"Two arrested over street stabbing"

This headline appeared on the BBC News Channel online on 31 March 2009. The report was related to the murder of a man in Greenwich Church Street in the early hours two days before, on Sunday.

The relevance of this story is that it was possibly the third fatal incident in the centre of the town in recent years. The night time economy has been allowed to grow in Greenwich. A recent application by a fast food restaurant was granted, enabling it to stay open till 1.00am, despite opposition from the sheltered housing block located opposite. A current application by The Fan Museum to hold events in their garden finishing at 11.00pm is understood to have the recommended approval of the planning officers. Put in context, the Museum is part of a terrace of Georgian town houses with residential properties either side of it, and neighbours are worried about the detrimental effects of noise, inability to park, privacy and erosion of the residential nature of the neighbourhood.

There is a fine balance between attracting visitors to Greenwich and protecting the living environment for residents. The holding of the Olympics, yards from the centre of a small, congested town will alter that balance to the detriment of the local residents. They are being asked to suffer pain with no long term gain either for them or the town. Appealing to their public spiritedness is unfair when there are alternatives available.

Local angle
More details here, where Andrew Gilligan writes about local concerns about safety in Greenwich on the Greenwich portal.