ST JOHN’S WOOD LABOUR ACTION REPORT – November 2022
News from your Westminster Labour Councillors
Dear Resident
We hope you are well.
This is our latest Action Report on the issues we have been taking up on behalf of residents in the St John’s Wood area recently.
Please let us know if we can be of any help with issues in your street or block and we will do our very best to help.
St John’s Wood High Street
The Council is progressing with the St John’s Wood High Street Public Realm Project which proposes highway improvements to the High Street to improve pedestrian space and accessibility, traffic management, greening, whilst providing space for continued al fresco dining. The design includes the retention of one-way traffic from northbound to southbound, footway widening along the whole length of the High Street by approximately 1 metre on both sides, with larger buildouts and raised tables at junctions to provide crossing opportunities, 14 new street trees, benches, and new street lighting columns.
The second formal consultation on the highway design was held for three weeks in September and October. The consultation included a new website www.sjwhighstreet.co.uk, a letter drop to 3,600 addresses in the area, emails to statutory consultees, information and posters at the local library and in a High Street shop window, and use of social media channels to promote the scheme. There were 1,756 responses to the on-line questionnaire, with the majority in support, particularly from local residents.
St John’s Wood Road
We asked the Street Lighting Team to investigate this issue raised by a resident:
“I reported faulty street lights on St Johns Wood Road to Westminster council over a year ago but they’ve still not been fixed. I checked the ‘Report it’ site just now and every report has been closed but not resolved.”
The Street Lighting Team told us, “unfortunately St Johns Wood Road is not Westminster City Council maintained highway, this is maintained by TfL. If we receive a report for this area it is passed to their website https://streetcare.tfl.gov.uk/”
A few days later, the resident commented, “I just arrived home to find that the faulty Street lighting has been fixed! I can’t thank you enough. After such a long time, it was only yourself who could achieve this.”
Abbey Road/Clifton Hill
We have asked the Highways Team to investigate this issue at the corner of Clifton Hill and Abbey Road:
“When it rains a puddle forms on Abbey Road where there’s an island to facilitate crossing the road. It’s at the junction with Clifton Hill. There’s no drain there so the water just stays there. Any chance of fixing this? It’s the nearest place I can cross with a wheelchair.”
Harewood Avenue
We have asked the Street Lighting Team to fix a streetlight outside the Harewood Hotel on Harewood Avenue.
Nugent Terrace
We have asked the City Inspectors to investigate problems caused by regular rubbish dumping in Nugent Terrace. The City Inspector told us:
“The Council was seeking to issue a community protection notice against the perpetrator of the reported anti-social behaviour, this followed consultation with neighbours. A street ‘drop-in’ session, where residents/operators could discuss concerns around waste on Nugent Terrace, was also carried out on the 31stOctober. We have also been engaging with the perpetrator to make them aware of their responsibilities re correct disposal of waste. Contact had also been made with the property manager. As of yesterday, the waste had been removed from the ledge and it would appear that the perpetrator has abandoned the accommodation.”
Marlborough Place/Abbey Road
We have asked the Cycle Parking Team to investigate a break-in and theft of residents’ bikes from the cycle hangar in Marlborough Place/Abbey Road.
Marlborough Hill
We have been contacted by a resident about street and leaf sweeping in Marlborough Hill. The Street Sweeping Team explain how they tackle leaf sweeping,
“As part of the plan to tackle leaf fall, we have employed an additional 11 agency staff and two extra collection vehicles. However, the scale of the challenge means that we also pair-up the regular street sweepers across most of north Westminster, including Marlborough Hill, and other specific locations with large numbers of trees. Based on previous years’ experience, two people working together can accomplish more than double the output that they could working alone. Unfortunately, this does mean that on many streets the sweeping frequency drops during the leafing period.”
Air Quality
We have received thus update from the St John’s Wood Society:
“I am pleased to report that air quality (or, rather, nitrogen dioxide concentrations) in and around St John’s Wood seems to be improving again (after the covid-19 hiatus).
Maps and charts presenting data from the work of the St John’s Wood Society are available from a hyperlink towards the foot of the Society’s air quality webpage (or directly here). The purchase cost of diffusion tubes used by the Society is being funded from ward budgets.
Although those maps suggest that annual average concentrations across St John’s Wood are now within the current UK legal limit (except along TfL red routes), they are roughly three times greater than the guideline set during September last year by the World Health Organisation.”
St John’s Wood Underground Station
For a brief history of St John’s Wood Underground Station you can read this this short article https://www.mylondon.news/news/nostalgia/only-london-underground-station-you-24527926?utm_source=twitter.com&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=sharebar