Tories press on with Danebury development with just 21 supporters

The Conservative Council - in one of the biggest blunders I think it has made for a long time - is trying to steamroller through plans to redevelop the top end of Danebury Avenue despite the most risible response to their so-called consultation.

In a report being discussed by councillors tonight, they will admit that out of 10,000 newsletters they claim to have delivered to the local area inviting residents to visit an exhibition at Roehampton Library held at the very end of July, just 35 bothered to respond.

Of these, a measly 21 (that's 0.2% of the voters of Roehampton) were in favour, but from the Alton estate itself, only 12 supported the Conservatives' plans. I can't help but pose this question: if the plans aren't supported by the Alton estate, what or who exactly is the Council doing this for?

I've been appalled at the way the Tory Council has handled this matter. I outlined my concerns here.

Now, the Conservatives have taken the very first opportunity after the Summer to steamroller their untested and unsupported plans through the Council. What's the rush? Why the hurry? What are they so afraid of?

Because residents weren't properly consulted by the Council, I've been surveying residents myself. I'm sending out over 3,000 surveys to Roehampton - surveys that set out the Council's plans impartially, then state my views, and then ask local people what they think. And the replies I'm getting - already, far more responses than those the council can cite - are completely at odds with the figures the Conservatives are claiming.

For example, just as the original council consultation found, an overwhelming majority is against building on the green. People want more affordable homes, not less. They want more family homes - under the new Tory plans, not a single three-bedroom council flat for rent will be built. And people are divided on whether or not a supermarket is a good idea, but they're strongly against the traffic access for it being in Danebury Avenue - a residential area that should be the focal point of the community, not a motorway for huge articulated lorries bringing stock to the supermarket and hundreds of customers in their cars every day. And we haven't even touched on the tiny amount of space allotted to community groups, the height of the buildings proposed and the needlessness of building a new library when people love the library they have.

I'll write more about the results I'm getting as surveys come in over the coming days - and once people have had a reasonable amount of time to reply, I'll share the results with the council.

But my message to Conservative councillors before tonight's meeting is this: put aside your partisan desire to railroad plans just because we have a difference of opinion. Think about the consequence of your action. Bear in mind the ridiculously low response you've elicited. Listen to the views of residents - they DO NOT support your new plan. And if you have any question at all that I may have a point all I'm asking is that you hold off a decision until you have all the evidence at your disposal. There's no need to bounce Roehampton into a multi-million pound development. This isn't how Wandsworth got it's reputation for financial prudence.

Defer the decision tonight.

All the fun of the festival

Yesterday, as I mentioned earlier, I visited the Roehampton Festival organised by local charity Regenerate.

The weather held - in fact it was really pleasant day - and that brought hundreds of people to the green at the bottom of Danebury Avenue to enjoy the music, the stalls, the food and drink, the kids activities and each others' company.

The festival is just right for the estate, not too crowded, not too much going on; not lasting too long: and it's great that Roehampton has such an event - something other parts of the constituency could well emulate. In fact it reminded my election agent - whose father used to help organise it - of the Fulham Carnival that used to take place in Bishops Park, preceded by a long procession of floats from Sands End.

That Carnival did what the Roehampton Festival does: bring together a community and create a great day out for the family. I hope the Festival goes from strength to strength.

Roehampton Festival

Tomorrow, Saturday, I'll be attending the Roehampton Festival. The festival, organised each year by local grassroots charity Regenerate takes place on the green at the bottom end of Danebury Avenue, where the 170 and 430 buses terminate (not the green the Tory Council wants to concrete over...yet). It runs from 12 noon to 8pm.

You can find out more about the event here, but there will be music, stuff for kids and families, stalls and more serious stuff like a sexual health clinic - and an opportunity for local teenagers to get involved in Regenerate.

Conservative Club - going to the dogs?

I reported a couple of months ago about the drugs shame of Roehampton's Conservative Club which was shut down and boarded up following Police raids because narcotics were being dealt from the premises.

Since then, the "nightmare in Treville Street" as it's been dubbed because of its resemblance to Freddy Krueger's house in the horror films has been empty - a blight on Roehampton Village.

However, word on the grapevine is that negotiations are under way to sell the property to a veterinary surgeon looking to expand. A bigger vets surgery for Roehampton would be a benefit to the area so I wish the negotiations well. Getting the Conservatives out of Roehampton once and for all is just an added bonus.

Putney's Grand Designs

Last week I asked you to identify this local building and said I'd reveal its identity shortly.



Well, that time has arrived!

This is a roman-esque out-house right on the edge of Richmond Park behind Minstead Gardens in Roehampton. It lies right behind the residents' club, in a small patch of fenced-off abandoned land. In fact it's really easy to miss it entirely!

It's a shame that such buildings - remnants of Roehampton before the Alton Estate was built - are neglected and not made features to treasure. A few days ago I wrote about the possibility of building some new hidden homes in Minstead Gardens - land adjacent to this small villa. It would take a little imagination and a bold architect, but this building could also be turned into a home; or for some other community use.

How about some hidden homes here?

I am today writing to the council suggesting that they should get these derelict former homes and disused garages in Minstead Gardens, on the Alton Estate, back into use as part of their Hidden Homes programme.

For those of you unfamiliar with this scheme, the Council has since 2003 been converting surplus storage rooms and the like on council estates into extra flats. This is a good scheme: it's pretty much responsible for all the new for rent council homes being created in Wandsworth. The problem is that the Conservatives seem to believe that the 130 homes they've built in those five years (an average of just 26 a year) is the sole and complete cure for the housing problem they share no small amount of responsibility for creating locally.

The number of council homes in Wandsworth has been halved in the last 25 years; from 32,000 in 1981 to less than 16,000 today. With all due respect, 130 hidden homes doesn't even start to rectify this haemorrage of affordable homes.

Minstead Gardens comprises, in the main, sheltered housing bungalows for senior citizens so this space, right on the boundary of Richmond Park, would be perfect for five or so new homes for local pensioners. It would also sort out a derelict site that is currently a bit of an eyesore.

So how about it Wandsworth Council? Let's have some hidden homes for rent in Minstead Gardens.

Putney's Grand Designs No.3

Anyone know where this Roman-style villa is that we photographed (not very well) on Saturday?

I'll reveal the answer and write a bit more about it in a few days. But if you do know, or want to have a guess, email me: stuart.king@putneylabour.org.uk

June's local crime figures

There's not much to write about in this month's crime figures - it's fallen very slightly in three Putney council wards and risen very slightly in three. Without further ado, here are the tables:



And May's comparison:

Save Danebury Green

I thought I'd publish some photos of the green space at the top of Danebury Avenue that the Conservatives want to concrete over in their misguided plans to redevelop Roehampton.

Under their plans, all the green space you see here will be destroyed to be replaced with new buildings and a "town square". Sure, it will have patches of grass between the concrete and maybe even the occasional flowerbed, but compared to what is there now it is pitifully inadequate.

Could this particular green space be improved? Yes. Could the heart of Roehampton be improved? Yes. Is the way to do that to concrete over this precious and strategically important piece of greenery? Absolutely not.

The Conservatives' bizarre argument - that they seem to think trumps overwhelming local opposition to concreting over the green space - is that they don't think this space is used enough. Well I don't agree, but even if that were true, why does an open space have to be heavily used? Why can't it just be enjoyed for what it is: a tranquil buffer between Roehampton Lane and the Alton estate?

And just as importantly, who do the Tories imagine their town square will suddenly be used by? A completely different set of people to those who already cause plenty of nuisance in Danebury Avenue and drive away many who might otherwise use it? Come off it!

This green continues further up Roehampton Lane past Allbrook House up to Kingsclere Close. The Conservatives also want to tear out this verge and build what can only imaginably be poor quality homes right on top of Roehampton Lane blighted by noise, pollution and congestion. This is redevelopment for the sake of it; redevelopment at any price - and the price is too high.

Roehampton Village

This photo of Roehampton Village and Putney Heath was taken from Allbrook House at the top of Danebury Avenue - a block the Conservatives want to demolish under their redevelopment plans.

The main road to the right of the picture is Roehampton Lane whilst the red brick road off it is Roehampton High Street.

Roehampton has strong religious institutions: off Roehampton Lane on the centre right of the picture is the Roman Catholic St Joseph's Church while the church with the spire on Putney Heath is Holy Trinity Church of England Church. And the red brick building up Roehampton High Street is St Mary's Convent.

Putney Vale

Last week, I attended a public meeting that took place in Newlands Hall on the Putney Vale estate. The meeting was attended by about 40 fairly cheesed-off residents who took the council - and local Conservative councillors - to task for a series of problems bedevilling the estate

Putney Vale estate is a charming estate consisting of about 300 properties right on the border of Wimbledon Common, just off the A3 (behind the big Asda store). The estate - as one resident put it - is surrounded by one of the largest areas of green space that any council estate in London can offer

Like many similar estates much of the housing stock has been sold off by the council and consequently there is a large proportion of residents who are tenants of private landlords. Herein lies the source of many of the estate's problems. Absentee landlords neglect their responsibilities to ensure their tenants behave appropriately. Many residents at the meeting complained of late night parties, flytipping and other anti social behaviour. However, their real beef was with the council for its failure to tackle this problem.

Having listened to the concerns raised at the meeting and then taking some time to speak to residents outside afterwards, I think there are a number of actions that the council can take

1. A proactive policy of immediately targetting the landlord of misbehaving tenants - very often the tenants themselves move on before the council gets round to speaking to them. The council also needs to issue without delay fines against those found guilty of flytipping;

2. An immediate commitment to improve the estate's community centre - which the council plans to close - so that local residents have a local centre to come together. Indeed, earlier on the day the meeting was held the residents held a birthday party for two elderly residents celebrating their 90th birthdays - why would the council want to close such a facility;

3. Zero tolerance of anti social behaviour in council properties - that means enforcing tenancy conditions without delay and prevarication

4. A real drive to establish an active and flourishing residents association on the estate - local people coming together to find local solutions to their day to day problems (to be fair the purpose of the public meeting was to try and find residents willing to help set one up;

5. An immediate commitment to reopen the estate's youth club which was closed earlier this year because of Tory cuts to it grant. As a result the kids from the estate have nowhere to go and no planned activities to keep them occupied.

I don't claim to have all the answers to the estate's problems - indeed, the answers tend to lie locally with the residents themselves. That's why I'm asking residents what they think needs to be done.

Help me stop this concrete canyon

The Conservatives have just announced they're tearing up carefully consulted-upon plans to regenerate Roehampton.

After more than a year and a half of surveys and public meetings, the Council brought in new consultants who, without any evidence, have said the old plans for the top end of Danebury Avenue are unworkable. What they propose in their place is:

• Three times as many flats as there are at the moment in what is already the most densely populated part of the borough.


• Not a single one of the *additional* flats will be affordable; and overwhelmingly they're likely to be one-bedroom properties rather than the family homes the area desperately needs. Many of them will also be low quality, over noisy, congested, polluted Roehampton Lane


• Doubling the height of the Danebury Avenue buildings - we are supposed to be impressed that no building will rise "more than six storeys"


• Closing the Alton Youth Club in Dilton Gardens - the "best option" according to the Conservatives


• Concreting over the precious green at the entrance to Danebury Avenue, which the vast majority of residents wanted retained; green open space in this new plan is reduced by three quarters


• Demolishing Allbrook House, despite Allbrook House residents not wanting their homes flattened


• Worsening congestion in Roehampton Lane even further - it's already on the verge of getting dramatically more congested when the huge 400+ home Queen Mary's Place opens soon

The plans as they stand do not have my support and, nor do I believe, will they have the support of Roehampton residents.

As I wrote in my recent post about getting the derelict King's Head pub back into use, I want Roehampton regenerated as much as anyone else, but not at any price. Any ideas for Roehampton must put the existing community first and foremost. The Conservative plans just want to drive Roehampton residents out and bring even more temporary, transient newcomers to the area.

Just imagine how doubling the height of the Danebury Avenue shops, where it can already feel gloomy with just a three-storey block, will feel. It will turn the centre of the area into a dark windswept, canyon. The superstore they propose will massively increase traffic down Danebury Avenue, which can already get pretty congested.

The new community hall and Boys Club will both be crammed into what is now the Right Plaice chip shop: a tiny space and one the chippie doesn't want to leave anyway.

What I think Roehampton needs is a more diverse number of homes to allow generations-old local families to stay local. More affordable homes to replace the hundreds that the Conservatives have sold off. Fewer one-bedroom flats. And much better public transport.

How could the Conservatives have got this so wrong?! These plans are damaging. They'll make Roehampton worse. And they're unworkable. Help me defeat them.

Better buses for Roehampton?

A few days ago there was an exhibition about public transport accessibility in Roehampton, held by Transport for London consultants SDG.

Because Roehampton is relatively remote - separated from other places by Richmond Park, Putney Heath, Wimbledon Common and Barnes Common - it is especially reliant on buses.

One of the key strands of the consultation was improving connections between Roehampton and Barnes station. Two bus routes, one from Kingston that currently stops at ASDA in Putney Vale, and the 170 that runs to Victoria from Danebury Avenue, are both being considered for extension to Barnes.

In the case of the 170, it's proposed that it runs down Priory Lane. Priory Lane desperately needs a bus service but the problem with this plan is that the plans as they stand would continue the bus down Danebury Avenue and through the road closure by the Alton School. Removing the barrier would return Danebury Avenue to being a rat-run.

And we also need assurances that extending further a route like the 170 - which has already been lengthened from Clapham Junction to Victoria in recent months - will have no knock-on consequences for frequency or reliability.

What do you think? Please get in touch to let me know your thoughts.

Putney - safer than other parts of London?

Every month when I publish the ward-by-ward crime statistics I usually focus on the change over the previous month.

This month it's worth looking at how crime in Putney compares with London as a whole.

Every single ward in Putney has a lower record of drug offending, fraud or forgery, robbery and other notifiable offences than the Met Police average.

Every single ward in Putney bar one has a better record on burglary and theft & handling (Thamesfield being the exception); criminal damage and violence against the person (Roehampton); and robbery (Southfields) than the London-wide figures. Roehampton has a stastically insignificant higher rate of sexual offences, which are a very small percentage of the total anyway I'm pleased to say.

Putney also compares favourably to our borough as a whole - though the pattern is very slightly different. The overall Wandsworth figure for crimes per 1,000 of the population is 99.6; the overall Putney figure is 89.9.

So what these crime figures show, month-in, month-out is that Wandsworth is safer than other parts of London, and that Putney is safer than other parts of Wandsworth. Don't let the Tories tell you different.

Here are the year to May 2008 figures:



And the April 2008 figures for comparison:

Pothole of the week: 30 June 2008

The Conservative Council doesn't discriminate in its neglect of our roads: whether you live in Putney, Roehampton or Southfields all their roads are thoroughly run down.

This example is from the Alton Estate: Tangley Grove, which is off Danebury Avenue. What's even more remarkable about the Tories' neglect of the roads around here is that the foundation of the roads on the Alton are actually giant slabs so it should take even more neglect to allow them to fall into this condition than with more traditional road surfaces.

The so-called public representatives responsible for this neglect are Putney Conservative MP Justine Greening and Roehampton's three (or is that two?) Conservative Councillors.

King's Head remains headless

On Tuesday councillors rejected plans to redevelop the King's Head pub on the corner of Roehampton High Street and Roehampton Lane.

The King's Head is Roehampton's oldest building, dating back to the 17th Century. For the last three years it has been empty having been closed down after lots of complaints about rowdiness and poor behaviour. It is one of six pubs and clubs Roehampton has lost in recent years.

I want the King's Head restored to use - but not at any price and I think, on balance, that councillors were right to reject this planning application.

This site adds to the impression that Roehampton village is in decline. The Conservative Council and the Conservative MP could and should be far more concerned about getting this site back into use: promoting the area to investors, working with them to submit strong, impressive plans and ensuring that they help kick-start a revival of this important part of our constituency.

One thing that would be unacceptable would be for councillors to use the pretext of their so-called regeneration plans for the Danebury Avenue area to stall any work on this site, because that could mean the King's Head remaining derelict for another decade.

I hope the applicants go away, reflect on the council's decision and come back with a more sensitive, more thoughtful plan that better addresses the challenges this important site poses.

You can read the report on the planning application for The King's Head here.

Potholes: even Putney's most exclusive address has them

Roedean Crescent usually comes out in property price league tables as the most expensive street in Putney. The Crescent, which backs on to Richmond Park near Roehampton Gate is, we must say, in a somewhat better condition than many streets elsewhere in the constituency, but even here Conservative Council neglect can be seen.



And just round the corner, here's Bank Lane, which runs up to Priory Lane alongside the Bank of England Sports Club; though to be fair to the council - as I always am - this road has seen quite a lot of development recently.

Shalden House sorted

I wrote last week about the vandalism in Shalden House. I can now report that following my intervention the windows that were smashed in have been fixed. And just look at the difference a repair makes:


Then.................................................Now


Then.................................................Now


Then.................................................Now

I'm really pleased for the residents of Shalden House that we've got action - that still took too long in my book - because the conditions that they were living in were unacceptable.

There remain problems in Shalden House - the caretaking leaves much to be desired and illegal activities are regularly reported by residents who stumble across non-residents in the stairwells. These are all difficult problems to tackle, but for me politics isn't about what's easy - it's about what's right.

Rat running danger in Danebury Avenue

At the recent Roehampton Safer Neighbourhood Police meeting, residents raised with me their concerns about rat-running down Danebury Avenue. Many years ago this used to be a real problem as Danebury Avenue was used as a shortcut from congested Roehampton Lane to Priory Lane and Richmond Park - but it was sorted out when barriers - subsequently replaced by bollards - were installed just by Alton School.

Aside from making Danebury Avenue much safer, quieter and more pleasant for the thousands of residents who live there, it's also prevented traffic speeding past the Alton School and Ibstock Place School - so it's really important.

In recent months however, the padlocks have been removed and the central bollard taken out, which creates enough space for most cars to be able to squeeze through. No-one is quite sure whether the person removing the bollard has one of the padlock keys the emergency services have to gain access when needed, or is simply breaking the padlock open and removing it.

When I visited on Tuesday this week the bollards were in place and padlocked, so hopefully the problem has been sorted out. This type of problem is exactly the local issue that Roehampton's councillors should be keeping an eye on - difficult, admittedly, when one of them lives in Bournemouth and the others, it is reported, are rarely seen locally (one resident of Shalden House asked who they were as she had never seen or heard from them).

There are signs by the bollards warning people that the bollards are monitored by CCTV. If that's the case - and the CCTV's working properly - the Council and Police should be able to work out who's been vandalising this bollard; causing criminal damage and risking a road traffic accident outside two schools - all simply to save a few minutes' journey time. If not, then it's time the council did what its signs say it does: monitor and act on CCTV footage.

I'm here to make sure they do.

Shalden shame

Vandals have been smashing up Shalden House in Tunworth Crescent, on the Alton Estate. I never quite understand why a tiny minority enjoys kicking in windows, or urinating in lifts or stairwells - not least their own - but sadly Shalden is the latest victim and the peaceful, self-respecting majority now have to put up with this:



This was one of the problems raised last week at the Roehampton Safer Neighbourhoods Police meeting and I've already taken the issue up with the Council's Housing Director, because this temporary repair isn't good enough: it's dangerous, it's unsightly, it's making the communal areas incredibly dark and residents deserve better. Here are some more other examples of the criminal damage done to Shalden House - you can click to enlarge them:





I know Roehampton's local Police team are working at finding those responsible for this vandalism; and I'll keep pushing the council to make sure that the damage is repaired as soon as possible - because no-one should have to put up with this for any longer than necessary.

Crime down across the board in Roehampton

On Tuesday I attended a public meeting organised by Roehampton's Safer Neighbourhood Police Team (SNT). These are regular meetings organised by these Labour-funded Police teams to explain local policing issues and address residents' concerns.

I was delighted - as were the members of the public present - to learn that crime in Roehampton has fallen significantly across the board in the past year. The extent of the fall in crime is particularly impressive, and Sergeant "Rocky" Salmon and his team deserve our praise.

Burglaries are DOWN 12%
Personal robberies are DOWN a whopping 41%
Theft from vehicle is also DOWN 41%
Theft of vehicles is DOWN 15%
Common assaults are DOWN 10%
Wounding offences are DOWN 14%

Overall, crime in Roehampton is DOWN by 19% compared to this time last year.

Sergeant Salmon attributed these successes to intelligence-led policing, whereby police action is often the result of tip offs and information provided by local people. Our SNTs - derided and maligned by local Tories as "not proper" coppers - are making us safer and more secure in our homes and community.

If you wish to report a crime or offer information to the Roehampton SNT call them confidentially on 020 8247 7861 or email them at roehampton.snt@met.police.uk

Lennox Estate blog

Well, there are blogs on the most surprising things, aren't there? I've just come across a blog extolling the virtues of the Lennox Estate off Priory Lane, which you can read here.

And why not? After all, as the blog notes, many people - particularly Roehampton's Conservative councillors - won't go near the estate simply because of pre-conceived notions of what a council estate is like.

The Lennox blog hasn't been updated for a while, but you can find out a bit about why the estate; and blocks within it; are named as they are.

"Where do I vote?"

It's been a few weeks since the Council sent out pollcards telling us where our polling station is in the elections this coming Thursday.

We're sending out our own cards letting thousands of Labour supporters in Putney, Roehampton and Southfields, know where to vote on Thursday. But if you want to check where you vote, you can do so on my website by clicking here.

There's a list of polling stations down the side, or you can check using the map - by clicking on the links you'll get a list of streets that vote at each station and a satellite image of the location on it.

Most polling stations are where they've always been, but a couple have changed since the last elections in 2006:

• The Putney Vale estate now votes at Stag House in Stroud Crescent, following the Tory council's closure of Newlands Hall;


• Residents of the Alton East estate are back voting at Roehampton Parish Hall (now called Cornerstone), on the corner of Alton Road and Roehampton Lane.

Safer Neighbourhoods successes

We heard it again on the BBC's Mayoral Debate on Tuesday: the Conservative slander that Safer Neighbourhoods Police teams (SNTs) aren't "real police".

Of course the Tories don't want to admit that SNTs have a value and purpose: they fought against their introduction tooth and nail and they've refused to give any reassurance they won't sack Putney's forty SNT offices. In fact, London Assembly Conservative Leader Brian Barnes is on record as saying the Metropolitan Police budget is too large!

Well, the Putney SW15 website is now reporting two more examples of the practical difference SNTs make in our communities - in West Hill by busting a cannabis factory worth £20,000, and in Roehampton breaking up two more drugs dens. And this on the back of the breakthrough a few weeks ago by the West Putney SNT in tackling the dangerous dogs menace there, which I wrote about at the time.

Enough's enough: it's time for the Conservatives to stop running down our Police. Regardless of their title and responsibilities, our Safer Neighbourhoods teams are living up to their name: making our neighbourhoods safer and contributing to the low crime rate I report month-in, month-out.

I have attended a number of public meetings that Putney's SNTs have held to publicise their work and get feedback on local crime concerns. I have never seen Justine Greening at any of these meetings so haven't been able to challenge her to stop this sniping against our police. I hope she, and Putney's Conservative councillors, will pause for thought the next time they run down the hard work of our SNTs.

Out and about in Putney

The main reason I've been posting a little less frequently in recent days is because of the London election campaigning my team and I are up to.

We've been out all over the constituency, and I've just today finished adding all the places we've been too in the past month to my constituency map page.

We've been talking to you about your concerns and priorities for London in the next four years and the clear choice between the experience, tested leadership and delivered improvements to the capital over the last eight years with Ken Livingstone; and the bluster, blunder, lack of substance, lack of vision, and lack of any credibly-costed plans of his Tory opponent.

So far this campaign we've been to the Longstaff Estate, Galveston Road, Lebanon Road, Sutherland Grove, Skeena Hill, Combemartin Road, Girdwood Road, Whitefield Close, Arcadian Place, Wimbledon Park Road, Albert Drive, Hayward Gardens, Pullman Gardens, Beaumont Road, Whitlock Drive, Kersfield Road, Lytton Grove, Littlecombe Close, Arlesey Close, Chepstow Close, Whitnell Way, Gay Street, Crown Court, Waterman Street, Kingsmere Close, Felsham Road, Glenthorpe, Hanover House, William Gardens, Minstead Gardens, Aubyn Square, Toland Square and Vanneck Square - apologies if we've visited you but aren't listed above.

We've a lot more campaign stops all around Putney, Roehampton and Southfields before polling day on Thursday 01 May so look out for us!

A Nightmare on Treville Street

Despite what it looks like, this is not Freddy Krueger's home in the Nightmare on Elm Street horror films, but the boarded-up remains of Roehampton's Conservative Club.

The Club was closed down by the Police in January after a drugs raid. The Conservatives then embarked upon a rather embarrassing and half-hearted attempt to claim that the Club was "nothing to do with us, guv" despite several senior Tories, including former Putney Conservative Councillor Michael Chartres and current Southfields Conservative Association Chairman Terry Walsh being trustees of the club.

What with one of the Roehampton Conservative Councillors now living in Bournemouth but refusing to resign his seat and let the area choose a more committed replacement; the recent outrageous blog about the Alton Estate by another Conservative Councillor, the pending closure of the Putney Vale Youth Club and the boarding up of their Conservative Club, Roehampton Tories aren't doing at all well, are they?

Roehampton regeneration part 1

The Council has recently come out with some clearer plans for Roehampton following consultation with residents. Because the plans are quite detailed and I want to do them justice, I'm going to post here what they are, and in part 2 - which will follow soon - what I think of them.

For those coming to this subject fresh, the plans concern the area around the top end of Danebury Avenue where the shops are, opposite Roehampton High Street. There are four key sites:

Site B, which is the block that includes the housing office, the boys' club and the Roehampton Safer Neighbourhood Police. The council wants to move these facilities, demolish the building and replace it with 34 flats (19 one bed; 9 two bed and 6 three bed), 64 parking spaces plus 410 sq m offices.

Site C, which is the block that includes the Co-Op shop. The Council wants to demolish this block and replace it with another 34 new flats(17 one bed; 9 two bed and 6 three bed), 20 car parking spaces and 565 sq m new shopping. For info, that's about three times as many flats proposed than are there at the moment.

Site D, which is the long parade of shops down Danebury Avenue, with flats above them. The council is proposing to demolish this block and replace it with one of two options:

Option 1 would provide 127 new flats (70 one bed; 25 two bed and 32 three bed), 2,600 sq m of new retail (inc. a supermarket) and 141 underground parking spaces.

Option 2 – submitted by the Roehampton Business Forum - would provide 100 new flats (50 one bed; 34 two bed and 16 three bed) and 1,325 sq m of new retail.

And finally, site E which is Allbrook House and Roehampton Library. These are the most controversial proposals - the council has come up with three options:

Option E1 retains Allbrook House (and refurbishes the flats) plus the library and provides 64 new flats (38 one bed; 10 two bed and 16 three bed), plus commercial space (1,490 sq.m.) and 144 parking
spaces.

Option E2 also retains Allbrook House and the library and provides 64 new flats (32 one bed; 20 two bed and 12 three bed), commercial space (500 sq m), office space (1,000 sq m) and 132 underground parking spaces.

Option E3, prepared by the Roehampton Business Forum, demolishes Allbrook House and replaces it with 143 new flats (100 one bed; 16 two bed and 27 three bed), commercial space (5,000 sq m), new library (730 sq m) and 224 car parking spaces.

As a result of overwhelming public pressure, the council has U-turned over plans to concrete over the green space in front of Allbrook House (which always comes into its own at this time of year!): this will now stay untouched.

As I say, I'll follow up with my comments and observations on these ideas in a forthcoming post.

In their own words: Conservative neglect of the Alton

Apparently, one of Wandsworth's Conservative Councillors ventured onto Roehampton's Alton estate last Saturday (before anyone asks, it WASN'T one of the councillors elected to, supposedly, serve Roehampton!). This is how she describes her experience on her own blog (in a post titled "Different worlds"!):

"The lift wasn't working, the smells, sights, sounds can be intimidating. On 23rd floor I took fright and ran all the way down and went and did a different block. But I knew I had to go back and finish the one I hadn't done. I came back via the basement walking through foul smelling leaking sewage."

Aside from the fact that no block on the Alton has more than twelve floors - so climbing to the 23rd was a remarkable feat even for a Conservative councillor - let's just take a reality check:

• The Conservatives have run Wandsworth Council (and its housing department) for 30 years
• They've (at least notionally) represented Roehampton ward for the past ten years
• They're the ones who sacked the local caretakers in favour of a cheapskate, out-of-town cleaning contractor
• They're responsible for the lifts working...or not; and the drains being cleared...or not

As the Councillor says candidly: Putney Conservatives live in a different world - on a different planet - entirely.

I wonder if she's bothered to report her findings to the housing department, let alone demand they be fixed? Maybe she doesn't realise that the point of being an elected representative is to improve the quality of life of our constituents, not just to write these shocked, skewed and, frankly, derogatory blogs about the novelty of visiting a council estate, of all places!

UPDATE 26.03.2008 - curiously, the councillor's post has, all of a sudden, disappeared from her website. Fortunately, thanks to the wonders of Google, it's been cached - so you can still read it here. Or, if you prefer, as a PDF here.

Alton School's deserved praise

I've written before about the huge efforts that the The Alton School makes to improve the educational achievements of its pupils. So I was delighted to read the school's recent Ofsted report, and the positive write-up this prompted in this week's Wandsworth Guardian.

Alton School serves one of Europe's biggest estates, in Roehampton. The population of the Alton is changing rapidly - as well as some of the worst deprivation in the borough (Roehampton is the second most deprived ward in Wandsworth) it also has a large and growing eastern European population, which is both highly transient and introduces lots of children for whom English is not their primary language.

High turnover, significant deprivation and sadly, on occasion, parents who don't always appreciate that education isn't just a 9am-3pm past-time but rather a round-the-clock collective effort: all these factors mean that Alton will always struggle to head the Primary School league tables.

The school's just launched a breakfast club starting at 8am offering a healthy breakfast and games to start off the school day. As Headteacher Ruth Hudson says: "If children aren't coming in ready to learn it's no use forcing literacy and numeracy on them". That's not some liberal excuse to not teach the basics - it's a recognition that schools like the Alton need to go an extra mile to set their pupils on the right course. They're evidently doing so, and it's great that Ofsted has recognised their achievement.

You can read the Ofsted report here.

Out and about on the Alton Estate

Isn't this a great photo of the Alton Estate? We took it from the top of Chilcombe House in Fontley Way when we were out contacting residents there yesterday.

You can see pretty much all of the Alton West in this picture: in the left three of the blocks in Tunworth Crescent and next to them Sherfield Gardens and Clarence Lane. At the back then come the five Highcliffe Drive blocks, and in front of them the ten high rises in Tangley Grove and Ellisfield Drive.

Below them are the long blocks that run down Danebury Avenue, and in front of them Laverstoke Gardens. And, at the foot of the picture, the very well maintained grounds of Whitelands College - you can just see part of Parkstead House, the focal point of the Whitelands campus - in the bottom right.

The risk of flooding

Yesterday the Environment Agency held an exhibition and consultation at St Mary's Church about its plans to protect riparian communities like Putney from the growing threat of flooding.

Although this is a chance for us to have a say over how the powers that be protect the Thames area from flood risk through to 2100, the exhibition was as much a chance to reassure residents that Putney and London are not at any imminent risk of severe tidal flooding.

Protecting against severe flooding also needs to be offset against, for example, the visual impact of flood barriers. Many would argue that a great concrete wall along the Putney embankment similar to the one in Barnes would not be worth the loss of our riverside vistas or accessibility to the foreshore for pedestrians and rowers alike.

The Environment Agency is also looking at protecting communities that live alongside the Thames's tributaries - in our neck of the woods that means those in Southfields and Wandsworth town living near the Wandle, and the Roehampton and Putney Common areas alongside Beverley Brook.

Given that both these areas experienced some flooding during last Summer's downpours, the Agency is looking at ways of diverting "fresh water" floodwater (as opposed to tidal floodwater) onto flood plain land and away from homes; meaning in the case of The Wandle onto King George's Park, and in respect of Beverley Brook Richmond Park and Barnes Common.

But the underlying message to come out of the consultation was that London is secure from flooding; the Thames Barrier - while it needs some strengthening - is still fit for purpose for decades to come; that we do not yet need a new barrier further towards the estuary and that communities like Putney, if we do experience flooding, will do so due to freak downpours of rain rather than tidal surges.

You can find out a whole lot more about the flood risk, what the Environment Agency is proposing to do to protect us, and have your own say, by visiting: www.environment-agency.gov.uk/te2100

Roehampton Conservative Club drugs shame

Roehampton Conservative Club in Treville Street has been closed by Police following a drug raid recently. You can read more about the background to the Conservative Club's drug problems here.

The closure of the Conservative Club means that the Roehampton area has now lost SIX pubs and clubs in very quick succession:

• The Maltese Cat in Aubyn Square
• The Earl Spencer in Roehampton Lane
• The Montague Arms in Medfield Street
• The Ranger in Cortis Road
• and The King's Head in Roehampton High Street

Just look at this table pulled off the internet:



Most of the closures are due to problems with drugs or repeated bad behaviour. I was heavily involved in sorting out problems with the King's Head in 2006 - it is now a derelict site, just like the Montague and the Conservative Club.

It cannot be beyond the capability of our breweries to run pubs in Roehampton well, and with due respect to the long-suffering community living around them. We can hardly promote responsible drinking if they can't demonstrate responsible management.

English Heritage Blue Plaques

A couple of years ago I wrote an article for the Wandsworth Borough News about the local dignitaries who are remembered through English Heritage blue plaques in our borough.

I really enjoy investigating local history - in part it comes from living here for 37 years, but my degree was also in history. Anyway, here's the article, which I hope you find interesting.

What links the borough of Wandsworth to a former Prime Minister, a music hall artist, the dentist to Queen Victoria and an artic explorer? The answer is that all of them (David Lloyd George, Sir Harry Lauder, Sir Edwin Saunders and Edward Wilson) lived or worked in the borough, and have an English Heritage blue plaque outside the house in which they lived.

There are twenty-two English heritage blue plaques located within the borough of Wandsworth, out of a total of 456 throughout London.

2005 marked the centenary of the erection of the first blue plaque in Wandsworth, which was located at Holly Lodge, Wimbledon Park Road, in memory of author and novelist George Eliot, who lived “in sin” at the property with her lover, G H Lewes.

This selection of a figure of literary note seems apposite given that literary figures make up the largest group of recipients within the borough. These include the poet and novelist Thomas Hardy (who lived at Trinity Road), Victorian adventure story writer G A Henty (Lavender Gardens) and poet Gerald Manley Hopkins (Manresa House, Roehampton).

Three plaques are dedicated to famous figures from the British music hall era –the comedian Gus Elen (Thurleigh Avenue), and Harry Tate and Sir Harry Lauder (both of Longley Road). During its heyday the music hall was the most popular form of entertainment for ordinary people, and its stars were the popstars of their day. Harry Tate’s funeral at the cemetery in Blackshaw Road, Tooting, was attended by over a thousand mourners.

Only two politicians have been commemorated – former Prime Minister David Lloyd George (Routh Road) and Battersea MP, and the first working class man to enter the British Cabinet, John Burns (Clapham Common North Side). Burns was elected as an independent MP in 1892 and served Battersea in Parliament until 1918.

Others who have been commemorated include the former President of Czechoslovakia, Dr Edwards Benes (Gwendolen Avenue), John Walter, founder of The Times newsapaper (Clapham Common North Side) and anti-slavery campaigner, William Wilberforce (Broomwood Road). The most recent plaque to be erected in the borough was in 2000 in honour of the celebrated sculptor Charles Jagger, who lived and died in Albert Bridge Road.

The blue plaque scheme is a national programme run by English Heritage. To be eligible for a plaque, nominees must be worthy of national recognition, recognisable to the well-informed passer-by, and have been dead for twenty years or passed the centenary of their birth, whichever is the earlier.

As it has been five [now seven - ed.] years since the last plaque was erected in the borough, readers may wish to suggest other candidates suitable for nomination. There is surely a wealth of suitable nominees in this great borough of ours. Here is a full list of the 22 blue plaques in Wandsworth, with the Putney ones highlighted in colour:

• BATEMAN, H.M. (1887-1970),Cartoonist, lived here 1910-1914. 40 Nightingale Lane, Clapham South, SW12 Wandsworth 1997
• BENES, Dr Edward (1884-1948),President of Czechoslovakia, lived here. 26 Gwendolen Avenue, Putney, SW15 Wandsworth 1978
• BURNS, John (1858-1943),Statesman, lived here. 110 North Side, Clapham Common, SW4 Wandsworth 1950
• DOUGLAS, Norman (1868-1952),Writer, lived here. 63 Albany Mansions, Albert Bridge Road, SW11 Wandsworth 1980
• ELEN, Gus (1862-1940), Music Hall Comedian, lived here. 3 Thurleigh Avenue, Balham, SW12 Wandsworth 1979
• ELIOT, George Mary Ann Cross (1819-1880), Novelist, lived here. Holly Lodge, 31 Wimbledon Park Road, SW18 Wandsworth 1905
• HARDY, Thomas (1840-1928),Poet and Novelist, lived here 1878-1881. Plaque replaced by new one on same building in 1962. 172 Trinity Road, Tooting, SW17 Wandsworth 1940
• HENTY, G.A. (George Alfred) (1832-1902), Author, lived here. 33 Lavender Gardens, SW11 Wandsworth 1953
• HOPKINS, Gerard Manley (1844-1889),Poet, lived and studied in Manresa House. Gatepost at Manresa House, Holybourne Avenue, Roehampton, SW15 Wandsworth 1979
• JAGGER, Charles Sargeant (1885-1934),Sculptor, lived and died here. 67 Albert Bridge Road, Battersea, SW11 Wandsworth 2000
• KNEE, Fred (1868-1914),London Labour Party Pioneer and Housing Reformer, lived here. 24 Sugden Road, SW11 Wandsworth 1986
• LAUDER, Sir Harry (1870-1950),Music Hall Artist, lived here 1903-1911. 46 Longley Road, Tooting, SW17 Wandsworth 1969
• LLOYD GEORGE, David, Earl Lloyd-George of Dwyfor (1863-1945),Prime Minister, lived here Replacement for GLC plaque erected in 1967 3 Routh Road, Wandsworth Common, SW18 Wandsworth 1992
• O'CASEY, Sean (1880-1964),Playwright, lived here at flat No. 49 49 Overstrand Mansions, Prince of Wales Drive, Battesea Park, SW11 Wandsworth 1993
• SAUNDERS, Sir Edwin (1814-1901),Dentist to Queen Victoria, lived and died here. Fairlawns, 89 Wimbledon Parkside, SW19 (Plaque on gate pier) Wandsworth 1997
• SPURGEON, Charles Haddon (1834-1892),Preacher, lived here. 99 Nightingale Lane, SW12 Wandsworth 1971
• SWINBURNE, Algernon Charles (1837-1909), Poet and his friend, Theodore WATTS-DUNTON (1832-1914), Poet, Novelist, Critic, lived and died here. 11 Putney Hill, SW15 Wandsworth 1926
• TATE, Harry (Ronald MacDonald Hutchison) (1872-1940),Musical Hall Comedian, lived here. 72 Longley Road, SW17 Wandsworth 1984
• THOMAS, Edward (1878-1917),Essayist and Poet, lived here. 61 Shelgate Road, SW11 Wandsworth 1949
• WALTER, John (1739-1812),Founder of 'The Times', lived here. 113 Clapham Common North Side, SW4 Wandsworth 1977
• WILBERFORCE, William (1759-1833).On the site behind this house stood until 1904 Broomwood House - formerly Broomfield - where William Wilberforce resided during the campaign against slavery which he successfully conducted in Parliament. 111 Broomwood Road, SW11 Wandsworth 1906
• WILSON, Edward Adrian (1872-1912),Antarctic Explorer and Naturalist, lived here. Battersea Vicarage, 42 Vicarage Crescent, SW11 Wandsworth 1935

Another dog attack - but the answer remains the same

I've just got word of another dangerous dog attack - this time on the Putney Vale estate in Roehampton.

I'm glad to hear that the pensioner attacked is recovering, that the Police know who the owner and walker were of the dogs in question, and that legal action is proceeding against them.

Putney Vale is probably the most isolated community the constituency, tucked as it is right at the bottom of the Hill on the border with Kingston. Because of this, I'm concerned it gets overlooked: it's as important a part of Roehampton as the Alton estate, Village and Priory Lane area are and the Police, Dog Wardens and Safer Neighbourhood teams must give it the same level of service as any other part of the borough.

This attack again shows that ideas for licensing - be they the outrageous £500 fee the Council wants to fleece from dog owners- or notions that dogs above a certain weight be banned, are wide of the mark: his lady was attacked by small bull terriers, not Dobermans or Rottweillers.

The answer is a higher police and dog warden presence on our streets; one rule for all, not picking on council tenants as the Conservative council wants to - serious prison sentences and lifetime bans for dog owners who mistreat their pets; and much greater clarity on banned breeds because it's incredibly difficult to identify some permitted terrier types from "dangerous" ones.

Here's how the Wandsworth Guardian is reporting the incident.

Roe Rec reopens - at last!

The news that Roehampton Recreation Club is to reopen next week after a £1.8 million refit is pleasing for those of us who have been campaigning for the Club to get the resources it deserves for years.

Given that the Recreation Club in Laverstoke Gardens, just behind Danebury Avenue, will provide a refurbished gymnasium, work-out studio and activity hall, along with a creche and weekend activities centre for local kids, it's now time to draw our successful campaign to a close, but not before reflecting on the herculean efforts it's taken to get this far.



This blog post from Labour's Roehampton council team in April 2005 shows how close we were to Conservative councillors breaking their word to refit the recreation club, and how long Labour has been campaigning on the issue - it was only through a high-profile effort led by Labour councillors in the town hall and local campaigners in the community - coupled with coverage from the Wandsworth Borough News, that showed the Conservatives that they could not wriggle out of their responsibility to Roehampton.

And since then Labour has been keeping up the pressure - we even featured the story in the last edition of The Putney Paper.

Roehampton Recreation Club will reopen on Wednesday 9th January; and during the following weekend (13th and 14th January) admission will be free - there'll also be goodie bags and balloons for kids. Click here for a map.

Enterprising Roehampton

On Tuesday I was invited to the Enterprising Roehampton awards ceremony; which recognises local businesses and community groups who make a contribution to the community.

The event, hosted by Roehampton University at the Whitelands campus in Holybourne Avenue, was addressed by John Bird, Founder of The Big Issue newspaper and homelessness campaigner. Among the winners were:

• Roehampton Co-op
• Regenerate.com
• Eastwood Nursery School
• The Right Plaice Fish and Chip shop, Danebury Avenue
• Roehampton SureStart
• Roehampton Veterinary Clinic, Roehampton High Street
• Roehampton NewPin

And twelve others.

Newlands Hall fight featured in Guardian

The Wandsworth Guardian today covers the fight to save Newlands Hall on the Putney Vale estate. Reporter Chloe Lambert has been out talking to residents of Frensham Drive and Stroud Crescent - in particular the senior citizens who are among the Hall's most regular and active users and who would be hardest hit by its demise - especially as it's such an isolated part of the constituency.

Sadly, one of the area's Conservative Councillors is quoted excusing its closure: call me old fashioned but I always thought the job of councillors was to side with their constituents when the council gets things wrong; but evidently this isn't a view shared by the Tories.

This same councillor also tried to dismiss the petition we collected of over 150 signatories on the basis that it contained names of users who lived outside the estate, so I'm really pleased that the Guardian report focusses on the pensioners for whom Newlands Hall is vital.

Click here for a larger version of the article shown above.

Nothing changes...unless you change it!

Here's an example of why Putney, Roehampton and Southfields needs a Labour MP. Three years ago, residents of the Lennox estate - the estate at the north end of Priory Lane just by Upper Richmond Road - contacted us about fly-tipping problems the council was ignoring. They had tried to contact their three Conservative Councillors and got nowhere: they just couldn't be bothered.

A few days ago I held a walkabout on the estate with local residents and Councillor Leonie Cooper, Labour's Wandsworth Housing speaker and London Assembly candidate for our area, and what did we find?

Exactly the same problem unresolved three years later and after the election of new Conservative councillors despite the failure of their predecessors. And this is the problem: every single councillor in Putney is a Conservative - they have no interest in rocking the boat, making the council do what it's supposed to do, holding the administration to account. And Putney's Tory MP does exactly the same: side with her friends on the council rather than with the residents who elected her. She's done it over the closure of West Hill Library, the debacle over Wandsworth Museum, the embarrassing state of Putney High Street, and she does it time and time again by failing to take up bread-and-butter complaints like fly-tipping.

Here are three photos from the Lennox: the first two taken on our visit, the other three years ago. Can you see any improvement?

The Quadrant

Last night I was invited to attend the Annual Meeting of The Quadrant Residents' Association in Roehampton. The Quadrant covers Rodway Road, Akehurst Street, Umbria Street and Nepean Street.

The big issues for residents there at the moment are the huge Queen Mary's Place development of over 600 homes currently under construction, which backs right up to the edge of the Quadrant. Aside from the general disturbance caused by such a massive development, there is huge concern about both the parking impact it will cause and the added congestion upon the already slow-moving Roehampton Lane.

Plans have been mooted to ban all right turns from Roehampton Lane because of the amount of rat-run traffic through the village and Dover House estate, but such plans would also prevent Quadrant residents from getting to their homes as well, so this was a topic that received a lot of discussion too.

And the parking situation in the area has gradually worsened over the past three years, so residents were pleased to note that the council had finally bowed to demands, championed by Labour's Roehampton team last year, for a consultation on a controlled parking zone.

I was delighted to have been invited to the meeting which was well-attended, and to have been able to contribute on several of the issues discussed.