Local news and opportunities to get involved from your local Labour and Co-operative councillors in Thurlow Park.
In March, Carnegie Library was temporarily closed for refurbishment. As well as the existing neighbourhood library, empty spaces like the basement will be refitted to include a community hub, a gym and community spaces.
Lambeth has been drawing up plans for what this might look like – on the 21st and 22nd June there will be public exhibitions to view and comments on the proposals, meet councillors, officers and GLL, who would run the gym facility.
In our last blog piece in April 2016 we talked about the resurfacing works on Arduli, Guernsey, Trinity Rise, Deronda, Chatsworth and Idminston.
As an update we wanted to inform residents that we have continued to campaign for further resurfacing works to be conducted on roads /pavements such as Eastmearn, Tulsemere and Chancllor as it’s a key issue for residents in our ward.
Working with the Cabinet lead, Cllr Braithwaite, we can now share an overview of the criteria involved in Lambeth’s decision making about which roads /pavements require resurfacing.
The roads and pavements selected for an upgrade are dependant on the scores given following an assessment of every road and pavement in the borough. The scores (out of 10) is based on a number of factors;
In terms of roads, they are measured against a set of criteria, taking into consideration, the level of usage of the road, whether it’s considered to be a key network link, if its condition poses a health and safety risk, and a host of other aspects in order to work out the priority level such as; the road traffic sensitivity, planned engineering works and the local profile (i.e., near a school, church, leisure centre, hospital, park, museum and /or library).
In terms of pavements, it is much the same for roads though they will also take into account the deprivation of the local area, its usage, the local profile, planned works and its linkages to other main pedestrian networks.
As far as we are aware the next round of roads /pavements to be upgraded in second half of 2016/17 have not yet been compiled, so we will continue to campaign for those roads /pavements in our ward that we believe need to be revisited by officers and reassessed.
In the last couple of months there have been a number of incidents of stabbing and knife crime across the borough. Thankfully, none of these have resulted in a fatality.
While the number of knife crime incidents in Lambeth has actually fallen over the last twelve months, this is a problem that still blights too many of our communities and we wanted to reassure residents that our Cabinet lead Cllr M. Seedat and officers have been working closely with the police and a number of measures have been taken. These include;
Extra officers at schools
Extra patrolling officers in hot spot areas
Meetings with head teachers, facilitated by Lambeth Council
Dispersal zones implemented at key schools
Working with key community contacts to try to dissuade young people from participating in further altercations
Intelligence-led use of stop and search to recover knives and other weapons
Requested additional police resources to provide a deterrent and reassurance
With regards to the schools in the Norwood area, Lambeth has been working with the schools affected and there has already been meetings between the heads, council and police which has led to the simmering down of tensions. These initial meetings, plus several others between council officers, police, and councillors will aim to set out some longer term partnership work with the GLA, the Young Lambeth Coop, grassroots organisations and the police.
If you have any questions or concerns please get in touch.
During Full Council in May Cllr Max Deckers Dowber handed in a petition regarding parking and controlled parking zones.
Working with residents about their parking concerns has mainly centered on controlled parking zones and disabled parking bays, and as local cllrs Anna, Max and Fred have consistently pushed for the parking review to take place in order for any areas of stress to be identified and resolved.
As an update we had further conversations with the Cabinet lead for the parking review, Cllr. Braithwaite, and we’ve also engaged in the Equality Streets Scrutiny Comission which has looked at the impact of parking on the local community.
We will continue to work with residents, Cllrs and officers in order to find better parking solutions, and will provide further information as and when it comes to us. If you have any questions or concerns about parking on your street please do contact us.
Last February we posted on the forthcoming tree planting that was to take place in the ward, and which was due in large part to the residents of Thurlow Park.
The residents association on Chancellor Grove are a great example of a positive community in action.
As an update we wanted to let residents now that while we await trees to be planted in Guernsey, Harpenden, Ulverstone and Deronda we expect to see Romola, Berwyn and Deerbroke added to the tree replacement list for next season.
We need your thoughts on West Norwood and Tulse Hill – what you love about it and what should be improved. You might live here, work here or come to shop or socialise. Whatever your connection, we want your opinion.
Over 400 comments have been made so far – which is fantastic!
Explore the new website and interactive map for West Norwood and Tulse Hill. Lambeth is looking to amend the Masterplan which was last changed in 2009. Your suggestions and opinions will be helpful in making current and forthcoming modifications.
From June 2016 Lambeth will begin a programme which will will convert 12,981 of Lambeth’s street lighting stock from SON-T (sodium) bulbs to LED (Light Emitting Diode) bulbs. The work will be carried out over a 18 month period.
The existing lamp will be re-used with a new LED fitting being installed into the lantern. The programme of works will start in the North of the borough with Thurlow Park ward being visited in mid-October this year, and Parks, Footpaths and A Roads being visited across Lambeth between Feb-April 2017.
What are the benefits of carrying out this work? LED
The two main benefits of converting to LED are a reduction in Lambeth’s CO2 emissions and reduced energy bill for the council, thereby fulfilling our manifesto pledge to protect the environment by reducing the amount of energy the council uses and saving up to £600,000 per year.
How will residents be advised of works on their roads?
A letter will be sent to you 10 days before work commences on your road giving details of what will be carried out. The time spent on your street will depend on the extent of the work that has to be done on the road. As the light fittings are replaced rather than the any cabling being changed, no significant risks or delays are expected.
Cabinet lead, Cllr Jennifer Brathwaite has provided the below update;
The Lambeth Parking Study has been underway since summer 2015 and is now ahead of schedule, with good progress made on improving the parking situation for many Lambeth residents who are currently most affected by parking stress.
The study’s work programme has been shaped by feedback from both residents and councillors who have been influential in deciding the priority areas.
The first phase of the Parking Study, focusing on the non CPZ area of Vassall / Coldharbour and the southern part of Brixton Hill, has now been completed.
Proposed CPZs for both areas have been designed and costed by engineers and an application for funding is now underway. That funding should be in place by late summer and we plan to consult with all residents in the affected areas in September; the outcome of that consultation will help inform the decision on whether to proceed or not.
Some concerns were raised about the timetable for this phase, which was initially estimated to take 18 months to 2 years. However, I’m pleased to let you know that we have managed to significantly reduce this. If everything goes to plan consultation and implementation will take around 12 months, meaning the CPZ could be operational by July 2017. This is a best case scenario but we will work hard to make it happen.
The second phase of the study is now underway, focusing a review of the parking situation in existing CPZs and many of the non-CPZ areas of the borough. Officers are due to report back on the findings in October.
Max and his daughter Juno with members of the Rosendale Gardens estate TRA planting fruit trees – this project was led and delivered by local residents who were keen to promote food growing, make their estate greener and create more opportunities for residents to get involved
The railway bridge over the South Circular is hit by HGVs more than any other railway bridge in the UK. Every time a lorry drives into the bridge, trains to and from central London are delayed and traffic is redirected down residential streets. In the meantime, large vehicles are indiscriminately redirected down Lancaster Avenue. It is disruptive and dangerous, and we want to do something to solve the problem.
We have been working with TfL to address the issue. Officers met with residents a couple of months ago, and recently our new London Assembly Member, Flo Eshalomi, visited the ward to discuss this issue ahead of her election.
In the short term, we have pushed for better signage – which takes into account the actual height of vehicles to ensure oversized vehicles are targeted. In the long term, we want the road to be lowered so that no vehicle is at risk of hitting the bridge, and so that no lorries are diverted down Lancaster Avenue.
We are pleased that action is being taken this week. London Highways Alliance Contract (LoHAC) workers, on behalf of Transport for London (TfL), are planning to modernise the Overheight Vehicle Detection Systems on the A205 Thurlow Park Road, on both approaches to the Network Rail Bridge near Tulse Hill Gyratory. The contractors will be installing new Overheight Vehicle Detection Systems and associated loop sensors, ducting and electrical connections, in order to give overheight vehicles more advanced warning of the low bridge and to divert them via alternative routes.
Works are planned to start on Tuesday 24 May 2016 and will be phased over approximately 10 weeks, depending on weather conditions. Footway works will take place from Mondays to Fridays between 08:00 and 18:00, and on Saturdays between 08:00 and 14:00. Carriageway works will take place from Mondays to Fridays between 20:00 and 05:00, nights only, with noisy works completed before 23:00.
Thurlow Park News 