Tollgate Gardens: Meet the Architects

CityWest Homes have been in touch to say that they have organised a meeting for local Tollgate residents with the architects chosen to work with them over the next fews on the potential redevelopment.

JM Architects have been appointed (from a committee made up of residents and CityWest) to identify potential opportunities to improve Tollgate. They will work closely with local residents to draw up potential plans and see what can be done.

If you are a resident of Tollgate and want to find out more, please do go along. The meeting will be held on Saturday 6th February between 1pm and 3pm at Tollgate Hall.

Jan

Thames Meeting: This Tuesday

One thing we didn't write about a couple of weeks ago was the inquisition of Thames Water at the Maida Vale Area Forum, particularly over the flooding earlier this year.

Thames spent over an hour being questioned over their current approach to a number of issues in Westminster North. There was some pretty heavy questioning from local residents and the local flood action group about what they intended to do about flooding. We also spent some time taking them to task about the repeated failures of pipes under Kilburn High Road in the last eighteen months (as well as correcting them on their assertion that the Victorian Mains Replacement works had gone smoothly in Maida Vale - something a little bit at odds with reality ...)

It is fair to say that many in the audience were not terribly convinced by Thames comments on the flooding issue. We raised the issue of both Kilburn Park Road and Shirland Road residents who had been affected by this - Thames position seemed to boil down to the fact that they can't breath without the permission of the water regulator, Ofwat, and they will need to talk at length with them before anything can be done. This was likely to include many months of evidence gathering.

After the meeting we requested from Thames more detailed information about what they can and cannot do without Ofwat's permission. It should make an interesting read and we'll let you know as soon as we receive it.

In the meantime, Thames are also appearing in front of Westminster Council's Built Environment scrutiny committee this Tuesday (1st December). The meeting starts at 7pm - so if you want to go along and watch the grilling, please do. It will be held in City Hall, Victoria Street.

Lee

Quality Hotel Licence Application

Back in April we wrote about a licencing application which had been submitted by the Quality Hotel on Kilburn High Road to allow 24-hour drinking on the premises.

Our last post detailed the date, time and place of the licencing hearing - originally set for 23rd April. For reasons which we can't quite fathom (not least because Brent don't have the most intuitive website in the world), the decision on the original application does not seem to have ever been made. Instead, it seems to have been delayed for several months.

We've now been informed that the objections (one of which was from us) to the licence will be determined next Thursday, 25th June. The venue is the Council Chamber, 2nd Floor, Brent Town Hall, Forty Lane, Wembley (starting at 10am). Anyone is able to attend.

We'll let you know the outcome.

Jan

St. Augustine's Update

Back in February, we reported that St. Augustine's school had also been successfully in winning planning permission to re-develop and expand (see here).

Over the last couple of months, we have also been in discussions with Council officers to ensure that the plans for the school do not significantly affect local residents. And, after lots of discussion, we are pleased that it looks as though Maida Vale residents should not be overly affected by the changes.

As some local residents will already have seen, the hoardings have already begun to be put in place to build the new sports hall for St. Augustine's - on the site of the old, bombed church across Oxford Road (and technically across the border on land owned by Brent Council). The plan is that the sports hall will be built and available for the school to use by the end of the year.

Preparatory works on the main school site will get underway in the Summer, with works properly beginning in late Autumn/Winter. An 'infill' block will be created between the two existing buildings, along with full refurbishment of the existing accommodation. This is likely to last until the end of 2011, done in stages and whilst pupils remain on site.

We are pleased to report that the building contractors are planning for lorries to service both sites from Rudolph Road and not Oxford Road in the main, which should reduce the works impact on local residents. This will only change in 2011 when small lorries will be used as part of the refurbishment works and will use a small ramp to be built on Oxford Road (we have been assured the ramp will be too small for large lorries to use and that they will still access via Rudolph Road).

All site and compound areas will be situated near Rudolph Road, away from most local residents in Oxford Road and Tollgate Gardens.

The only time that works are expected to come anywhere near Tollgate is for a few weeks in 2011 when the playground and sports court at the back of St. Augustine's will be resurfaced. Otherwise, the main body of works will remain at the other side of the site, reducing its impact on local residents.

If you are a local resident and have any questions, comments or issues regarding the building works, don't hesitate to get in touch. We are here to help!

Jan

Quality Hotel: Date for Licensing Hearing

Brent Council have now set a date for the licencing committee where the Quality Hotel application will be heard.

The meeting will be held next Thursday (23rd April) in Committee Room 3, 2nd Floor, Brent Town Hall, Forty Lane, Wembley, beginning 10am. Quality Hotel is item 1 on the agenda.

Any member of the public is entitled to attend.

Jan

Quality Hotel Licence Application

A couple of weeks ago, we wrote a note about the Quality Hotel on Kilburn High Road, which was applying for an extended drinks licence. We encouraged all local residents who thought they might be affected by the change to get in touch with the licensing authority (Brent Council - the hotel is just outside of Westminster).

As local Councillors, we also personally objected. Here is the main part of our objection:

"Dear Sir/Madam,

LICENCING APPLICATIONQUALITY HOTEL 53-59 KILBURN HIGH ROAD LONDON NW6REFERENCE 478217

I write on behalf of my colleagues Cllr Jan Prendergast and Cllr Lee Rowley. Together we represent Maida Vale Ward in the City of Westminster.

We have been asked to convey residents' concerns that this Licencing application, if approved, will have a detrimental effect on the quality of life of local residents in Tollgate Gardens Estate, which is located not more than around 20 metres from the application site (i.e. directly opposite on Kilburn Park Road).

Of particular concern to local residents is the fact that large numbers of guests might, as a result of this licence proposal, use the hotel late into the night and then disperse at around the same time. In our view, there would be an unacceptable risk of increased shouting and noise. The main residential block on the estate is Tollgate House, which has around fifty family-sized flats that have rooms that face directly on to Kilburn Park Road and the premises. It is unfortunate that this tower is aligned so that all flats are configured so that they are parallel to the road and the hotel. We understand that some bedrooms face on to this elevation, some of which may be occupied by children.

We are also concerened that there may be increased parking pressure on the area caused by an increase in visitors to the premises. As the road outside the premises is a red route, this will result in more parking in surrounding streets, such as Oxford Road, where parking is already at a critical level.

We think that this licence application is mis-placed - the hotel is on a busy road, but it is in a residential area. The hours proposed in this application are simply not suitable. We agree with our residents that public nuisance and an increase in crime and disorder would result if this application was granted.

We are aware that some other residents have written to you separately and that a petition has been submitted, objecting to the application.

Please acknowledge receipt of this representation and ensure that it is brought to the attention of the licencing committee that will deal with it."

Alastair

St. Augustine's Redevelopment Plans Approved

Also last Tuesday, we were there to see Westminster's Planning Committee approve the redevelopment plans for St. Augustine's School.

The plans will see an extension to the existing buildings and the redevelopment of their facades to increase the number of pupils from around 700 to around 900. In addition, a planning application has also been submitted to build a sports hall on the disused land across the road (formerly a church that was bombed in World War II!)

After the extension is built between the two existing buildings (creating a new assembly/dining areas and several classrooms), the whole schools will be given a make-over, with new white rendering which should reduce the current stark 1970s style building style. Significant changes to the surrounding area, including a new multi-use sports area to the rear and landscaping to the front (bordering on Oxford Road) should also make St. Augustine's as good as new.

As local Councillors, we provided written comments to the commitee prior to their decision supporting the redevelopment. As the changes will also mean a reduction on on-site parking spaces for teaches, we also queried this issue. We were glad to hear a representative from the Transportation Department at the commitee say that they would accept the changes but that the school must be aware that they couldn't apply for on-road parking in the future if there were problems - it is important that local residents aren't inconvenienced.

We'll be keeping an eye on the plans and works as they progress - particularly to ensure that they don't overly inconvenience residents of Tollgate Gardens bordering the north of St. Augustine's.

Congratulations to Alex, the headteacher and all the pupils and staff of St. Augustine's. We look forward to having a wonderful school once it has been redeveloped.

Lee

PS If you live nearby and have any comments or issues on the St. Augustine's redevelopment plans, please do not hesitate to get in touch (maidavale@maidavaleconservatives.com).

Tollgate Gardens: Water Burst Update

We've now received a further response from Thames Water on the water burst in Oxford Road on 18 September.

Here it is in full:

(1) Why the main is repeatedly collapsing in the same area?
Unfortunately, we cannot guarantee the integrity of our Trunk Mains. This24" cast iron main has burst twice in the last two years. The bursts have been in fairly close proximity to each other. Whilst the main is fairly old, it has been visually examined and still seems to be in good conditionfor its age. We are currently testing the broken section of main removed from site and this should give us a better view of the "failure mode". Until these tests are completed it is difficult to comment on why it hashad two failures.

(2) What is being done to ensure that residents are not disturbed bythis problem in the future?
Firstly, we have a full contingency plan in place for any burst on this main. The contingency ensures a speedy response from Thames Water to minimise any damage or disruption. The plan was used for this event and the main was isolated, repaired and back in service within 15 hours.Secondly, we are investing in technology to help us identify bursts before they occur. This technology looks for small leaks that may turn into larger leaks/ bursts. These smaller leaks are then repaired before they cause a burst.

Not the fullest or most satisfactory answer we've ever seen, but it's a start. We'll keep working to get answers.

Alastair

Holding Response from Thames on water burst

Just a short note to say that we've received a holding response from Thames following our request for a full explanation on the Kilburn Park/Tollgate Gardens burst last week. We also asked them to justify the regular pattern of water bursts in our area (Dibdin House, Maida Vale/Edgware Road, Elgin Avenue) in the last year or so.

Apparently, the water main has now been taken to the rather-grandly named "Research & Development Laboratory" and further information will be passed to us once tests have been run.

We'll keep you updated.

Jan

Tollgate Gardens: Water Burst

As all affected residents are aware, there was another water mains burst in Maida Vale on Thursday morning, affecting a number of residential properties, shops and closing the main Edgware Road near Tollgate Gardens.

A water mains burst just over the border in Brent at approximately 5.30am on Saturday morning, creating a local flood in Oxford Road (affecting Tollgate) and Kilburn Park. Westminster officers were on site quickly and helped with the road diversion, whilst officers from Brent managed the area of the leak. The Estate Manager, Montserrat, spent most of the day in or around Tollgate dealing with the issues that arose.

Water was cut off from some properties for a number of hours during Thursday, although Thames assured us that most residents had supply restored (at a slightly lower pressure) by early afternoon on Thursday. Thames were also on site distributing bottled water, particularly in Tollgate House, where water was slower to return.

As councillors, we've asked Thames for an explanation for the water burst and we will let you know as soon as we receive a reply.

Jan

Graffiti removed

We've reported a number of instances of graffiti around Maida Vale recently. So far, the anti-graffiti unit at Westminster Council have removed graffiti from the following roads:

• the garage on Lanark Road, close the rear of Hamilton Court
• the parking meters close to Dundee House on Lanark Road
• the electricity box close to the Sutherland Avenue junction with Lanark Road
• the entrance to Paddington Sports Club in Castellain Road
• the gate to the City of Westminster College on Morshead Road
• the postbox on Morshead Road, close to Elgin Avenue
• the telephone kiosk closer to Strome House on Carlton Vale
• the electricity box on Delaware Road
• the gate to St. Augustine's School on Oxford Road

If you spot any graffiti in our area, please let us know and we'll make sure it is removed.

Lee