Wallington Station Platform Extension Work

Good news!  Network Rail have commenced platform lengthening work at Wallington station.  This is to allow 10-car trains to stop at the station from 2013.  Currently only 7 car trains can be accessed from the platforms with passengers having to walk along inside the train carriages if they are in the 8th car and wish to alight!  Many Carshalton Central residents of course use Wallington Station.  Indeed Wallington Station was once known as Carshalton Station!

Wallington Station before the platform extension works started

A new cycle parking shelter has also recently been installed on the north side of the station near the car park entrance, which is part of Southern’s travel plan and franchise commitment.

Carter House 229-245 Carshalton Road Update

Hamish took some photos of the large flats’ development on Friday, 10th August 2012 of Carter House, 229-245 Carshalton Road. 

This site is on the north side of the road between Alma Road and Shorts Road at the so-called “gateway to Carshalton” and is embellished with the Olympic Gold Letter Box!

Carter House Advert

Here is a general view of Carter House from the south side of Carshalton Road.

Carter House revealed!

Westmead House, 123 Westmead Road – Planning Appeal

Westmead House, 123 Westmead Road

We have recently heard that the developer has submitted an appeal to the Government’s unelected Planning Inspectorate based in Bristol following the unanimous refusal of planning permission by Sutton Council a few weeks’ ago on 13th June 2012. The planning appeal is no. APP/P5870/A/12/2180087/NWF

Local residents and local councillors Jill Whitehead, Alan Salter and Hamish Pollock strongly opposed the application for a 3-storey, 74-bed care home with roof garden and retail unit on the front part of this cramped site between Cowper Avenue and Kingsley Avenue.  More in a future posting…

Westmead Allotments, Colston Avenue

Following complaints from Westmead Allotment holders, Cllr. Jill Whitehead recently walked along the wide footpath from Colston Avenue leading to the allotments and noted that the recent weather conditions have encouraged even further growth of the shrubs, such that the area is beginning to look like a jungle.  She has of course asked the relevant council’s officers to get these matters under control after all the wet weather!

Westmead Allotments

A further point that has been reported by Jill is the “alignment of the allotment’s main gate post which makes locating the padlocked sliding bolt into its slot in the gate post difficult encouraging incorrect locking of the padlock to the railing which will culminate in the loss of said sliding bolt eventually”…

Fantastic Flowers – An Ecology Centre Event

Fantastic Flowers:  Discover our wildflowers through stories, games and craft. Suitable for children 3+ years.

When: Monday 13th AugustSunflowers at Ecology Centre, 10.30am-12noon

Where: Sutton Ecology Centre, The Old Rectory, Festival Walk, Carshalton, SM5 3NY

Entry: £3.50 per child

Bookings: sec@sutton.gov.uk or 020 8770 5822

Carshalton Road’s “Olympic” Golden Letter Box

Here is a picture of the Carshalton Road letter box newly-repainted gold by the Post Office to celebrate the success in the 2012 Olympics of a Carshalton-born competitor.   

Joanna Rowsell, who was born in Carshalton, is now a Cheam resident, and she has won a Gold Medal as an Olympic Cyclist. Our heartiest congratulations to Joanna!

Carshalton's Gold Letter Box

At the time of writing with just two days of competition to go the Team GB had attained a total of no less than 25 Gold Medals, an unprecedented achievement for this country in the modern era of the Olympic Games ranking behind the United States and China.

The letter box is located on the north side of the road between Alma Road and Shorts Road and is quite close to Carter House, the new flats development at 229-245 Carshalton Road.

Joanna Rowsell

Wentworth Hall Planning Application Decision

Councillors voted to approve the latest planning application at Wentworth Hall, 80 Ruskin Road, Carshalton on the evening of Wednesday, 8th August 2012.

Wentworth Hall

The council-owned site is located at the corner of Ruskin Road with Woodstock Road and is currently leased to the Muslim Cultural Welfare Association of Sutton (MCWAS).

A number of local residents and Cllr. Hamish Pollock attended the meeting. Hamish asked a number of questions of council officers on behalf of local residents before the decision was made.

1) The proposed flat at first floor must stay purely residential. If the applicant wishes to change the use then we were told that a fresh planning application would be required.

2) The community hall at ground and first floor must stay purely for community use. Again, if the applicant wishes to change the type/nature of use then again a fresh planning application would be required. There were concerns from residents that there might be sleep-overs in the hall at night-time.

3) The front/main entrance ramps are to be installed to be fully compliant with current Building Regulations as a planning condition. Additional steps would be provided at the front if also required by current building regulations.  Hamish asked that full and proper consideration be given in the design of the ramps and staircases to assist disabled people entering/exiting the building.

4) The landscaping improvements at the front would be clarified as a planning condition.

5) The rear entrance staircase serving the flat would be further enclosed as a planning condition.

In due course we were told that there will be some meetings between the council’s planning officers and the applicant to resolve these planning conditions/planning issues and finalise/revise details on the drawings.

More in a future posting.

Car Club Parking Bays being removed

Car Club Logo

Sutton Council is proposing to revoke the car club parking places which have been vacated by the car club operator in the following locations in Carshalton Central neighbourhood:-

 
Orchard Way, Sutton and Rotherfield Road, Carshalton.  
 

Greater London Assembly says “NO” to revival of third runway at Heathrow

The Greater London Assembly recently made clear its continuing unanimous opposition to the construction of a third runway at Heathrow Airport.

3rd Runway for Heathrow?

Following recent reports that the prospect of an expanded Heathrow could be revived, Assembly Members backed a motion urging Mayor of London Boris Johnson to join the Assembly in lobbying London MPs to oppose a third runway and to work with government to find alternative solutions to airport capacity issues in London and the South East.

Lib Dem Caroline Pidgeon AM, who proposed the motion, said:
“In 2010 the Government was right to axe plans for a third Heathrow Runway and the same arguments against expansion still hold good today.

Having lifted the spectre of yet more noise, congestion and air pollution from the residents of West London it would be a gross betrayal to revive the proposals.

However much money the airline industry spends lobbying government, London’s politicians must make it clear to ministers that a u-turn on runways is not an acceptable manoeuvre.”

The full text of the motion agreed at today’s meeting reads as follows:

This Assembly views with concern recent reports that the Government may be looking again at proposals to bring forward plans to create a third runway at Heathrow, and that there is the possibility that plans for a 3rd runaway may appear in some Parties’ manifestos at the next General Election.

This Assembly therefore agrees to support councils, community groups and local residents in opposing any plans for a third runway at Heathrow and calls on the Mayor and Chair of the London Assembly to jointly write to all 73 Members of Parliament in Greater London asking them to commit to not supporting any plans for an additional runway at Heathrow, either now or after the next General Election.

The Assembly further calls upon the mayor and the Government to work together to find alternative solutions to address airport capacity issues in London and the South East

KING’S LANE JUNCTION WITH HILLCROOME ROAD: PROPOSED ROAD SAFETY IMPROVEMENT

The Council’s highways officer presented a report at the July meeting of the Carshalton & Clockhouse Local Committee seeking approval for safety improvements at King’s Lane (South) Bridge.   

Committee chair Cllr. Hamish Pollock reports: ” For many years, concerns have been raised locally about pedestrian, cyclist  and  driver safety on King’s Lane south bridge over the railway. Highways officers were asked to look at safety improvements. There were suggestions in the past of using mirrors at the bends which thehighways officers dismissed. The bridge is only 3.6 metres (12 feet) wide  and only allows one line of traffic at a time.  Approaches to the bridge are at very nearly 90 degree bends and the bridge parapets are a combination of solid brick with rails on top which makes the sight lines poor.”

There have apparently been 3 personal injuries at the junction between April 2008 and April 2011, and residents who use Warren Park have reported numerous “bumps” as cars failed to negotiate the difficult twists and turns safely.

South Bridge, King's Lane with dogs and owners!

The highways officer reported at the meeting that the proposals had been considered by the Council’s neighbouring Sutton South, Cheam and Belmont Local Committee, who had already accepted the scheme subject to further consultation. It was confirmed that the scheme would be funded from the Local Investment Plan, therefore at no cost to the Carshalton & Clockhouse Local Committee.

The works include: Building out the footways on both sides of the junction which would slow and guide vehicles on a more visible line and provide a longer footway for pedestrians.  The warning signs will be upgraded and re-positioned and be much more prominent. 

The cost of implementing the complete scheme is £16,000.  Other improvements, amounting to £500 will be made at the Carshalton end of the bridge.

It was agreed by the committee to carry out the implementation of this road safety improvement scheme at King’s Lane junction with Hillcroome Road, Sutton.   More in a future posting…