Have just received this good news from the Gondar and Agamemnon Residents Association.
"Gondar Gardens reservoir - planning application refused by Camden
Dear all, some fantastic news:
Linden Wates' planning application to build on the reservoir site hasbeen refused by Camden ... see www.gara-westhampstead.co.uk<http://www.gara-westhampstead.co.uk/> for a copy of the refusal noticeand the planning officer's detailed report. This is great news, althoughwe need to exercise some caution - we need to analyse the detailed report and we don't know what Linden Wates will do next, possibly including going to appeal.
Well done to everyone who wrote in to object, and to the nearly 1200people who signed our petition to "preserve the entire Gondar Gardens reservoir site as undisturbed Open Space and a Site of NatureConservation Interest." And many thanks to our GARA committee members and to our professional consultants (yes, we used some of our precious funds to get expert advice) for the effort they all put in to ensure we made a strong case for protecting the reservoir site and refusing planning permission.
Over the last few years we have helped ensure that this valuable open space has been designated as a site of nature conservation interest; it has been protected in Camden's Unitary Development Plan, the Local Development Framework and planning strategies; and now this planning application has been refused. While this won't be the end of the story,it does demonstrate what local effort can achieve. We also owe our thanks to Camden for the way in which they have set and then applied planning policies."
Congratulation to everyone for their efforts!
FORTUNE GREEN LIBERAL DEMOCRATS
Monday, 27 June 2011
Thursday, 16 June 2011
Police target crime on Fordwych Road
An interesting piece from our local Safer Neighbourhood Team who are concentrating their efforts in a campaign to tackle burglary on and around Fordwych Road...
Operation Poppins takes a three-strand approach to reducing the long-term burglary problems in the Fordwych Road area, by aiming to arrest offenders, reduce potential victims, and secure vulnerable locations.Read the full piece on their blog.
Wednesday, 15 June 2011
Camden's cuts - Libraries and Nurseries to suffer
Camden's Labour Cabinet met last week and rubberstamped the libraries report - plan A. This, thankfully does not involve West Hampstead Library (which was only ever under real threat under the "Doomsday option" involving closure of the majority of our libraries). But 3 of Camden's most loved libraries all with flourishing Friends Groups (Belsize, Hampstead and Chalk Farm) are to be handed over to the community to run if they can and removed from the "public" library service by 2013. There was much objection from library users to this scheme and it will run and run. Meanwhile the rest of us will get shorter hours, fewer books and what is likely to be a second-rate service in future.
The other decision taken at Cabinet - against fervent protest from users - was to cut the grant to Camden Community Nurseries by 50%. In West Hampstead, this means Sington Nursery which was moved to the ground floor of the Community Hall as a temporary measure, pending a move to a rebuilt Fortune Green Play Centre. This was a great scheme with assured Government funding and agreed planning permission, but the Labour Council pulled the plug. Sington is stuck in premises unsuitable for the long term and now is to have half its funding callously wiped out.
Councillors Flick Rea and Keith Moffitt have "called in" this arbitrary decision (which goes against the Council's declared intention to keep Early Years service reductions down to 10%) . This means that the prroposal will have to go back to the Scrutiny Committee in July for a further look at this disastrous decision. Let's keep fingers crossed that they come to a different conclusion and recommend that this valuable service is reprieved.
The other decision taken at Cabinet - against fervent protest from users - was to cut the grant to Camden Community Nurseries by 50%. In West Hampstead, this means Sington Nursery which was moved to the ground floor of the Community Hall as a temporary measure, pending a move to a rebuilt Fortune Green Play Centre. This was a great scheme with assured Government funding and agreed planning permission, but the Labour Council pulled the plug. Sington is stuck in premises unsuitable for the long term and now is to have half its funding callously wiped out.
Councillors Flick Rea and Keith Moffitt have "called in" this arbitrary decision (which goes against the Council's declared intention to keep Early Years service reductions down to 10%) . This means that the prroposal will have to go back to the Scrutiny Committee in July for a further look at this disastrous decision. Let's keep fingers crossed that they come to a different conclusion and recommend that this valuable service is reprieved.
Busy times
Hardly time to update this blog - all sorts of things going on!
The Jester Festival on Fortune Green is taking place on July2/3 this year - please look at our new website:
http://www.jesterfestival.co.uk/
Fun for all the family! The Lib Dem/Spotlight stall will as usual be selling home made jams/chutneys /cakes and biscuits. We welcome donations!!
Meanwhile on Monday July 4th, WHAT will be holding its annual Festival meeting - this time on the NHS at which West Hampstead Lib Dem Cllr John Bryant(Chair of Camden's Joint Health Scrutiny Committee) will be one of the speakers. This is at Emmanuel School at
The Kilburn Festival takes place on July1oth in Grange Park.
The Jester Festival on Fortune Green is taking place on July2/3 this year - please look at our new website:
http://www.jesterfestival.co.uk/
Fun for all the family! The Lib Dem/Spotlight stall will as usual be selling home made jams/chutneys /cakes and biscuits. We welcome donations!!
Meanwhile on Monday July 4th, WHAT will be holding its annual Festival meeting - this time on the NHS at which West Hampstead Lib Dem Cllr John Bryant(Chair of Camden's Joint Health Scrutiny Committee) will be one of the speakers. This is at Emmanuel School at
The Kilburn Festival takes place on July1oth in Grange Park.
Monday, 13 June 2011
New Arrangements for Councillors Advice Surgeries
We've given our arrangements for Councillors' Advice Surgeries in West Hampstead a spring clean!
From the beginning of June, your Liberal Democrat Councillors for West Hampstead ward (Keith Moffitt, John Bryant and Gillian Risso-Gill) and Fortune Green ward (Flick Rea, Russell Eagling and Nancy Jirira) are holding weekly joint surgeries every Friday from 6-7pm at the Camden District Housing Office at 156 West End Lane. We'll be trying to make sure that there is one councillor for each ward at each surgery on a rota basis.
There will also be two monthly Saturday morning surgeries on the last Saturday of each month - one at 19 Wedgwood Walk on the Lymington Road Estate (11.30-12.30pm) and the other at The Sidings Community Centre on Brassey Road (11.00-12.00 noon).
Our advice surgeries provide an opportunity for councillors to meet with their constituents to discuss any problems they may have with Council services, and we can often help with other problems too.
Alternatively, you can contact individual councillors during the week through Camden Council on 020 7974 1986 or you can e-mail us as follows:
West Hampstead
john.bryant@camden.gov.uk
keith.moffitt@camden.gov.uk
gillian.risso-gill@camden.gov.uk
Fortune Green
flick.rea@camden.gov.uk
russell.eagling@camden.gov.uk
nancy.jirira@camden.gov.uk
From the beginning of June, your Liberal Democrat Councillors for West Hampstead ward (Keith Moffitt, John Bryant and Gillian Risso-Gill) and Fortune Green ward (Flick Rea, Russell Eagling and Nancy Jirira) are holding weekly joint surgeries every Friday from 6-7pm at the Camden District Housing Office at 156 West End Lane. We'll be trying to make sure that there is one councillor for each ward at each surgery on a rota basis.
There will also be two monthly Saturday morning surgeries on the last Saturday of each month - one at 19 Wedgwood Walk on the Lymington Road Estate (11.30-12.30pm) and the other at The Sidings Community Centre on Brassey Road (11.00-12.00 noon).
Our advice surgeries provide an opportunity for councillors to meet with their constituents to discuss any problems they may have with Council services, and we can often help with other problems too.
Alternatively, you can contact individual councillors during the week through Camden Council on 020 7974 1986 or you can e-mail us as follows:
West Hampstead
john.bryant@camden.gov.uk
keith.moffitt@camden.gov.uk
gillian.risso-gill@camden.gov.uk
Fortune Green
flick.rea@camden.gov.uk
russell.eagling@camden.gov.uk
nancy.jirira@camden.gov.uk
Wednesday, 1 June 2011
West Hampstead Spotlight Blog: West Hampstead and Fortune Green Area Forum Monday...
West Hampstead Spotlight Blog: West Hampstead and Fortune Green Area Forum Monday...: "The next West Hampstead/Fortune Green Area Forum (Area Action Group) is scheduled for Monday, 20 June, at the Synagogue Community Hall on De..."
Only once a week
We have just received the following letter about our rearranged rubbish collections:
Waste Collection Service Changes
I wrote to you last week regarding the imminent changes to the domestic refuse collection service. This is just a gentle reminder that we will be removing the second waste collection from around 50,000 households north of the Euston Road. This will be taking affect from next Monday (6th June). Agreed by Cabinet in July 2010, this will reduce the number of refuse collections from two to one per week, saving a significant £469,000 per annum. Rounds will be reorganised over the five day working week (Monday to Friday).
This is a more efficient use of resources, allowing a reduction in collection rounds from 11 down to 8, with consequent saving of labour and vehicle operating costs (a reduction of three vehicles) as well as reduced overtime costs from not working on Saturdays.
The reasons behind this change include:
· reducing levels of waste being sent to landfill and further increasing levels of recycling & composting.
· reducing vehicle movements and carbon impact of waste collection.
· improving value for money and deliver services more efficiently.
Residents have responded really well to the additional weekly collection of food and garden waste and the improved recycling service (paper/card, plastic, cans and glass) which was launched in July 2010. With food waste making up approximately 30% of all waste produced, this has resulted in significant increases in recycling, but we will need to go further in encouraging further increases.
Around 50,000 households in the borough that receive individual twice weekly collections will still receive:
· A once weekly residual waste collection,
· A once weekly organic (food and garden waste) waste collection
· A once weekly dry recycling collection of paper/card, plastic, cans and glass
Communications
Affected residents have started receiving a leaflet, through their door, informing them of their new collection day. Those residents who are not affected, i.e. those that live above shops and those on estates will not receive the leaflet as their service is not changing. This distribution should take about a week. There will also be information highlighting this service change in the June edition of the Camden magazine.
Information on collection days can be found on the attached spreadsheet. More detailed information particularly involving larger roads will be available on the website when the service goes live from Monday 6 June. Further information and FAQ’s are already on the website, please visit
http://www.camden.gov.uk/ccm/content/environment/waste-and-recycling/disposing-of-non-recyclable-waste/household-wast-collection.en
As you can imagine with all new services, there may be teething problems but should any of your residents have significant problems then please let me know straight away.
Yours sincerely,
Sue Vincent Cabinet member for the Environment
Waste Collection Service Changes
I wrote to you last week regarding the imminent changes to the domestic refuse collection service. This is just a gentle reminder that we will be removing the second waste collection from around 50,000 households north of the Euston Road. This will be taking affect from next Monday (6th June). Agreed by Cabinet in July 2010, this will reduce the number of refuse collections from two to one per week, saving a significant £469,000 per annum. Rounds will be reorganised over the five day working week (Monday to Friday).
This is a more efficient use of resources, allowing a reduction in collection rounds from 11 down to 8, with consequent saving of labour and vehicle operating costs (a reduction of three vehicles) as well as reduced overtime costs from not working on Saturdays.
The reasons behind this change include:
· reducing levels of waste being sent to landfill and further increasing levels of recycling & composting.
· reducing vehicle movements and carbon impact of waste collection.
· improving value for money and deliver services more efficiently.
Residents have responded really well to the additional weekly collection of food and garden waste and the improved recycling service (paper/card, plastic, cans and glass) which was launched in July 2010. With food waste making up approximately 30% of all waste produced, this has resulted in significant increases in recycling, but we will need to go further in encouraging further increases.
Around 50,000 households in the borough that receive individual twice weekly collections will still receive:
· A once weekly residual waste collection,
· A once weekly organic (food and garden waste) waste collection
· A once weekly dry recycling collection of paper/card, plastic, cans and glass
Communications
Affected residents have started receiving a leaflet, through their door, informing them of their new collection day. Those residents who are not affected, i.e. those that live above shops and those on estates will not receive the leaflet as their service is not changing. This distribution should take about a week. There will also be information highlighting this service change in the June edition of the Camden magazine.
Information on collection days can be found on the attached spreadsheet. More detailed information particularly involving larger roads will be available on the website when the service goes live from Monday 6 June. Further information and FAQ’s are already on the website, please visit
http://www.camden.gov.uk/ccm/content/environment/waste-and-recycling/disposing-of-non-recyclable-waste/household-wast-collection.en
As you can imagine with all new services, there may be teething problems but should any of your residents have significant problems then please let me know straight away.
Yours sincerely,
Sue Vincent Cabinet member for the Environment
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