17/01/2018 London News

failed company Carillion, many will

keep their

Good evening.

Coming up on BBC London News:

Plans to demolish the historic

Elephant and Castle shopping centre

are dramatically halted,

much to the relief of

campaigners and businesses.

What replaces it will not be

affordable. The types of shops, in

terms of employment, housing, it's

not for everybody, is it?

But developers say it's a huge

opportunity to improve the area.

Also tonight:

One of the best feelings I've ever

had in my life. I'm not a criminal

any more.

A man wrongly convicted of stealing

who later discovered his arresting

officer was guilty of a similar

crime finally has his name cleared.

He was framed by the police officer

heading up the case.

With more people leaving

the profession than joining it,

we'll hear why one nurse felt

she had to give up

the career she loved.

The Duchess of Cambridge

visits Great Ormond Street

to open the latest phase

of the Children's Medical Centre.

A very warm welcome

to the programme.

First tonight: It's a fight

to save a major south London

landmark that's been

going on for more than three years.

The Elephant and Castle shopping

centre has been part of the fabric

of the area for over half

a century, since 1965.

A developer wants to rebuild it

and create around 1,000 new homes

and a new university campus.

But, in a surprising turn of events,

the plans were dramatically halted

after a seven-hour late night

Council meeting.

Tolu Adayoye has been getting

reaction from some of those who live

and work in the area.

It was an unexpected decision.

Even those who were opposed to plans

which included redeveloping Elephant

and Castle Shopping Centre were

surprised when Southwark Council

didn't approve them.

We still get all the people local

to the area coming down,

because most of my customers

are people that's

local to the area.

Many, like Sharon, who live

and work in the area,

felt the changes would be

bad for local people.

It's

not going to be inclusive,

as far as I'm concerned.

Dare I say it's for the haves

rather the have-nots.

So I guess that things do have

to move on and things

do have the change.

But, I don't know, I just

don't feel that it's

including the people who've

been born and bred in the area.

The developers had promised

a brand-new shopping centre,

a new building for the London

College of Communication,

as well as 1000 new homes,

a third of which

would be affordable.

And, from the roof of the Elephant

and Castle shopping centre,

all you have to do is look up to see

the changes already in this area.

But it appears this is a development

too far. In a statement, the council

said...

Many of those protesting ahead of

the meeting yesterday were students

from the college, including this

lady. Why does she object to a

redevelopment that was backed by her

university?

It would have changed

the social climate of the area. UAL

are complacent in that. Despite so

much talk of a commitment to social

justice and widening participation,

this involvement proves the utter

hypocrisy of their statements.

A

bingo hall sits at the top floor of

the shopping centre. Its owner was

another objector. He says it wasn't

factored into the plans at all, and

chose the developers are out of

touch.

This is vitally important of

the social life of thousands of

people in the area every week.

Everybody wants the Elephant and

Castle to develop, write? But they

didn't want this particular one, it

just didn't make any sense. And if

it doesn't make sense, don't do it.

The developers have said that 90% of

people who they spoke to were in

favour of the plans. They want their

supporters to make their voices

heard ahead of a meeting at the end

of January, when the next steps for

this part of London will become

clearer.

Let's get more from Asad,

who's in Elephant and Castle now.

I'm in Elephant and Castle, this is

a place also known as London's Latin

Quarter. Why? There are more that an

American businesses here in this

part of elephant and Castle and are

on any other parts the UK. I'm

joined now by Latin elephants

representative, a group that

represents the interests of Latin

American people here. Why are you so

against this development?

It does

not offer a fair deal for the people

of Elephant and Castle, we are after

social justice for the people of

Elephant and Castle.

Businesses have

been offered lots of money to move,

spread their wings, maybe even come

back, what's wrong with that?

The

location fund has not been agree

with by the traders, to start with,

it was not done in consultation with

them and does not offer them any

right to return with extra funding

to relocate to the new development

if and when ready.

You not happy

with the development, you

acknowledge money needs to be spent.

What's your fish and?

We want a

vision that is community led, where

the community feels included and

whereby they are driving and being

able to thrive in what is this

developer. We are posted this

development because it does not

offer a fair deal for our

communities.

The council is having a

meeting at the end the month to

decide finally whether to put a

death knell in the application form

from developers which would decide

whether this part of the road will

look like that side of the road, and

what is going on.

You will of course

keep us posted. Apologies for the

break-up of the sound. Assad, thank

you.

Coming up later in the programme:

Why it's a good day for tens

of thousands of bus drivers

across the capital.

"I'm not a criminal any more."

A London council has denied it was

one decades ago...

A London council has denied

it was warned decades ago

that two of its tower

blocks were unsafe.

The concerns were raised

by Hammersmith and Fulham council's

former chief structural engineer.

He says he made the claims

back in the '80s

but they weren't acted upon.

Gareth Furby has been

speaking to him.

As structural engineer to this

council...

David Adler was chair

of a structural engineers group

for the London Boroughs

in the 1980s.

Everybody thought they

were absolutely safe.

He worked for Hammersmith Council.

Here he is meeting residents,

and back then there were concerns

about the safety of tower blocks.

We found these problems

which we never expected.

"Great danger from collapse of wall

or part of these buildings."

He's reading from a memo he wrote

back in 1984 which warns clearly

about a remote chance of collapse,

and that smoke could spread

from flat to flat if there's a fire.

We were concerned, yes.

So what difference

did this memo make?

Well, for the first time in 30

years, David Adler has returned

to inspect the two tower blocks

in Fulham he warned about.

Extra anchors...

He quickly spotted some evidence

of strengthening to the structure.

But all is not right

with these buildings.

Since November, fire wardens have

been patrolling 24 hours a day

because there are gaps between wall

and flooring which could allow

fire and smoke to spread

if a fire breaks out.

To confirm these faults,

engineers have dug away some

concrete in an empty flat.

And David Adler was

able to take a look.

Look at the state of it!

And the gaps and cracking that's now

been exposed seems to be just

the same issue that he warned

about 33 years ago.

If the walls are not

tied into the floors,

then there's gaps which enable smoke

to get through.

Unfortunately.

What do you think about

that happening now,

despite your warnings?

It's bad.

Was your advice...

Was your memo heeded?

I can't recall any action was taken

as a result of the memo I sent.

Meeting Mr Adler on this estate,

a former architecht,

who said not much of

his

advice was listened to either.

Sam Webb was an architect

who investigated this,

the collapse of a tower block

after a gas explosion in Newham.

This is the external flank wall.

The floor slab.

His view is that the structure of

this type of tower block is weak,

even when gas hasn't been fitted,

like in-form. Both men feel that

after the Grenfell Tower disaster,

the concerns are taken seriously.

We

British, we muddle along, until

something goes wrong.

Glik Grenfell

Tower.

The point is that these

problems were knowing about 30-odd

years ago.

We put the men's claims

to Hammersmith and Fulham Council

which issued a statement saying...

The Council says the safety

of residents is its top priority

and it is working with structural

engineers, safety experts

and the fire brigade to ensure that.

The council says there is no gas

supply.

It understands residents are

concerned and will continue to work

with them to ensure that their homes

remain safe.

Gareth Furby, BBC London News.

Two women who say they were

attacked by London taxi

driver John Worboys are raising

money for a legal challenge

to stop his release.

Police believe he attacked

more than 100 women,

but the Parole Board says he's now

safe to be freed after serving

nine years in prison.

Our home affairs correspondent

Nick Beake is here now.

Just tell us more about this, Nick?

This campaign is being spearheaded

by a woman who was attacked by

Worboys back in 2007, she was

drugged and sexually assaulted.

Another woman says she was attacked

in 2003 but his case never came to

court. Together, they are launching

this legal challenge. They are

trying to raise £10,000 through a

crowdfunding website. What they want

to do is try and force the parole

board to make public their reasons

behind the decision, which they

announced that John Worboys can be

set free. They are also challenging

the decision itself. We know that

Worboys was convicted of assaulting

12 women. But the police believe he

could have attacked more than 100

victims. Certainly these two women

believe that he is not a changed

man.

This case was discussed in the

Commons today.

Absolutely, it

continues to provoke outrage and

anger among the public, but also

among politicians. Among those

calling for judicial review of the

decision is one former Conservative

candidate for Mayor of London.

John

Worboys is likely to be one of the

worst sex attacker is our country

has ever known. When he was in

court, she denied his guilt. He was

continuing to deny his kilt up until

two years ago, he dismissed his

crimes as banter, and last year he

was deemed too dangerous to be put

into open release conditions. The

short sentence he served is an

insult to his victims and shows a

content for just this -- contempt.

The Prime Minister says she

appreciated the sensitivity around

this particular case. She said it

was also right that the new Justice

Secretary last week asked for his

own legal advice into whether the

Government could actually launch its

own legal challenge against the

parole board's decision. That would

be unprecedented, certainly highly

unusual, if that were to be the

case. However, the Prime Minister

also signalled a note of caution,

saying the parole board is

independent and it's also that

ministers do not in anyway lean on

it and prejudice their decision in

any way. Where are we tonight? The

parole board said previously that

correct procedures were followed.

But as it stands, John Worboys will

be released at the end of the month.

Huge strength of feeling surrounded

this case. Beake, thank you.

Arthur Collins, the man

jailed for an acid attack

at a nighclub in East London,

has been given another eight

months in prison for using

a smuggled mobile phone.

Collins used the device

to call his ex-girlfriend,

reality TV star Ferne McCann,

from his prison cell.

Collins is serving

a 20-year sentence

for throwing acid across a crowded

dancefloor, injuring 22 people.

Londoners are being asked

what they think expansion

at Heathrow Airport

should look like.

The airport has launched a public

consultation asking locals

about the initial proposals

for a third runway.

It includes options

for a shorter runway and putting

the M25 in a tunnel.

"I'm not a criminal any more."

Words of relief from a man wrongly

convicted of theft in the '70s

who today finally

had his name cleared.

Stephen Simmons spent eight months

in a youth detention centre accused

of stealing mailbags from a train.

He was framed by the police officer

heading up the case

but always maintained his innocence.

Charlotte Franks has the story.

The face of a man who's just had his

conviction quashed after 40 years.

Stephen Simmons has spent decades

wondering how and why he was found

guilty of stealing mailbags from a

train at Clapham Junction. It was a

crime he never committed, but it led

to eight months in a borstals.

Hard

to describe. One of the best feeling

I've ever had in me life. I'm not a

criminal any more. I'll try not to

cry. But I've got the biggest smile

ever. So, yeah...

Stephen was

arrested in 1976 by an officer from

the BDP. Years later, Stephen search

the offers a's name on the internet

and discovered yes Ridgewell had

also been jailed for mailbags that,

and eventually died in the us on.

After contacting the criminal cases

review commission, Stephen's case

was referred to the Appeal Court

citing unreliable police evidence.

Research reveal there were

fabricated confessions in other

cases where DC Ridgewell was the

lead officer.

I just feel hatred for

the police officer for what he's

done. He has ruined three lives.

One's dead, one's bill, and I've

survived. But you can't go around

bringing people's wives.

Winston was

one of those forced to confess. He

was part of a group of young men

arrested for a string of robberies

on the underground but always

maintained their innocence. It is

now thought that today's overturned

conviction could help others like

Winston to have their cases quashed,

too.

I'm absolutely elated, over the

moon, it's a great day. Stephen's

won his case, I'm very pleased for

him. It opens the gate for me to

bring my case back to court because

I lost my appeal in 1973.

In summing

up, the judge said...

Now, Stephen Simmons has promised to

do all he can to help Winston

Through with his case. After all,

both men are now friends, despite it

being a friendship forged out of

unfortunate circumstances. Charlotte

Franks, BBC London news.

Coming up later in the programme:

I asked how old she was.

Hearing

from children at Great Ormond Street

as the Duchess of Cambridge

officially opens the latest phase of

the hospital. And in the weather, a

day like today - tomorrow, but

between now and then strong winds

and a wet night air head, your full

forecast coming up.

Now it's being called

a landmark deal

which will make a difference

to tens of thousands of bus drivers

right across London -

and it's all to with pay.

Our transport correspondent

Tom Edward explains.

The son of a bus tribe and today

meeting workers at the bus depot,

the mayor hailed this deal a

win-win. Now bus tribe is in the

capital moving to another company

will remain on the same pay grade.

Previously, there pay would have

dropped. -- bus drivers.

This means

that when you are an experienced

rider with many years of experience

go to another company, they would

recognise the experience you have,

that will lead to more professional

drivers and a better quality service

for London's commuters.

There are over six million

bus journeys a day in London,

more than the Tube and the trains.

But drivers have been fighting

for better conditions for years.

They have already seen a minimum

wage of £23,000 - now this.

This is the greatest

capital city in the world,

and one of the iconic images

is the red bus, and what we have got

here is the Mayor of London saying

he will treat people with respect,

and we are going to get a quality

service, at a good price,

and everybody will benefit,

so it is a win-win situation.

TfL says the new scheme

will not cost any more

and bus companies

will save on training.

For these bus drivers,

it is welcomed.

We have been working on the buses

for 17 months, 17 years,

and it is important you carry

your spirits with you

when you transfer

to another garage.

Not that I am, I am staying here!

It is the best garage,

but it is important you do not

start at the bottom.

I think it is important, I do

believe it is challenging out there.

So having that same equal level

for drivers is going to be

very important and very appealing.

Not all bus driver concerns

have been addressed,

but for these key

transport workers today,

some good news that could now

be copied elsewhere.

Next, with figures suggesting

the gap between the number of nurses

leaving and joining the profession

has widened,

tonight we hear from

one woman who made

the decision to leave.

She worked in the NHS in London

for 13 years and was at the end

of her nursing degree

when she left her job

to work in a coffee shop.

In her own words,

Alison tells us why.

So, would you like a decaf,

flat white skinny?

Working here in this coffee shop has

made me realise that

life can be so much easier.

Working life can be so much easier.

It's still a great job,

I get the social aspect,

and you can still have

satisfaction from work.

It was a really difficult

decision, because I left nursing

just as I was finishing

my nursing degree.

Patient safety.

It is what is suffering.

You don't want to be part

of a poor outcome when

you know that it's avoidable.

It's never been the

easiest of jobs, but

you don't go into nursing because

it's going to be an easy job.

When it becomes an impossible job,

I didn't want to be part

of something that was not doing

what it's supposed to do.

A large cappuccino...

It's an organisation of people

and it's an organisation

of feelings.

If you ignore the people

and the feelings,

then it's going to fall apart.

You need to listen to

the people who are doing

the job for you and the people

who are receiving the care.

If you take people who

systemically love their jobs

and are born nurses,

which people are,

and to beat that out

of them is an achievement.

I would never have

imagined that I could

lose the love I had for my job.

I would never have

dreamt that I could feel

this way about doing a job

I love so much and have always done,

and it breaks my heart.

I would love to go back

to nursing if I could go back to it

and have it how

it was ten years ago.

If you could just deliver

the care that we all want to

deliver, deliver the care

that we're all capable

of delivering, then

I would happily return.

The Duchess of Cambridge will be

taking home new teddy

bears to Prince George

and Princess Charlotte

after a trip to Great Ormond

Street Hospital today.

She was there to open the latest

phase in its redevelopment,

designed to make things better

for both the children

and their parents.

Louisa Preston reports.

Lots of excited, smiling faces

greeted the Duchess of Cambridge at

the famous children's hospital.

The Princess was there to open

a specialist unit for children with

severe heart problems.

One of those she met

was four-year-old Raphael.

After the visit,

I caught up with him.

And he apparently told the Princess

all about his favourite food.

Purple and green.

Did you ask the Duchess

if she liked olives?

Yes.

What did she say?

Yes!

She was lovely.

She was listening to

Raphael, and Raphael asked her

an important question

about whether she liked olives,

and she said yes.

And then she asked you

what else you like,

and you said pasta.

And she said that Charlotte really

likes pasta as well.

Mummy?

Yes?

Yes, we can do more lives later!

Charlie has been on the wing

for two weeks, and just celebrated

his 13th birthday.

She saw all of the cards

and things and she asked

about my birthday, and mentioned

that it had been has recently too.

Charlie's mum says the new ward,

which provides state-of-the-art

technology and better

facilities for parents,

makes a massive difference.

It just takes the pressure off

just everyday life out

of the mix completely.

You can just concentrate

on being here with your child and

really not worry about anything

else that's going on.

Before the Duchess of

Cambridge left the hospital,

seven-year-old Freddie

asked the Princess

a rather cheeky question.

I asked her how old she was.

You did not!

You asked her how old she was?!

Goodness gracious, wow!

What happened then?

She is 36!

LAUGHTER

Louisa Preston, BBC London News.

Lovely little Freddie there. Nick

Miller has a look at the weather.

Chilly wind, more of the same

tomorrow, the weather looks nice

through the window, but between now

and then some active weather coming

from the Atlantic, a spell of rain

overnight, more significantly some

strong winds with gales in places. I

think we will hear that wind

overnight. A Met Office yellow

warning to the north of London,

where we are most likely to get some

gusts, up to 60 mph, but everywhere

a blowy night, the wind picking up

as the rain comes in, not lasting

too long, quickly clearing

eastwards, then dry by the end of

the night, and then temperatures

will dip away to a few degrees above

freezing. Chilly wind not quite as

strong overnight, into tomorrow,

still a feature of our weather

tomorrow. Good sunny spells, just as

we have seen today, a chance of

picking up a stray shower, I think

more especially the afternoon and

into the evening, the wind made

moderate a little bit, but still

noticeable and the temperatures

stuck at single figures, 7-9

Celsius. So a rather fine Thursday

to come, but through Thursday night

we're going to see though showers

clearing, they've crossed taking

hold until Friday morning, similar

day on Friday, some inviting sunny

spells, chilly wind, and still the

chance of catching the odd shower as

it moves on through, temperatures

very similar. But into the weekend,

what can we expect? A fine day on

Saturday, make the most of that,

because on Sunday we will see some

more wet weather coming our way.

That is the latest.

Wise words, thank you! That is it

for now, more on our website,

Facebook page and on Twitter. From

all of us on the team, thanks for

watching and do enjoy your evening.

Bye-bye.