A big thank you to everyon who signed our petition! We have been able to demonstrate the strength of feeling of the local community to Barclays and secure a meeting with some of their directors.
With Helen Hayes MP, Florence Eshalomi AM and councillors in Thurlow Park and Knights Hill, we met with bank directors in Parliament to lobby for the branch to stay open. We shared many of the comments and concerns from residents, businesses and charities about the impact that the branch closure could have. We requested data on branch usage.
Disappointingly, it has taken Barclays some time to share information with us. Their email says:
“In light of our meeting, we have taken the opportunity to review our decision to close West Norwood branch, however, our decision to close the branch remains. I understand this isn’t the outcome you, your constituents or the Councillors who attended the meeting were hoping for. Closing a branch is never an easy decision, but I hope our Post Office arrangement, access to free cash machines locally, alongside the potential for us to install a cash machine in a suitable location, telephony and digital channels, will support customers who are not easily able to travel to our other branches in the area. “
Paul Turpin, Barclays Market Director
We continue to discuss ‘leave behind’ provision for businesses and vulnerable residents who can’t access online banking or travel to branches further afield, and Barclays also say that they will meet any businesses one-to-one to discuss banking needs. If you have a small business and would like to have a meeting with Barclays, please contact councillors@thurlowparklabour.org to organise.
You can see their documents on reasons for closure and responding to our feedback:
Since being launched yesterday afternoon, our petition against the closure of the last bank in West Norwood has hit 400. Can you help get it over 500 before the end of the day?
Sign here and share with your friends and neighbours:
Local councillors Anna, Fred and Peter, with Cllr Jane Pickard from Knights Hill and West Norwood activists were outside Barclays with the petition today, talking to people about what the closure could mean locally for traders and customers.
If you want to get involved in our campaign, get in touch!
A few days ago, councillors Anna and Peter met with the Lambeth officer leading discussions with Thames Water.
We have had a briefing on proposals – but with a clear caveat that these are still being negotiated so are subject to change. We will update this blog as things change and you can also sign up for email updates from us by clicking here.
The proposed scope of works is to replace 840m of existing 21” cast iron trunk main in Norwood Road. The extent of this lies between Thurlow Park Road in the north and Robson Road in the south, passing under the Network Rail bridge at Tulse Hill station.
It will be a brand new pipe, which will only plugged into the network once it is installed – the existing pipe will be left in the ground and abandoned. This should mean less road gets dug up and potentially also means the redundant pipe can be used to reduce future disruption if, for example, new internet or electricity wires need to be laid as they can go through the empty pipe rather than requiring a trench to be dug. New monitoring equipment is proposed to be installed in the new pipe and this should make the network easier to monitor for leaks.
The reasons given for this work are to address flooding issues. The existing 21” cast iron trunk main was installed in 1890 and due to age and fatigue has a history – as many of us have experienced with increasing regularity – of bursts.
The work is proposed to be “open cut” which means a trench has to be opened. The reason given for this is that the existing trunk main is too small a diameter to slip line and would not provide sufficient volume for the current population. Thames Water is looking at a £14 million price tag for these works.
Original proposals apparently involved a linear programme of works – starting at one end and working the length of Norwood Road. This would have taken a very long time, and in an effort to reduce the length of time that there are disruptions Lambeth officers have proposed having two “fronts” so that work begins in two places, one at the northern end of the scheme and one halfway along, and then progress southwards simultaneously. This would mean the scheme takes less time.
Trenches would be dug in stages, rather than all at once. Each section would result in one lane of traffic being closed, and temporary traffic lights managing traffic flow past the works. Each section may also result in a side road being closed while that section is being worked on.
There are currently no bus diversions proposed, though temporary lights will clearly cause a lot of congestion and we would expect bus journeys to take longer too. However, we had been concerned about buses being diverted away from West Norwood, so we’re pleased that that’s currently not the proposal.
We raised the concerns raised at the public meeting we held recently about deliveries to businesses, continued water supply for businesses and residents, the ability for the Feast to continue running each month, about public transport and congestion, about parking, about disabled access, about compensation for businesses, and about additional investment and improvement in West Norwood.
We were reassured by many of the answers. Officers are aware of the importance of Feast for example, and have already lobbied Thames Water for changes to ensure Feast is not disrupted – original Thames Water proposals used Chatsworth Way for storage and this would have prevented Feast stalls from being erected. Lambeth officers have persuaded Thames Water to change their storage plans so that the space remains available for Feast.
There should be no interruption to water supply, which reassures us especially for vulnerable customers and for those businesses which can’t function without it like Floral Hall and the many hairdressers.
Lambeth officers are aware of the issues surrounding deliveries, and the importance of ensuring convenient times and locations. We understand that conversations with all businesses will take place so that delivery requirements are fully mapped and can be planned for and enabled.
We remain concerned about the impact on businesses – we haven’t had clarity on compensation but understand that some piecemeal attempts to talk to businesses individually have been taking place. We have strongly put that compensation should be in advance to prevent any businesses closing down, and that rather than risking businesses being picked off individually or played off against each other that Thames Water also work closely with the BID to ensure all businesses are supported.
We’ve also asked about how to ensure a balance between redirecting through traffic that doesn’t stop locally while still communicating that West Norwood and Tulse Hill are open for business, and encouraging shoppers to travel here – particularly by bus, on foot and cycling if able.
We raised concern about the lack of communication to date – with councillors, businesses, community groups and residents. We have suggested regular councillor briefings and to meet Thames Water directly. We’ve asked for communications to local residents, and have been told that current proposals would see a letter from Thames delivered to tens of thousands of residents in the next week or two – the exact geography of this is still being discussed.
Lambeth have also secured agreement for Thames to fund a dedicated officer for this scheme, and that there will be 24-hour on-site presence, so that residents and businesses have an easily accessible point of contact.
We’ve asked for drop in events with information for businesses and residents, as well as a public meeting with Thames Water, Lambeth and TfL all on a panel and able to share information and ask questions. The offer of project officers attending BID meetings or business forums on a regular basis was also offered. Officers have been in touch with cycling groups and are contacting community groups locally. We’re encouraged that these all seem to be in the pipeline (sorry – we couldn’t resist at least one water related pun!) – do sign up for our email updates so that we can make sure you’re invited to the meetings.
We are happy to answer questions on topics we’ve been briefed on, to raise questions with officers that we don’t know the answers to, and to meet with anyone who would like to discuss this further. Our email addresses are:
abirley@lambeth.gov.uk
fcowell@lambeth.gov.uk
pely@lambeth.gov.uk
We share the concerns of residents and businesses that this will be hugely disruptive and could seriously harm our town centre – we are doing all we can to ensure negative impacts are minimised and mitigated. We also want to secure as many positive benefits from the works as possible – for example, full resurfacing of the carriageway rather than simply patching up trenches and STEM training or work experience in local schools.
We had a packed meeting with traders and local residents last week to discuss the potential disruption from Thames Water mains replacements, and to develop a collective community response.
We covered concerns including interruption to business and loss of footfall, transport disruption, congestion, accessibility for older and less able residents, parking, impact on side roads, emergency services, business deliveries, risk of water disruption and ensuring the Feast can continue uninterrupted.
Next steps – we are seeking a meeting urgently with Thames Water to raise the concerns and will continue to involve residents, businesses and Station to Station (the BID). As soon as we have an update, we will circulate it and organise further public meetings.
Thames Water are planning to replace mains in West Norwood, blocking much of the town centre for many months.
This meeting is organised by councillors in Thurlow Park and Knights Hill to listen to residents’ and businesses’ views, and take your concerns to Thames Water and TfL.
When and where?
Wednesday, 30 January 2019 from 19:00-21:00 in the community room at the back of the Library.
We are very excited that West Norwood town centre will be welcoming a new restaurant. Opening early next year, 400 Rabbits will be opening their third restaurant in South London on Norwood Road, where Kahvah used to be.
Residents have often raised the lack of choice in the evenings in West Norwood, and along with the new cinema we welcome the new addition to our evening economy.
We also hear rumours of a new local brewery opening up soon near the bus garage…
As well as many local businesses investing in improvements in store, including Champagne and Chocolate on the corner of Lancaster Avenue, Iceland and Greggs.
While there are many challenges for high street stores and independent businesses, we are pleased that West Norwood continues to grow as a town centre where people enjoy spending time and shopping locally. We continue to work closely with the Business Improvement District to support local businesses and will continue to stand up against potential Government business rates hikes which would create an even more challenging business environment for many.
Show your support for local businesses on the first weekend in December on Small Business Saturday by shopping in West Norwood and supporting our local independent businesses.
House prices are putting homeownership out of reach and by the end of 2021 it is predicted that almost one in four households will be renting privately.
Nowhere is this more acute than in London. In 2011-12 the proportion of private tenants in London rose above the proportion of social rented tenants for the first time since the mid-1960s, and this number continues to rise. A growing number of our residents in Thurlow Park, and across West Norwood and Herne Hill, rent privately.
Most private landlords want to ‘do the right thing’ by their tenants but they often lack the knowledge or support to get this right. Other landlords make the most of the unregulated nature of the private rented market. We know from our own experiences of renting locally, that the sector needs to improve. Too often at our advice surgeries hear stories from residents with issues ranging from damp and mismanagement, to excessive lettings agent fees and unfair evictions.
A third of private rented homes fail to meet the Decent Homes Standard and stagnant wages cannot keep pace with spiralling rents. The housing benefit freeze mean many in the private rented sector now face a substantial monthly shortfall between the housing benefit they receive and even the cheapest rents.
We believe the private rented sector must improve – so we are setting up a new group for private renters in West Norwood so that we can campaign for change. By coming together, we can share our experiences, support each other, and have a louder voice.
Please join our first meeting on 25th January to talk about how we can work together locally to improve the private rented sector. We have booked a space at Knowles of Norwood, 294-296 Norwood Road, from 7pm, and will be joined by a speaker from Generation Rent. Let us know you’re coming on Facebook.
The one-way system in Tulse Hill is changing to become a two-way system. This is phase two of the StreetWorks scheme. The project has seen the design work for this, with residents suggesting that the road between the station and Tulse Hill Hotel be closed to cars, but remain open to buses and bikes.
TFL are funding and managing this part of the project, and want to update the local community on what is happening. This will happen on Tuesday 05 December from 6:30pm registration for a 7:00pm start, and held at the Salvation Army, 246 Norwood Road.
Key Industrial and Business Areas (KIBAs) are Lambeth’s ‘Locally Significant Industrial Sites’ (LSIS) as defined in the London Plan and represent the borough’s strategic reservoir of land for industrial and business use.
The key aspects for our neighbourhood KIBA is that no changes are proposed south of West Norwood Station. If you’d like to look at the review document please see the below link;
Thurlow Park News 