Thank you for your support of The Greenwich Wire during a turbulent and busy 2025. Before we throw the old year into the bin, editor DARRYL CHAMBERLAIN has a personal look back at the past 12 months, and reveals our most-read stories.
We’ve made it to the end of another year. To everyone who has supported The Greenwich Wire by contributing a monthly payment to keep it running, or signed up to our emails, tipped us off about a story or simply told their friends there’s this website they should see and emails they can get – thank you ever so much.
We had record page views and visitor numbers this year, but more importantly we now have 2,600 people getting our stories by email, which means we can bypass the noise, nonsense and hatred on social media or the slop that pollutes platforms like Google these days.
It’s been a bumpy year for me both personally and professionally – I’ve spent much of the festive break worn out, frankly – so I’m pleased that so many people find what The Greenwich Wire does is useful.
It’s going to be a challenging year ahead too. In Greenwich, we are facing what could be the most dramatic council election in half a century, which is going to be a lot of work. And then we’ll have to deal with what happens afterwards.
What I do know, though, is that if this website is to survive to cover the election after that, it may well need to be a different beast – relying less on me and more on others, not just in editorial but in business skills too. A challenging autumn when I couldn’t spend much time on the site, which was then hit by serious technical glitches, was a sharp reminder of how fragile the business is and how difficult it is to manage this alone.
I had a big step forward this year by taking up some hot-desking office space, which has been amazing in terms of helping me work. That was actually quite a big investment for the site, but sadly that’s now at risk because the charges are going up.
Then – worst of all – we were hit with Rachel Reeves’ national insurance rise, which has made a big dent in the site’s outgoings. I may have found an exemption, but if not, on our very slim margins that’s a cost I simply can’t afford, and I may have to look again at the future.
More broadly speaking, I’m feeling pretty bleak about the future for local independent news. Well-meaning interventions keep backfiring. There’s very little cash to make the meaningful changes needed to push ahead. And the social media platforms which once turbocharged websites like this are now not just competitors, but hostile states fomenting hatred in our communities.
Just as worryingly, I really don’t think most of my industry has the first clue about what to do in areas like most of SE London, where the local news infrastructure has now almost completely collapsed. The most lauded local and regional news products of the past couple of years are (really good) newsletters that often build on the work of others doing the basics – but what happens when that basic coverage disappears, as the South London Press did in May?
Is The Greenwich Wire a solution? It may be part of it, but it’ll need to be different if it’s to survive in the future. Can you help? Let me know if you can.
There are reasons to be cheerful, though. I’m really pleased to have Salamander as a neighbour in Lewisham – if you’re there, please give it your support. I’m learning a few things from their original approach. Kent Current has been a real breath of fresh air and I’m learning lots there too. And I was delighted to see the South London Press’s Richard Cawley bounce back so quickly after that title closed with South London Sport: Charlton Athletic Edition.
And The Greenwich Wire published lots of stuff I’m proud of. Some of which are in the top 25 most-read stories…
1. Greenwich Foot Tunnel cyclists could face ‘substantial’ fines after council U-turn (June 26)
The most-read story came from a single, throwaway line in a council meeting. A member of the public asked a question about the annoyance of riders charging through the tunnel, and the response came: “We are in discussions with our counterparts in Tower Hamlets to agree substantial fines for cyclists failing to dismount in the tunnel. We are looking to get this agreed by the end of summer 2025.”
What happened? Not a lot, it seems. I asked the council on Monday and got this answer the next day: “We’re exploring how best to implement fines for people who ride irresponsibly through the foot tunnels in our borough. While this work continues, we have installed new signs instructing cyclists to dismount their bikes and walk them through the tunnels, and we have installed notices that clearly show e-bikes are not permitted and that e-hire bike journeys must be terminated outside the tunnel.
“We continue to work closely with Tower Hamlets to identify ways of ensuring the Foot Tunnel is a safe, well-maintained route, used responsibly by all. We’ll keep residents and the wider public updated on this process.”
2. Applications open for Blackwall and Silvertown tunnel toll discounts (January 29)
The first of a number of tunnel tales. In the end, only a few thousand people signed up for the discounts they were entitled to.
3. Two more councillors quit Greenwich Labour while ten women stand down (September 10) Nobody’s interested in local politics, the big companies believe, but the turbulence in Greenwich Council’s ruling party grabbed readers’ attention.
4. Ikea unhappy as Greenwich planners back 1,250 flats on its car park (June 10)
There was huge interest in these ambitious plans to do something with a large piece of tarmac and an eventually-to-be-vacated DIY store. Councillors ended up approving the scheme the following week, but when – or if – any work begins, heaven alone knows.
5. Labour councillor quits after facing sanction for defending residents (May 9)
Reading this back a few months on, the details are still shocking. A councillor makes some mild comments to show empathy with unhappy residents, for which she is targeted with an investigation in which her ward colleague gives evidence against her. If you want to know why people are angry with their leaders, start here.
6. Silvertown Tunnel bus routes will be free even if you don’t cross the Thames (January 16)
Admit it, you’ve let another bus go to get a free 108, 129 or SL4 instead, haven’t you? I certainly have…
7. Woolwich Ferry traffic soars after Blackwall and Silvertown tunnels tolled (June 4)
One to keep an eye on. Admittedly, the “soaring” was from a low base – but it doesn’t take much extra traffic to cause problems at the ferry. As far as traffic at the tunnel itself goes, things are generally flowing smoothly northbound – for now, at least – but keep an eye on what happens going south each evening, which was always the worry.
8. Earlier start for London Marathon 2025 – but engineering work disrupts trains (April 23)
You’d think that one of the world’s greatest running events would bring a Sunday off from rail disruption, but no. Maybe next year.
9. TfL confirms it will scrap 472 bus for faster Superloop service (July 24)
The new SL11 bus will start on January 24, but will result in a worse service for many residents along its route, particularly those who have moved into shiny new council housing on the old Morris Walk Estate only to see the new buses cruise past their stop.
10. Greenwich LTN fines will be issued from this week, council confirms (January 1)
The low-traffic neighbourhood really kicked in on January 2, after fines were delayed because the signs hadn’t all been installed.
11. Greenwich Council scraps most of its ‘sustainable streets’ CPZ schemes (December 18)
Here’s what I should do next year: turn all this into a presentation called “how not to propose and consult on major changes to local streets”, tour it around all the other councils, and make lots of money.
12. Lewisham’s Model Market to return after five years away (December 2)
This is one of those stories that makes me feel old, because I remember the original Model Market – a lively shopping area – and can’t quite pin down when it closed because I wasn’t paying attention at the time. Maybe someone will reopen the fantastic Morps Music in this latest incarnation, but I shan’t hold my breath (if Mr Morp is reading this, please get in touch!).
13. More Silvertown Tunnel buses would be ‘moving fresh air around’, councillors told (February 13)
Judging by the healthy numbers using the new SL4 to commute to Canary Wharf from Blackheath and Lee, I think we can call this TfL claim nonsense. It’s genuinely amazing how an opportunity to transform the bus network has been completely missed. More broadly, the inability of local leaders to meaningfully engage with the area’s public transport problems – beyond the odd bit of showboating – was one of the year’s more dispiriting themes.
14. ‘Full regeneration’ coming for Greenwich Foot Tunnel after councils reach truce (December 4)
Only a severe shortage of time during the autumn stopped me from running a TELL THIS MAN TO ANSWER HIS EMAILS story about the Tower Hamlets councillor who seemed less than interested in talking to his Greenwich counterpart about the tunnel, with his press office not bothering to answer my questions either. Good sense finally prevailed, though.
15. Wembley fever hits Charlton Athletic fans as play-off final awaits (May 19)
The Addicks went on to win the play-off final – but the real prize will now be staying in the Championship for a second season.
16. Heritage buses to run on route 54 from Blackheath for one day only (August 12)
Did you take a ride? I did, and it was striking to see how many people were out and about taking a look, and not just the usual suspects. The London Bus Museum’s next heritage day will be on route 38 in central London in March.
17. Greenwich LTN restrictions are staying despite new ‘N1’ permit signs (March 19)
More LTN, more signage issues.
18. Duke of Greenwich pub to close after just two years in business (September 3)
More proof that property developers and pubs are not a good mix, unfortunately.
19. Green Party’s Tamasin Rhymes wins Shooters Hill by-election (June 27)
A little bit of history with the Greens securing their own council seat, thanks in part to the Labour Party shooting itself in both feet. It’d be easy to mock the losers here – and it really did feel like a sitcom at one point – but where the Greens go after this is going to be an interesting tale.
20. Woolwich Waves leisure centre to open on New Year’s Day (December 2)
The Waterfront’s swimming pools closed quietly before Christmas, but New Year’s Eve is the last day for the gym and other facilities. I’m of the generation that never went there when it opened because we believed the urban myths about razorblades in the waterslides…
21. Woolwich’s Harry Perry Cycles nears the end of the road after 51 years (May 23)
Thanks to Brian Stater for this wonderful feature about a Woolwich institution. I’d love to run more pieces like this.
22. Greenwich’s ‘sustainable streets’ CPZ scheme branded a ‘done deal’ (July 16)
In the end, it wasn’t (except in Woolwich, where fewer people grumbled). It was clear something was up because nobody could explain why the plans looked nothing like the attractive street in the photos.
23. Greenwich Council’s debt soars by more than £900 per resident (August 26)
This was a collaboration with the BBC’s shared data unit, which spotted the startling rise in Greenwich’s debt and got in touch. The Shooters Hill equestrian centre got some TV coverage and The Greenwich Wire got a very well-read story.
24. Lewisham’s Bakerloop BL1 bus will be free for its first week (September 24)
I’m fully expecting this bus – introduced as a stopgap before a Bakerloo Line extension is built – to be running for donkeys’ years. In 2040, Sadiq Khan, in his seventh term as mayor, will be reduced to promising a brand new set of buses for the BL1, while converting the old Bakerloo Line to a “vintage Tube experience” for rich tourists.
25. Army linked to potential takeover of Greenwich’s equestrian centre (July 2)
It took the Army until just before Christmas to answer a Freedom of Information Act request on whether or not they contacted the council about this. Most of our request was refused on national security grounds (!), but the gist of it is… yes, an unknown figure in the military did contact the council in January with a proposal about “equine welfare”.
The next five: Parkrun could come to Greenwich Peninsula (it began in November and is back this Saturday); Lewisham Gateway woes; the battle over Lewisham’s Citibank tower; Blackheath fireworks tickets (I had some but was ill and couldn’t go); and Woolwich Barracks could host 1,900 homes – but not Greenwich’s archives.
What’s going to happen in 2026, then?
It’s hard to see beyond the council election on May 7 – the wildly unpopular Labour government, combined with surges of support for the Greens and Reform means that for the first time in at least half a century, it’s not actually a nailed-on certainty that Labour will win outright. They are still more likely to than not, but get ready for a particularly nasty election – and potentially a very awkward aftermath.
There could also be more cuts and sell-offs as Greenwich wasn’t one of the winners in the government’s changes to council funding – we will know more in the next few weeks. Adventure playcentres and library opening hours remain in the firing line.
Cutty Sark DLR station should reopen in the spring – the new escalators were delivered by rail before Christmas – while the new Troubadour Greenwich Peninsula 3,000-seat theatre should make some progress. A decision on flats for Blackheath station’s car park is due in the coming weeks. We may even find out if Woolwich Exchange – the plans for the old covered market area – will ever see the light of day, but don’t get your hopes up.
And finally…
Thank you again to those who have supported The Greenwich Wire over the year, particularly with times being so tough. Without you, this doesn’t happen. And with your help, hopefully I can bring you more original news stories in 2026. Happy new year.
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