As a companion to Alistair Lenczner’s talk on London’s Planned Roads (report here) on 10 October the Blackheath Society have a talk examining the plans and resistance to the London Ringway scheme that was proposed in the 1960s and 1970s.
Fifty years ago there were plans to drive an eight-lane motorway through Blackheath. This would have all but destroyed this historic and characterful part of London. The plan proved to be part of a wider scheme for the ‘Ringway’ around London which would have resulted in up to one million Londoners living within 200 yards of a motorway. Paul Wright of the Blackheath Society will set this plan within the context of over fifty years’ of plans to damage Blackheath by driving major roads through it. He will also describe how resolute action by residents of Blackheath and Londoners more widely resulted in the plans for these disastrous roads being largely abandoned in the early 1970s. This is a tale of low cunning on the part of the planners meeting determined action by local people.
Details: Thursday, 10th October 7 for 7.30pm. Tickets from www.eventbrite.com at £10 including a glass of wine. Venue: St Mary’s Hall Cresswell Park, SE3 9RD.
