LifestyleMemories

This week 10, 20, 30 years ago

10 Years Ago

Campaigners celebrated a High Court victory in the battle to save Lewisham Hospital.

Mr Justice Silber ruled Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt did not have the powers to downgrade emergency and maternity services at the hospital to solve the financial problems of a neighbouring South London Healthcare Trust.

The decision follows legal challenges brought by Lewisham council and the save the Lewisham Hospital campaign.

However, following the Wednesday decision, the department of Health revealed it would appeal against the decision.

Businesses in a South London borough were furious after planning permission was given to turn their premises into offices.

Network Rail applied to refurbish and redevelop the Union Street railway arches earlier in the year.

The decision by Southwark’s planning committee meant the businesses had an uncertain future and feared they could be kicked out in favour of other companies.

A boxing superstar hosted a packed open day for fans at his gym just weeks before his world title fight.

Followers of heavyweight boxer David Haye flocked to his gym in Vauxhall to meet their hero and experience the blood, sweat and tears required to reach the top of the sport.

Each fan received a signed photo and had the opportunity to buy Hayemaker memorabilia from the gym in Randall Road.


20 Years Ago

Commuters were told that they faced an extra year of cramped trains because Transport for London (TfL) had made less than expected from the new Congestion Charge.

The £110million overhaul of the Docklands Light Railway, which included adding an extra carriage to every train, had to be put on hold for 12 months.

Commuters were told work to make platforms longer to accommodate the new carriages would not be carried out until 2008, thanks to a £65million shortfall in predicted Congestion Charge revenue.

A heatwave in the summer of 2003 left the streets too hot for prostitutes, according to police.

Lambeth vice squad carried out a raid targeting kerb-crawlers and prostitutes but made fewer arrests than they expected.

A South London Press reporter joined the unit for an hour, during which time no arrests were made.

Police in the borough had adopted a “name and shame” policy for kerb-crawlers following numerous complaints from residents.

Several bar staff reported seeing ghostly goings-on at a pub in Bermondsey used as a makeshift mortuary during the Second World War.

Staff at the Leather Exchange in Leathermarket Street said they felt people brushing past them as they bottled up in the basement after hours.

One flatly refused to go back into the basement.

But pub manager Kate Tarkington claimed they were just trying to get out of doing work.


30 Years Ago

Leaders said they had high hopes of securing grant money for a major overhaul of their estate.

Lambeth council was competing with others for a share of the Government’s Estate Action Fund earmarked for upgrading the nation’s sink estates.

An action team, including an architect, council workers and community leaders was scrambled in a bid to win a share of the cash for Brixton’s Angell Town Estate.

The group estimated that £50million was needed.

A 13-year-old girl was shot in the arm when she was caught in the crossfire of a shoot-out between waring gang members.

The girl was on her way to a family night out in Coldharbour Lane, Brixton, when she was hit in the upper arm.

She was rushed to hospital and the gang members fled the scene.

Police said she was a casualty of a drugs turf war and stepped up their raids on suspected gang members in the wake of the incident.

Police called for a live-in warden to be reinstated at a care home after a pensioner was stabbed in the neck.

The 75-year-old former soldier was left in a pool of blood at the West Norwood sheltered home where he lived.

The pensioner survived the stabbing, which happened during a burglary.

The home had a live-in warden until two years earlier and police said it was only because the attackers were scared off by the man’s neighbours that he escaped more serious injury.

 

Pictured: Pixabay einar_magnus

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