Bayswater Action Report – June 2023

26th June, 2023

BAYSWATER ACTION REPORT – JUNE 2023

News from your Westminster Labour Councillors

ST MARY’S HOSPITAL LATEST: “Hugely damaging for health and healthcare of hundreds of thousands of people.”

The Government has broken its promise and announced that it is no longer investing in the redevelopment and much-needed refurbishment of St Mary’s Hospital in Paddington.

St Mary’s Hospital includes one of the busiest trauma and emergency centres in the capital, as well as providing extensive clinical services. Its planned upgrade and refurbishment is vital to continuing healthcare provision in Westminster.

Karen Buck MP explained, “St Mary’s inclusion on the list of the ‘40 new hospitals by 2030’ pledged by the government at the last election was welcome, if already overdue, news. St Mary’s, alongside Hammmersmith and Charing Cross in the Imperial NHS Trust, has the biggest maintenance backlog in the country, and the state of the buildings is a serious concern.”

Rebuilding, including a new hospital on the St Mary’s site, was supposed to be completed by 2030. Yet two weeks ago, the government dropped Imperial from the committed programme, a move which the Chief Executive of Imperial described as “hugely damaging for the health and healthcare of hundreds of thousands of people”

Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust has stated this announcement ‘does not reflect our understanding of next steps on the urgently needed redevelopment of our hospitals’.

Nafsika Butler-Thalassis, the city councillor and Cabinet Member for health services said, “we share the view of Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust that it is not viable to wait until 2030 to begin works on a new St. Mary’s, as it simply can’t keep being patched up.”

Councillor Butler-Thalassis has written to the Secretary of State for Health, Steve Barclay for clarification on the situation. “We will work with the Trust to help secure the full rebuild needed to protect this vital health resource in the heart of our city, with the necessary investment that has been promised for so long.”

Please show your support for St Mary’s. Register your name on our petition and call on the Secretary of State for Health to reverse this terrible decision

Public Participation at Full Council Meetings

As part of our Fairer Westminster Strategy anyone who lives, works or studies in Westminster is now invited to pose a question or present a petition in-person at Ordinary Full Council, this can be about a local issue or a wider question about the council. A 30-minute slot at the start of each meeting will now be dedicated to public questions and petitions. Each person speaking will be given up to two minutes to ask their questions and cabinet have up two minutes to respond. Check out the website for more information: Public participation at Full Council meetings | Westminster City Council

Improving Our High Streets – We Want To Hear From You

Westminster Council is investing £10M in improving high streets in Paddington and Bayswater including Edgware Road, Praed Street, Queensway, Westbourne Grove and local centres in between. This means over the coming years we will work with the local community to identify a range of projects the Council can invest in so these high streets can serve you better. Find out more and share your thoughts here:

https://engage.westminster.gov.uk/en-GB/folders/paddington-bayswater-high-streets

Poppy Appeal Organisers

As Armed Forces Champion, Cllr Ormsby wanted to highlight a vacancy with the British Legion. In Westminster there is currently a vacancy for a Poppy Appeal Organiser to coordinate Appeal activities within the NW1 postcode around Marylebone and Camden Town. Poppy Appeal Organisers will make a difference by raising vital funds to help support the Armed Forces community, by coordinating the collection of donations from the public during the two weeks at the end of October. Organisers will also raise awareness, helping people find out more about what RBL does. Organisers do not need to be an RBL member or have links to the Armed Forces community. If you’re interested, call 0345 845 1945 or follow this link.

BAYSWATER

Porchester Library and Leisure Centre

We continue to follow up with the responsible officers, who are negotiating on the costs and timings of the remaining works required to get the Library basement and closed studio reopened. Here is what we received from officers on 12th June:

Paddington Library

The remaining flooring removal will be completed today. Wall render removal will commence tomorrow and continue this week and possibly next week. This will then conclude the enabling works.

Porchester Studio and Paddington Library

The prices received are significantly inflated in certain areas and are subject to challenge. A meeting is arranged this week with the F+G Quantity Surveyor and the contractor and sub-contractor to review the pricing and negotiate a fair price for the works.

Porchester Roof Works

Works to remaining box gutter are underway. Internal works scope and timescales agreed but pricing awaited. Additional render repair price received and instructed with completion date awaited. A crash deck is required in the pool gallery due to rotten ceiling joists to facilitate the intrusive asbestos survey and further investigation prior to additional work being instructed. A price has been requested for this.

New Housing Services Estate Office To Open

We welcome the news that Westminster Council will open housing estate offices across Westminster, including in Bayswater, by the end of this year. The offices will “enable residents to drop in and speak face-to-face with the housing team about a range of issues including repairs and maintenance, or to seek advice if they need support with paying their bills.” Find out more here.

Hereford Road Wall And Tree Works

We received concerns from residents about proposed works to a garden wall and tree which backs onto Bridstow Place. We’ve received and passed on replies from Notting Hill Genesis who are responsible for the property, and would need to make an application to make alterations to the wall or tree, and also received responses from the Council’s planning and tree teams.

Westbourne Park Villas – Illegal Sound System

We received this plea from a Westbourne Park Villas resident.

On the last two Thursdays we have suffered due to an illegal sound system that is set up in the vicinity of Westbourne Green Sports Complex. Each time the loud music started at 8pm and ended at 11pm. I live in Westbourne Park Villas W2 and the music was so loud that it was difficult to watch my TV and relax before bedtime. These people are playing their music under the Westway and the sound echoes around all the surrounding area. There is also a DJ continuously talking on a microphone.

Last night just before 11pm the DJ said, “This is the last track but we’ll be back next week”, so clearly they think they can do this weekly. Each time I have phoned Westminster Noise Team and was given case numbers. Last night the Council called me back and said their officers were having to proceed with caution as drugs were involved and they may need to call the police to assist them. Once I was told this I didn’t feel very hopeful as the police are so busy and I’d imagine this wouldn’t be the top priority. Maggie, is there anything you can do to help with this issue? I’m really worried it’s going to happen every Thursday now it’s summer.

We received this welcome response from the Public Protection and Licensing Team

Due to fantastic partnership working across the council and police this week I am happy to report that the event on Torquay Street did not go ahead yesterday.

Following the service of an Abatement Notice on Wednesday evening, City Inspectors attended Torquay Street yesterday evening accompanied by our police partners. We were pleased to report that there was no event taking place.

Information our PPL colleagues shared with the police enabled them to identify the organiser of the event and confirmed that they had changed locations to an alternative borough. We have shared the information we hold with the relevant Council which we hope will enable them to act proactively to prevent any further disturbance to residents.

Princes Square

A resident has raised with us a loose kerbstone on Princes Square which we have raised with the highways team.

Pastada Cafe Moscow Road

We received a request for help from Pastada Cafe

We are having trouble acquiring a licence for our tables and chairs outside. We’ve been refused a pavement licence twice now. We are a new business and it has already been a massive struggle. We have most customers now asking to sit outside. I really hope you can help as this will make or break us.

The Head of Licensing Services said

I have spoken to the team about this. Initially they applied for something that was likely to be a problem but before they could agree a compromise they ran out of time. I have asked the team to speak to the applicant to help submit a revised application that can be granted.

Bridstow Place Traffic Calming And Reduction

We have asked officers to proceed with the interventions proposed by the highways team in response to resident concerns about speeding and traffic volumes, which are as follows:

20mph signs and roundels. – recommend 20mph roundels on the carriageway at either end and repeater signs either side of a lamp column near the centre.

Signage advising drivers that pedestrians will be in the road (due to the narrow pavements). One placed at either end of Bridstow Place on existing lamp columns.

Orsett Terrace

We are continuing to provide support to a local resident in their noise dispute with council officers.

Gloucester Terrace

We have received increasing reports of dumped rubbish on Gloucester Terrace. We have asked the city inspector to be hyper vigilant on this and urge you to report any instances through the council’s ‘Report it’ service (https://www.westminster.gov.uk/report-it).

Neighbourhood Plan – Notting Hill East

We met recently with the leadership of the Notting Hill East Neighbourhood Forum (NHENF) and council officers to discuss the development of NHENF’s neighbourhood plan.