Author Archives: SE16.com

St James’s Bermondsey: work to start on stonework repair

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The church of St James’s Bermondsey has announced that stonework repairs on the tower will soon begin as scaffolding is erected to the very top.

The works are funded by £232,700 from the Heritage Lottery Fund, together with a contribution of £57,000 from the Parochial Church Council of St James’s. The work is due to be finished by mid September.

The work will include much-needed repair to the tower and portico stonework, to the clock face and bell, and to the golden dragon weather vane.

Two open days will be arranged for members of the public to inspect the work, and  to see the famous Bermondsey dragon at close hand.

This will form part of a continuing programme of increasing and improving public access to this landmark  grade II* listed building at the heart of Bermondsey.

Last year St James’s was added to the Heritage at Risk register.

 

Weekly drama classes for all ages at London Bubble Theatre

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London Bubble offers fun, friendly, creative sessions for children, teenagers and adults. The new term starts week commencing Saturday 21 April.

These weekly classes give the opportunity for a wide range of people to make theatre together, assisted by experienced theatre practitioners who share the vision that ‘people make theatre’.

Classes held at 5 Elephant Lane, Rotherhithe, SE16 4JD

  • For 6-8yrs on Saturdays & Tuesdays
  • 9-11yrs on Tuesdays
  • 12-17yrs (youth theatre) on Mondays
  • Adults on Wednesdays

Fees: £60 (£30 concessions) for under 18s.  £80 (£40 concessions) for adults.  Taster classes available at start of term.

CLICK HERE to find out more,  or contact 020 7237 4434 | [email protected]

Millwall Community Trust seeking trustees

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Millwall Community Trust is seeking additional Trustees from diverse backgrounds who can bring to the Trust their enthusiasm and experience gained in the local community and/or in business, industry or a profession.

MCT welcomes applications from suitably-qualified people to join its Board of Trustees to contribute to setting the strategic direction of the Trust and overseeing the Trust’s effective management.

Trustees have ultimate responsibility for directing the affairs of the Trust and ensuring that it is solvent, well-run, and delivering the charitable outcomes for the benefit of the public for which it has been established.

Further details

Local elections approaching: who’s standing?

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Local elections for all of London’s borough councils – including Southwark – take place on Thursday 3 May.

For Southwark, these will be the first elections to be held using the new ward boundaries drawn up after a recent review.

The official lists of candidates have now been published:

There will be a chance to meet the Rotherhithe ward and Surrey Docks ward candidates at the AGM of the Canada Water Consultative Forum on Monday 23 April.

Borough-wide issues will be on the agenda at the Southwark Leaders Debate on Tuesday 24 April.

Poetry School moves to Dock Offices

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The Poetry School – formerly based in Lambeth – has relocated to the Dock Offices in Surrey Quays Road.

Founded in 1997, the school is a registered charity and part of the Arts Council England portfolio of funded organisations.

The Victorian Dock Offices are owned by British Land.

The Poetry School has asked us to share this job advert:

Caretaker/Cleaner required

Canada Water, SE16

£10.20 per hour (London Living Wage)

Evening and weekends – hours to vary, but working 4 hours per weekday evening during term-time, with some Saturdays, and a total of 3 hours per week outside term-time

Closing date for applications: Friday 20 April, 6pm 

Locally-based caretaker and cleaner wanted for evening and weekend work at adult education arts charity in Canada Water, SE16.

We are looking for a reliable, friendly and conscientious person to undertake our caretaking and cleaning duties in the evenings and at weekends.

Main responsibilities include cleaning, acting as keyholder and locking up the premises in the evening, preparing classrooms for teaching, greeting tutors and students on arrival and providing assistance, for example, with photocopying and general queries. 

To apply, please send a cover letter explaining why you are suitable and a copy of your CV to [email protected].

Interviews will be held on Wednesday 25 April for a start date of Tuesday 8 May.

‘Dockless’ cycle hire firms ofo and Mobike come to SE16

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Cllr Ian Wingfield with members of the ofo team
200 of ofo’s yellow bikes have appeared across Southwark
Some of mobike’s fleet in Deal Porter Square

350 new bicycles for hire have appeared on the streets of Southwark this week, with many of them in SE16.

Unlike TfL’s Santander Cycles (aka ‘Boris bikes’), Mobike and ofo bikes can be hired and parked anywhere, not just at designated docking stations.

Although Mobike and ofo bikes operate across the borough, the initial launch has been focussed on Rotherhithe and Camberwell, two areas beyond the reach of the Santander Cycles scheme.

The two rival firms joined forces for a launch event in Deal Porter Square at Canada Water on Monday morning.

Mobike has brought 150 bikes to Southwark whilst ofo has launched with 200 bikes. Both firms charge 50p for half an hour’s use. Bikes can be unlocked using iOS and Android apps.

Southwark Labour’s 2014 manifesto included a pledge to “work with the Mayor to extend Bike
Hire across the borough” and this latest initiative comes less than two months before the next local elections.

Oddly, the council’s own performance report for 2014/15 to 2017/18 – approved by cabinet this week – says that “We continue to work with TfL and other partners to extend the bike hire scheme to more parts of Southwark, with plans to extend the scheme from Rotherhithe to Peckham announced this year.”

However, no announcement of any TfL-backed bike hire expansion in Southwark has yet been made.

We asked Cllr Ian Wingfield – Southwark’s cabinet member for environment and the public realm – whether the council had given up on bringing Santander Cycles to SE16 at Monday’s launch event. Hear his answer here:

Audio: Southwark agrees Canada Water master development agreement with British Land

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This week Southwark Council agreed to move forward with its development agreement with British Land for the Canada Water development, including the sites of Surrey Quays Shopping Centre, the former Harmsworth Quays printworks, the Mast Leisure Park, the old dock offices and the former Rotherhithe Police Station.

Listen to the audio of Tuesday’s cabinet item on this page, and read all the reports here.

Police appeal after hit-and-run collision near Surrey Quays Station

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Police are appealing for witnesses following a hit-and-run collision in Rotherhithe.

Officers were called to Rotherhithe Old Road – near Surrey Quays station – at about 8.55am on Monday morning to a report of a car in collision with a pedestrian.

The pedestrian –  a 46-year-old woman – was taken to hospital where she remains in a serious but stable condition.

Her next of kin have been informed.

The vehicle involved, a blue Mercedes B200 Sport, failed to stop at the scene.

The car was found later that day abandoned on the Kirby Estate in SE16.

As part of the investigation, officers returned at around 11am on Tuesday to take photographs of the scene.

Officers from the Roads and Transport Policing Command are investigating.

Any witnesses or anyone with any information is asked to call police on 101 quoting CAD 1599/05 March.

Thousands of drivers ignoring Rotherhithe Tunnel width restrictions

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Up to 6,500 vehicles a day could be breaking the width restrictions in the Rotherhithe Tunnel, according to Transport for London. Around 30,000 vehicles use the tunnel each day.

TfL this week wrote to local people reminding them that vehicles more than two metres (six foot six inches) wide are not permitted through the Rotherhithe Tunnel.

Wide vehicles, generally vans or bigger, were banned from the tunnel in 2012.

Glynn Barton, TfL’s Director of Network Management, said: “These restrictions are in place for very important reasons. This tunnel is more than a century old and was not designed for these types of vehicle so vans and wider vehicles risk colliding inside it, increasing road danger and disruption in the area.

“We brought these restrictions in six years ago and we are reminding Londoners that they are there and why they are so important.”

TfL has identified that up to 6,500 vehicles wider than the restrictions could be entering the tunnel every day, despite the signage on all approaches highlighting the restrictions.

Vehicles that use the tunnel illegally risk receiving a fine of £50 or prosecution.

Drivers restricted from the Rotherhithe Tunnel should use Tower Bridge or the Blackwall Tunnel – both of which are outside of the Congestion Charge.