News from your Church Street Labour Action Team – Fiona Parker and Councillors Matt Noble, Aicha Less and Aziz Toki
It’s been a busy start to the summer with lots of fantastic events celebrating our vibrant Church Street community.
In June Councillors Aicha Less and Aziz Toki joined residents at Greenside Community Centre for a joyful Eid al-Adha event in the summer sunshine.
The Church Street Antiques Fair welcomed Georgia Gould MP and the Lord Mayor of Westminster, featuring over 90 dealers from Alfie’s Antiques Market and 18 local shops.
More recently, Church Street Past and Present – organised by the award-winning Mosaic Community Trust – celebrated our area’s rich heritage.
And there’s so much more to look forward to, with plenty of fun and FREE activities for children and families throughout the summer holidays. See below for more details.
We hope you find this newsletter useful and informative. Please get in touch if there’s anything we can do to help – see our contact details below.
Aicha, Fiona, Aziz and Matt
We’re Here To Help
Get in touch if there’s something in your street or block that needs action or an issue that we can assist with. We will always do our best to help.
- Cllr Aicha Less: aless@westminster.gov.uk
- Cllr Matt Noble: mnoble@westminster.gov.uk
- Cllr Aziz Toki: atoki@westminster.gov.uk
- Fiona Parker: fiona4churchstreet@gmail.com
Or drop-in to one of our regular advice surgeries – every Tuesday from 5.30 – 6.30pm at Church Street Library, 67 Church Street, London NW8 8EU.
Please note that Councillors attend the surgery on a rota basis so if you have already contacted a Councillor about an issue, or if you would like to speak to a particular Councillor, please email them directly.
Report It
You can help keep Church Street clean and in good repair by reporting dumped rubbish, graffiti, broken paving stones, potholes, broken street lights, animal welfare concerns and more. Just click here Report It service.
Westminster Residents’ Survey 2025 – We’d Like To Hear From You!
Please take a few minutes to fill in our Residents’ Survey.
Labour gained control of Westminster Council from the Conservatives in May 2022. We’re keen to hear how you think we’re doing, as well as your views about your area and what the Council’s priorities should be for the future. Just click this link
Georgia Gould MP
Georgia Gould is our local Member of Parliament for Queen’s Park and Maida Vale Constituency, which covers Church Street Ward.
You can contact Georgia at: georgia.gould.mp@parliament.uk or call 020 8968 7999 10am – 12pm, Monday, Wednesday and Friday. Click here to sign up for Georgia’s regular newsletter by email.
New Powers To Tackle Anti-Social Behaviour
Labour-led Westminster City Council is taking action to help make Church Street safer, and more welcoming for everyone, with a range of new measures to the tackle antisocial behaviour blighting our neighbourhood.
The results are due shortly from a public consultation on proposed new Public Spaces Protection Orders (PSPOs), which would give Police and Council officers stronger powers to deal with issues like public urination, verbal abuse, drug use, dog fouling, and other disruptive behaviour affecting local people, businesses, and visitors.
Once in place, breaking a PSPO could lead to a fine of up to £1,000, with officers able to issue penalties on the spot.
Other new measures to tackle ASB include:
- £500,000 investment in new CCTV cameras to double the number of cameras to 200 across the borough
- the launch of a new Street-Based Intervention Team, combining City Inspectors and Homeless Outreach officers
- the recruitment of more City Inspectors to keep the City’s streets clean and safe, boosting deployment in existing teams and creating a new 8-member specialist Anti-Social Behaviour Team
Backing The Bakerloo Line
After years of underinvestment by the Conservatives, long-awaited improvements to the Bakerloo Line are finally on the way.
£2.2 billion has been made available under the Chancellor’s Spending Review to help Transport for London replace the old Bakerloo Line trains. In the meantime, TfL is increasing efforts to tackle graffiti and improve cleaning.
Westminster Council Leader Councillor Adam Hug welcomed the news: “I’m delighted the Labour Government is backing the Bakerloo with this long-overdue investment in new trains.
Introducing New Lifetime Tenancies
Labour-run Westminster has made tackling housing insecurity a top priority. Church Street council tenants will benefit from from new secure Lifetime Tenancies after the previous Conservative Council abandoned them.
The change follows a public consultation in March, with 86% of respondents backing Lifetime Tenancies. Rollout will be over the next year, with a push for other social housing providers to follow.
Benefits for tenants include:
- Greater housing security and peace of mind
- Protection of rent levels, tenancy rights, and services
- Stronger, more settled communities
Greener Neighbourhoods
The Labour-led Council is continuing its commitment to making Church Street a greener, cleaner and fairer place to live and work through its £500 million Greening Westminster Fund, which supports over 50 community-led projects.
Our scheme helps residents, charities, schools, and local organisations to turn dull, grey corners of their neighbourhoods into green spaces – with tree planting, kitchen gardens, pollinator-friendly flowers, and greener play areas
Repairs to Pavements and Roads
Labour Westminster Council has doubled investment in repairing and maintaining our roads and pavements, compared to the previous Conservative Council administration. In addition, the Labour Government has almost tripled funding to the Council for pothole repairs and highways maintenance.
As a result, the Council has been able to increase the number of local streets which will be resurfaced in the coming year including Edgware Road and Lisson Grove.
At the same time, the Council has achieved a 23% reduction in carbon emissions associated with highway maintenance for this year, compared to 2022/2023.
Regeneration News
Site A
The regeneration of Church Street will bring much-needed new affordable homes and improved community spaces to the area.
Demolition at Site A on Broadley Street continues, and we apologise for any inconvenience to residents and businesses caused by the work. The project is ramping up throughout the summer, with all the old buildings due to be taken down by September.
The demolition of the buildings on Site A will allow for the construction of 430 new homes (215 of which are affordable), a new library, improved facilities for market traders, and a new public space.
As part of the consultation on the building of Site A we asked residents to submit names for the six new buildings. We selected the top three themes – local characters, local area and the market and nature linked to the heritage of the community. Voting has now closed and once we have the winning theme the names will be submitted to Royal Mail, the emergency services and others. We’ll keep you updated on the final names.
Sites B and C
A newly appointed design team will work closely with residents over the coming months to revisit and improve the plans for Sites B and C, ensuring they reflect what matters most to the people who live and work in Church Street.
From September to December, a series of community workshops will give residents the chance to help shape the designs with participants compensated for their time. To join the workshops, register your interest by 29 August – either online or in person at the Regeneration Space, 56 Church Street, NW8 8ET.
Lisson Grove Programme
As part of the regeneration, new plans have been unveiled for the Lisson Grove programme. These designs aren’t final yet and will be shaped by feedback from residents. You have until October to have your say.
The project will replace the council building on Orchardson Street and Lilestone Street (6-12 Lilestone, Gayhurst House, Penn House and Greenside Community Centre) with 150 new homes, 50% of which will be affordable and new Health and Wellbeing Hub and community space. The Health and Wellbeing Hub will improve resident access to local services, including a new, purpose-built base for Westminster Adult Education Service.
To make sure your voice and those of your neighbours are heard, visit https://www.churchstreet.org/have_your_say
To stay up to date with plans for the regeneration, go to https://www.churchstreet.org/
Or visit the Regeneration Space, 56 Church Street, NW8 8ET. We also have a dedicated Church Street Westminster Employment Team who are based here Monday to Thursday 9am-5pm.
You can also get in touch via telephone or email on 020 7641 2968 or churchstreet@westminster.gov.uk
Safer Neighbourhood Team
Working with stakeholders, including the police, local businesses and residents, Church Street’s Safer Neighbourhood Team meet every quarter to discuss the area’s most pressing concerns. It represents a great opportunity to raise issues with the local police and council officers. If you are interested and would like to join please contact the chair, Glenys Arthur at glenysarthur616@gmail.com
Taking action with Lisson Green Tenants and Residents Association (TARA)
Collaborating with TARA to support residents of the Lisson Green Estate in addressing ongoing challenges resulting from the removal of gas supplies, with a focus on fire safety concerns, discontinued gas services, billing discrepancies, and potential impacts on property values.
Derry Hall
The 4 Rivers Residents Association raised concerns about the unavailability of their regular meeting venue, Derry Hall, which had been temporarily repurposed as a respite centre for the Fire Wardens stationed at Lisson Green. Councillor Aicha Less successfully arranged alternative accommodations for the Fire Wardens, allowing Derry Hall to once again be used for community meetings.
Summer Holiday Activities
Children and young people across Westminster can take part in a wide range of FREE recreational activities through the Our City HAF (Holiday Activities and Food) programme. Running until 31 August, the programme is open to children aged 4 to 16 eligible for free school meals.
From sports and arts and crafts to educational workshops and outdoor adventures, there is something for everyone. Highlights include the Bucket Hat and Summer Accessories Workshop and Nature Champions Activities.
As part of the HAF programme, all participants will receive free, healthy, and nutritious meals and snacks. To explore the full range of activities, visit ourcityorg.uk.
Strut the Triangle at Triangle Studios is a month-long programme of creative fashion workshopsrunning from 1-29 August culminating in a vibrant outdoor fashion on event on 30 August (2-4pm) where participants get to show off their stylish creations.
Elsewhere, The Cockpit Theatre has a full programme of events including theatre, jazz and opera, while also serving as a creative hub for the community. For more information go to www.thecockpit.org.uk/
Church Street Library also has plenty of activities for children and young people, including Chess Club, Lego Club and Games Club. Click here to find out more.
FREE Yoga Classes
- Yoga for men and women Mondays 7.30pm-8.45pm
- Yoga for women only on Tuesday’s, 10.30am-11.45am
Studio 1, Cockpit Theatre, Gateforth Street, NW8 8EH. Classes funded by Westminster Community Priorities Programme
|