6 minute read
Ealing Notes
By Will French, Roger Green, Eric Leach and Steve Toft
Low Traffic Neighbourhoods (LTNs)
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On 11 February 2021, Ealing Council conceded to a Judge that it had made mistakes in its 2020 LTN Experimental Traffic Orders (ETOs). Implementing these ETOs resulted in the construction of 30 road blocks in Ealing, using planters and bollards. As a result of these mistakes the Council revoked the ETOs and had to pay the legal bills of objectors who mounted a legal challenge against the Council’s ETOs.
Initially in 2020 removable bollards prevented private vehicles from driving through these road blocks. These bollards were regularly ‘illegally’ removed and the Council then removed all the bollards. Enforcement continued using fixed and mobile Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) cameras. In 28 January 2021 the Council removed some nationally unapproved green ‘ROAD OPEN’ signs which had graced the sides of the planters for some weeks. 1,000s of Penalty Charge Notices (PCNs) have been issued to people who have driven through the road block gaps. On 17 February 2021, new LTN ETOs came into force. However most of the complaints by residents apply equally to these new ETOs as applied to the original ones.
For more information: www.oneealing.co.uk
Covid-19
During the Winter Ealing had consistently high rates of infection – sometimes the highest in London. Since early January rates across Ealing have fallen. The mass vaccination effort in Ealing has been impressive. It’s no coincidence that all four mass vaccination centres are being run by local NHS Trust, Clinical Commissioning Group, GP Surgery and Community Pharmacy staff. Contrast this with the centralised fiasco of PPE equipment sourcing in 2020 and the continuing, poorly performing Test & Trace initiative being run by Serco and management consultants.
In February we had mass asymptomatic testing for the Covid-19 South African variant in Dean Gardens car park and home testing in parts of W7 and W13. Probably few positives will be discovered in a meaningless and very expensive exercise. By mid February over 46,000 Ealing residents had been vaccinated.
You can find out on a daily basis the number of new Covid-19 cases in your neighbourhood and the current Covid-19 infection rate at:
coronavirus-staging.data.gov.uk
Perceval House
Previous Neighbours Papers have described the Council’s controversial plans in partnership with the Vistry group, to demolish its Perceval House offices, and replace them with new offices a new public library and 477 flats in tower blocks up to 26 storeys high. The plans were presented to the 17th February 2021 Planning Committee and fiercely criticised by Rupa Huq MP and Cllr Seema Kumar. To the surprise of all, after two hours of heated debate, members voted to defer proceedings.
The scheme will be brought back to a future planning meeting soon. It has been condemned by over 1,700 objectors who think the Council is trying to cram too much onto a very cramped site. They say the resulting development will do serious harm to Ealing’s historic character and several key listed buildings, particularly by setting a precedent for a cluster of high buildings in central Ealing, and depriving surrounding homes of their natural light. Critics also criticise the inadequate provision of affordable housing, an insufficiency of family homes and the lack of play space
Even if the Council approves the proposals, as it was expected to do on the 17th February, the plans have to go to the GLA for the London Mayor to approve. The delay threatens to complicate things seriously as the row will be caught up in campaigning for the May 2021 Mayoral elections. Parties from all sides of the political divide look like being inundated with objections to the plans from critics.
For more information:
www.ealingmatters.org.uk www.stopthetowers.org
Victoria Hall
Ealing Council is struggling to meet the 2 April 2021 deadline that it hopes will clear the way to selling off Ealing Town Hall to a boutique hotel developer. In April 2020 the Charity Commission gave the Council 12 months to make significant changes to its plan to take control of the Victoria Hall Trust which owns more than 20% of the Ealing Town Hall site.
The Council has spent £2m trying to bring the 2016 deal to fruition. A significant amount of this has been spent on legal and other fees because it had overlooked the significance of the Trust until it was pointed out by a member of the public. In a series of meetings since April 2020, the Council’s General Purposes Committee (GPC) has met in its guise as Trustees of the charity to agree how they should respond to the Commission. The GPC has continued to ignore some key Charity Commission requirements.
At the 16 February 2021 GPC meeting, the Friends of the Victoria Hall (FoVH) called for a board of trustees genuinely able to act only in the interests of the Trust, independent of the Council. FoVH also condemned the reduced lettable space from which the community would be barred from use over the weekend, and which could not be used for large scale events, such as concerts and religious festivals.
If the Commission does not approve the Council’s plans then the Victoria Hall Trust changes will need to be consulted upon again - a process that would add a further six-month delay and add yet more cost to the ill-fated Town Hall sell-off.
For more information:
www.savethevictoriahall.weebly.com
The Future Beckons For Warren Farm Nature Reserve
The decision by QPR to abandon its plans for a training facility at Warren Farm left the obvious question: What should be the future of this large green space in the middle of our borough? In these times of Covid-19 lockdowns and climate emergency, Brent River & Canal Society (BRCS) put forward a significant proposal.
The BRCS, which campaigned successfully to create the Brent River Park in the 1970s, published its vision for Warren Farm becoming a statutory Local Nature Reserve in October 2020. Long Wood, south of Warren Farm, already has this designation. If implemented, the plan would create a vast urban nature reserve in the heart of West London consisting of meadow habitats.
BRCS trustees Phil Belman and Katie Boyles launched a campaign in support of the plan in January 2021. They have already signed up some prominent backers such as Lord Randall of Uxbridge, forensic botanist Mark A Spencer, the Barn Owl Trust, the Ramblers and National Park City. The petition had reached 6,000 signatures by mid-February.
Map of the proposed nature reserve
Since Ealing Council stopped using Warren Farm as a sports facility, the meadow has rewilded, forming a unique urban grassland. Species of birds, mammals, plants, reptiles and insects which are rare in London have been recorded thriving on the land.
Mr Belman remarked: “It is not by chance that great wildlife sightings keep coming in from Warren Farm. Its precious acid and neutral grassland habitats, its scarce birds, reptiles, amphibians and plants make this a fantastic asset for the people of Ealing. Our expert surveys have provided overwhelming evidence to justify the Statutory Local Nature Reserve designation.”
BRCS says it is ready to offer its support and expertise to work with Ealing Council to achieve this vision. The Warren Farm Nature Reserve campaigners aim to see this on the agenda for the Mayoral election this year and the May 2022 Council elections.
