Thursday 31 January 2019

Six nations rugby at the Ashburnham Arms

It’s almost time! Andy and Pepina will have all of this year’s Six Nations matches live on the big HD screen at the Ashburnham Arms, starting with Friday’s France v Wales opener at 8pm. On Saturday it's Scotland v Italy at 2.15pm and Ireland v England at 4.45pm.

Wednesday 30 January 2019

Another burglary

There was another burglary reported on Monday 28th January in Ashburnham Grove. The burglars gained entry via the basement door which had glazed toughened glass panels. Not many people realise but toughened glass has no security value at all as it can be broken easily with a sharp implement, makes very little noise and causes little, if any, injury.

The burglars removed the exterior light and broke the pane of glass and opened the door by turning the interior handle. The door was not bolted from the inside. The burglars stole various items including the owners car all whilst they were asleep upstairs. Fortunately no harm came to the homeowners. They kindly agreed that I could share this information with you all to help prevent this happening to someone else.
  • Did you know that if you broke an ordinary pane of glass the sound can travel to the third or fourth house along the street. Sometimes burglars use a suction cup or newspaper to avoid making a noise. When toughened glass is broken it makes a dull ‘thud’ noise which doesn’t travel.
Please always:
Laminated glass does not break
unlike toughened glass
  • Bolt your door from the inside.
  • Do not leave keys in the door lock.
  • Think about using laminated glass in vulnerable doors or windows such as the the ground floor or basement.
  • For a low cost yet effective solution to vulnerable glass panels add security window film. When professional installed it will hold your glass together on impact and is extremely difficult to break through. 

Tina Pugh
Police Liaison / ATA Security

Another local fishmonger

Last week we told you of the excellent fish stall in Deptford High Street, this week we have one closer to home. Phil's Grimsby Fish Emporium is a van selling fresh fish and shellfish that is parked outside the old Pryke's shop at the Royal Hill end of Circus Street on Wednesdays. Well worth a look.

Monday 28 January 2019

Suspicious Behaviour

Three hooded males were captured on various cameras trying car doors and peering into basement windows along Ashburnham Place and Ashburnham Grove this morning - Monday 28th January - between the hours of 00:23 and 03:15 today. They were obviously looking for vulnerable properties / cars to break-in to.  Don’t let them easily get your valuables. Ensure you car is locked when you leave it and DO NOT leave ANYTHING on display in your vehicle.

Also, I have just been advised there was a burglary in Brand Street where entry was made via the front door. PLEASE ensure you bolt your door at night. Entry can be made easily via just a Yale lock.

Can I also remind you that we are trialling SmartWater in the Triangle this Saturday, 2nd February. There are still kits available to reserve. Please email me if you would like one - ata.secureteam@gmail.com.

WHAT IS SMARTWATER® 
SmartWater is a way for police to definitively link your valuable items to you. Almost invisible to the naked eye, the advanced liquid glows yellowy-green under UV light and every bottle has a unique forensic code. This means if an item is recovered by the police which is marked by SmartWater, such as a bicycle, the police can use forensic analysis to identify the address and return the bike to its rightful owner. It can be used to invisibly tag all your valuable items, from watches and jewellery to laptops and mobile phones. The application will last approximately 5 years and it's almost impossible to remove. To date, the use of SmartWater has had a 100% conviction rate in court and has been proved to reduce burglaries by 85%. 


There are 100 kits to be given to residents within the Triangle. To receive your kit you will need to be available on Saturday 2nd February between the hours of 10am and 2pm so a member of our Safer Neighbourhood Team can visit you and provide you with your unique SmartWater kit. They will also happily provide general crime prevention advice at the same time.

Sunday 27 January 2019

Thursday 24 January 2019

Local fishmongers

Since the sudden closure of Prykes fishmongers on Circus Street late last year locals may be interested in venturing down to the fish stall in Deptford Market as an alternative while we wait to see what Michael is planning.
The stall is run by Bob and his son and is open on Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays. To find them, walk up Giffon Street, past Wavelengths, then when you get to Deptford High Street, turn left. The fish stall is a few stalls along, next to a fruit and veg stall. It’s quite big so you can't miss it. Great quality fish, wide selection and very reasonable prices. Worth a look.
Posted by Imogene Russell

Wednesday 23 January 2019

Burns Night at the Ashburnham Arms


Deptford Creek developments

Mick Delap has been active recently about Thames Tideway Tunnel traffic plans. But for a while now he has his sights set much wider. For the last few years he has been working to try and ensure that the current and planned wave of building along the Greenwich side of Deptford Creek (including the Thames Tunnel works) fulfils the Greenwich Planning vision of creating a new Creekside Pathway. Greenwich Planning envisages a public pathway that will allow old neighbours like the ATA to join the Creek's growing number of new residents in enjoying the Creek's rich environment, and even richer past.
Mick needs new ideas and new helpers if his campaign is to get anywhere (so far the new developments are literally locking the Creek away, not unlocking it). Mick is starting a new stage of discussion on Thursday, 24th Jan, at 7.30pm in the Ashburnham Arms, with a meeting to exchange campaigning ideas. Do please drop in if you are interested.
Mick will be giving a thumbnail sketch of the Creek's history, then looking very briefly at prospects for a new publicly accessible Creekside Pathway: Greenwich planning targets for the Creek, how current building projects there affect things, what's planned, and what has been done so far to try and advance the prospects for public Creekside access.
As Mick says, "There is so much that I know could be done to unlock the Creek, if we come together to work for it. And much much more that I haven't thought of. Which is where you all come in - with your own ideas for how to campaign more effectively, and how you might help. " Mick adds that, if you are interested, but can't make it to the Ash this Thursday, he would like to hear from you by emailing him at mick@delap.plus.com.
Wearing another hat, Mick will be talking about the poet Gerard Manley Hopkins, and reading his favourite Hopkins poems, this coming Sunday 27th Jan, at Choral Evensong in St Alfege, starting at 6.30pm.

Tuesday 22 January 2019

Criminals Beware....SmartWater comes to the Triangle

FREE SMARTWATER KITS
100 kits to give away 
In an attempt to reduce crime, it has been agreed with the Metropolitan Police to trial SmartWater within the Ashburnham Triangle.


WHAT IS SMARTWATER® 
SmartWater is a way for police to definitively link your valuable items to you. Almost invisible to the naked eye, the advanced liquid glows yellowy-green under UV light and every bottle has a unique forensic code. This means if an item is recovered by the police which is marked by SmartWater, such as a bicycle, the police can use forensic analysis to identify the address and return the bike to its rightful owner. It can be used to invisibly tag all your valuable items, from watches and jewellery to laptops and mobile phones. The application will last approximately 5 years and it's almost impossible to remove. To date, the use of SmartWater has had a 100% conviction rate in court and has been proved to reduce burglaries by 85%. 

To recap:

  • It is only visible under UV light.
  • Easy to apply and almost impossible to remove
  • Recognised by criminals – SmartWater THIEVES BEWARE deterrent signage sends out a powerful warning to any would-be thieves
  • 100% conviction rate in contested cases, when used as evidence
  • Each application is guaranteed to last a minimum of 5 Years
There are 100 kits to be given to residents within the Triangle. To receive your kit you will need to be available on Saturday 2nd February between the hours of 10am and 2pm so a member of our Safer Neighbourhood Team can visit you and provide you with your unique SmartWater kit. They will also happily provide general crime prevention advice at the same time.

Please note the kits will be on a first come first served basis - once they have gone, that's it.

Interested?  If you would definitely like a kit then please email ata.secureteam@gmail.com with the following details:

Name
Address
Please also ensure that you will definitely be available on Saturday 2nd February between 10am and 2pm

Tina Pugh
Police Liaison / ATA Security

Greenwich West
Safer Neighbourhood Team 

The history of an Ashburnham Triangle house

If you were unable to attend the last meeting of the ATA's History team last week but would like to read Margaret Luce’s research on 21 Ashburnham Grove's history, please click here for the fascinating and informative investigation she's done on her house.

Monday 21 January 2019

Thanks from Shelter

Janet and Robin Stott have received the following letter from Shelter, thanking everyone for the £400 donated to the charity from last month’s Christmas Carols night:
“On behalf of everyone at Shelter, thank you so much for your amazing donation of
£400! This amount will really help make a difference to Shelter’s work with homeless and badly housed people throughout the UK. Please pass on our thanks to everyone involved for their support and generosity.
“Shelter believes everyone should have a home. We help 170,000 people a year fight for their rights, get back on their feet and find and keep a home. We also tackle the root causes of Britain’s housing crisis by campaigning for new laws, policies and solutions. We can only do this with your help.
“Bad Housing Wrecks Lives. We are the fourth richest country in the world, and yet millions of people in Britain wake up every day in housing that is run-down, overcrowded or dangerous. Many others have lost their home altogether.  Bad housing robs us of security, health, and a fair chance in life.
“Your contribution is invaluable to the continuation of our work and we really appreciate your support.”
Well done, everyone.

Sunday 20 January 2019

Thames Tideway Tunnel update

The Thames Tideway Tunnel “Super Sewer” project on Norman Road is just about to start some serious tunnelling - which will require a considerable increase in lorry traffic along the ATA’s boundary roads, to remove the spoil created by TTT’s excavations. TTT want to start 3 months of new tunnelling in March. They have recently amended their “traffic management plan” (Planning Application No. 18/3486/G), and have just discussed it with local West Ward and ATA residents, including the ATA’s Mick Delap. 
Now the TTT need to get Council approval for their traffic plans and are due to apply for this approval on 19th Feb at Planning Board. Mick Delap reports that TTT have responded to some local resident concerns and are clearly trying to listen, but he feels they are missing the point in two areas: not providing a noise and pollution monitor where problems for West Greenwich residents are likely to be at their worst; and not working hard enough to inform key pedestrian and cyclist road users about what is happening). 
On a third issue - persuading Greenwich Council to slap a 20 m.p.h. speed limit on Greenwich South Street and High Road - Mick reckons TTT needs as many ATA residents as possible to express their support to the Council. 
If you want to tell the Council what you think, on these three issues and any others, Mick says your views should ideally be with the Council before Jan 30th. He explains how to lodge your views and gives the latest background in his latest update - click here to read it in full.

Wednesday 16 January 2019

ATA History Group

The next ATA History Group meeting will be on Thursday 17 January at 7.30 in the back room at The Ashburnham Arms (25 Ashburnham Grove). Do come, have a glass of something and share your thoughts or stories.
The meeting will focus on local history research and how we can make it available on the ATA website. It will include a look at Margaret Luce’s 21 Ashburnham Grove history, a fascinating and informative investigation she's done on her house.
Posted by Barbara Reid

Friday 11 January 2019

Security update

 In the run-up to Christmas, Ashburnham Triangle was the target of numerous burglaries, both business and residential. From 8th November to 6th January there were over 20 reports of burglary.

There have been two arrests for non-residential burglary from D’Luxx and the Kebab House in Blackheath Road. They have been charged and are currently remanded in custody. There has also been an arrest for theft of bikes but the individual is currently out on bail.

In relation to the residential burglaries, due to the unprecendeted amount and the similar types of entry to homes, CID have been brought in to thoroughly investigate and to establish if there is a link to similar burglaries that occured in King George Street during November. This investigation is currently on-going. 

Ring Video -
recognise this person?
The Ring video footage of the attempted break-in last month has been circulated on the metropolitan police website. This individual is still wanted for questioning, so once again I appeal for you to be vigilant and contact our local police if you know or see this individual.

Last year, the Triangle was also the victim of numerous bogus callers. One particular bogus caller was a young white female pretending to be from a chairity. She has long dark hair and is known to become aggressive if you don't donate any money. It is reported this individual is once again in our area and I ask you to be once again vigiliant. DO NOT give her any money or any bank detail accounts. She is is not from a registered charity and the police are very keen to “talk” to her.  Contact our local team if you see her. 

Greenwich Trading Standards have also just reported numerous British Gas uniforms have been stolen in the area and for customers to be extra vigilant. If anyone purporting to be from British Gas comes to your home ensure you check their ID thoroughly before you let them in. If you are unsure in any way, do not let them into your property; all legitimate staff will be happy for you to contact British Gas and confirm their identity. This advice applies to all cold callers, you must be confident they are who they say they are before allowing them into your home.
check the ID of anybody who claims to be a British Gas worker

Remember: 
Say No to univited callers.

Say No to cash payments.

Say No to unnecessary repairs.

Always ask for official company paperwork when receiving quotes or getting contracts.

You do not have to agree to work being offered to you on your doorstep.

Remember your 14 day cooling off period when buying on your doorstep.

If anyone attempts to enter your home without your permission, call 999.

New security signs were printed and displayed around the Triangle in an attempt to foil further crime. The response from residents has been very positive so it was disappointing to see some of the signs, particularly in Greenwich South Street, have purposely been removed. These signs have been designed and displayed in the interest of all residents.
I just want to say thank you to all the volunteers who have signed up to be a security rep in their respective road/flat. Volunteers communicate via a WhatsApp group of anything suspicious. We now have volunteers in the following parts of the Triangle: Langdale, Ashburnham Place, Ashburnham Grove, Egerton Drive, Greenwich South Street, Blackheath Road, Sycamore Court on Blackheath Road, Guildford Grove, Barnstaple House and Plymouth House on Devonshire Drive.  The more reps the more chance of us seeing and stopping crime. If you would like to join our growing community contact me here. 
I will shortly arrange a police/neighbourhood watch meeting, but in the meantime, if you need advice on home security or would like to discuss any other policing matter directly to an officer our Safer Neighbourhood Team have a police drop-in surgery at St. Alfege church on the following days:
Fri 18 Jan - 12 - 1pm
Tue 22 Jan - 11 - 12pm
Mon 28 Jan - 7 - 8pm
Sun 3rd Feb 12 - 1pm
Sat 9th Feb 2 - 3pm

I’ll continue to inform you of all future days and times of these surgeries. 
Other news outside the Triangle
A 16 year old has been charged with the murder of 18 year old Aron Warrren from Topham House, Royal Hill on 8th December. It is believed the incident happened inside the flat.

For your information, please find attached minutes of the last Safer Neighbourhoods Panel meeting held on 8th November 2018 here.

Greenwich West Safer Neighbourhood Police Team
Telephone: 020 8284 5494 (not 24 hour service)
eMail: westgreenwich.snt@met.police.uk


Tina Pugh
ATA Security

Thursday 10 January 2019

Thames Tideway Tunnel update

Thames Tideway Tunnel are getting ready to start the next phase of their tunnelling works at the Greenwich Pumping Station site on Norman Road. It is scheduled to start in February, using 75 lorries a day until the end of April. The lorries will come on to the tunnelling site on Norman Road via Greenwich South Street and Greenwich High Road, and leave by turning right, back out of Norman Road, and up Greenwich High Road to the east bound A2. To ensure the most efficient flow of lorries through the tunnelling site, TTT are proposing a Vehicle Holding Area on the way into the site. The proposed VHA will be on Greenwich High Road, opposite the Tyre garage.
TTT have overall planning approval for their tunnelling project in Greenwich. But before they can begin this new phase of their tunnelling, they need Greenwich approval for the detail of their Traffic Management Plans. TTT have been discussing these traffic management plans with ATA representatives and Greenwich Council over the last few months. Now they have agreed the final shape of their planning application (see Greenwich Planning Application Number 18/3473). Before this application goes before Greenwich Planning Board, on Tuesday 22nd Jan, TTT want to give all ATA and West Ward residents a chance to see what they are proposing. So next Tuesday (15th Jan) they are holding a special session of their regular quarterly Community Liaison Working Group meeting in the Greenwich Community Centre on Greenwich High Road, starting at 7.00 p.m. All welcome. If you would like to know more about the TTT Super Sewer project, these latest traffic proposals, and what the ATA's input has been so far, please see Mick Delap's briefing note here and the TTT video on YouTube here.

Sunday 6 January 2019

A reminder about the junction of Greenwich South Street, Blissett Street and Devonshire Drive

A brief reminder that there's a public consultation about the proposals on Tuesday 8th Jan between 6 and 8 pm at Jubilee Hall in Greenwich South Street.
Our previous post provided all the necessary information (http://www.ashburnhamtriangle.com/2018/12/the-junction-of-greenwich-south-street.html) but since then we have heard some concerns about proposals to narrow the South Street carriageway at a time when Thames Tideway Tunnel lorry traffic along South Street is about to increase significantly for 2019 and into 2020.
The consultation on Tuesday will give ATA residents the chance to explore the proposals with Greenwich Planning Department.

Wednesday 2 January 2019

Chance for cheap tickets to Greenwich panto

The Christmas panto at Greenwich is always good in recent years since Andrew Pollard's been writing it. Last year he didn't play the dame, but is back in role for this year's Robinson Crusoe.
There are some reduced tickets available for Sunday 6th January at 1pm, from a bulk buy by the Brockley Society:
adults £18, down from £29, children marginally down to £14, from £15.
Please book from http://brockleysociety.org.uk/shop/
Tickets can be posted or collected.
Imogene Russell