Parking stress study – update

Below is an update from Cabinet lead Cllr Jennifer Braithwaite –

Our current parking options need addressing. This is in terms of CPZs and in terms of our database of parking options. We have received countless representations over the years from residents, businesses and councillors from all over the borough.

In order to properly implement CPZs, we need to understand and evaluate parking stress across the whole borough and to understand the likely impact of any new CPZs in non-CPZ areas.

I am now doing something about this difficult situation. We have been allocated £600,000 from the council’s capital reserve “to carry out a study of controls and operations in existing CPZs and to carry out a parking survey in the rest of the borough” – this is not money to be used to implement CPZs.

– We will look at all current CPZs to make sure they are legally sound and working properly
– We will record this information to enable the production of a digitised map of all CPZ parking controls in the borough
– We will look at parking stress in all other parts of the borough to complete a full database of parking information

The study will take 12 months, starting in September and reporting in October 2016. The information collected will then be used to prioritise and properly plan any future CPZ consultation.

As of November 2015 Lambeth will be rolling out a borough-wide 20mph speed limit on all borough roads. The implementation should be completed by March 2020. The new speed limit will be marked with signs and road markings rather than physical interventions.

Lambeth Council will however be monitoring the speed of traffic and if after 18 months the speed of traffic is unacceptably high in certain roads, the Council will consider introducing physical measures to reduce vehicle speed.

Please see the below links for further information:

http://love.lambeth.gov.uk/lambeth-roads-20mph/

http://www.lambeth.gov.uk/parking-transport-and-streets/streets-and-roads/lambeth-goes-20mph-guide

Bus consultation extended

In response to a request from residents, TfL have decided to extend this consultation until Thursday 3 September. They will accept online, email or postal responses until that date.

Full details of the consultation are at tfl.gov.uk/route-315. Responses can be submitted on the web page, by email to consultations@tfl.gov.uk or by post to FREEPOST TfL CONSULTATIONS (no stamp is needed). Please say ‘Route 315’ or ‘Peabody Hill’ on email or post responses.

Community Shop – community feast

The Community Shop is having an event that is open to absolutely everybody and is pay-as-you-feel. It’s being held on Friday 31 July from 12:00 and there will be huge quantities of food, served from their new food truck, and beer tastings from The London Beer Factory, and children’s entertainment.

The aim is to bring people together over surplus food, to open our doors for people to have a look around what is normally a closed site, and to launch their new collaboration with FoodCycle. It is also a great opportunity to introduce people who are eligible for membership to the shop.

The Community Shop is at Vale Street, behind the recycling centre, West Norwood, SE27 9PA.

Below is a copy of the Norwood Forum Chair’s report

This report covers the period from our last AGM held on 16 July 2014 and a very eventful year it has been.

I should like to take this opportunity to thank Lynda Hayward for her unfailing help and attendance at Forum events and committee meetings. Unfortunately, she has decided to step down from the committee and will be greatly missed. I should also like to thank Lesley Duff, our hardworking administrator, who had to step down because of family commitments in Scotland. We had since appointed Tim Stephens as administrator and Georgina Wilson.

During the year we helped to fund: A summer youth project at Emmanuel Church, The Norwood Pensioners Christmas Party, a Warm and Well event, The Norwood Park Dog Show and Falconry exhibition.

This year the committee decided that the best people to allocate our meagre funds were our members, so we organised a community funding event in which x no of organisations pitched for 6 pots of £400
Members of the public were then invited to vote for their choice and the following groups were successful : Norwood Community Group (418 points), Friends of Norwood Park (338 points), Rommany Road Playing Out (332 points), Norwood Pensioners Group (332 points)
Portico Wednesday events (328 points), And a draw between Emmanuel Youth activities (296 points) and the Norwood Feast (296 points) meant that they each received £200 each.
The other participating groups were so impressive, that it was decided to allocate more funds for the event and a further £100 were Improve UR Self (295 points), 4All Community Choir (278 points),and Woodvale TRA (212 points)

The Forum also had a regular presence at the Norwood Feast and the 4ALL Summer Fair.

Earlier this year we organised a Question Time for all the candidates standing in our parliamentary constituency. It was very well attended occasion at which residents were able to question prospective parliamentary candidates on issues of importance.

Currently we are engaged in a number of major project: the Norwood Road and Tulse Hill Gyratory Project, the formation of a Planning Forum for Norwood, and the introduction of a market at Station Rise.

The Norwood Road Improvements are being funded to the tune of 2 million pounds by TfL . and there is a further sum of 5 million pounds available for the re-design of the Tulse Hill Gyratory. Lambeth Council in the person of Abu Barkatoolah successfully bid for these sums and exceptionally, were able to convince TfL that the project should be community driven. The Norwood Forum and the Tulse Hill Forum will be collaborating on these projects which have been branded as StreetWorks – Norwood2TulseHill. Full details of the project are on our website, www.norwoodforum.org. The Norwood Forum will be leading on the Norwood Road improvements and the Tulse Hill Forum will lead on the re-design of the one-way-system. We are currently in the process of engaging the community in trying to explore what people would like. The Norwood Road project is scheduled to take two years, and following that the redesign of the Tulse Hill Gyratory will start.

The Norwood Planning Assembly has been set up jointly between the Forum and the Norwood Action Group. The Assembly was launched by our new Member of Parliament, Helen Hayes. A Constitution and Officers were agreed and we are now in negotiation with neighbouring areas over the exact boundaries of the planning area. All of this notwithstanding, the Forum has been exercising its right as a statutory consultee in vetting development within its boundaries and, together with NAG has recorded several objections to unsuitable planning proposals.

You may remember that the forum conducted a survey some months ago to determine what sort of market was needed and where. Tree Shepherd, the organisation that helps start-up businesses, is piloting a once-a-month market starting in September. The venture is crowd funded and if you would like to support the idea, please go to their website
http://treeshepherd.org.uk/twist-popup-market-on-station-rise-tulse-hill/
and promise some money. Every little helps.

You will know that we have Holly Smallman from Picturehouses to talk about progress on the Library/cinema project. We are generally in support of the project and will pursue both parties, the Council and Picturehouses, to proceed as rapidly as possible so that we have a wonderful recreational facility and the return of our town centre library.

Lastly I would like to thank all members of the committee for their hard work and dedication.
We need more people to help improve Norwood. Any volunteers will be welcomed with gratitude.

Noshir Patel
Chair 2014-2015

West Norwood Library /Cinema update

At this evenings Norwood Forum AGM there was a brief presentation and update from the PictureHouse Cinemas group and Lambeth Council regarding the project. During the discussion it became clear that the planning application is due to be put before planning in roughly two weeks time.

There will then be an 8 week period of engagement before the steering group committee come to form its own conclusion in October 2015. This in turn would lead to a 5-6 month period of more detailed design work. Building on the site would therefore not really begin until around May 2016 and will take roughly a year to build.

We’ll look to keep you updated but if you hear anything please do not hesitate to contact us.

Local Neighbourhood plans

The 2011 Localism Act allows communities to develop and pass ‘Neighbourhood Plans’ – these are legally binding documents that allow the local community to control the development of a particular area. They put a duty on the Local Council to follow the residents wishes when it comes to granting planning permission and can help shape the future of an area. We are very pleased to see that across Thurlow Park local groups are looking to take up these powers and give the local community even more of a chance to shape their area.

The Tulse Hill Forum undertook a local consultation for the Tulse Hill area in February /March 2015, while a joint meeting of the Norwood Action Group and the Norwood Forum last week created a joint steering group – called the Norwood Planning Assembly. In Herne Hill steps are also underway to investigate the development of a neighbourhood plan.

These initiatives are locally driven, and are not being run by Lambeth Council, the Mayor’s office or central government.

Inclusivity must be at the heart of the entire consultation process and the development of any plan, and we will work to help as many people from as many different backgrounds as possible become involved in process.

Thurlow Park has a number of overlapping neighbourhoods – for example, residents in the north may associate themselves with Herne Hill where as residents in the south with West Norwood – we will work very carefully with all forums and local residents to ensure that your street is included in the plan that is best for you.

All of these processes are fully open to the public and people should get involved as this would make a real difference to their local area in years to come. If you want to know more about the development of local plans just contact any of three local forums –

Herne Hill – info@hernehillforum.org.uk

Norwood Forum – chair@norwoodforum.org

Tusle Hill Forum – enquiries@tulsehillforum.org.uk

Secure cycling parking ‘hanger’ update

We recently received an update regarding the ongoing work into the possibility of secure cycling hangers I n the borough. As part of the engagement with residents four simple questions were used to identify the feeling and demand for cycle parking.

Out of 995 responses 97% were in favour of cycle parking on the street.

Out of 948 responses 68% were in favour of cycling hangers outside their home.

Out of 938 responses 59% said they wanted a space.

Out of 910 response 49% said they rented a bike rather than owned one.

The engagement saw 55 street surveys conducted in March 2015, and 38 streets have viable locations we will suggest to the streets. Those streets in Thurlow Park ward are; Berwyn rd, Deerbrooke rd, Deronda rd, and Romola rd.

If you’d like more information about this consultation as it continues please use the below link – http://www.lambeth.gov.uk/parking-transport-and-streets/cycling/cycle-parking-scheme-guide

Avenue Park parking restrictions

Lambeth Council have put in a place a Section 14(2) regarding temporary parking, waiting, and loading restrictions on Abenue Park rd. See below for more information, but this should last for more than 5 days. Any feedback from residents would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

1. The Council of the London Borough of Lambeth with the agreement of Transport for London HEREBY GIVES NOTICE under section 14(2) of the Road Traffic Regulation Act 1984 that from 1st July 2015 for a period of 5 days, vehicles will be banned from parking, waiting and loading in that length of Avenue Park Road which lies on the south-east side, between Thurlow Park Road and Maley Avenue.

2. The waiting and loading restrictions will only apply at such times and to such extent as shall be indicated by the placing of the appropriate traffic signs.

3. It is necessary for restrictions to come into force without delay so that emergency works can be carried out to a structurally unsafe wall on the north-west side of Avenue Park Road.

4. The provisions of this notice will be in force for 5 days during which time the Council will make a temporary order under section 14(1) of the Road Traffic Regulation Act 1984 to enable the waiting and loading restrictions to apply for up to 10 weeks or until the works have been completed, whichever is the sooner.

Lambeth Housing – provided directly by the Council

Over the last few months Lambeth Council have consulted residents to establish their priorities as housing management services are brought back under the control of the council. Their feedback can be summarised into three key themes, and these are the main issues the council will focus on improving as we take back responsibility for housing management.

1. Improving links to other services
2. Communication and resident engagement
3. Giving residents more control

Bringing the service back into the council will not deliver on the above priorities on its own and the end of the management agreement is a staging post towards a better, more responsive, housing service for our residents.

In terms of immediate practicalities, please note that telephone numbers and area office contact details will not change. Although the following changes should be noted from Friday 26 June:

Emails will finish with @lambeth.gov.uk

Generic email addresses

o North area office: northarea@lambeth.gov.uk

o Central area: centralarea@lambeth.gov.uk

o South area office: southarea@lambeth.gov.uk

o Central Income Team: CITenquiries@lambeth.gov.uk

o Home Ownership Services: homeownership@lambeth.gov.uk

Otherwsie, the Housing Management team will also be at the Lambeth Country Show on Saturday 18 and Sunday 19 July to meet with residents and councillors.

Finally, there is a Q&A on the council website with further background: http://www.lambeth.gov.uk/housing/council-and-social-housing/reintegration-of-lambeth-living-questions-and-answers