It's time to raise a glass to Balham's beloved Exhibit as it has officially been named the best bar in the capital city With the abundance of brilliant bars scattered across the city it sure is tricky to pinpoint the best of the bunch But luckily for us (rather lazy) Londoners And the regional winners of the 2025 Muddy Stilettos Awards have just been announced the awards endeavor to shine a spotlight on the brilliant independent businesses that continue to make life in London (and beyond) a whole lot lovelier And as much as I would love to sit and wax lyrical about every single one of London’s wonderful winners; right now I’m going to focus specifically on the category in which I’m the most well-versed The beating heart of Balham‘s social scene Exhibit has been crowned the best bar in London Having opened its doors almost 25 years ago the beloved South London venue spans three vibrant floors Which perhaps explains why they bagged the title of ‘Best Event Venue’ in last year’s Muddy Stiletto Awards they’re going to need to invest in a bigger trophy cabinet at this rate I wonder which title they’ll be gunning for next year… Host to a plethora of events and activities; Exhibit is a go-to destination for Londoners Exhibit will now move onto the national awards competing against the other regional winners for the coveted title of ‘best bar in the whole blooming country’ (not the award’s official name The national winners will be announced in June I guess we’ll be waiting with baited breath until then said about the win: “Exhibit has always been close to my heart in the early days of my hospitality journey When Emma and I took over just before the pandemic we knew it would take passion and perseverance to reimagine what Exhibit could be Our vision was simple: create an inclusive space where every guest feels like family To now be recognised as London’s Best Bar is truly humbling This award belongs to our incredible team and the loyal guests especially our locals who’ve supported us every step of the way.” Wandsworth Council Planning Committee has unanimously voted in favour of demolishing the former offices of the Chartered Institute of Building Services Engineers (CIBSE) paving the way for a new high-quality housing development designed by Barnes Design and developed by IndigoScott promises to transform the site into a vibrant residential area featuring seven three-storey terraced townhouses with select plots offering second-floor rear balconies The architectural design draws inspiration from the nearby Victorian terraces ensuring a seamless integration with the existing urban landscape The use of traditional materials such as London Stock brick and sash windows reflects a commitment to maintaining the area’s historic charm The development’s scale and proportions have been meticulously planned to complement the surrounding buildings preserving the established streetscape’s visual harmony the project prioritises sustainability and energy efficiency and appliances will be incorporated to reduce energy consumption and enhance thermal performance The development will also explore renewable energy sources to minimise reliance on non-renewable energy including recycling and waste minimisation will be employed throughout the construction and operational phases Landscaping enhancements will focus on using native plant species to support local ecosystems and promote biodiversity The development will also provide secure cycle storage encouraging sustainable transport options and taking advantage of the site’s excellent public transport connections the redevelopment of the West Building represents a thoughtfully considered design that balances contemporary residential needs with respect for the surrounding architectural context By integrating sustainable design features the project aims to improve living conditions for residents while contributing positively to the ecological health of the community This approval marks a significant step forward in enhancing Wandsworth’s architectural legacy and meeting modern living demands © London West (powered by ukpropertyforums.com) Sign up to receive our weekly free journal, The Forum here and website in this browser for the next time I comment Δdocument.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value" UK Property Forums enable forums and events in the property sector which help to create business development opportunities Office Address:UK Property Forums Ltd is located in Reading 0203 478 7340info@ukpropertyforums.com We are using cookies to give you the best experience on our website You can find out more about which cookies we are using or switch them off in settings This website uses cookies so that we can provide you with the best user experience possible Cookie information is stored in your browser and performs functions such as recognising you when you return to our website and helping our team to understand which sections of the website you find most interesting and useful Strictly Necessary Cookie should be enabled at all times so that we can save your preferences for cookie settings we will not be able to save your preferences This means that every time you visit this website you will need to enable or disable cookies again Deputy Council Leader Kemi Akinola went to Balham to help the clean-up crew remove unsightly graffiti from the shutters of a charity shop we pledge to remove it within 7 days as part of our new set of resident guarantees Councillor Akinola said: “We want people to be proud of where they live and we know that residents hate seeing vandalism like this in their neighbourhood 7 days guarantee means we will quickly hear and act upon your concerns to keep our streets clean and safe and offer you the best possible service.” Report graffiti here Read more about our 7 rings, 7 days guarantee Sign up to our newsletter Guildford extended their unbeaten league run to five matches in a tough encounter at the Spectrum and such was their confidence and hard work it was hard to fathom just why they are sitting in the relegation positions and on two minutes missed a great chance to take the lead Jake Brown passed to Manny Acheampong in acres of space Although Guildford’s top-scorer this season Acheampong is not necessarily known for his clinical finishing and on this occasion the chance went begging when he shot straight at the keeper Seconds later City’s Jake Brown was brilliantly tackled as he entered the Balham box and the danger was averted As the game settled so the match became more disjointed Balham’s first effort on goal via a cross-shot over the bar came on 16 minutes Balham posed a more serious challenge 10 minutes later when City’s Jacob Terry was forced into a brilliant double save A long throw into the box led to a snapshot which Terry saved at full stretch on the line; recovering then to block a second effort from the loose ball Qasim Khan being brought down inside the box On 33 minutes City missed another golden chance to go ahead The powerful figure of Qasim Khan was brought down as he entered the box and despite Balham’s vociferous protests the referee awarded a penalty Sadly the normally reliable Jake Brown clipped the crossbar with his penalty effort which sailed over But Brown still got a shot away that by accident or design was perfectly placed and it went between two defenders and past the wrong-footed goalkeeper into the far corner of the goal Brown was clearly relieved to vindicate himself from his spot-kick error Credit to Balham in the second half for pushing hard in search of an equaliser Within minutes of the restart Jacob Terry saved well from the lively Piers Oldland the ball was played back to Jack Banks who shot over from just outside the box It was a decisive spell in the game and indecision in the City defence gave Dan David a shooting opportunity But City came through this period unscathed and started to look dangerous themselves Qasim Khan seemed to have turned his defender and run free A minute later City won back possession deep in Balham’s half and Khan’s low effort went narrowly wide In the late stages Balham enjoyed good possession but couldn’t force an opening three points gained at the final whistle and Guildford have already exceeded their points total at the end of last season City fans were pleased to see the return of Benji Gambrah City fans were able to celebrate the return of the talented Ben Gambrah from injury City’s programme notes included the announcement that as well as the outstanding Nik Krokhin’s departure to Isthmian league Hendon he was a class act who had scored nine goals this season Listen to Ian Newson Plested’s post-match interview with team manager Carl Taylor here: Very impressed by Guildford City for toughing it out and taking all three points from the game against Balham Even though City failed to score from a spot-kick this striking win was a credit to the entire team The Sweeney fans are enthusiastic about the prospects of taking on promotion chasing AFC Whyteleafe on Saturday afternoon See: Comment - We Need Change But Not the Kind Being Imposed By Labour’s ‘Devolution’ Detectives named victim as 18-year-old Issa Ali Musa Abdulrahman Barakat as they appealed for help to find his family News | Crime Get our award-winning daily news email featuring exclusive stories I would like to be emailed about offers, event and updates from Evening Standard. Read our privacy notice Police are urgently seeking the family of an 18-year-old who was stabbed to death early on Monday in Balham Detectives on Wednesday identified the victim as Issa Ali Musa Abdulrahman Barakat, who lost his life after a knifing in Laitwood Road at around 6am on Monday. Officers said it was “devastating” that Issa who is thought to have been part of the Chadian community may have relatives who are not yet be aware of his passing The appeal came as 21-year-old Salah Al-Mahmoodi was due to appear at Wimbledon Magistrates’ Court later on Wednesday charged with Issa’s murder arrested for 'attempted murder' after stabbing in Balham Man in custody after woman and two children stabbed in ‘shocking attack’ in Dagenham Man confesses to stabbing murder after broad daylight fight in north London Corroboration ruling ‘removes barrier to justice’ in sex offence cases – charity The Wandsworth resident was arrested in the hours following the stabbing on Monday and charged the next day said: “Our hearts go out to Issa and his family a young man whose life was cruelly taken far too soon “It is devastating to think that his family may not yet know of his tragic passing and we want to find them so we can offer them both support and answers “Issa was a member of the Chadian community and we hope that friends or extended family might help us in reaching his loved ones.” Anyone with information is being asked to call police via 101 or post on X @MetCC quoting CAD 1017/28Oct Prince Louis steals the show at VE Day parade as he keeps dad William looking sharp and mimics brother George Prince Louis steals show with sweet antics at VE parade VE Day 2025 fashion: best looks from the day VE Day 2025 fashion: Princess of Wales to Lady Victoria Starmer Ukraine 'launches stunning Kursk offensive' in major blow for Putin ahead of Victory Day celebrations Ukraine 'launches stunning Kursk offensive' in blow for Putin David Beckham extends olive branch to son Brooklyn amid 'family feud' Pregnant Jesy Nelson reveals plans for future in message from her hospital bed after surgery Pregnant Jesy Nelson reveals plans for future in message from hospital This website is using a security service to protect itself from online attacks The action you just performed triggered the security solution There are several actions that could trigger this block including submitting a certain word or phrase You can email the site owner to let them know you were blocked Please include what you were doing when this page came up and the Cloudflare Ray ID found at the bottom of this page John Torode embarks on a food odyssey creating vibrant recipes inspired by his travels from Australia and through the Far East and bowls of tasty noodles to barbecues influenced by both Sydney beaches and Korean grills the book is a captivating journey to some of John’s favourite places “The book is about who I am and what I love My favourite place to travel is Asia; I love the flavours I love everything that goes with it,” John enthuses If it does anything I am hoping it will get people to travel pick up a bunch of something they don’t recognise “In south west London there are lots of great Asian grocers now In Earlsfield there is the Thai Grocer along Garratt Lane and Tooting has fabulous stalls in the market They’re all great places to buy fantastic ingredients from,” he continues John Torode lived in south west London for around 13 years from 2001 “We lived in Balham and Streatham Hill and I still have friends and connections down here Hildreth Street Market had Milk [the café] on the corner and that was about it When I first arrived in Balham there was the Jamaican fish shop there was the halal butcher at the far end of Hildreth Street and it was still very much a West Indian market which is a bit of a shame but now what you have is young trendy people eating brunch in cafes on a Saturday.” As his children were growing up in the area John had several go-to family favourites when he lived south west “Dip and Flip on Battersea Rise make great burgers – my kids always talk about it I have great and fond memories of Buono Sera [on Northcote Road] as well and the squid with the courgettes is always fantastic they’ve always done some really interesting things over there It’s owned by a young Australian guy who knows his stuff.” The book is about who I am and what I love It’s little surprise Milk – the Balham cafe known for its brunches – is on John’s list While John is credited as one of the main players in introducing Australasian food to the UK in the mid 90s he is also the man who turned breakfast on its head In a time when restaurants opened for lunch and dinner only John opened his restaurant – Smith’s of Smithfield – for breakfast as well “I opened Smith’s up for breakfast in 2000 I remember telling my major shareholders and them saying ‘breakfast?’” John laughs mimicking his shareholders incredulous tones “We did about 40 people on the first weekend and the next Saturday I think we did about 180 and the following Saturday we did 650 Smith’s became the place where everybody went for brunch and lunch They travelled all across London for it – it was absolutely huge Then people started to come and have business breakfasts Then suddenly you’ve got the Wolsley opening up for breakfast I used to open Smith’s at 6.30am and by 7am every day I would have a waiting list of around 30 to 45 minutes.” The Masterchef presenter has won over millions of viewers thanks to his straight-talking style and onus on flavour – a theme that runs throughout the new cookery book we’re all time pressured so there’s things in the Sydney to Seoul that will just take minutes and there are recipes that will take hours It’s about the time we’ve got to hand and that’ll be great when the sun is shining and you’re outside But if it were a cold rainy day I would probably make a randang and some rice or a big pot of noodles or a big Asian soup for lunch it’s one of those dishes we all seem to forget about In the book there are some really easy ways to make broth that I think are wonderful; some with noodles “There’s a tofu salad with sesame and pumpkin seeds which I made the other day again and I honestly forgot how good it was It will get people eating tofu and not thinking it’s some kind of weird thing He enthuses about the green-grocers and stalls along Northcote Road the grocers in Tooting and the Asian food store in Wimbledon so much so that you want to shoot down to one straight away It’s all a great food adventure and his next project is no different “I’m about to head to Egypt which I’m fascinated by as I really don’t know much about it And that’s what excites me as I don’t know what will be there and what we’ll find.” johntorode.com Nigel Slater on how food stirs our emotions Rianne Shlebak Balham Milk isn’t just one of the best cafes in Balham it’s one of the best brunch spots in the whole city and counters filled with freshly baked pastries Where to go when you're tired of places that feel like they're holding a social experiment called How Many Ways Can You Smash An Avocado Rianne has been searching for London's best sweet treats and eating every thin-crust pizza in sight since 2019 Police officers found a man suffering from stab injuries on Laitwood Road on Monday A 21-year–old man has been arrested following a stabbing near Balham station Police were called to Laitwood Road at 6am on Monday where they found a man suffering from stab injuries The victim remains in hospital, the Metropolitan Police said A 21-year-old suspect was arrested on suspicion of attempted murder and he remains in custody Meanwhile detectives enquiries into the incident are ongoing Nearby Ormeley Road remained closed on Monday afternoon between Balham High Road and Cavendish Road following the attack A Metropolitan Police spokesperson said: “On Monday 28 October at 06:00hrs police were called to Laitwood Road “Officers attended the scene and found a man suffering with stab injuries Stormont Justice Minister regrets McCartney victims may not be identified Car 'sprayed with bullets' in 'assassination attempt' on former Bolivian leader Jamie Oliver warns of ‘lorryloads of posh cheese’ being sold by ‘wrong’uns’ Man dies after being struck by car on North Circular near Edmonton “A 21-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of attempted murder and he remains in custody “Enquiries into the circumstances are on-going.” Anyone with information that may assist the investigation is asked to call 101 and quote CAD reference 1017/28OCT24 Anyone with information is urged to contact police via 101 Detectives investigating an incident where a man was punched on the dancefloor of a nightclub in south London have released CCTV images of a suspect The reveller, in his 30s, was attacked by a Polish-speaking thug at the venue on Balham High Road shortly after midnight on Sunday He fell and suffered a broken ankle which required surgery, the Metropolitan Police said A force spokesman said: “The suspect is described as a white man a white chequered shirt with black trousers and black shoes Officers released two images taken on that night of the man they want to identify and speak with or independent charity Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111 An officer has been found guilty of assaulting a woman while he was off-duty attached to Central West Command Unit – an area which covers Westminster Kensington & Chelsea and Hammersmith & Fulham – was convicted at Southwark Crown Court yesterday following a trial when officers received a report of an assault inside an address in Balham PC Rollins made attempts to lie about his identity He was later charged and suspended from duty he was found not guilty of intentional suffocation and actual bodily harm Detective Chief Superintendent Christina Jessah who leads policing in the Central West area said: “PC Rollins’ actions are completely unacceptable and at odds with the Met’s values “I commend the women who have demonstrated extreme strength and bravery throughout this investigation Our Directorate of Professional Standards is now progressing a misconduct investigation which remains ongoing.” Pictured top: Southwark Crown Court (Picture: Google Street View) The Leading News & Information Service For The Facilities the Chartered Institution of Building Services Engineers has commissioned an audit of its current Balham premises 222 Balham High Road has been home to the Chartered Institution of Building Services Engineers (CIBSE) headquarters for over 45 years and the membership body has long considered whether the building reflects the institution’s vision As CEO Ruth Carter says: “When members visit Balham they look at it with affection and give a wry smile – but while they may reminisce about their interviews with CIBSE remaining at the site on a “peppercorn rent” basis until March 2025 While retrofitting the existing site was considered the cost involved meant that a relocation was the best option The first stage of this process involved auditing the current premises at Balham and how they were performing for its staff CIBSE commissioned Arup to conduct a Building Use Studies (BUS) survey The BUS Methodology is a licensed way to measure occupant satisfaction in a building that’s still occupied capturing as much data as possible without disrupting daily business.  Arup’s advice to CIBSE was to capture the sentiments of occupants beyond what conventional metrics reveal Instead of focusing on metrics and KPIs that interest senior leadership and productivity should be prioritised.  Arup measured responses from CIBSE staff against an international benchmark of 1,300 responses representing 80,000 individuals and over 30 years of industry best practice.  The results showed that the Balham office falls in the bottom 10 per cent of the BUS 2023 UK non-domestic benchmark failing to meet modern office space standards Key areas in need of improvement include HVAC provision Employees highlighted the office's dated appearance and lack of inspiration emphasising a significant gap between the current workspace and their expectations.  The office was criticised for being unsuitable for modern work with many small and disconnected workspaces hindering cross-team collaboration.  CIBSE is actively looking for its new Head Office and Arup recommends that it conducts the survey again after the move to assess the new location’s impact CIBSE Chief Executive is positive about the move: “We have ambitious plans as a leading global Institution – our accessibility reach and voice will support us in continuing our positive growth trajectory.” CIBSE has set up a Premises Advisory Committee (PAC) The top priorities are that the new office meets CIBSE's specific needs and aligns with decarbonisation and building safety goals.  A central London location is being considered to enhance accessibility for CIBSE's growing international membership which now represents 29 per cent of the total members Picture: a photograph of the exterior of the Balham site showing the front entrance. Image Credit: CIBSE Article written by Ella Tansley | Published 28 August 2024 The Chartered Institution of Building Services Engineers has signed a Memorandum of Understanding to enable better international collaboration in the.. The CIBSE Building Performance Awards 2025 celebrated individuals products and projects across the built environment at a ceremony at The Park Plaza.. The Chartered Institution of Building Services Engineers will collaborate with UK Construction Week for the upcoming UKCW London event at ExCeL from 7-9 May.. The Chartered Institution of Building Services Engineers will hold a series of events focusing on building services engineering After selling its Balham headquarters in June 2024 the Chartered Institution of Building Services Engineers will move to a new office at 91-94 Saffron.. Rinnai is dedicated to providing consistently updated products energy policy and energy market regulation amendments​ Learn More Here >> A huge shift in American energy procurement policy that embraces fossil fuels could alter short-to-medium term power options on the international energy market due to the influence of America on western trade Rinnai’s Chris Goggin looks in-depth at public information regarding heat pumps and other low carbon products being potentially diluted by recent changes to social media’s stance on fact-checking Learn More Here >> InvisiGard by Orion Eco Solutions is a revolutionary water-based coating that effectively eliminates viruses plate heat exchangers and ten cascaded I2HY20 hydrogen-ready continuous flow water heaters in a new development in Farringdon Fossil fuels have long been the global choice of power due to low costs and widespread accessibility Learn More Here >> All Rinnai appliances are manufactured under strict guidelines of ISO 9001 quality management and ISO 14001 environmental management systems Henshall & Sheehy appointed to deliver the Hard FM Services at the prestigious Highbury Square Rinnai has installed its I2HY20 Hydrogen blends 20% certified commercial water heaters at a leading bread manufacturer in Bradford Our mission is to provide skills and knowledge to help you achieve success in IWFM level 5 and 6 We will not share your information with anyone as Oybar has been open in Balham for almost a month but the duo behind this new oyster bar are already working on their second place Owners Evgeniy and Catriona are gearing up for a Wimbledon opening later this year oysters are the main thrust of the menu with options available depending on the season or you can put together bundles which include a glass or carafe of wine Other options on the enticing menu include: And they've gathered together the wine options in three handy categories - casual suppers enthusiast and connoisseur with prices to match at £25 "The idea was to really get people to try lots of wines and food that they can enjoy together," says Catriona Find out more: Visit their website or follow them on Instagram @oybar.uk Subscribe to be the first to get the news from Hot Dinners Please enable the javascript to submit this form By signing up you agree to our privacy policy View on Google maps About us  |  Contact Us  |  RSS Feed  |  Site directory  |  Privacy policy  |  Log in/out Join 50,000 other Londoners getting exclusive news and restaurant offers from Hot Dinners. Please enable the javascript to submit this form By signing up you agree to our privacy policy See our previous newsletters here Register  Login The sale includes well-known pubs Balham Bowls Club the Antelope in Tooting and the Sun in Camberwell Eleven pubs which previously formed part of the Antic hospitality group have been bought out of administration by Urban Pubs & Bars (UPB) The sites are spread across the capital and include Balham Bowls Club in Balham They form part of a portfolio of 13 Antic pubs and bars which fell into administration in July after some sites struggled with debts built up during the pandemic Tooting Tram and Social in Tooting and Coopers in Crystal Palace were not included in the sale but will continue to trade while administrators remain in discussion with interested parties UPB has acquired eight trading leasehold businesses and three vacant freehold sites from administrators will assume control of the sites with immediate effect Joint administrator Steve Absolom from Interpath Advisory said: “This eclectic group of popular pubs and bars have traded well since our appointment just over seven weeks ago and buyer interest has been extremely strong “We are delighted that we have been able to secure this transaction with UPB and importantly safeguard the jobs for their loyal and hard-working employees.” which was founded by Malc Heap and Nick Pring in 2014 has already doubled the size of its estate since the pandemic It is one of London’s fastest growing pub businesses with the latest deal taking the group to 52 trading sites Its flagship pubs include the Wheatsheaf in Tooting the recently-opened Red Setter in Battersea and the Victory in Waterloo UPB announced group EBITDA of £6.4m for the financial year-ended 30 April 2023 Like-for-like sales increase by 17% and turnover increased by almost 60% to £52.2m Sign Up Jacobs Media is a company registered in England and Wales For best viewing experience of this website Please enter a place name in the search bar Environment Agency Updated: 13:07 (UTC+1) on Tue 6 May 2025 it will turn increasingly cloudy from off the North Sea Some bright or sunny spells developing by evening Staying dry with some lengthy clear skies overnight Turning chilly with a touch of grass frost in places Largely dry with variable amounts of cloud and bright or sunny spells on Wednesday with variable amounts of cloud and bright or sunny spells throughout the period Dry across the vast majority of the UK with clear or sunny spells but also some patchy cloud Cloud will likely thicken across the far north and northwest during the weekend with some outbreaks of rain for a time There is also a small risk of some heavy showers in the far south or southwest high pressure will be dominant across the UK This will bring predominantly fine and dry weather for the majority of places Temperatures are likely to be slightly above normal for the time of year although there is a chance of some cold nights Fairly typical weather for the time of year is most likely through this period fine and dry weather is more likely to dominate although this will be interspersed with occasional spells of rain and showers with a risk of heavy rain and thunderstorms in places temperatures will most likely be near to or slightly above average Technology CorrespondentWednesday February 05 2025 The TimesBritain will reap the benefits of artificial intelligence developed by the Chinese technology company DeepSeek Lord Vallance of Balham said that DeepSeek’s chatbots show that artificial intelligence “isn’t going to be dominated by two or three companies He added: “I think what it does is create a real environment in which small upstarts can come and change things DeepSeek shook stock markets last week when it emerged that its new AI models The company’s models had been developed cheaply and despite a US export ban on high-end chips to China. DeepSeek released the London-based gourmet burger brand Haché has filed a notice of intention to appoint administrators and closed four sites A fifth site in Holborn continues to trade while options are explored It was reported last month that the business which launched in Shoreditch in February 2013 The business is understood to be working with Interpath Advisory Haché was founded by Berry Casey and Suzie Casey and was one of the first gourmet burger chains to launch in the capital the former managing director of Richoux Group Photo: www.hachebrasseries.com/ Look out for your first newsletter in your inbox soon We help you navigate a myriad of possibilities Sign up for our newsletter for the best of the city By entering your email address you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy and consent to receive emails from Time Out about news Sign up for our email to enjoy London without spending a thing (as well as some options when you’re feeling flush) Our newsletter hand-delivers the best bits to your inbox Sign up to unlock our digital magazines and also receive the latest news By entering your email address you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy and consent to receive emails from Time Out about news, events, offers and partner promotions. London Here’s our guide to the best places to eat and drink in the south London neighbourhood RECOMMENDED: The best restaurants near South Bank.  RecommendedEd MarshallNever one to rest on its laurels this hip café is still the place to be seen for breakfast or brunch in Balham Staff are full of smiles as they serve up tongue-in-cheek fish sandos Terrific coffees and a playlist of the owners’ favourite records add to the feel-good vibe RecommendedA swish modern Japanese restaurant serving an izakaya-style menu against a backdrop of glossy woodwork there’s some decent stuff here – notably the punchy Korean-spiced lamb chops deep-fried black-pepper squid and an impressive riff on Nobu’s yellowtail sashimi with jalapeño but this popular Nepalese spot is more serious than that Smiling staff and folksy music create just the right mood for some excellent-value authentic food: from momo cha (juicy steamed dumplings served with sweet-and-sour achaar sauce) to curries of richly spiced pokhoreli lamb or prawn asworya (‘favoured by young princes for their romantic nights out’ RecommendedMegansSouth-west London is well-served by Megan’s and the Balham branch has all the necessary neighbourhood credentials its twee interiors (paper flowers entwined over the ceiling fairy lights in the windows) are manna for local yummy mummies wanting brunch thoughts turn to deconstructed kebabs and naughty cocktails © Guy DimondBalham’s poshest gastropub is a summertime hole-up par excellence with no fewer than three outdoor spaces to explore: a chilled courtyard area a buzzy terrace and a fully laid-out garden while the elegant dining room caters to those who preferstone-baked pizzas dry-aged steaks and plant-based burgers.  RecommendedIf you fancy fish and chips in Balham but want something a bit trendier than your average local chippie plank floors and dangling lights scream hipster while the menu keeps it traditional with battered cod this self-styled ‘modern British pub’ has all the hipster trappings you could wish for: craft beers artisan wines and a street-side terrace for people-watching It also serves up an all-day menu of seasonal small plates and gastropub classics – think anchovies on toast Saturday brunch and Sunday roasts complete the package Thanks for subscribing! Look out for your first newsletter in your inbox soon! tiktokfacebooktwitteryoutubeAbout us Contact us Knaphill scored two stoppage-time goals to win 4-2 at home to Balham in the Combined Counties Premier Division South. Balham took the lead on seven minutes. Luke Hedges chipped a clever ball over the Knaphill defence to Rayjon Moore, who dribbled into the box and forced a save from Knappers keeper Sam Gray. The ball fell kindly for Idir Kermoud, who took a touch before slotting into the bottom right-hand corner. Balham almost doubled their lead in the 18th minute when Evans Lamboh unleashed a free kick that crashed off the post. Knaphill equalised on 28 minutes when Kingsley Anokye won a penalty after holding off Balham defenders and being brought down by William Rees in the box. Anokye calmly dispatched the penalty to equalise, sending Balham goalkeeper John Ross the wrong way. Knaphill took the lead just before half-time. George Frith played the ball forward to Anokye, whose strike from the edge of the box took a cruel deflection off Maxwell Emmery and looped over Ross and into the net. Balham equalised in the 52nd minute against the run of play when Kwadwo Kyei headed in from a corner at the back post. The hosts regained the lead on 93 minutes. Gray launched a long kick that Blessing Hombessa flicked into the path of Ben Mitchell, who controlled the ball, beat his marker and prodded his finish past Ross. Knaphill sealed the win in the 100th minute. Frith cleared a Balham corner, and Jamari Jackson nodded the ball into the path of Mitchell, who was in Knaphill’s half. Hombessa sprinted from deep, picked up the ball near the halfway line, and ran at the Balham defence. With Ross out of his goal, Hombessa calmly slotted the ball into the empty net from 30 yards, completing a 4-2 win. Westfield slipped to a 2-0 defeat at Moneyfields in the Isthmian League South Central Division on Saturday. The game started scrappily and was devoid of quality, until Lamin Jatta fired past Yellas keeper Hugo Sobte from just outside the box in the tenth minute to give the hosts the lead. The visitors tried to get back into the game but several poor passes saw the ball go back to Moneyfields. This lack of cutting edge ended up costing the Yellas as an excellent move was finished off by James Franklyn to double the home side’s lead just minutes before half-time. The first half had been a poor one for the Yellas, who looked off the pace and didn’t have a sniff at goal. The second half saw Andy Crossley make a few changes, which helped open up the game and gave the visitors hope of making a comeback. The Yealls had most of the ball in the second period, with most of the action taking place near the Moneyfields penalty area. Despite numerous balls into the box, chances were spurned or cleared away by a resilient Moneyfields defence, who defended valiantly to run out 2-0 winners and pick up the three points. Comments Tel: 01483 802700[email protected]Follow us Further Links Owned or licensed to Tindle Newspapers Ltd | Independent Family-Owned Newspapers | Copyright & Trade Mark Notice & 2013 - 2025 Wandsworth Council is installing 111 parking bays for e-bikes across the borough Wandsworth Council is installing parking bays for e-bikes to support responsible active travel across the borough The scheme will ensure residents benefit from the low-carbon convenience and flexibility of travel by e-bike whilst ensuring parking is properly managed in busy borough town centres 111 parking bays are being installed from today (Thursday 20 June) It is anticipated that installation will take a period of around four weeks as work takes place across the borough Riders will be expected to use these parking bays wherever possible parking will be prohibited on pavements in busy town centre locations Responsible ‘free-floating’ parking will still be permitted away from these hotspots and in quieter parts of the borough The locations of the new town centre parking bays include Clapham Junction “We support the use of e-bikes as they offer a convenient travel option for residents and visitors They’re a clean and sustainable way of getting around and help to improve local air quality We are really pleased that there have already been more than a million journeys made by e-bike in Wandsworth “But residents will know that there have been some challenges with a small minority of riders abandoning bikes without any thought for pedestrians and local communities “These new bays will help riders to park in fixed town-centre locations and encourage considerate parking.” A further programme of e-bike parking bays will follow later this year Members of the public should continue to report any poorly-parked or abandoned e-bikes directly to operators Interest has surged since relaxation of planning rules last March but technical difficulties often loom large for decades the four-storey office block was home to hundreds of civil servants until Department for Work and Pensions officials moved out in 2020 Irene House boasts 77 one- and two-bedroom upmarket apartments with seven more homes inside a roof extension It still has its art deco entrance and other features inspired by the building’s original interior and represents a growing trend: to convert office blocks into homes The project might appear an example of how to solve the housing crisis in a post-pandemic era when increased working from home has made offices less appealing and demand for accommodation remains high The Old War Office has been converted into a hotel and luxury flats Photograph: Nikreates/AlamyThere has been a surge in applications for office-to-residential conversions since the lifting of an office space limit last March architects say they can be daunting and costly with challenges around deep floorplates and a lack of natural light head of private client lending at Investec Real Estate says: “As specific office values come down it makes a lot more sense to revisit some of these offices for redevelopment “The key to it is not just thinking that you’re in an office building with some beds in it It’s important that these are proper apartments that are desirable to live in.” Empire House, Chiswick, has been converted into 121 homes. Photograph: Knight FrankThe demand for office space, and its value, has fallen since the pandemic led to a major shift in working patterns with many people now splitting their time between home and the office While office values turned positive across Europe between July and September after months of write-downs, rising by 0.5%, UK offices recorded a further drop in values, of 2.6%, according to data from property analysts at Altus Group. Only a handful of London office buildings sold for more than £100m in the first half of 2024 About 9% of offices across London stand empty Vacancy rates in the capital range from nearly 20% in Hammersmith and 16.8% in the Docklands to 9.5% in central London vacancy rates for the newest offices are near record lows showing there is still demand for high-quality developers face a choice between revamping them as green offices or turning them into homes and mixed-use buildings head of sustainability and a partner at the architects Squire & Partners is working on an office-to-homes conversion and says the firm has received several similar requests in recent months Whether the conversion works ultimately depends on the type of office building “Converting the Canary Wharf towers with their trading floors and deep floorplates especially low-rise 50s or 60s office buildings that don’t have the floor-to-ceiling height required for modern offices can more easily be converted to residential,” she says Free daily newsletterGet set for the working day – we'll point you to all the business news and analysis you need every morning The Conservative government finally took action in 2020 requiring homes created in this way to have natural light and with national space standards applying to them from April 2021 further rule changes – the removal of the 1,500 sq metre cap on conversions – led to a jump in applications and a variety of large schemes emerging across 12 London boroughs large offices could not be converted into flats Applications climbed to 3,272 in London between mid-March and mid-November according to a Knight Frank analysis of Molior London data This is 58% higher than in the same period in 2019 The insurer Zurich UK has warned that conversions must be “done properly” saying: “Poorly designed and built conversions … could create swathes of homes which are vulnerable to more frequent heatwaves and hotter UK summers.” “Office-to-residential change of use should require planning permission to ensure the housing being created is of adequate quality and in the right location to promote health and wellbeing and there is a level playing field ensuring no loss of affordable housing or infrastructure contributions,” says Ben Clifford professor of spatial planning and governance at University College London’s Bartlett School of Planning and co-author of the 2020 report “We have failed to proactively say what good looks like for such conversions in England.” Goolab says office-to-residential conversions work well for lower-rise buildings in commuter towns such as Hayes and Basingstoke but also for some older offices in London’s West End that were originally townhouses and were converted to offices “There’s a few towers around where you can probably put the residential on the outside but then what do you do with the core?” Goolab says “A few purpose-built student accommodation providers have looked at that.” It takes about 18 to 24 months to turn an office into 100 flats with the benefit that groundworks are not needed new-build homes sites outside London of between 100 and 499 units take according to the planning and development consultancy Lichfields partner in development strategy and finance at Knight Frank says it is not just empty offices that are candidates for redevelopment but also those whose leases run out in the next couple of years Another factor is that 70% of commercial floor space in England and Wales has an energy performance certificate (EPC) rating below B all offices need to have a rating of B or above design principal at global architecture practice HOK which designed the Francis Crick Institute in London is sceptical about office-to-residential conversions He says that aside from the technical challenges the cost of cladding and high construction costs “I can’t see how we’re going to see many city centre schemes come forward,” he says arguing that office retrofits often make more sense – or turning them into hotels student digs or laboratories for life-science firms Guildford City left Imperial Fields with a point after a 1-1 draw against Balham in the Combined Counties Premier Division South on Saturday. City produced a fine second-half performance and struck the crossbar twice, while Manny Acheampong missed an excellent chance to score a winner. Balham opened the game brightly and pushed Guildford back in the early stages. City gradually came into the game with Reece Robins probing down the left flank. Robins’ effort was comfortably saved by Balham keeper John Ross. Minutes later Robins provided the cross from which Jake Brown forced a flying save from Ross. Guildford opened the scoring on 32 minutes. Robins’ free kick into the box was headed down by Nik Krokhin and Jake Brown got a slight touch to push the ball past Ross and into the net. The lead didn’t last long as Balham equalised three minutes later. City keeper Jacob Terry was beaten to a long ball over the top and Max Emmery was able to direct the ball into the empty net. After a mixed first-half performance Guildford returned to their familiar passing game after the break, although Balham had a golden chance to take the lead on 49 minutes. Connor Keene received the ball in the box and his low shot was well saved by Terry’s outstretched leg. Guildford dominated the rest of the second half. Following a corner Brown turned sharply in the box and his effort struck the crossbar from ten yards. Minutes later, following another corner, there was a scramble in Balham’s goalmouth which ended with Brown’s overhead kick grazing the top of the bar. From yet another corner Brown had a free header that was mistimed and flew high over the bar. Guildford created an excellent chance on 78 minutes. Acheampong received the ball in space from Brown, but his rushed effort was saved by the advancing Ross. Late on Guildford resorted to firing long balls forward and giving Yomi Obafemi something to chase. But it was ineffective and the game petered out with honours even. Sheerwater produced a superb performance to beat National League outfit Sutton United 3-2 on penalties after the two sides played out an entertaining 2-2 draw in their Surrey Senior Cup first-round tie. Sutton fielded a young side while Sheerwater made nine changes from their previous game. The deadlock was broken on 42 minutes. Liam Moore’s effort on target was saved by Sheerwater keeper Chris Adams, but Joden Trickett was on hand to slot the ball home. Sheerwater made the perfect start to the second half, equalising on 48 minutes. Tenacious play from Jack Tomlinson won the ball back. Joel Onu saw Sutton keeper Matt Kerbey off his line, and from ten yards inside the Sutton half he floated a superb effort into the back of the net. Sutton regained the lead four minutes later. Khyan Edwards got down the left and saw his cross deflect past Adams. Sheerwater equalised on 65 minutes when Kareem Foster finished off a flowing move. His first effort was saved but the rebound fell nicely and Foster placed his effort into the corner. Suarez made two superb saves in the shoot-out and Noiki Omogbolahan found the top corner with his penalty to send Sheerwater through and set up a trip to Merstham in the next round. Tel: 01483 802700[email protected]Follow us They're already big with their cafe in Balham and now Milk have opened a brand new bakery just down the road towards Tooting Bec called Milk Run.  this will be the place for you with croissants pain au chocolat and more sweet or savoury pastries on offer They also have a small pantry offering drinks cupboard staples and bags of coffee on offer (which they're also giving away on the first day) They'll have coffee to go and even though it's billed primarily as a bakery there's plenty of space to sit down with coffee and a pastry.  It's early days so we'll have more news soon and expect pretty big queues in the first week or so But it already looks like the wait will be worth it Find out more: Follow them on Instagram @milkrunldn View on Google maps After garnering rave reviews at its Fulham outpost last year Run by Aussie Scott Hallsworth (ex-Nobu head chef) the restaurant has a pan-Asian menu featuring dishes from the sushi and sashimi bar as well as larger sharing plates like wood-fired miso poussin with a spicy lemon garlic sauce crispy seabass sliders with tamarind hot sauce plus a selection of zingy late-night cocktails to carry on the party Visit FreakSceneRestaurants.com Tooting Broadway Market’s Henny’s Wine Bar moved to a permanent site in Balham last year it specialises in Beaujolais wines and the team want to introduce a new generation of drinkers to organic and biodynamic bottles The bar has a weekly changing menu with a small wine list There’s also a good selection of craft beers on tap as well as a classic negroni sbagliato made with Campari Henny's has also teamed up with Yard Sale Pizza so you can order wood-fired pizzas with slow-cooked tomato sauce and mozzarella straight to your table Visit HennysWine.com You’ve probably seen this chic café doing the rounds on social media thanks to its aesthetically pleasing brunch dishes and huge hot cross buns so you can now sit on benches outside or dine in the main café to tuck into dishes like baked eggs with honey and miso cream sweetcorn fritters with halloumi and avocado and banana bread spread thickly with tahini smoothies and pastries from the counter.  Visit Milk.London This newcomer is all about fresh oysters and seafood platters Perfect for date nights or evenings out with the girls while larger dishes on the menu include mussels mariniere and harissa salmon fillet If you’re just stopping by for a quick drink charcuterie platters or garlic snails to share with a glass of wine – there’s a great list of sparkling Later in the year the team will open a second site in Wimbledon Visit Oybar.co.uk family owned Jefferson’s is all about high-quality ingredients and imaginative flavours flavours change regularly with the seasons and the ice-cream is made fresh each morning with organic milk Current flavours include vanilla honeycomb Visit JeffersonsIceCream.com Chez Bruce is located on the former site of Marco Pierre White's restaurant and has retained its Michelin star since 1999 Headed up by chefs Matt Christmas and Bruce Poole it offers hearty portions of modern European dishes made from only the best seasonal ingredients while the wine list features rare bottles you won’t find elsewhere.  Visit ChezBruce.co.uk Maple syrup isn’t the only thing that tastes great on a waffle as proved by this neighbourhood restaurant The team started out driving their food truck around London before eventually opening a permanent site on Hildreth Street diners can choose from sweet and savoury waffles as well as breakfast cocktails and indulgent desserts From sweet waffles like ‘Banoffee Pie’ to savoury options like ‘Fried Chicken & Mozzarella’ Visit UtterWaffle.co.uk Leading the charge in London’s pizza renaissance Zia Lucia has become renowned for its 48-hour slow-fermented doughs: choose between traditional Our favourite options include the ‘Spicy Burrata’ with mozzarella fresh burrata and spianata spicy salami; and the ‘Verdurissima’ with tomato sauce showcasing creamy cheeses sourced from Puglia.  Visit ZiaLucia.com 1910 Cantina brings the vibrant flavours of Mexico to southwest London This lively restaurant offers a menu packed with traditional dishes from street-style tacos and enchiladas to rich moles and fresh ceviche – all best enjoyed alongside spicy margaritas and other agave-based cocktails With its colourful décor and fun atmosphere it’s a great option to visit before a night out The team also host regular mezcal and tequila tasting masterclasses Visit 1910Cantina.com putting on comedy nights or hosting its weekly pub quiz there’s always something fun happening at The Devonshire arguably the nicest pub in the neighbourhood It has all the makings of a great boozer: friendly staff cosy interiors and a decent menu of British classics The ‘Burger Shack’ fires up the grill from Thursdays to Saturdays while Sundays are reserved for roast dinners served with all the trimmings Visit TheDevonshireBalham.co.uk This Soho House outpost is a favourite among locals With its 1940s-inspired interiors and cosy areas for settling down with cocktails long summer days are best spent on the terrace while cooler evenings call for dinner and drinks in the main dining room There’s also an impressive artwork collection including a horseshoe-shaped bar with a ceiling mural by local artist Miranda Forrester Visit LittleHouseBalham.com Taro brings a slice of Tokyo to Balham with its authentic Japanese cuisine This family run restaurant has a warm and welcoming atmosphere The extensive menu offers a variety of classic dishes from sashimi and bento boxes to hearty bowls of ramen Highlights include the chicken katsu bento served with rice edamame and salad; salmon teriyaki; seafood yakisoba; and prawn tempura and udon noodle soup Visit TaroRestaurants.uk DISCLAIMER: We endeavour to always credit the correct original source of every image we use. If you think a credit may be incorrect, please contact us at info@sheerluxe.com (You will be redirected to the right platform once logged in) Forgotten login? Request a new password Fancy yourself as the next king or queen of hot sauce Take your condiment concoctions down to the 10th annual Chilli Sauce Championships in Balham and prepare to do battle for your crown You’ll be going up against all the winners from past years’ competitions The public decide the victors in this contest so even if you don’t know where to begin with cooking you can still take part – and what’s better than sampling sauces with influences from across the world Spice shirkers don’t need to skip this event either – entries are placed in four categories from mild to nuclear so you can have your say on those that suit your tastebuds Look out for the yoghurt station that will be on hand to help your tongue cool off if the heat gets a bit too much Bakery/Cafe The Antic Hospitality Group, which runs a bunch of pubs across east and south London The company can no longer deal with its debts, meaning it either has to sell off its assets, pay everyone off, or liquidate the business. The Standard reports that a number of the Antic pubs have been having difficulties since the pandemic.  which include the iconic Dogstar in Brixton The Sun in Camberwell and the Clapton Hart in Clapton will stay open and continue to trade while the administration process takes place.  the managing director of Interpath Advisory and joint administrator commented: ‘This is an eclectic collection of well-known and popular pubs and bars located in prime sites across south London The sites are expected to continue to trade as usual with the support of specialist trading agents at Licensed Solutions.  ‘We intend to bring these units to market in due course representing a fantastic opportunity for investors and trade purchasers alike.’ This isn’t the first time Antic has run into trouble A subsidiary group called Antic Limited went into administration in 2013 because of tax-related issues All 13 pubs at risk then ended up being bought in less than a month that the 13 pubs at risk now will be snapped up and continue to operate.  The hottest new openings, the tastiest tips, the spiciest reviews: we’re serving it all on our London restaurants WhatsApp channel. Follow us now to tuck in Stay in the loop: sign up to our free Time Out London newsletter for the best of the city We're taking action to improve road safety for local people and children who attend two schools in Balham following a detailed round of public consultation The measures are centred around Chestnut Grove and are designed to make it safer for children who walk and cycle to Chestnut Grove Academy and Hornsby House School The move comes after an in-depth public consultation late last year which attracted more than 740 responses Results showed a majority of local people agreed that action was needed here to make children’s journeys safer Wandsworth Council's engineers are now preparing to make changes to road layouts and traffic arrangements in the area The works will be carried out in two phases These works will start during the February half term break: To further increase safety levels at these two locations these additional measures are being taken to reduce vehicle traffic levels on the approaches to these new zebra crossings: The additional measures have been approved and endorsed by the Met Police’s road safety team which agreed they were necessary to limit the amount of through traffic in this part of Balham if the project was to prove a success The Council will undertake extensive traffic monitoring post implementation to assess the impact of the changes works will remove the existing mini roundabout at the Chestnut Grove junction with Endlesham Road The footway will instead be widened at this location to improve visibility and reduce crossing distances The overall scheme will also see the installation of a sustainable urban drainage system (SUDS) in the form of a rain garden This will reduce surface water and the impact of flooding by allowing local flora and fauna to absorb water Wandsworth’s Cabinet Member for Transport said: "This scheme is designed to address community concerns in this part of Balham around the hazards their children face on their journeys to and from school We thank everyone one who participated in the consultation and we’re pleased that the majority of those responding support the two new zebra crossings "We believe the new crossings will make those journeys much safer as will the additional steps being taken to reduce the number of vehicles on the approaches to both schools at the times pupils are arriving and departing each day We’ll be carrying out extensive monitoring to assess the impact of the scheme in the local area over the coming months." Find out more about the Chestnut Grove road safety survey Read Wandsworth's Walking and Cycling Strategy An iconic Balham landmark that shines a light on the history of the town centre has been brought back to life following a successful crowdfunding campaign with additional support from Wandsworth Council On Monday the Mayor of Wandsworth Jeremy Ambache performed the ceremonial switch-on of an illuminated sign that has adorned rooftops in Bedford Hill for more than half a century The brightly coloured neon advertising sign ‘Roberts for Ekcovision’ was installed in Bedford Hill in the 1960's and had fallen into disrepair over many years but is once again shining brightly thanks in large part to the fundraising efforts of the granddaughter of the shopkeepers who originally installed it Alison Sinclair raised more than £20,000 to pay for the sign’s repair and restoration - thanks in part to donations from local residents but also to significant contributions from the Heritage of London Trust and private members club Soho House, which recently opened a restaurant and bar in Bedford Hill The council has also participated by agreeing to fund the sign’s ongoing costs Ms Sinclair said: “I am thrilled to see this sign that was originally over my grandparents electrical shop It has been a long journey but I have received tremendous support from the people of Balham as well as from my family and friends It has been heart-warming talking to so many current and former local people who value this sign as a memory of their past I had no idea when I first started on this “I’m really grateful for our local member support and grateful to Wandsworth Council for agreeing to fund the ongoing running costs and of course the Heritage of London Trust who saw the historical value of the sign and awarded their maximum grant towards the restoration The remaining costs were raised via a Go Fund Me page and included a substantial donation from Soho House I am very grateful to all who donated their hard-earned cash and to those who donated their time in order to help me.” According to her research the name Roberts originated from one of the electrical shop’s owners in the 1920s and its main business was repairing and selling radios Years later the main business had become television rentals - and at some point in the 1960s TV manufacturer Ekco suggested installing the sign above the business As well as the Mayor of Wandsworth, also in attendance at the official unveiling was council leader Simon Hogg and the self-styled ‘Night Mayor of Balham’ writer and comedian Arthur Smith Cllr Hogg said: “The restoration of this brightly coloured neon sign has paved the way for its welcome return to the Balham skyline and is a wonderful addition to the town centre “Alison Sinclair has done an amazing job in raising the money for its restoration and I’m just pleased that the council has been able to play a role in bringing a little piece of Balham’s history back to life.” Police are hunting an intruder after a woman was attacked in her south west London home The victim, in her 20s, had fallen asleep in the living room when she was woken at 2.45am by an intruder on Bedford Hill, Balham The man told her to keep quiet and then attempted to sexually assault her but the woman screamed and he fled the scene on May 6 Scotland Yard said the female was left extremely distressed and she is being supported by specially trained officers The inquiry is being treated as an allegation of attempted rape FTSE 100 climbs as markets boosted by ECB rate cut Foreign national prisoners would be ‘closer to home’ in Estonia NI leaders deny ‘begging bowl’ tactics as they push Chancellor for more funds London council U-turns on sending homeless over 90 minutes away after outcry the sex attack is being treated as an isolated incident said: “This was a terrifying ordeal and the victim is being fully supported by officers specially trained to investigate sexual offences “We believe this man must have been looking for an opportunity to enter a home he is clearly a danger to women and we need to find him “We are appealing for the public's help and releasing CCTV and an e-fit of a man we urgently want to trace I am asking anyone who can help to call police or you can call Crimestoppers who will never ask for your name Officers are doing all they can to find this man but we believe it is the public who may have the vital information that will help us trace and arrest this man.” Any witnesses or anyone with any information is asked to call detectives on 07919 302419 We use some essential cookies to make this website work We’d like to set additional cookies to understand how you use GOV.UK remember your settings and improve government services We also use cookies set by other sites to help us deliver content from their services You have accepted additional cookies. You can change your cookie settings at any time You have rejected additional cookies. You can change your cookie settings at any time Freedom of Information releases and corporate reports At around 19:05 hrs on Saturday 20 April 2019 a self-propelled piece of on- track machinery made an unsignalled and unauthorised move of about 600 metres The tamper could potentially have collided with a passenger train which had travelled over the same junction in the opposite direction around 75 seconds earlier when the on-board crew realised that it was in the wrong place The incident happened at the boundary of an engineering possession where lines were closed for maintenance purposes The plans for train movements out of the possession required the tamper to be crossed over to the adjacent up line while it was still inside the area under possession and the tamper left the possession on the wrong line This happened because the person in charge of the possession (PICOP) provided incomplete information about the position of the tamper; the tamper driver and conductor driver did not query the instructions provided by the PICOP; and two signallers did not query the instructions provided by another PICOP The standard of safety critical communications was poor throughout resulting in no party having a clear understanding of the location of the tamper or the actions to be taken and Network Rail’s management of the PICOP role has been ineffective Underlying factors were that the labour supplier which employed the PICOPs had not effectively managed its own policy on monitoring safety critical communications and that Network Rail’s strategy for improving and maintaining the standard of safety critical communications within the rail industry has been ineffective and has not changed the work force culture or secured the adoption of good practice in respect of communications with and between signallers and other operations staff The first calls for a review of the company’s strategy for safety critical communications involving its staff and contractors to address underlying cultural factors and embed the use of standard communication protocols within the railway industry The second covers a review of the process of handovers between signallers to produce a structure which will give the incoming signaller full awareness of all relevant information about the location and intended movement of trains The third recommendation relates to the provision of a suitable working environment for PICOPs including the competency requirements and ongoing professional management of PICOPs Two learning points relate to the need to test staff involved in safety incidents for drugs and alcohol and the importance of not using mobile phones while driving road vehicles Yet again we have investigated an incident in which a poor standard of communications played a crucial part the way in which the key individuals talked to each other resulted in a misunderstanding The consequences of the misunderstanding were that a very large item of yellow plant came out of an area where it had been working onto a line where a passenger train had passed in the opposite direction only a short time before The role of person in charge of a possession (PICOP) is an important one The PICOP controls the movement of trains into There were ten trains working in the possession near Balham and giving their drivers clear and correct instructions is a vital job It is not something that should be done from a kitchen table PICOPs need to be given adequate facilities for their work Our investigation found a culture of poor communications among staff involved with engineering work People were embarrassed to use the proper protocols when passing messages to colleagues The aviation industry confronted this problem head-on many years ago and now any pilot or air traffic controller who does not use the correct form of words and phrases would instantly stand out as less than competent while train drivers and signallers have generally achieved a good standard of safety critical communications in recent years the same cannot be said for engineering operations staff We are challenging the railway industry to come into line with aviation and embed the same standards among its people These are all areas in which the industry has previously made efforts to improve I hope that this time implementation of our recommendations will make a real difference Don’t include personal or financial information like your National Insurance number or credit card details Network Rail have invested £2.6m to reduce the gap between trains and platforms at Balham station Platforms have also been refurbished with new surfaces drainage and platform canopies repaired and repainted Balham station serves as an interchange for train and tube services across South London and beyond and the improvements include: The station first opened in 1856 as Balham Hill and was actually situated on the west side of Balham High Road It was re-sited in 1863 to its present location as part of works to widen the line and improve the route between East Croydon and London Victoria station Further remodelling of the line was undertaken in 1890 and 1897 to increase capacity and after several name changes the station has been developed throughout the years but these new upgrades will make it fit for the 21st Century “This is another fine example of what can be achieved by working in partnership with our industry colleagues We have worked closely with Southern and other stakeholders throughout this project while maintaining station access during the works “The upgrades at Balham station are a real boost to commuters and rail passengers who are now able to enjoy vastly improved facilities which will make rail use safer for the public.” Trains from Balham include regular services to London Victoria and the station is also connected to the London Underground's Northern Line “On behalf of our customers we welcome Network Rail’s wide-ranging comfort and safety improvements at Balham the new seats and platform shelter we’ve installed as part of our own network-wide multimillion-pound station improvement programme will also enhance their travel experience Customers told us they wanted more wooden seating to grow and expand the nation's railway network to respond to the tremendous growth and demand the railway has experienced - a doubling of passenger journeys over the past 20 years Whenever British-made Americana music is discussed you can South Wales in 1951 the multi-instrumentalist would go on to carve out a successful career as a working musician first with the band Red Beans and Rice and later backing the likes of Nick Lowe Now in his 70th year he’s still performing his finest hour came back in the early 80s when he assembled the best Cajun and Swamp Pop band ever to come out of the British Isles: the outstanding Balham Alligators in 1983 was the catalyst that brought together the founding members of the Alligators – Geraint Watkins (piano The Alligators played a hybrid blend of musical styles This was perfectly in keeping with the music scene at the time which was more than a little eclectic and would often see strange musical bedfellows rubbing up against each other The early 80s saw the “New Folk” boom in the UK which produced bands like The Pogues and The Men They Couldn’t Hang that were taking traditional material and attacking it with some of the energy inherent from the punk movement It was also a period that saw something of a skiffle revival Cajun-oriented music sat alongside these music styles very well and brought a good-time vibe to the pub circuit had a regular gig at the Hare & Hounds wasn’t able to make the gig and asked Geraint Watkins to dep for him The impromptu band played a set that included a couple of Cajun songs that went down particularly well The thing that sealed the deal was that McKidd had started to learn the fiddle and could provide the violin counter to Watkins accordion – two-thirds of the holy trinity of Cajun music (a guitar player being the third – and something there was no shortage of around London at the time!) and a good time band like the Alligators had little trouble establishing themselves on the pub circuit Equally as fascinating as the gigs themselves was the band dynamic of a bunch of musicians who while they could make great music together didn’t always get on with each other particularly well Gigs could descend into chaos as they argued over what song to play next or who should be playing which instrument It added spice to the live gigs but it was never going to be a recipe for a long lived band There didn’t seem to be anything in-between was made possible by a £400 grant for the then Thatcher government’s Enterprise Allowance Scheme allowing them to start a small record company which then organised the recording of a single and the pressing of 500 vinyl singles that they sold at gigs “Live Alligators” was recorded at the Half Moon in Putney another stalwart of the London pub scene at the time family circumstances meant original bass player to be replaced by former Peddlers’ bass player This seemed to halt the band’s progress a little because although they resumed live work as soon as Dennis was integrated into the band it would be three years before they would secure a record deal and record their first studio album 1987’s self-titled “Balham Alligators” It was produced by Juice on the Loose frontman (a band that had also included Geraint Watkins) who would guest on the album on mandolin and guitar and would go on to become an occasional member of the Alligators himself There would be a second album for Topic the following year Like many of the bands we would consider pioneers of what we now call Americana music the Alligators albums were well-received critically but they didn’t sell well and didn’t bother the charts It’s a problem we’ve touched on before if not the liveliest live music scenes in the country and bands like the Balham Alligators would pack pub venues to the rafters wherever they went on the circuit – but it wasn’t that big a circuit and many of the pubs didn’t have huge capacities; these bands were very big fish in very small ponds and their popularity wasn’t transferring to the larger market Slowly the toll of touring started to tell on the band There would be an official release for the “Live Alligators” album in 1990 (it had been pressed up only for sales at gigs) but when an increasingly ill Kieran O’Connor shuffled off this mortal coil in 1991 Watkins and Gary Rickard joined forces with Charlie Hart as Rickard just returned from session work in the U.S and Chilli Willi & the Red Hot Peppers bass player McKidd formed western-swing band The Companions of The Rosy Hours and continued to work the pub circuit but he was constantly getting calls from people wanting to book the Alligators Watkins and McKidd decided to give the band another go simply moving Irwin and Riley across from The Wobblers to be the Alligators new rhythm section This lineup would go on to record two further albums “Gateway to the South” in 1996 the title taken from Peter Sellers’ comedy sketch and 1997’s “Cajun Dance Party” These two later albums were slicker productions than those of the earlier line-up and the new rhythm section added a professionalism that was lacking from those earlier albums These recordings also attracted a number of higher-profile guest artists Martin Belmont and sax player Nick Pentelow the albums were well-received critically but failed to find commercial success and the band finally called it a day after “Cajun Dance Party” (also released as “A Po’ Boy and Make it Snappy” in some markets) The Balham Alligators deserve their place in history as the best Cajun music band the UK has produced to date they were an unstoppable force and one of the great live acts of the pub rock scene but they also saw success on the festival circuit Like their contemporaries that have been mentioned in these pages before (Eggs Over Easy they might have been far more commercially successful – but they might not have been so much fun If you can find it there’s an excellent 2-disc compilation of their music under the toe-curling title of “Bayou-Degradable” Video Premiere: The Miners “Without You” Δdocument.getElementById( "ak_js_2" ).setAttribute( "value" This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed. Excellent article about a band completely unknown to me previously Great feature Rick on what was probably the last great London pub rock band Unfortunately several members have passed away since the nineties Bobby Irwin/Robert Treherne and Steve Donnelly I own one of the 500 privately pressed vinyl singles I have been the Alligators at the Moulin Blues Festival in 1998 in Ospel (The Netherlands) Magnificent a band playing similar music as The Balham Alligators in the mud eighties in London There were a few in that mold around at the time and Bobby Valentino seemed to be in all of them I remember Ricky Cool had a Western Swing outfit as well (with Valentino of course) The Bluebirds were excellent but relatively short-lived and only one original recording Sadly not enough to get much of an article out of As regards to Bobby Valentino: indeed he was a member of Los Pistoleros Had never heard of this band until I read Lessons by Ian McEwen If you enjoy what you're reading and don't want to support us on a monthly basis you can help us keep this site free from looking like one of those awful REACH sites by making a one off donation towards our running costs Be daring, be yourself, be willing to take risks and stand alone. Vanessa Collier’s music is gritty, raw, and at times, either downright sad or bubbling happy. As with most songwriters worth their salt, her songs […] “All of a sudden, time stood still, and we watched our plans and expectations float away like lost balloons.” For Angela Easterling, life began in South Carolina and, except for college years in Boston, has been […] Past, present and future are inseparable in her songs. There is an openness to Maya de Vitry that is refreshing to come by. Formerly in the Stray Birds, a bluegrass band, the Lancaster, Pennsylvania-born musician is […] As always in these prescriptive articles there must be a drawing of boundaries and Clint’s first article in the series seemed to have dealt with the idea that you should define americana in a narrow sense […] Steve Earle announced his arrival in our lives with his debut album in 1986. Since then, he has racked up almost thirty studio and live albums under his own name or in collaboration with others. I […] I heard from a colleague,  who has contact with associates of Eric Taylor, that he had died on March 9th 2020 following a period of illness. I immediately checked the web for confirmation but there was […] A Balham restaurant has lost its late night licence after a court heard its owner was unlawfully employing migrant workers amid claims he was exploiting them by paying sub-standard wages Kan.BioRelatedHistorical2009-10 (Senior)After injuries ended his playing days a year early Chris Balham spent his senior season with the Huskers as a student assistant coach He worked with the coaches on the court and helped the young Husker roster adjust to the rigors of Big 12 play Balham graduated in August of 2009 before his senior season and spent the 2009-10 academic year working in the master's program 2008-09 (Junior)Despite continuing knee problems that drastically limited his practice time for the second straight season Chris Balham (pronounced bahl-um) made the largest on-court contributions of his career as a junior starting 23 games on the year while averaging a career-high 10.1 minutes per game as the 6-8 forward was the only regular contributor over 6-6 on the shortest Division I team in the country Balham showed greater endurance than previous seasons battling through his knee pain to play at least 10 minutes in 15 games including 13 times in a 15-game stretch in the middle of the season Balham averaged 2.0 points and 2.3 rebounds per game on the season while hitting a solid 50.0 percent (19-of-38) from the field Balham played a season-high 18 minutes against South Carolina State near the end of the non-conference slate He hit 2-of-3 shots from the floor and added three free throws Balham finished with a season-high tying seven points and was one off his career high with seven rebounds Following his second straight seven-point performance against Maryland Eastern Shore Balham finished out the non-conference schedule with a career-high-tying eight boards against Florida A&M when he also hit a career best five free throws in six attempts at the line Balham added at least two offensive boards nine times He had three offensive boards each in near upsets against Oklahoma and Kansas and added six boards in a road win at Texas Tech He posted a conference-best seven rebounds at Missouri near the end of conference action Balham had helped the Huskers to 18 victories and spot in the postseason NIT for the second straight year He played 11 minutes at New Mexico in the first round of the NIT his most extended minutes in nearly a month because of a flare-up of his knee issues Balham scored seven points against the Aggies on 3-of-4 shooting from the field and added three rebounds for one of his most complete games of the year 2007-08 (Sophomore)Balham nearly doubled his playing time from the previous year as he saw action in 32 games He played an average of 7.8 minutes per contest (251 total) After being a strong rebounder and defender early in the season Balham started to become an effective option in the Husker offense as the year wore on He made his most significant contribution in Nebraska's upset of No Balham came off the bench to play 11 minutes scoring a career-best 10 points with three rebounds He perfectly executed several pick-and-roll plays leading to easy uncontested baskets as he hit 5-of-7 field-goal attempts It was the second straight win for the Huskers over a ranked team Balham played a hand in the previous victory as well by hitting both of his shots from the floor and scoring five points in 11 minutes in a win over No Balham's three highest-scoring games in league play all came on the road at Texas A&M Kansas (six points) and Oklahoma State (six points) He also recorded his best rebounding games in league play away from Lincoln five at Kansas State and five versus Missouri in the Big 12 Championship 2006-07 (Redshirt Freshman)Balham made strides down the stretch of his redshirt freshman campaign after an illness at the beginning of the season derailed his early progress Balham suffered from weakness in his legs and spent three days in the hospital in November before returning to practice Balham slowly regained his physical presence on the court and finished the year playing in 26 contests He played more than eight minutes in a game only four times Balham's most important performance came on the road against Missouri when he pulled down two late offensive boards and hit 3-of-4 free throw attempts for a season-high three points to help the Huskers to a come-from-behind road victory Balham also pulled down two rebounds on the offensive end while adding a steal and basket to help Nebraska sweep the Tigers with a win in Lincoln 2005-06 (Freshman)Balham redshirted during his first season at Nebraska He practiced with the team but did not compete during the regular season Before NebraskaA raw talent with great potential Balham began playing basketball after coming to the United States from France before his freshman season in high school Balham played three seasons at Shawnee Mission West finishing his career by guiding his team to the 2005 Class 6A state championship game His team finished with a 15-10 record as he averaged 11 points 11 rebounds and four blocked shots as a senior all-county and honorable-mention all-state in 2005 8.5 rebounds and 3.0 blocks while helping the Vikings to an 11-10 record West was the top defensive team in the state as it allowed only 41.9 points per game while holding opponents to just 38 percent shooting from the floor Balham helped West outrebound opponents by an average of seven boards per game PersonalThe son of Vella Ndebo and Likale Balham After growing up in France until high school Balham is fluent reading and writing French Chris is majoring in international studies and Spanish at Nebraska One of Balham High Road’s most prominent features has been given a new lease of life that’s sure to delight local residents A joint refurbishment scheme between Wandsworth Council and Network Rail has delivered a revamped railway bridge – complete with an illuminated cascade - which uses a range of colours to light up the bridge the bridge walls and attractive tiled artwork have been cleaned and the bridge panels repainted and refurbished - so that the bridge looks almost brand new The refurbishment scheme mirrors a similar project carried out at Wandsworth Town Station which was completed just before Christmas and saw a range of improvements carried out at its railway bridge as part of another joint council and Network rail improvement scheme The council has invested just over £75,000 on upgrading the Balham bridge – part of the borough’s £5m public realm improvement fund which is delivering a series of transport and travel upgrades across Wandsworth Before the end of the current financial year £5m will have been invested in renewing pavements and road surfaces investing in high streets and shopping parades and removing unnecessary street clutter Transport spokesman Cllr John Locker said: “This work at Balham has provided a welcome boost to the town centre and turned its formerly drab railway bridge into a prominent and colourful local landmark smarter and more welcoming than it has been for years “This is just the latest example of the council’s ongoing £5m programme of local travel improvements as we help the borough recover from the effects of the pandemic.” The borough’s £5m public realm improvement fund includes investment in the following key areas – all designed to deliver a series of upgrades to Wandsworth’s streets • More pavement and road resurfacing - £2.05m• Improvements to local shopping parades - £580,000• River promenade upgrades - £440,000• Rail bridge underpass refurbishments and lighting projects - £540,000• Road safety – additional pedestrian crossings and compliance measures - £890,000• Green spaces footpaths and railings - £500,000 Balham is no longer a secret with its popular brunch spots and pleasant community feel Homes & Property | Where to live in his magnum opus The Buildings of England dismisses south-west London’s Balham with the comment: “No village character of its own can be traced any longer.” with young couples and families queueing up for the best brunch spots in a high street buzzing with independent coffee shops Estate agent Carys Doyle from Marsh & Parsons describes Balham as having a pleasant community feel with good schools Doyle says that many of her buyers are selling one- or two- bedroom flats in Fulham and making the move to a house in Balham She describes Balham as a well-kept secret — and it is certainly a place that likes to keep a secret and some mysterious relief sculptures all go largely unremarked The tragedy at Bethnal Green Underground station on March 3 1943 The bomb that fell on Balham Tube station on October 14 1940 which opened up a crater large enough to take a number 88 bus and resulted in the loss of between 65 and 68 lives has only an undistinguished wall plaque in the station Albert Heaver was one of south London’s most successful Victorian developers but his life came to a dramatic end on the streets of a village in Surrey Albert built more than 4,000 homes in Battersea yet his most distinguished work was on the Heaver Estate between Balham High Road and Tooting Common Here the houses are characterised by red brickwork Heaver’s story ends in tragedy in the village of Westcott in Surrey was shot on his way to church by his brother-in-law James then shot himself and four days later Albert succumbed to his injuries And what about those four mysterious relief sculptures on the side of Balham station They show scenes of a family round a tea table They are the work of artists Julia Barton and Christine Thomas and were unveiled in 1991 and paid for by the local council but anyone walking past is left none the wiser Balham was developed after the arrival of the railway in 1856 and most of the terrace and semi-detached houses are from the Victorian and Edwardian periods The most expensive house for sale is a five-bedroom double-fronted property in Balham Park Road at £3.5 million There are two seven-bedroom houses for sale in the popular Heaver Estate conservation area: one in Hillbury Road; the other in Manville Road The Nightingale Triangle between Nightingale Lane and Balham High Road has a mixture of Victorian cottages and larger terraced houses A five-bedroom house in Nightingale Square is for sale for £2.65 million The smaller Victorian terrace houses in the Hyde Farm Estate between Cavendish Road and Thornton Road especially those close to the popular Henry Cavendish primary school in Hydethorpe Road are in demand with families with young children Among Balham’s cheapest houses is a two-bedroom modern house in Hunter Close off Balham High Road Flats range in price from £239,000 for a studio in Du Cane Court to £1.1 million for a three-bedroom flat in a converted Victorian house in Boundaries Road it is thought to be one of the largest blocks of flats in Europe It was home to the comedian Tommy Trinder and the actress Margaret Rutherford and is where the comedian Arthur Smith Balham’s largest development, from the award-winning Joseph Homes, is The Tramyard (tramyard-balham.co.uk) two- and three-bedroom flats and duplexes — of which five are affordable — on Balham High Road The development launches in September and will be ready for completion soon after One-bedroom flats start at £499,995; two-bedroom at £684,995 and three-bedroom at £899,995 Bedford House in Balham High Road is a development of 52 one- They are ready to move into: one-bedroom flats start at £655,000 and the one remaining two-bedroom flat is on sale for £845,000 Nightingale Place is a retirement development from Audley Village on the site of a former police section house in Nightingale Lane close to Clapham South Tube station two- and three-bedroom flats will be ready to move into in 2020 cinema and restaurant as well as an extra-care facility One-bedroom flats start at £665,000; two-bedroom flats at £1.17 million; and three-bedroom flats at £1.82 million Sixty Culverden Road is the conversion of a double-fronted Victorian house into seven flats and a one-bedroom mews house Contact Douglas & Gordon on 020 8273 0191 Basilica Mews (basilicamews.com) is a gated development of eight four- and five-bedroom houses from the developer Thornsett that are ready to move in to Prices range from £2.1 million to £2.375 million and there is a show home Contact Savills on 020 3428 2222 or Rampton Baseley on 020 7228 5111 says Balham is popular with young professionals who go for one- and two-bedroom flats close to a station who go for two-bedroom flats or four-bedroom houses A shortage of homes to rent is taking rental levels back to their 2017 level with most break clauses averaging 24 months Balham is on the Northern line and trains to Victoria take 15 minutes Some Balham residents will take the Northern line from Tooting Bec or Clapham South Clapham South is in Zone 2 and an annual travelcard costs £1,404 Balham and Tooting Bec are in Zone 3 and an annual travelcard costs £1,648 A house in the Heaver Estate is a house for life SW12 is the Balham postcode that includes the roads around Clapham South Tube station especially the double-fronted housing overlooking Tooting Common on Elmbourne Road Flats in Du Cane Court and the pocket of 1930s houses around Atkins Road Most of Balham is in Wandsworth (Conservative-controlled) which in 2019-2020 has one of the lowest council-tax charges in the country at £793.99 for Band D but at the Clapham end Balham falls into Lambeth (Labour-controlled) which in 2019-2020 has a council tax of £1,445.20 for Band D It provides a powerful incentive to live on the Wandsworth side of the boundary Balham is a busy place with plenty of places to eat and drink from breakfast through to dinner bars and restaurants are stretched along Balham High Road For supermarket shopping there are large branches of Waitrose and Sainsbury’s to which a branch of Aldi Local has recently been added bars and restaurants in Bedford Hill including Foxlow steak house Hawksmoor’s little brother with The Owl bar in the basement; Haché for burgers; a branch of the growing Megan’s chain; for pizza Franco Manca and Pizza Express; and for South American tapas and cocktails The market in Hildreth Street is not as busy as it once was and most of the action has moved on to eating and drinking with two Aussie-inspired brunch spots Milk Café and next-door Brickwood; and a branch of south London’s Blackbird Bakery Balham Streats is a street-food market in Bedford Hill Place by the back entrance to Sainsbury’s and is held on the first Saturday of the month Soho House has a branch of Dirty Burger and Chicken Shop in Chestnut Grove where Brother Marcus Coffee is another brunch spot that holds regular supper clubs long-standing Lamberts has hung on to its reputation as the area’s best restaurant and there is excitement at the arrival of a new ice-cream parlour Jefferson’s and noodles and sushi at Taro Balham had a Polish community long before its accession to the European Union and there is a famous Polish restaurant in the White Eagle Club At the Clapham South end of the road Ciullosteria is a family-run Italian restaurant and Miles Weeks and Carys Doyle recommend the Avalon and Devonshire pubs There is a Saturday morning farmers’ market at Henry Cavendish School in Hydethorpe Road Wandsworth and Tooting commons are popular with families runners and dog walkers and bring a little countryside to each corner of the neighbourhood The Bedford pub in Bedford Hill has the Banana Cabaret comedy club where comedians from Harry Hill to Eddie Izzard and Al Murray aka The Pub Landlord have all performed a bar and restaurant in Balham Station Road has a cinema which puts on dog-friendly screenings There is outdoor swimming at the Tooting Bec Lido in Tooting Bec Road — its brightly coloured changing-room doors make it one of the most photographed lidos in the country — and there is indoor swimming at the Balham Leisure Centre in Elmfield Road Wandsworth and Clapham are family areas with a high concentration of schools both state and private The state primary schools judged to be “outstanding” by the Government’s education watchdog Ofsted are: Henry Cavendish in Hydethorpe Road and Telferscot in Telferscot Road (both in the Hyde Farm area of Balham); Saint Anselm’s RC in Tooting Bec Road; Holy Ghost RC in Nightingale Square and Hillbrook in Hillbrook Road just over the border in Tooting in the heart of Balham gets the “outstanding” rating Other nearby similarly rated comprehensive schools are: Graveney (co-ed ages 11 to 18) in Welham Road in Tooting and Bishop Thomas Grant RC (co-ed ages 11 to 18) in Belltrees Grove in Streatham Those judged to be “good” are Burntwood (girls ages 11 to 18) in Burntwood Lane in Earlsfield and Ark Bolingbroke (co-ed ages 11 to 18) in Wakehurst Road opposite Wandsworth Common ages 16 to 18) in Malwood Road is a sixth-form college that runs popular adult evening classes; it is judged to be “good” The private primary and preparatory schools are: the Eveline Day School (co-ed ages four to 11) in Hearnville Road; Finton House (co-ed ages four to 11) in Trinity Road; Oliver House RC (co-ed ages three to 11) and Broomwood Hall (co-ed ages four to 13) both in Nightingale Lane; The White House (co-ed ages three to 11) in Thornton Road; London Steiner (co-ed ages three to 14) in Weir Road; Eaton House the Manor (co-ed ages two to 11) both in Clapham Common North Side; Thomas’s Clapham (co-ed ages four to 13) in Broomwood Road; and Northcote Lodge (boys ages 11 to 18) in Battersea Rise is the local private secondary school ages 11 to 18) in Atkins Road is a Roman Catholic school which is moving to the Chelsea Embankment in September insight and opinion from the world of restaurants 08-Jan-2024 Last updated on 08-Jan-2024 at 16:22 GMT The chef and restaurateur has taken on the former The Red Duck site on Ramsden Road to open Freak Scene Sushi and Grill later this month The pan-Asian restaurant will have a sushi bar and a wood oven as well as the charcoal grill that was originally used at the Soho Feak Scene Downstairs will be a lounge area for eating and drinking and which will host live DJ sets Hallsworth launched Freak Scene as a pop-up in Farringdon in July 2017 before opening a permanent site on Soho’s Frith Street a year later The restaurant did not reopen after the Coronavirus pandemic with Hallsworth blaming ‘greedy landlords’ and expensive real estate at the time More recently he opened Freak Scene in Parsons Green in Fulham in March 2023, teaming up with fellow Australian and comedian Adam Hills. The 46- cover restaurant has been dubbed Freak Scene Mark III. Dishes on the current menu include Singapore crab wonton bombs; beef fillet tataki; scorched edamame; roasted Hokkaido scallops; tea smoked lamb chops; and BBQ pork belly buns. Scott Hallsworth's pan Asian concept Freak Scene to finally go permanent 11-Jan-2023By Stefan ChomkaScott Hallsworth is reviving his Freak Scene pop-up restaurant for its first permanent iteration. How I Got Here: Scott Hallsworth26-Jul-2022By James McAllisterThe Australian chef and restaurateur, who previously ran Freak Scene in London's Soho and recently launched Double Dragon on Rosebery Avenue in Clerkenwell, on his colourful career. Soho's Freak Scene announces permanent closure03-Jul-2020By James McAllisterKurobuta founder Scott Hallsworth's pan-Asian restaurant Freak Scene in London's Soho will not reopen post-Coronavirus lockdown. Whet your appetite with beers from the European UnionPaid for and content provided by European Union Staffing costs rising — how smart hiring solutions are helping UK restaurantsPaid for and content provided by YoungOnes Lost Revenue from Downtime: How It Cripples Your Delivery App Visibility and SalesPaid for and content provided by Deliverect The council has unveiled a series of measures to improve road safety for residents and children who attend two schools in Balham The measures are designed to make it safer for children who walk and cycle to Chestnut Grove Academy and Hornsby House School Pupils attending both schools face difficult journeys along streets that are busy with traffic •    The removal of two mini-roundabouts on Chestnut Grove at the junctions with Boundaries Road and Endlesham Grove •    The installation of two new zebra crossings One on Boundaries Road and a second near the entrance to Chestnut Grove Academy •    A raised table speed reduction measure at the junction of Chestnut Grove and Boundaries Road to provide a safer crossing point for pedestrians •    A time restricted ban on vehicles turning right from Chestnut Grove into Boundaries Road Vehicles would be prevented from carrying out this manoeuvre between the hours of 7am to 9am and from 3pm to 6pm This restriction would be enforced by the use of traffic cameras •    The introduction of a short one-way street with contraflow cycling on Boundaries Road from east to west between Balham Park Road and Rowfant Road A report to councillors on the Transport Committee which met last night and approved the changes (Thursday) concludes: “It is anticipated that the provision of two new raised zebra crossings accompanied by the necessary accompanying modal filters to reduce traffic volume at the suggested locations would have a beneficial effect in enhancing road safety and assisting pedestrians and cyclists the safety of school children walking to and from school as well as crossing the road to access local amenities will be greatly enhanced.” Wandsworth’s Cabinet Member for Transport said: “This package of measures is designed to address the widely held community concerns in this part of Balham “The two new zebra crossings will make those journeys much safer as will the additional steps being taken to reduce the number of vehicles on the approaches to both schools at the times pupils are arriving and departing each day.” “These changes support the council’s Walking and Cycling Strategy which includes a focus on making it safer for children to walk and cycle to school." council highways engineers will draw up detailed designs for these safety improvements while letters will be delivered to local residents outlining the changes and seeking their input into the statutory consultation that will follow All feedback from that consultation will be carefully reviewed and changes to the scheme made where necessary