The next West Hampstead/Fortune Green Area Forum (Area Action Group) is scheduled for Monday, 20 June, at the Synagogue Community Hall on Dennington Park Road. Regular attenders have been notified by e-mail or letter.
Here’s the agenda for the meeting, which Cllr Keith Moffitt will be chairing:
7 - 7.30 pm: an opportunity to meet ward councillors informally over tea/coffee
7.30 on:
Blackburn Road development – Community investment programme
This will include an update on Camden's plans for making the best use of Council buildings in our area
Retail Business - West End Lane and beyond
Cllr Gillian-Risso Gill will report the latest developments affecting shops and restaurants in West Hampstead, including both West End Lane and Mill Lane.
Future of Camden Libraries
Cllr Flick Rea will report on the outcome of Camden's Libraries Consultation and what Camden's cabinet decided at its meeting on 8 June
Fortune Green
A quick update on how the work has gone
‘We are Camden’ online engagement
An introduction to Camden's new way of allowing local residents to connect with their area via the Camden website
We'll aim to finish by 9.30 at the latest.
We look forward to seeing lots of West Hampstead residents on 20 June.
Tuesday, 31 May 2011
Thursday, 31 March 2011
ANOTHER LOSS OF AN INDEPENDENT SHOP TO A NATIONAL CHAIN
On 11th March, the day that Sainsburys Local opened on West End Lane, Atlanta Food & Wine on West End Lane announced that it was closing. Our enquiries have confirmed that Cafe Nero, the national coffee chain, is to take over the property and are not likely to require planning permission for Change of Use since national case law allows it. I have asked Council Officers to identify the relevant case law and to advise where Camden's Food and Drink policy stands in relation to this, which prohibited further food and drink establishments being opened on West End Lane. A frequent complaint from residents is the lack of variety in shopping in West Hampstead with too many coffee shops already. The last thing needed is another national chain that will threaten the businesses of the local independents.
Wednesday, 9 March 2011
Getting the lowdown on all those West End Lane roadworks
Flick Rea and I did a walkabout with Camden council officers this morning to get an update on the progress of the various roadworks in Camden.
Before getting into the detail, quite a few people have asked us how Camden can afford to be doing this work when we’re hearing so much about cuts. The answer is that this work is being funded from this year’s budget, which is relatively speaking unaffected by the cuts, which really begin to bite in the next financial year, which starts in April.
We kicked off with a quick look at the West End Lane/Iverson Road corner. You can now see all the extra space that’s been freed up by demolishing the two corner shops, which is going to make that corner a lot safer for pedestrians. And if you stand on tip-toe and look over the fence you can see how incredibly wide the new Iverson Road pavement is going to be between West End Lane and the new Thameslink station due to open towards the end of the year. I don’t think any of the “artist’s impressions” we’ve seen so far make it clear just what a wide and open space this will be and just how different this part of our area will look. It should open up all sorts of interesting possibilities.
We also looked at the new surface on the Thameslink bridge, which mimics paving stones using an “imprint” technique. This is being used because bridges – and we have three along that stretch of West End Lane, including in front of West Hampstead tube station – are unsuitable for paving stones because there just isn’t room to accommodate paving stones and the sandbed they sit in together with all the utilities that have to be fitted in as well. But the “imprint” finish is pretty impressive and will also be used in front of the tube station.
Don’t be fooled by the rather messy finish at West Hampstead tube station entrance at the moment, it’s just work in progress and should look a lot better when it’s finished. The area in front of the station also feels a lot more spacious now the railings have been removed.
Various other work is going on, and one aspect that will be very welcome is a slight widening of the pavement in front of the “Paramount building”, where the narrow pavement has been a bone of contention ever since the building was erected. It’ll only be slightly wider, but as our supermarket friends up the road say “every little helps”. The same applies to a slight widening of the pavement on the Thameslink bridge on the other side of the road.
The other main point we discussed was the removal of the traffic lights at the junction of Mill Lane and West End Lane, which are being replaced by two zebra crossings – in fact going back to the way things were before the lights were installed six or seven years ago. When Camden consulted on this proposed removal, opinions were divided, but a key factor in the decision to remove the lights was that they were put into improve safety for Emmanuel School, who feel they made things worse rather than better.
It's frustrating that in some places the new pavements won't be as good as we'd like because they adjoin forecourt owned by the adjacent shops, but we've encouraged Camden to do the best they can in those circumstances. It's good they're managing to relocated some of the irritatingly located black boxes, particularly the one just in front of Costa Coffee.
So there’s a lot going on at the moment between the tube station and Mill Lane, but we hope that when it’s all finished it will feel worthwhile.
Before getting into the detail, quite a few people have asked us how Camden can afford to be doing this work when we’re hearing so much about cuts. The answer is that this work is being funded from this year’s budget, which is relatively speaking unaffected by the cuts, which really begin to bite in the next financial year, which starts in April.
We kicked off with a quick look at the West End Lane/Iverson Road corner. You can now see all the extra space that’s been freed up by demolishing the two corner shops, which is going to make that corner a lot safer for pedestrians. And if you stand on tip-toe and look over the fence you can see how incredibly wide the new Iverson Road pavement is going to be between West End Lane and the new Thameslink station due to open towards the end of the year. I don’t think any of the “artist’s impressions” we’ve seen so far make it clear just what a wide and open space this will be and just how different this part of our area will look. It should open up all sorts of interesting possibilities.
We also looked at the new surface on the Thameslink bridge, which mimics paving stones using an “imprint” technique. This is being used because bridges – and we have three along that stretch of West End Lane, including in front of West Hampstead tube station – are unsuitable for paving stones because there just isn’t room to accommodate paving stones and the sandbed they sit in together with all the utilities that have to be fitted in as well. But the “imprint” finish is pretty impressive and will also be used in front of the tube station.
Don’t be fooled by the rather messy finish at West Hampstead tube station entrance at the moment, it’s just work in progress and should look a lot better when it’s finished. The area in front of the station also feels a lot more spacious now the railings have been removed.
Various other work is going on, and one aspect that will be very welcome is a slight widening of the pavement in front of the “Paramount building”, where the narrow pavement has been a bone of contention ever since the building was erected. It’ll only be slightly wider, but as our supermarket friends up the road say “every little helps”. The same applies to a slight widening of the pavement on the Thameslink bridge on the other side of the road.
The other main point we discussed was the removal of the traffic lights at the junction of Mill Lane and West End Lane, which are being replaced by two zebra crossings – in fact going back to the way things were before the lights were installed six or seven years ago. When Camden consulted on this proposed removal, opinions were divided, but a key factor in the decision to remove the lights was that they were put into improve safety for Emmanuel School, who feel they made things worse rather than better.
It's frustrating that in some places the new pavements won't be as good as we'd like because they adjoin forecourt owned by the adjacent shops, but we've encouraged Camden to do the best they can in those circumstances. It's good they're managing to relocated some of the irritatingly located black boxes, particularly the one just in front of Costa Coffee.
So there’s a lot going on at the moment between the tube station and Mill Lane, but we hope that when it’s all finished it will feel worthwhile.
Friday, 11 February 2011
Jubilee Line closures update
Tube users (that's most of us!) will be unsurprised to hear that the Jubilee line will continue to suffer from weekend closures up until Easter, although it looks like services southbound from West Hampstead will only be affected on one weekend.
Councillors have just been sent the following table from TfL (via the Council).
A cross means the section is closed - grey means that part of the line is open.
TfL have assured us that works on the Jubilee Line will be complete by the end of Spring 2011.
We certainly hope so!
Councillors have just been sent the following table from TfL (via the Council).
A cross means the section is closed - grey means that part of the line is open.
West Hampstead - Stanmore (Jubilee) | Waterloo - West Hampstead (Jubilee) | Harrow-on-the-Hill - Aldgate (Metropolitan) | |
12/13 Feb | x | x | |
19/20 Feb | x | ||
26/27 Feb | NO CLOSURE | ||
05/06 Mar | x | x | x |
12/13 Mar | x | x | |
19/20 Mar | x | x | |
26/27 Mar | NO CLOSURE | ||
02/03 Apr | NO CLOSURE | ||
09/10 Apr | x | x | |
16/17 Apr | NO CLOSURE | ||
Fri 22 Apr (Good Friday) | x | x | |
Sat 23 Apr | x | ||
Sun 24 Apr | x | ||
Mon 25 Apr (Easter Monday) | NO CLOSURE | ||
TfL have assured us that works on the Jubilee Line will be complete by the end of Spring 2011.
We certainly hope so!
Sunday, 6 February 2011
West Hampstead and Fortune Green Area Forum Monday 7 February
The latest West Hampstead/Fortune Green Area Forum (Area Action Group) is taking place tomorrow night, Monday 7 February, at the Synagogue Community Hall on Dennington Park Road. Regular attenders have been notified by e-mail or letter.
Here’s the agenda for the meeting, which Cllr Keith Moffitt will be chairing:
7 - 7.30 pm: an opportunity to meet ward councillors informally over tea/coffee
Meeting the financial challenge (7.35 pm – 8.05 pm)
Presentation by Councillor Theo Blackwell, Camden’s Cabinet member for Finance - looking at the implications of the council’s spending plans over the next three years and what this means for our local services and community groups?
The West Hampstead Jigsaw (8.05 pm – 8.25 pm)
An overview on a number of schemes and proposed developments which forms part of Camden’s Community Investment Programme for the Fortune Green and West Hampstead area - (Fiona McKeith - Senior Area Review Surveyor)
Blackburn Road development (new student accommodation) (8.25 pm – 8.45 pm)
Explanation of the planning permission granted for the land formerly occupied by Mercedes Benz - (Adrian Malcolm - Principal Planning Officer)
Libraries Consultation (8.45 pm – 9.00 pm)
Find out about Camden’s Libraries Consultation – (Cllr Flick Rea)
Plans for Fortune Green (9.00pm - 9.15pm)
- Update on plans for Fortune Green (Mark Stonebanks, Chair Friends of Fortune Green)
We look forward to seeing lots of West Hampatead residents there tomorrow night.
Here’s the agenda for the meeting, which Cllr Keith Moffitt will be chairing:
7 - 7.30 pm: an opportunity to meet ward councillors informally over tea/coffee
Meeting the financial challenge (7.35 pm – 8.05 pm)
Presentation by Councillor Theo Blackwell, Camden’s Cabinet member for Finance - looking at the implications of the council’s spending plans over the next three years and what this means for our local services and community groups?
The West Hampstead Jigsaw (8.05 pm – 8.25 pm)
An overview on a number of schemes and proposed developments which forms part of Camden’s Community Investment Programme for the Fortune Green and West Hampstead area - (Fiona McKeith - Senior Area Review Surveyor)
Blackburn Road development (new student accommodation) (8.25 pm – 8.45 pm)
Explanation of the planning permission granted for the land formerly occupied by Mercedes Benz - (Adrian Malcolm - Principal Planning Officer)
Libraries Consultation (8.45 pm – 9.00 pm)
Find out about Camden’s Libraries Consultation – (Cllr Flick Rea)
Plans for Fortune Green (9.00pm - 9.15pm)
- Update on plans for Fortune Green (Mark Stonebanks, Chair Friends of Fortune Green)
We look forward to seeing lots of West Hampatead residents there tomorrow night.
Friday, 28 January 2011
Sainsbury Listens
Over the past few weeks the residents of Fawley Road and Bennett Court have waged a vociferous campaign with Sainsbury about their proposed store on West End Lane. The residents were concerned about noise and vibrations during the building work as well as the siting of plant and machinery, security of the building and deliveries.
Two site meetings were arranged with Sainsbury management and contractors and with local residents, supported by Councillor Risso-Gill, to listen to their concerns. Sainsbury have now completely revised their plans for installing equipment and have also committed to providing additional security measures to the building. They have also assured residents that there will only be one main delivery per day using the smallest van in the fleet, supplemented by two supplier deliveries in small vans that will hopefully not contribute to the traffic problems caused by Tesco. The residents are now satisfied that their concerns have been addressed as far as Sainsbury are able to do within the technical constraints required by Camden Council. They will however be monitoring noise levels any disturbance once the store opens.
Sainsbury plan the store will open around 25th February, subject to planning consent by Camden Council for the revised plans.
Thank you Sainsbury for listening to us.
Two site meetings were arranged with Sainsbury management and contractors and with local residents, supported by Councillor Risso-Gill, to listen to their concerns. Sainsbury have now completely revised their plans for installing equipment and have also committed to providing additional security measures to the building. They have also assured residents that there will only be one main delivery per day using the smallest van in the fleet, supplemented by two supplier deliveries in small vans that will hopefully not contribute to the traffic problems caused by Tesco. The residents are now satisfied that their concerns have been addressed as far as Sainsbury are able to do within the technical constraints required by Camden Council. They will however be monitoring noise levels any disturbance once the store opens.
Sainsbury plan the store will open around 25th February, subject to planning consent by Camden Council for the revised plans.
Thank you Sainsbury for listening to us.
Monday, 24 January 2011
MARKET(S) IN WEST HAMPSTEAD
Following the successof the West Hampstead Community Christmas Market held on Saturday 11th December on West End Green, there has been much local enthusiasm for more markets in West Hampstead.
From a standing start at the beginning of November, the Christmas Market was organised by a local group of stalwart volunteeers and supported by Camden Council and sponsors Alexanders Estate Agents. There were 22 stalls selling a range of festive fare including food, chocolates, cushions, bags, clothes, flowers and pottery. The event was undoubtedly helped by bright sunny weather (thank goodness we didn't choose the following weekend with the snow!).
The stallholders have been surveyed and all the respondents said the market exceeded their expectations and they would be keen to participate in future events. A regular Farmers' Market, an Antiques and Craft Market have been suggested.
A steering group of local enthusiasts are currently exploring the viability of holding such events during the year. If you would like to join in or have views on the proposal, please register your interest at westhampsteadmarkets@gmail.com.
From a standing start at the beginning of November, the Christmas Market was organised by a local group of stalwart volunteeers and supported by Camden Council and sponsors Alexanders Estate Agents. There were 22 stalls selling a range of festive fare including food, chocolates, cushions, bags, clothes, flowers and pottery. The event was undoubtedly helped by bright sunny weather (thank goodness we didn't choose the following weekend with the snow!).
The stallholders have been surveyed and all the respondents said the market exceeded their expectations and they would be keen to participate in future events. A regular Farmers' Market, an Antiques and Craft Market have been suggested.
A steering group of local enthusiasts are currently exploring the viability of holding such events during the year. If you would like to join in or have views on the proposal, please register your interest at westhampsteadmarkets@gmail.com.
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