Greenford Area Committee
Tuesday 12th June 2007 at 7:00pm
Present: Councillors Ahmed (Chairman), Anderson (Vice-Chairman), Bell,
Brooks, Sue Emment, Nirwal, Sandhu, Stacey and Walker
Also Present: Councillors Brookes and Millican
Apologies: Apologies for lateness were received from Cllr Nirwal
Declaration of Interest: Cllr Nirwal declared an interest in relation to agenda
item 9 ‘Grand Union Village Development – Parking Restrictions’, as she sat
on the Grand Union Village’s Board.
Item
No.
1.
Action
Minutes
Resolved
To agree the minutes of the meeting held on the 6th February 2007 as a true
and correct record subject to the following amendment:
Item 4, page 5, paragraph 3 – Remove the word ‘overwhelming’
2.
Matters Arising from the Minutes
Cllr Stacey stated that the date of the Greenford Carnival had been
confirmed as Saturday 7th July 2007.
Resolved
(i)
To note that the Greenford Carnival will be held on Saturday 7 th
July 2007
3.
Public Forum
(a) Problem of ‘Rat Running’ on Ravenor Park Road (Mrs Jane Blake)
Mrs Blake addressed the Committee and stated that she had lived on
Ravenor Park Road for a number of years. The amount of traffic using the
road had significantly increased in the past couple of years as an increasing
number of motorists used it as a rat run. She had counted the number of cars
that drove down the road on weekday and compared this to the weekend. On
the weekday she had counted 802 cars and only 94 at the weekend, which
she felt clearly indicated the high volume of traffic using it as a rat run.
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Ben
Thomas
The amount of traffic caused much disturbance to residents in their homes
and was also causing the road surface to break up. Mrs Blake requested that
steps be taken, for example making the road one-way, in order to solve this
problem.
Cllr Stacey thanked Mrs Blake for bringing this issue to the attention of the
Committee. He stated that rat running was a serious problem on this and
other roads in the surrounding area, caused by motorists wishing to avoid
Greenford Broadway on weekday mornings and evenings. Traffic calming
measures had been installed on this road, however they had had a minimal
effect.
A traffic study of the area had been started in order to ascertain the extent of
the problem. Following the completion of this study a report would be tabled
at the next meeting detailing proposals to combat the issue.
However Cllr Stacey added that in order to fully solve the problem, the issue
of why people wanted to avoid driving down Greenford Broadway would need
to be addressed. Proposals to deal with this would form part of the wider
regeneration schemes that were being devised for the central Greenford
area.
Resolved
(i)
(ii)
To note the resident’s concerns
To note that a report containing proposals to tackle this issue
will be brought to next meeting on the 19th September 2007
(b) Security Fencing and Gating in Ravenor Park (Mrs Jane Blake)
Mrs Blake read out a statement on behalf of Mr Archie Ross, who had
originally raised the item but was unable to attend the meeting.
Mr Ross had requested that a security fence be erected at Ravenor Park, as
there had been a number of incidents in the park, such as assaults,
robberies, accosting, and late night and early morning drinking. Mr Ross felt
that a fence surrounding the park would mean that it would be safer for
residents to use. He also suggested replacing the dog loos that had been
removed, as dog fouling was also a problem in the park.
Noel Rutherford, Director of Built Environment, stated that it would be difficult
to fence the park because of the public right of way that ran through it. It
would also be prohibitively expensive and could have made the park appear
more intimidating to local residents. Mr Rutherford stated that the solution to
the problems in the park would need to come from dealing with anti-social
behaviour and reducing the fear of crime in local residents.
With regard to the dog loos Mr Rutherford stated that the Council’s park
rangers had informed him that Ravenor Park was one of the best in the
Borough in terms of dog owners cleaning up after their dogs.
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Francis
Torto
Cllr Bell stated that a number of residents had raised the issue of people
drinking alcohol in the park and acting in an intimidating manner. He felt that
if a security fence was not to be erected then the only way to tackle this
problem was to increase the frequency of the patrols of the park.
Resolved
(i)
To note the resident’s concerns
(c) Box Junction between Ruislip Road and Mansell Road (Mrs Susan
Wilkins)
Mrs Wilkins addressed the Committee and stated her concern at the yellow
box junction situated at the junction of Ruislip Road and Mansell Road. She,
and a number of other residents she had spoken to, felt that the box junction
was being enforced far too strictly and was being used as a method of raising
revenue for the Council. She had previously been issued a ticket for stopping
in the box junction when another car had pulled out in front of her and
blocked her exit, which she felt to be very unfair.
She stated that a problem with the box junction was that it was not regulated
by traffic lights, which meant that motorists approaching it were not always
sure of who had priority to enter it first, which inevitably caused confusion.
She stated that the box junction needed to be removed, as in her opinion it
only served to displace traffic congestion in the area, rather than ease it, and
was unfairly enforced.
Cllr Stacey replied that the box junction had been installed following requests
made by residents at a Greenford Area Committee meeting in 2002.
However it was not until 2007 that the decision was made to enforce the
junction with CCTV equipment, as it had been decided that it was not any
use without such enforcement. However he accepted that there needed to be
a debate as to whether the box junction was needed at all. He added that the
decision to enforce it was in no way made so that extra revenue would be
created, as it would have been illegal for the Council to use transport
enforcement in such a way.
Cllr Bell stated that there also needed to be a debate as to how the box
junction was enforced, as it seemed to him that tickets had been issued to
drivers who had had no choice but to stop in the junction, which he felt was
unjust.
Cllr Stacey stated that a review of the box junction would be carried out and a
report brought to the next meeting, where it would be decided whether or not
to remove the box junction. He also suggested that, whilst this review was
being carried out, the enforcement of the box junction with CCTV equipment
be suspended. Cllr Nirwal, on behalf of the Greenford Broadway Councillors,
welcomed this proposal.
Resolved
(i)
To note the resident’s concerns;
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Francis
(ii)
(iii)
To note that the box junction in question will be reviewed and a
report brought to the next meeting on the 19th September 2007;
To recommend that for the period of the review the
enforcement of the box junction with CCTV equipment be
suspended
(d) Provision of traffic lights at the junction between Old Field Lane
South and Ruislip Road and provision of traffic lights outside the
recycling centre on Greenford Road (Mr Graham Preedy)
Mr Preedy addressed the Committee and stated that he was aware that
traffic lights were to be installed at the junction between Old Field Lane South
and Ruislip Road as part of the regeneration of central Greenford, which he
welcomed.
However he felt that traffic lights also needed to be installed outside the exit
of the recycling centre on Greenford Road, as the number of parked cars
along this road meant that it was virtually impossible to see any cars coming
when pulling out of the exit. Mr Preedy had brought this issue up in the past
and had been told that this would be looked at as part of the proposed bus
lane on Greenford Road. However it had since been decided not to go ahead
with the bus lane and Mr Preedy therefore wished for the possibility of traffic
lights to be re-examined.
Francis Torto, Traffic Planning Manager, replied that this would be examined
as part of a traffic study for the area and various methods for making the
turning easier would be assessed and reported back in due course.
Resolved
(i)
To note the resident’s concerns
(e) Disturbance to local residents caused by music events at the
Tycoon Bar and Restaurant (Mr J Wozniak)
Mr Wozniak addressed the Committee and stated his concern at the fact that
all night music events were being held in the Tycoon Bar and Restaurant,
situated opposite his residence. These events caused much disturbance to
residents both from music coming from the events themselves, and from
patrons leaving the premises late at night.
Mr Wozniak had contacted the Council about these premises in the past,
however no action had apparently been taken to remedy the problem.
Richard McHardy, Licensing Team Leader, thanked Mr Wozniak for bringing
this problem to his attention. He had contacted the Council’s Noise and
Nuisance Team, who informed him that they had logged Mr Wozniak’s
complaints but that they did not yet have enough evidence in order to take
action against the premises.
Mr McHardy stated that the Tycoon Bar and Restaurant was licensed to sell
4
Torto,
Philip
Burns
alcohol and provide regulated entertainment, such as live music, until
midnight every night. He added that quite often if premises were operating
outside of it’s licensed hours then the owners would claim that it was a
private party and that no alcohol was being sold. In some cases it could be
difficult to gather evidence in order review the premises’ licence.
However he offered assurances that licensing officers would monitor the
Tycoon Bar and Restaurant in future and investigate as to whether they were
operating in breach of their licence.
Resolved
(i)
To note the resident’s concerns
4.
Consultation on the proposals of the Neighbourhood Governance
Specialist Scrutiny Panel
Cllr Millican and Cllr Brookes introduced the report, which contained
proposals for improving the arrangements for local governance in Ealing. The
principle proposals were that the current area committee structure be
dissolved and replaced with a two-tier structure of ward forums and larger
area committees.
A ward forum would be established for each ward and would be comprised of
the three ward councillors and other strategic partners such as local police
and health representatives. The intention was for these bodies to be
empowered to implement change at a local level in order to reflect the needs
of residents in the area.
In addition to ward forums, four area committees would be established to
cover the entire borough. The membership of these would be the councillors
representing the areas covered and the intention was that they would
consider larger, strategic issues, rather than purely local matters.
It was hoped that by implementing this new structure much of the
bureaucracy currently involved in achieving change at a local level would be
circumvented, as ward forums would be smaller and more focussed on the
needs of the immediate local community, as well as meeting more regularly
than the current area committees.
These proposals were still evolving and the report had been sent to all area
committees in order to receive feedback from councillors and residents.
Lynn Woodcock, local resident, stated that she did not feel it would be
prudent to combine Police Consultative Committees with the proposed ward
forums, as she felt that the amount of business that would need to be
conducted would be impractical. Cllr Brookes replied that the research that
had been undertaken showed that often police committee meetings and area
committees considered the same issues and that by combining the two there
would be less duplication of work. Issues would also be dealt with more
5
effectively through the partner agencies working in tandem.
Graham Preedy, local resident, felt that it was vital that any ward forum and
area committee meetings be as widely publicised as possible, as the vast
majority of residents were largely unaware even of the existence of the
current area committees.
Stephen McKenzie, local resident, stated that whatever new structure was
implemented, it was vital for its success that local decisions be implemented
quickly and efficiently, so that residents would have confidence that any
concerns they may have had would be addressed.
Fred Varley, local resident, felt that establishing ward forums would lead to
local councillors becoming overburdened with too large a workload,
especially when considering that most had full-time jobs in addition to being a
councillor. He was also concerned that local forums for each ward would lead
to a lack of cohesion in areas of the borough when implementing schemes
such as CPZs and traffic calming measures.
Cllr Bell welcomed the proposals and stated that in his view currently the
most successful area committee in the borough was the Perivale Area
Committee, which consisted of one ward and therefore only three ward
councillors. He felt that this should be made the model for every ward, as well
as establishing strategic committees to deal with larger issues that affected
entire areas of the borough.
Cllr Stacey also welcomed the proposals. He stated that the majority of
business conducted at area committees could be more effectively dealt with
at a ward level, meaning there would not be the delays that currently existed
in implementing schemes due to the need for decisions to be made at area
committees that only met four times a year.
Resolved
(i)
To note the report and proposals contained therein
5.
Allenby Road Safety Scheme
Francis Torto, Traffic Planning Manager, introduced the report. Safety
measures, such as traffic calming and methods for reducing speed, had been
proposed for Allenby Road as there had been over 20 accidents on it in the
past three years.
Funding for this scheme had been secured through bidding to TfL and
needed to be spent by the end of the financial year. The report therefore
sought authorisation for officers to consult with residents and councillors on
the best measures to implement, and then to implement these without the
need for a further report to be brought back to the Committee.
Resolved
6
(i)
(ii)
6.
To authorise the Director of Built Environment to complete the
preliminary design following consultation with the Chairman and
ward councillors;
To authorise the Director of Built Environment to undertake public
consultation on the proposals and take the necessary steps to
implement the scheme subject to a favourable public consultation
Francis
Torto
Grand Union Village Development – Parking Restrictions
Francis Torto, Traffic Planning Manager, introduced the report and stated
that the parking restrictions had been proposed following discussions with the
developers of the Grand Union Village. Concerns had been raised that the
number of parked cars near junctions in the development meant that the site
lines were blocked for motorists trying to pull out of the junctions.
Cllr Bell welcomed the proposals as he felt that it was currently very
dangerous when pulling out of the junctions in questions.
Resolved
(i)
To authorise the Director of Street Environment to carry out
statutory consultation, necessary to draft and make the relevant
traffic orders associated with the proposals contained in the report
(ii)
To authorise the Director of Street Environment to proceed with the
implementation of the proposed works, subject to a positive
statutory consultation
7.
Update on activities at the Transport Yard, Wood End Gardens, Northolt
Lynn Woodcock, local resident and Wood End Residents’ Association
(WERA) member, requested that consideration of this report be deferred to
the next meeting. She felt that the report needed to contain consideration of
issues affecting both Wood End Way and Wood End Gardens; she also
wished for a 20mph zone for the area to be considered.
Cllr Stacey agreed that the report should be deferred; he also requested that
WERA provide feedback on the proposals in the report before the next
meeting.
Resolved
(i)
To defer consideration of the report to the next meeting on the 19th
September 2007
8.
Ferrymead Area 20 MPH Zone
Francis Torto, Traffic Planning Manager, introduced the report that set out
proposals for establishing a 20mph zone in the Ferrymead area, the funding
for which having been secured from TfL after a number of years of bidding.
7
Philip
Burns
Resolved
(i)
To authorise the Director of Built Environment to complete the
preliminary design following consultation with the Chairman, ward
councillors and other key stakeholders;
(ii)
To authorise the Director of Built Environment to undertake public
consultation on the proposals and take the necessary steps to
implement the scheme subject to a favourable public consultation.
9.
Francis
Torto
Whitton Avenue East & West Safety Scheme – Phase 2
Francis Torto, Traffic Planning Manager, introduced the report. Stephen
McKenzie, local resident, noted that £75K had already been spent on this
scheme and enquired what this had been spent on, as he had not noticed a
difference on the roads in question. Mr Torto replied that this money had
been spent, however the works that had been contracted would be started in
the near future. Mr Torto answered further queries from residents regarding
specific aspects of the proposed scheme.
Resolved
(i)
To authorise the Director of Built Environment to complete the
preliminary design following consultation with the Chairman and
ward councillors;
(ii)
To authorise the Director of Built Environment to undertake public
consultation on the proposals, if feasible, and take the necessary
steps to implement the scheme subject to a favourable public
consultation;
(iii)
To note that if no additional safety measures are proposed
members will be advised as part of the transport update report
10.
Ferrymead Avenue/ Ruislip Road – Proposed Signalisation Scheme
Cllr Stacey was concerned that if traffic lights were installed in this junction
then this would lead to Ferrymead Avenue becoming almost a main road. Cllr
Sue Emment agreed with this view, she stated that this road was already
heavily used as a rat run and that this would become worse if traffic lights
were installed.
Cllr Nirwal replied that a number of residents had complained about this
junction and had requested traffic lights, as it could be dangerous to pull out
of Ferrymead Avenue onto the busy Ruislip Road.
Francis Torto added that if traffic lights were installed it would be possible to
have greater control over the flow of traffic and attempt to cause less people
to use Ferrymead Avenue as a rat run.
Cllr Bell stated that he appreciated the problem of rat running on Ferrymead
Avenue, however this was part of wider traffic problems in the area that
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Francis
Torto
needed to be addressed. In any case he was not convinced by the argument
that installing traffic lights would naturally lead to an increase in rat running
on this road.
The decision to approve the recommendations in the report was passed by a
majority vote, with five members voting in favour and four voting against.
Resolved
(i)
To authorise the Director of Built Environment to complete the
preliminary design following consultation with the Chairman and
ward councillors;
(ii)
To authorise the Director of Built Environment to undertake public
consultation on the proposals and take the necessary steps to
implement the scheme subject to favourable public consultation.
11.
Francis
Torto
Greenford Area Environment and Transport Budget 2007/08 Update
Francis Trorto, Traffic Planning Manager, introduced the report, which set out
the various projects for the Committee to consider funding from their annual
budget. The projects had been devised as a result of complaints and
concerns that had been received from residents over the past year.
Cllr Nirwal noted that the second recommendation in the report implied that
the budget allocated to the Committee would be pooled and spent on
selected projects. She proposed that, as per usual, the budget be divided
between the three wards comprising the committee, to be spent on projects
selected by the ward councillors. The rest of the members agreed with this
proposal.
Cllr Stacey noted that it had previously been agreed that £5,000 of the
budget would be earmarked for the Greenford Carnival. Cllr Bell requested to
see a breakdown of the costs of the Carnival, as he was reluctant to confirm
a commitment of these funds if it transpired they were not necessarily
needed.
There followed a discussion concerning whether any funds from the previous
year’s budget had been allocated to the Carnival. Cllr Stacey stated that no
funds had as yet been allocated. Cllr Nirwal requested to be provided with a
Francis
list of the projects that had been funded through the previous year’s budget in Torto
order to confirm how much was available for the present year.
After further discussion it was agreed that ward councillors liaise with officers
outside of the meeting and inform them of the projects they wished to fund.
The Director of Built Environment would also be authorised to begin
implementing these schemes, so as to avoid any delay resulting from the
need for the projects to be confirmed at the next meeting.
Resolved
(i)
To note that the council allocated a budget of £40,000 to Greenford
9
(ii)
(iii)
12.
Area Committee in 2007/08 for local schemes;
That ward councillors liaise with the Director of Built Environment
before the next meeting and inform him of the schemes they wish
to fund on the basis of an equal split of the funding being allocated
to each ward;
That the Director of Built Environment be authorised to begin the
implementation of these schemes before the next meeting on the
19th September 2007
Greenford Area Transport & Environment Projects Update Report
Francis Torto, Traffic Planning Manager, introduced the report, which set out
progress on the implementation of schemes previously agreed by the
Committee.
Cllr Nirwal enquired about the progress in implementing the Stop & Shop
scheme on Oldfield Lane South, as this had been removed from the report.
Mr Torto replied that this was being considered in conjunction with the
regeneration proposals for the area. Cllr Nirwal requested that this be kept on
the report so that members could view any progress in its implementation.
Mr Torto then answered queries from residents regarding the various
schemes listed.
Resolved
(i)
That the report be noted
13.
Venues of Future Meetings
Resolved
That the remaining meetings in the 2007-08 municipal year be held in the
following venues:
Wednesday 19th September 2007 – Greenwood Primary School
Wednesday 14th November 2007 – Oldfield Primary School
Tuesday 22nd January 2008 – Horsenden Primary School
Councillor Shahbaz Ahmed
Chairman
The meeting concluded at 10:15pm
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Noel
Rutherford