Erith Western Gateway - preferred developer
Cllr John Waters, has announced the selection of Crest Nicholson/Orbit South to take forward the Erith Western Gateway regeneration scheme.
Crest Nicholson, he says, is recognised as a market leader in urban regeneration, with a proven track record for designing and managing large scale developments in an urban environment.
Orbit South is one of the largest housing associations in the south of England and will bring a wealth of experience in the affordable housing sector, with strong local connections.
• What do local residents say?Ed.
Dartford Crossing
The Conservative Candidate is wrong to suggest (Chronicle, July) that people from Dartford district who only use the Dartford Crossing a few times won’t win out on the Government’s new system. Yes, residents will have to pay £10 up front for a Dart-Tag (as they do at present), but as the new rate will be £1.50 cash each way, you only have to do four return trips to make a saving. I think 20p a crossing, which it will be for regular users, is pretty impressive and a credit to local MP Howard Stoate. I don’t know anywhere else in England where a toll has been cut!
Kevin Flack
South Darenth
The crossing should be free for everyone, as was promised, but it’s a cash cow and politicians won’t stop the tolls. It would be good if they could actually show proper audited accounts where they spend the cash each year - it can’t all be spent on maintenance and other road projects. Ed
Where’s my paper?
Until a few weks ago, my wife and I received regular copies of the Bexley Chronicle. For no apparent reason, delivery of the newspaper, which we enjoyed for its coverage of local news, has stopped
Is this a temporary blip caused by a shortage of people to carry out the delivery or, unfortunately, is it permanent due to other factors?
Yours sincerely,
Jon R. Godsall
Bexleyheath
• You can still pick up copies from the Aldi store in Bexleyheath or buy one from any newsagent for just 40p. Our house-to-house distribution of the Bexleyheath edition of the Chronicle is limited and we leave it to our distributors to select the roads and streets covered so we have the widest coverage. Something like 80,000 people regularly read the Chronicle throughout the borough.
Free Prescriptions
I am writing to support Macmillan Cancer Support’s campaign for free prescriptions in England. No one should be in a position where they can’t afford to pay for their prescriptions, yet for one in ten cancer patients aged 55 and under who have to pay for their prescriptions, this is exactly what happens.
The Government is due to publish a consultation to review prescription charges soon, but they have already said they are not prepared to spend one extra penny on prescriptions. This means that any reform will inevitably involve some patients losing out - in effect, robbing Peter to pay Paul. I am extremely concerned that this consultation will be nothing more than tinkering with an inherently unfair system and call on the Government to make prescriptions free in England.
Mrs Dianne Smith
Bexley
Knives and guns
With knife and gun crime on the increase, and prisons overflowing, would it not be an idea to sentence these ‘tough youngsters’ to a spell in the army? Three months up to a year for carrying a knife or gun.
I am sure the friendly sergeant major would make their stay one they would not forget! Maybe some may even like it and stay.
David Mason,
Sidcup.
“Picture of Health” is no joke for NHS!
Having worked in the NHS for over twenty five years and experiencing some major changes, I never thought of them as a joke, like J Rouse does in his or her letter - “What a joke - New NHS”?, referring to “a picture of health” major change, letter June 2008 in The Chronicle, of our still successful NHS.
Of course the change is an NHS initiative, and indeed, strategy for the further improvement of the service for the benefit of all and exclusion of none - free (although debateable nowadays) at the point of need, its early conception nearly sixty years ago. Celebrating its Diamond Jubilee Sunday 6th July 2008, major changes and all, past and present as such.
Whilst I can see where J Rouse is coming from, presumably out of concern personally, and not least representative of many others locally who he/she referred to in the letter, I’m not clear where the joke of Picture of Health is? apart from being on J Rouse him/herself, who seems to have a completely closed mind to change full stop!
Bob Bedwell,
Sidcup.
Blame it on the foxes’
Foxes are still rampant in Bexley and the following information given to gardeners could prove invaluable to local people.
Foxes are being blamed for the disappearance of house sparrows from Primrose Hill and Regents Park where friends have been told to let weeds grow and put up nest boxes in their gardens to encourage birds back to the neighbourhood. Park wildlife officer Tony Duckett also accused foxes of a total waste of wildfowl eggs.
One warm day recently, I went to London by train, which stopped at Falconwood. I noticed a fox sitting on its haunches on the down platform and I wondered whether he really was waiting for a train and where he would go? But I must admit to being completely foxed
Douglas Walters.
Sidcup
Sidcup Town Centre Traffic Review
I received a letter from Environmental and Regeneration Services dated 6th November 2006 regarding Sidcup Town Centre Traffic Review. It went on to say there would be two public meetings and "once we have analysed all the comments we have received, the Council will consult with residents and traders on them in Autumn 2007. We are now well into July 2008 and there is no sign of any movement towards the object of regeneration in the Sidcup area.
I suspect that the time and finances have been used to improve the Bexleyheath area. For example, the tarting up of the area at the roundabout at Albion Way with its fancy brickwork, which seems to have taken forever. I can’t remember there being any accidents in that area in its previous construction!
Once again Sidcup has been treated like the A**e end of the borough.
I suppose that the Council will quote the resurfacing of the lower half of Hadlow Road as the regeneration of the Sidcup area, - the top half is just as bad as the lower half, and the ‘ traffic calming ' measures on Sidcup Hill and other roads- also the ends of the roads ---- but no sign of the traffic congestion being cleared in Sidcup High Street and the approaches to the same.
I also suppose that the Council will tell us that the Sidcup area is top of its priorities for Regeneration - if so what year?
E.Dishart,
Sidcup
• They say a week is a long time in politics. You will remember the Tories made the subject of your letter an election promise and returned all three Sidcup Tory councillors. But then we all know what happens when politicians make promises don’t we. The proof is there for all to see. Ed
Belvedere village
If you walk through Belvedere village today, there is one thing that everyone is talking about -Bexley council’s plans for the regeneration of the village. In recent weeks, a group of traders and residents have organised two packed public meetings and are drawing up proposals showing the changes they wish to see made to the council’s plans.
I have made it clear that I support the majority of the proposals but there are two aspects of the scheme which are causing considerable concern.
Firstly, the council needs to drop its proposal to open up a walkway linking the council car park to Albany Road. Residents in Albany and Alfred Roads have suffered in recent years from antisocial behaviour and the introduction of a cut through will only add to the likelihood of such problems.
Secondly, the council need to ensure that there is no loss of parking spaces within Nuxley Road. Councillor Peter Craske denied that twelve spaces would be lost when I questioned him at the last Full Council meeting. The traders however are adamant that the current plans show the loss of a large number of spaces.
Belvedere village retains its sense of community – where people really do know each other and still stop to pass the time of day. I should know as I’ve lived here since I was a baby and am the only one of Bexley’s sixty three councillors that lives in Belvedere. Residents are therefore rightly concerned that the loss of parking may lead to the decline of the village and the strong sense of community which we share.
Councillors need to stop saying that false rumours are being spread and acknowledge that the current difficulties have been caused because the plans that have been agreed for Nuxley Road bear little resemblance to those which were consulted on last year.
As the scheme will be implemented over eighteen months, the council should concentrate the first stage of works to side roads such as Alfred Road and Bedwell Road. Is would allow them to delay any works to Nuxley Road until it is confirmed whether the council will receive additional funding of £900,000 for works in 2009/10. That will give them time to work constructively with traders to develop an acceptable set of parking arrangements and allow a scheme that has support to go ahead.
Daniel Francis,
Belvedere, Kent
Labour fabrication
I have read the article on the back page of the July addition of the Chronicle which is headed “Former Leader cost taxpayer £7,000 in travel costs” and in particular the 5th paragraph regarding Ursula Ayliffe’s comments on the cross-over for the Bexleyheath Conservative Club. I am not sure where she gets her information from, but the “Knock down price” which she mentions is a complete fabrication. The Conservative Club has not had the cross-over completed yet and as a matter of fact, quite to the contrary, I think the council is dragging its feet in giving us permission to have it done. Because of this delay we have not yet paid for it and as far as a knock down price is concerned, we will be paying the going rate and have not asked or been given any favours in this respect. Being the club treasurer I find her comments rather sour as well as being incorrect.
When propaganda is put out like this, people are now seeing the Labour Party for what it really is and there is no wonder that Ms Ayliffe came in a poor fourth after the National Front in the recent election.
Leslie R. Ayres, Club Treasurer,
Bexleyheath Conservative Club