
Here’s our first Action Report of 2025 with news about Bayswater Ward and the issues we’ve taken up on behalf of local residents in the last couple of months.
Please do GET IN TOUCH if there’s something in your area that needs action or an issue we can help with.
Advice Surgeries – no appointment needed
- 1st & 3rd Saturday of each month, 2 pm to 3.30 pm, Paddington Library, 45 Porchester Road, W2 5DU
Councillors Max Sullivan, Maggie Carman & James Small-Edwards
Coffee Afternoon with Joe Powell MP
Joe Powell MP will be holding a Q&A session on Friday 14th February 3-5 pm at Hallfield School. This will be your opportunity to hear about Joe’s priorities for the area and for you to raise any local or national issues with your Member of Parliament and local Councillors.
Council Launches New Street-Based Intervention Team
Building on other initiatives introduced to tackle anti-social behaviour, including our new Council-run CCTV network, our night-time estate security (first trialled on the Hallfield Estate) and action on short-term let properties, we are pleased to announce a new dedicated Street-Based Intervention Team to tackle hotspots of street-based anti-social behaviour. This new unit will be an integrated team, expanding on the work of existing city inspectors, the police, outreach teams and the voluntary sector, using new powers granted to the team. The unit will initially focus on Victoria, and once progress is made and sustained in its initial deployment, will then be expanded to other areas of the City. Find out more here: New Street Based Intervention Team and more action to tackle anti-social behaviour in Victoria – Westminster Labour Councillors – Westminster Labour
Council Children’s Services Rated “Outstanding in all areas” by Ofsted
We are proud that Westminster Council’s Children’s Services has been rated outstanding by Ofsted in all five areas judged. This reflects the Council’s commitment to delivering quality child-centred and family-focused services. Among other things, Ofsted highlighted the positive impact the Labour Council’s sustained investment has had on improving the Council’s services since the last inspection, including creating effective early help services to support families without requiring escalation into statutory social work. This progress has happened despite increasing pressures following the pandemic and cost-of-living crisis, which has seen an increase in demand for social care support. Read more here: Westminster’s Children’s Services wins an ‘outstanding in all areas’ Ofsted Rating – Westminster Labour Councillors – Westminster Labour
Environmental Supplementary Planning Document Consultation
The Council is consulting on a new and improved Environmental Supplementary Planning Document (ESPD). It will embed environmental policies into the planning process. The document covers air quality, local environmental impacts, greening and biodiversity, flood risk, energy and waste management. You can find the consultation on the Council’s Commonplace website: Have Your Say Today – Environment SPD Consultation – Commonplace
90 Westbourne Grove & Hereford Mews
A number of residents have written to us about developer Valouran’s proposal for 86 to 96 Westbourne Grove, Hereford Mews, and 28 to 38 Hereford Road. Concerns include the lack of affordable on-site provision, materials used, and lack of front/back gardens and servicing. A group of local associations have written to Westminster Planning and the developers about a range of issues.
Speeding Cars Near the Porchester Centre
A resident has written to us about a near-miss she experienced on Queensway near the Porchester Centre:
I wish to raise a serious concern about the safety of the street where I reside. This street is meant for residential street. However, many drivers choose to use it to bypass the traffic light, which is fine, but the problem is that they mostly speed up dangerously or if they jam they use car horns which are noisy. On one occasion, I nearly lost my life due to the excessive speed of one of the speedy cars. The street lacks surveillance cameras, or slow-down bumps which can help reduce cars speed.
The frequent traffic and noise from speeding vehicles have become a constant source of disturbance. I kindly ask for your support in addressing this matter to ensure the safety and peace of the resident
We are aware of plans to improve safety here through a longer-term place shaping scheme. We have escalated these issues to officers to ask for some shorter-term measures to alleviate the issue.
Orsett Terrace Airbnb
A resident told us of the constant noise and disruption she was suffering from Airbnb visitors in her block. We asked the Council to investigate and got the following response:
Thank you for bringing this matter to our attention. Please rest assured that we take short-let cases very seriously and will address this promptly.
I will open a case and begin investigating the report. I can also advise you that this type of arrangement is not permitted under the terms of the lease. We will act against any leaseholder if they continue to let their property on a short-term basis.
Porchester Road – Shocking Condition Of Flats
A resident wrote about the shocking condition of the flats above the businesses at 54-58 Porchester Road:
The communal parts (and therefore I must assume the flats themselves) have got worse and worse: the conditions are disgusting with fungus growing out of the walls; major water ingress on every wall, missing window frames (often bodged together with tape or cement), and broken glazing or boarded up windows, rotten external doors with 6-inch gaps and soaking frames, broken sockets and light switches and rubbish (including food, old furniture and Deliveroo boxes) dumped out on the flat roof with rats running around amongst the extractors for the restaurants below.
All three buildings continue to breach building regulations on any number of fronts, with – for example – the surface water from the whole of 54-58 Porchester Road discharging onto the pavement in the entrance to Celbridge Mews in a single downpipe; clearly this is incapable of taking the runoff from a single property – let alone three; so water simply pours down the walls from broken guttering and downpipes.
To be honest, these are the worst housing conditions I have ever seen; I don’t know who the landlord or owner is but no one should be living in these conditions.
I believe that the buildings themselves are a danger not only to tenants but to residents, neighbours and pedestrians. In the past we have had pieces of glass just drop out of windows above the arch (i.e. from 30 feet up) – on one occasion narrowly missing the builder I was talking to by a matter of inches. Several windows remain of immediate and serious concern where the glazing is no longer supported by the frame, and is likely to drop at any moment, from two storeys above.
There has now been scaffolding up at the back with cowboy builders supposedly doing “repairs” for over a year. The builders themselves were the source of numerous safety complaints as they flouted every HSE regulation, and were simply dangerous; again, pedestrians through the arch had no warning as bricks and timber were dropped from the roof, four floors above – supposedly into the back of their lorry parked in the mews entrance.
I know that the tenants I have spoken to do not feel they are able to complain about the conditions they are living in, but given the increasing danger to them and to all of us posed by the appalling state of the back of 54-58 Porchester Road and the cavalier attitude of those who pretend to work on the structure, I would be grateful if some action could be taken as a matter of urgency.
We received this response from the Environmental Health Team: I will raise a case for my officers to investigate these properties and we will come back to you in due course.
St Stephens Gardens
We have asked the Council Tax and Environmental Health Teams to investigate a rental property consisting of one room with no window and no natural light and ventilation.
Monmouth Road – Overflowing Bins
After reporting persistent fly-tipping and overflowing bins in Monmouth Road, we received this reply: Just to confirm I’ve asked the City Inspectors to increase monitoring at this site and to take enforcement action as appropriate.
Lord Hills Bridge – Lighting
After we reported that three light columns were not working on the south side of Lord Hills Bridge we received this reply: I am pleased to inform you that the lighting on Lord Hills Bridge has been repaired and is back on. There will be a project later on to upgrade the lights to LEDs.
More Frequent Night Buses
Transport for London have told us that the N18 bus will be running more frequently. From Saturday 18 January buses will operate:
- Every 7-8 minutes instead of every 10 minutes between Trafalgar Square and Sudbury on Friday and Saturday nights
- Every 15 minutes instead of every 30 minutes between Trafalgar Square and Harrow Weald on Friday and Saturday nights, doubling the frequency of buses between Sudbury and Harrow Weald
There is no change to the frequency on any other night of the week.
St Stephen’s Gardens
We were pleased that last year the Notting Hill East Neighbourhood Forum (NHENF) received grant funding from the Greening Westminster scheme at the Council to make improvements to St Stephen’s Gardens. We are glad that works are due to take place from mid-February.
Gloucester Terrace
Last year we shared a consultation for improvement works around the crossings on Gloucester Terrace that lead up to the A40. We are glad that work to improve safety at the crossing will be starting in March.
Ward Budget Applications
Applications remain open to organisations and clubs to apply for project funding which benefits local residents: https://www.westminster.gov.uk/about-council/democracy/apply-ward-budget-funding. If you would like to apply for ward funding for a project but don’t know where to start, please get in touch with us and we’ll be happy to assist you with your application.
The Whiteley Community Foundation
The developers behind the Whiteley are offering funding for organisations and individuals who want to make a difference in the area, with a focus on projects that benefit young people. Please get in touch with us for more information.
Don’t Lose Your Vote
Whether you’re registering for the first time or recently changed your address, make sure you’re registered to vote by following this link. It takes just a few minutes, and you can register for a postal vote which gives you the option of posting your vote in case you’re away, unwell or busy on election day.