Huge tower blocks near London Underground station would add 515 new homes with £1m offered to improve station and buses

North London residents are concerned over "absurd" plans to build three new tower blocks containing more than 500 flats overlooking the North Circular. Neighbours fear infrastructure, such as roads and public transport, will struggle to cope with the influx of new people when the high rise development looms over the surrounding area.

Developers Wembley Tower Ltd are looking to build a £250m development at Wembley Point, including 515 new homes, a boxing gym, retail space, and a new cycle way. It is part of a wider redevelopment of the area, which has already seen the existing 21-storey 'WEM Tower' turned into 439 studio flats.

The plan has received a number of objections from residents who feel the scheme will adversely affect their quality of life. People living in the nearby WEM Tower have suggested they were unaware of the plans before they moved in and are "concerned about the inconvenience".

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One said: "Due to the changed ways of working during the pandemic, I intentionally chose this place to rent based on what's offered here (far from city noises, sunlight, a high-rise building that is not surrounded by any obstructions, etc.). This construction changes all of these factors based on which I made my decision."

Designs show the three buildings would be made up of one 32-storey skyscraper with 266 flats, comprising 84 one-bedroom, 178 two-bedroom and four three-bedroom apartments - all of which are earmarked for private sales. 'Building B' is a three-storey low-rise block containing a gym, currently intended to be used by Stonebridge Boxing Club.

The third building would be a part 16, part 20-storey tower block containing a mixture of private and affordable homes. The total 249 apartments would comprise 16 one-bedroom, 58 two-bedroom and 75 three-bedroom, as well as four commercial units on the ground floor.

Nearby residents are fearful the development will drastically impact their quality of life by resulting in a loss of sunlight and privacy, as well as the flats adversely affecting the "feeling of community and neighbourliness". There are also concerns about the impact on local infrastructure, particularly the nearby Stonebridge Park station which serves the London Underground, London Overground and National Rail.

One resident said: "The train station nearby is small and already struggles during peak hours for the existing number of residents in the area. Ditto for bus stops and buses that serve the area - the number of new residents being proposed is absurd for such an area."

If the plans are approved, the developer has pledged to provide £1.02m towards station improvements at Stonebridge Park and bus service enhancements. This will be essential as the proposal is ‘car free’, with the exception of blue badge parking, meaning more strain will be put on local public transport. Cycle parking and a new cycle lane has been proposed along the southern boundary.

A total of 116 affordable units, on a 70:30 split of London Affordable Rent to London Shared Ownership, would be provided. Officers suggest evidence shows this is the "maximum amount of affordable housing that can be viably provided on site", and would, therefore, be policy compliant. The plan has been recommended for approval by planning officers but it will come before Brent Council's planning committee next week (October 24) for a final decision.

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Huge 26 floor South London student tower approved despite mental health fears over 'rabbit hutch' rooms

A 26-storey South London student tower has been approved despite a councillor’s fears that bedrooms like “rabbit hutches” are damaging young people’s mental health. The building in Deptford was waved through by a Lewisham Council planning committee on October 12 after a three and a half hour meeting.

The site on Surrey Canal Road is currently home to scrap metal dealer Southwark Metals Ltd, which is relocating to Thamesmead. Under the plans the existing buildings on the site will be demolished and replaced with a 484-room student block, 42 flats, shops and studio space.

During the meeting, Councillor James-J Walsh, a member of the planning committee, said he had concerns about the amount of space for students to hang out in the building. Cllr Walsh, Labour member for Rushey Green, told the council’s planning team: "There's a massive mental health crisis amongst young people. Them being kept in rabbit hutches as their bedroom and study space is exacerbating that problem.

READ MORE: Cash ticket machines at major London Underground station to be closed for 2 years

"There needs to be a good level of communal space for them to interact with each other, develop relationships and connect with one another. And I haven’t been assured that’s the case in this scheme yet."

David Robinson, the council’s major and strategic project manager, said there would be communal space on the 25th floor of the building, as well as a roof terrace for students. He added that there was also a place in the basement for students to do their laundry.

What the site in Deptford looks like today (Image: Google Street View)

Cllr Walsh also raised concerns about the lack of measures to deal with traffic from students arriving at the start of the university term and the end of the academic year in the design. He added: "I'm worried about getting 500 families driving their son or daughter down from a shire, which you can’t cycle from, you can’t walk, with all their worldly belongings in the back of a car. That’s not coming on a train and it’s not coming on the back of a bike. What I’m really worried about is we’re going to have queuing for miles down our very small roads in this area for the weekend and it’s going to be chaos at the site."

A representative for the applicant, Fosfel Apollo Limited, said he believed not all students would be arriving by car, with some expected to take the bus. He added that students would be moved into the building over several weekends, rather than just a single one.

Of the 484 planned student rooms, 81 (17 per cent) will be available at affordable rents. All of the 42 residential flats are classified as affordable, with 70 per cent of them at the cheapest social rents. A planning committee made up of five Labour councillors approved the plans with amendments unanimously.

Got a story? Email robert.firth@reachplc.com.

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Woman shouts 'this is a terrorist flag' at three men with Palestinian flag in Bakerloo Station

A woman was filmed shouting at pro-Palestine protesters holding a Palestinian flag. In the shocking video filmed at Bakerloo Station yesterday (October 15) the woman repeatedly shouts ‘terrorist, this is a terrorist flag’ at the man holding a Palestine flag, before yelling ‘Pakistan’.

She was corrected by other travellers who told her that Pakistan’s and Palestine’s flags are completely different. The Palestine flag is of vertical black, white and green stripes, with a red chevron on the left, while Pakistan’s flag is dark green white a white crescent moon and star on it.

The woman also appears to hit the man with her bag but then accuses one of the men of "touching" her, which is contested by the person filming the incident. The video came on the same day that thousands of pro-Palestine protesters took to the streets of London, beginning at the BBC's Marylebone headquarters, before making their way down Whitehall to the gates of Downing Street.

READ MORE: London man living in Israel facetimed daughter as Hamas murdered his wife, her son and grandchildren

CONTENT WARNING: RACIST ABUSE

Seven arrests were made with over 1,000 officers deployed. The protest was in light of the ‘dire’ situation in Gaza which risks being 'pushed into abyss', despite Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu saying the ‘targeted’ airstrikes being ‘only the beginning’.

There has been shocking violence in the Middle East over the last week after Hamas raided Israel and Israeli homes, killing 1,300 and wounding 3,000. Israel’s response killed 1,900 Palestinians, and injured over 7,700.

As Israel prepares itself for a ground offensive, it has told 1.1million Gazans to evacuate to the south. The BBC reports that the evacuation would require 18,334 60-seater coaches.

There are three exits out of Gaza, the Erez crossing in the north, the Kerem Shalom goods crossing in the south-east, and the Rafah crossing to Egypt, in the south.

Got a story? Please get in touch at rafi.benady@reachplc.com

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Vote for London's best Indian restaurant from our shortlist

It can be impossible picking somewhere to eat from the wealth of incredible options London has to offer. With thousands of delicious choices scattered all over the city, reviews and ratings are a handy tool to narrow things down.

We're a nation of curry lovers, and just recently it was National Curry Week (October 2 to 8). We don't need an excuse to try all the different regional cuisines that make up London's Indian restaurant scene, and Saturdays are the perfect time for a treat.

We've compiled a list of the best- rated Indian restaurants in the capital, so you can try them out and vote for your favourite. Maybe somewhere on the list is already your local! We've included an option to add in your favourite Indian restaurant if you aren't familiar with any on the list, so shout out what you think the best curry in London is.

Read more:

The beautiful walk named London’s prettiest in a completely unexpected part of the city

The best restaurants in the UK have been announced and only 2 are in London

Making the top 10 are places including Bombay Bicycle chef in Balham, and The Famous Curry Bazaar on Brick Lane. You can take part in the poll below.

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The menopause patches that 'drastically reduce hot flushes and anxiety' now £30 in sale

Women going through the menopause are raving about menopause patches that have 'drastically reduced hot flushes and anxiety'. Menopause has wide-reaching affects on your body, typically (but not always) starting with a disruption to periods and then manifesting into hot flushes, mental health problems, and sleep disruption.

While it's advised to speak to a GP or nurse if you are experiencing symptoms of menopause or perimenopause, natural remedies can help ease symptoms when you really need it. One such product is Kloris' menopause patches, which are currently on sale for £30 down to £35.

The discreet patches can be worn daily and slowly release the ingredients to ease the symptoms. They can be used alongside hormone replacement therapy (HRT) - a common medical treatment for menopausal women, but is also used for trans people who can experience similar symptoms.

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Each pack comes with 30 patches (so a month's worth of treatment) and contain several ingredients to help with symptoms: gotu kola, damiana, black cohosh, valerian, blue skullcap, common oat and ginger.

Gotu kola is a traditional treatment for the menopause, helping with hot flushes, anxiety and joint pain. Black cohosh is also used for the hot flushes, while common oat, blue skullcap, and valerian are all used to help with anxiety.

On their website, Kloris' patches have received a 4.48 out of 113 reviews. One person wrote: "Wasn't sure if these would work. Feel like I might be having peri-meno symptoms and have had on/off disturbed sleep, anxiety, irregular periods, up and down moods etc. and thought I'd give these a go. So pleased I did. I feel so much better in myself and I think/hope these are doing the trick and working so I'll be ordering more." Another added: "These patches have really helped me with my sleeping, hot sweats and general mood."

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Through WhatsApp, we'll send the latest exciting new products and bargains straight to your phone, both across London and online.

To join our community, you need to already have WhatsApp. All you need to do is click this link and select 'join community'.

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On Amazon - where it has received a 4 star rating from just 10 reviews - one person said: "After 2 days and 2 patches I slept peacefully through the night and the hot flushes were drastically reduced I was shocked. I have been taking these now for nearly 3 weeks and I feel human again. My hot flushes are one day I am sleeping so well and moods have lifted . I reccomend these to anyone who is suffering please try and see for yourself, I will not be without these now and really good to know all herbal goodness and no chemicals."

These did not work for everyone, with one person saying: "Not easy to get of paper but for me this was just a waste of my money as did nothing for me." Another added: "These did absolutely nothing to help with menopause symptoms. If anything the hot flushes and sleepless nights got worse."

Whilst I personally haven't tried the menopause patches (cis man so no menopause), I did try their CBD balm (£45, down from £62) to on my restless legs to help me get to sleep.

The luxury CBD balm has really helped with my restless legs (Image: Kloris)

I wrote in my review: "It uses CBD from the marijuana plant, which is the chemical that makes you calm rather than the chemical that makes you trip balls (THC, which it does not include, making it 100% legal). All the other ingredients are natural, being composed of shea butter, coconut oil, mango butter, as well as a few more...

"This balm is a lifesaver for me. I go to the gym, walk everywhere, do stretches, yet this has been the most effective at eliminating those pesky aches. I cannot recommend this CBD balm more if you have any sort of muscle aches or pains. My next experiment will be the next time I injure myself at the gym. Hopefully that's not for the next million years, but it will be interesting to see if it's just as effective at those acute aches. Stay tuned."

Meanwhile, my best friend uses the CBD Oil Drops (£64) to get help with her anxiety and sleep - and says it 'really helps'. For alternatives to Kloris, you can speak to your GP about HRT patches. You can also speak to specialists through Boots.

You can check out all of Kloris' products on their website. They are also available on Amazon.

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M1 death confirmed as closure lifted following fatal crash in which man fell from bridge and was hit by vehicle

A man has died this morning on a motorway just north of London after falling from a bridge before being struck by a vehicle.

Police were called at around 1.50am today (October 12), to reports of concern for the welfare of a man who was located on the carriageway of the M1 travelling northbound between junction 5 (Watford) and junction 6 (Bricket Wood).

Emergency services including the fire brigade and paramedics all rushed to the scene with road closures put in place as they worked, but sadly the man, aged in his 30s, was pronounced dead at the scene. His family are being supported by specialist police officers.

READ MORE: Motorcyclist dies after crashing into level crossing as London train passengers forced to evacuated

The closure between junctions 5 and 6 has now been lifted though long delays are still clearing due to the earlier closure.

Sergeant Alex Ward from the Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire and Hertfordshire Road Policing Unit said: “Our thoughts are with the man’s family at this very difficult time.

“Our enquiries are at a very early stage, but we believe that the man may have fallen from a bridge above the carriageway and subsequently been involved in a collision with a vehicle.

“We are working to identify the vehicle and are appealing to anyone who may have been driving in the area around the time, particularly any HGV drivers or anyone who has any information, to please come forward. If you have a dash cam fitted, please review your footage as you may have captured something that could assist us with our investigation.”

Anyone with information is being asked to email, report information online, or call the non-emergency number 101, quoting ISR 47 of 12 October.

Alternatively, you can stay 100% anonymous by contacting the independent charity Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111 or via their untraceable online.

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Microsoft 365 bargain as Amazon sells Office and McAfee anti-virus worth £184 for £51

The latest Microsoft 365 software is currently on sale for Amazon Prime Big Deals Day and could leave you saving up to £133. The retailer are offering a year's subscription of Microsoft 365 Family 2023 alongside McAfee anti-virus for 15 months for just £50.99.

Buying those individually, you can get Microsoft Family for £79.99 - but only for 12 months, compared to Amazon's 15. Add on top of that McAfee Total Protection 2023, which costs £74.99 for 12 months, you will end up saving loads over the course of the year.

Microsoft 365 allows you to use the famous apps, including Word, Excel, PowerPoint, OneNote and Outlook on five different devices simultaneously. This isn't just laptops: you can also use it on tablets and phones.

READ MORE: Ring doorbell £80 cheaper in Amazon Prime sale that police actually use to stop criminals

There's a whole set of protection for your tech too, with Microsoft Defender to protect your data and devices, while OneDrive - where you get 1TB of storage - defends you against ransomware. But most significant is the McAfee Total Protection, which blocks viruses, malware, ransomware, spyware, the lot.

If you need a laptop or computer to put this on, Amazon have cut prices on a whole bunch of them for Amazon Prime Day. One loved by MyLondon readers is the Jumper gaming laptop, which boasts a powerful Intel Celeron processor and weighs only 1.65kgs. It also boasts 16GB of RAM, making it ideal for gaming. It has a 4.4 rating out 223 reviews.

Microsoft 365 comes with Word, Excel, PowerPoint, OneNote, Outlook and 1TB of OneDrive (Image: Rasit Aydogan/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)

The bundle has a 4.5 rating out of 12,268 reviews, with 8,955 five star reviews and 736 one star. One person wrote: "Received email with product code within minutes. Very easy process. Went to Microsoft account and redeemed the code. Current Microsoft 365 Family user with subscription running out in 6 months, extended a further 15 months. Seamless experience. £53 is bargain, especially for the 1TB OneDrive cloud storage for 5 members of family. Other competitors charge double just for storage for one person!" Another added: "Fast and easy way to update Office 365 and McAfee."

However, a less pleased customer wrote: "Like all MS software it's created to make as much money as possible for the company, hence the licensing model. On the other hand it does what it does." Another added: "No app available for Chromebooks. Overpriced and quite awkward to use but alternatives such as Libre Office are never 100% compatible. Pretty much a monopoly given its almost exclusive use in schools and companies. 1TB of cloud storage per person for up to 6 people isn't bad though."

Get the best deals, sales and bargains sent straight to your phone

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Through WhatsApp, we'll send the latest exciting new products and bargains straight to your phone, both across London and online.

To join our community, you need to already have WhatsApp. All you need to do is click this link and select 'join community'.

No one will be able to see who is signed up and no one can send messages except the MyLondon team.

We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don’t like our community, you can check out any time you like. To leave our community click on the name at the top of your screen and choose 'exit group'. If you’re curious, you can read our privacy notice.

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Those looking to swerve from the subscription model, your best bet is getting the 2019 software from Wowcher. The Wowcher deal is valid for Office Home & Student 2019 and Office Professional 2019. The student version costs £20, while the professional package is £26.

The bundles are usually £149 for Home & Student and £239 for Professional from Zak Learning, the website offering the deals. They've both been discounted by almost 90 per cent. The Home & Student bundle includes Word, Excel, Powerpoint and OneNote, while the Professional package adds Access, Outlook, and Publisher to those. The one-time purchase gives you lifetime access to the suite.

While Microsoft Office 2019 is slightly outdated, it still runs perfectly fine on any device running Windows 10 or later, just without some of the most recent features. Each purchase gets you one license, which will give one device lifetime access.

You can Microsoft 365 for £50.99 for a 15 month subscription on Amazon.

Check out all of our deals in our Amazon Prime Big Deals Day blog.

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