Author: Blake Foster

A new NHS survey has revealed where Lewisham patients are having the best – and the most disappointing – experiences with their GP surgeries. According to the 2025 GP Patient Survey, Deptford Medical Centre, Nightingale Surgery, and Lee Road Surgery were the top three rated practices in Lewisham, with more than 80 per cent of patients reporting a good experience. Meanwhile, at the other end of the scale, The QRP Surgery, The Lewisham Care Partnership, and Triangle Group Practice received the lowest scores in the borough. With rising demand and growing pressure on NHS staff, many surgeries are still working…

First opened in 1933, the station is one of the last in London to still have wooden platforms. Network Rail has said that the works are “essential”, claiming that they will extend the life of the station and improve the passenger experience. South Western Railway services will not stop at the station while the upgrade takes place. Here, we have answered all of the questions you might have about the project.   When will the station shut? Work is set to begin on the upgrade on May 11, 2026, and will last for 15 weeks. This means that the station will…

Anisa Khan, who owns Sutton’s Bombay Pizza, posted on her TikTok account about what she has done to help her business grow. The owner, who was a runner-up on this year’s Apprentice, said she handwrote thank you cards and review requests for every order in her first year. She also said that when there were staffing issues, she did every role herself, including making and delivering pizzas. Anisa Khan owns Bombay Pizza (Image: Anisa Khan) Anisa even said she worked for her pizza business while working in management consulting. She would work from Bombay Pizza, take client calls on mute,…

In Blackheath, residents are seeking permission for tree work, including reducing an ash tree back to previous pollard points at Flat B, 69 Shooters Hill Road (Ref: 25/2263/TC). At 6 Holm Walk, a 12-metre Leylandii may be felled due to its low amenity value (Ref: 25/2264/TC). In Parkgate, a resident at 23B has asked to reduce the height of a Purple Norway Maple from 10 metres to 8 metres (Ref: 25/2246/TC). Meanwhile, at 77 Maidenstone Hill, a 10-metre sycamore could be reduced by 3 metres in height and by 2 metres across its spread (Ref: 25/2247/TC). In Eltham, the owner…

The road will be shut between Belmont Road and Horsa Road, with parking and loading also banned along that stretch during the works, which starts from July 21. A diversion will be in place via Belmont Road, Bedonwell Road and Parsonage Manorway. Access to Tyler Close and Northumberland Park will remain open throughout. The closure is expected to last up to seven days, with signs showing exactly when the restrictions are active. Emergency and works vehicles will still be allowed through when needed. Want to find out all the latest planning applications, alcohol licensing applications and planned road closures near…

Bexley Council has waved through proposals to develop the site at 235 and 237 Broadway, the site of a charity shop and former HSBC branch. The two-storey building will be knocked down and replaced by a five-storey block. In total, 15 flats will be created in the new development, with a shop remaining on the ground floor. The development will replace two shops in Bexleyheath Broadway (Image: Google) There will be six single-bedroom flats, seven flats with two bedrooms and two flats with three bedrooms. The HSBC branch at 235 Broadway shut in 2021 after the lease expired, and number…

In Rainham, a single-storey rear extension is proposed at 25 Blewitts Cottages on New Road under prior approval (Y0185.25). Another application in the area includes the conversion of a garage to habitable space and the construction of a single-storey side extension at 1 Kelburn Way (P0871.25). A similar rear extension is planned following the demolition of an existing conservatory at 27 Burwood Gardens (P0878.25). In Upminster, at 103A Moor Lane, a new vehicular crossover is proposed (P0711.25). Hornchurch residents at 69 Calbourne Avenue have applied for a prior-approval single-storey rear extension reaching six metres in depth (Y0186.25). In Romford, 53…

Marks & Spencer told me that the company decided in 1990 not to stock organic meat as there was “insufficient demand to justify shelf space”. Waitrose at that time did not sell organic meat and had their own unpublished standards for ‘traditional pork’ and ‘English country lamb’. How times have changed, and how much for the better. Now, provenance is all; meat can be traced back to individual animals, individual farms. Harley’s which opened in Hampstead this month, is selling poulet de Bresse, Iberico pork and rare breed steaks. (Image: Harley’s) The thesis of the book was to explore the…

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Breakfast TV presenter Naga Munchetty and the BBC’s Chief International Correspondent Lyse Doucet are among the names appearing in the North West London park across the two-day festival. The 2025 line-up also includes The Line of Beauty author Alan Hollinghurst; a rare in person appearance by Buddha of Suburbia author Hanif Kureishi; local literary star Zadie Smith; and actress Tuppence Middleton, who openly chronicles her experiences with OCD in her memoir Scorpions. The festival of lit talks, comedy and panel discussion takes place on August 30 and 31 this year. (Image: The Queens Park Book Festival) Taking place in tents in the picturesque park, the festival blends village fete charm…