Another busy week with lots to keep my colleagues and I occupied;
Kew Bridge – The up-river pavement has been closed to pedestrians for over two months whilst works by TfL contractors have proceeded at their own leisurely pace. Cyclists and pedestrians struggle daily to share the restricted space and social distancing is as Will Shakespeare would have put it “more honoured in the breach than the observance”.
I have at last receive responses from both Will Norman, TfL’s cycling supremo, and the Kew Bridge Construction Manager. Apparently, it is all for the greater good. The comment that We are … making the assumption that the public are highly aware of the current pandemic and are ultimately taking precautions themselves when in tighter areas is frankly breath-taking.
I hope that everyone is prepared for the traffic chaos that will ensue as TfL alternates the closure of the north and south bound carriageways from the bridge to Chiswick Roundabout. For several days access to and from Strand-on-the Green will be blocked. This will allow residents of SOG to sympathise with the plight of the residents of the Stile Hall Gardens / Chiswick Village trapped in their enclave by TfL’s whizzo cycle way with no western exit route.
There seems to be no further news on the promised walk-way under Kew Bridge through one of the arches. Supposedly all the bureaucratic hurdles had been cleared.
Old garage blocks become sites for affordable housing – The council and a housing association have brought forward proposals for the development of four sites in Chiswick Riverside; at the far end of the Lindens, St Thomas’s Road near the school and at the rear of Quentin Court on Station Approach Road. A further site on Florence Road has been identified but no proposal has yet been brought forward. Some residents have expressed concerns but the need for affordable housing is well understood. There are similar schemes proposed in the other Chiswick Wards. Contact your local councillors for more information.
Blossom Day – 11 th April: The task force behind the event are committed to making it happen this year although as a largely a virtual event. The website says it all www.blossomdayw4.org.uk. If you wish to book a place on the free Haiku workshop on the 10 th April you better act fast. Places are limited. In future years we all hope that this can be a much larger community event that will bring together residents of Staveley and Park Road and the surrounding streets.
ULEZ – October 2020: Many Chiswick residents are asking what the scheme will mean for them. Some older and less affluent residents are faced with impossible decisions. I have been seeking clarity via Hounslow Council on the implications of the scheme and where the TfL cameras will be sited. In addition I have asked if they could in principle double up as part of the LTN monitoring network. Our traffic officers are lobbying on our behalf but TfL is currently playing its cards close to its chest.
Pension Investment Fund Panel – As chair of the Pension Board I am required to sit in on these meetings. Members of the public can attend but are excluded from the so-called yellow pages parts of the agenda. I only ever recall one member of the public attending and he did not return for a second helping. Important decisions were being made at the meeting so I felt obliged to stay until the end. This meant that I missed most of the briefing on the work of the Members’ Constitutional Review working party.
Cllr Sam Hearn
[email protected]
07833 376222
