Another packed residents meeting at the Cricket Ground!

We held the second Ward Residents Forum meeting at the Cricket Ground last week.  This meeting continues to be popular with local residents, as a lot of them turned up.  We had to book the large hall for health and safety reasons as there is a limit as to how many people the Pavillion can hold. 

I chaired the meeting and Cllr. Naheed Qureshi took the minutes.  Unfortunately Cllr. Winnie Smith was on holiday so missed out.  There was a presentation on the Councils Library Review by Lorna Lee, the libraries officer.  In contrast we did have a table with a ‘Save the Harrow Green Library’ petition.  A bit cheeky, but we felt that a lot of people who were campaigning in the Harrow Green area needed our support.

We then had the local Police report back as to what has been going on locally.  We now have one sergeant in charge of both Leyton and Grove Green wards.  The police did hand out a complicated chart of incidences in the area.  I will try and get a summary of the major crime figures and report back. 

There were 4 applicants for a place on the Cricket Ground Committee.  Three addressed the meeting as one of them did not turn up.  Each resident had one vote and by a large show of hands local resident Peter Towler was elected.  Well done Peter.

I updated everyone on the applications for betting offices in the area, as there had been a big upsurge of bookmakers turning shops and pubs into betting offices.    This was followed by list of suggestions as to what we can spend the £10,000 grant money on.  These will be worked up and reported back for decision, probably in November.  If anyone has further suggestion, then they need to contact me, Naheed or Winnie.

The open forum where any resident can bring up any query, problem or explanation of what is going on in our area ended the meeting.  Any questions that could not be answered would be investigated and reported back through the minutes of the meeting.  The minutes will be available on the Councils website.

The next meeting will be probably be in November.  We will notify the actual date in our FOCUS newsletter and  on our websites.

If you would like to help and get involved in local issues then do not hesitate to contact me.

Save Harrow Green Library – update

Harrow Green Library to be axed by Labour CouncilThe Liberal Democrat petition to ‘Save Harrow Green’ library of over 1000 signatures, has been handed to the Council.  Along with another residents petition, the total signatures comes to over 4000.

These petitions indicate the overwhelming support by residents that they want to keep the library open.

The Councils consultation on the review of libraries has come to an end and will be reported to the Cabinet on the 11th of October.

Lib Dem councillors Liz Phillips and Bob Sullivan were members of a Scrutiny Panel that scrutinised the original Cabinet report.  The panel noted that the Cabinet report left many questions unanswered and while it contained a great deal of information, it was not always the right information.  They felt the report did not do a complete job.  The panel identified 19 recomendations which will be given to the Cabinet in October.  If implemented would support the expansive Library and Information Service, whilst negating the closure of any library.

Among the 19 panel recommendations to enable libraries to afford keeping open, were the shelving of the Sunday openings and all libraries should be closed on Mondays.  Opening hours should be reviewed.  The charges for the use of libraries to be reviewed.  Consider locating staff from rental premises to space currently available in Harrow Green Library.  Review salaries and grading of staff and review library contracts e.g. cleaning services.  There were many other recommendations, which hopefully, will give the Cabinet reasons to save the libraries from closure.

The Monster awakens!

Many of you will have noticed the building in the picture gradually being built.  It dominates the High Road like some monster overlooking the road.  Some of you may know it as the ‘Outlook’ building.  The estate agents Outlook were the previous users.  Some of you would know of it as ‘Stuffs’  – the material shop used it for many years.

This monster of steel and glass is to become a large block of mainly 1 bed flats.  It is totally out of character with the area and has no parking spaces for its residents, apart from a couple of spaces for people with disabilities. The original plans were thrown out by the Council but was agreed later on appeal.

If we are to regenerate our area, this is not the way to go.  There is a crying need for family houses, not 1 or 2 bed flats.  Long term residents of Leyton have seen family houses continually turned into flats.  This has caused overcrowding, lack of maintenance of front gardens a disregard for the local environment and along with the lack of parking spaces and the increase of traffic, it has changed the area dramatically.

Beaumont Day – A great day had by all!

Last Saturday London & Quadrant organised the Beaumont funday in Beaumont Road.  Last years funday was so successful that it was decided to do it again this year.  They were assisted by local residents of Leyton Community Action, the Police and various groups including me and Cllr. Naheed Qureshi as local councillors who set up our usual ‘Meet your local councillors’ stall.  Unfortunately Cllr. Winnie Smith our other colleague was on holiday and could not be there.  Well she missed a great day.  The rain kept away.  Which was a relief as the youngsters talent show and dress design shows went off without a hitch.  Naheed ended up judging the youngsters fantastic performances.

A great day was had by all, but a big thank you must go to L&Qs Alkas, Richard, the caretakers and Linda and friends for organising the food.  Well done!

Leyton FOCUS 327

 Those of you who live in Leyton Ward should have received our FOCUS, but those of you who do not live in Leyton Ward can see our latest August Focus Newsetter here:-

 Leyton 327     

This latest edition contains information about:-

Action on Betting Shops!

Libraries under threat!

Glyn Hopkin site

Cricket ground noise

Thornhill Gardens survey

Cyber Centre

and lots of information about your LOCAL streets

The Focus newsletter is written by your local Focus Team and is delivered across the ward not only by the three of us but a network of local volunteers FREE! 

IF YOU LIKE FOCUS AND WOULD LIKE TO HELP US BY DELIVERING IT IN YOUR ROAD, STREET OR BLOCK – THEN TELEPHONE ME on  – 020 8556 8335

Don’t forget you can read previous Focus newsletters by looking into the Focus Archive displayed on the right hand side of this site.

Update – Glynn Hopkin, Nissan site plans – Ruckholt Road

 The Councils Planning Committee on the 8th October is due to make a decision on the new plans to develop the Glynn Hopkin Nissan car site on the corner of Ruckholt Road and Oliver Road Leyton.  The plans are to erect a 3 to 6 storey development of 1000 square metres of artist studio space, 116 residential units (31 x 1 bed, 54 x 2 bed, 21 x 3 bed and 10 x x4 bed).  There will be semi-basement parking for 53 cars.

The original plans for this site were refused by the Council.  It will be interesting, if these new plans which have been slightly altered, will be accepted by the committee.

Don’t forget! – Residents Meeting Weds 7th September

                                                       

The next Leyton Residents Forum will be held at the Leyton Cricket Ground on Wednesday the 7th September from 7.00pm till about 9.00pm.

Your local Leyton Ward Liberal Democrat councillors Bob Sullivan, Naheed Qureshi andWinnie Smith were overwhelmed by the amount of people who attended the Residents Forum they held at the Score Centre in May.  The Wednesday meeting will continue the format of reporting back on what is going on in the area.  The presentation on the Olympics at the last meeting went down well.  There was a lot of questions on this and of Police matters, which were answered by our local safer neighbourhood police.   Everyone seemed satisfied with the meeting. You are able to read the minutes that Naheed took from the last meeting by visiting the following link:-

http://www.walthamforest.gov.uk/index/council/community-ward-forums/cwf-leyton.htm

The September meeting will include voting on a resident to sit on the Cricket Ground management committee, an update on suggestions in spending the £10,000 budget, consultation on the Council’s plan for local libraries, betting shop update, police report back and the usual residents’ forum for voicing your queries. 

If you are interested in what is going on in your area, then don’t miss the meeting on Wednesday 7th September.

Flats for the Olympics?

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                         

 A planning application lasting only for three years, has been submitted to the Council.  It is a temporary conversion of the Technical Institute, part of the old Leyton Town Hall, entrance in Adelaide Road.

The plan is to convert the inside of the building into 32 residential units:

15 studio flats, 11 x 1 bed flats, 2 x 2 bed flats and 4 x 3 bed flats.

There is obviously going to be a demand for accommodation in Leyton that is near the Olympic Park.  I would not be surprised if these flats were not snapped up soon after they are built.  This is probably what the developers are also thinking. 

What they are going to turn them into after three years is anyones guess?  But one thing whatever they do, there is no parking provision.  Local residents already have a major problem in parking in the road and more flats without parking spaces, will only add to the problem.

Primrose Road site – derelict for years!

                                                                                                                                                

Local residents have been concerned about the unfinished building in Primrose Road, just off of Grange Park Road, that has been left half built for years. 

Apparently plans were agreed in 2004 but were amended in 2009 for 10 one bed flats.  The amended plans were refused in 2009.  So it has been left. 

The two agents for the scheme are no longer involved and the Council is trying to find out who owns the land. The Council say, that as the Local Planning Authority, there is little that the Council can do. 

I would assume that when the owner is found the Council could come to some agreement, but another block of 10 one bed flats is not what this area really needs.

COULD YOU BE A ‘SNOW ANGEL’?

Waltham Forest, like many other Councils is planning for the coming winter and want residents to play a vital role in making sure that the borough can cope in the event of severe weather conditions.

Suitable precautions to deal with snow and ice are being put into place, but the Council is hoping that residents will agree to become “Snow Angels” and help clear their vulnerable neighbours’ drives and pathways of snow and ice.

The Snow Angel scheme was piloted last year amongst Council staff who live in the borough and who volunteered to grit and shovel snow from drives, pathways and pavements to keep the borough moving.  This proved to be a huge success so now the Council has decided to roll the scheme out to the residents of Waltham Forest.

Volunteers will be provided with the following free equipment:

 1 x 20kg bag of grit

Hi-visibility jacket 

 Protective gloves 

 Snow scoop and shovel

 

If you are interested in becoming a “Snow Angel” please contact Amanda Karrinton on 0208 496 1296 or email on amanda.karrinton@walthamforest.gov.uk by 31st August 2011 and you will be provided with further information.