![Battling Garden Grab in Coleridge Avenue]()
by Paul Scully | Jun 3, 2009 | Carshalton Central, News |
At the last Development Control Committee, residents from the Poets’ Estate made their feelings known about the latest in a string of applications to knock down an attractive house and build four houses in the garden. You can see from the number of residents in the picture, alongside Eric and Paul Kelly, that it isn’t just a few Nimbys complaining.
The application is wrong for a number of reasons. The house is situated on a tight bend. Up to eight cars coming in and out would present a real danger. There would be intolerable disturbance to number 38, next door. The garden often floods as a result of underground culverts that remain from the redirection of a brook that gave Brookfield Avenue its name. Two of the houses would be built directly on the affected area. I wouldn’t fancy buying one.
Finally, this is back garden development of the worst kind. Both main local parties have talked a good game about being against such planning applications. Both parties need to put their money where their mouth is and act.
I spoke to the committee about these problems. They were being asked to make a decision without knowing about the flooding, without any details of the ground levels and so the ridge levels of the housing and without details of protective landscaping. I was able to persuade them that they really cannot take a decision with so many unknowns and they decided to defer the decision until they could clarify these issues. Eric and I will keep local residents informed about progress and the date of the next meeting.
by Paul Scully | Jun 2, 2009 | News |
I’ve taken my eye off the ball in keeping the blog up to date in recent days so I’ve some catching up to do. A couple of weeks ago, I joined Sutton’s Trading Standards officers and local ward police in Carshalton to go on a tour of the area for a Rogue Trader day.
This entailed driving around the ward looking for any signs of building works and interviewing both the contractors and residents. Part of the exercise was to look out for rogue traders who prey on the vulnerable, overcharging them or creating opportunities for distraction burglaries. However, most of the time was spent on just making people aware. This allowed residents to take simple precautions so they did not fall victim to such scams. It also made contractors aware of the borough’s Safer Sutton Trader Scheme, which acts as both security for residents and an advertising opportunity for contractors. We finished off at a mobile exhibition in Carshalton Village where crime prevention officers were on hand to offer advice to residents.
I certainly appreciated the time spent by council officers and police officers explaining their roles and the effect that they have. Trading Standards is a small department that often gets overlooked as a lot of their work goes unsung. Even on our short trip, the police picked up some useful intelligence that may help prevent crime in the ward. That’s got to be time well spent.
by Paul Scully | May 22, 2009 | News |
I joined the Council’s Trading Standards officers and police officers from the local Safer Neighbourhood Team.
by Paul Scully | May 22, 2009 | News |
Until Cllr. Eric Howell intervened, Sutton Council was one of a small number of London boroughs which did not officially support employees who may want to serve in the Territorial Army as Reservists.
Eric Howell got in touch with Sutton Council’s Chief Executive to get Sutton signed up to the SaBRE (Supporting Britain’s Reservists & Employers) campaign as a ‘supportive employer’. Only 9 out of the 32 London boroughs have failed to support SaBRE’s aims. Sutton was one of them.
My colleague Eric is an ex-serviceman who fought in the Suez Crisis. He was disappointed to discover that SaBRE had written to the Liberal Democrat Leader of Sutton Council asking for support, but did not receive a response.
Eric, along with fellow councillor Cliff Carter, came into contact with SaBRE last month when they went to support Sutton’s very own reservist unit at the General Officer Commanding (GOC) Trophy Challenge – a new military skills competition. Sutton’s TA Unit, the 210 Transport Squadron of the Royal Logistical Corps, is based in Stonecot Hill.
Commenting Eric said: “There was a motion at the last Council Meeting referring to the Armed Forces but it neglected to mention Sutton’s home-grown TA Unit, the 210 Transport Squadron. Along with several colleagues I witnessed their highly impressive skills first hand at the GOC competition last month. Sutton should be immensely proud of their achievements.
“As the borough’s largest employer it’s about time Sutton Council got its act together to officially sign up to the SaBRE campaign. Over 70% of other London Councils endorse this campaign to give support to our brave Reservists – why isn’t Sutton one of them?”
by Paul Scully | May 16, 2009 | News |
The BBC have an extraordinary story this morning. There are 4.5million people on waiting lists for social housing and around 100,000 new build homes lying unsold and empty. Housing Associations are refusing to use a government fund to buy thousands of these to plug the gap because they are not of a high enough standard. Apparently, unlike private dwellings, social housing needs to be of a minimum size and built to a higher standard.
Is it just me or are you looking at this, scratching your head too? Sutton has the second worst housing stock in London, requiring £125million to bring all of their homes to a basic liveable standard. People across the country are living in social housing that may be built to a minimum size, but have tenants packed in like sardines with children sharing rooms with their parents. Enough damp and condensation is produced in many places to solve the drought problems in the south east and mould is prevalent, bringing on asthma and other such complaints. Yet a partial solution is being knocked back by those who cannot see the wood for the trees.
Millions of people in the UK have scrimped and saved for deposits, taken on bigger and bigger mortgages as the housing market exploded, in order to get a foot on the ladder. Many had to have a size of family to suit their circumstances and size of home, rather than the other way around. The social landlords that are eschewing the empty properties are peddling an ideal that is not available to those who can just about afford their own home and is not helping those who can’t either. They need to get out of their reasonably sized, ivory towers, built to an excellent environmental standard natch, and join the real world. If they have the cash, buy the homes. Take advantage of the 10 year NHBC guarantee to put right any of the faults and snags.
At the last Development Control Committee, residents from the Poets’ Estate made their feelings known about the latest in a string of applications to knock down an attractive house and build four houses in the garden. You can see from the number of residents in the picture, alongside Eric and Paul Kelly, that it isn’t just a few Nimbys complaining.
