| Free IT Support Session – 25th May
Following our first free IT Support session held earlier this year, we will be hosting our second IT Support session in partnership with Paddington Partnership and volunteers from Vodafone. It will be held on the 25th May 2pm-4pm in Pickering House on the Hallfield Estate. More information can be found on the below poster, which is being put up around Hallfield Estate and Brewers Court.
Hallfield Speeding
As mentioned in our previous update, we’ve been supportive of a resident petition to tackle persistent speeding on the Hallfield Estate. Since then we have been in discussions with officers about what we can do to resolve this issue. We arranged for speed counters to be installed last month in speeding hotspot locations, which gathered additional data to support further action.
Rough Sleeping (Pickering House)
We identified a family rough sleeping under the staircase of Pickering House. We have referred them to rough sleeping services to ensure they are provided with the right support and liaised with residents to inform policing colleagues.
Lord Mayor Visit to Youth Club
We were delighted to host the Lord Mayor at our youth club, to which we had provided additional ward budget to fund sessions over the Easter holidays, at the Westbourne Park Family Centre with Bayswater Councillors. It was wonderful to see children inspired by our Lord Mayor’s journey and story.
Hallfield Security Trial
We are also pleased to confirm that following our requests, the council’s night-time security trial will be continuing over the summer, where anti-social behaviour is often the worst on the estate, and into the autumn. At this point, there will then be a full-consultation with residents on whether they want to see this provision continue. If any residents have any immediate feedback or questions they’d like to share on the trial, please get in touch with Chris Shoubridge or Mitin Patel at cshoubridge@westminster.gov.uk and mpatel1@westminster.gov.uk.
Westbourne Terrace – Rough Sleeping and Break-ins
We have been alerted to a series of break-ins and rough sleeping within properties on Westbourne Terrace. We have been working with housing and policing colleagues to resolve this issue and ensure resident safety.
Craven Terrace
We were alerted to a potential planning and environmental health breach prior to Christmas on Craven Terrace. We have been working with affected residents and officers to ensure action is taken. We are pleased that officers have now visited the site to pursue the environmental health breach.
Pickering House Asbestos Removal Works
Leaseholders in Pickering House on the Hallfield Estate will have recently received a Section 20 Notice of Intention for major works to remove asbestos. If you have any questions, please do get in touch.
Council Housing Repairs – Multiple
We have been working with several residents to discuss on-going repairs and works on council properties, including persistent leaks within Reading House and various issues in individual properties. If you are a council tenant struggling with repairs, please do get in touch so we can work on your behalf.
Winchester House – Broken Lift
We were alerted that the Winchester House lift was broken again last month. With this having happened in April also, we were keen to understand what was causing this and how to ensure this is fixed for the longer term. We received the below update from officers:
“Thank you for bringing this to our attention. I can see that the lift was shut down following a reported breakdown on May 5th due to an encoder/ brake fault. The engineer found that the brake needed to be removed and either replaced or fixed by our contractors repair team. This has been booked in for today [Thursday 12th May] and I am keeping a close eye on it to ensure that if for whatever reason the lift cannot go back into service, residents are informed asap of any updates.
Prior to this, I can see that the lift was shut down in April also. A breakdown was reported on 13th April and the lift was shut down on the 14th. The lift was returned to service after 12 days, on April 26th. After investigating why this took some time, it was due to the need to hire a jack. This was necessary so the repairs engineer could check if there was an issue with the main motor.
We sincerely apologise for any inconveniences caused while this lift has been out. It is on our radar and we are keeping very close tabs on it.”
Craven Road – Cycle Parking
We can confirm that the Sheffield stands that were removed here due to emergency gas works, as mentioned in our last newsletter, have now all been replaced.
Update on Thames Water Surveys
We have been chasing Thames Water for updates on the results of the surveys they offered to carry out for residents at the end of last year. Results should have started being sent to residents towards the end of last month, with it estimated that these should all have been shared by the end of May. We have also discussed the possibility of Thames Water holding a drop-in session to enable residents to discuss their individual results.
We have also requested a complete summary of all the results, including detailing areas that were not surveyed. We are aware that some residents have received their results – we are collating responses so please do let us know if there are issues with your results, so we can include these in our emails to Thames Water on this important topic. We are also continuing to request additional surveys in properties that did not have one undertaken last year, so please do let us know if you would like us to raise this.
Lancaster Gate Tube Station
We have been in frequent contact with TfL regarding the return of last-minute closures of Lancaster Gate tube station, exacerbated further by the late closure of Queensway on certain days. We understand how frustrating this is for residents and businesses, and have once again requested that they provide us with earlier notice so we can send updates. Residents also reached out with concerns there were longer term plans to close the station – we can confirm that there are no such plans. The recent closures were due to staff shortages, but we are asking TfL if a longer term solution has been identified.
Airbnb Short-Term Lets
We have been working with residents who have identified Airbnb short-term lets in their block of flats. Freeholders, leaseholders and tenants (with permission from landlords) can legally rent their homes on this basis for up to 90 nights a year in Westminster without planning permission unless it is council-leased property. The properties must meet certain standards and, like all properties, they cannot cause excessive disruption to their neighbours. It is the responsibility of the person short-letting, not the guests, to ensure that their properties do not cause excessive disruption to neighbouring residents, by way of noise, anti-social behaviour or waste. Our short-term lettings team is investigating properties we identified for breaching the 90 nights limit. |
