Swiss Cottage Area Action Group – Public Meeting Monday 31st October, 6.30 for 7pm, Crossfield Centre, 8 Fairhazel Gardens
This meeting will focus on recycling, waste and street sweeping. Together with your three councillors we will have with us Robert Molinari, who is a senior manager in Camden street environment services, and Daniel Wilks, who is the street environment officer for our patch.
In addition Paul Perkins, director of the Winchester Project for young people, will be giving us an update on its work.
Informal discussion/coffee with councillors and officers from 6.30, with formal meeting starting at 7pm.
Friday, 28 October 2011
Camden Annual Parking Report and Parking Policy Review
For the last five years (it was one of the initiatives we introduced in the previous administration) Camden Council has produced a rather readable report on all the main aspects of parking in the borough. The full document can be read here, and below we’ve extracted some highlights of interest:
• The number of parking tickets issued in Camden for parking (as opposed to bus lane or moving traffic offences) was 279,011 in 2010/11, down from 318,477 in 2009/10, and very significantly down on the peak amount of 434,646 in 2006/7.
• Camden parking income amounted to £36m in 2010/11, compared with £44.6m in 2007/8. Parking expenditure last year (ie paying for machines, parking attendants, issuing of residents and visitors permits etc) was £16m, compared with £27.5m in 2009/10.
• The parking surplus can by law only be spent on specific transport expenditure. Last year £9.6m was spent funding the Freedom Pass for older residents in Camden, and on the Taxicard scheme for the disabled. £7.2m was spent on highway and traffic improvements and highways maintenance. As can been seen, with parking income declining quite noticeably, there have been significant cuts needed in parking expenditure to preserve funding for the good things such as the Freedom Pass that the parking surplus funds.
• Of PCN appeals in Camden, 2,610 were refused in 2010, but 2,024 were allowed. Camden’s 44% of allowed appeals compared with 50% in London as a whole.
• Road safety – road casualty statistics show that KSI (killed and seriously wounded) in Camden were 111 in 2010, down from 141 the previous year and 123 in 2008. (2007 was just 105 but 2010’s figures are clearly below the average of the last ten years). Cyclist casualties however remain a real concern.
Parking Policy Review
Over the coming months, Camden is going to be reviewing many aspects of parking policy, consulting on various aspects with residents and local groups – we will of course inform everyone as this takes place. The key areas being looked at include:
• The structure of controlled parking zones, including days and hours of control (for example, could there be fewer zones, with fewer differences in hours of control, which can be confusing. On the other hand, the current zones are now understood – change would itself be confusing).
• Reviewing the emission based charging scheme for residents permits to see if the scheme has in fact had the intended effect of encouraging motorists to switch to smaller, less polluting vehicles.
• Business permits and business visitor vouchers.
• Yellow line restrictions, simplifying and standardising days and hours of control across Camden.
• Pay and Display, including the introduction of cashless parking.
One thing to note in the parking report is the permit to parking space ratio in each residential parking zone. The ratio in Swiss Cottage (zone CA-R) is 1.13, which is in fact the highest in Camden (ie there are more residents permits than there are actually spaces on the road surface). This compares with 1.12 in Belsize, 1.10 in Hampstead, 0.95 in Fortune Green/West Hampstead, 0.85 in Kilburn and just 0.54 in Redington/Frognal.
• The number of parking tickets issued in Camden for parking (as opposed to bus lane or moving traffic offences) was 279,011 in 2010/11, down from 318,477 in 2009/10, and very significantly down on the peak amount of 434,646 in 2006/7.
• Camden parking income amounted to £36m in 2010/11, compared with £44.6m in 2007/8. Parking expenditure last year (ie paying for machines, parking attendants, issuing of residents and visitors permits etc) was £16m, compared with £27.5m in 2009/10.
• The parking surplus can by law only be spent on specific transport expenditure. Last year £9.6m was spent funding the Freedom Pass for older residents in Camden, and on the Taxicard scheme for the disabled. £7.2m was spent on highway and traffic improvements and highways maintenance. As can been seen, with parking income declining quite noticeably, there have been significant cuts needed in parking expenditure to preserve funding for the good things such as the Freedom Pass that the parking surplus funds.
• Of PCN appeals in Camden, 2,610 were refused in 2010, but 2,024 were allowed. Camden’s 44% of allowed appeals compared with 50% in London as a whole.
• Road safety – road casualty statistics show that KSI (killed and seriously wounded) in Camden were 111 in 2010, down from 141 the previous year and 123 in 2008. (2007 was just 105 but 2010’s figures are clearly below the average of the last ten years). Cyclist casualties however remain a real concern.
Parking Policy Review
Over the coming months, Camden is going to be reviewing many aspects of parking policy, consulting on various aspects with residents and local groups – we will of course inform everyone as this takes place. The key areas being looked at include:
• The structure of controlled parking zones, including days and hours of control (for example, could there be fewer zones, with fewer differences in hours of control, which can be confusing. On the other hand, the current zones are now understood – change would itself be confusing).
• Reviewing the emission based charging scheme for residents permits to see if the scheme has in fact had the intended effect of encouraging motorists to switch to smaller, less polluting vehicles.
• Business permits and business visitor vouchers.
• Yellow line restrictions, simplifying and standardising days and hours of control across Camden.
• Pay and Display, including the introduction of cashless parking.
One thing to note in the parking report is the permit to parking space ratio in each residential parking zone. The ratio in Swiss Cottage (zone CA-R) is 1.13, which is in fact the highest in Camden (ie there are more residents permits than there are actually spaces on the road surface). This compares with 1.12 in Belsize, 1.10 in Hampstead, 0.95 in Fortune Green/West Hampstead, 0.85 in Kilburn and just 0.54 in Redington/Frognal.
Thursday, 27 October 2011
New TRA for Broadfield Estate, Broadhurst Gardens
Roger Freeman attended the well attended inaugural meeting of the reconstituted Broadfield Tenants and Residents Association tonight. A good development and Roger, Don and Andrew look forward to working with the newly elected committee.
Monday, 24 October 2011
Cycle contra-flow lane consultation in Gardens area/West Hampstead
We want you to be sure you are aware of a consultation on cycle permeability in the West Hampstead area, including the Gardens. If you have not been leafleted get the details at www.camden.gov.uk/consultations.
If like us you had never heard the phrase cycle permeability before, it is essentially a scheme to allow cyclists to go contra flow on some roads in the Gardens area to make cycling easier.
Camden have taken the big picture decisions on this and are consulting on the detail. We have expressed our concerns on this to senior officers, expressing our view that local residents who use these streets every day as pedestrians, car drivers and cyclists should have a real input into decision making.
Rest assured that there are no plans to remove any parking bays.
If like us you had never heard the phrase cycle permeability before, it is essentially a scheme to allow cyclists to go contra flow on some roads in the Gardens area to make cycling easier.
Camden have taken the big picture decisions on this and are consulting on the detail. We have expressed our concerns on this to senior officers, expressing our view that local residents who use these streets every day as pedestrians, car drivers and cyclists should have a real input into decision making.
Rest assured that there are no plans to remove any parking bays.
Thursday, 20 October 2011
Feedback from Safer Neighbourhood Panel meeting: burglary, vehicle crime, cycling on pavements
Roger Freeman attended the October 18 meeting of Swiss Cottage Safer Neighbourhood Panel.
Sgt Nick Parry told us that the decision has been taken not to extend the Swiss Cottage/Kilburn dispersal zone when it expires on November 4th. The simple reason for this is that it has not been used ; if circumstances change, there is the mechanism available for it be reinstated quickly.
He noted that crime indices for burglary, vehicle crime and robberies were trending up. The burglary figure for September was high because someone in a converted house left the window open; a burglar got in and having gained access to the house committed five other burglaries. Sgt Parry reiterated it was in everyone's interests to take security precautions- if only to prevent their post code based insurance policies from going up. There will be more police patrols when the clocks change.
Cycling on the pavement remains an issue. Sgt Parry explained that this is not an arrestable offence and the only powers that they have is to issue a £30 ticket. He noted in the South of the borough the increased incidence of pavement cyclists grabbing the telephones of people whilst they talked; this has not happened in Swiss Cottage but was another reason he was focusing on this. 5 tickets had been issued in August and another 5 in September.
Vehicle crime continues to be opportunistic, driven by people leaving possessions in their car on display.
The meeting agreed that burglary, vehicle crime and ASB(including pavement cycling) should continue to be the priority areas for the Safer Neighbourhood Team.
Sgt Nick Parry told us that the decision has been taken not to extend the Swiss Cottage/Kilburn dispersal zone when it expires on November 4th. The simple reason for this is that it has not been used ; if circumstances change, there is the mechanism available for it be reinstated quickly.
He noted that crime indices for burglary, vehicle crime and robberies were trending up. The burglary figure for September was high because someone in a converted house left the window open; a burglar got in and having gained access to the house committed five other burglaries. Sgt Parry reiterated it was in everyone's interests to take security precautions- if only to prevent their post code based insurance policies from going up. There will be more police patrols when the clocks change.
Cycling on the pavement remains an issue. Sgt Parry explained that this is not an arrestable offence and the only powers that they have is to issue a £30 ticket. He noted in the South of the borough the increased incidence of pavement cyclists grabbing the telephones of people whilst they talked; this has not happened in Swiss Cottage but was another reason he was focusing on this. 5 tickets had been issued in August and another 5 in September.
Vehicle crime continues to be opportunistic, driven by people leaving possessions in their car on display.
The meeting agreed that burglary, vehicle crime and ASB(including pavement cycling) should continue to be the priority areas for the Safer Neighbourhood Team.
Friday, 14 October 2011
Top End of Goldhurst - now to get cleaned twice a day
Roger Freeman spent time earlier this week with Camden's Street Cleaning Officer for our patch, focusing in on the rubbish issues at the top end of Goldhurst Terrace by Snappy Snaps.
This area will now be cleaned twice a day and there will be meetings with the local shopkeepers to improve their waste collection methods.
We are also aware of ongoing issues with the flower stall at the top end of Canfield Gardenias outside Finchley Road Station and Camden's street trading officers are looking into this.
This area will now be cleaned twice a day and there will be meetings with the local shopkeepers to improve their waste collection methods.
We are also aware of ongoing issues with the flower stall at the top end of Canfield Gardenias outside Finchley Road Station and Camden's street trading officers are looking into this.
Thursday, 13 October 2011
Swiss Cottage Safer Neighbourhoods Public Meeting - 18/10
A reminder that the next police Safer Neighbourhoods public meeting with our ward Sergeant Nick Parry and his team will be on Tuesday 18th October at 7pm in the Crossfield Centre, 8 Fairhazel Gardens. A guest speaker will be Paul Perkins, director of the Winchester Project, which does such fantastic work with local young people.
Thursday, 6 October 2011
Ground breaking ceremony for the Jewish Community Centre for London
Boris Johnson and Dame Vivienne Duffield did the honours today at the ground breaking ceremony for the Jewish Community Centre to be built on the site of the old Mercedes showroom on Finchley Rd. It's a hugely ambitious concept, based on the model of the JCC in New York, and will be a fantastic facility not only for the Jewish community, but one which welcomes all of us. It will also, at a very micro level, help create a livlier streetscape on this part of Finchley Rd north of the O2, fitting in well opposite the Arts Centre. We look forward to following its progress as building progresses. And of course it's important to remember that the Jewish Community Centre is already up and running - it's put on 600 events over the last few years and has a very active programme you can see on its website - but the new buildin will give it a core and a heart.
http://www.jcclondon.org.uk/
Wednesday, 5 October 2011
New staggered pedestrian crossing on Adelaide Rd for the UCL Academy
We've been asked by various people about this as the Academy is constructed, and Roger Freeman has reminded us of the following information which we thought it useful to pass on.
Our understanding is the Academy will have 180 in the first year-Year 7- as of next September and an amount unknown to mus in what we used to call the Lower VIth - it was not originally anticipated that they would start in 2012. On the basis that the Year 7 cohort for 2013 will be 180 and there will be a new lower VIth cohort, then these pedestrian works will have to be done by September 2013.
This is something we want to bring up with the Head when we see her in the near future.
Here's the quote from the planning permission:
29. a) A Section 278 agreement will be entered into with Transport for London to deliver a signalised pedestrian crossing no later than 2 years after commencement of development unless otherwise agreed by the local planning authority in consultation with Transport for London.
b) At no time shall the number of registered students at the UCL Academy exceed the number of 465 until the new signalised staggered pedestrian crossing with new island shown on the submitted Highways Works Plan has been completed, or such alternative interim measures or management plan have been submitted to and agreed by the Local Planning Authority in writing. The measures or management plan as have been agreed in such event shall continue to remain in place until the relevant highway works have been completed.
Reason: In order to safeguard the pedestrian environment in accordance with policy T3 of the London Borough of Camden Replacement Unitary Development Plan 2006
Our understanding is the Academy will have 180 in the first year-Year 7- as of next September and an amount unknown to mus in what we used to call the Lower VIth - it was not originally anticipated that they would start in 2012. On the basis that the Year 7 cohort for 2013 will be 180 and there will be a new lower VIth cohort, then these pedestrian works will have to be done by September 2013.
This is something we want to bring up with the Head when we see her in the near future.
Here's the quote from the planning permission:
29. a) A Section 278 agreement will be entered into with Transport for London to deliver a signalised pedestrian crossing no later than 2 years after commencement of development unless otherwise agreed by the local planning authority in consultation with Transport for London.
b) At no time shall the number of registered students at the UCL Academy exceed the number of 465 until the new signalised staggered pedestrian crossing with new island shown on the submitted Highways Works Plan has been completed, or such alternative interim measures or management plan have been submitted to and agreed by the Local Planning Authority in writing. The measures or management plan as have been agreed in such event shall continue to remain in place until the relevant highway works have been completed.
Reason: In order to safeguard the pedestrian environment in accordance with policy T3 of the London Borough of Camden Replacement Unitary Development Plan 2006
Saturday, 1 October 2011
Camden parking review coming up
Rightly or wrongly, Camden Council is about to undertake a Parking Policy Review (PPR). In the next month or so councillors will finalise its exact scope and process before residents groups and individual residents get consulted in Dec/Jan.
One of the more controversial points in the review will be whether the current CPZ zones should be reviewed and simplified, possibly with fewer, larger zones. This has lots of implications and no doubt will trigger lots of discussion. As opposition councillors, at this stage the Swiss Cottage team will be taking a close look at what the Council administration proposes, and seeking maximum consultation for residents in our patch.
According to the Council, the Review will will seek to meet the following objectives:
Parking policies that are sustainable, fair and proportionate, with a greater focus on users, particularly residents, but also business
Ensure that the policies and services are transparent and provided consistently throughout the borough
Meet the wider council transport policy objectives
Address the needs of different users (and balance the tension between them)
Simplifying access and reducing the number of times customers need to contact the council.
Delivering the changes proposed as part of the PPR will we hope result in a fairer, more transparent parking system, which will continue to build on the positive outcomes already achieved, such as increased compliance, reduced traffic levels and increased use of sustainable modes of transport.
Areas of the service that are being looked at include:
The controlled parking zone structure
Permit provision
Pay & display parking
The future strategy for motorcycle parking
Emission based charging and yellow line simplification.
One of the more controversial points in the review will be whether the current CPZ zones should be reviewed and simplified, possibly with fewer, larger zones. This has lots of implications and no doubt will trigger lots of discussion. As opposition councillors, at this stage the Swiss Cottage team will be taking a close look at what the Council administration proposes, and seeking maximum consultation for residents in our patch.
According to the Council, the Review will will seek to meet the following objectives:
Parking policies that are sustainable, fair and proportionate, with a greater focus on users, particularly residents, but also business
Ensure that the policies and services are transparent and provided consistently throughout the borough
Meet the wider council transport policy objectives
Address the needs of different users (and balance the tension between them)
Simplifying access and reducing the number of times customers need to contact the council.
Delivering the changes proposed as part of the PPR will we hope result in a fairer, more transparent parking system, which will continue to build on the positive outcomes already achieved, such as increased compliance, reduced traffic levels and increased use of sustainable modes of transport.
Areas of the service that are being looked at include:
The controlled parking zone structure
Permit provision
Pay & display parking
The future strategy for motorcycle parking
Emission based charging and yellow line simplification.
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