13/06/2014 BBC London News

pleasant in the south-west where the winds are that bit lighter. That is

it. Goodbye. Simon Jack has more.

Tonight on BBC London News: 250,000 new homes

for the capital over the next ten years ` the Chancellor promhses to

help the Mayor kick start house building in the capital.

I am giving them their monex to speed up building houses but also to

get the money, schools, roads and jobs for the community.

building in the capital. But Labour claim the Mayor's

building only a third of the homes needed.

Also tonight: Pushed into the path

of a lorry during a robbery at his shop ` six men are j`iled

for a total of more than 70 years. Plus, six months on from

the winter floods, the homeowners waterproofing their properthes.

And escape from the city ` opening up some of London's most

secluded gardens to Londoners. Good evening

and welcome to the programmd. I'm Alex Bushill.

The Mayor has promised to hdlp thousands of Londoners onto the

property ladder by kick starting house building in the capit`l.

Boris Johnson and the Chancdllor today promised to build 50,000 new

homes on brownfield sites. Up to 20 new housing zones will be

created across London, with City Hall

and central government contributing ?400 million between them.

But Labour has criticised the Mayor, saying after six years

in office these latest plans are "too little, too late".

Karl Mercer is on Primrose Hill for us now.

So, new money, new powers, same old problem.

Yes. Why Primrose Hill, you might ask, because it does not sotnd like

the place to talk about the housing crisis. But many years ago ` certain

man called Lord Southampton decided to cash in his chips on this land

and to sell it and build a new suburb. That was to cope with

growing housing demand in London. This is not a new problem. Today, in

north London, the mayor and the Chancellor got together to launch

what they hope will be part of the solution.

same old problem. As brownfield sites go,

they don't come much browner than this field in North London,

a wasteground for 20 years. been hard to develop.

But this morning, the cavalry arrived, bursting with ideas and

money. They say they will transform this site and 20 others into new

housing, schools and businesses Which bit will be the nicest? The

Chancellor is promising ?200 million to set up housing zones across the

capital, freeing up planning rules and promising to clean up

contaminated land to attract developers. We need more holes built

on sites like this which have been derelict for too long. I am giving

the mayor powers to speed up the planning, but also money so that we

get the schools, the roads `nd the get the schools, the roads `nd the

jobs that make for a thriving jobs that make for a thriving

community. But is it right to do the dirty work for the developers with

public money, handing them cleaned public money, handing them cleaned

plots with good transport lhnks There are tonnes of sites across

London that look very like this that have not made it. Just becatse they

don't have the transport links, or there is some problem with poisoning

of the land. If you can address those with a bit of taxpayer money,

otherwise they are never gohng to otherwise they are never gohng to

happen. These are the plans. Fantastic. Out of this clay, dreams

will be made. The mayor is promising 50,000 homes on brown field sites in

London in the next ten years, but they will not start hearing infield

one thing. Following through is one thing. Following through

harder. We need to make surd the harder. We need to make surd

homes are affordable to Londoners on homes are affordable to Londoners on

low and middle incomes. Borhs Johnson has had six years to get a

grip on the housing crisis. He has failed to do so. London is only

building at the moment one third of the homes every year that the

mayor's own estimates say that we need. The expectations will be high

from local council leaders `nd from Londoners needing homes. Pldnty to

ponder as they made their w`y off`site. What will the new housing

zones mean for Londoners trx to get their feet on the housing l`dder?

And what are the challenges for those seeking to redevelop

Brownfield sites. Helen has been to Poplar to find out.

Walking past Brownfield sitds is an everyday occurrence in London. This

site in Poplar, Tower Hamlets, is one of hundreds in the capital, and

turning them into housing is popular here. There is not enough housing to

go around. I have had friends on the Isle of dogs four`year is, living

there with their parents, who could not get housing. With the children,

I would like to have a garddn, but it is probably not going to happen.

We need houses with gardens so we We need houses with gardens so we

can play. Of the new houses, some of them will have to be afford`ble

which will not only help people onto the property ladder, but cotld help

reduce council house waiting lists. There is a real need for th`t in

Tower Hamlets. There are ovdr 2 ,000 households on the council w`iting

list in the borough, whereas ten years ago there were only around

10,000, making it the second longest waiting list in London. Overcrowding

is a major issue. More overcrowding than Birmingham. We have very high

density, which means future demand is growing all the time, thdre is

massive housing need. So thd announcement is going down well but

how easy is it to get the shte is ready for development? Urban

regeneration is implicitly difficult. Certain areas of enabling

a site to be ready for development are inherently expensive. Those

areas of expense range from demolition of existing buildings,

through to varying degrees of decontamination that is reqtired on

the ground. The idea is certainly popular in Poplar, but will the

funding go far enough? Clearly some optimism, but lots of

challengers. Yes, we have bden told for ages that London is not building

enough houses, and that Brownfield sites will be our saviour. The first

problem remains true. London is building about half the houses that

it should do. Perhaps today there is a glint of hope we could be solving

the Brownfield site solution. None of the opponents of the mayor have

really criticised it, except raising concerns over the level of

affordable housing included in these developments, and raising qtestions

over the timetable. The mayor is promising 50,000 homes over ten

years. And a warning from the London Chamber of Commerce. They s`y the

new plans are not the silver bullet. They say the real solution,

the only solution is for London to build at least double the alount of

houses it is building at thd moment. That has been the problem for a long

time and we know the solution is not easy. Lots more to come. As England

get ready for their first m`tch against Italy tomorrow night, I have

come to find out about Roy Hodgson's first coaching job as a PE

teacher in Croydon. been hard to develop.

Six men have been jailed for a total of more than 70 years

after pushing a man into thd path of a lorry as he tried to chase

robbers from his business. Shammi Atwal died running

after a gang of armed men who'd raided his warehouse in Barking

and threatened his wife. Warren Nettleford reports.

The man running from right`to`left is Shammi Atwal, who has just

witnessed six men who robbed his warehouse. The judge described this

as an act of courage, but it ultimately cost him his lifd. As the

men escaped, he and other mdmbers of staff chased them all the w`y to the

gate. They then got into an altercation. They tried to get his

wife's handbag back, but ond of them pushed him into the path of an

oncoming lorry. He was God`fearing, a religious person, went to the

temple twice every day. He was happy, always had a smile on his

face, loved his kids. What can one say about someone that is ddarly

loved and will be sorely missed These men, five of whom are from

Latvia, were today criticisdd by the judge for refusing to reveal which

one pushed him. For that re`son all six were convicted of mansl`ughter

and conspiracy to rob. They managed to steal just ?1000, money `nd his

wife's handbag. He was a lovely man, respected man, very hard worker

Shammi Atwal had been a bushness partner here for almost 20 xears and

leaves behind two children, four and seven. In court today, the PC said,

no sentence will make up for the pain you caused. You have shown no

remorse or regret for the consequences of your actions. But

the last actions of Shammi @twal were clearly for his wife. The men

received sentences between 01 and 13 years.

Warren Nettleford reports. A violent robber who absconded from

an open prison has been rec`ptured. Simon Rhodes`Butler from Tottenham

handed himself into a Sutton police station last night.

He disappeared from Ford opdn prison in West Sussex last lonth.

89 other offenders who've abscond from there are still missing.

Rhodes`Butler has been charged with escaping from lawful ctstody.

London's newest tunnel under the Thames has been unveiled today.

The Thames Tunnel, which is part of the ?15 billion Crossrail project,

stretches for almost 2.5 miles. When it's open in 2018,

it will help reduce journey times from south`east London.

Tom Edwards, reports. 15 metres below London, mainly

unseen, the largest engineering project in Europe is taking shape.

Crossrail. Slowly, the tunndlling is nearing completion. 80% of the new

rail tunnels are now finishdd. Today, the Thames Tunnel was

officially opened by the Ch`ncellor. It is two miles long and will

improve connections between south`east London and the chty. This

is a fantastic engineering feat that has been achieved. What you see

today is just another example of some phenomenal work being done

taking this tunnel under thd river, on time, high`quality tunnel, in the

best traditions of Brunel. These are the huge machines that have been

making their way under the capital. Eventually, in four years, trains

will run through here, betwden East and West. Transport bosses hope that

the government will continud to invest in more large infrastructure

projects is. And as Crossrahl nears completion, lobbying is turning to

other projects for the capital, like the North `South rail link,

Crossrail two. On a hot, dry summer's day the

winter floods may be a dist`nt memory but six months on, for many

whose homes and livelihoods were destroyed, the repair work

continues. The government h`s pledged more than ?20 million to

help flood hit communities hn London and the Home Counties. And that s on

top of the millions already being paid out by insurance companies

Gareth Furby looks at the ldngths some are now going to, to

flood`proof their homes. to, to flood`proof their holes.

Everything damaged has been thrown out, and inside, work is ne`rly

complete on a building modification which should, if it works, keep the

water out the next time the Thames floods. Once this is dry, it stops

any water penetration coming from outside. The idea is by coating

every floor and the lower sdction of every wall with a waterproofing

substance, the house will rdpel all rough water. Even the sewagd system

is being modified. When it hs not a flood situation, this opens to allow

the rubbish out. In a flood situation, this shuts off and does

not allow anything back up the drains and into your home.

Elsewhere, another way of coping with the flood. This activity centre

faced possible closure becatse damage was not covered by insurance.

But now it is back to normal, thanks to donations from a local btilding

supplier and work by hundreds of volunteers. The only way to tell is

by looking at the walls. It is multicoloured because the volunteers

decided to come down and help out. If you look closely into thd

corners, it is not the neatdst. So it hides the fact that it is not a

professional job. The Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead h`s been

given over ?2 million in government funding to pay for repairs. Some of

it will be spent here. We are going to spend the money on roads that are

damaged, pavements, and also a risk `` river path in Marlow. Also, we

are giving grants to privatd roads up to 50% if they were severely

damaged by floods. The recovery continues and flood barriers will

soon be fitted for a house that the owner hopes will be flood proof

Still to come: Open the doors on London's that on

own gardens, a tour of the capital's hidden spaces.

And at Queen 's club they are getting ready for semifinals and

finals, and a special match, as Andy Murray prepares for a tribute to a

lane about touch. Thanks, Alex,

World Cup fever will well and truly hit the country tomorrow as

Roy Hodgon's England take on Italy But Hodgson's coaching caredr

actually started out here He might have taken charge of clubs

and countries across the world but his first team was a school when

he was a PE teacher in Croydon. At 66 years old, when Roy Hodgson is

not coaching in this, he lives in full with his wife, Shirley. It all

started here, in Croydon. It is a long time since I lived in Croydon.

I have very fond memories of the place. I shall never shy aw`y from

admitting that was my birthplace. As a schoolboy, he was obsessed with

football. His dad was a bus driver and his mum a housewife. He would

often be found at the record with his friend. He was football mad and

cricket mad. He was always `t the park. They lived in the samd

maisonette as Roy Hodgson. Roy focused on coaching. They rdmain

friends. Boy likes his red wine and his Motown. He took up a job as a PE

teacher. It is not just the school that is bad, the local commtnity is

bad he lived locally that hd was also a student locally. He did spend

some time working with studdnts at the school and started his coaching

at the school. Would you like to be England manager one day? It is the

big job in English football. I am a passionate English supporter. I am

more successful at championship manager on the computer than at

managing football. From coaching children on these sports fidlds he

has gone on to take charge of 1 different teams, including

inter`Milan, Fulham, Switzerland and now England. The boy from Croydon

has done well. Now back here

in the capital it's been announced that France international

Bacary Sagna has left Arsen`l. The defender has joined

Manchester City on a three`year deal after sevdn years

in North London but his contract And in the last few hours it's been

confirmed that Chelsea's Br`zilian defender David Luiz has completed

his move to Paris Saint Gerlain The 27`year`old will join up French

club after the conclusion It's understood he's signed

a five`year`deal for an unconfirmed Now,

the World Cup might be taking place on the other side of the world,

but Londoners can still expdrience Over 60,000 Brazilians live in

the capital and Emilia Papadopoulos has been finding out how thdy're

celebrating the occasion. The world 's biggest party hs

officially under way. If yot cannot make the 5000 mile trip to the 000

mile trip to this year 's World there are 60,000 Brazilians living

in the capital and they are ready to show Londoners how to celebrate the

Latin American way. Starting with samba lessons at this bar in the

city... It is very good. Yot feel really good. It is really nhce. Two

basic Portuguese lessons and cocktail making at this Brazilian

bar in Camden. Not forgetting one of the country 's most popular sports.

Many of the best South Amerhcan footballers say it is the g`me that

helped develop their careers and it is becoming more popular in London.

In South America, it is hugd. It is a game all about passing and

control. It might look like five`a`side football but it has its

own set of rules. Here is the biggest difference. This is a

regular football. It gives the opportunity to stay more closer with

the ball. You have to think a lot quicker. Especially the sizd of the

pitch, it is smaller compardd with the 11`a`side for the beanid to run

a lot faster. The tournament might be taking place on the other side of

the world but there are plenty of chances to get a feel for the World

Cup fever right here in London. Now if you're already suffering

from a little football fatigue, There's plenty of sporting `ction

this weekend, including another international tournament happening

right now in West London. We're talking tennis and Chris Slegg

is at Queen's for us now. Seven different nationalitids in the

quarterfinals. Andy Murray will not be playing in the final but he will

be playing because he is taking part in the tribute to a lane about

Thatcher, the former British women's number one, who so sadly passed

away. `` Elena Baltacha. Ross Hutchins has had his own battle with

cancer. There will be matchds taking place at Eastbourne and Birlingham.

Her husband spoke about the importance. All the money whll go to

the Elena Baltacha foundation and the Royal Marsden Hospital. He also

praised his wife 's amazing inner strength. A lot of humans go through

horrible things that this woman was 30 years old and she had just

retired. She had so many am`zing things at her feet. Her death will

help so many in children who would not have had a chance in serious

tennis. That money, every shngle penny of it, that me and other

trustees will fight hard to make every penny spent in the wax I know

my wife would have wanted that money to be spent. Understandably

emotional. We have the semifinals of the men's singles tomorrow.

On Sunday, we will know who is the championship winner for 2014 here at

Queen 's club. Back to you. Lastly onto some Commonwealth

Games News and no surprises here. Stratford`based Tom Daley h`s

been named in the England dhving Olympic bronze medallist will defend

the two titles he won four xears ago in Delhi when he took gold

in the 10m Platform and Synchro And we'll have lots more

Commonwealth Games news over the next few weeks,

with plenty of Londoners colpeting Fancy a nose around the gardens at

Ten Downing Street or the Hhghbury Stadium. Some of the most private

gardens have been open to the public. Some of them are hundreds of

feet up in the air. This cotld be anywhere in the countryside. In fact

we are on top `` we are in the heart of the city. The garden is being

maintained by staff members who give up their time to grow fruit and veg

for use in the company rest`urant. We have to nail everything down and

tie everything up but it sedms to work and the Bees have found all our

flowers. They are doing well as well. This is one of 20 gardens

opening in London this weekdnd. There are 200 in total across 2

boroughs. This is the very definition of a secret garddn. Most

of the commuters on London Bridge probably do not know it exists. Out

in Forest gate, this is another previously hidden gem opening its

doors. The pupils at this school get to enjoy a garden that dates back to

1862 with a shrine and red julep tree. It beats most school playing

fields. It makes you feel rdally peaceful and you enjoy it. Having

same edge greenery. It is good contrast between the concrete and

the nice grass. It is nice. Make sure the kids get involved hn

gardening. `` we make sure. It is such an oasis. It is surrounded by

housing. People walking through here would be amazed. Some gardens have

guided tours. Many have nevdr been open to the public before. We have

gardens on barges, in skips, in community allotments and evdn

imprisoned. Do you think people will be surprised there are so m`ny

secret gardens around town? People say, it is amazing. I never even

knew about a garden. Some of the high profile sites are alre`dy fully

booked. The secret gardens `im to surprise and inspire and prove

that, in truth, London is anything but a concrete jungle. As you can

see from those gardens, another beautiful day today. How long will

it last? Will it last weekend? It will go downhill a littld bit. We

have been spoiled over the last few days. The weekend turns a lhttle bit

cooler and also rather cloudier We will not have the warmth from the

sunshine we have had some of the time over the last day or two. A lot

more cloud over northern parts of the UK. That will come into play

late on this evening. The g`thering cloud is moving across the Lidlands.

Get out and about and enjoy the lovely, warm and to be dead. Still

plenty of sunshine around. @s we go into the night time period, big

showers will be turning up, working their way down from the north with

thunder in the mix. Some of the showers could be quite heavx. As all

that going on, lots of cloud around. Temperatures holding up. Lows around

16 degrees. The last of the showers will ease away quite quicklx

tomorrow morning. You have to wait a while to see a few holes in the

cloud. Just the chance of the odd shower maybe across western motes

parts. They will be few and far between. Temperatures will be 2 at

best. Having said that, it hs about the average for the middle part of

June. We are not being short`changed. Tomorrow evening it

is the north`easterly breezd which make it feel quite cool. It feel

quite cool. It'll be a great start to the day once again on Sunday The

nagging breeze will keep a cool edge to it, particularly towards the

North East coast. The highest temperatures will be in the central

and western areas, 20, 20 1 degrees will do if you get some sunshine

coming through it will not feel too bad. A fine weekend by and large. A

lot of fine weather to come as we go into next week. The main he`dlines:

A retired senior detective has told the BBC he was misled by Rochdale

Council when he tried to investigate allegations of abuse at a school in

the town. He asked relevant paperwork but was not given an

unpublished report detailing serious sexual abuse. The Iraqi govdrnment

in Baghdad is drawing up a defence plan to protect the city from

thousands of fighters from ` breakaway Al`Qaeda group. The most

senior cleric in the countrx has urged people to take up arms against

the Sunni insurgents. The m`yor has run is to help others of Londoners

onto the property ladder by kick`starting house`building. Boris

Johnson promised to build 60,00 new homes on brown field sites. Six men

have been jailed for a total of more than 70 years after pushing a man

into the path of a lorry. All of our stories on the website in the usual

place. I'll be back later dtring the Ten O'Clock News. Do have a lovely

evening. Goodbye. Make the most of your weekend,

wherever you are. Use the BBC Weather App to stay

one step ahead of the weather.