Jill, Hamish and Alan have received the following notice from Sutton Council on Monday 3rd September 2012.

The Council of the London Borough of Sutton hereby gives notice that in order to facilitate gully cleaning, any minor repair work that may arise from the cleaning and to fulfil the Council’s duties under sections 89(1)(a) and (2) of the Environmental Protection Act 1990, in the roads or lengths of roads listed in the Schedules to this Notice it intends to make an Order the effect of which will be to temporarily introduce waiting and loading restrictions throughout those roads or lengths of roads. 

A poster that says it all really

A community picnic on the green outside St Helier Hospital, Carshalton is expected to attract more than a thousand revellers to enjoy a party with a purpose on Saturday 8th September.

Aerial Shot of St. Helier Hospital

Visitors to the St. Helier Fun Day will enjoy entertainers, raffles, tombolas, face painting, stalls and a whole lot more as the party starts at lunchtime and runs through the afternoon. Fun-seekers are welcome, but if you want to run a stall or provide some entertainment for the crowds, there’s still time – simply email savesthelier@yahoo.co.uk and say what you want to do.

The whole community has got together to arrange the day, but one of the chief organisers St Helier mum Michelle Baker said: “This is going to be a fantastic day out, so come along and join in the fun. “If you want to take part that’s great, but if you just want to enjoy another party after the Jubilee, the Torch relay and the Olympics that’s fine too.”

As well as the fun, the day also has a serious purpose – to continue the fight against the proposed closure of the hospital’s A&E, maternity and children’s wards. Visitors will be able to listen to speeches from local people who use the hospital and petitions with thousands of signatures will be presented to representatives of the panel which recommended that the St. Helier clinics be closed and the hospital become a centre for planned surgery in south west London.

Leader of Sutton Council and St Helier campaigner Cllr. Ruth Dombey, said: “First and foremost I want everyone to come along and have a great day out. But while you’re there take the time to find out what they plan to do to our hospital and then sign the petition and join the fight.”

Some photos and stories are so good, they just have to be shared.  A very bit thank you to all who took part.

http://www.localmumsonline.com/news/carshalton-news/mums-the-word-to-save-st/

A group of pregnant mums from Local Mums Online posed for television cameras and photographers today to help save St Helier Hospital in South London.

In a graphic display of their passion to stop the much-loved local hospital from losing it’s maternity and children’s units, a group of pregnant Carshalton Mums painted their bumps to draw attention to the forthcoming cuts.

Talks to secure the downgrading of the iconic South London hospital moved a step closer to completion this week. St Helier Hospital currently looks set to lose it’s maternity, children’s and A and E services unless steps can be halted by the public consultation in October.

Kathy McGuinness from Local Mums Online said: “Sutton Council asked us to help support their campaign to save St Helier by inviting 12 pregnant mums for a photoshoot. I put a call out on our Carshalton Mums Twitter and Facebook groups and 12 Carshalton Mums immediately came forward!”

“We are more than happy to do everything we can to save St. Helier,” said Carshalton Mum Kate Edwards, who’s three year old son was born at St Helier. “This is our local hospital and it means so much to us.”

“I was born in this hospital,” added Carshalton Mum-to-be Marie Rooks, who is expecting her first baby in November. “My family have strong links to this hospital, my sister’s children were born here and my mum works here. I would be devastated to see it close.”

“What defines us as Local Mums is that we have all been through the local maternity services,” said Local Mums Online founder Kathy McGuinness. “We are very attached to this hospital and will do everything we can to keep it.”

“It is vital that women receive good local care at a time when they are at their most vulnerable and not have to struggle across London for their ante-natal appointments, some of them with toddlers in tow,” added Kathy, who is also a breastfeeding counsellor for Sutton and Merton NHS.

Carshalton Mum and make up artist for Channel Four, Suzy Doyle, was the official make up artist for the photoshoot. “I am delighted to donate my services to such an important cause,” said Suzy, who started at 7.30am to give each mum a fun, professional makeover. 

“We’ve had great fun,” added Carshalton Mum Rebecca Osbourne. “I was a bit nervous about showing my belly off, but we really enjoyed ourselves with Suzy and relaxed – and it’s all for a fantastic cause!”

http://www.suttonguardian.co.uk/savesthelier/

A Photo to Remember!...Carshalton Mums-to-be

Local MP Tom Brake is encouraging local residents to get active with Games4 Life, a campaign to inspire the nation and get moving during London’s summer of sport.

Tom Brake said. ‘The London Olympics have proved a real inspiration to what sport can achieve this summer and local heroes such as London 2012 Gold Medalist Joanna Roswell have brought the message home. Games4Life is great tool to transfer that inspiration into action!’.

Games4Life have produced fun interactive children’s summer adventure packs to get you and your family started this summer. The Change4Life website has information on fun and free ways for people to get moving and the Fun Generator smartphone app has over 100 indoor and outdoor activity ideas for kids.

For more information visit www.nhs.uk/Change4Life.

Local Cllr. Jill Whitehead has taken up residents’ concerns about the yellow lines in two roads, namely Kingsley Avenue and Westmead Road, both in the Carshalton Central neighbourhood.

She has asked council officers to let us know when the yellow lines in Kingsley Avenue, Sutton will be repainted, bearing in mind this work was promised way back in February 2012?

She also asked council officers also to let us know when the yellow lines will be repainted on the corners of each of the side roads off Westmead Road where the recent resurfacing took place (finished last week)? 

Cllr. Alan Salter reports: “As residents will be aware, local schools will be starting the new term next week which means parents will be parking on the corner of Coleridge Avenue and Westmead Road where the yellow lines have faded away. This needs to be attended to as part of the overall works mentioned above.”

The new bollards have been erected in Carshalton Park to mark out the extent of the World War 2 shelter to the rear of houses in Ruskin Road.

The new bollards in Carshalton Park...

Following representations made by local residents with the local councillors, we have recently been given the following information by the planning department of Sutton Council in connection with some of the planning permission conditions and other matters concerning Wentworth Hall, 80 Ruskin Road, Carshalton, at the junction with Woodstock Road.

Entrance. In relation to the entrance on Ruskin Road, the planningcondition states that the development shall not be occupied, until a scheme providing access from the highway to the building, shall be submitted to and approved by the Council. The scheme shall comply with the requirements of the Disability Discrimination Act, unless otherwise agreed in writing with the Council. The reason for this wording is that the Planning Enforcement Case Officer has spoken to Building Control and it is not clear that there is a statutory requirement that an appropriate ramp has to be provided here, bearing in mind there is ramped access on the  

Ramp to the Woodstock Road frontage. We raised concerns about the steepness of the proposed ramp at the front of the building, which did not appear to meet with current Building Regulations, and we are advised that it would require a meeting with the applicant and Building Control to resolve this, possibly also involving Property Services as landowners, as it might have implications for the internal layout. We are also advised that an appropriate ramp would take up most of the Ruskin Road frontage, leaving little room for significant landscaping as requested by councillors.

Landscaping. In relation to landscaping all the details have been reserved for Council approval. The planning condition states that the landscaping to be submitted for approval shall incorporate a significant amount of soft landscaping including trees.

External Staircase. In relation to the external staircase Building Control have advise it could only be fully enclosed (i.e. with a door at the bottom) if the staircase was extended to provide a landing at the bottom first. This would result in the extended enclosed staircase enclosing a window, and for fire prevention purposes that window, and possibly adjoining windows would have to be blocked up. Since it is not straightforward the condition will require all the details of screening to be submitted and approved. A balance will have to be struck between the amenity of adjoining residents, and the light/ventilation requirements of Wentworth Hall.

Notice of the Development Control Meeting. In relation to the concern expressed by some residents about the Council’s planning department giving residents only a week’s notice of the application being heard at the Development Control Committee, the Council’s records show that the invite letters were sent out on 27th July, some twelve days before the last Development Control Committee at which the application was decided. It is not possible to send them out earlier as the final decision on what applications would be on that Agenda was only taken the day before. As the Council’s Development Control Committees are generally held on a 2/3 week cycle it is not possible to have a longer lead-in period.

Dormer Windows. In relation to concerns expressed by local residents, the rear dormer windows the condition on the planning permission requires them to be glazed with obscure glass and fixed shut in a manner that they cannot be opened and so maintained. The Council’s Planning Enforcement Team are aware that at the moment they are capable of being opened and this matter is being actively pursued with the applicant to permanently fix the windows shut. At the moment of course the building is unoccupied so there is no actual loss of privacy. It is also of relevance to point out that the bottom of the windows are about 2 metres above the internal first floor level so even when occupied, if the windows were capable of being opened, actual overlooking of nearby properties would not occur.

Cllr. Jill Whitehead has taken up local residents’ concerns about a dead tree on Council-owned highways land at the junction of Brookfield Avenue and Kingsley Avenue, Sutton within Carshalton Central ward. We have been told today that the dead tree will be removed by an urgent works order shortly.

Once again the Lib Dem councillors were present at the perennial Carshalton Park Environmental Fair that takes place every year on August Bank Holiday Monday. 

The annual environmental fair was started in the early 1990s, and Cllr. Hamish Pollock was one of the very first stall holders to be selling books there along with his wife Josephine and Angela Baughan who later became a long-serving local Lib Dem councillor for the area, 1994-2006.

Local booksellers: Cllrs. Alan Salter and Jill Whitehead

Cllrs. Jill Whitehead and Alan Salter (pictured) are selling books at a huge bookstall at the Fair – a photograph taken by Cllr. Hamish Pollock (not pictured!).  Jill and Hamish also helped on the Friends of Carshalton Park stall in the later afternoon. It was a long, but very pleasant day!

As usual there was something for everyone at the Carshalton Environmental Fair. Lots of children’s activities from facepainting, to craft activities and a pedal powered cycle challenge! Music and entertainment on three different stages to suit different tastes from rock to acoustic folk. Browse through over 100 stalls, craft, local produce. Speakers and info on environmental issues in the Carshalton Community Allotment marquee. Lots of tasty food, a bar and a cafe!

We made a day of it!

Twenty five years after it was launched by the then famous TV environmentalist Dr David Bellamy, Sutton Nature Conservation Volunteers are still working closely with Sutton Council to ensure the south London borough remains one of the greenest spots in London.

Week after week, a team of cheerful volunteers sets out to mow, chop and beautify parts of 150 hectares of land in the borough – under the expert guidance of David Warburton, Secretary of SNCV and Biodiversity Officer for Sutton Council.

Chair of the SNCV, Joanne Porter said: “I hope the SNCV can continue to work with the council to improve biodiversity in Sutton for many years into the future.”

And the team, men and women, from teenagers to an 85-year-old man who is one of the group’s longest-serving volunteers, are also busily trying to save the Small Blue Butterfly from local extinction, by creating new habitat for it.

Sitting in his small office in The Ecology Centre,Festival Walk, near Honeywood Walk, in Carshalton David, 35, smiles when asked about the volunteers.

The Grounds of Sutton Ecology Centre, Carshalton

“They’re all sorts of people really,” he says. “Some are young people who want to learn the skills for a career in this field; others are older people who just like to help out for a day or so here and there.

“But we’re glad to take all of them. There’s so much work that needs doing and the more volunteers we get, the more we do. It’s as simple as that. At the moment, volunteers contribute over 700 man days of work around the borough each year, worth another two of me working 5 days a week to do all the necessary tasks!”

David, who arrived in Sutton eight years ago, admits he isn’t sure who first had the visionary idea of setting up the SNCV but is happy to salute the work of the thousands of volunteers who have worked for it since it came into existence as Sutton Conservation Group in 1987.

He says: “They created a lot of wildlife gardens in schools, which are still there today. And, of course, most of the work isn’t big, glamorous projects; it’s the day to day, week to week work which is essential. And they certainly did their share of that.”

One big project the SNCV can point to with pride is Anton Crescent Wetlands. First created in the 1990s as a flood storage wash by the Environment Agency, it was the labour of SNCV that saw it designated a Local Nature Reserve in 2007.

The 1.5 hectare site is now home to a variety of wildlife and in 2011 in a joint project with Sutton Inclusion Centre – a facility for people with profound learning disabilities – a viewing platform was erected.

That was built with the help of volunteers from the Department of Transport and the SNCV is proud of leading the way in building partnerships with organisations and has also used staff from the likes of American Express and KPMG to help with some of its projects.

Currently, top priority for the group is creating extra habitat for the Small Blue Butterfly, which is worrying conservationists as its numbers are scarce and declining.

So, in an effort to preserve the pretty butterfly, which is small but not in actual fact very blue, the South London Small Blue Project was created and Sutton was glad to join neighbouring borough Croydon and partner The Downlands Countryside Management Project in the work.