Southwark Council’s director of regeneration has this week approved a deal that will see the redevelopment of the former Cherry Garden School site redesigned to take the proportion of council homes in the scheme from a third to half.

We reported in January 2019 that the proposed redevelopment would have 18 council homes out of 56 new flats to be constructed by Higgins Homes.

According to a council report: “Concerns were raised by members [ie councillors] of the need to maximise council retained social rented units on the site.

“This was due to the council’s new policy focus to provide 50% council rented units, where feasible and viable, to maximise council homes; this proposed change would address those concerns.

As a result of this week’s decision, the council will pay Higgins Homes £2.6 million in lieu of the sales revenue they would have received from the nine intermediate (shared ownership or similar) homes originally proposed.

The redesigned scheme will have 26 council homes and 30 homes for private sale.

Affordable housing is assessed on the basis of habitable rooms (bedrooms and living rooms) and on this calculation the private and council components of the scheme equate to 82 habitable rooms each.

A crowdfunding drive launched by a small business based at South Dock Marina has raised nearly £3,000 to make protective visors for frontline workers during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Marine Canvas Hut has teamed up with a group of volunteers making high-quality, yet low-cost protective visors.

Further details of the project can be found on Facebook and GoFundMe.

Bermondsey’s Compass School has launched an appeal to raise £10,000 for its hardship fund to support disadvantaged pupils and their families during the school closure.

So far the school has raised more than £4,000 via JustGiving.

“This is a challenging time for our community and especially so for our disadvantaged pupils who lack the resources others take for granted,” says the school.

“Our school sits in a location with the highest level of deprivation nationally.

“The majority of our pupils either receive Free School Meals (FSM) or have met the criteria in the past 6 years (Pupil Premium).

“Whether its the lack of IT at home, access to books, or a good square meal, we want to ensure that disadvantage is not further entrenched during this period.”

The school would also welcome donations of laptop computers to be distributed to pupils so they can take advantage of online learning opportunities.

If you can help, email Mr May (Staff Governor) [email protected] for further information.

The ferry between Rotherhithe and Canary Wharf will have its final day of operations on Wednesday 25 March as the Doubletree by Hilton Hotel is closing due to the COVID-19 emergency.

Access to the pier on the Rotherhithe side is via the hotel lobby.

The main Thames Clippers service along the Thames will continue to operate on weekday rush hours only, but all daytime and weekend services will be halted.

The first section of Cycleway 4 on Jamaica Road – between Southwark Park Road and the Rotherhithe Tunnel roundabout – has now opened.

Work on the £54 million scheme began in July last year.

London walking and cycling commissioner Will Norman and Southwark cabinet member Richard Livingstone dropped by to inspect the new cycle track on Tuesday.

Cllr Richard Livingstone, cabinet member for environment, transport and the climate emergency, said: “We’ve worked closely with TfL on this and the roundabout’s new, wider pavements, which will help pedestrians feel safer too.

“I hope that the new roundabout and the imminent completion of Cycleway 4 along Jamaica Road and Tooley Street, will encourage people to take to Southwark’s streets, both on foot and by bike.”

Roadworks continue on the remaining section of Cycleway 4 along Tooley Street and Jamaica Road.

A decision on the ‘Rotherhithe Movement Plan’ – including the Lower Road section of Cycleway 4 – is expected to be made by Southwark Council’s cabinet this summer.

Five new cycle hire docking stations are to be installed along Cycleway 4, bringing Santander Cycles to SE16 for the first time.

Detectives have arrested a man following a collision that left a teenage boy with critical injuries.

The incident happened at about 2.40am on Saturday 7 March at Wilson Grove, SE16.

Officers were called to reports of a collision involving a car and a motorbike. The car did not stop at the scene.

The motorbike rider, a 16-year-old boy from Southwark, was taken to an east London hospital where he remains in a critical condition.

His next of kin have been informed.

On Monday,9 March a 34-year-old man was arrested in south London on suspicion of attempted murder. He remains in custody. Enquiries continue.

Any witnesses or anyone with any information is asked to call police on 101 or contact via Twitter @MetCC quoting CAD 1029/07MAR.

To give information anonymously contact Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111 or online at crimestoppers-uk.org


The London Assembly transport committee has written to Transport for London in the wake of the cancellation of the Rotherhithe to Canary Wharf bridge to urge them to review and improve their business planning process, so that under-funded and undeliverable projects are not progressed as a result of unrealistic engineering proposals and low cost estimates.

The committee has also sought further detail and clarification on the proposed ferry service.

Budget projections for the bridge project soared from £120-£180 million in November 2017, to £463 million in March 2019 and now latest estimates stand at exceeding £600 million.

Navin Shah AM, chair of the Transport Committee, said:“How did TfL get its sums so wrong? This major infrastructure project is key to unlocking this part of east London in terms of active transport links, jobs and homes. 

“A ferry service between Rotherhithe and Canary Wharf is a much cheaper alternative, but we have questions over its cost, frequency, commencement of the service and whether it will be free to use.”

“TfL must improve how it costs major infrastructure projects and ensure that projects of this kind have realistic costings and plans, so that Londoners are not continually disappointed time and again.” 

British Transport Police have released CCTV images after a robbery at Canada Water Station.

The incident happened at 11pm on Saturday 25 January. Two men are reported to have approached the victim and intimidated him into handing over £20.

Officers would like to speak to the men in the images who may have information that could help their investigation.

Anyone who recognises them is asked to contact BTP by texting 61016 or by calling 0800 40 50 40. In both cases, quote reference number 297 of 26/01/20. Alternatively, call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.

Plans for a new cultural venue at The Blue – including a three-screen cinema – have been announced by Southwark Council and Really Local Group.

Councillors went public on the plans at the South Bermondsey Ward Forum on Monday night.

The new venue in the former Thorowgoods store will be an all-day community space with a three-screen cinema, coffee shop, bar, informal co-working spaces and a food and craft hall.

Ticket prices are intended to be affordable: £6.50 to watch a film and £13 for live events.

Preston Benson, founder of Really Local Group, said: “We are very excited to enhance the cultural infrastructure offer in a borough with an established craft and music heritage.

“Working with Southwark Council, we hope to be able to curate a new ‘cultural quarter’ for the town and secure collaboration opportunities with local independent businesses, artisans and traders.”

South Bermondsey councillor Leo Pollak, who is Southwark’s cabinet member for new homes, great estates and social regeneration, said: “After years of working to improving the mix of shops and stalls at the Blue, and intervening on the sale of Thorowgoods, we are hugely proud to have secured a three screen cinema, community events and exhibition space and an affordable food market showing the best of local producers.

“We were greatly impressed by Really Local Group’s approach, and I’m confident this will become a major new arts centre for the north of the borough, and a game-changer for the Blue.

“This not only underscores our commitment to healthy thriving high streets across the borough, but the importance of municipal interventions high streets that need a ‘curatorial’ steer while getting the tone balance and affordability right. Bring on the Summer of 2021!”

The Thorowgoods scheme is subject to approval by Southwark’s cabinet and the grant of planning permission.

The new cultural hub will bring life to the marketplace which is being refurbished using funds from the Mayor of London’s Good Growth Fund. Plans for the marketplace revamp will be on show on Saturday 7 March.