Contacting the police

There was some discussion at the recent panel meeting about ways to contact police. The SNT are not a 24/7 team, so if emails are sent or messages left on the answerphone, they may not be picked up for 2 days then sometimes its too late for the issue to be dealt with effectively. Below is a list of the various ways police can be contacted and for which issues.  

101 – call this number for non-emergencies.  You can call 101 to report a crime that has already happened, seek crime prevention advice or make us aware of any policing issues in your local area .

Online reporting – A limited number of crimes can be reported online, these include thefts, damage to property, hate crimes and fraud.  Visit https://online.met.police.uk/ in order to report.

Reporting Crime – This can either be done by calling 101 or reporting online at https://online.met.police.uk/.  (Please note – Messages should not be left on the SNT mobile or sent to the email inbox to report crime.  This is because if we are not on duty, forensic/suspect opportunities may be lost by waiting a couple of days.)

Reporting Anti-Social Behaviour –  There are many types of antic-social behaviour and not all should be reported to the police.  Please follow this link for more information –  http://content.met.police.uk/Article/How-do-I-report-ASB/1400022085967/1400022085967

Safer Neighbourhood Team by email/phone – The SNT can be contacted for various community issues from neighbour problems to anti social behaviour.  If we can’t help we will try and point you in the right direction.  Please be aware that the SNT are not a 24/7 service and therefore, by leaving a message or sending an email, you may not receive a response for a couple of days.  Please do not use this phone number to report crime, please call 101.

Bridge over Troubled Traffic*

A big thank you to residents and David McKenna from TfL for yesterday’s meeting about bridge strikes on the railway over the South Circular. 

It was a very productive meeting looking at – 

  • Bridge strike statistics – Thurlow Park has the most bridge strikes in the country
  • Impact on the local area of bridge strikes – economic cost of delayed journeys, effect on air pollution, impact on Lancaster Avenue when it is used to divert traffic, road safety, damage to bridge, cost to train operating companies
  • Long term strategy – David and his team are developing the business case for lowering the road as a way to prevent bridge strikes and to remove the need to divert any traffic down Lancaster Avenue. This will take some time because it is a complicated engineering challenge thanks to bridge foundations and the sewer. It will also have a huge impact on the road, as it would have to be closed for the works to be completed.
  • Short term strategy – David is installing better signage within the next 4 months. These will be “smart”, triggered only by oversized vehicles which should mean they are more effective. CCTV will be installed to monitor and measure impact

Our next steps as a community are to – 

  1. The community will write to the mayoral and GLA candidates requesting that they all prioritise this issue.
  2. David will feedback based on questions raised by attendees, including about whether lorry drivers and their companies can be prosecuted or fined when they hit the bridge, more data, maps showing locations of signs and how the community can support his business case. 
  3. The signs will be installed within the next 4 months.
  4. Feasibility studies will be developed, beginning now. This may include some drill holes and radars to identify services underground. These will be ongoing for the next few months.
  5. Once a new London Mayor and GLA member are in post, we will organise a meeting to request that this is high on their agenda.
  6. We will organise a progress meeting in approx. 6 months where David can share how he’s getting on. We can invite Network Rail and Thames Water, as appropriate. 

Thank you LARA for organising the meeting and Rosemead for hosting. If you would like to be involved in this project but weren’t aware of or able to attend the meeting, please get in touch on abirley@lambeth.gov.uk

*excuse the pun, borrowed from Richard Alford on Lancaster Avenue!

This week we saw the celebration of the Community Shop first Anniversary! A year ago the Community Shop opened its doors to the people of West Norwood and it’s been an incredible year with many fantastic successes. Over seven hundred local residents have signed up so far, receiving access to great quality food at low prices as well as a holistic range of services that we deliver alongside our fantastic community partners.

The supermarket and its services complement the great work that is already being done by other local organisations. Free membership is open to anybody living in the local area and receiving means tested benefits.

If you would like to check if somebody is eligible or make a referral, please call the Community Shop directly on (020) 8761 9660. Please note that local residents are also very welcome to self-refer.

Information update from Sustrans

Below is the most recent information update from Sustrans regarding the Quietways designs for Rosendale road;

Dear Residents and Stakeholders,              

We’re extending the time available for you to feedback to us on the concept designs for Rosendale Road. To make sure as many people can contribute as possible, you can now complete the online feedback form up until the end of Sunday 20th December. Please let us know which features you’d like to see in the consultation design, and any specific comments you have. See more information about the process below:

Concept Designs:                          
The concept designs incorporate a number of different ideas and options. They aim to address issues raised and include suggestions for improvements made through our Co Design workshops, where 135 design sheets were completed by residents.

Concept Design Feedback:
Click on the link below to see all the design drawings with accompanied information, and follow the link from there to our online feedback form.

https://lambethenvironment.wordpress.com/2015/12/02/an-update-on-rosendale-road-quietways/

If you have problems following this link please copy and paste it into you internet browser.

Public Consultation by Lambeth Council:                      
Following feedback we’ll create one consultation design, incorporating a selection of these ideas. This design will then go into formal public consultation in January. Residents will be notified by post and you’ll be able to contribute your views online.

If you have any questions please get in touch with us at: RosendaleFeedback@sustrans.org.uk

Find more information about Quietways in Lambeth at: https://lambethenvironment.wordpress.com/2015/09/28/lambeth-quietway-routes/

END

Lock it and Stop it is one of our manifesto commitments and the project has been recommissioned to Age UK until March 2017. It provides free locks and a range of burglary prevention measures for victims of burglary. The vision for 2016-2017 is to work more collaboratively with partners, to promote the scheme to vulnerable residents and to conduct evidence-led, joint operations with police in areas where burglary is prevalent. The scheme also aims to increase Neighbourhood Watch take up.

As at December 2015, residential burglary in Lambeth reduced by 20% or 552 less reports/victims compared to the same time last year. Lambeth have doubled the number of referrals that have been received compared to same time last year, and this is down to improved partnership working with our police and the operations we have conducted in hotspot areas.

Met Trace is also being implemented across London to sustain burglary reduction. This project provides free Smartwater to properties in burglary hotspots and went live in Lambeth in September with 1 sergeant and 4 PCSOs assigned to deliver this project, and 5469 properties will be visited in first year.

Environment Enforcement team update

The Council’s temporary Environmental Enforcement (Behaviour Change) team have been active in Thurlow Park ward recently, investigating and labelling dumped residential waste and domestic fly tipping and taking action including issuing fixed penalty notices (FPN’s). The team covered the following locations:

·         Thurlow Hill
·         Norwood Road
·         Rosendale Road
·         Turney Road
·         Deronda Road
·         Romola Road
·         Deerbrook Road
·         Berwyn Road
·         Birkbeck Place
·         Dalkeith Road
·         Birkbeck Hill
·         Bello Close

1 fixed penalty notice was issued in respect of residential waste, and the running total of FPNs issued in Thurlow Park ward since the beginning of September is 9.

Should you have any suggestions for further problematic locations for dumped waste or fly tipping please report these via the council’s website at:

http://www.lambeth.gov.uk/rubbish-and-recycling/report-rubbish/report-dumped-rubbish-in-a-public-place

Another bridge strike on Thurlow Park Road

This morning another bridge strike involving a large lorry disrupted commuter trains and traffic. This bridge is the worst in London for strikes and the disruption has a huge impact and cost.

As we shared a couple of months ago, we have raised this issue with TfL and action is being taken as a result. Senior officers are looking to invest in better signage to replace the existing temporary signs before the Spring. These should provide a short term improvement – and signs can be reused so if and when they are no longer needed in Thurlow Park, we can ensure they are reinstalled elsewhere to make best use of resources.

To tackle the problem in the long term, a business case for the large amount of funding it would take to lower the road is being put together. This would also be a significant engineering challenge – there is a sewer below the south circular and the side roads like St Faith’s would need to be examined to work out how to accommodate lower junctions.

Senior TfL officers have offered to meet with Lancaster Avenue residents this month as their road is currently the diversion route for oversized vehicles. We will be discussing new signage, improving 20mph signage to reduce speeding, and the long term plans for the bridge.

Invitation to Quietways concept design showcase events

Thank you to everyone who has been involved in Quietways so far – although it’s been a rocky journey, huge numbers of local residents and businesses have engaged and lots of ideas and feedback have been put forward. Residents have been clear on their priorities – tackling speeding and making the road safer. There has also been some great discussions on how to enhance the parade of shops to make our mini “town centre” even more of a destination for the community.

Sustrans have been busy processing all the feedback and engineers are developing designs based on your suggestions.

These will be shared for your feedback at two concept design showcase events. Please come and see what you think – your input is invaluable.

  • Sunday 6th December 10.30-1.30pm
  • Wednesday 9th December 6.30pm-8.30pm

You can drop in at any time. Both events will be at Rosendale Primary School SE21 8LR. Sustrans will be present at both events and Richard Lancaster, who is taking over managing Quietways, along with the rollout of 20mph and a review of parking in the borough, will be attending the Sunday session and is happy to answer any questions. At least one of us will be at each event – as councillors we are doing what we can to be involved and available throughout the process.

Designs will also be available online and you can feedback by email. We will post a link when they’re uploaded.

One final design will be created based on your feedback from these showcase events and online engagement. This will go to a formal public consultation in January. You will be notified of this online and by post.