ST JOHN’S WOOD LABOUR ACTION REPORT – March 2024
News from your Westminster Labour Councillors and Rachel Blake, Labour Candidate for Cities of London and Westminster
Dear Resident
We thought we would let you know of some of the local issues we have been tackling over recent times.
We launched a petition calling on the Government to pass a new law that will allow the Council to fine e-bike riders and the e-bike operating companies when e-bikes are parked outside designated e-bike parking bays.
We are pleased that Westminster is in the top 10 of most improved recycling rates nationally and top in this category in London with a 3.7% increase in recycling compared to last year.
Westminster residents will continue to pay one of the lowest Council Tax in the country next year as part of Labour’s ‘Fairer Westminster’ programme
https://www.westminsterlabour.org.uk/issues/2024/02/12/delivering-a-fairer-westminster/
The Mayor, Sadiq Khan has announced that pay-as-you-go bus and tube fares will be frozen until March 2025 https://www.standard.co.uk/news/transport/tfl-tube-bus-fare-freeze-london-mayor-sadiq-khan-hybrid-working-b1134847.html
Please let us know if we can help with any issues in your street, block, mews or square. Please email paul@wmlabour.org.uk and we will do our very best to help.
NEWS AND ACTION
St John’s Wood Road
We asked Transport for London to fix a problem with the drainage along St John’s Wood Road. Residents say, “the drain directly opposite Lords View One is blocked. This has been regularly reported to TfL’s online reporting platform as well as on Westminster Council’s online Report-It platform since then. Each time, the council has promptly attended, and vacuumed the water away, however the drainage problem persists.”
TfL say, “I have chased our contractors and they are in process of planning it in. It’s a complex job as there appears to be a problematic chamber that may be blocked up but it is buried so extensive excavation may be required.”
Harewood Avenue
Residents on the Blandford Estate, Harewood Avenue, have expressed concerns about the proposal to locate an electric vehicle depot in the former meals-on-wheels depot.
The nine small street cleansing vehicles proposed for the depot are similar to a small car. No diesel vehicles will be parked at the depot. This location will be 100% fully electric, meaning no emissions, no engine noises, and no air pollution. Only small electric vehicles will be parked and charged from this location. Also, no rubbish will be brought into the depot.
Townshend Road
Residents asked, “Please can the large white plastic sheet be removed from the tree in Townshend Road, located on the west side of the street between Mackennal Street and Allitsen Road. Apologies for this request for such a minor issue which is clear to see before the leaves and blossom grow.”
The City Inspector told us, “Our Senior Arboriculture Officer says he has instructed their contractor to remove the items from the tree.”
St John’s Wood Terrace – New cargo bike hangar
The first cargo bike hangar in London has been installed in St John’s Wood Terrace. A resident tells us, “You have no idea how much this means to me and to my family and the positive impact it’ll have on my life. I’m extremely grateful for the work you’ve done to make this happen and I’ll be forever grateful.”
Ada Court, Maida Vale
Following complaints from Ada Court residents about bed bugs we asked the Adult Services and Environmental Health Team to arrange inspections and require Central & Cecil, the landlords, to arrange to fumigate the affected rooms.
Chagford Street
Following a meeting with local residents and councillors, we asked the Refuse Collection and Street Sweeping Teams to pay special attention to Chagford Street and asked the City Inspectors to take action against those properties which persist in dumping rubbish in the street.
Dorset Square
We arranged for barriers on Dorset Square, left over from the Christmas tree, to be removed.
Marylebone Station
We have written to Chiltern Railways to request action to deter the pigeons that congregate on the station concourse area, so as to improve safety for rail and underground travellers. Chiltern say, “we appreciate that the various food retail units will attract the pigeons into the station, creating mess for customers and colleagues. Our Property team have requested a site survey to outline a potential program and costs for managing the pigeon issue.”
Marylebone Road
TfL will be removing a plane tree outside The Landmark Hotel Which has suffered from some vehicle impact strikes. TfL had hoped to replace the tree this season, in a position set back slightly from the kerbside, but trial excavations have uncovered services which may preclude replanting in the specified location and so it may be necessary to replace the tree in the next planting season (October 2024-March 2025). TfL say that if the identified site is confirmed as unsuitable then another planting site will be found on the same stretch of the road, as close as possible to the removed tree.
A second, smaller London plane outside Marathon House, has already been removed for the same reason. This smaller tree will be replaced this planting season with another London plane and in the same location. TfL consider that through appropriate management they can prevent the same problem from occurring in the future.
Parking near Regent’s Park Mosque
Residents have asked what actions will be taken to encourage Regent’s Park Mosque attendees to observe the parking regulations. The Parking Team say, “Parking Officers have been working with our contractors (who deploy our on-street staff), our colleagues in our Public Protection team, counterparts from Transport for London, and our Met Police colleagues, to ensure that we properly manage and enforce restrictions during the upcoming Ramadan. We will all have additional resources on street and the Mosque has been directly engaged with to help manage their visitors’ behaviour.”
Boston Place and Balcombe Street area
Residents in Boston Place and Balcombe Street have asked for action to tackle rubbish dumping caused primarily (a) by Airbnbs, which encourage guests to put rubbish out upon leaving, irrespective of waste collection days, and (b) residents putting rubbish and recycling out multiple days before the next collection day, rather than waiting or keeping waste in bin stores. We asked the City Inspectors to investigate and take the necessary action.
Former St John’s Wood Barracks site
We are working with the Parking Team and local councillors to provide additional residents’ parking spaces in the area to replace those on Queens Terrace suspended as part of the Barracks redevelopment works.
Allitsen Road area
We asked the Street Sweeping Team to give special attention to the Allitsen Road area after being contacted by residents.
St. John’s Wood Road/Hamilton Terrace/Northwick Terrace – Cycleway 51 (C51)
Following public consultation last autumn, TfL has decided to consider an alternative set of proposals for the junction of St. John’s Wood Road/Hamilton Terrace/Northwick Terrace. TfL say, “We believe it would be preferable to route Cycleway 51 via Cunningham Place and to amend the pedestrian and cycle crossing over St. John’s Wood Road. The main benefits of using Cunningham Place rather than Northwick Terrace would be to remove the need to have a shared space on the southern footway of St. John’s Wood Road and it would also reduce the number of Resident’s Parking bays that would need to be removed.”
The TfL proposals are subject to Westminster City Council’s decision on how to proceed with the wider C51 route.
Rachel Blake, Labour Candidate for Cities of London and Westminster
Rachel Blake is the Labour Candidate for Cities of London and Westminster at the next General Election https://www.rachelblake.co.uk. Rachel says,
- Campaign to save homes – “Residents tell me about the impact of short term lets on local communities. It is not just noise and additional waste, it is the loss of homes which should be for local residents. Westminster is seeing a rapid growth in these short term lets and it is reducing the number of homes available and damaging communities. I regularly speak to landlords and residents who are affected and report that they struggle to tackle the issue. I know that Westminster City Council is doing what it can to stop these, but they need more powers and resource to do this. That’s why I am campaigning to save our homes. The Government has finally published its plans for a short term lets registration scheme. But it does not go far enough. I am calling on the Government to introduce a compulsory registration scheme; introduce powers for local councils to prosecute the hosts for anti-social and illegal activity; revise the current bureaucratic and slow mechanisms proposed so that local councils can restrict the number of short term lets in an area.”
- Supporting private renters – “The Government has been promising to end no-fault eviction for years but failed to deliver on their promises. Thousands more families who the government promised to protect, now face the prospect of being threatened with homelessness or kicked out of their homes by bailiffs. Labour will bring in Private Renters Charter.”