Power Station Madness for Southall

Southall faces the prospect of a Power Station being built in the heart of a residential area. The proposed Power Station will consume 76,000 litres of virgin vegetable oil a day, which could be palm oil, the most destructive and cheapest agrofuel on the planet.

Judging by its record, it is questionable whether Ealing council will give any consideration to the damaging impact of this bio-fuel Power Station on air pollution, traffic, the environment, world hunger and human rights abuses. Be under no illusion, the primary motive behind council decisions when it comes to Southall is revenue-generation, and not resident’s well-being (as it would have you believe).

The decision on the planning application, filed by Blue NG, is expected to be made by the council in a meeting set for 22nd July 2009.

Let’s shake off the lethargy, and speak up against the continuing assault by Ealing on the quality of our environment and on the people of Southall! Please contact your local councillors and ask them to object to the proposal.

Click here for further information and suggested objection letter

Read ‘Steamed up by power station’ article from Ealing Gazette here

Planning application details on Ealing website here and here

Southall Canal – Dirty Weekend

Join in and help improve the Grand Union Canal! Take part in the ‘Dirty Weekend’ where there will be lots of free activities for all the family including FREE angling sessions, boat trips, and graffiti removal (Saturday) and litter removal, wild flower planting and habitat regeneration (Sunday).

Saturday 6th & Sunday 7th June
10.30am – 4.00pm
Grand Union Canal, parallel to The Common, Southall, UB2.
FREE AND OPEN TO ALL

Contact Ben Fenton on 07920 230970 / ben.fenton@thames21.org.uk

All Equipment Provided. Click here for location map

Public Consultation Evening

Recently appointed Inspector Rob Bryan (Southall Police) informs us that a Southall Week of Action has been arranged, below are the details:

Southall Police, in partnership with London Borough of Ealing council will be undertaking a Week of Action between 20 – 26 June.

Our resources will be centred on Southall to make this town a better place for you all to live or work in. There will be a number of community days, including football matches for young people and a fun day. We will undertake crime prevention initiative and clean up events.

We also want to make Southall a safer place. I want my officers to target violent criminals who live or offend here. Other offenders will also be targeted, whether in vehicles, on foot or on pushbikes. I want you to see that we protect the law abiding amongst you, but we will not tolerate lawlessness of any sort in Southall.

This is where I need your help. It is not enough for the police and council to plan these events and hope you all approve. We need you to be with us, making suggestions and agreeing our tactics. Therefore I invite you to attend the Dominion Arts Education Centre on Wednesday 27 May 2009 at 7pm.

Representatives from the police and council will be there to explain what resources we have available and how we hope to use them. Please come and speak up and help shape this event.

If you cannot attend the consultation evening, please contact your local Safer Neighbourhoods Team with any thoughts you may have. Alternatively, call me direct on 020 8721 2907 or via e-mail at rob.bryan@met.pnn.police.uk

SOUTHALL WEEK OF ACTION – PUBLIC CONSULTATION EVENING
Wednesday 27 May 7pm-9pm
The Dominion Arts Education Centre, 112 The Green, Southall

Ealing Council Forced to Pay Costs

Money Box Junction reports that 17 PCNs against box junctions in South Road have been cancelled by Ealing Council.  Additionally, the Adjudicator awarded costs of £750 against the Council on the grounds that it was “wholly unreasonable” for them to pursue the appeals after they had been repeatedly warned by PATAS that PCNs for South Road/St Joseph’s Drive, South Road/Cambridge Road and High Street/Avenue Road were unenforceable.

Phil Taylor, Conservative Ealing Councillor has the following apology on his website:

On behalf of the Council I would like to say sorry and offer our unreserved apologies. We will be refunding everyone ticketed at the affected yellow box junctions since 20 June.

The decision was made after an email sent by the Department for Transport on 20 June, was brought to my attention today.

At the beginning of November we immediately suspended the junctions following advice from the Department for Transport. I believed that this was the first time the Council had been given this advice or the decision to stop enforcing them would have taken in June.

I am furious that this email was never brought to my attention and I have ordered an immediate investigation on how this could have happened.

The Council is putting in place arrangements to refund the money.

The six box junctions affected are double width yellow boxes at T-Junctions:

• South Road junction St Joseph’s Drive, Southall
• South Road junction Cambridge Road,Southall
• South Road junction Hamilton Road,Southall
• High Street junction Avenue Road, Southall
• Uxbridge Road junction Lower Boston Road, Hanwell
• The Broadway junction The Mall, Ealing

The local papers have taken up the story here and here.

Ealing Gazette reports that the Council estimates it will have to refund £660,000 to drivers charged between late June and late October, when the council formally announced it was scrapping the junctions.

Ealing Council’s Double Standards

The first you may know about any offence is when a penalty charge notice drops through your letter box.That’s because councils have the power to issue tickets through the post for offences caught on CCTV. The photo shows new camera installed on King Street, click on the image to enlarge.

We are all for lawful parking restrictions designed to expedite the flow of traffic and to make the roads safe, but like many other councils, Ealing does not appear to have missed out on the golden opportunity of milking the parking enforcement ‘cash cow’. The introduction of an additional 85 parking enforcement CCTV cameras exposes the council’s highly efficient drive to squeeze even more money out of residents.

If you ask Stacey, he will assure you that “no sir, Parking Services are not incentivised to generate revenue”. Of the 85 new enforcement cameras, 20 will be in Southall, and of the existing 101 enforcement cameras, 20 again are in Southall. Evidently, Ealing council can be highly efficient when it comes to milking a cash cow, while hiding behind high sounding mission statements. When it comes to delivering real and tangible improvements for the people of Southall, words such as “our aim is to become a high performing organisation, focussed on the needs of its communities” with no real action will suffice.

For years residents have been complaining about illegal parking outside the club on The Green in Southall, where people park on pavements, zebra crossings and even local resident’s parking spaces almost every weekend. So what action does Ealing take to address resident’s complaints? Nothing. Yes, nothing, revealing the double standards that Stacey and his cronies practice. If you ask the residents, they will tell you that it is more accurate to say that the aim of Ealing council is “to become a high performing organisation in order to fleece residents to the maximum.”

On the one hand the council is so efficient that it is be able to issue parking tickets by post with lightning speed for the most minor of offences, yet on the other hand it will allow people coming from outside the borough to Southall for entertainment to regularly and openly flout the law. And the council and police will not lift as much as a finger to address the problem. Now that is double standards.

Over 25% of the parking enforcement cameras are in Southall – perhaps this shows how much the council cares for us! Come on you Southall councillors, isn’t it time to stand up for Southall? Sadly, the concept of actively working to improve the quality of life for residents seems alien to many of the Southall councillors. One councillor has been reported as saying that “the only way to educate Southall residents is through the use of parking enforcement.” Sharma, another long standing Southall councillor, is still hanging on on to his position of councillor despite having been elected the MP for Ealing Southall at the recent by-election – he has not even bothered to attend the last four Southall Area Committee meetings (16/5/07, 19/9/07, 27/11/07, 23/1/08).

Click here for a list of existing and planned parking enforcement cameras in Southall.

Last Rounds at Norwood Green Police Station?

According to the ‘Asset Management Plan’ report published by the Metropolitan Police in November 2007, police buildings have to be modernised to provide a more accessible, flexible and effective police service. The report claims that proposed changes to police buildings will improve policing by increasing public accessibility, maximising the use of space, providing a modern environment for flexible working, providing a more pleasant environment for the public. It also seeks to encourage more effective joint working through co-location with other agencies such as libraries and leisure centres.

The Property Strategy report by Ealing Council (Oct 2006), on the other hand is more forthright when it states

The police operate from former houses in Hanwell and Norwood Green and more suitable premises are sought in both areas for neighbourhood policing.

The Norwood Green Police Station, a locally listed building, was built in 1889 on the site of the old Manor Farm, and was bequeathed to the police force, on the condition that it should always remain as a Police Station and not be sold off. But all indications are that Norwood Green Police station is in line for the hatchet. It would be interesting to learn how the Metropolitan Police have managed to circumvent this original condition that the building was to always remain with the police force.

We are of the opinion that public bodies such as the Metropolitan police have a moral responsibility to asses the impact of their actions in the longer term, and not just in terms of financial efficiency. The scope of the assesement has to be wider, and include effects such as the potential impact on the quality of life of local residents. While a review of assets and financing to improve service efficiency is a good thing, we hope the pressure to save money is not the overriding factor. If put up for sale, it is likely that the building would be acquired by a property developer to build flats. In response to residents concerns about the possible sale of Norwood Green Police station, Ian Jenkins from the Metropolitan Police has said that

“Norwood Green is highlighted as a premises we would consider moving from once, and if a suitable viable alternative is found which affords accessibility, visibility and improves policing for the community and the Safer Neighbourhood Teams. This proposal could take place, with or without the sale of Norwood Green Police Station”

The West London Neighbourhood Group have also written a response to the Police Estate Management Plan for Ealing which can be read here. Two articles published by Ealing Times can be read here and here. It is imperetive that the Metropolital Police share their vision of alternative policing provision before any moves to sell of Norwood Green Police Station are taken.

 

You can email comments to Ealing police at ian.jenkins@met.police.uk or post them to Ealing Police Station, 67-69 Uxbridge Road, Ealing or by phone on 0208 246 9472.

Southall Short-changed on Section 106 Funding ??

Any new development will effect the area in which it is built, such as increased traffic flow or economic regeneration for instance. In order to mitigate any negative impact of new developments, councils can enter into a Section 106 agreement (under the Town and Country Planning Act 1990, as amended), otherwise known as a ‘planning obligation’, with developers, requiring them to provide contributions to offset negative impacts caused by construction and development.

Examples of contributions range from the provision of affordable homes and new open space to funding of school places or employment training schemes. Developers can be asked to contribute towards the costs of providing community and social infrastructure which arises as a result of a new development taking place.

It should be noted that Section 106 agreements are not to be used as a way for the council to share in the profits from a development or as an inducement offered by a developer to gain planning permission.

A scan of recent council minutes and related documents makes for interesting reading on Ealing councils stance and track record with regard to Section 106 Monies for Southall; at the Southall Area Committee meeting of 27/11/07 Mr Twyman asked if Southall Councillors were consulted about Section 106 spend. The majority replied that they weren’t consulted. At the same meeting Mr Virdee stated that with reference to Section 106 funding, there should be improvements for Southall and that the Framework isn’t tangible or addressing the problems the area faces now.

Here is an extract from the minutes of the Southall Area Committee meeting of 23/02/08:

The Chairman [Councillor Dhindsa] introduced the report and explained that there is £91,200 of money from Section 106 agreements available and outlined the recommended proposals and projects in 2.2, including £40,000 for a Southall Car Park Study, £46,200 for Town Centre Improvements and £5,000 for CPZ and Parking Solutions on Montague Waye. The Chairman went on to express concern that he did no think councillors have been consulted on the £1,659,404 already spent or committed to existing projects.

Questions are also being asked whether £20,000 spent on the ‘Festival Lights’ is effective use of the money or simply a waste. Section 106 money being spent on the Borough Apprenticeship Scheme is also under scrutiny by residents.

It is high time our councillors [Gurcharan Singh (Con), Jagdish Gupta (Con), Jarnail Singh Jandu (Con), Jasbir Anand (Lab), Kamaljit S Dhindsa (Lab), Maninder Kaur Keith (Con), Manjit Singh (Con), Mohammad Aslam (Lab), Rajinder Mann (Lab), Ranjit Dheer (Lab), Swarn Singh Kang (Lab), Tej Ram Bagha (Lab), Tejinder Singh Dhami (Lab), Virendra Sharma (Lab), Zahida Abbas Noori (Lab) ] flexed their elected power to ensure Southall does not continue to be short-changed when it comes to section 106 funding.

Some residents have also expressed a concern that Section 106 monies are being misappropriated, such as the money for Business Incubator Units and the Apprenticeship Scheme. We would argue that it is imperative for the council to be transparent about section 106 monies raised and how it is spent. Click here for the latest summary of section 106 monies for Southall.

At a meeting on 13^th November Cabinet asked council officers to suggest projects to the area committees which would be funded by available section 106 funds. Subsequently, a recent report titled “S106 – update and proposals for the allocation of S106 monies” sets out recommendations for the expenditure of the S106 monies and asks the area committee to comment on these recommendations prior to seeking Cabinet approval for expenditure.

We urge residents to ask their councilors what interest they are taking in this matter, and insist that section 106 money be spent with with care to ensure we can enjoy tangible improvements in our quality of life. We would further urge the council to consult with us the residents, rather than allowing officers to implement proposals dreamt up in isolation.

Letter From Southall

Before you ask, no we haven’t been paid off by the council (or councillors), nor have we thrown in the towel.

I suppose the foremost question in people’s minds is why SouthallPride has been inactive for quite some time. Many of you have emailed us with words of support and expressed your desire to see SouthallPride continue with it’s campaign to improve the quality of life for Southall residents.

The fact of the matter is that we have been rather more active at the grassroots level of late, and updating the website has played second fiddle. Coupled with that is the fact that we are a very small team and have to juggle campaign work with the day to day pressures that life throws at us – after all we are not paid council staff or politicians, although sometimes we wish we had their clout and access to resources to get things done! The good news is that we have started working with other individuals and groups in Southall to become more effective in promoting our campaign. It’s certainly feels good to be working with other residents and groups whose goals are similar, and means we are able to support each other and persevere until results are achieved.

As we said, there is much good work being done at the ground level, and we hope to report on some of this in the near future. We would like to say in passing that did you know that each ward has regular ‘Focus Group’ meetings where residents can make their voice heard? Also do not hesitate to let your Safer Neighbourhoods Police team know of any antisocial or illegal activity around your area.

Shake off the lethargy and take the bull by the horns! Would you be happy to live in an area that looked like this?

Shooting after nightclub brawl

A TEENAGER was shot in the leg during a massive brawl outside a nightclub on Saturday.

A crowd of around 40 men were seen fighting outside the nightclub in The Green, Southall, when a gunshot was heard at 3.15am.

Bricks and broken glass were found in the street after a member of public called police – but the fighters had left on foot.

 

A short while later a 19-year-old presented himself at hospital with a bullet wound in his leg. He is still in hospital in a stable condition.

Detective constable Nick Dunn, investigating, said: “There was a lot of people outside the club when the altercation started and we are keen to speak to anyone in the area who witnessed the fight, or who saw groups of men running away from the area in the early hours of Saturday morning.”

Black-on-black gun crime unit Operation Trident’s non-fatal shooting team are currently investigating.

Anyone with information is asked to call the Incident Room on 020 8733 4774

This report reproduced from Ealing Times, Wednesday 4th July 2007 , by David Doyle

http://www.ealingtimes.co.uk/news/localnews/display.var.1517568.0.shooting_after_nightclub_brawl.php

Asset Stripping by Stealth?

Plans are afoot by Ealing council to pass on control the Dominion Arts Centre, based in The Green, Southall to a third party. It was clear from the ‘Save The Dominion Centre’ public meeting on 12th March 2007, held appropriately at the Dominion Centre, that no consultation with user groups or the wider Southall community has been carried out.

It was encouraging to see such a good turnout, and should send out a strong signal to Ealing council that residents of Southall are ready rise to the challenge of safeguarding vital community services and facilities. Even some Labour councillors, including councillor Sonika Nirwal made the effort to attend.

Click here to listen to a short presentation by Francis Shepherd, whose group use the centre to teach and promote Tabla.

Click here to listen to a short presentation by the East African Senior Citiezens User Group.

Brendan Walsh from Ealing council was also present at the meeting, his contribution can be heard here. Further question can be addressed to him by phoning Ealing council, or by email at WalshB@ealing.gov.uk

Expand post to see more photos.

Ealing Council Refuses to Disclose Ken’s Cash

We have learnt that the Mayor of London, Ken Livingstone recently announced £4.4million for Ealing to be spent on local transport improvements. Unfortunately our inquiries to the council on how this money is going to be spent have hit a wall of silence.

On 21st Jan 2007 we sent the following email to Ealing Customer Services:

“It has come to our attention that Ken Livingstone, Mayor of London hasdedicated £4.4million to Ealing to be spent on local transport improvements. Could confirm that this is indeed the case, and who we can contact to find out more on how this money is going to be spent.”

The Multimedia Section Team Leader at Ealing Council replied on 25th Jan 2007 as follows:

“I have passed your email on to Mike Donnellan, who will provide further details on your query.”

Having had no response we emailed again on 31st Jan 2007:

“Any chance of a reply from Mike Donnellan?”

We have had no reply to date. We telephoned Mike Donnellan today and left a message. Let’s see what happens.

So much for customer services.

Residents Propel Ealing Council into Action

In a recent post we reported how Ealing council was failing it’s residents in providing basic information and services. We are happy to report after further pressure from us and the residents, the vehicle in question was removed at long last after being abandoned for over 3 months. The moral – it pays to persevere!

Council Turns Blind Eye

A number of residents have told us that despite repeated complaints Ealing council has taken no action against the owners of a number of properties let out to refugees that are in a state of disrepair, overcrowded, and do not comply with appropriate legislation. You can see for youself in this photo the filthy state of the stairs leading up to the flats.

We also found dangerous light switches with exposed wires as shown on the photo below. Another picture shows the nasty state of one of the windows. What further evidence does the council need?

On request of some residents we have ourselves observed first hand that the people who live in these flats are in the habit of dumping their rubbish on the pavement outside. We are surprised that the so called ‘Wardens’ the council employs have not reported this problem of rubbish dumping.

Southall Traffic Improvement Proposals

Because Scotts road is narrow and restricts movement of HGV’s, proposals for traffic improvement include implementing waiting restrictions to allow passing places, and widening the road to improve movement of HGV’s.

Make up your own mind wether the council is taking the right measures to reduce congestion in Southall. Click here to find out if your road is included in the list of proposals.

Southall Rat Problem Grows Scary

Rats can grow to the size of a domestic cat and have teeth so powerful they can gnaw their way through the walls of your house. According to Malcolm Radley of Rentokil, one rodent the length of a domestic cat was recently found in Darlington, County Durham.

Barrie Sheard, chairman of the National Pest Technician’s Association (NPTA) says we only have ourselves to blame. He said “A lot of piping in modern homes is increasingly becoming plastic and they can get through that no problem.”

Recently, the chief executive the association, John Davison issued this chilling warning: “It’s a grave problem. The way this is growing it is going to give rise to some kind of public health risk.”

One reasons for rodent explosion is that more councils charging for domestic rodent work – Ealing charges £60 for three visits. The problem in Southall is so widespread that it’s hard to envisage how it can be eradicated by one, or even two visits by the council to individual properties. It is high time Ealing council recognised this serious problem and started taking measure that are aimed at dealing with the rat problem, rather than letting residents pay for something which even the Ealing Pest Control officers know is not going to be effective.

And I wonder why the so called Street Wardens in Southall have failed to bring this potentially explosive issue to the notice of Environment Services? Some residents have speculated that the Wardens have been gobbled up by the super rats.

Perhaps the real answer lies in the fact that we are talking about Southall….

Ealing Council Failing it’s Residents

A Southall resident says Ealing Council is in breach of providing decent basic service to council tax paying residents, even failing to provide basic information in a timely and helpful manner. Read the rest to learn about the sorry saga of this resident.

Cleaner Streets ??

Despite the new conservative administration taking control of Ealing council in 2006, and despite the rhetoric, not much seems to have changed after seven months in power.

Council leader Jason Stacey proclaimed last year “I am determined that this borough s going to get cleaner and be a better place in which to live. This initiative, as part of all the other measures which we have announced so far and are still developing, will play an important role in this.”

Picture below taken in December 2006 – the rubbish on this particular location can be seen every week!

Tudor Rose Club, Southall

This is the normal mode of illegal parking by cutomers of the club, blocking pavements and parking on zigzag lines at the zebra crossing:

The police and Parking Services seem quite content to turn a blind eye to this flagrant breaking of the law.

Pictures taken on 24th December 2006.

Urinating in Public Places

This email received from a resident of Southall:

Dear Ealing Council,

we are suffering from very unsociable and threatening behaviour mainly by Somalians living on and around our road – they tend to congregate just outside our car park and their main activity seems to be to just loiter, eat the green plant (drug) and then urinate in public without regard to the presence of children or families, show no respect for others. For example if I or my children are walking on the pavement, they will not move to one side to allow people to pass, we end up walking around them on the road. On a number of occasions when I’ve asked them to move to one side, but they are only ready to fight and are abusive. They also dump their rubbish on the pavements on a regular basis. We asked the council to inspect the rented properties where the Somalians, live to ensure they comply with health and safety and other legislation – nothing has been done to date.

illegal Parking

Dear Residents

If you experience illegal parking taking place down your road please contact us at this address on by phone on 0208 825 6677 and we shall ask the parking Attendants to be despatched immediately to his location.

Customer Services should have passed on the details of the dumped cars o the relevant section, however I believe they would have requested ore information off you of details of the dumped cars (VRM, Make, Model length of time they have ben there). See the below link on our website for more details:

http://www.ealing.gov.uk/services/environment/abandoned_vehicles/reporting_an_abandoned_vehicle/

I hope this answers your queries please do not hesitate to contact us should you require any further information.

Regards,

Hayley Casey
Parking Operations Officer
Parking Services
P O Box 46264, Ealing, W5 2UN

Question About Phoenix House Planning

Once again it is clear from this proposed development that Southall is being used as a ‘dumping ground. for refugees in the borough. The business centre and library is just a window dressing to make the scheme more acceptable. The Council should be working with the residents, businesses, police and transport authorities in any proposed development of Phoenix House to ensure that features/facilities are built into any new plan which improve the welfare of local residents and enhance the profile of Southall.

Some of the objectives listed in the Southall Town Centre Strategy are:

• Improve the overall accessibility of the town centre to all its local customers, businesses and local residents, particularly by public transport, cycling, walking and for those with disabilities;
• Make walking around the centre a more pleasant, safe and easy experience – day and night;
• Ensure an integrated approach to traffic and parking management, public transport, cycling and walking;
• Reduce traffic congestion and traffic flows within the town centre to make it a pleasant place and help meet local and national traffic reduction targets;
• Provide safe, secure and sufficient car parking distributed across the centre on and off street to enhance the town centre for residents and pedestrians. Car parking could be reduced as public transport improves, consistent with maintaining the centre’s economic vitality;

This proposed development fails to meet these objectives; in addition there are a number of concerns:

• Does the Council agree that Southall is already overcrowded, and that this additional residential accommodation will be used for transferring refugees from other more ‘sensitive’ parts of the borough?
• Was a traffic assessment report carried out to ensure the existing congestion on The Green and King Street and surrounding areas will not be exacerbated by this development?
• Are the flats in the development going to be rented or sold off? If rented, will the Council be using the flats to house people on their waiting lists, refugees and asylum seekers?
• Is there any stipulation as to who can be housed (or purchase) the flats (ie. could we end up in a situation where the new development is a refugee ‘ghetto’)?
• If shops are part of the development, will there be any restrictions on the trade to be allowed (eg nightclub, pub)?
• What facilities/amenities will be provided to cater for the families and their children living in the 149 new flats?
• will the existing library on Osterley Park Road be closed down as a new library / resource centre is being planned in the new development?

Therefore, this planning application should be opposed for the following reasons:

1. for a development of this scale, there is nothing in the plan that improves the welfare and quality of life of local residents
2. the area is already congested with a high volume of human and vehicle traffic. The road system will be unable to cope with the additional traffic generated by this development.
3. there is already an acute lack of car parking spaces in the area and this development would inevitably have an devastating effect on the local residents. The stated figure of 109 parking spaces for 149 residential units is plainly insufficient.
4. there is already enough nuisance/public disorder created by customers of the Tudor Rose club, the Mehfil restaurant and the Tyre and Car business, and the numerous Somali cafes in the locality. These need to be looked at and controlled rather than additional strain being put on the area.
5. this seems to be a purely money making exercise with no regard to the effects on the local community.

Flouting The Law

Illegal parking outside the Tudor Rose Club, photo taken May 2006.