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MAY NEWSLETTER 2012

Work starts on Lido Junction

Despite a few last minute changes to the schedule, work has begun on installing pedestrian crossings at the Lido Junction. The work will last for eight weeks so we should see it completed mid-June. We realise there will be disruption to traffic at the junction but we join the Council in asking for everyone's patience over these next weeks as the end result will, at last, give us a safe crossing.

I look forward to meeting the elderly lady who spoke to us at a WEN stall at the farmers' market last year and said she was too scared even to try to cross the junction. Instead, she had to get a bus the one stop from her home to Dean Gardens to go shopping in West Ealing. Her life and that of many others will be made so much easier by these improvements.

Ideas for improving West Ealing

At our Annual General Meeting in February we talked about 2012 being a year of transition for West Ealing Neighbours. We all felt it was time to look at how we are run and in what ways could we widen our appeal. For any residents' group to thrive it needs to stay firmly rooted in its community and be open to new ideas, new people and new ways of working. At our follow up meeting in March, we welcomed a number of new members and spent a stimulating couple of hours looking at what we liked and didn't like about West Ealing. We ended the evening talking about what we would like to change. Here's the list, in no particular order, and see if you agree or disagree with our thoughts:

Proper cycle lanes
No high rise buildings (Westel House)
Dangerous to cross the road at the junction of Northfields/Drayton green & Uxbridge Road
That the newly developed neighbourhood forums have ‘real teeth'
Better shops on High Street
Uxbridge Road traffic - more pedestrian friendly
People to try to put more effort in keeping their street and front of property clean and tidy
See some serious investment in the area
More pleasant green spaces
Reduce activity of drug peddlers
Change of governance - council/officers not working for the people
Better quality shops
Bigger library
Make the area in front of Sainsbury's and the library more attractive, like a piazza with coffee shops and trees etc
Public toilets for shoppers not used by drug addicts
Green wall in Melbourne Avenue shopping precinct
More support for independent shops
Sports centre
Stop allowing people to turn their front gardens into car parks
More culture
Fewer new blocks of flats
More varied independent traders
Care for trees / stop council whacking trees
Alcohol closing times on the 24 hour shops - this abused by drunks and gangs

Our next meeting is on Tuesday 15th May at 7.30pm at OPEN Ealing. Everyone is welcome.

David Highton

Other topics covered in this newsletter include:

Monthly Craft Market up and running
The bees have finally arrived at Walmer Gardens
Planning By The People For The People
AEC of Southall

Last Updated ( Sunday, 06 May 2012 )

February 2012 Newsletter

FEBRUARY NEWSLETTER

We need your help

Five years on and if I do for a moment stop and, as they say, smell the roses, I'd say we've made a pretty good start. We helped save some of our traditional lampposts; started the annual Family Day celebration; launched our Abundance project; will soon start a monthly craft market and are within touching distance of helping make the Lido Junction safe to cross.

Now though we need to plan for the next five years and that's where we need your help to answer a vital question: what shall we do with WEN? We need to decide. On Feb 21st we have the fifth AGM and my tenure as Chair, Eric's as Vice, Andy's as Treasurer and Gill's general membership of the committee - well, our time is up. We decided five years ago that we didn't want WEN to stagnate.

So, the question is, what shall we do now? It's your organisation and it's a democracy so we all need to decide. No one has so far come forward to hold any of the posts - can we continue as an un-led organisation?

I think we are at a crucial moment for West Ealing. We have the major development at Green Man Lane, the forthcoming redevelopment of the Sherwood Close Estate and the possibility of creating a Neighbourhood Forum, under the new Localism Act, to propose a design for central West Ealing (see Eric Leach's blog of 3rd January 2012 for full details). This is an exciting time for West Ealing and WEN needs to be at the heart of it and helping shape our future and not just letting it be imposed upon us.

Here are some of the aspects of WEN that we feel are important but what do you think?

• an information hub for West Ealing

• a think tank

• an incubator for exciting new projects like WEN Abundance, OPEN Ealing, SEAL - the lampost project, the book swap, and much more

• a people resource - we've 400+ members

• a social network

• full of potential for becoming an integral part of the re-shaping of the local governance of our neighbourhood

• holding Ealing Council to account

At the moment the floor is open wide - do we re-form as something different? Do we each go our separate ways into our different projects? Do we put ourselves into a holding position until we work out what's best? Or is there someone/some people out there right now longing to lead WEN into the next phase of its life?

If you'd like to stand for any of the main officer posts - chair, vice-chair, secretary, treasurer - please let us know before the meeting. Otherwise, please come along, bring your neighbours and let's talk about our town and ways in which we can make a difference.

If you'd like to talk to any members of the committee beforehand, let us know.

Please do come along to our Annual General Meeting on Tuesday 21st February at OPEN Ealing starting 7.30pm.

David Highton, Chair

December 2011 Newsletter

Lido Junction: Let's make it safe to cross

As I've written before, the very first question to our website some five years ago was asking could we do something about making it safe to cross at the Lido Junction?

Well, as my time as chair comes to an end and after five years of effort, we are now within touching distance of getting pedestrian crossings at the notoriously dangerous Lido Junction. We need one last effort to seal the deal and for as many people as possible to complete the online consultation about the Council's plans. To give everyone the chance to hear all views on these plans we have organised a public meeting for Tuesday 6th December at 7.30pm at OPEN Ealing, 113 Uxbridge Road (opposite the fire station and on the corner with Culmington Road).

Please do come along and hear Cllr Bassam Mahfouz, Cabinet member for Transport, explain the plans, hear all the different views and take the opportunity to ask your questions about the plans.

If you can't make our meeting we urge you to go online to the Council's website and complete the simple online questionnaire at www.ealing.gov.uk/consultations and click on Current Consultations to find the LIDO Junction one. You will find details of the plans and then a consultation which consists of two questions. The first is whether or not you agree with the plan for pedestrian crossings and we hope you do agree with this. The second is about a plan to introduce a loading bay and parking bays on the northbound (west) side of Drayton Green Road. We have asked the nearby shop owners and the dentist and they did not request either the loading bay of the parking bays. In our view neither is necessary and, if implemented, would cause delays to northbound traffic. We recommend you say no to this question.

It is very important that we seize this once-in-a-lifetime chance to make the Lido Junction safe to cross for everyone, especially mothers with buggies, young children going to schools at St John's Primary School and older people less able to dash across in the gaps between traffic. One lady who talked to us at our stand said she has to get a bus from near her home on the Ealing Broadway side to get across the junction to shop in West Ealing as it's just too dangerous for her to cross. You can help her and everyone else who has to cross this junction by coming to our meeting where we'll have paper consultation forms to complete or by going online to complete the questionnaire.

David Highton

Other topics covered in this edition of the newsletter:

Improving the centre of West Ealing
Leader of the Council Julian Bell on a recent visit to OPEN Ealing
Robert Darke (1926 - 2011)
A very busy year for WEN Abundance
15,000 Books and counting

Last Updated ( Tuesday, 06 December 2011 )

Minutes of West Ealing Neighbours committee meeting on 15th November

WEN MEETING 15TH NOVEMBER 2011 7.30PM - 9.00PM

Topics covered:

LDF CS Examination - Eric
Pre-localism Bill Neighbourhood Planning of West Ealing - Eric
Tweet up update - Chris
Abundance Update - Diane
Craft Fair progress - Martyn/Diane
Environmental Sustainable Project - Iyke
Lido Junction latest - Eric
AOB

Last Updated ( Thursday, 24 November 2011 )

September Newsletter 2011

West Ealing Family Day: celebrate our community on Saturday 24th September

I have to own up: we slept through the recent riots even though some of the looters were busy loading stolen goods in to cars just round the corner from us. However, when I got up and heard what happened I went straight up to the Uxbridge Road and saw the damage, shattered glass and shocked and bemused traders and shopkeepers.

In those early days it was difficult to know how to react. It was such a shock and so unexpected that we were all left grasping for reasons but there are no quick and easy answers, rather a whole variety of interlocking circumstances that came together that will take time to unravel and understand.

However, what we can do, and what makes the most powerful statement about West Ealing, is to show how much we support and value our local community, traders and businesses. By chance the second West Ealing Family Day, which has been in the diary for Saturday 24th September for months, offers the best possible occasion to show this support. Please come along with your family and friends to show your support and, above all, enjoy being part of the West Ealing community. (See later article and for up-to-date information of what's happening where on Family Day visit www.westealingneighbours.org.uk.)

David Highton

Other topics covered in this newsletter include:

Green light for crossings at the Lido Junction
‘It's not about the jam' - a look at WEN's achievements now it is five years old
Family Day on Saturday 24th September 10am - 4pm
Abundance of Apples and Pears!
OPEN Ealing launches its autumn season
Street Names in W13

Last Updated ( Tuesday, 20 September 2011 )

Property Developers are Ecstatic about New Planning Proposals. I Wonder Why?

Along with the draft Localism Bill, the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) promises to simplify planning law and empower residents to have more say in how land is used in their own neighbourhoods. All very laudable intentions. However all of this draft legislation is based upon and biased towards economic growth. In the NPPF there is a presumption in favour of development. Development in Ealing, as we all know, means demolition and new build (mostly of private sale flats).

Growth is stalled in the UK and none of us really believe experts who tell us that economic growth is just around the corner. So do the plans facilitate us all making the best use of what we've got? Oh no. With 1.8 million people on Council Housing lists throughout the country one might expect that the new draft plan to directly address this social housing shortfall - but a sadly it doesn't.

You can make your own mind up about these new national plans and submit your feedback at:

http://www.communities.gov.uk/publications/planningandbuilding/draftframework

Also Eric Leach has his own colourful slant on the proposals which you can view here.

Last Updated ( Tuesday, 30 November 1999 )

July, 2011 Newsletter

JULY NEWSLETTER 2011

Tackling drug dealing on our streets

We had a good attendance at our public meeting on Monday 11th July which clearly illustrates that there is concern about drug dealing and other anti-social behaviour such as street drinking. I felt it was a useful and potentially productive meeting.

One of WEN's concerns has been the poor communication by the police and Council about what they are doing to help tackle anti-social behaviour. In the absence of information it's all too easy for us assume nothing is happening. We wanted to change this by giving a platform to the police and Council to tell us both what their overall strategy is and what practical steps they are taking.

We heard some encouraging words from both Superintendent Jenkins and Sergeant Pinder Chana (of Walpole Ward) about the high priority they give to these problems and some of the practical steps taken such as the soup kitchen project to tackle street drinking initiated by the Walpole and Elthorne Safer Neighbourhood Teams.

We also heard from Paul Dunn a newly appointed member of the Council's Community Safety team. He put forward some practical steps. He offered to accompany one Mattock Lane resident on a walkabout to see for himself where the drug dealing and drug taking is happening and why certain places make people feel these activities are safe.

So the question is will anything change as a result of our meeting? Clearly we hope so. Better communication from the police and Council about what they are doing and what they achieve will help us feel their concerns are being taken seriously. More visibility of police on the streets is a constant plea from residents. Our plan is to come back to this topic as part of our next public meeting in the autumn and see if words have turned into actions. Keep an eye on our website for news of our next public meeting.

David Highton

Also covered in this news letter:

Saving West Ealing's Heritage
First WEN Tweetup and meetup a great success
Monthly craft market for West Ealing gets go-ahead
Jazz festival photos, children's workshops and more at OPEN Ealing
Let's Fix Ealing Broadway Station
West Ealing Family Day Saturday 24th September
Community online publishing project
History of some local street names continued

Download MS Word version from here: download link.

Click read more for the full newsletter....

Last Updated ( Wednesday, 20 July 2011 )

May, 2011 Newsletter

The changing face of our high street

The recent opening of the British Heart Foundation's new shop made me think again about the changing nature of our high street. Yes, you could just say it's yet another charity shop and we already have eight. But, it struck me that this shop is something rather different for West Ealing. Almost every time I go in to one of the charity shops it seems busy as I try to manoeuvre my way between the shoppers and the clothes rails. What BHF seem to have noticed though is that there is a complete gap in the market for a charity shop selling household goods such as electrical appliances and furniture.

Much has been written about how Britain's high streets are changing. I have lived in West Ealing since 1978 and, like many others, can all too easily reminisce about how West Ealing's high street used to have a Marks and Spencer, a WH Smith, Mothercare, let alone the department stores such as FH Rowse and Daniels. But that time has gone and in the last few years the twin impact of the recession and the growth of internet shopping have undoubtedly left their mark as shops have moved out or closed down. In a recent article in the Financial Times Liz Peace, chief executive of the British Property Federation, said ‘Given the structural nature of these changes there is no point harking back to the old high streets we all claimed to love. We need to be creative in looking for new roles and uses for these empty shops."

I think BHF has been creative. We have seen new shops move in and Lidl and Poundworld are now part of our high street. They have been joined by some rather different businesses - British Immigration Solutions and The Pamela Howard School of Dance. West Ealing Arts has opened a community arts project in an old office building a short walk away from the main shopping centre

(see later article). The London Residents Forum is hoping to open the old Oxfam shop as a borough-wide resource and drop in centre for tenants.

Yes, our high street is changing, it has to, but I see these changes as a sign that the high street still has a purpose for our community. It is still trying providing goods and services that we need and want. Please let's just make sure we cherish and use our high street and other local shopping areas.

David Highton

March, 2011 Newsletter

Keeping track of the money

At various trigger points in the 10-year building works at Green Man Lane a total of over Ł1.25 million will be paid to the Council by the developers. The payments are to mitigate the impact on the local infrastructure of the more than doubling of the population on this 12-acre site (see article below for full details). WEN feels strongly that this substantial sum needs careful tracking as all too often in the past these amounts of ‘planning gain' moneys have rarely if ever been properly accounted for despite numerous requests. We feel it is essential for our local community to know exactly where and how this Ł1.25 million is spent and how it will fulfil the stated aim of offsetting the effects of this major development. There is a long way to go with this but we plan to keep everyone regularly updated on where this money has been spent.

(In a few years time there will be another planning gain sum to come from the redevelopment of the Sherwood Close (Dean Gardens) Estate which went out to tender this week with a decision on the preferred developer likely in the summer of 2012)

David Highton

Other topics covered in this newsletter:

Keeping track of the money
Green Man Lane: work starts on new homes
Putting your roof to good use
Bicycle Maintenance Lessons in Ealing
Cultivate London: New urban farm project launched
West Ealing's arts project
Job's the Dairy - 2 to 6 Leighton Road
WEN Book Club's next meeting details

Last Updated ( Monday, 14 March 2011 )

January, 2011 Newsletter

JANUARY NEWSLETTER 2011

What next for West Ealing?

January sees the start of the most important development in West Ealing for a generation - the demolition and redevelopment of the Green Man Lane Estate. Our views on this development are well documented on our website and this is a story that will keep bubbling to the surface for the next 10 years. We wish all involved with this scheme well and we will do our very best to help make it a success. Equally, we will continue to raise our concerns and those of local residents as the need arises.

Perhaps almost more than anything in 2011 WEN would like to see action taken by the Council to drastically improve pedestrian safety at the Lido Junction. The Council is looking carefully at the options and is in touch with TfL about these. We look forward to seeing specific proposals about the Lido Junction in the first half of 2011.

What chance for a safer Lido Junction in 2011?

In May 2010, in my first newsletter, I wrote ‘WEN remains firmly committed to the belief that working in partnership with the Council can achieve far more than in opposition. We hope the new Council will take the same view and seek to work in partnership with all of the borough's many active residents groups.' There have been some flickers of hope with working together in 2010. Both the first-ever West Ealing Family Day and the Christmas Craft Market were joint efforts. We hope we can build on this in 2011.
David Highton

Other topics covered in the January newsletter include:

Winter night shelter project
LETS Do It - a different way of working - A Local Exchange and Trading Scheme
Abundance plans for more in 2011
Why do people shop in West Ealing?
Are hotels like buses?
A gym for Daniels?
Well smack my wing mirror!
The history of Northfields station

Last Updated ( Tuesday, 11 January 2011 )

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