Letters to the council

Don't forget to get those letters rolling in to Greenwich Council. Unless of course if you want an exclusive late night bar with NO windows. HOW DODGY DOES THAT SOUND? Unless Labour has brought back window tax, I don't see the logic in it. The Council planning department really must deal with this. It's a CONSERVATION AREA for God's sake.

Also, click here for your FREE opposition poster. It's from our very own award winning Plumstead Common Environment Group.

Write now.

Happy Birthday

Happy Birthday to me, happy birthday to me etcetera..............

I've just noticed that I've been talking to myself for a whole year
now. In some circles, I'd be lobotomised.

Here's a picture of a seriously kitsch cake sent in by one imaginary lovely listener. Designs as foul as this must have ASBO's slapped on them.

Hip Hip Boo Hoo

Thanks to the lovely listeners who had pointed me to the sad news that Hip Hip Hooray, Plumsteadshire's premiere cake and home bake emporium, is to close it's doors once and for all.

I absolutely love local shops and feel slightly bad that I haven't supported HHH. It's difficult though as I think the last time I tried home baking was in home economics at school. Baking just ain't my game. Of course, I could support HHH by buying a bag of self raising every month, but what if the local bobby on the beat happens to pop in for a friendly cup of tea and digestive? What if said police-person sees my larder full to the brim of white powdery stuff? I've seen Midnight Express and don't want to go there.

One of my lovely listener's had mentioned the old Post Office. I've had my eye on this place for a few years. Admittedly, I've made no formal enquiries, but had heard a rumour that Hip Hip Hooray tried to buy it once but failed. That building is just about the best spot. In fact, I think it is more desirable than The Ship. It is screaming for attention and repair, but it would be worth it. I don't know who owns it, but step forward now.

Wake Up And Smell The Coffee

Hmmmmmmm coffeeeeee!!!!

The Plumsteadshire rejuvenation masterplan has started. I see a billiant little deli with chairs and tables outside and handpainted signage (none of that new fangled backlit perspex rubbish). A fish-monger selling fresh swimming things bought early in the morning from Billingsgate. Said fish-monger would wear a straw boater, rosy cheeks and huge sideburns (this would apply if our fish monger is a lady too). A wet fish shop was trialed in our parish only a few years ago, but had nothing to sell me. We won't make this mistake again.

I see a community in full swing. We'll pass each other in the street and doff our hats and lay down our capes for genteel ladies.

One step at a time, I know, so a deli would be an excellent start. I'm there already.

"Four hundred grammes of thickly sliced chorizo please squire."

Meeting on Sunday

Dear friends,

Nick Day of the award winning Plumstead Common Environment Group fame, has asked me to mention that PCEG are having a meeting tomorrow (Sunday 24th September), at 3pm. Location - The church hall on Old Mill Road.

I'm sure all things environmental, wholesome and local will be spoken about, but the future of The Ship Pub is also on the agenda. A hot topic, as we all know. It'll be a great opportunity for all to get together and share views and maybe work out a game plan.

Please make the effort to go along as we have to act pretty sharpish.

Let me quote from Aesop - 'United we stand, divided we fall'.

Infamy, infamy we've all got it in for Busta

Here's another news item going to press. It's from the South London Press and covers Saturday's protest. The Parisian students ain't got a patch on the residents of Plumsteadshire.

MP Does Good

Clive Efford has shown some love to Plumstead Common. Thanks to my lovely listener who pointed me to his website. Take a look for yourselves.

Busta Is A Dumb Shyster

A Dumb Shyster, well that's the best rename yet.

Anagrams are great aren't they?
Or how about 'Drab Messy Hut'?

That's a bit close to the bone I think.
Or what about 'Absurd Thymes'?

Brilliant.

Do I have a life? Or do I just sit in a corner and think of anagrams? Thank God for the inter web. Does it in seconds.

By the way, did anyone go to that meeting last Saturday? I'd like to know what the result was. Have we got a councillor on the case? Is the Mercury going to cover this story? I know it's not a stabbing or a shooting, or a fete being opened by Chico.

Enough frivolity. Get those letters of objection in. Pen, paper, stamp. It's like the olden days again. Snail mail and community spirit.

yummy food and real ale

Some people have mentioned about contacting gastro publicans and attracting the right kind of establishment worthy of Plumstead Village (you wait, David Evans and that mob will be on to that one soon). We at Plumsteadshire HQ had written a couple of letters to such establishments early this year.

No harm in trying.

Ship Pub rename

You know something. Not only do I not like the sound of the Bust Da Rhyme bar and shake yo booty emporium, I don't like the name either.

This has been noted by several lovely listeners and I've been thinking of a renaming. All anagrams

So far, I've come up with
SAD THYME RUB - Sounds kind of homeopathic
DUSTY BRA HEM
SHADY RUM BET - Most accurate

License app

Thanks very much to the anonymous 'lovely listener' who had commented on Plumsteadshire.

I have copy and pasted their comment below. An intelligent and informative piece of writing. Thank you very much.
Doctor Pangloss



Having been a licensee of many venues in my time, although not a local resident, I thought I might comment.

I can see from the other comments that there is strong feeling against the granting of the license. Is there also strong feeling against the previous license before the premises were closed ?

If there are many objections, the licensee will almost certainly push to have a new license granted that is similar, if not identical, to the previous license. Within a few years (next Brewsters is 2008 I believe) there will be an application to vary this license and get where they wanted to go anyway, or maybe small steps per year. So letting any license be granted could just be letting the true horror in by the backdoor.

The few but most effective ways I know to stop a license are...

1. Raise objections with the local police liaison for liquor licensing. If they go to meet the licensee (as they're required to do) after hearing many objections, they are less likely to give a favourable report back to the magistrate.

2. Raise objections with the public entertainments licensing officer at the council. From experience, it takes a lot to convince them that you have a reasonable case for a PEL, and more still to get the hours you applied for. Therefore, it's much easier to get a rejection than a grant.

If the license is granted, all is not lost.

1. Most late license grants are based on some very shakey foundations. Failure to provide "sufficient food" (not properly defined in law, but more than bags of crisps, usually something that requires cutlery) can invalidate the license beyond 11pm. If the late part of the license is granted in conjuction with a PEL (Public Entertainment License) then is can be invalidated by silly things like merely not having customers dancing to music.

2. Any interested party can request a review under section 51 of the Licensing Act 2003, where all of the objections you currently have can be re-raised but with case evidence of how the license has been misused.

Busta's license app

Hello again. Look what I found on the Greenwich Council website. It's the September 11th application - not that there's a bad omen or anything like that.

Message to The Plumster

Have you had confirmation from the Shooter's Hill councillor re. Saturday morning photoshoot / reportage?
Lorks a lordy!!!!! That's TODAY!!!!!!!!!

In the meantime, I'll ask my contact at Wernbrook Street if they know about this.

CODE RED - NEWS ALERT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Here is a posting from The Plumster on Plumsteadshire. Please read it and act upon it. Busta must be stopped. This is a very big step for the opposition campaign and it's going to happen this Saturday.

I've copied and pasted The Plumster's message below. Read on.

Thanks alot TP.

Please find below the content of an email I have received from a Shooters Hill councillor. Please get behind this on Saturday.

Thank you to all of you who have emailed myself and the other
councillors with your concerns about the licensing application for the
Ship Pub. I have today managed to get a look at the application and am happy to confirm that there is no mention of lapdancing within the
application.

However, they do intend to essentially turn the Ship into what could easily be called a mini nightclub, with the sale of alcohol up until
Midnight Monday - Thursday and upto 2am on Fridays, Saturdays and
Sunday's. They have applied for later hours for bank holidays etc.

I would like to make it plainly clear that I totally object to this
application and believe that such a facility within a highly
residential area is completely inappropriate. I would like to assure you that I will be doing everything I can to stop this. To that end, I have contacted the press and the Mercury have agreed to cover this story and
would like to take photogrpahs potentially on Saturday morning. The more people who we can get the better. I have invited Clive Efford MP for Eltham to attend as I know that he too is opposed to this application.

Under the Licensing Act 2003, Councillors must be asked by a resident to make representations on their behalf, so please could those of you who wish me to obbject on your behalf please make this clear in a letter and
send it to:

Merle Meadfors Searle
Committee Services
Town Hall
Wellington Street
SE18

I would advise you all to look at the licensing section on the council's website which details the four licensing areas that you can object and provides other useful information on the issue of Licensing.

Please let me know you have recieved this email and whether or not you are happy to attend on Saturday (I will confirm this as soon as the
Mercury let me know). I'm confident that with a big community campaign,
we can make sure that the Ship Pub is brought back into proper use.

Thursday, September 14, 2006 8:37:27 PM

Busy busy busy

I'm going to apologise in advance for the coming week. I'm up to my neck in work and might not be able to write much, which is a bit of a pain as these are crucial times to kick Buster's butt.

I've had really good response from you, lovely listener, and know you're all doing your bit to keep Plumsteadshire fragrant.

Now here's a suggestion to those who are running the petition. How about leaving a form at our beloved Co-Op? That way, the thousands of local residents can sign it. Let's be honest. It's not as if the queues move very quickly now do they?

Let's not get complacent. Time is against us.

Thank you all once again. Community action at work.

Bust Yer Ear Drums

Hello lovely listener,

I've discovered two things today.

Firstly, there is definitely a petition going around to oppose the all (night) singing all (night) dancing exclusive bar, but as far as I know, one of the petitions resides in a resident's house. As this is the case, I'm not going to write their address on Plumsteadshire. If the group of resident's are going to leave a petition at a public place, ie a local post office or newsagent, then I could let my lovely listeners know and you could form an orderly queue to sign it.

I'll let you you as soon as I know.

Secondly, the date on the license application has changed. This is the notice posted on the Ship Pub's door. It's a scrappy piece of blue paper as before (aesthetics aren't high on Busta's priorities). The sell-by date on the notice has changed. I think this date, the last date of appeal, has changed to 9th October. Don't quote me on this though.

Don't be complacent though, October is just around the corner. To appeal, write to

Public Services
11th Floor, Riverside House
Woolwich High Street
London
SE18 6DN

The Ship Burger Bar

It sounds like there is definitely a petition against the Bust Yer Rimes or whatever crap name it is. So, lovely listener, as soon as I find out who's organising the petition, I'll let you know.

It's times like this that I think a popular fast food joint would be more preferable to the current proposal.

What do you think to my artist's impression?

Are you lovin' it?

Madame Jo Jo's A.K.A. The Ship

Base camp Plumsteadshire has been putting out enquiries to Greenwich Council re. The Ship Pub development.

Lork's a lordy!!!!!! Upon mentioning of the license application, the trading standards department are UNAWARE of it, nor have they received any such application. Does this mean that Prakash Patel, the applicant, has posted up his own notice?

Would such under-hand devilry be possible in the World of property development?

Or has Greenwich Council managed to turn a blind eye to another great development in the local area? Can I say LIDL and Coronet Cinema in the same sentence?

The excellent Greenwich Watch blog has covered what sounds like a similar application at The Plaza building near Maze Hill. I don't know if the Maze Hillians managed to fight off that one, if so, could this be the same proposal but different area?

The Last Boy Scout has mentioned that there is a petition going around. I'm sure if we ask residents around The Ship Pub, particulary Wernbrook Street, they'll know who holds the petition so we can sign it. The clock is ticking, please write to the Trading Standards Dept at Greenwich Council or click here to go to the objections page of their website.

The Ship Pub and Sleeze Bar A Go Go

Many thanks to The Plumster for sterling detective work on The Ship Pub, soon to be renamed 'The Shit Pub'.

I've always seen Plumstead Common as a quiet family conurbation, a green and pleasant land where families go walking, friends play football and butterflies fly in delightful formation. Apart from what looks like drug dealing in the centre of the Common, it's an inoffensive place.

So why would we want an 'exclusive' late night bar with bricked-in windows and 'dancing' for? All sounds dubious and your guess is as good as mine.

The Plumster alerted me to a fresh premises licensing application posted up on the Ship Pub site. This is dated 1st September and any objections to be submitted before 21st September. There are four grounds of objection applicable.

1) Protection of children from harm
2) Public nuisance
3) Prevention of crime and disorder
4) Public safety

Given that this bar closes at midnight on a weekday and is located in a highly residential area, I think public nuisance could be a goer for starters.

See here for previous postings on Plumsteadshire.

If this pub is going to turn into a late night exclusive dancing bar, then I think the good people of Plumstead should know about it. Please stand up and be counted.

Contact or visit TRADING STANDARDS DEPT, 11TH FLOOR, RIVERSIDE HOUSE, WOOLWICH HIGH STREET, LONDON. SE18 6DN.
020 8921 8418.

Without wanting to sound like Bob Geldof, GET OFF O' YER ARSES AND DO IT NOW!!!! The deadline is very soon.