Norfolk Crescent
Norfolk Crescent

HYDE PARK WARD LABOUR ACTION REPORT – June 2021

News from your Hyde Park Labour Action Team – Judith Southern, Paul Fisher, Md Chowdhury and Paul Dimoldenberg

NEWS AND ACTION 

The Hyde Park Estate area, bounded by Edgware Road/Bayswater Road and Sussex Gardens  

Portsea Mews

We asked the Hyde Park Estate to let us have information on when properties in Portsea Mews will be occupied. All the mews houses in the Mews appear to empty and unoccupied. We received the following response:

“The Commissioners are currently working on feasibility options for the sensitive redevelopment of the Portsea Mews site that will respect the unique heritage of the buildings as a working, commercial mews. We will be looking to bring these forward in due course.”

We hope there is action soon. The local police reported recently, “Following reports of ASB and drug use within the area of Portsea Place, local officers are conducting regular patrols at the location”.

Sussex Mews West

Residents responded to our recent Mews survey by telling us:

“We live very close to the Royal Lancaster hotel and have noticed during the last year the welcome absence of smokers from the hotel coming into our mews. There were no facilities to smoke in the hotel. Groups congregate talking loudly and smoking and it is a horrible atmosphere. The groups are often at functions at the hotel if not staying there.”

We asked The Royal Lancaster Hotel about this and the Manager told us:

“I empathise with residents’ concerns. We will continue to manage these to the best of our ability, as we did before, by having Security placed on the entrance and pointing guests to our hotel smoking area, encouraging them to stay on property and not cross the road into the neighbourhood; unfortunately, as I’m sure you can imagine, we cannot physically prevent any attendees from venturing out, but rest assured we will continue to do our best.”

Park West

We are helping a Park West resident who has had his water supply and key fob turned off. We have also heard of concerns about a resident who pays loud music which disturbs the other residents in the block.

Albion Gate

A 3-month Closure Order is now in place at 35 Albion Gate, W2. The Police say, “Anyone entering or remaining in the premises will be liable for arrest. This Closure Order has been put in place due to persistent anti-social behaviour and breaches of coronavirus regulations at the location.”

Hyde Park Estate Residents – HyPER

HyPER, a new residents’ group has been established by Hyde Park Estate residents. For more details, visit https://hyper.uk/

The Star Street area, between Sussex Gardens and Praed Street  

Bouverie Place/Star Street/St Michael Street

We have again asked the local police to investigate residents’ reports of crack being used in the Bouverie Place/Star Street/St Michael Street area. Residents say:

“I have witnessed a lot of activity over recent months – people stood in plain sight lighting crack pipes etc as St Michael’s Street has turned into a real rat run so to speak – a quiet route along which many drug users/customers/dealers shuttle along. There is also drug taking on the corner of Edna House on corner of Norfolk Square and Norfolk Place. Another resident said he saw someone try every door handle to find an open car. Anti-Social Behaviour appears to have escalated beyond what was bearable.” 

St Michael’s Street 

We have contacted Notting Hill Genesis about rubbish in the basement area of a property in St Michael’s Street which is said to be causing drainage problems.

Southwick Street

We have been contacted by a resident who says the two benches outside 38 Southwick Street are “attracting anti-social behaviour particularly in the evening and night times. Anti-social activities, prostitution, drugs and food remains attract vermin etc.”

We have contacted the police and the Council about this.

Do you think these benches should be relocated elsewhere? Please let us know what you think

Royal Exchange, Sale Place

We’re delighted to hear that the Royal Exchange on Sale Place has re-opened on Wednesdays-Fridays 4pm-11.30pm and Saturday and Sunday from 12noon-11.30pm. Monday -Tuesday coming soon. Beer, Cider & Pizza. Follow on Twitter @RoyalExchangeW2

Edgware Road area

Empty Shops

We have called for action on the growing number of vacant retail/restaurant premises on Edgware Road. The shop and restaurant premises are in a very poor condition, often fly-posted. Councillor Paul Dimoldenberg, Labour City Management spokesperson, has written to both Westminster Council and the Marble Arch Business Improvement District (BID) to call for action be taken to work with property owners and landlords to bring these premises back in to use.

https://www.westminsterlabour.org.uk/ward-news/2021/05/28/labour-calls-for-action-on-empty-shops-on-edgware-road/

Begging

We have asked the Council to take action on this issue on Edgware Road where residents say there is “aggressive begging and probably gang or trafficked people begging at traffic lights. It’s the same people for months, like on a rota and well organised. I can’t believe anyone does that by choice. “

The Chapel Street, Cabbell Street and Transept Street area 

We are continuing to monitor rubbish dumping in the street and report issues direct to the Council. You can contact us with any issues at HydeParkLabourActionTeam@gmail.com

The Paddington Basin/Sheldon Square area 

Cladding scandal

Following the recent fire in east London, Paul Dimoldenberg wrote a letter to the ‘Westminster Extra’ calling on the Government to make those responsible for these unsafe buildings pay to fix the problems.

http://westendextra.com/article/for-some-people-in-high-rise-blocks-the-nightmare-continues

In the House of Commons, Government MPs voted down, by a majority of 138, a Labour motion calling for the government to force developers to carry out all remediation work necessary to make buildings with Grenfell-style cladding safe by June 2022.

https://labourlist.org/2021/05/tories-vote-down-labour-motion-to-make-safe-buildings-affected-by-cladding-crisis/

Sheldon Square

Residents of Sheldon Square who are Network Homes shared owners have contacted us about their situation regarding the installation of air conditioning units.  Residents say, “There is a serious issue of overheating in our flats, we have been suffering for years and people were fainting last summer with the out of the ordinary heat we experienced!”. Half the flats are managed by Notting Hill Genesis and half by Network Homes.

We have already been in touch with Notting Hill Genesis who say, “We are hopeful we will be able to cover the majority (if not all) of the costs of the air conditioning, although we need to receive the feasibility report from our consultants before we can confirm this to our residents.”

We have now written to Network Homes to say that we hope that Network, too, will be able to cover the majority (if not all) of the costs.

We have also written to Paddington Central about the new parking regulations which have been introduced.

Montgomery House – parking

We are continuing to press the Council to increase the number of residents’ parking spaces in the area. If parking is a problem for you, please get in touch with us at HydeParkLabourActionTeam@gmail.com

Travis Perkins site

A planning application is expected in early July. For details of the Unite student accommodation proposals visit https://www.balticwharfpaddington.co.uk

Former Paddington Green Police Station

You can read the latest on the plans for the former Paddington Green Police Station site here https://londonnewsonline.co.uk/new-skyscraper-could-replace-mets-former-counter-terrorism-hq/

A planning application has now been submitted and you can make comments on line at https://idoxpa.westminster.gov.uk/online-applications/ using reference 21/02193/FULL

Westbourne Terrace area

Westbourne Terrace

We have asked the Highways Team to investigate this issue:

“Residents of Westbourne Terrace have been trying for almost a decade to have the numerous National Express buses use the shorter route via Eastbourne Terrace to bring some relief to all the traffic being systematically diverted onto our residential street.

I was told by Westminster Council that this was a TfL decision, whilst National Express told me that they could not use Eastbourne Terrace given that the street showed as being closed. I therefore contacted TfL to ask them to update the relevant software to reflect the fact that the street has been reopened to traffic for more than a year. But this Kafkaesque situation got more bizarre with TfL’s response indicating that I should reach out to ….Westminster Council!”

Chilworth Street

We have asked the Highways Team to investigate this issue:

“Chilworth Street has been cordoned off a couple of weeks ago, and there has been no sign of activity since. It has been gathering junk ever since and looks increasingly awful. Are there any plans to one day restore the street?”

The Highways Team say:

“This was the old Crossrail compound site which is being prepared for a lesser area to be taken up by McLarens for the development of 40 Eastbourne Terrace.  I believe that there will be limited access through Chilworth Street once they are in situ.”

Residents have responded as follows and we have agreed ti keep a close eye on this issue:

“It is extremely disappointing that having suffered from 12 years of the awful Crossrail camping site, we will now have years of another unsightly and noisy building site, that will also inevitably never be cleaned and be constantly full of garbage, graffiti, and cigarette butts.”

Other Issues

Mews Survey

We have received a number of responses to our survey, including this from a Junction Mews resident:

“Stop crime in the area (theft of phones, robbing houses). Would like a broken window theory to clean up the neighbourhood and stop vagrants and get beggars off the streets. Criminals know the police don’t have the resources to pursue non-violent crime and they take advantage of the situation.  I’ll happily pay more taxes to fund the police and get these criminals in education programs/housing/job training or prison.  Worked for NYC”

“We have long suffered from prostitution activities in the area”, says a Southwick Mews resident and “Yes, mews are great places to live! But there are downsides” from a Sussex Mews West resident

If you are a mews resident, please let us know which issues are important to you by filling in our mews survey below.

https://www.westminsterlabour.org.uk/uncategorised/2021/04/12/hyde-park-mews-survey/

Marble Arch Vaccination Walk-In Centre

You might like to take advantage of the walk-in COVID-19 vaccination service (for first vaccines only) located at etc. venues Marble Arch, 86 Edgware Road, W2 2EA and is open Monday to Sunday from 9am to 7pm.

You can receive a vaccine if:

  • You are at high risk from coronavirus (ie. are ‘clinically extremely vulnerable’)
  • You are at moderate risk from coronavirus (ie. are ‘clinically vulnerable’)
  • You live or work in a care home
  • You are a health and social care worker
  • You have a learning disability
  • You are the main carer for someone who is at high risk from coronavirus.

There is no need to book an appointment. Simply bring proof of your age, name and address and your NHS number if you have it.

Local Police

You can keep an eye on the latest local crime information through the Met Police website:

https://www.met.police.uk/a/your-area/met/westminster/hyde-park/

Royal Parks toilets

We have contacted The Royal Parks about this issue:

“The toilets inside the Royal Parks (Kensington Gardens, Hyde Park and Regents Park) have changed access from putting a 20p coin into a slot to open the barrier, to having to put a debit or credit card onto a reader. The problem is that they just do not work, and nobody can get into the toilets. This is a huge nuisance and does need rectifying immediately. I have tried to find a park office, and of course there are never any attendants at the toilets to complain to.”

Voting by post

It is much easier, quicker and safer to vote by post. You have two weeks in which to cast your vote and you can vote at home. You can use this form to apply for a postal vote

https://www.westminster.gov.uk/sites/default/files/postal-vote-application-form.pdf

You can email your completed form to electoralservices@westminster.gov.uk    or post it to Electoral Services, Westminster City Council, 14th Floor City Hall, 64 Victoria Street, London, SW1E 6QP.

Survey of Residents’ Views 

We want to know what you think the Council’s priorities should be over the coming years. Please let us know by completing this short survey so we can take action on your priorities. Thank you

Bit.ly/hp-surv

E-scooters

The police have told us the following:

“Currently in the UK, you can legally buy an e-scooter, but you cannot ride it on a public road, cycle lane or pavement. The only place it can be used is on private land. The reason for this is that e-scooters are treated as motor vehicles by the Department of Transport and are subject to the same legal requirement as other vehicles, such as MOT, licencing, tax and insurance. Because they don’t always have number plates, signalling ability or visible rear lights, they cannot be used legally on the roads.

What happens if I am stopped by the police? The police will advise you on the law and may ask you to take your e-scooter home. They may, however, still penalise you depending on the seriousness of the offence. If caught riding an e-scooter, fines you may receive can include: (a) a Fixed Penalty Notice for no insurance, with a £300 fine and six penalty points, (b) a Fixed Penalty Notice for no driving licence, up to £100 fine and three-six penalty points.

Other offences which may result in penalties include riding on the footpath, using a mobile phone, riding through red lights and drink driving offences.”

‘Westminster Extra’

You can read the ‘Westminster Extra’ online

https://edition.pagesuite.com/html5/reader/production/default.aspx?pubname=&pubid=09649383-4dbb-4a3d-b164-9d26398578f3

Coronavirus (Covid-19) UPDATE

Dispelling the vaccination myths

Here is the link to a video featuring Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic celebrities dispelling myths about the vaccine and encouraging people to have the vaccination

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b2Ald__AhbI

Interactive Map

You can see the latest data for your area here

https://coronavirus.data.gov.uk/details/interactive-map

What you say

“Thank you for your swift action” 

“The number one issue is anti-social behaviour especially as it affects residents living in basements and at ground floor level, this has just got worse as has use of drugs and dealing. Someone complained to me recently about all the plastic bags lying around containing dog faeces. There are hardly any bins for disposal of rubbish generally, so people just leave take away food containers lying around. The lack of policing is a huge issue, too.” 

“Thank you so much for having looked into this so quickly” 

“Your enquiry and fast response are genuinely very appreciated”

“I am so glad you are taking Notting Hill Genesis to task over the poor state of their properties in St Michael St, Paddington.”

“I live at Junction Place and recently received your newsletter on Paddington & Hyde Park Matters. Thank you. I was grateful to read that you had asked the Council to remove an abandoned bicycle that had been chained up on the street.”

Please let us know if we can be of help or assistance on any local issues.

Please feel free to pass this report to your neighbours. If you know of anyone else who might like to receive this report, please send them this sign-up link http://bit.ly/signuplabnews

Please keep safe, stay well and look after yourself and your neighbours.

Regards

 

Judith Southern, Paul Fisher, Md Chowdhury and Paul Dimoldenberg

Your Hyde Park Ward Labour Action Team – Here to Help, All Year Round

 

You can contact us at HydeParkLabourActionTeam@gmail.com

Follow us on Facebook @LabourHydePark

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