A Wet Weekend

The Friends of Fortune Green and Camden's nature conservation officers held an event on Fortune Green on Sunday for people to make (and take away) their own bird nesting boxes fo their gardens. It was a great idea and those who struggled through the wind and rain seemed to enjoy it immensely! There was a small canopy covering the activity and all around it was almost ankle deep in churned up mud and water. The whole Green had virtually become a swamp overnight and in all the years I have lived next door to the Green I never remember seeing it quite so all over soaking wet. I have asked the Head of Parks to look into this because if the Green can't drain properly, all the imaginative schemes that the Friends are considering could be at risk - we might be better to make reed beds for waterfowl and turn the Green into a Wetlands Centre!!

Love your High Street? Love Winter?

If you do, then get down to West End Green on Saturday 5th Decemberwhen you're in for a surprise! As part of the Council's campaign to encourage residents to make the most of their local shops, a "festive float" will be visiting the Borough's "high streets" over the next couple of weeks (It started at the amazing Hampstead light switching-on celebrations last Sunday) A winter queen will be enthroned on the float - (we are told she is "Stella Polaris" - the North Star) and publicity for local shops will be handed out. The West End Lane lights should be on by then and our Christmas tree up on the Green. So as long as its not raining...........! Oh and it's all happening between 11.0 and 1.00. Incidentally - have you noticed that one of our Christmas tree lights on the lamp posts is on already - it looks a bit sad on its own! Several people have asked why we don't have a "big switch-on" like Hampstead over our way? What does anyone think?

Worst West Hampstead pothole

Anyone recognise this? It's a pity that in sharp contrast to some really good new surfaces in our area (like the top end of Fordwych and Ingham Road), there are still some horrid holes! This one caught our attention on Saturday on the way to a meeting of Mill Lane Traders - Its at the top of Ravenshaw Street and has now been reported to the Council for repair. If you know a worse one, please let us know and we'll publish it on the blog as well as getting it fixed!

Its been a busy few days - last night saw your local councillors and about 50 people at our Area Forum where - amongst other things, we discussed how to spend our "local "£20,000. There were lots of suggestions and we were able to agree on most of them - improving the area outside the library, providing "community" noticeboards, holding a "Give and Take" day, repainting Mill Lane rail bridge and providing winter hanging baskets in Mill Lane were all popular ideas.

We also discussed the proposals for the new Brent Cross/Cricklewood development (see our post on Friday 20 November) and the effect these might have on traffic generation in our area. One resident was particularly worried about extra traffic in Westbere Road and we were able to say that Camden's traffic officers have agreed to look at improving the traffic calming measures in Westbere Road. However what is worrying is that Barnet have recently resurfaced Lichfield Road and taken out the traffic calming measures there (and of course Lichfield is the northern end of Westbere Road) They are asking for comment/reaction to this change - so if you live that way or use the road, please tell us so we can pass on your comments or email Dean.Tomlinson@barnet.gov.uk ref CR/RS/Lichfield Road - before Dec 11th.

No new planning applications this week

The council have received no planning applications for Fortune Green this week (We won't be putting this entry forward the 'Most exciting blog posts of the year' award!)

Tesco give lie to their 'good neighbour' claim

 

Three Lorries all unloading at the same time causing chaos on West End Lane

Long photographs are not my speciality - however, you can see above three large lorries that lined up on Saturday morning at 9:45am making deliveries to the West End Lane Tesco - all at the same time.  They took-up a good 75 meters of roadway - a very depressing site.  It was downright dangerous as double-deckers had to pull out into the middle of the road - only to meet other double deckers coming the other way.

I complained to the duty manager at the time and have passed the details on to the council's streets team.

The duty manager claimed it wasn't in his power to control when lorries from three different depots arrived.  I made it very clear that the community expected him to do exactly that.

As well as taking up all the road - the deliveries were taking up all the pavement...

Any reasonable person at this point would ask - 'what were the council doing allowing Tesco to go there in the first place' Indeed, that is what the driver of one of the lorries said to me! The answer, of course, is that the Council had no say in the matter.  In planning regulations a retail unit is a retail unit - whether its selling furniture or a supermarket.  Another example of how little central government trusts councils when it comes to planning matters.
However, the council must investigate other actions it can take.  I would have thought some kind of prosecution might be possible under Health and Safety legislation from what I witnessed on Saturday.
Any legal advice welcomed!

Brent Cross Cricklewood plans approved

Against the protests of Fortune Green Councillors, plans for the redevelopment of 150 hectares around Brent Cross and Cricklewood were approved by Barnet council last night.

Camden Council submitted an official objection to the scheme - and Fortune Green Councillors worked to strengthen those objections by pointing to the considerable stress that the scheme will place on local roads.

When complete, it is estimated that the site will generate 29,000 car journeys EVERY DAY!
Cricklewood Broadway is already jam packed, and we are very worried about the additional pressure that the development will place on local roads.
Few could doubt that the area around Brent Cross needs re-thinking.  Anyone who's ever tried to walk around Brent Cross knows how badly planned the area is.  However, the proposed scheme threatens to replicate all the mistakes of the existing scheme by putting so much emphasis on the car.

Planning applications received this week...

Below is the list of planning applications for the week.

Its not often we have eight in one week in Fortune Green. Though in some other wards, 8 would be considered a very light week.

Below are the summaries. If you want to comment on any of the applications you can drop us a line on fortunegreen@hampsteadandkilburn.org.uk or contact the planning team direct. It helps us though if you copy your comments to us. Remember to quote the Application Number (listed below) in order to help the officers find the right application.

Of particular note this week is the application to turn 108-110 into a restaurant. This comes hot on the heals of last week's approval of 28-30 Crickelwood Broadway from office space to a restaurant. To my mind losing retail space on Cricklewood Broadway is very different to losing office space. It looks like its already set to come to the planning committee - so it will be interesting to see what comments come in on this one.

You can sign up to receive a list of planning applications on a weekly basis by going to this part of the Camden website.

APPLICATION NO 2009/4599/P CASE OFFICER Hannah Parker
LOCATION 90c Fordwych Road, London, NW2 3TJ
PROPOSAL Erection of a part single, part two storey rear extension including the excavation at garden level to create a lower ground floor and terrace, to dwelling house (Class C3).

APPLICATION NO 2009/4642/P CASE OFFICER Hannah Parker
LOCATION 108-110 Cricklewood Broadway, London, UK, NW2 3EJ
PROPOSAL Change of use of ground floor shop [Class A1] to cafe/restaurant (Class A3) and associated external alterations including the installation of an awning, decking and timber panel fence.

APPLICATION NO 2009/4669/A CASE OFFICER Hannah Parker
LACATION 108-110 Cricklewood Broadway, London, Middlesex, UK, NW2 3EJ
PROPOSAL Display of new externally illuminated fascia sign and internally illuminated box sign to shopfront.

APPLICATION NO 2009/4733/P CASE OFFICER Aysegul Olcar-Chamberlin
LOCATION 28 Menelik Road, London, NW2 3RP
PROPOSAL Conversion of seven existing flats into a single dwelling house.

APPLICATION NO 2009/4858/P CASE OFFICER Conservation and Urban Design Team
LOCATION 80 Fortune Green Road, London, NW6 1DS
PROPOSAL Sample of facing render and timber panelling showing proposed colour, texture and treatment pursuant to condition 2 of planning permission dated 10th February 2009 (ref. 2008/2396/P) for the erection of first floor extension above the existing rear ground floor and change of use of part of the ground floor D1 floorspace to create a first floor studio flat accessed from Rose Mews.

APPLICATION NO 2009/5073/P CASE OFFICER Aysegul Olcar-Chamberlin
LOCATION 3 Ebbsfleet Road, London, NW2 3NB
PROPOSAL Erection of a rear dormer at roof level with three roof lights at the front elevation and alterations to existing chimneys, to existing family dwelling (Class C3).

APPLICATION NO 2009/5094/P CASE OFFICER Sheri Waddell
LOCATION 65 Maygrove Road, London, NW6 2EH
PROPOSAL Non-material amendments to substitute partly glazed doors with fully glazed doors pursuant to planning permission granted 06/05/2009 2009/0962/P) for additions and alterations including the installation of a new atrium with a glazed roof, insertion of a ramp on the Maygrove Road frontage, metal railings at first floor level to the eastern side of the building, and alterations to the fenestration of the office building (Class B1).

APPLICATION NO 2009/5225/P CASE OFFICER Eimear Heavey
LOCATION 62 Sarre Road, London, NW2 3SL
PROPOSAL Erection of a single storey side infill extension to existing dwelling (Class C3).

Organic waste pilot progress

Fordwych Road and many surrounding roads have been piloting the Council's door-to-door organic waste recycling scheme over the past couple of months.  At the full Council meeting at the beginning of November Nancy asked the Executive member for Environment for an update on the pilot and any lessons learned.
The minutes have just been released and are copied below.
The department are clearly not giving away very much at this stage - but if the council can get it right - a new organic waste collection will be a great step forward in our efforts to make Camden a more sustainable place.

QUESTION 7 (Oral)

TO THE:        Executive Member for Environment

BY:                 Councillor Nancy Jirira

What lessons are being learnt from the current trials of organic waste collections that are being piloted in parts of Fortune Green? Are the participation rates in the scheme as expected– and how can we further encourage people to make maximum use the new service in the future?

REPLY:
The food and garden waste pilot extended in August 2009 now covers 10,000 properties which is approximately 10% of the boroughs households.

The pilot has allowed us to trial different container types, caddies, liners, garden waste sacks and shared food waste bins for residents on estates. It has also provided an opportunity to develop communication messages and more effective ways of engaging residents.

The current participation rates on the food and garden waste service are not available yet. However, initial feedback is positive and more details about the food and garden waste participation rates will be available shortly.

To encourage residents to use the service a range of actions will be taken to promote the benefits of recycling food and garden waste. Full details of the communications campaign to promote these new services are being finalised and are likely to include leaflets on how the service works, adverts in the press, at bus stops and on recycling and refuse vehicles. Information will be available on the website and via other social networks such as you tube and twitter, there will be road shows and events taking place across the borough and staff will attend residents meetings and other community events. 

Work with focus groups (not specifically in the trial area) is taking place in the next few weeks to learn more about what motivates people to recycle and how some of the more common myths around food waste collections can be dispelled.

Rose Joan Mews gets approved

On a very close vote last night plans for development behind Fortune Green Road were approved.
I used the meeting to ask more about access difficulties we had seen for ourselves.  The report dealt with them in two very short sentences - and I'm afraid I wasn't reassured by the answers that we got last night.
Flick and myself therefore voted against the application - but the vote was split 5:5.  As the chair voted to approve - the development can now take place.
I worry about the Mews - and we'll keep an eye out on what we can do.  However, it isn't a Camden Road as it has never been adopted.  Indeed, its been very hard to track down in the past who even owns it.  Without any authority over the road its difficult to see what Camden can do to manage it effectively.  Hopefully this is something that will be brought to the attention of the prospective residents of the new houses before they move in.

Development behind Fortune Green Road

Flick and I will be attending another Development Control (ie planning) committee tonight .  Of particular local interest is the item labelled 'Site to the rear of 84-86 Fortune Green Road'.
The site (which I've circled in blue on the map below) is quite tucked away.  Its hidden down quite a small private road (marked in orange) that opens onto Fortune Green Road opposite the green.

This application actually came to the committee over the summer - but we didn't think the officer's report gave a very accurate representation of the site - so we asked that the decision be delayed until the committee could visit the site themselves.
That has now been arranged and the issue is coming back for decision.  As you can see from the photos from the site visit that lane is very crowded already.

 

 

 

What the photos don't show is that there are quite a number of applications that have already been approved for that lane - but are yet to be built.  More information should be forthcoming at the meeting - so it will be interesting to see how the officers address the questions raised by the site visit.

More about Maygrove Road

On Monday, the developers of the Maygove Road site - One Housing - held another exhibition of their proposals at Lauriston Lodge (the sheltered housing where lots of residents had previously objected) between 3 and 5 pm.
Tried to get there before the end but missd the exhibition and instead spoke to Rosie - the wonderful manager of Lauriston Lodge and also a chap from Camden who works on supported housing (if I've got his section right). He'd come instead of a colleague so didn't know the area. Told him about the incidence of anti--social behaviour around the estate and park and showed him one particular trouble spot.

Went home and fired off my objection:

"....My main objection is, as it was in 2007 to the previously refused scheme, to the height and bulk of the proposals. It is at least one storey too high and is not appropriate in its setting.
I would like to speak in support of the many local residents who have contacted me and make my objections at the DC Committee hearing."

Lib Dem Councillor John Bryant (West Hampstead ward) has also supported this objection on behalf of residents.

Trying to come together on Cricklewood

Cricklewood has a lively town centre and is a great local shopping hub.  However, its fortunes aren't helped by the fact that it falls across three borough boundaries - part of it is in Camden (Fortune Green ward), part in Brent (Mapesbury ward) and part in Barnet (Child's Hill ward).

At the last elections the three wards returned Liberal Democrat councillors - and we've been working together to see how we can encourage closer cooperation between the councils in Cricklewood.

This week, Jack Cohen, one of the councillors for Child's Hill ward in Barnet, asked a full Council Meeting to endorse closer working between the three boroughs - suggesting a 'holistic' approach to services in and around Cricklewood.

Jack wrote recently that there are many examples where there is confusion over who is responsible for what:

"No one is quite sure who is responsible for keeping the streets clean. Each Council seems to go its separate ways when it comes to planning and licensing. There is a lot of anti social drinking in the area, it is patrolled by three separate neighbourhood policing teams. Cricklewood is a community that so often seems to be sidelined by the arbitrary local government boundaries.  I suggest we investigate some kind of “Special Policy Zone “that would cut across Borough Boundaries so that we coordinate our approach to improving services to local residents”

The Fortune Green councillors support this aproach 100% and have written to Camden's Director of Environment to see what can be done to join Cricklewood up.

Unfortunately, though, Jack's motion was amended by the Conservatives to remove all the bits that would have done anything meaningful.  You can read more about it here.

That's not the end of our efforts though - this is a subject we will be returning to again and again!

Development on Maygrove Road

Have just heard from the OneHousing Group who propose a large development on the old garage site in Maygrove Road. They say:

Following the meeting we held with councillors on the 3rd September OHG agreed to hold another consultation event specifically with the residents of Lauriston Lodge, the sheltered housing scheme close to our proposed redevelopment site.

We have now confirmed that we will hold a 'drop in' meeting between 3-5pm on Monday 9th November. Letters will go out to residents today. The meeting will be within the lodge itself (on the corner of Barlow Road and Maygrove Rd) and the same exhibition boards from the previous consultation will be on display for residents for a few days beforehand.

For information the planning application has now been submitted and is due to be heard at committee on the 17th of December

Not so fantastic -in Fordwych Road and on Sidings

On Saturday - walking between our Councillors advice surgery in West End Sidings Community Centre and the one in Templar House Tenants Hall, I walked up Fordwych Road. Outside one house two mattresses were propped up against a tree. It always amazes me that in a road full of such very handsome Victorian houses and splendid mature trees, people seem to use the trees as natural dumping grounds! Anyway I reported the mattresses and hope they have disappeared now.

"Nightmare on Brassey Road"

Walking round West End Sidings Estate on Saturday I was particularly struck by the horrendous mess the new heating works are making of the estate. The one way system has been suspended and cars are being diverted down the usually pedestrian Hall Oak walk. Brassey Road has a great trench down the middleof it, pedestrians are confined by high wire fences and at least one garden is completely destroyed! All this detracts somewhat from the improvements to the Peace Park ! But if it improves heating on the estate..........

Accident on West End Lane

Anyone using West End Lane between about 8 and 9 this morning will have noticed the very large tail back and unusually heavy queueing.  I suspect many people will have thought that Thames Water must be back with their unending sewage works as the tailback went up as far as the dreaded Sager building.
Unfortunately, though, the cause was much more serious. What looked to me like a very nasty accident had caused the emergency services to close off the stretch of West End Lane between Iverson Road and Broadfield Gardens.  I'm not sure what had happened - but as I passed by the West Hampstead Overground station at 8:00am I saw two buses were pulled over and at least one person looking very seriously injured on the ground.  There were several police cars and paramedics on the scene.
I hope the person I saw injured is able to make a full recovery.

 

Fortune Green in autumn

Doesn't the Green look fantastic with the leaves at the moment!