Paddington Rec: Meeting

Last week, we attended the quarterly Paddington Rec meeting with Council officers. This meeting, which is held in the Pavilion, is the time when local Councillors, officers and representatives of Nuffield Health (who manage the Rec) come together to discuss issues and developments. It's also our opportunity to feedback everything local residents have told us about the Rec over the previous few months.

There are a number of things to report:

• Cafe Extension: is on track for completion in Summer, as previously reported;
• Wifi in Cafe: Westminster will be installing wifi in the cafe from early in the New Year, following a request from a resident, via Jan;
• Environmental Area: has won an award from the Institute of Groundskeepers - this is great news which is a testament to all the hardwork designing and constructing this area;
• Bowling Pavilion: planning permission has now been obtained for the upgrade of the Bowling Pavilion - work is scheduled to be completed for the re-opening of the Green in Spring;
• Anti-social behaviour: The police were pleased to report that the Rec remains very quiet with no incidents being reported recently - regular patrols, regular visits with the mobile police station and a number of banning orders against known troublemakers all seem to be helping this;
• Leaf Blowers: a number of residents in Randolph Avenue have raised concerns about the practice of using mechanical leaf blowers in the Rec in recent months. We asked the officers to undertake a thorough assessment of their use and whether any alternative provision could be put in place. We are pleased to report that we agreed to stop the use of the blowers during the weekends, which we hope is a helpful compromise for those who are concerned.

If you have any comments on the Rec, please don't hesitate to get in touch with us (maidavale@maidavaleconservatives.com). We'll be happy to raise them on your behalf at the next meeting, which will be held in the Spring.

Lee