Lewisham & district · Local news you can trust
From 31 October, ten objections or a councillor's objection no longer sends a Lewisham planning application to committee. What changes and what to do now.
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Catford
Catford Arts Trail 10-11 October: 27 Venues, 10th Year
The Catford Arts Trail opens 27 homes and venues across SE6 on 10 and 11 October, 11am to 5pm, free. It marks ten years since the first trail in 2016.
Planning
KFC Signs Planned for Lewisham's 1937 Woolworths Building
A KFC franchisee has applied for illuminated signs at 142-144 Lewisham High Street, the empty unit in the Art Deco former Woolworths. The council validated it on 22 September.
Planning
Blackheath Station Car Park Listed as Community Asset
Lewisham has listed Blackheath station car park as an asset of community value, and fresh consultation letters on the 45-home plan went out on 21 September.
St John's
St John's Plaque Honours the 90 Killed in 1957 Rail Disaster
A maroon plaque to the 90 people killed in the 1957 St John's rail disaster was unveiled at the station on Saturday, in front of about 150 people.
Planning
Former Lewisham College: 802-Home Towers Split Councils
Officers advise Lewisham to refuse 802 homes in towers up to 30 storeys by Deptford Creek, while Greenwich's advise approval. Committees vote 24 September.
Blackheath
Blackheath: Free Bruno Gröning Film Premiere, 3 October
A free premiere of the documentary At the Side of Bruno Gröning runs at Blackheath Quaker Meeting House on Saturday 3 October, noon to 3pm, talk after.
House prices
Lewisham House Prices Up £3,434 as London Falls 3.3%
The average Lewisham home was £488,658 in July, up 0.7% in a year while London fell 3.3% and Lambeth 6.3%. Flats are the borough's only type losing value.
Jobs
Lewisham Claimant Count: 14,610, London's 7th Highest
14,610 people in Lewisham claimed unemployment-related benefits in August, a 6.8% rate against London's 5.5%. Over-50s are the only age group rising.
Health
Lewisham Named NHS Trailblazer, One of Six Sites in England
Lewisham and Greenwich are one of six NHS trailblazer sites in England, testing a new way to fund care closer to home. A six-month business case phase starts now.
Downham
Downham McDonald's Asks to Open 5am to 1am, Every Day
The Garden Gate drive-thru wants opening hours of 5am to 1am seven days a week, a month after winning its 1am planning fight. Objections close 2 October.
Honor Oak
Offload Challenge: 60-Club Charity Ride Calls at Honor Oak
Rob Shotton is cycling to 60 London rugby clubs in six days, 21 to 26 September, towing a water butt for mental health charity LooseHeadz. GKT's ground is on the route.
New Cross
Ten To Six: New Cross Cafe Film Heads For Japan And Mexico
The 14-minute drama shot at Corner cafe on New Cross Road won an audience award in Italy and screens in Japan and Mexico this autumn. London date: 3 October.
Council papers, planning applications, licensing notices and police crime data are all public, and almost nobody reads them. That gap is the whole reason this site exists. We go through them week by week and write up what they show, plainly, and we attach the paperwork so you can read the thing itself rather than our version of it.
Lewisham is a borough of neighbourhoods that behave like separate towns. Deptford and New Cross have little in common with Downham or Grove Park, and Brockley, Crofton Park, Honor Oak, Forest Hill, Sydenham, Ladywell, Hither Green, Catford, Lee and Blackheath are all distinct places with distinct concerns. So we always name the street or the ward. A licensing decision on Rushey Green is not local news in Bellingham, and you can decide for yourself whether a thing is yours. The same handful of practical questions come round every month, so we keep the answers permanently to hand.