The Dangerous Triangle

Work is now complete on the Westcombe Hill

Triangle. There have, unsurprisingly, already

been complaints from residents about the layout

and the unnecessary space taken up by the ‘tree

islands’. The northernmost island also causes a

problem because it has been constructed at least

a foot further into the main Westcombe Hill

carriageway than the lines marking the

carriageway indicates. With cars parked on the

opposite side of Westcombe Hill, this provides

an extremely dangerous outcrop at a key point

in the road alignment. There is potential for a

serious accident if the curb were hit at speed by

a car coming down the Hill. It has also made it

impossible for two 108 buses to pass, let alone

two of the new double-decker buses that are

soon to be using this road.

At the time Westcombe News went to print

there was some indication that this construction

error has been noted and work to remedy the

situation may be in progress.

Peninsula cinema gets go ahead

Evidence shows, as originally suspected, the

council is stuck with honouring the original

planning application for the Peninsula. From

the minutes and agenda items received from

recent council planning meetings, they show

that as long ago as 1996 permission was given

to develop all of the old British Gas peninsula

site.

The cinema development was prevented from

going ahead earlier this year by a problem with

the floor area specified for the building. This

has been a dispute between the developer and

the council. A racked seating area will be

subject to a specific planning agreement - such

that it cannot ever be incorporated into the

overall usable floor area - in the building. The

revised application has now been agreed and the

development will proceed after all.

Accessing the Dome After a number of

previously missed deadlines, a small section of

the Jubilee Line extension from North

Greenwich to Stratford was finally opened on

14 May.

For those of you who have not yet made the trip

down to the Peninsula, to see what’s going on

around the Dome, the site is pretty remote and

could only be reached by foot or bicycle. In

recent months the 108 bus route has been

diverted into the site. Now, though, the formal

opening of the Peninsula site to the public has

meant the 108 runs more frequent trips and

additional services have been provided by the

472 bus from Woolwich and the 188 bus from

Greenwich. Even taxis are now permitted to

visit.

However, there is no provision for private cars

either to park or, more surprisingly, to partake

of the promised "park-and-ride" option that had

been much touted. The latter travel alternative

has apparently been completely abandoned at

the request of Transport Minister Glenda

Jackson, in an attempt to keep the number of

cars around North Greenwich station and the

Dome down to an absolute minimum.

Westcombe News has been told by station staff

that the line is only open during weekdays and

is closed at the weekend until the opening of

Phase 2 from North Greenwich to London

Bridge which is planned for early September.

Response to Reader’s

Letter

Following the letter in the last issue of

Westcombe News, the Environment

Committee reports that they approached

Councillor Alex Grant for a statement on why

Greenwich councillors did not attend the

planning meeting held by developers on the

‘New Crystal Palace’ at the Clarendon Hotel.

Councillor Grant has responded and stresses

that there was no question of a ‘conspiracy’ on

the part of Greenwich Council. The meeting had

simply been announced by flyers and posters

around Blackheath Station at very short notice.

Letters had not been sent to organisations or

individuals likely to be involved in any

decision-making.

The debate continues to rage around the

proposals for a ‘Crystal Palace’ on Blackheath

- see Neighbourhood Views for more letters

expressing concern.

Local man peeks inside Dome

Few residents of Westcombe Park have been

inside the Millennium Dome and, as it is a

constant in our skyline, curiosity is setting in.

We cannot help wondering what it looks like

inside and whether it will be finished on time.

Local resident Gerry Amies made a trip to the

Dome last month to discuss working with the

team responsible for the power distribution of

the lighting for the Millennium Exhibition. He

has worked in London and abroad as a theatre

production electrician, liaising between the

lighting designer and lighting hire company

during the production of a new show.

Here are some of his impressions of the most

talked-about building since Canary Wharf.

"I went to the Dome to talk business but my first

impression was one of incredible vastness. The

sheer scale of the project was impressive and in

contrast to the inauspicious entrance along the

Blackwall Tunnel slip road.

"Despite the rough appearance of the land

around the Dome, there is no doubt that security

is a big issue. If you don’t have a pass they won’t

let you in and a colleague had to do some very

sweet talking having forgotten his pass. The

Dome site office was not - as you might expect

with less than six months building time left - a

den of chaos, it’s buzzed with highly

orchestrated energy. Dome constructors and

fitters purposefully moved around the office.

"We were told to put on hard hats, ushered

through another security gate and stepped

inside the Dome. It is huge. Trucks and building

equipment were dwarfed by the air conditioning

tower and the guy ropes of the mighty yellow

masts. It was airy and light inside and the roof,

so far above, seemed to form an artificial sky.

At this stage the exhibition areas and zones were

very much in embryonic form. Not too many

clues yet to the marvellous spectacle which will

greet visitors in 2000, although they were

marked out ready for construction around the

outside wall. Where no doubt something grand

like a marbled floor will rest one day, a maze of

service ducts ran to and from the exhibition

areas of the Dome. The central performance

area was taking shape surrounded by lighting

towers and intriguing barely formed buildings.

One already established feature of the Dome is

the spectacular view that will greet every new

visitor."

Party in the park is off

It may be a relief to hear that there will not be a

party in Greenwich Park this Millennium eve.

A licence has been refused, it was revealed at

the last Greenwich Pubwatch meeting, due to

health and safety concerns.

The manager of Greenwich Park, Joe

Woodcock, said that the uneven and undulating

topography of the park led to worries about the

safety of people being in the park on a cold

winter’s night.

There had been speculation that up to 50,000

people might attend the party, with the

entertainment to include music from the

London Symphony Orchestra. It was, however,

reported at the same meeting that another party,

an all-ticket bash for up to 20,000 people, could

be held in the Maritime Museum and / or the

college in Romney Road. The Naval College, it

is also rumoured, will be holding a corporate

hospitality event with around 2,000 people

attending.

While the Government is considering whether

to allow a 36-hour ‘drinking spree’ over the

Millennium eve, during which pubs and other

licensed premises will be able to sell alcohol,

Greenwich pubs may shut down. Local

landlords are contemplating ticket-only

evenings and even closing down altogether

because of security concerns during the

celebrations.

At the Greenwich Pubwatch meeting there was

no decision on the closing of the centre of

Greenwich during this period.

All enquiries/comments with regard to the editorial on this page should be

addressed to Dave Riddle, Chair of the Environment Committee:

+44 [0]20 8 858 4111