As councillors, we get asked a lot about recycling - what goes in the black box, what doesn’t, and why not. The good news is, from April 1st (and no, it’s not an April Fools gag!), more day-to-day waste will be able to go in the black recycling box and get collected.

New things that can be recycled will be plastics like yogurt pots, food trays, plastic bags and drink cartons. These can go in the box alongside your usuals like cardboard, paper, cans and glass. They’ll get taken away to be recycled rather than just dumped in a landfill. So it works for you when you’re recycling, and it’s good for everyone in the long-term too.

Unfortunately we still wont be able to recycle things like kid’s toys, ceramics, CDs or video cassettes - but I’m sure the local charity shop would be glad of them! If you can’t carry them down there, then do drop myself, Jane Morgan or Sheila Smith-Pryor a line via this website and we can pop round and help take things to the charity shop for you.

Read the rest of this entry.

A new planning application for Larkshall car park in being heard by the council’s Planning Committee on Tuesday 2nd March. The application is for a major development, and your local Lib Dem councillors will be speaking against it.

The application is being heard at the same time as an appeal is being processed for a separate but very similar application on the same site. The car park is opposite when the proposed Tesco will be, and we’ve heard a lot of residents object to the size of the proposed development. It is big, and when you consider it alongside the massive Tesco proposals, we think it’s a huge over-development in Highams Park.

Lib Dem councillor Sheila Smith-Pryor will be speaking against it, and we expect a number of residents to attend the meeting, which starts at 7.30pm. We’ll let you know what happens.

Nick

It’s not a very sexy subject, but no one can fail to have noticed the number of potholes appearing in the roads recently. A combination of recent freezing temperatures, high use of gritting salt and long-term underinvestment in the borough’s road network have caused a lot of the roads to break up.

A council assessment shows that there are over 5,000 potholes, and more will probably appear as long as the severe weather continues. The council estimates that the cost of repairs is around £350,000. Out of the existing roads budget, £100k has already been re-directed for urgent pothole repairs.

So, what else can be done?

We’d still like people to report potholes, either to the council or to any of us Lib Dem councillors, and we’ll pass them on to the council. Priority is being given to potholes depper than 40mm - they should be filled within 24 hours.

Read the rest of this entry.

Your local Lib Dem councillors are pleased to see a new addition to the ward! An information board can be found at the junction of Hale End Road and Oak Hill, opposite the Royal Oak pub. It’s on the original village green of Hale End, the first settlement in the area.

The board outlines the area’s history and shows Beech Hall which was was demolished in 1964 and the Oak cottages where the ‘Tottenham Outrage’ robbery ended. Councillor Jane Morgan helped to get the board put in. Read the rest of this entry.

Residents in and around Belle Vue Road and Forest Road in Hale End will remember that they were recently consulted by the council about ideas to change the local roads. There were various proposals including new parking restrictions, moving pedestrian crossings on Forest Road and altering the width of Forest Road.

Following the consultation, you Lib Dem Focus Team have heard that the council’s proposals have changed and they may consult residents again. We are hoping to meet council officers next week (week of 18 Jan) to hear more about the changes.

Once we’ve got details confirmed about what has changed and why, we will let you know. In the meantime, if any residents living around Belle Vue Road or the Hale End part of Forest Road have got concerns or questions about the original proposals, please contact me via this website, and I’ll make sure the issues are raised with officers.

Cllrs Jane Morgan and Nick Bason recently visited Thorpe Hall Primary School to talk to parents about the dangerous traffic situation outside the school:

Parents we spoke to voiced concerns about traffic speeding along Hale End Road and had encountered problems with parking regulations not being enforced. This means that it is dangerous for parents and children crossing the road to school.

We got the council to ensure the parking enforcement team regularly visit the area to tackle the problem. We want to hear from parents still experiencing problems as it helps us get the council to take action.

The path along the River Ching was cleared on Saturday 14 November in a clean-up organised by the Lib Dem Focus Team.

Despite the rain and wind, Cllrs Jane Morgan, Nick Bason and Sheila Smith-Pryor were joined by residents, local cubs and council officers to clear the path which runs between Hale End Road and Beech Hall Road.

We removed toilet seats, a paddling pool, fence panels and posts - in total, two skips were filled with rubbish. We have asked the council to place a boulder at the Hale End Road entrance to the path to deter fly-tippers. We will monitor it for any further dumping of rubbish.

A big thank you to all who came and helped!

Your Lib Dem Focus Team have organised a clear up of the Ching Path on Saturday 14th November 2009, and we’re looking for volunteer helpers!

We will be clearing the path, which runs between Hale End Road and Beech Hall Road. The path has a lot of litter and green waste on it. It is hazardous, unpleasant for local residents and not accessible.

The clear up will be between 10am and 3.30pm on Saturday 14th November. Gloves and equipment will be provide for all volunteers.You can come for as long as you want. Your help will be very much appreciated!

We aim to make the path a pleasant place to walk!

Lib Dem councillors Jane Morgan and Nick Bason have met with council officers and Tesco themselves to gain clarity for residents on the latest Tesco planning application. The application has been altered recently and some information circulating is now out of date. We want residents to have the full facts about the development. As of 23 July 2009, the application contains the following features:

Read the rest of this entry.

There are a number of conflicting reports about the proposed development of a Tesco store in Highams Park. The issue was raised again at the South Chingford Community Council meeting on Monday 13 July.

Your Lib Dem councillors have been in frequent contact with planning officers on the proposals. The situation as of Wednesday 15 July is this:

• The planning application will NOT go to Planning Committee in July, as reported in the press. It is tentatively scheduled in to go to Planning Committee in September.
• A number of different aspects of the plan are still being discussed. Images of the associated housing development on the site circulated in late June are out of date. The design is still being finalised.
• Issues about local traffic are also still being discussed with officers.

Your Lib Dem Focus Team will keep you updated on the proposals. Views at the South Chingford Community Council among residents remains mixed - some in favour, some not. The decision of Planning Committee will be solely on the application submitted, not on previous applications.

We would be happy to hear your views on the development - you can submit them via this website.

On Saturday 4 July your Lib Dem Focus Team arranged a blitz on trade waste around Highams Park parade. We know that there are problems with businesses on Winchester Road and Hale End Road leaving out their trade waste. Residents and local groups have contacted us about the rubbish asking for something to be done.

The Focus Team arranged for enforcement officers to visit every business on those roads checking waste disposal arrangements and clearing rubbish. We got senior staff from the council, as well as the Leader & Deputy Leader of the council and the portfolio holder to spend time in the area to see for themselves the problems and how we are solving them.

Cllrs Sheila Smith-Pryor, Jane Morgan & Nick Bason got officers to spend three hours talking to businesses. Enforcement action was taken against a number of businesses – however there were also success stories and many businesses are being responsible in how they dispose of their waste. There was interest from the local press and we were glad to bring council officers to hear from local businesses first-hand about their issues locally.

Read the rest of this entry.

Lib Dem councillors Jane Morgan and Nick Bason joined teachers and pupils from Thorpe Hall Primary School in cleaning up Railway Terrace on 15 June.

Railway Terrace is behind the school and has previously been targeted for fly-tipping. This has been a persistent problem. However, your Lib Dem Focus Team got the council to organise a Big Clean Up event to improve the area. Jane Morgan and Nick Bason joined enthusiastic pupils, teachers and council officers to blitz the Terrace, which is between Cobham Road and Thorpe Hall Road.

Read the rest of this entry.

The Lib Dem Focus Team welcome council plans to implement road safety measures across the ward, but warn the measures must be proportionate to the problem.

There are a number of schemes planned for 2009/10 in different areas of the ward, with residents still to be consulted on some schemes. Lib Dem councillors Sheila Smith-Pryor and Nick Bason have already intervened in traffic calming plans for the junction of The Charter Road and Henry’s Avenue. Councillor Jane Morgan has urged further investigation into planned parking measures around Belle Vue Road and Hillcrest Road. We listened to residents’ views on both these schemes and took action to persuade the council that measures needed to be proportionate to the problem.

A new road safety scheme is planned along Forest Road, between Woodford New Road and Hale End Road. Consultation leaflets will be going out to residents over the next few months. A public consultation on measures to reduce accidents on Hale End Road between Forest Road and Wadham Road has recently closed, with a good level of interest from residents.

Councillor Nick Bason said: “We are pleased that the council is taking road safety in Hale End & Highams Park seriously, and is backing that up with financial investment. It is crucial that the views of residents are taken into account when designing schemes. The Lib Dems will continue to help find a consensus between the council and residents, to ensure Hale End & Highams Park is safe for all road users.”

If you have concerns about road safety in Hale End & Highams Park, get in touch and let us know your views.

Your Hale End & Highams Park Lib Dem Focus Team have produced a version of the story about The Regal fencing for YouTube. The video can be seen at:

http://www.youtube.com/nickbason

We’ll be adding more video updates over the coming weeks and months as another way of keeping you in touch with what we’ve been doing. Please drop me a line about what you’d like to hear about, and do keep checking back!

Following pressure from the Liberal Democrat Focus team, the council are to force the owners of the The Regal (also known as the T Bar) in Highams Park to remove the fencing around the property.

The Regal is on the corner of Hale End Road and Beech Hall Road, near Highams Park Station. The fencing has been up for a long time and there is frequently a lot of rubbish collecting behind it. The Lib Dem councillors have been pressing the council to get the fencing removed for some time, following complaints from residents. However as the fencing is technically on privately owned land, progress has been slow.

At the beginning on June 2009 however, council officers confirmed to your councillors that they have started legal procedings against the owners to force them to take the fencing down. This action may also affect some other parts of the unsightly facade on Beech Hall Road. Council officers expect the action to take up to three months. Your local Lib Dem Focus Team will make sure the council follow through on the promise.

As part of the Hale End Road Safety scheme (between the railway crossing and Wadham Bridge) – funded by Transport for London – various safety features such as built out kerbs and islands are now a feature. Particularly welcome to many local residents are the THREE new pedestrian crossings which are now in operation:

1] at the Hale End Road/Wadham Road junction

2] at this same junction on Wadham Bridge itself

3] part-way along Hale End Road near the junctions of Forest Mount Road on one side and Malvern Avenue on the other.

In addition to these measures, there has been re-surfacing and there are fresh markings.

It is hoped that all these measures will improve safety for motorists, cyclists and pedestrians - and that above all, there will be fewer problems with speeding traffic.

Local residents have expressed their approval of the hanging baskets, which now brighten the Highams Park scene.
 

This was a project proposed and worked out by the Highams Park Residents’ Association. It was supported in a vote at the South.Chingford and Highams Park Community Council as an initiative that should receive funding. The baskets have brought much colour to the local shopping centre.