The Telephone Exchange next to Pure Gym at the corner of the Upper Richmond Road and Paynesfield Avenue was having equipment removed a couple of weeks ago. It was thought that the building would be empty.
We now hear that headend equipment is being installed, with a view to improving local communications. When is not known. It is a relatively small box and will leave a large empty building. So the question remains what will happen to that?
Putney Theatre Company is an amateur theatre company based at Putney Arts Theatre in Ravenna Road London SW15 6AW. Flare Path by Terence Rattigan runs until Saturday.
During the war, Rattigan served in the Royal Air Force as a tail gunner; his experiences helped inspire Flare Path. The London stage production opened in August 1942 at the Apollo Theatre. It was a great success and ran for eighteen months. Rattigan was given leave to attend the opening night, and he recalled “spending most of that evening standing rigidly to attention, while Air Marshal after Air Marshal approached the humble Flying Officer to tell him how his play should really have been written.” Prime Minister Winston Churchill attended the play and said it was “a masterpiece of understatement … but then we are rather good at understatement, aren’t we?”
Excellent production of one of Rattigan’s less performed play.
Tickets 02087886943
After unexpected border crossing difficulties Alastair and his merry international band of ambulance drivers have now reached their destination in the Ukraine. They are awaiting collection of the ambulances.
If you still want to donate the link is https://www.justgiving.com/page/alastair-grant-1718028919236?msockid=0e4e2fd8ba6360680cc43bcabb44614b
And while we are on the subject of Ukkraine watch the Zelensky Story, currently transmitting on BBC2 and IPlayer. Not to be missed.
The new Mayor of Richmond Cllr Richard Pyne, is the 59th Mayor of the Borough and lives in Sheen. He and the Lady Mayoress met with members of the Mortlake and East Sheen Society on Sunday 22 September 2024 for ‘drinks and nibbles’. ( http://www.mess.org.uk )
As a long term MESS member he spoke of the importance of the Society and how Council Committees listened to what the Society had to say on local matters.
The Mayor and Lady Mayoress
The Mayor with Members of the MESS Committee
The Mayor also spoke of his support for local charities during his mayoral year. He has chosen Richmond Borough Mind and Home-Start Richmond, Kingston and Hounslow.
Richmond Borough Mind supports those affected by mental health problems. ( http://www.rbmind.org )
Home-Start RKH provides mental and practical support for local families with children under the age of five. ( homestart-rkh.org.uk )
25 September 2024
Work started at Putney Bridge on Monday 23 September 2024 on a new segregated cycle lane and to remove some pedestrian crossing islands in a bid to ‘improve safety’. Work is on the south side of the Thames and will see traffic lights upgraded.
It is expected the scheme will take until Christmas. with temporary lights installed. Further improvements are expected to be completed in 2025.
At least it might be reopened before Hammersmith Bridge and before any work at the Brewery.
Meanwhile it looks like another reason to avoid the Lower Richmond Road and Putney High Street.
Next meeting to be held at East Sheen Baptist Church, Temple Sheen Road
on Wed 2 October at 7.00 p.m.
Agenda
See also post on 20 September 2024
From somewhere in the east of Poland Alastair reports that he is making good progress with two North Americans, three Aussies and a wombat. The picture below is extracted from a video of their convoy.
If you still want to donate the link is https://www.justgiving.com/page/alastair-grant-1718028919236?msockid=0e4e2fd8ba6360680cc43bcabb44614b
And while we are on the subject of Ukkraine watch the Zelensky Story, currently transmitting on BBC2 and IPlayer. Not to be missed.
The new Team Rector of the Parish the Revd Jonathan Haynes is to be installed at Christ Church at 7pm on Monday 4th November 2024. He kindly agreed to an interview which forms the basis of this post. Fr Alex Barrow at All Saints has also contributed to this discussion.
The Mission Action Plans for the Parish are subject to review and are primarily a matter for the church-going parishioners. Why are they welcoming people? What are they looking for? But they raise questions about what the community is, who participates in it and why?
This is an area where non-churchgoing parishioners of the Parish can contribute to the discussion. How do we view the community in East Sheen and Mortlake? What do we think the needs are? How can the Churches meet those needs in a focussed and creative way, perhaps in conjunction with the wider community? Are there aspects of the community in which you see injustice? This could entail poverty, loneliness, health challenges, access to public services.
In the recent Parish Newsletter Jonathan noted that music and sport were valued and important locally. He asked whether music ministry was something to be developed and whether we might find ways of celebrating our beloved sports, and ask where to find God on the river, golf courses, tennis courts, cricket, football and rugby pitches. Whether you are a practising Christian or not these questions are no less valid for the community at large.
PS Christ Church is looking for a new Musical Director.
PPS St. Marys is seeking a new Vicar.
For further information see www.mortlakeparish.org.uk
24 September 2024
The Planning Inquiry into the planning applications for development at the Stag Brewery site on the riverside at Mortlake commences on at 10am on 5 November 2024. It is a public inquiry and anyone is free to attend. The venue is the Exchange Building near Twickenham Station. The Planning Inspector, Mr Guy Rollings, has allowed twelve days for the hearing: November 5 to 8, 12 to 15 and (if needed) December 3 to 6. The Council has refused the Inspector’s request to make the hearing available on Zoom.
What is at stake?
Save for the film studio the site has largely been unused since they stopped brewing in 2015. It needs to be put into proper use. There have been various proposals but this is not the place for a detailed explanation of the history. The current proposals are (in short) for an estate of about 1100 residential units (of which 7% would be affordable housing) and a 1200 pupil academy secondary school.
Procedure
The Hearing takes place before an independent government appointed Planning Inspector. He prepares a report based on the evidence he reads and hears and submits it to the Secretary of State (currently Angela Rayner), who can accept or reject it.
He will hear evidence from the main parties who are the developers, Reselton Properties, the London Borough of Richmond (LBR), the Greater London Authority (GLA) and those who have applied to be, for what is known as, a Rule 6 Party, which are the Mortlake Brewery Community Group (MBCG, supported by the Mortlake with East Sheen Society (MESS), the Barnes Community Association (BCA) and the Kew Society) and the West London River Group.
These parties will be represented by Counsel and will have the opportunity to present evidence and question the witnesses of other parties. It is known that the GLA has budgeted for costs of £450,000. MBCG is funded by local donors, a kind of double taxation as they are also unwillingly funding Council representation.
Other persons with an interest will have an opportunity to make representations but not to be questioned or question witnesses. This includes Cllr Niki Crookdake on overall viability, representatives of local schools who are opposed to the siting of a secondary school, Tim Catchpole on behalf of MESS and Richard White who will be drawing to the attention of the Planning Inspector the falsification of letters of support by agents for the developers for the planning applications in July 2023. They were not permitted to attend the Case Management Conference on 20 September 2024. A note of that meeting, which should include timetabling, is awaited.
The Main Issues
The cumulative scale of the proposals
Overall viability
Impact and Harms to Heritage and the Riverside
Height and Density of the Estate
Resulting Transport Issues
Is there a need for a Secondary School?
Resulting Loss of the Protected Sports Field
Safety in the Environment
Neighbourhood Infrastructure
Flooding
The GLA is known to be opposing the plans, primarily on the basis of harm to the heritage and the lack of affordable housing. They are silent on the need for the school, not being an education authority. They are silent on transport issues being beholden to Transport for London, which has raised no objection to the proposals.
The Bottom Line
The development will affect the Mortlake and East Sheen Community for a generation. Some will say approval is necessary because it has been empty too long. Others will argue that, although it is a space that needs development, it must be a benefit not a detriment to the local community, nor just to satisfy the financial demands of the Council and the developers.
This is the first genuine and independent opportunity for local residents to be heard as they have previously been ignored by the dominant forces of councillors from other parts of the borough. By no means all the councillors are comfortable with the proposals but a three line whip has been rigorously imposed by the ruling elite.
23 September 2024
Alastair Grant is reported to be rolling east through German hills and to have eaten too large a schnitzel last night.
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