Residents First

Safest Parks

Two parks in Hammersmith & Fulham have won a prestigious award.

Normand Park in Fulham and Brook Green in Hammersmith were both awarded the coveted Silver Safer Park Award at a special awards ceremony at City Hall.

Closer working between residents, the police and the council is one of the main reasons why they have been named amongst the safest open spaces in London.

Hammersmith & Fulham Council has its very own, council-funded Parks Constabulary, whose officers work every day of the year to keep the borough’s parks and open spaces safe. The officers provide a friendly face for  visitors to the borough’s parks but also deal with crimes including vandalism and drug taking, and issues regarding dangerous dogs.

New proposals to secure future of Barons Court Library

Exciting proposals to secure the future of Barons Court Library have been announced by Hammersmith & Fulham (H&F) Council.

The council is set to team up with the Citizens Advice Bureau (CAB) who will move into the building in April 2012 and run their advice and information services alongside the library.

The new facility will be known as the Avonmore Library and Neighbourhood Centre. If the plans are approved by Cabinet on December 5, CAB will manage and train local volunteers to run the self-serve library. In addition, The Urban Partnership Group will run parent and child sessions at the new centre.

The council will also be spending almost £400,000 refurbishing the building and installing the library self service machine. Repairs will be made to the roof, wheelchair accessibility will be improved and new lavatories installed along with greatly improved energy efficient lighting and improved heating. The library will close in January 2012 so that these improvements can be carried out.

Olympia topping out ceremony

Cllr Stephen Greenhalgh writes

Construction is well under way to complete Olympia’s West Hall. I was asked by EC&O Venues to be the Guest of Honour at the topping out ceremony last week. Apparently this is a ceremony held when the last beam is placed at the top of a building. I managed to avoid stepping into the wet concrete. Olympia has a vital role in west London’s economy. One in every five Londoners has visited Olympia in the past five years and it attracted 1.1 million visitors last year.

The council continues to lobby Transport for London to ensure that the much needed improvements to the Wimbledon branch of the District Line do not result of the removal of the Olympia service without satisfactory alternatives being put in place.

Maintain Olympia Line or improve transport infrastructure

If Transport for London (TfL) refuse to listen to local residents who want the Olympia branch of the District Line retained, a package of transport improvements must be carried out in the area, with ‘Boris Bikes’ installed and extra bus services laid on, argues Hammersmith & Fulham (H&F) Council.

TfL wants to increase capacity on the Wimbledon branch of the District line by withdrawing weekdays services on the Olympia spur – which it claims is ‘underused’.

However, residents around Olympia are worried about the loss of their local service – especially as the station is the only one in the area that provides easy step-free disabled access.

Bravery of rank and file police officers should not be forgotten

Cllr Joe Carlebach has sent the following letter to the Evening Standard

Dear Sir,

In the midst of the tragic scenes that we have all witnessed unfolding in front of our eyes across the streets of our city over the last few days we should not forget the bravery and commitment of rank and file Police officers.

Many have now been working for a number of nights without getting proper rest. They have had all leave cancelled at a time when many of us are thinking about, or are on holiday. Let's not forget Police officers do have families too. These Officers have had to confront the most significant acts of criminality and barbarity we have seen on our streets for many years. They are all that stand between us the unacceptable rule of the mob.

Morale in the Met in particular has not been good for some time for a whole host of reasons. It is absolutely critical now that rank and file officers understand with real clarity that the overwhelming majority of the people of London support them in their very difficult task ahead over the next few evenings and indeed in the weeks ahead.

In the postmortem of recent events hard questions will need to be asked about the apparent lack of planning, readiness and deployment of Police resources, but these are matters for the senior leadership of the Met and indeed of politicians from across the political spectrum, these are not issues for rank and file officers.

We must never forget the dedication and bravery of ordinary officers. Our thoughts and prayers should be with them and their families.

Councillor Joe Carlebach
Avonmore & Brook Green Ward

Council calls on TfL to find Olympia Line solution

Controversial proposals to withdraw trains from the Olympia branch of the District Line on weekdays were debated at a public meeting yesterday evening.

Around 300 residents attended the meeting at Olympia’s Pillar Hall last night (July 26) to discuss Transport for London’s (TfL) plans to scale back services on the District Line to Olympia.

TfL wants to increase capacity on the Wimbledon branch of the District line by withdrawing weekdays services on the Olympia spur – which it argues is ‘underused’.

However, residents around Olympia are worried about the loss of their local service – especially as the station is the only one in the area that provides easy step-free disabled access.

Councillor Joe Carlebach, Hammersmith & Fulham (H&F) Council Cabinet Member for Community Care, represented the council at the meeting.

Meeting to discuss District Line proposals

Controversial proposals to withdraw trains from the Olympia branch of the District Line on weekdays will be debated at a public meeting at the end of the month.

Transport for London (TfL) wants to increase capacity on the Wimbledon branch of the District line, through Fulham, by scaling back services on the Underground to Olympia – which it argues is ‘underused’.

However, concerned residents around Olympia are worried about the loss of their local service – especially as the station is the only one in the area that provides easy step-free disabled access.

Hammersmith & Fulham Council has backed the improvements on the Wimbledon branch but does not want them to be at the expense of the Olympia service. The connection could become even more critical, to residents and visitors alike, as the current owner of Olympia Capital & Counties (Capco) has submitted plans to redevelop Earl's Court and intends to consolidate their existing conference and exhibition business at an enhanced Olympia venue.

Now residents, local businesses and affected groups have the opportunity to let TfL know what they think face-to-face at a public meeting with Underground bosses at 7pm on Tuesday, 26 July in the Pillar Hall of Olympia.

Council Cabinet Members, the local MP, and ward councillors are all expected to attend to press London Underground for a satisfactory solution.

Councillor Nick Botterill, H&F Council Deputy Leader, says:

“TfL needs to be brave and come up with a solution that works for the whole borough.

“Councillors have met with TfL to insist that the enhanced service on the Wimbledon line should not result in fewer trains to an important venue and area like Olympia. We persuaded them to extend their consultation and now we need them to agree to protect the Olympia service while maintaining their improved plans for the Wimbledon branch.

“Improvements to the Wimbledon branch have been welcomed by many residents in the south of the borough but we do not want this to come at the expense of people living around Olympia.”

TfL says it has increased the number of off-peak Overground services to Olympia to five an hour and that that the Olympia Underground service will continue to run at weekends and when major events are on at the exhibition and conference centre.

To have your say on the District line proposals call TfL on 0845 330 9880

"The time is always right, to do what is right." Maiden speech from Cllr Joe Carlebach

 Cllr Joe Carlebach delivered the following speech at the Council meeting on June 30th:

Mayor, Fellow Councillors, Ladies and Gentlemen,

This is my maiden speech, my first in this chamber since my election last month. These are not quite the circumstances I had envisaged for my maiden speech, however I would like to start by paying tribute to my predecessor in the Community Services portfolio, Councillor Antony Lillis.

Antony was one of the people who encouraged me to get involved in local politics. He was a huge character and a great force for good in our Borough. To follow in his foot steps and do justice to his legacy is clearly going to be a challenge.

I would also like to pay tribute on this occasion to Peter Meldrum. A close friend and colleague for over 25 years who taught me a lot about compassionate conservatism, philanthropy and leadership. Tragically last March following a brief and uncharacteristic period of depression Pete took his own life close to his family home in Dallas. His loss has taught me a hard lesson about the pain and suffering mental illness can inflict on those who suffer from it and on their friends and family.

These are very difficult times for all of us but despite that I hope to be able to make progress and add real value to the brief I currently hold including in the area of mental health and I do this in memory of Pete.

Residents strike a blow against the Nightmare on North End Crescent

On Tuesday night, the Crescent Club had its application for even longer opening hours (upto 5am on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays) turned down by the Councils Licensing Sub Committee.

In an unusually tense meeting residents put their case to the panel backed by over 270 valid objections from the clubs neighbours citing multiple occasions of noise, disruption and anti social behaviour which appears to have originated from the club.

The clubs owners, backed by their lawyers and a licensing consultant, failed to convince the panel that what they were proposing would add anything to the local community and that the club was not in fact, the cause of the multiple problem residents had complained about.

Many residents made it clear that they did not think the owners of the venue were “bad people” but that they did not seem to appreciate the very real disruption the club has caused the local area since it opened last year.

Many residents expressed their gratitude to Shaun Bailey for the hard work he had undertaken to support the residents.

Shaun was also delighted with the result and whilst acknowledging that the campaign had received cross party support he was proud to be particularly associated with the case against the clubs extended hours application and especially in actively supporting a local people trying to deal with what was for them a very serious and difficult issue.  One resident even quipped “when the chips are down, Shaun’s our man!”

It is the hope of the residents that a better relationship can be built with the club to reduce the noise and anti social behaviour returning the area to its more natural environment as a quite and much loved residential location.

Joe Carlebach
Avonmore & Brooke Green Conservative Action Team

Nightmare on North End Crescent

Many residents in Avonmore and Brook Green will have received a letter from Shaun Bailey, Conservative Parliamentary Candidate for Hammersmith, with information relating to the current license application by The Crescent (formerly known as The Fox.) for an extension to its current operating hours to 5am on a Thursday, Friday and Saturday night.

This is a totally unacceptable proposition for a club that is located in the heart of a residential area and indeed in one of the most densely populated areas in London and the entire country.

Residents have the right to peaceful enjoyment of their neighbourhood and what is clear is that such a license extension would deprive many in the area of that right.

My fears are not based on prejudice and irrational concerns I have formed my view based on hard facts and residents testimonies that have come to light since the club first opened its doors.

I would urge the club owners to re think and try to understand the very legitimate concerns of their neighbours – our residents. Residents of this ward are not unreasonable and if the owners of The Crescent took a more conciliatory approach they might be able to run their business more successfully and allow local residents to go about their business in peace.

I would strongly urge all those concerned about this licence extension application to object formally. I understand that objections MUST be received by 29th May 2009 in order to be counted.

Thanks to the very poor licensing legislation passed by the current Labour Government, your objection can ONLY be given consideration (no matter how valid otherwise) if it makes reference to at least one of the four licensing objectives as the grounds for your opposition:

• the prevention of crime and disorder,
• promotion of public safety,
• the prevention of public nuisance,
• the protection of children from harm.

It is absolutely vital that you object to this license application if you don’t want the prospect of persistent disruption, noise and related anti social behaviour right in the heart of our community.

As Shaun asks in his letter I would be very grateful if you would be kind enough to copy your objection you to me and my colleagues in the local Conservative Action Team at 4 Greyhound Road, London W6 8NX or shaun@shaunbailey.co.uk.

We all worked hard to prevent The Crescent gaining a license for lap dancing which would have been a disaster for our community had they got their way.

We have another significant test now with this new license application and the threat this poses to our right to peacefully enjoy the neighbourhood in which we, our children and our friends and families live.

I have no doubt that if we all act now we can put a stop to this unwelcome intrusion!

Joe Carlebach
Avonmore & Brook Green Conservative Action Team