road, Ivydale Road, Merttins Road, Brenchley Gardens. Forest Hill Road, Honor Oak Road, London Road, Barry Road, Peckham Rye. (2f) not applicable (2g) as indicated by the signs displayed.

7.

The prohibition of traffic will be in place until the 22nd of February 2026, the order began on the 23rd of August 2024.

8.

The restriction will be in effect daily from 10:00 to 24:00. The restriction will not be in effect between 00:01 to 09:59.

‘at any time’ waiting and loading restrictions will be introduced in Honor Oak Rise, located between it’s junction with Forest Hill Road for 24m north on both sides of the carriageway for item 2f, Honor Oak Rise

Dated this 8th of May 2025

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) Snowsfields, at it’s junction with Kipling Street.

(2b) Joan Street, between The Cut for 86m north (by railway bridge) (2c) Crawford Road, between No’s 67 – No’s 71, located between Coldharbour Lane and Morna Road (2d) Forest Hill Road, banned right turn from Forest Hill Road into Brenchley Gardens (2e) Brenchley Gardens, banned right turn from Brenchley Gardens into Forest Hill Road (2f) Honor Oak Rise, between Forest Hill Road for 24m north ‘at any time’ waiting and loading restrictions will be introduced on both sides of the carriageway (2g) Park Street, between Bear Gardens and New Globe Walk

4.

TOWER GATE HOUSE 163 TOWER BRIDGE ROAD LONDON SOUTHWARK SE1 3LW (Ref: 25/AP/1306) Two-storey roof extension to provide additional office floorspace, lift overrun and roof terraces to the front and rear, facade alterations and associated works (Within: Bermondsey Street CA) Reason(s) for publicity: STDCA (Contact: James Holmes 020 7525 0803)

ROAD TRAFFIC REGULATION ACT 1984 SECTION 14(1) (SNOWSFIELDS, JOAN STREET, CRAWFORD ROAD, FOREST HILL ROAD, BRENCHLEY GARDENS, HONOR OAK RISE, PARK STREET) (TEMPORARY PROHIBITION OF TRAFFIC)

3.

7525 1948)

5.

The existing ‘one-way’ working in Emerson Street, located between Sumner Street and Park Street, will be made ‘two-way’ for access and egress purposes for (item 2g, park street)

6.

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.

7.

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.

8.

The closure will be in operation on the following dates: (2a) 31st May with a back up date of the 7th June (2b) 27th – 29th May (2c) 28th April (2d) (2e) (2f) 29th May – 1st June (2g) 24th – 25th May

9.

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

Dated this 8th April 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) LBSCR14004-2&3NTS (2b) HCJOAN2705/highwaycontractsltd (2c) MWS-BULK0317116/thames (2d) (2e) (2f) SA-840748FHR-02/thames (2g) 22587185/UKPN

Ian Law Traffic Manager Southwark Council Environment, Neighbourhoods and Growth 160 Tooley Street SE1 2QH Ref: 6910a/extended Marriage/Civil Partnerships approval/renewal of venue Notice is given that Siobhan Davies Studios Has applied to the London Borough of Southwark for approval of premises for marriage/civil partnership ceremonies at Siobhan Davies Studios, 85 St. George’s Road, London, SE1 6ER 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 https://app.southwark.gov.uk/ 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 21 days starting the day after the date shown below.

Date of application: 06/05/2025

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

Thursday, May 8th 2025

LONDON BOROUGH OF SOUTHWARK ROAD TRAFFIC REGULATION ACT 1984 SECTION 14(1) (ELSIE ROAD, KING JAMES STREET, PENRY STREET) (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) Elsie Road, at it’s junction with Grove Vale and Tintagel Crescent (cycle closure) (2b) King James Street, between Milcote Street and Lancaster Street (2c) Penry Street, between New Kent Road and Marcia Road

3.

The alternative routes for affected traffic will be (2a) Tintagel Crescent, East Dulwich Grove.

(2b) Milcote Street, Library Street, Lancaster Street (2c) New Kent Road, Dunton Road, Marcia Road.

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 existing ‘one-way’ working in King James Street, between Milcote and Lancaster Street, will be made ‘two-way’ for access and egress purposes for item (2b)

7.

The existing ‘one-way’ working in Penry Street, between New Kent Road and Marcia Road will be made ‘two-way’ for access and egress purposes for item (2c)

8.

The closure will be in operation on the following dates: (2a) 23rd May – 10 June (2b) 26th May – 8th June (2c) 27th – 30th May

9.

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

Dated this 8th May 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) 13842807/Conway (2b) 56057214/Conway (2c) 71608697/Conway

View all weekly and archive public notices at www.southlondon.co.uk/ category/public‐notices/

PUBLIC NOTICES 27

AN ALL-THROUGH SCHOOL

Find out more about the inspiring, enlightened & intellectually rigorous education offered by Streatham & Clapham High School for girls aged 3-18.

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SCAN QR CODE TO REGISTER FOR PREP SCHOOL OPEN EVENTS Early Explorers: Fun learning for girls aged 2 - 5 years Prep Group Tours: Guided tour with the Head of Prep schs.gdst.net 020 8674 6912 prepadmissions@schs.gdst.net Wavertree Road, SW2 3SR

SPORT 29

PLAY-OFF HEARTBREAK FOR FISH

Surrey sign Aussie batter

By John Kelly

By Sports Reporter

FISHER’S SEASON ended in lastminute heartbreak as they lost the SCEFL Premier Division playoff final 2-1 to VCD Athletic in Crayford on Bank Holiday Monday.

AUSTRALIAN BATTER Kurtis Patterson will join Surrey as batting cover for three Rothesay County Championship matches this month.

Fisher are denied by the Vickers defence football to completely switch off, this season has taken a lot out of me.

“We understand this League very well and just dust ourselves off and go again. But for me, I’ve got to rest, speak to my missus and see what’s next.

“Thank you so much [to the Fisher fans]. Absolutely been gold since I came back. The welcome back was absolutely crazy, the goodbye was absolutely crazy. It just shows the kind of club we are and my players are

absolutely incredible. All season, not getting paid, playing against players who are getting paid every single week can’t be easy.

“For me, I know it’s not easy to see other managers getting paid right next to me and I’m not, but we do it for the love of the game. We do it for the fans and I enjoy coming, I look forward to Saturday and midweek just to see the fans. Anything else that happens on the pitch, it happens on the pitch, but we

Photo by Alan Coomes

Lee Bird opened the scoring in the sixth minute before Flavio Jumo equalised in the 39th minute.

In front of an attendance of 720 at the hosts’ ground, Daniel Bradshaw the brother of former Millwall striker Tom - pounced on the rebound in the 89th minute after goalkeeper Isaac Ogunseri had saved Bird’s shot to send the Vickers into the Isthmian League South East Division.

“Gutted, gutted, gutted,” Fisher boss Ajay Ashanike told Kentish Football.

“We’ve worked hard all season to get to this point and to lose out on the odd goal is really gutting, but again just got to be proud of what the boys have done this season.

“It’s been mad. It’s been a really, really up-and-down season where we started off really bad and we got the right signings in for the fourth league game against Stansfeld, and we didn’t look back after that. We went on a good run.

“Gutted, gutted for the boys, gutted for the fans that we couldn’t do it but again - proud of them.”

VCD Athletic finished the regular season in second place on 81 points, seven points behind champions Faversham and fourteen ahead of the Fish.

Ashanike was asked about his future.

He replied: “Season’s over, time to rest and see what’s next. I don’t know yet.

I don’t know yet. I need a break from

absolutely love this club from day one.

“They’ve given us a good opportunity to be in a good Step Five club.

Everything’s done for us and all we’re doing is focusing on football and it’s rare to say that.

“You’ve got to see what the future holds. I’m tired, honestly, I’m tired. I put a lot in this season and I love the club, everyone knows I love the club.

I just love the club - let me see what happens.”

Patterson will join the squad ahead of this Friday’s trip to Edgbaston to face Warwickshire. Surrey fans will get the chance to see Patterson in the home fixtures against Yorkshire (May 16-19) and the Festival of Red Ball Cricket against Essex at the end of May (23-26).

The left-handed batter has played two Test matches for Australia, with a top score of 114 against Sri Lanka in 2019. Last season, Patterson hit 743 runs in eight Sheffield Shield matches for New South Wales at an average of 57.15. His fine form continued for Australia A, where he scored 137 against the England Lions.

On joining Surrey, Patterson said: “I’m looking forward to joining Surrey. I’ve always wanted to play county cricket, so I jumped at the chance to represent Surrey when the opportunity presented itself.

“I’ve heard great things about the environment at Surrey and can’t wait to play in front of the fans at the Kia Oval.”

Alec Stewart, Surrey’s highperformance advisor, said: “With the non-availability of our England players, I’m pleased to add Kurtis Patterson to the squad. He’s a topquality cricketer who will add quality and depth to our batting line up for the next three games.”

By J Myles Thornton at The Den

MILLWALL LIONESSES were in seventh heaven at The Den last weekend as a hat-trick from academy graduate Kayda Townsend along with a brace each from Mia Lockett and Olivia Harris confirmed Ashford United’s relegation from the L&SERWFL Premier Division.

Harris - the daughter of Millwall’s

record scorer Neil - opened the scoring in the 21st minute when she went round the goalkeeper before calmly slotting the ball home.

Townsend doubled the Lionesses’ lead before half-time with a closerange finish.

Townsend got her second in the 52nd minute when she fired in from the right.

It was 4-0 after Harris received the ball back from a short corner

Photo by Keith Gillard

Lionesses in seventh heaven and from the left edge of the box curled right-footed into the top-right corner.

Townsend laid the ball off to Lockett for the fifth and then completed her treble with 20 minutes left.

Lockett scored her second in added-time as Ted Jones’s side finished their season in style.

Millwall are sixth but will finish seventh if Ebbsfleet United win their final game at Saltdean United.

Olivia Harris shoots

Surrey Women chased down by Warwickshire for third loss Warwickshire 314-7 beat Surrey 313-7 by three wickets

By Alex Smith WARWICKSHIRE INFLICTED a third Metro Bank One-Day Cup defeat of the season on Surrey at a bracing and blustery Beckenham last weekend.

Surrey’s 313-7, adorned by a century from Sophia Dunkley, never quite looked enough on a cracking batting surface and positive batting from Davina Perrin and Nat Wraith broke the back of the chase before Beth Ellis played an assured finishing role.

Warwickshire’s chase was the secondhighest ever in women’s List A cricket (Bengal hauled in Haryana’s 389-5 in Rajkot in December 2024) and the highest ever in England.

Surrey were given a flying start by Bryony Smith and Danni Wyatt-Hodge, 59 coming off the first six overs as the bowlers, perhaps excited by a bit of pace and bounce in the wicket, didn’t get it right, bowling too short and too wide.

Issy Wong finally saw Wyatt-Hodge toeend tamely to Davina Perrin at point but Surrey’s 71 -1 was still the highest Powerplay score in the competition to date, and that with just 12 coming from overs 7-10.

Alice Capsey burned brightly but briefly and Sophia Dunkley and Smith put on 76 to keep the innings moving. Smith then sliced Bethan Ellis to backward point for a fine 72-ball 78 and Alice DavidsonRichards and Paige Scholfield both hit 26, while Dunkley just kept batting.

Her hundred, off 109 balls, with seven fours and one six, came off the penultimate ball of the innings, Surrey’s final total imposing but less than they would have been looking at after 40 overs when they were 241 for 4.

Warwickshire’s openers looked to attack but the Surrey bowlers were disciplined, openers Meg Austin and Abigail Freeborn both perishing trying

to hit over the top, caught at mid-on and mid-off respectively. Captain Katie George sparkled briefly but then went the same way, caught at mid-on to give Alice Monaghan her second wicket.

Warwickshire scored 66-3 in their Powerplay, up with the rate but seemingly having lost perhaps one wicket too many.

But then Davina Perrin and Nat Wraith put on a century partnership, at one stage benefiting from an unusual five penalty runs for intimidatory fielding by Dani Gregory.

Having made 69, Perrin chipped Capsey to long-on, where Scholfield took her third catch but with the run rate under control it was a surprise when Wraith

ran herself out for a fine 54. A calm half century partnership between Em Arlott and Beth Ellis took the visitors within 80 but Capsey then took her second wicket when she bowled Arlott.

Ellis carried on calmly picking up singles with the occasional boundary and Charis Pavely gave her good support, the two calmly combining in another half century partnership. Pavely went just before the end but Warwickshire sealed their record-breaking victory by three wickets with 3.3 overs to spare, Ellis finishing unbeaten on 63.

Surrey were at Lancashire in midweek and and travel to Somerset this Sunday for a 10.30am start.

30 SPORT

LIONS LEFT HEARTBROKEN AT TURF MOOR

SKY BET CHAMPIONSHIP Burnley - 3 Brownhill 13’, 90+1’, Anthony 65’ Millwall - 1 Ivanovic 11’ Date: Saturday 3 May 2025 Man of the Match: Jaiden Anthony Referee: Benjamin Speedie

By Will Scott at Turf Moor MILLWALL’S PLAY-OFF hopes were ended as they lost 3-1 to Burnley at Turf Moor on the final game of the season.

The Lions headed to Lancashire needing to beat the Clarets to have a chance of finishing in the top six, and fell just short against a side that finished the season on 100 points and unbeaten at home.

Millwall did get off to the dream start when Mihailo Ivanovic tapped in George Honeyman’s cross in the eleventh minute, but they were immediately pegged back when Burnley equalised from the restart, with Josh Brownhill firing home following a defensive mishap.

The Lions nearly restored their lead late in the first half when Tristan Crama put the ball on a plate for Josh Coburn, but the loanee striker hit the post from just yards out.

The Clarets were a cut above in the second half, peppering George Evans’ goal before eventually getting the breakthrough in the 65th minute when Jaiden Anthony landed on a long ball and fired home. Brownhill scored his second in injury-time from a direct free kick to add gloss to the result, but at that point, the Lions’ play-off chances had been effectively ended, and the goal mattered little.

Millwall played well in the first half, but the gulf in quality was clear in the second half, and the Lions did well to come close to scoring twice against a side who had previously only conceded seven goals at home.

It is a result that ultimately means Millwall narrowly missed out on the play-offs by two points, but given where the Lions were when Alex Neil took over on December 30, it is still a season to be proud of.

They were in danger of getting dragged into a relegation dogfight after a poor run of form in January, but Neil led his side

Millwall narrowly miss out on play-offs on the final day of the season after losing to centurions Burnley to eleven wins in eighteen to push sixthplaced Bristol City right to the final day.

The Scotsman had his side well prepared for the match, and they looked sharp from the off, pressing high and forcing Burnley’s back four into making uncomfortable decisions on the ball.

The Lions’ out-of-possession work nearly paid off in the fifth minute, when Femi Azeez won the ball high, and following a slick interchange of passes featuring George Saville and Josh Coburn, had a shot blocked in the box.

Six minutes later, the Clarets nearly had the opener after Marcus Edwards put the ball across goal for Ashley Barnes to tap in, but the veteran striker hit the post from yards out, and would have been penalised for being offside if he had found the back of the net.

The game was end-to-end for most of the first half, and the Lions found the breakthrough in the eleventh minute via a vertical attack. George Saville fired it forward to Coburn, who won his aerial duel and slipped Honeyman down the right flank. Honeyman took a touch towards the byline before cutting it back across goal, where Ivanovic evaded CJ

Egan-Riley and tapped it in from yards out.

Millwall led for only a minute before Burnley hit back. Straight from the kickoff, the Clarets fired it forward, and the Lions failed to clear it properly. It bounced to Jake Cooper, whose clearance cannoned off Ashley Barnes and into the path of Burnley’s top scorer, Brownhill, who smashed it into the net from just inside the box.

With results around the league going their way, the Lions would be in the play-off spots if they took the lead, and continued to push for a second, with Cooper and Japhet Tanganga both having headed half-chances from set-pieces that were easily saved.

The Clarets also needed a win to ensure the Championship title ended up at Turf Moor, with Leeds United losing to Plymouth Argyle, and they nearly scored in the 24th minute. Brownhill put the ball in towards the back post, and Jaiden Anthony sprinted in from well outside the box to volley in an effort that was cleared off the line by Cooper.

The tempo of the tie slowed for the next 20 minutes as Burnley dominated the

Josh Coburn hits the post in the 36th minute ball; however, in one of their rare forays in the Clarets’ half, Millwall really should have retaken the lead.

Tanganga found Crama down the right, who beat his man and slid it across the box. It fell to Coburn in acres of space, but somehow the striker hit the post from yards out.

The Clarets looked vastly improved in the second half, with Millwall barely having a sniff of James Trafford’s goal, while Burnley bombarded Evans with shots on target.

The barrage started in the 49th minute.

The Clarets countered quickly following a misplaced pass, and were three on two.

They worked it to Anthony on the left wing, who was in on goal, but his tame effort was easily saved by Evans.

Anthony had another clear-cut chance in the 55th minute following a long throw, but his close-range effort was smothered

by Evans.

Two minutes later, Marcus Edwards had an effort deflected just over the bar by Sturge’s trailing foot.

The Clarets were attacking in waves.

Anthony had another shot blocked in the 61st minute, and Hannibal Mejbri fired

straight at Evans in the 64th minute.

Eventually, Burnley broke through in the 65th minute. Egan-Riley took a free kick quickly and fired it long for Anthony.

The left winger beat Crama before firing it into the bottom corner of the net.

The game remained mostly subdued for the final 25 minutes, with Azeez forcing out a save from Trafford and Cooper heading wide from the resulting corner the only chances the Lions had.

The Clarets added a third in the 93rd minute, when Brownhill scored a direct free kick.

Millwall: 4-4-2 - Jensen; Crama (Leonard 77), Tanganga, Cooper, Sturge; Honeyman (Wintle 77), Saville (Langstaff 84), De Norre (Cundle 63), Azeez; Ivanovic (Emakhu 77), Coburn Unused Substitutes: Przewozny, Kelly, Harding, Matthews

Burnley: 4-2-3-1 - Trafford; Roberts, Egan-Riley, Esteve, Pires; Brownhill, Cullen; Edwards (Sarmiento 81), Mejbri (Laurent 84), Anthony; Barnes (Foster 81) Unused Substitutes: Hladky, Sonne, Worrall, Redmond, Ramsey, Koleosho

Alex Neil: ‘Pride is definitely the overriding emotion’

By Will Scott

ALEX NEIL said his “overriding emotion” was pride after Millwall narrowly missed out on making the play-offs.

The Lions’ 3-1 loss to Burnley on Saturday, May 3, meant they suffered another final-day heartbreak, as they finished two points below sixth-placed Bristol City.

However, it is impressive they were in contention until the final day given where they were when Neil was appointed head coach.

Millwall had won just one game in nine when Neil took charge on December 30, and a few weeks later sold Romain Esse to Crystal Palace for a club-record fee.

The Lions looked like they might get

Alex Neil in the post-match press conference dragged into a relegation battle in late January, before a run of three wins in a row had them looking towards the top of the table.

Neil then led Millwall to eight wins in their next fifteen as they reeled in the play-off chasing pack, drawing level with

sixth-placed Coventry City ahead of the final day of the season.

While the Lions fell just short against a side that finished the season on 100 points, Neil was proud of his team’s effort.

“It’s one of them ones where we know coming here, it’s going to be a tough game,” Neil said. “They’re playing for a hundred points. They’re playing for clean sheet records. They’re playing to win the league. They’re playing for all sorts. It’s like coming to a carnival, basically.

“So, from our perspective, to come and try to win the game is really difficult.

Nobody so far has managed to do that here.

“I think the frustrating thing from our point of view is with some moments

in the games - we scored the first goal, we conceded immediately, which is a cardinal sin really in any game. We then get an unbelievable opportunity to go 2-1 up right before halftime. We don’t capitalize on the opportunity.

“Then the start of the second half, we have one where Femi [Azeez] gets slid in on his left foot. It’s a good opportunity as well to potentially get a goal. We don’t manage to capitalize.

“Then I thought from 45 to about 70 minutes, they cranked it up, and we found it really difficult to stay with them at that point. You could see our lads were running on empty, we tried to freshen up a little bit.

“The manner in the goals we conceded, they were so frustrating for us. The first one’s a clean ball, we should do better.

We then have two ricochets that land on their path, and they score. The second one’s a dead ball, free kick, we don’t switch on, we get done in behind. Then the third one’s a free kick where George [Evans] gambles, and he leaves the side that he should be sort of covering probably, and the ball ends up in the far corner. When you take each of the goals individually, they’re poor goals for us to concede.

“But when you take that aside and you look at the bigger picture and you look at what the lads have churned out for the last god knows how many games, how we’ve gone about our work, how we’ve played in those games, the big wins that we’ve got, pride is definitely the overriding emotion I’ve got at the moment for the players.”

SPORT 31

FROM BURNHAM TO CALMONT ROAD

Academy striker Jaiden Celestine-Charles on his journey to Millwall, the lessons of non-league football, and advice from Wes Harding EXCLUSIVE

By Will Scott THE WELL-TRIMMED grass of the Calmont Road pitches is a far cry from where Jaiden Celestine-Charles got his footballing education.

The 20-year-old striker cut his teeth in men’s football starting from the age of sixteen, another one of the non-league gems Millwall have unearthed in the past few seasons.

Celestine-Charles came to south-east London last summer, having never played academy football before, and after adjusting to the rigours of academy football, is now an important part of Kevin Nugent and Paul Robinson’s under-21 side.

He sat down with our paper to tell us more about his story.

“I started off at around fourteen,” Celestine-Charles said. “I was playing with a local team that they had started for a bunch of my mates, a bit like playing for fun. Then I moved to the Cre8tive Football Academy.

That’s where it started to get serious for me.

“Then it was a big help that the guy who runs Cre8tive also had a men’s team, which was Langley FC. So that was a step up for me.

“When I was sixteen, about to be seventeen, he put me in my first game, and then I really just kicked on from there. I stayed with them for two seasons, and then I moved to step four.

“I didn’t get as much game time there, then that’s when I got my loan to Burnham, and it really kicked off from there.”

Celestine-Charles thrived at Burnham, scoring sixteen goals in 33 appearances despite being significantly younger than most other players on the pitch.

“At first I found it a bit challenging because they are grown men and are a lot stronger, they’ve been playing the game for much longer than I have,” Celestine-Charles said.

“But then once you realize that you’re just as and if not better than most of them, you can almost let the football do the talking instead of just trying to be stronger than

Jaiden CelestineCharles in action against Cardiff City

Tom Leahy announces departure

By Will Scott TOM LEAHY has confirmed he is leaving Millwall after six years at the club.

Leahy, 21, announced on social media on Tuesday, May 6, that he would be leaving the club, six years after joining the Lions’ academy following spells at Chipstead, Brighton & Hove Albion, and Bromley.

The striker was a part of the under21s side that won the Professional Development League National Final in 2023 and was included in several firstteam match-day squads in the following

season.

Leahy made his first-team debut on August 17, 2024, coming off the bench to replace Shaun Hutchinson during the Lions’ 4-3 loss to Bristol City.

Leahy has had loan spells at Woking and Maidstone United this season, helping the latter make the National League South Promotion Final.

This paper understands several clubs, ranging from League One to the National League South, are interested in Leahy, with interest also coming from abroad.

He is expected to hold off on any discussions or decisions on his future

until his current commitments at Maidstone are complete.

them.

“So then once that clicked in my head, I realized I didn’t have to get into so many fights. I could use my ability to get around them and create opportunities for myself.”

Celestine-Charles’ form at Burnham attracted the attention of Millwall’s scouts, and he was brought on trial in the summer of 2024.

“My agent got in contact with me just on the back end of last season,” CelestineCharles said. “I think we had about four games left, and he let me know that they have been watching and that they are interested.

“He basically just told me that although they’re interested, you still have to carry on performing and doing what you’re doing so that they’ll stay interested.

“I was put on a trial where I played five games in pre-season. So we had a game against Charlton behind closed doors, then we had Wealdstone, and then Reading behind closed doors again, and then we had Cray Wanderers and Dulwich Hamlet.

“About an hour and a half after the Wealdstone game, I found out that they wanted to sign me.”

Celestine-Charles signed with the Lions on August 14, 2024, a contract that vindicated all the hard work he had done.

“It was just really rewarding for me,” Celestine-Charles said. Burnham’s not really that close to me. So I was traveling all that way, getting home late, and it was just really a relief that it eventually worked out.

My hard work was made into something.”

The move to Millwall was a step up for Celestine-Charles, who was not used to the regimented life of the under-21s.

“Just in terms of the whole way academies are set up, I was completely new to it in terms of having a report time, getting in, you’ll eat your breakfast, and then you’ll go into the gym for activation, you go out training, then you have gym after,” CelestineCharles said. “It was all completely new to me, so it was a big adjustment for me.” “[The technical quality] is a lot higher, and it’s 100 per cent all the time. When you’re playing normally, you can get away with five

Academy striker to leave Millwall after ten years

By Will Scott HENRY HEARN announced he is leaving Millwall at the end of the season.

Tom Leahy joined Millwall in 2019

minutes of just relaxing. But in terms of the academy and how it’s set up here, you have to be switched on the whole time.”

Celestine-Charles said Wes Harding helped him adjust to the club.

“When he came down at the beginning of the season, he knew that I was new and saw that I was almost trying to play like a perfect academy footballer,” Celestine-Charles said.

“He just said: Jay, you came here for a reason; they signed you for a reason. Just show them that, and then the rest of it will just click altogether.”

The striker adjusted well and has gone on to score seven goals for the under-21s this campaign.

Celestine-Charles thinks his time in nonleague has given him a unique advantage on the pitch.

“In terms of how non-league is, you have to adjust quickly to not so great pitches,” Celestine-Charles said. “Then you’ll get really strong, experienced players where they’re not as technically gifted, but they know how the game is and they know how it works.

“To overcome all of that, you almost have a better footballing brain. Then, when you’re put into an environment where everyone’s switched on, everyone’s ready, you almost see the game slightly earlier, so it helps you out.”

He also credited Nugent and Robinson for his development.

“They helped me massively by letting me just be myself,” Celestine-Charles said.

“They weren’t trying to mold me into their kind of player right away.

“So it was more of a do what you do, show us why the club were interested in the first place, and then we’ll tweak here and what you need to improve. Then you’ll become a player that you can actually become.”

When asked what he thinks he has improved the most since joining the club, Celestine-Charles said: “My professionalism. In terms of getting here on time, showing a good attitude. My body language used to be poor; I used to walk with my head down a lot. But now I look a little happier and just overall a lot better.”

The striker announced on social media on Tuesday, May 6, that his time at the club had come to an end after nearly ten years.

Hearn joined the Lions at the under-12s level and was offered a professional deal in the summer of

2023.

The 20-year-old spent two seasons with the under-21s before joining National League South side Hornchurch FC on an initial shortterm loan in November, before it was extended until the end of the season in March.

Hearn has scored eight goals in seventeen appearances for the Urchins.

INSIDE

Sport Southwark

LIONESSES IN SEVENTH HEAVEN

PAGE 29

‘All bets are off’ – Neil says Millwall must start from scratch

By Willl Scott ALEX NEIL does not intend to rest on his laurels after Millwall narrowly missed the play-offs on the final day of the season, saying a strong finish to the campaign does not guarantee success next term.

After a middling first half of the campaign, the Lions were one of the

form sides in the division in the second half - picking up 37 points in their final 23 games, the sixth-most in the Championship in that span.

Neil does not think that form will automatically carry over into the next season. “[Just] because we’ve done well this year, it doesn’t ever guarantee next year,” Neil said. “I’m fully aware of that. There

are so many teams that do really well.

“I think in Millwall’s first year, when they came up, they finished eighth. The following year, they finished one place above the relegation spot. Championship football doesn’t determine anything because you’ve done well for a spell, so I’m fully aware of that. We will not be taking it lightly.

“We’ll be trying to strengthen, we’ll be

trying to make sure we hit the ground running next year, and hopefully, we can build a bit of momentum. I think that’s been the big part in the last ten games is the momentum we’ve built, the belief we’ve built, the connection with the fans and the players. When you add all that together, it’s a recipe for success. Next year starts afresh again. So all bets are off at that point. We need to do it again.”

Neil during Millwall’s 3-1 loss to Burnley

WE’LL BE BACK STRONGER

Lenny confident Millwall will bounce back after final-day heartache

By Will Scott RYAN LEONARD believes Millwall will emerge ‘stronger’ from their final-day defeat to Burnley.

The Lions missed the play-offs by two points after losing 3-1 to the Clarets on Saturday, May 3, following a late surge for the top six.

Alex Neil’s side won seven of their last ten games heading into their trip to Turf Moor to draw level with the play-off chasing pack, but fell just short against Burnley, who finished the season on 100 points and unbeaten at home.

Leonard thinks the club is well poised to contend for the play-offs again next season.

“The club have recruited really well,” Leonard said. “We’ve got a really good group of senior players. We’ve got a

really good group of young players in the football club. We’ve got a really strong positive mix in terms of the squad.

“We just want to enjoy the summer now, have a bit of a rest, and come back in June and be ready for the gaffer, for pre-season, and give it a right go next year. We’re going to come back and we’ll be better again.

“We’ll be better for today. At the moment, we’re all hurting after the game, but I think when we all sit down and look at the season as a whole, we’ll take real positives. We’ll take bits that we know we can certainly improve on, and we’ll go again, and we’ll be stronger for this experience, definitely.”

The fact that the Lions were even in contention on the final day is impressive in itself.

Alex Neil was appointed Millwall

boss on December 30, and his side sat in seventeenth as recently as January 21, when a 2-2 draw at home against Cardiff City left them just six points above the drop zone.

Eleven wins in their next eighteen games saw Millwall draw level with their play-off rivals before falling just short at Turf Moor.

“That’s something that the gaffer said in the changing room after the game,” Leonard said. “He said we can be proud, and it’s a building block going into next year.

“The gaffer has only been in for a few months. So if we can have a good summer and have a really good pre-season, it’d be another couple of months working under the manager, and hopefully next year we can push on even further, and that’s the aim of the

football club, and that’s what we want to do.

“Being here today, it’s enjoyable to actually see what it’s about. It’s something we can strive towards, and we can try and build on and be better for next year.”

Several Millwall players watched Burnley’s celebrations before heading to the team coach, which Leonard believes will serve as useful motivation for next season.

“It’s quite important to, one, respect what Burnley have done this year and two, just to look at what they’ve achieved and kind of be a little bit jealous and to think, right, we want to achieve this,” Leonard said. “I think it’s quite important to stand here and watch what they’ve achieved, and hopefully we can strive for that next year.”

Millwall players applaud the away support after their loss to Burnley

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