Greenwich Eye
Hey - I just read in the Mercury that the go-ahead has been given for an observation wheel a la The London Eye next summer - just for the summer months, outside the Pepys Centre. I know grump-mongers moaned about this and it got rejected at first but I for one am delighted the decision has been overturned. We can debate forever about whether it would have been an even better view from Blackheath but I just don't buy that it would be a terrible eyesore when you look at all the (permanent) construction going on around here just now. I think it's fantastic news. You'll have to elbow me out of the way if you want front place in the queue...
Labels: Events, Things to do
posted by The Greenwich Phantom at
18:44
12 Comments:
This is great news. Greenwich Concil in good decision shock, we should call the newspapers!
Good ,something to distract the visitors so they dont notice all the "Under Construction" signs .
How fabulous! Can'twaitcan'twaitcan'twait.
I *cannot* understand why anyone thinks this would be a bad idea...
Actually Greenwich Council's Planning Board voted (by a majority) to turn down the application earlier in the year. The Planning Inspector has now allowed the appeal from the Greenwich Foundation. He said:
"The decision is finely balanced. The wheel would have some negative efefct on the wider setting, but I believe that the magnificent buildings have such a commanding presence that the set-piece design could readily absorb this lightweight installation on its periphery......There would be significant culutural and educational benefits...I consider that the benefits of the scheme would be sufficient to outweigh the limited damage to amenity for the short period proposed"
It's only got permission to open June 21st-September 28th 2008 and must be dismantled immediately thereafter.
I would have thought that for 3 months of the year it would be a good thing to allow Greenwich a show piece whilst our beloved Cutty Sark is 'out of bounds'.
Good move Greenwich....now where do I sign up for a job?
Unbelievable. Greenwich Council claim one small, temporary wheel will 'have some negative effect on the wider setting' yet allow a Whetherspoons pub in the centre of the town. In my book getting attacked by drunken chavs has a considerably larger 'negative effect on the wider setting' but there you go.
And the massive development by the station does not detract at all from the World heritage site? Or the hideous hotel they allowed net to the station. The LB of Greenwich are absolute numpties when it comes to planning.
perhaps cllr. webbwood should also have told you about the council's new licensing policy passed the other night with plans to turn Greenwich into a 'saturation zone'.
What does that mean? I can't say I much like the sound of it...
Happy to oblige.
The Council may decide that "the cumulative impact of new licences is leading to an area becoming saturated with premises, making it a focal point for large groups of people to gather and thereby creating exceptional problems of disorder and nuisance, or otherwise compromising the licensing objectives, over and above the impact from the individual premises themselves."
Greenwich Council has decided that this applies in Greenwich Town Centre (includes Royal Hill & Ashburnham Triangle), Trafalgar Rd, Plumstead High St, Eltham Town Centre and Woolwich. In these areas the issue of cumulative impact can be taken into account when considering the individual merits of any future application. Loosely speaking this means that if Montezuma wants to set up an Aztec restaurant in Greenwich he will have to satisfy the Council that the new establishment will not add to the cumulative effect experienced.
Any chance they can focus on some of the ones already leading to disturbance? A certain Wetherspoons perhaps? Some friends of mine went to wait at the bus stop outside there the other night only to find themselves standing in a pool of blood. A few minutes later an ambulance arrived to cart off the warring factions.
To be honest it seems like a good thing if they're going to be a bit picky about what kind of establishments are going to open up but I can't really see that there are many worse disturbance magnets than that dreadful, soulless joint.
Sadly, judging on recent events, it would seem that the council's a bit of a toothless tiger anyway. They might be tough on Montezuma's Aztec restaurant but try the same thing on strip joints and pachinko parlours and central government will just overturn them anyway.
But this is getting off the point. An obesrvation wheel. In Greenwich. Yippeee.
I went on the wheel last Saturday evening with my husband, youngest daughter and her partner. It was brilliant and the views are excellent, we got some brilliant photos too and a pod all to ourselves. My daughter lives on the opposite side of the Thames and the wheel (which can be seen from the bottome of her road) illuminated in the darkness is really spectuclar
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