JPS School Planning Application ...

... was refused tonight at Westminster's Planning Committee. More soon.

Jan

JPS Planning Application: Committee Date Changed

The planning committee date for the JPS planning application has now been moved back by a week, from 8th to 15th July.

Lee

JPS Planning Application: Decision Date

Back in March we reported that a planning application had been submitted by the JPS School to build several new stories on top of the existing building on Andover Place.

A decision date has now been set for the application - the committee will hear it on 8th July at City Hall.

You can find out more about the application (and comment on it) by clicking here.

Lee

Andover Place

Just a short note to say that the planning application from JPS on Andover Place - which was due to be heard by Westminster Council's planning committee last Thursday evening - was deferred to another date at the last minute.

The application will now come in front of the committee in a few weeks time (date to be confirmed). As soon as we know, we'll let you know.

Alastair

Andover Place planning application

Several years ago, the local JPS preparatory school on the corner of Andover Place and Kilburn Park Road was granted permission to build two new storeys on top of the existing building. At the time, as local Councillors, we opposed this building because of the potential to affect residents living close by in Torridon House and Dibdin House, both from a sense of enclosure and overlooking.

Despite JPS having permission to undertake the development they have not, to date, begun works.

Westminster City Council recently received a new application from JPS for a slightly amended version of the above proposal. From our initial briefing from planning, we understand that the application is a for a similar, potentially even slightly larger build.

We have circulated a letter to nearby residents to ask their views on the application.

Jan, Alastair and Lee

Torridon House: Update

Following discussions with residents over the last few months, CityWest let us know last week that they now have approval from their contracts board to tak forwar the asphalting of the walkways and tenanted balconies.

Over the next few weeks the works orders will be raised, with the intention that works will get going around February of next year.

If you are a resident of Torridon House and wish to discuss this, the next meeting of the steering group is this Tuesday (24th November) at 5.30pm in the Torridon House meeting room.

Alastair

Brent Council planning massive changes to Kilburn Park Road

On Thursday night we attended a hastily convened meeting, at our request, with planning and housing officers from Brent Council at Westminster City Hall on Victoria Street.

A little while ago, as local Councillors, we had got wind of new plans being promoted by Brent to regenerate South Kilburn. This is a long-standing project which Brent have been naturally keen to do for many years, with a number of false starts and unsuccessful attempts.

Another plan has now emerged and Brent Council seem to have decided that it must be all pushed through exceptionally quickly. Irrespective of the merits of the plans, this is most alarming and shows a lack of respect for those residents on our side of the border who have not yet been publicly consulted about the plans. This message was conveyed in no uncertain terms at the meeting on Thursday to Brent.

Details of the plans are still being worked through, but we can see that they have the potential to have a huge effect on local residents in Maida Vale, particularly in Kilburn Park Road and Carlton Vale.
The headlines of the first stage of the plans are:

• to block off the roundabout at the top of Kilburn Park Road: and instead create a four-way junction controlled by traffic lights;
• to build 135 flats on the roundabout site: which will mean the loss of the open space, the grass and the 40 trees;
• to narrow parts of Kilburn Park Road and Carlton Vale: which will bring existing traffic a little bit closer to the houses currently in Kilburn Park Road and may reduce traffic capacity on the part of Carlton Vale which is just outside Westminster.

This is all part of a plan to remove the large high-rise tower blocks, in stages and over a number of years, which are such an eyesore at the moment.

We asked a lot of questions for Brent and went through their plans in as much detail as we could in two hours. We have further questions and need to get more answers from Brent about just how affected local residents, particularly in Kilburn Park Road will be.

The most single disappointing thing was that Brent Council, throughout this process, have not sought to engage with local residents in Maida Vale on plans which could hugely change our area. After quite a lot of questioning, it also seems like there is about 3 - 4 weeks left now for Brent to do some consultation with Maida Vale residents before the planning application has to go in. This is absolutely unacceptable.

The officers from Brent asked our views about how to consult with local residents. Bearing in mind the limited time that is now left, we have asked Brent to get in touch with local residents as soon as they can and also to set up a meeting so that they can present their views to all interested residents. Affected residents should receive further information from Brent shortly.

In the meantime, we will today be distributing a letter to all potentially affected residents alerting them to these plans and asking for their initial feedback on it. If you are a resident in the area, please do let us know what you think. Clearly the aspiration to improve South Kilburn is a laudable one, but is the loss of the roundabout, the green space and the potential effect on traffic a price worth paying for this? We need your views, as residents, as soon as possible.

Alastair, Jan and Lee

Maida Vale Fun Day

On Saturday, we were very pleased to attend the 3rd annual Maida Vale fun day, held on 40 Tree Green, next to Thurso House.

The day, which is organised and run by the Maida Vale Estate Office (with fantastic support from local residents) was another great success, not least for all the local children who came along and were able to enjoy the attractions. The steel band were also top-notch.

Jan, as Deputy Lord Mayor, was on hand to open the event. It was also attended by Joanne, our parliamentary candidate, her husband and dog!

Thanks to everyone who helped to organise and we hoped everyone had as much fun as we did.

Alastair

Torridon House: Your Steering Committee Needs You!

CityWest were in touch last week regarding the major works due to start on Torridon House to re-asphalt the communal walkways - they are looking for residents to join the steering group!

If you are a resident of Torridon, please do get in touch with CityWest. It's really important that a resident's committee is formed and can be consulted during the works - to ensure that your voice is properly represented during the process.

Contact details are on the letter than has been sent.

Alastair

£100,000 Your Way: Greening Maida Vale

An update on Maida Vale's Community budget:

One of the priorities identified by local residents a few months ago was a desire to further green Maida Vale and to improve our local environment. We are pleased to report that the first part of the budget has now been allocated and will be supporting this aim.

From the end of July, hanging baskets will be appearing throughout Maida Vale to improve the look and feel of our streets and to improve biodiversity in our area. There will two plantings on a significant number of streets within Maida Vale. We've tried to space them out across the ward so all residents will be able to benefit.

The streets are: Carlton Vale (6 baskets), Elgin Avenue (33), Essendine Road (9), Kilburn Park Road, 27), Lanark Road (17), Randolph Avenue (20), Randolph Gardens (5) and Shirland Road (12).

Alastair, Jan and Lee

New Chief Executive of CityWest visit

Last Monday, we were pleased to welcome Mark Hoyland, the new Chief Executive of CityWest Homes, to Maida Vale.

We invited Mark because we wanted to show him all of the estates within Maida Vale and talk through all the current issues faced by local residents and the Estate Office. We spent a couple of hours showing Mark around Tollgate, Carlton Vale, Thurso, Torridon, the Scottish Towers, Oak Tree House and some of the street-based properties around the ward.

Mark was particularly complimentary about all of our estates - saying that they were some of the best looking and well run within Westminster - a testament to the TMOs and others who administer them so well. We spent a good deal of time talking through issues around customer service, maintenance, leaseholder charges and general responsiveness - all of which local residents have discussed with us and which we, as local Councillors, have noted over the last few months. Our primary message - serve residents first!

Mark has agreed to take our comments and issues back to CityWest HQ and to come back to us with responses on a number of issues.

Alastair, Jan and Lee

The little things ...

Over the last couple of months, a few bits and bobs which we’ve done to keep Maida Vale clean and tidy:

• Lanark Road: we’ve had one of the partially-blocked gulleys close to the Boy’s Club and Glasgow House checked, cleaned and unblocked.
• Elgin Parade: we reported a failure to reinstate paving by EdF very close to the tube station and, after some bureaucratic wrangling, this has been sorted. We also have reported some graffiti on the sign across from Boomerang deli.
• Kilburn Park Road: we’re arranging for a paint spillage reported at the Area Forum to be cleaned in the first week of April.
• Elgin Avenue: we’ve asked for the now-unused plinths which used to hold the parking ticket machines to be removed in the next couple of months.
• Shirland Road: we’ve reported graffiti on the side of 123 Shirland Road and asked for it be removed.
• Kilburn High Road: additionally, we’ve reported graffiti on the side of a shop on Kilburn High Road and had removed some flyposting on the side of Dibdin House.
• Tollgate Gardens: we’ve had the Estate Office remove over 3 tonnes of fly-tipped concrete down near the garages, removed graffiti on the garages themselves, remove a dead tree stump near Godwin House and a load of dead branches at the back of Wingfield House.
• Forty Tree Green: we asked that the litter which had built up over the winter was removed (completed mid-February).
• Randolph Avenue: we’ve reported some graffiti close to Elgin Mews South.

If you have any issue which you would like us to tackle on your street, get in touch (maidavale@maidavaleconservatives.com).

Lee

Maida Vale Community Compact Meetings

CityWest Homes have been in touch to say they will be holding two sessions for local residents on the 'Community Compact' which is being drawn up for Maida Vale for the next year.

The compact is a set of aims which CityWest will promise to try to deliver over the coming year, and is drawn up directly from the thoughts and views of local residents. If you want to change our community for the better - do go along and give your ideas.

The sessions are:

• Mon 16th Mar between 7pm and 8pm
• Thurs 19th Mar between 1200 and 3pm

Both will be held in the Maida Centre. You can drop in at any point during the times.

Alastair

Major Works in Torridon House and the Scottish Towers

CityWest Homes have been in touch to say that they are about to distribute a couple of newsletters in Torridon, Atholl and Braemar Houses giving details on the major works programmed for these blocks during 2009.

The communal walkways and flat balconies of Torridon will be asphalted because a number of residents have reported water leaks into their properties. A steering group for local residents is currently being set up, with the first meeting to be held shortly. If you are interested in joining the Group, contact Lissa in the office.

For Atholl and Braemar, the kitchen windows of flats are to be upgraded from single to double glazing, the windows in communal areas are to be replaced, flat front doors will be renewed along with additional general repairs, including the roof. A steering group is also being set-up, with the first meeting having been scheduled for the Maida Centre on Monday 2nd March at 6.30pm. Contact Sue in the office if you would like to join or just turn up.

We'll keep you informed.

Lee

Working for our social housing

Last Monday, all three of us took the new Cabinet Member for Housing, Cllr Philippa Roe, around Maida Vale to introduce her to all of our social housing properties and to discuss key issues that we believe need attention.

The tour began outside the Maida Centre, Lanark Road and took in the Scottish Towers, Carlton Vale, Randolph Gardens, Tollgate Gardens, Kilburn Park Road and Shirland Road. We concentrated particularly on a number of areas:

• Large Scottish Towers: the need to provide more support for the Scottish Towers TMO and for Glasgow House;
• Tollgate Gardens: the need to improve the look and feel of Tollgate for the benefit of all residents;
• Oak Tree House/Beechcroft House: the need to improve security and lighting in both of these properties, and;
• showing Philippa the success stories - like ABC Co-op, Torridon House and Carlton Vale RMO - which serve local residents so well.

During our visit we also picked up a number of issues which we have asked to be dealt with

• graffiti in and dumping outside Beechcroft House;
• lighting on Oak Tree House;
• lighting on Lanark Road, and;
• graffiti and weeds in Tollgate Gardens.

Jan, Alastair and Lee

Putting nameplates down for a refresh

It's the little things which often make the difference.

We noticed that the nameplates on Randolph Gardens have bene looking a bit worn of late so, although not urgent, we've asked the Council to have a look into whether they need replacing. An inspection was undertaken a few weeks ago and officers have agreed that they probably need a change at some point. We've agreed to enter them into a programme of works so we know that, in the next cyclical maintenance programme, they'll receive attention.

Jan

Forty Tree Green: Lighting Problems

A number of local residents on Randolph Gardens have reported issues with the lights on Forty Tree Green in recent months - with the lights remaining on throughout the day, despite having an automatic "off" switch when it is light.

We've been in touch with the Estate Office once again and have been assured that the fault has now been identified (an over-growing tree branch which is obscuring the monitoring photo cell). An order has been raised for the work to be done by CityWest.

Jan

Andover Place - planning appeal

Last year, we wrote about the planning application made by the Jewish Preparatory School (JPS) on Andover Place to increase its height from 2 to 4 storeys to include 8 new flats for school teachers (see here and here). Although the Council rejected the original application in June 2007, the JPS appealed (as is their right) in early January to the government's Planning Inspectorate to have the decision overturned and to allow them to begin to build.

We received the decision a few days ago and the Planning Inspectorate has decided that JPS should in fact be allowed to increase its height. As local Councillors, we are disappointed that the Planning Inspectorate has chosen to overrule the democratic decision of a local council.

Nonetheless, we have already spoken with Rabbi Levy with regards to the appeal and we hope to help in any way we can to support the fantastic work of the local school and to make sure that the forthcoming building work affects local residents in Kilburn High Road, Andover Place, Dibdin House and Torridon House as little as possible.

We now look forward to working with everyone involved.

Alastair

What is this?

Another mysterious set of barriers appears in Maida Vale ...

For the past month or so, these abandoned works have taken root on the corner of Randolph Avenue and Carlton Vale. We've called in the Streetworks team to clear as quickly as possible.

Lee

Grimebusters: 19 February

In the last couple of weeks we have reported:

• Shirland Road: graffiti on the wall in front of Oak Tree House and on the phone and post boxes close to the Elgin Avenue junction
• Lauderdale Road: graffiti on the side of the wall of the old "Star Racing" premises
• Carlton Vale: graffiti on the wall of two houses close to Lanark Road and on the telephone box at the Randolph Avenue junction
• Randolph Gardens: graffiti on the telephone box at the junction with Kilburn Park Road
• Lanark Road: graffiti on the wall in front of the off-road car park opposite Dundee House
• Elgin Avenue: graffiti on the telephone box close to the junction with Biddulph Road

If you spot any graffiti or dumped rubbish please let us know and we will get it sorted.

Lee