Author: David

I missed exactly when this happened but the Morrisons store below The Gym on the Uxbridge Road has been taken over by the Co-op.  So that means both Morrisons in West Ealing have gone now.  The small one in the centre (which used to be Blockbusters) has been replaced by Bensons for Beds and now this second one has gone.  Seems like they made an ill thought out expansion and have paid the price for it.

It was due to have closed this spring for redevelopment but had a stay of execution as the developer put their plans on hold. Now, however, the failed sale of BHS to Dominic Chappell has caught up with the store and the closing down sale signs are up. It’s a shame for shoppers and staff and, in some way, the end of an era when West Ealing had many of the large multiples – M&S, WH Smith, Mothercare and more. BHS is the last to go. Let’s hope ths ite isn’t left undeveloped for too long as BHS going leaves a big gap on the high street.

If you live in West Ealing you’ll very probably know that the supermarket Broadway International used to have a 24-hour alcohol licence. Earlier in the year the licence was reviewed by the Council following detailed work by the police highlighting a range of problems associated with this store. West Ealing Neighbours and other residents’ groups gave evidence outlining the many alcohol-fuelled problems caused to residents, shops and traders by anti-soical behaviour in and around Dean Gardens and Melbourne Ave. As a result of the review the Council revoked Broadway International’s licence. However, the store appealed and was continuing to sell alcohol until the appeal was due to be heard in August.  Now though the store has a new name, Istanbul Gate, has dropped its appeal and no longer sells alcohol. From what I hear this has already made a difference and the level of late night disturbances and anti-social behaviour appears to have dropped. I sincerely hope this is true and local residents get undisturbed nights from now on. I also wish Istanbul Gate good luck with their alcohol-free iniative and really hope it’s a success for them.

Ealing Soup Kitchen supports vulnerable people

This article by Smriti Gopal is from our latest newsletter:

Street drinking, homelessness and vulnerable people in and around Dean Gardens and the rest of West Ealing are a cause for concern to the local community.  Meanwhile, nearby, the Ealing Soup Kitchen and St. John’s Church, both, on Mattock Lane have been and still currently provide support to the vulnerable people in hope that at least some of these people will be encouraged to have a better lifestyle.

On Wednesday 8^th June 2016, West Ealing Neighbours (WEN) met up and talked to Ealing Soup Kitchen’s, Homeless Support Worker, Andrew Mcleay, to find out more about how the Ealing Soup Kitchen and St. John’s Church help the vulnerable people in West Ealing.  Mcleay said: “Initially Ealing Soup Kitchen started to give out food from The Church Room in St. John’s Gardens.  In the beginning, St. John’s primarily served soup for about 30 years.  10 years ago, Ealing Soup Kitchen decided to set up a Drop In Centre, in St. John’s Church, where we provide sleeping bags, council support, housing and benefit support and free haircuts and free clothes.”

Mcleay elaborated on street drinking, homeless and vulnerable people and the support offered by the Ealing Soup Kitchen for this community.  He told us that approximately 80% of their clients do drink.  Sometimes the reason for street drinking is homelessness and their adverse circumstances.  If the homeless don’t have a social network and are mixing with others with similar circumstances, they are likely to get into a habit of consuming alcohol excessively.  A significant number of these people hang out in Dean Gardens.  So Ealing Soup Kitchen has also set up an Ealing Evening Hub from 7-9pm on Mondays to encourage street drinkers to give up drinking and get involved in more positive activities here, where they are not allowed to drink alcohol.

In addition to helping vulnerable people getting off the streets, Ealing Soup Kitchen also works with some of the associations and organisations to support these people.  Mcleay said: “We work with an association called, Recovery & Intervention Service Ealing (RISE).  RISE provide a lot of intervention and recovery to people who are suffering from being addicted to alcohol.  RISE comes to the Ealing Soup Kitchen and helps these people with all that they are going through.  We also want to help to sort out people’s situations and try to improve their lifestyle both holistically and physically.”

Some of these vulnerable people feel very open to talk about their situations while others may not like to reveal.  These people might feel afraid to disclose their circumstances.  Mcleay revealed what impact, the Ealing Soup Kitchen has had on vulnerable people who have been supported.  He said: “There are a significant number of success stories that we have had.  One of these vulnerable people is, Alan Simpson who is our trustee.  Simpson was our client for four years.  He was living on the streets.  We managed to get him housed in a property in South Ealing.  As a result of his thankfulness Simpson came on board and he networked with us.  He’s one of the rarest homeless people I’ve met, in the sense that he drinks in moderation.  Simpson feels he doesn’t need to have an alcoholic drink or get involved in drugs.  He smokes.  It’s rare to be on the streets for so long and not have a mental health problem, drinking problem or drug problem.  These are the three things one can be prone to while living on the streets.  Living on the streets can be a toxic lifestyle, sometimes.”  One of the reasons why some of these new initiatives have been set up is to try to improve the lifestyle of vulnerable people, the local residential area and surrounding areas in West Ealing.

News just in – the Secretary of State is calling in for review the Ealing Council approved plans for redeveloping the centre of Ealing Broadway at 9-42 The Broadway. The plans for this were controversially passed by the Council despite considerable opposition from residents’ and heritage groups.  This is now the second time plans for this site have been called in by the Secretary of State.  The previous plan from Glenkerrin was passed by Ealing Council, called in by the Secretary of State who then rejected the plan.

The full story is on Save Ealing’s Centre’s website

Residents in some of the streets in West Ealing have launched an online petition asking for the Council to carry out a consultation about parking in one of the last non-CPZ enclaves left in West Ealing – the streets bordered by  Northfield Ave in the east, Leighton Road to the south, Grosvenor Road in the west and  the Uxbridge Rd/Broadway to the north.  The online petition states:

‘Due to tube/train commuters and holidaymakers parking their vehicles in our roads parking capacity is severely restricted for residents, home workers, ‘school runners’, visitors and shoppers in the West Walpole area in West Ealing. With the freshly painted double yellow lines in Sherwood Close together with Crossrail coming and the estate regeneration this parking pressure will only increase. (Area to include north from Leighton Road, west of Northfield Ave, east of Grosvenor Road, south of The Broadway in West Ealing – inclusive of those roads) Closing date is Wednesday, 1st June 2016 so that it can be submitted in time and presented at Full Council on Tuesday, 7th June.’

This parking problem in these narrow streets has been building up for a while.  As other nearby areas have had CPZs introduced more and more cars have been trying to park in an ever decreasing area and it’s now reached breaking point. I noticed the yellow lines in Sherwood Close yesterday and knew it would have a serious impact as the number of cars parked there and down Bowmans Close has increased dramatically in the last 12 months. These yellow lines have slashed the available parking space here considerably. What is more, I imagine parking problems will only get even worse once the redevelopment of the Sherwood Close Estate gets underway later this year.

I live in one of the streets in this area and there are a couple of points worth thinking through as part of any consultation.  Firstly, is the parking problem just during office hours?  Where I live it’s been difficult for many years to park near my house during office hours.  I’ve got used to that.  What has changed though is that it’s now almost as diffcult to park near my house in the evening and a CPZ will not change this at all. The evening problem is simply the increase in the local population with more multi-occupied houses and houses being divided in to flats. There are quite simply a lot more people living in these streets than 10 years ago and quite a few of these people own cars.  I don’t see any answer to this.

Secondly, quite a few people who work in West Ealing park in these streets. No doubt some could come to work on public transport rather than by car but can they all?  It’s important to think through the full implications of introducing a CPZ in these streets and how it will affect the livelihoods of people working here and the shops and businesses they work for. I can see a CPZ with restrictions from, say 9-10am and 3-4pm, might not have that much of an impact on local people who drive to shop in West Ealing but it’s important to take in to account the impact on our high street.

The online petition can be found here

David Highton

Family fun in May for Ealing 135 Spring fair 

The Ealing 135 Spring fair, a family favourite, has a new location in Walpole park and it’s going to be our biggest event yet.  This year it will take place on Saturday 14 May from 1-4 pm, from its new location at the Rickyard building and the surrounding area, next to the Children’s playground in Walpole Park.  The Seaside themed Spring fair will be a fun day for all the family. It’s open to all and free entry.

There are all the games you expect from a traditional fair including hook-a-duck, lucky dip, tin can alley, splat-the-rat to keep the kids entertained.  There will also be crafts, face-painting, a bouncy castle and a fancy dress competition.  There will be plenty to keep the adults occupied too:  a brilliant raffle, a grown up (boozy) tombola and a selection of some of Ealing’s best local businesses and entrepreneurs showcasing their talents from the stalls. Alongside all of the above an Ealing 135 event would not be the same without its legendary cake stall and the free taster sessions provided by children’s entertainers.

Ealing 135 is a friendly local network run by and for parent and carers in the borough of Ealing.  We are run entirely by volunteers drawn from within our membership.  We organise and run local family friendly events including the Spring fair, play sessions, parent and carer groups, action songs and rhymes sessions, Nearly new sales, Halloween parties, Christmas parties, adults socials, the list goes on! .

A snapshot of the events planned over the next few months include a teddy’s bears picnic, Saturday craft making session, mega train set event and den building.  If you are a young family, join the 135 group, for just 15 pounds a year, as it gives you access to all this and more, such as discounts from local businesses and a quarterly newsletter which includes an in depth weekly guide for local activities for pre-schoolers. For more information go to www.ealing135.org.uk.

Ealing 135 is known for raising money for local charities and this year’s featured charity is Home-start Ealing. Home-start Ealing is a registered charity, supporting families with young children who live in the within the borough. All the families Home-start work with are experiencing some type of stress or difficulty which could include isolation, poverty, mental health issues, bereavement and disability. For more information go to www.homestartealing.org. Home-start Ealing will be there on the day promoting their cause, recruiting volunteers and asking for donations.

So come along and join the fun at the Ealing 135 Spring fair on Saturday 14 May from 1 pm until 4 pm, at the Rickyard, in Walpole park for a brilliant afternoon not to be missed. For more information email ealing135events@gmail.com or go to www.ealing135.org.uk.