James-J Walsh

23/10/2026

The damage done to this week is unfathomable.

❌First a £1.5bn investment by Lewisham Shopping Centre - gone

…now…

❌ loses out on a Goldsmiths, University of London campus

Goldsmiths has walked away from its planned Catford campus.

The Labour-led council secured the deal in January: 600+ students, a 10-year lease, millions of council investment, and new footfall for local businesses.

Now, just days after the £1.5bn Lewisham Shopping Centre redevelopment was shelved by Landsec, this deal has been taken off the table too.

The Green Mayor Liam Shrivastava promised hope when he was elected. Where is it for the residents who want to see Catford transformed?

23/10/2026

Following the announcement that the Lewisham Shopping Centre is no longer progressing, we get this…

Goldsmiths University of London has confirmed it will not be going ahead with plans to move some of its courses from Deptford to Catford, when their existing lease ends next year. Instead, they plan to consolidate their estate onto their New Cross campus.

A council spokesperson said: "We worked with Goldsmiths in good faith for around a year to prepare the Old Town Hall to welcome students from September 2027, so we are surprised and frustrated by this decision. We know how important this move was to the people of Catford and our partners.

"This decision was made by Goldsmiths based on their own financial and strategic considerations following a change in university leadership last month. We made significant investment into the building to facilitate the move and officers were working on plans for the move right up until we received the communication from Goldsmiths that they would not be proceeding.

"We will take some time to consider how to move forward in terms of the long-term use of the Old Town Hall, as part of our refreshed masterplan for Catford. We remain committed to revitalising the area and working with the community to bring genuine improvements to Catford."

20/10/2026

TERRIBLE news for Lewisham.
Not only have you lost us a £1.5bn regeneration of the shopping centre, but you've also cost us:

• 344 new affordable rent level homes for Lewisham families (remember 100% of nothing is nothing!)

• £160,000,000 a year to Lewisham's local economy

• 2,000 new net additional jobs

• £28,000,000 in funding for new GP surgeries, schools and other key infrastructure

• ...and so much more.

08/10/2026

The Green Party’s ‘Zionism is Racism’ motion crosses a line that’s deeply divisive.

We’re calling on Lewisham Green Party to condemn it, and to say whether the Mayor or any of its councillors voted for it.

16/09/2026

𝐖𝐞𝐥𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐞 𝐛𝐚𝐜𝐤 𝐭𝐨 𝐋𝐞𝐰𝐢𝐬𝐡𝐚𝐦 𝐌𝐚𝐫𝐤𝐬 & 𝐒𝐩𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞𝐫𝐬*

A new M&S Foodhall has arrived, marking the return of Marks & Spencer to for the first time since the store closed in the 1990s, and creating more than 100 new local jobs. 🎉

The loss of the M&S store in Lewisham town centre earlier this year was a real sadness. But it is genuinely good to see M&S investing in Lewisham and creating more than 100 new jobs locally.

I popped in on its first day and it was already buzzing. The fresh food, bakery, flowers and plants all looked fantastic.

Welcome back to Lewisham, M&S Food! 🛒🥬🌻

*petrol stations don’t count.

07/09/2026

Lorraine Kelly says it best: "Brexit has been a monumental disaster".

https://inews.co.uk/opinion/disaster-britain-spent-decade-refusing-discuss-4743562

03/09/2026

25/08/2026

Child missing from Catford, SE6

25/08/2026

THIS CHILD THANKFULLY HAS BEEN FOUND

Child missing from Lewisham SE26 (Sydenham)