Action Groups
Planning
The Planning Sub-committee's main tasks are to consider, and make recommendations to the Executive Committee on, all major plans and planning policy documents; to obtain timely information on the regeneration and development policies of bodies such as the London Borough of Greenwich and the Mayor of London’s Office; to maintain close links with such bodies and with developers of major new projects; and to bring positive and constructive influence to bear in all these areas, including, where necessary, taking action on eg specific planning issues where this is necessary and desirable. The Sub-committee also considers major planning applications within the Society's area.
Blackheath Joint Working Party
The Greenwich Society sits on the joint working party which meets regularly.
Public Meeting
Blackheath High School – Senior School
Vanbrugh Park, London SE3 7AG
Tuesday 26th March 2024 at 7.15pm
The BJWP historically holds a Public Meeting each year to enable members of the public to learn something of what
the BJWP does. We do not yet have an agenda yet folk interested in Blackheath are invited to join the members of
the BJWP at a public meeting. Some of the items which might be discussed are:
(a) what has taken place on Blackheath over the last year;
(b) what events are planned in future;
(c) how to invest the BJWP Community Fund
Minutes of the meetings can be read on the relevant library pages of either the Royal Borough of Greenwich or Lewisham Council.
The Graffiti Busting Group
GRAFFITI
GRAFFITI - KEY POINTS
- GRAFFITI IS ALMOST ALWAYS UGLY, THREATENING
AND DEMORALISING - ITS REMOVAL COSTS THE UK £1,000,000,000 EVERY
YEAR - PUTTING GRAFFITI ON PROPERTY, WITHOUT THE
OWNER’S CONSENT, IS AN ACT OF CRIMINAL
DAMAGE AND CAN NEVER BE JUSTIFIED IN THE
NAME OF ART - THE QUICKER GRAFFITI IS REMOVED, THE LESS LIKELY
IT IS TO REAPPEAR.
Some background notes:
Most of the graffiti we see around London is just ugly marks usually known as “tags”. Why people want to do this is a bit of a mystery, but some think it was part of the “Hip Hop” culture that we inherited from the USA. It could, however, be that the perpetrators just get a kick out of getting away with an anti-social and illegal act - a sort of “I did that! Catch me if you can”.
Unfortunately, not many do get caught and prosecuted.
So, what is to be done? We can just leave it there allowing it to get old and accumulate until our lovely Borough looks like the trackside of Southeastern Railway. Graffiti is like litter, which if not cleared away will accumulate and become overwhelming.
The only way to defeat graffiti vandals is to remove the stuff as soon as it appears. It has been proved that eventually they give up or go away.
Greenwich Council is a London leader in the way it deals with graffiti. It employs two dedicated teams touring our area with state of the art equipment from simple paint removing hand wipes to high pressure hot water jet washers. The teams are led by Paul Knight who is dedicated to keeping Greenwich free of graffiti. But it is a constant battle and you simply have to
keep on top of it.
Here in Greenwich and Blackheath we have a group of volunteers looking out for and getting rid of easy-to-remove-graffiti. Some graffiti is quite hard to deal with e.g. at high level and on some brick and concrete surfaces. In these instances we call in Paul Knight’s team, but otherwise it is a simple matter of
getting rid of it ourselves. In this way your local volunteers have removed 13,000 tags in the last 15 years! The volunteer group in Greenwich is split between West and East Greenwich:
1. West Greenwich, West of the naval college.
2. East Greenwich , a section of the river walk path, from Waitrose to Morden Wharf. Trafalgar Road High Street, around Maze Hill Station and the old sports centre/swimming pool and along the Old Woolwich Road, plus adjacent streets.
More Volunteers urgently wanted!
Although the West Greenwich area is adequately covered by an existing team of volunteers, there is no one covering East Greenwich. Unfortunately, the person who was looking after this area has recently moved out of London. If anyone reading this article loathes the sight of these ugly scars left by graffiti vandals and is happy to join the band of volunteers who are helping to keep this beautiful area of London free of the
graffiti scourge, then please contact your Society.
Many of you will know Maureen O’Mara, who was for many years a local councillor. During this time she led a highly successful campaign to keep the Royal Borough free of graffiti
and she is continuing this work with a team in the West Greenwich area. She will be delighted to help new recruits find their feet and ensure a supply of graffiti removal kit. (obtained through the great support provided by Paul Knight)
Removing graffiti is very satisfying, easy to master and surprisingly rewarding!
Volunteers basically need a pair of old gloves, a roll of kitchen towel and a tub of Graffiti Wipes. After a while you will be confident to tackle a job like this.
Action This Day!
If you have an hour or two to spare and want to do your bit, then please email:
The Greenwich Society:
Sheila Keeble, Environment - green@greenwichsociety.org.uk