Thamesfield Ward E-Bulletin -August  2009

Plans, changes, new & old

Wandsworth Park playground – feedback from public meeting
Cllrs Jim Maddan and Rosemary Torrington attended the playground consultation in July to talk to parents and children about what new equipment they wanted in their playground. In response to all the comments a list of new equipment has been drawn up within our budget of £30,000.  We will have a new see-saw as this was requested by several younger children and a new wooden climbing wall to add something more challenging for older children.  By popular demand there will be a basket swing for all ages and the well-used climbing unit will be refurbished.  Some new natural features such as boulders/stepping stones will be arranged in the new extended play area of 160 sqm to appeal to all ages. The bank in the centre of the playground will be grassed over to give plenty of space for picnics and provide parents with advantage point from which to watch children playing.

The playground in Wandsworth Park caters from children aged from 2 to14 years.  There are two small playgrounds in Leaders Gardens on Ashlone Road . The toddler play area here caters for 2-7 year olds and the junior play area for the 8 to 14 year olds. The playgrounds are all open from dawn to dusk. 

There are three adventure playgrounds in the borough in Battersea Park , Kimber Road in King George's Park (with a BMX track) and York Gardens and full details including opening times can be found at www.wandsworth.gov.uk/playgrounds . 

Although Play Services undertake regular visits to check equipment they are not present at every minute of the day.  If you notice any damage to play equipment please report it immediately at playgrounds@wandsworth.gov.uk or 020 8871 7792 (play services) or 020 8871 7532 (parks police) or 020 8871 6900 (emergency services).

For anyone interested, the draft management plan for Leaders Gardens it can be found at http://www.wandsworth.gov.uk/downloads/file/690/draft_parks_management_plans

A new organisation offering group training sessions in Wandsworth Park started up in August.  More details at www.one-element.co.uk . They meet in the evenings on Monday and Wednesday and on Saturday morning.

Tileman House, Upper Richmond Road
We are fully aware of the level of concern which this application has attracted and have been monitoring the responses on the Council's website regularly.  Although we all want to see this site regenerated the proposals did not take into account the building's location surrounded by residential properties nor the existing streetscape.  The application was rejected by the Planning Committee this month.  There were two reasons for refusal.  The first relates to the proposed building's height, scale and its overbearing and unduly dominant aspect which were considered to be uncharacteristic of the surrounding area and prevailing building heights so as to be detrimental to the streetscape and inappropriate to adjoining properties.  The second relates to the lack of sufficient information about affordable housing.

The full report can be found on the council's website under application number 2009/1773.    Putney MP Justine Greening and Mayor of London Boris Johnson were also opposed to the plans.  Boris Johnson has urged the developers to reduce the height of the proposals. 

Licensing on the High Street
An application has been made by AGORA at 152 Putney High Street to split this single adult gaming centre into two separate adult gaming centres each to be individually licensed for up to 4 high prize (£500) category gaming machines. As ward councillors we are concerned that this is an attempt to circumnavigate the legislation, that there are implications for some vulnerable people who could be exploited and that it will attract crime and disorder.  We have made representations opposing the proposals and one of us will be attending the hearing. Anyone who is concerned should write in to ncloke@wandsworth.gov.uk .  The deadline for representations is 27 th August. Please also copy us into any correspondence so that we can monitor the response from local residents. Details of grounds relevant for objection can be found via the following link
http://www.wandsworth.gov.uk/info/1134/licence-gambling_premises/136/gambling_act_2005/2

BUFFET BRAZIL at 26 Putney High Street is seeking to extend its license until 3am for the sale of alcohol, provision of recorded music and late night refreshment on Friday and Saturday and to 2am on the remaining nights of the week. In each case there would be 30 minutes drinking up and dispersal time following the terminal hour.  The deadline for representations is 24 th August.  We have delivered a mail drop to surrounding residents making them aware of the proposals, which extend beyond the Council's policy for 2am closing, and the hearing is expected to be in early September. It is important for any resident concerned about the variation to attend and make representations at the licensing committee. If you would like one of us to represent you, please let us know and please copy us into any representations. elister@wandsworth.gov.uk ; jmaddan@wandsworth.gov.uk ; rtorrington@wandsworth.gov.uk . The licensing officers can be reached on 8871 6160.

Proposed changes to the highway in Putney Common
The 22 bus terminates in the cul-de-sac at Putney Common.  Bus movements are often obstructed by badly parked cars at the entrance to the road by the Spencer's Arms, or in the bus turning circle.  This results in buses having to reverse or drive on the kerb.  The Council has therefore developed proposals to address this problem and is seeking feed-back from the public on the following.

· Introduction of “at any time” waiting restrictions on a small section of Lower Richmond Road, the eastern side of Putney Common and in front of the bus cage on the western side of the road.  Loading would still be permitted in these sections on double yellow lines.

· Introduction of “at any time” waiting and loading restrictions in the turning circle and on the approach to the bus stand to prevent obstructive parking.

· Extension of the bus cage to provide buses unimpeded access to the bus stand.

· Resurface the footway on the western side of the road.

A lot of comments have already been received and Cllr Maddan met with council officers and representatives of the bus company, and witnessed first hand some of the difficulties.  A revised proposal which has taken into account the concerns of residents, will be put to the Planning & Transportation Overview and Scrutiny Committee on 10 th September 2009. The full report will be available on the council's website www.wandsworth.gov.uk

Comments can be made to Vanessa Green on 020 8871 7983 or vgreen@wandsworth.gov.uk .

Heathrow expansion
The  2M Group, an all-party group of 24 local authorities of which the Council is a member, has been given the go-ahead to challenge the Government's decision to approve a third runway in the High Court.  The local authorities who are part of the 2M Group will be able to argue against the decision and seek to have it overturned.  The hearing is likely to be in the Autumn.  A fully operational third runway would increase annual flights at Heathrow from 480,000 to 702,000. See www.2MGroup.org.uk for full details.

Thamesfield councillor Edward Lister is delighted that this will make it possible to challenge all the reasons given by former transport secretary, Geoff Hoon when he approved the airport's expansion in January 2009.

IMA Northfields, SW18
The developer who has purchased the 1960s office block on the corner of Northfields and Point Pleasant which overlooks Wandsworth Park is holding a public exhibition on proposals for the redevelopment of this site. They are planning on 44 flats spread over 8 floors. The exhibition will be held at Riverpoint, 94 Point Pleasant on 8 th September and 10 th September, from 5-8pm on both evenings.  A newsletter should be dropped to neighbours in the near future. 

The project team will be on hand to answer questions and discuss views.  The developer plans to submit a planning application later in the year. The architect is PCKO Architects, the same practice as designed the Radial ( www.pcko.co.uk ).

Further to our last e-bulletin the application for a 2 storey glazed extension at Bleak House on the Embankment overlooking Leaders Gardens (2009/1843) has been refused.

Putney School of Art and Design
PSAD reopens after its summer break on 24 th August at West Hill Library.  Booking is now open for the Autumn term courses and full details of the courses and an enrolment from can be downloaded at www.wandsworth.gov.uk/psad .  Advice on course and enrolment for Autumn term courses will be available from 10am-5pm each day 1 st to 4 th September with an evening session from 5.30-8pm on 1 st September.  The new term starts on 7 th September. 

PSAD is looking forward to its return to its completely modernised, extended and fully accessible premises in Oxford Road on 9 th November.   The Council has secured £600,000 for the Learning and Skills Council and has itself invested £158,000 in the project.

The Friends have a target of £60,000 to raise towards the project with its brand, new studio on the roof, a new lift for disabled access and extensive internal improvements. As at the end of June just under £30,000 had been secured. Their Grand Art Auction takes place on 8 th October in the Star & Garter Ballroom on Lower Richmond Road with 20 lots including work by Anthony Gormley, Maggi Hambling and many more artists. The evening starts at 6.30pm with the auction at 7.30pm prompt. Tickets are £20 each or £30 for two.  Full details www.psadfriends.org .

Donations can be made online via www.justgiving.com (Friends of PSAD) or posted to the Treasurer of Friends of PSAD, 83 Putney Bridge Road , London SW15 2PA . 

Licensing matters in Riverside Quarter
We have been receiving complaints about pubs in Point Pleasant particularly the Cat's Back situated in this increasingly residential area.  If at any time residents consider the noise is “excessive and unreasonable” details should be reported as early as possible to the noise line on 8871 7869.  There is no need to wait until after midnight to do this.  Once the noise team has witnessed a noise nuisance they will organise for a licensing officer to make a spot visit and will pursue the matter with the licensee.  If you would like to verify approved opening hours and any conditions attached to a licence please call 8871 6160.  Please also let us know of any concerns.

Estate Inspections If you live on a Council-run housing estate in Thamesfield you might like to make a note of forthcoming estate inspections.  Cllr Jane Cooper will accompany housing officers on a walk-about of the estate and welcomes any comments from residents on those estates about maintenance or other matters of concern.  The Ranelagh Estate at Horne Wall will be inspected on 10 th November and the Platt Estate on Lower Richmond Road will be inspected on 7 th April 2010.   Times will be confirmed nearer the date of the inspection.

Problems or concerns can be taken up at any time with Sharon Lecky, the local housing manager on 020 8871 7050.

Recycling in Putney ( www.wandsworth.gov.uk/recycling )
Since April 2009 the Council has reduced its waste disposal cost by £90 for every tonne its residents avoided generating.  If not avoided, but recycled, then £23 per tonne is saved. Refuse minimised or recycled will now directly help to reduce Council Tax.

There are two recycling sites within easy walking distance for Thamesfield residents.  At Putney Leisure Centre in Dryburgh Road all of the following can be recycled: glass, paper and card, cans, clothes and shoes, books, cartridges and mobile phones.  At Leaders Gardens on Putney Embankment, with the exception of cartridges and mobile phones all of the above can be recycled. In some cases the funds raised go to a variety of charities.

Shoe banks can be found at the following locations: Bemrose at 60 Lower Richmond Rd , Riverside Cobbler at 36 Lower Richmond Road , Cobblers of Putney at 153 Upper Richmond Rd , Pied Piper at 234 Upper Richmond Road and at One Small Step One Giant Leap in the first floor of Putney Exchange.

Used non-rechargeable household batteries can be recycled at Putney Library or Putney Leisure Centre by depositing them in the special container at the reception desk.  Types D, C, AA, AAA, 9V and button cell are all accepted. Mobile phones can be deposited at the library to raise funds for the Mayor's charity.

Charity shops in Putney Town Centre accept clothing, books, DVDs and bric-a-brac. There are several to choose from Trinity Hospice, British Heart Foundation, Cancer Research and Oxfam all in the High Street.  Octavia Housing Charity Shop is based at 288 Upper Richmond Road

Plastic bags can be recycled at Waitrose and Sainsburys where there are special banks in which to deposit used plastic bags from any shop.

The Council provides a free removal service to dispose of unwanted vehicles within the borough.  Should you want to surrender a vehicle you can download a voluntary surrender form from the Council's website and let the Council know where the car is parked. The Council will also need the main part of the registration document and the key for the driver's door.  These items may either be sent or taken to Abandoned Vehicles, Frogmore House, Frogmore Complex, Dormay Street , London SW18 1EY .  Your vehicles should be removed within 5 days.  The vehicle can also be driven into the depot anytime between 7.30am and 4pm.

The following items can be deposited at the civic amenity site at Smugglers Way behind B&Q between 9am and 4pm Monday to Friday, 8am to 6pm on Saturday and 8am to 5pm on Sunday.   Clean timber, engine oil, fridges and freezers, CDs and DVDs, bricks and building rubble, garden tools, electrical and building tools, computers and electrical goods, furniture, www.projectdirt.com is a green networking website serving south London providing its users with a network of green projects taking place nearby and further afield.

Riverbank House, Putney Bridge Approach (in Fulham)
A planning application has been made on the north bank of the river for an extension on top of Riverbank House at 1 Putney Bridge Approach (this is the office block above the Larrick pub on the opposite of the road from All Saints Church which is in a conservation area and is a listed building).

The proposal is to erect additional floors on the main tower of 7 th , 8 th , 9 th and 10 th floor levels (replacing existing 7 th floor) providing 10 residential units; erection of a part 4 storey, part 10 storey extension (providing lift/stair access) at the south east part of the building; erection of extensions to lower podium of the building at 1 st , 2 nd and 3 rd floor levels (south west and north east sections) providing 760sqm of additional office floor space, refurbishment of the existing facade; provision of disabled access ramp; formation of new landscape area and related alterations.

Both the applicant and the agent are the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham.  Comments can be made to Neil Shaw in the Wandsworth Council planning department under application number 2009/2094. It is also possible to view the plans on www.lbhf.gov.uk under application number 2009/00953 although it is very slow. 

Advice on preventing crime
At a recent meeting of the Business Forum, the police advised of an increase in reports of thefts from handbags, left hanging on shopping trolleys.  Please keep your hand bag and shopping bag with you at all times, and do not leave them unattended, even for a minute.

The police are reporting an increase in bicycle thefts, apparently resulting from insufficient security precautions.  A case in point was an £800 bike which had been inadequately secured by a £20 chain.  Advice for reducing cycle theft includes taking bikes out to the back of a property, buying more effective security equipment or even removing wheels or seats.

Your current police/SNT (safer neighbourhood team) is made up of 6 people: PS Roger Chapple, PC Stuart Paton, PC Alastair Adams, PCSO Sophie Wood, PCSO Douglas Cameron and S/PCSO Dimitri Cassar.  The next Safer Neighbourhood Team meeting is scheduled for 6 th October at 7pm in the Brewer Building .

A police surgery will take place on 28 th August at 6pm in Putney Library then again on 25 th September at the same time.  All members of the public are welcome to attend. 

Street meetings will be hosted by the Safer Neighbourhood Team in Beauchamp Terrace on Sunday 20 th September from noon until 4pm and in Putney Exchange on Thursday, 24 th September between 1700 and 2000.  Everyone is welcome.

Pursuits for September and the autumn

The autumn is a time when a lot of us think about enrolling for an evening class.  South Thames College has a wide range of courses available from wine appreciation to languages to plumbing.  Some of their taster courses are free. Have a look at www.south-thames-ac.uk/PA60/Adult_and_community_learning

On the subject of training there are free and subsidised computer courses, business courses and skills for life held at Putney Library. Contact www.exchangegroup.co.uk or www.learndirect.co.uk

Anyone who heard the Fibonacci Sequence during the Wandsworth Arts Festival will know what to expect.  Those who did not, do not know what they missed.  Their next free lunchtime concert is on Friday 11th September at 1.10pm at St Mary's Church.  Come along and be entranced.  See www.fibsonline.co.uk

The Putney Theatre Company's programme can be downloaded via www.putneyartstheatre.org.uk .  The autumn performances start on 15 th September with Dario Fo's Can't Pay? Won't Pay followed by Jekyll & Hyde on 22 nd September.  The box office can be reached on 020 8286 0229.

Open House London takes place on 19 th and 20 th September.  There are a number of properties open in Wandsworth including the National Tennis Centre in Roehampton. www.londonopenhouse.org

There is a permanent exhibition about The Putney Debates 1647 in St Mary's Church by Putney Bridge open Monday to Saturday from 10am to 4pm www.putneydebates.com .

The Wandsworth Symphony has two concerts programmed this autumn in St Mary's Church on the High Street.  On Saturday 21 st October the finals of the WSO piano competition start at 8pm. On Saturday, 5 th December there will be Christmas music and carols. Full details at www.londonswso.org.uk/concert_dates.html .

Last chance
Entries for the PhotoWANDSWORTH09 competition need to be in by 9 th September .  Anyone who lives, works or studies full-time in the borough can enter and the results will be published on the Council's website after the prizes are awarded from 1 st October.  The winners will share a prize fund of £1,150.  Full details - www.wandsworth.gov.uk/photocomp .

Wandsworth in Bloom – if you've been growing a sunflower this year, there's still time to enter it in the Sunflower category of the completion with a £50 prize for the tallest sunflowers grown by an adult and a child and a £25 prize for a child who grows the shortest sunflower.  You just need to register your sunflower's height (in centimeters, from the ground to the tip of the flower) with Sherrin Thompson by 2 nd September .  spthompson@wandsworth.gov.uk or phone 020 8871 7530 or online at www.wandsworth.gov.uk/inbloom .  An independent judge will verify each entry.

Putney Town Centre

Re-paving: The most significant piece of news is the work to finish the repaving and decluttering of Putney High Street now underway which will be a big improvement to the way that the High Street looks.  The repaving work is due to take 6-8 weeks. To facilitate the repaving work there are two temporary compounds in Felsham Road and on the Embankment alongside Leaders Gardens . 

New businesses: Walking round Putney we are always pleased to see new business ventures. 

· Two new fish & chip shops recently opened, T.J's at 218 Upper Richmond Road , and Rock & Roe at 281 Putney Bridge Road .  

· There are two new health and beauty outlets, HQ Beauty at 230 Upper Richmond Road (020 8785 9241), and Lanna Spa Health and Beauty specialising in Thai Massage at 280 Upper Richmond Road (020.8789.3985) www.lanna-spa.co.uk

· There is a new dry cleaners, Thompson and Jones at 260 Upper Richmond Road (020 8780 3420),

· Lexington Estates, a new estate agents has opened at Griffin Gate, Lower Richmond Road .

· Stage Music is a musical instruments shop at 82 Lower Richmond Road . www.stagemusic.uk.com .

· The new Sainsbury's Local on the Upper Richmond Road next to the former Allied Carpets premises opens at 9am on 4 th September. 

Good Luck to them all.

If you are thinking of a new extension, kitchen and bathroom work, a new company has just opened in Putney. The Room Refurbishment Company can be contacted at www.roomrefurbishment.com

T.K. Maxx is currently refurbishing the former Woolworth's premises on the High Street. The application for the new fascia signs can be viewed under application number 2009/2267. The outlet is due to open in the autumn. www.TKMaxx.com

Parking: The Exchange has introduced a flat fee of £5 for all day car parking to encourage people to spend longer in Putney.

The parking shop on Lower Richmond Road will be closing in September but it will still be possible to obtain visitors' permits from Putney library.

Events: On 29th September there is a free seminar with refreshments on sources of business finance and cross selling for local businesses at 5.45pm for networking with a 6.15pm start in the Brewer Building . GLE one London is running the finance seminar. For more information or to book a place contact sdwallace@wandsworth.gov.uk or see www.wandsworth.gov.uk/putney .

Markets: There is a weekly Saturday market in Church Square hosted by Portland Scallop selling fresh wet and shell fish.

French Markets are scheduled for 15-17th October and 11-13th December in Church Square .

Useful Numbers

Do help us keep Thamesfield ward in good shape by reporting instances of fly tipping and graffiti as well as broken pavements and pot holes.

Waste services – including fly tipping, street cleansing, missed collections, recycling.

Tel 020 8871 8558 Email wasteservices@wandsworth.gov.uk

Tel 020 8871 7479 for recycling hotline.

Graffiti removal

Tel 020 8871 7049 Email graffiti@wandsworth.gov.uk

Broken pavements, pot holes etc

Tel 020 8871 6708 Email highways@wandsworth.gov.uk

Noise hotline Email esd@wandsworth.gov.uk

Tel 020 8871 6170 (during office hours)

Tel 020 8871 7869 (outside office hours)

Edward Lister, Jim Maddan and Rosemary Torrington