The Anonymous Widower

A Walk Around New Bermondsey – 8th February 2022

I took these pictures as I walked around Millwall’s Football Ground to the site of New Bermondsey and then on to South Bermondsey station to get the train to London Bridge.

These are my thoughts.

New Bermondsey Development

In Housing Development Next To Planned Overground Station Gets Approved, I used this description of the development from this article on Ian Visits.

The development, New Bermondsey, will see a cluster of residential towers built around the Millwall football ground on former light industrial sites, and will provide some 3,500 homes, a new sports facility, auditorium with 800 seats, and it’s said some 1,250 jobs. The towers vary in height across the site from 13 – 44 storeys; most towers are around 29/30 storeys.

Ian’s article also shows a visualisation with nineteen towers and some shorter blocks.

The development has a web site, which has a video on the home page.

Car Parking

I have gone through the New Bermondsey web site and the only mentions of parking are in these two statements, which describe the basement.

  • Allocation for move in and out bays for vans.
  • Secure residents’ cycle parking.

Does this mean that no car parking spaces are provided?

This article on LondonReconnections is entitled Canal Knowledge: The Fall and Rise of Surrey Canal Road Station.

One of the comments says this about parking around the station.

The permission for this development includes zero car parking provision, and a restriction preventing the granting of street parking permits. Such a restriction has been common in the “skyscraper zone” of the Isle of Dogs for many years but I suspect is a fairly novel stipulation in other boroughs.

It does appear that those living in the New Bermondsey development will have to live car-free.

New Bermondsey Station

New Bermondsey station appears to be an empty concrete shell, that just needs fitting out with stairs and/or lifts, entrances/exits, ticketing and platforms alongside the line.

  • The London Overground started running in December 2012 over the bridge.
  • Wikipedia says it will be an accessible station.
  • It probably needs to be an accessible station, if no car parking is provided in the development.
  • The article on LondonReconnections confirms that lifts will be fitted from opening date.
  • There are hints on the Internet, that the station will open before substantial development happens in the area.

I would hope that the station wouldn’t take too long to finish.

South Bermondsey Station

South Bermondsey Station is at the other end of the development and it is a station that needs improvement.

  • I used it today and there are lots of stairs to the platforms.
  • As with New Bermondsey station, it needs to be made step-free.
  • It is also a cold, draughty station and needs a few shelters.

But it could be made into a much better station to serve Millwall Football Club.

Millwall Football Club

Millwall Football Club appear to have plans for the future and the New Bermondsey development will probably make access to the ground more difficult.

But it will have two stations close by, instead of one.

Traffic

There were roadworks in the area and that partly explains the crowded roads.

But will the road network be able to cope with construction traffic generated by the development?

At least the residents won’t have any cars of their own.

Conclusion

I hope this development works as it will create 3,500 much-needed homes, but will the absence of car parking in the development mean that many won’t want to move there?

February 8, 2022 Posted by | Transport/Travel, World | , , , , | 3 Comments

Black Mass One Of The Hottest Issues In Battery Recycling

The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on Recycling Magazine.

It gives a good description of black mass.

February 6, 2022 Posted by | World | , , | Leave a comment

London To Be A Magnet For Overseas Cash, Says Knight Frank

The title of this post, is the same as that of this article in The Times.

This is the first paragraph.

Investors from around the world are expected to spend £60 billion on London offices over the next five years in a post-Brexit, post-pandemic vote of confidence in the capital.

They also feel that the Americans will lead the investors.

I was pleased to read this, as although, they are talking mainly about offices, these will inevitably lead to a greater need for quality housing.

And the more people live in the city, the more public transport will be dug through London’s obliging clay, the more places of entertainment will open and the city will become an even better place to live.

It will also mean that if people like me want to more out, we won’t have trouble selling our properties.

February 4, 2022 Posted by | World | , , , | Leave a comment

Royal Souvenirs Have ‘Platinum Jubbly’ Misprint

The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on the BBC.

These are the first three paragraphs.

A spelling mistake on thousands of pieces of Platinum Jubilee merchandising, calling it the “Platinum Jubbly”, is proving a challenge for souvenir sellers.

The cups and plates were meant to mark the Queen’s 70-year reign.

Clearance website boss Karl Baxter said – “in classic Del Boy-style” – he will pitch them as collectors’ items.

It is so sad that Prince Philip is no longer with us. As a Greek he would surely have had some very appropriate jokes about plate smashing.

February 1, 2022 Posted by | World | , , | 2 Comments

Northern Eden Project Worth £125 million Gets Green Light

The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on The Times.

These are the first two paragraphs.

Plans to transform the seafront of a deprived town into a £125 million northern outpost of the Eden Project have been given the green light.

Councillors in Lancashire approved plans for the site on Morecambe seafront which it is hoped will attract around a million visitors and create 400 jobs.

I think the Eden Project Morecambe could be a real Northern success.

Here’s my reasoning.

Location, Location, Location

These are the three most important factors with any house, building or property.

Morecambe has a superb location for visitors coming by car or train, as is close to both the M6 Motoway and the West Coast Main Line.

I wrote about getting to the Eden Project in Getting To The Proposed Morecambe Eden Project By Train.

I suspect visitors coming by road, would drive to a suitable Park-and-Ride and then take a train.

Lancaster Will Be A High Speed Two Station

Lancaster will be served by the following High Speed Two services.

  • London Euston – Two hours and three minutes – One tph
  • London Old Oak Common – One hour and fifty-six minutes – One tph
  • Birmingham Curzon Street – One hour and six minutes – One tph
  • Crewe – Fifty-nine minutes – One tph
  • Warrington Bank Quay – Forty-two minutes – One tph
  • Wigan North Western – Thirty-one minutes – Two tph
  • Preston – Seventeen minutes – Two tph
  • Oxenholme – Twelve minutes – One tp2h
  • Penrith – Thirty-five minutes – One tp2h
  • Carlisle – Fifty-two minutes – One tph
  • Lockerbie – One hour and eleven minutes – One tph
  • Edinburgh – Two hours and twelve minutes – One tp2h
  • Motherwell – One hour and fifty-six minutes – One tp2h
  • Glasgow – Two hours and twelve minutes – One tp2h

Note.

  1. tph is trains per hour.
  2. tp2h is trains per two hours.
  3. A shuttle train between Lancaster and the Eden Project Morecambe will probably add ten minutes.

High Speed Two will make the Eden Project Morecambe one of the best connected entertainment venues in the UK.

Avanti West Coast And TransPennine Express North Of Warrington Bank Quay After High Speed Two Opens

When High Speed Two opens, it is likely that North of Warrington Bank Quay station, the operating speed of this section of the West Coast Main Line will be faster than the  current 125 mph, as the track will have been straightened and digital signalling will have been installed.

It will probably be at least 140 mph.

These trains will be running express passenger services on the route and will be able to match the speed and timings of High Speed Two’s Classic-Compatible trains to the North of Warrington Bank Quay station.

  • Avanti West Coast’s Class 390 trains
  • TransPennine Express’s Class 397 trains
  • TransPennine Express’s Class 802 trains

There is likely to be savings of a few minutes on these services.

  • Avanti West Coast – London Euston and Glasgow Central
  • TransPennine Express – Manchester Airport, Manchester Piccadilly and Glasgow Central
  • TransPennine Express – Liverpool Lime Street and Glasgow Central

Connections from the North-West of England and Southern Scotland will be fast and frequent.

Eden Project Morecambe Will Be A Day Trip For Greater North West England

An area defined by Carlisle, Blackburn, Manchester, Crewe, Chester, Liverpool and Blackpool will be close enough to have a day trip to the venue.

Eden Project Morecambe Is Unlikely To Be A Poor Attraction

The Eden Project Morecambe must be worth attending, but with twenty years experience of running a similar attraction in Cornwall, it is unlikely to be a failure.

Eden Project Morecambe Will Be Easier To Travel To Than The Original Eden Project For Many

I have never even been past the Eden Project in Cornwall, as it is not the easiest place to get to without a car.

I intend to go, but it will probably need two nights in a hotel to do it justice.

But Eden Project Morecambe could well be much shorter trip from London.

Currently, Avanti West Coast’s fastest time between London Euston and Lancaster are two hours and forty minutes, which would mean an under three hours trip both ways to and from Eden Project Morecambe. The Cornish site is probably nearly five hours by public transport.

Conclusion

All these factors should contribute to the success of the attraction.

 

January 31, 2022 Posted by | World | , , , , , , | Leave a comment

HS2 To Trial New Building Method Which Could Provide Carbon-Free Energy

The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on Rail Technology Magazine.

This is the first three paragraphs.

Part of HS2’s Innovation programme, an HS2 building site in London is to become a test bed for a new building method which could ultimately provide carbon-free energy to stations on the new high speed route.

The new approach will be trialled by contractors Mace Dragados at the project’s Euston station site in London and will draw ground heat up through the foundations of a newly-built construction site office.

Developed by Keltbray, the innovative new technology is estimated to harness enough energy to supply 80% of the building’s heating and hot water needs.

It’s an incredibly simple, but extremely powerful idea, that revolutionises heating, cooling and hot water in buildings.

Read the article and then read the brochure on the Keltbray web site.

January 29, 2022 Posted by | Energy, Transport/Travel, World | , , , , , , | 1 Comment

What is Mineral Carbonation And How Could It Transform The Building Industry?

The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on AZO CleanTech.

This is the introductory paragraph.

Natural carbonates have been prime building materials for centuries, but synthetic carbonates are a modern, robust building material, created via mineral carbonation.

The article is a must-read introduction to this fascinating Australian technology, which could be very important in combating climate change.

There is also an explanatory video, which is worth a watch.

January 21, 2022 Posted by | World | , , | Leave a comment

Green Ships Ahoy Along Vital Corridors

The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on 7 News Australia.

These are the first two paragraphs.

Australia’s biggest miners are preparing for a day of reckoning.

Shipping accounts for two to three per cent of global greenhouse gas emissions so manufacturers and retailers are no longer just considering what appears in national targets.

The article then goes on to explain how the big mining companies are cutting their emissions.

This paragraph illustrates how important mining and shipping is to Australia.

Resources and energy earnings passed $300 billion for the first time in 2020-21 and will surge towards $400 billion in 2021-22, according to December figures.

Hence the big need for ships fuelled by lower carbon fuels.

January 2, 2022 Posted by | Hydrogen, Transport/Travel, World | , , , , , , | 2 Comments

The Time I Said No To Joan Collins

I’m watching Joan Collins In her programme On BBC 2.

It reminds me of the time I met her.

It must have been between 1985 and 1987, as she was with her fourth husband; Peter Holm, who is exactly two months younger than I am.

We had all travelled from Los Angeles to London on British Airways and we were queuing for passport checks. Joan was to my right and Peter was looking very disinterested.

Then out of the blue, she asked me, if I had a light for her cigarette.

I replied that I was sorry, but I didn’t smoke.

She just smiled and put the cigarette away!

January 1, 2022 Posted by | Transport/Travel, World | , , , , | Leave a comment

24/7 Bingo? You Can’t Be Serious?

Yesterday, I went to Dunelm for the first time and came away with a cushion, which I needed for an experiment.

I took these pictures as I walked back to the station to come home.

24/7 Bingo? Have you ever heard of anything so sad?

January 1, 2022 Posted by | World | , | 4 Comments