To start with we have chosen two specific projects to develop.  The first is to build on the success of the Saturday farmers' market by exploring, researching and encouraging the idea of developing West Ealing town centre as a market area.  The second is to try to improve the now derelict play area in Green Man Passage  

Regeneration of West Ealing town centre

At the heart of this is our concern over the long-term decline of the West Ealing shopping centre.  There is no doubt that for food and low-cost items West Ealing has an excellent choice of shops.  However, beyond food and low-cost items shopping gets more difficult. 

The regeneration of West Ealing's town centre is a major undertaking and we continue to ask the Council to ensure any regeneration plans take account of West Ealing and don't simply view it as an extension of Ealing Broadway. In the meantime, we have put forward to the Council one practical suggestion. Why not build on the success of the Saturday morning farmers' market in Leeland Road and establish a second market stall area for non-food goods in the already pedestrianised areas in and around Sainsbury's and library at the top of  Melbourne Avenue or at the top of St James' Avenue? Either of these areas would be suitable for market stalls. We have raised this idea with the councillors for the Walpole ward who cover this area and in a letter to the Ealing Gazette.

Improve the derelict play area in Green Man Passage

Before the clean up

This play area has been derelict for some years.  It lies between two children's nurseries and is often used by street drinkers and drug users and dealers.  The run down state of this area was raised in a letter by David Highton to the Ealing Gazette on September 2005 .  As a result the rubbish and drug paraphernalia was cleaned up through the Safer Neighbourhoods Scheme, but it still remains derelict and an eyesore.

WEN would like to see this area renovated for use by the local community.  In June   we organised a visit to the site with Councillor Julia Clements-Elliott, a councillor for the Elthorne ward in which the derelict play area lies.  She agreed to raise the matter with the Council and we will follow her suggestion and put it on the agenda for discussion at the Hanwell Area Committee meeting on September 14th.

We have also asked the Council whether there is any money available to renovate this site as a result of the two new residential blocks on the Waitrose site as these will bring in a substantial number of new residents, some of whom will have young children and need areas to play in safely.

The play area was cleaned up (see photo below) on Thursday 14th September by the Community Payback Scheme.  Later that day, at the Hanwell Area Committee meeting, we learnt for definite that this land is surplus to the Council's needs and will be sold off.  More as we hear it.

After the clean up

Just before Christmas the play area was fenced off prior to its sale.

April 2007: We understand this land has now been sold and has been bought by the church next door (shown in the phot above).  We look forward to seeing the land put to good use and the creation of a safer and more attractive passage way.

Cleaner Streets

One of the major concerns of residents and members has been the poor level of street cleaning and the amount of fly-tipping.  West Ealing Neighbours has spent a considerable amount of time working with our councillors and council officials trying to tackle these problems.  We believe slowly but surely improvements are being made.  We have had good support from the Walpole ward councillors and now, as of early October, the Council has promised to clear reported fly-tips within 24 hours Monday to Friday.

There remain fly-tipping hot spots which we have regularly drawn to the attention of our councillors.  To contribute to a long-term solution to the fly-tipping problem West Ealing Neighbours has produced a paper which looks at some ideas for an information and education campaign aimed at residents and businesses in West Ealing.  This paper has been submitted to the Council and one of the first results will be the piloting on new street signs for fly-tipping hot spots.  The signs will state that fly-tipping is illegal and if found guilty fly-tippers can be fined up to a maximum of £50,000.  In addition to these signs we hope information about how to dispose of unwanted items will be distributed to residents of streets near these hot spots.

Any comments on this paper are very welcome.