Deputy Mayor 2011-2012 steps down…

Sutton Citizenship Ceremony 19th May 2012

Cllr. Hamish Pollock stepped down as the Deputy Mayor of the London Borough of Sutton on Monday, 21st May 2012.  Last Saturday, 19th May, he attended his last of several citizenship ceremonies at the Sutton Register Office where he handed over certificates of citizenship to several dozen new citizens of the United Kingdom.  He is pictured with the registration services staff just after the event.  Hamish continues as one of the three councillors for Carshalton Central ward, of course!

Carshalton Station – Southern Railways “wrong way” one way system

Cllr. Jill Whitehead says: “Many residents have complained about Southern Railways’ new one way system at Carshalton Railway Station on land owned by Network Rail.   The railway company did not consult Sutton Council about these changes. The result is that the company’s one way road goes in the SAME direction to the Council’s one way system in Camden Rd next to the station. No-one living in the West Street, Colston Avenue,  Westmead Road and Poets’ Estate areas can now access the station and set down and pick up passengers unless they take a long detour around Carshalton village or Wrythe Green causing further congestion in the area.

Cllr. Hamish Pollock says that Southern Railways will not change the direction of travel unless there are more residents who want it changed compared to those who do not. They have agreed to consult rail passengers using the station about this. However, in the meantime residents are being stopped from using the station entrance from the West Street end and have been threatened with a £90 fine if they do so. If you object to the new Carshalton Station one way system you should contact Southern’s Area Manager Mark Epsom at mark.epsom@southernrailway.com.

Cllr. Alan Salter says: “Please let us know if you support the new one way system or want it changed and contact us with your response at the Focus Team emails or postal address on this web page.”

Sutton Celebrating Sport Awards 2012

The Celebrating Sport Awards will be presented at Secombe Theatre Sutton on 12 July 2012

Who will you Nominate? Sutton Celebrating Sports Awards 2012?

The Celebrating Sports Awards take place on Thursday, 12 July 2012 at the Secombe Theatre, Sutton

Nominations open: 19th March 2012     Nominations close: 1st June 2012

This is your opportunity, in the year of the 2012 Olympics and Paralympics, to nominate and vote for your local sporting hero or heroine, and give them the recognition that they deserve!

You can make nominations in the following categories:-

  • Sportsperson of the Year
  • Club of the Year
  • Disabled Sportsperson of the Year
  • Coach of the Year
  • Junior Sportsperson of the Year (U18yrs)
  • Volunteer of the Year
  • Senior Team of the Year
  • Junior Team of the year (U18yrs)
  • Sporting Primary School of the Year
  • Sporting Secondary School of the Year
  • Sports Teacher of the Year

For categories of Junior Sports Person of the Year and Junior Team of the Year, shortlists will be drawn up and published in the Guardian towards the end of June. There will then be a week when the public will be able to vote via text for their preferred nominee in each of these categories.

Download your pdf icon Nomination Pack [1Mb] (Opens in a new window) & pdf icon Nomination Form [27kb] (Opens in a new window)

For more details, contact the Sutton Sports Development Team: sportsdevelopment@sutton.gov.uk or telephone: 020 8770 4667

The Awards are organised by Sutton Sports Development Team, in partnership with Sutton Sports Council and Sutton Guardian.

In 2011 the cream of local Sport celebrated Sutton Celebrating Sport Awards at the Secombe Theatre, Sutton on Thursday, 14 July, in the company of the Deputy Mayor of Sutton, Councillor Hamish Pollock and local Boxing heroes Bob Wells, Olympic Bronze Medallist, 1984 Los Angeles Olympics and rising start and London 2012 hopeful, Charlie Edwards.

Wentworth Hall, 80 Ruskin Road: Update

Local residents have raised a number of issues with the local councillors, who have taken these up with council officers. These queries and concerns cover the council’s role of both landowner and planning authority.  We wish to thank residents very much for bringing these queries and concerns to our attention.

The council officer’s reply has very helpfully separated out the various issues and addressed them as follows:

Lease issues

The Council granted the tenant (the MCWAS) a building agreement under which they have the right to occupy the land to carry out the agreed works consented by the planning consent C2008/60587/FUl dated 18 October 2010 and for which Building Control Approval was given on 9 December 2011.  Upon the satisfactory completion of these works the tenant will then be granted a 125 year lease of the property, in accordance with the agreed draft of the lease attached to the building agreement. This explains the current position of the MCWAS not having a lease.

The method was chosen to firstly ensure the tenant carried out the works to the building before they were granted a new lease and secondly to give the Council as landlord control over what works they carried out and to what standard.

The works to the front of the site were not part of the original planning consent and so are not covered by the building agreement.  A letter was sent to the tenants last Friday, 11th May, instructing them to stop carrying out any works which have not been approved. Confirmation was provided by the tenants this week that they have stopped the non-compliant works and Asset Management officers have arranged to carry out a site inspection.

The Council as landowner can only deal with matters on the property it owns.  Therefore the works taking place at 82 Ruskin Road are not within the Council’s control.  The Council officers will however be investigating whether the owners or occupiers of this property intend to have access across the Council’s land at 80 Ruskin Road (Wentworth Hall); the officers will need to authorise this if they see fit to do so as the Council’s consent is required as the landowner.

If the tenants apply for planning consent for their additional works, the Council as landowner should be guided by planning’s determination of the planning matters, in considering the grant of its consent.       

Freedom of Information Act:

The legal advice received recently is that copies of the lease can be released to residents with all the confidential parts blanked out. Alex Fitzgerald (a council officer) has written to at least one resident to advise him that a redacted copy of both the building agreement and draft lease will be released to the resident.

Wentworth Hall on 13th May 2012 showing excavations for unauthorised car parking to front of the building

Planning:

The Council as planning authority will and are taking the necessary action to ensure compliance with Planning legislation and regulations.  The tenants will need to submit plans of their proposals in order to seek planning consent for their additional works.

Westcroft Centre & New Carshalton Library Update

FOCUS’s Jill and Hamish paid a visit to the Westcroft Centre and the  new Carshalton Library, off Westcroft Road, Carshalton to see the progress of the building works and a few photos are shown below. 

Entrance of the New Building

The existing Library will of course remain in full use in The Square, Carshalton until the new Carshalton Library opens at the end of the year.

Tall Trees Nuisances

Local councillors have been advised recently regarding the issue of the Leylandi trees in gardens that overlooks another.  This species of tree can be a terrible blight on neighbours gardens.

A Nuisance Tree - but not in Carshalton or Sutton!

The Anti Social Behaviour Act introduced a duty on local authorities to adjudicate in neighbour disputes over high hedges. The Act specifies that an occupier of land has grounds for complaint if a hedge is so tall that it detracts from the enjoyment of his/her own home or garden.

The Act defines a high hedge as : · The hedge is growing on land owned by someone else · The hedge is more than 2 metres tall · The hedge is made up of 2 or more trees or shrubs · The hedge is capable of obstructing light or views

The Council has no powers to become involved in hedge disputes for any other reason, such as the roots or branches of the trees damaging the neighbour’s property etc.  Council officers have explained that whilst the Council will adjudicate in these neighbour disputes, the Act requires that a resident must first attempt to solve the problem amicably with their neighbour.

Only if this approach fails can they complain to the Council. Residents are advised to write to their neighbour to seek an amicable resolution to the problem and to keep copies of all correspondence as they will need to show this to the Council before the Council can become involved.

Residents will be asked to pay a non refundable fee of £350 in order for the Council to consider such complaints. When residents receive a response from their neighbours, the Council officer may advise further on any further steps that the resident needs to take prior to the Council becoming involved.

Wentworth Hall, 80 Ruskin Road: Update

 

Wentworth Hall on 13th May 2012 showing excavations for unauthorised car parking to front of the building

Jill, Alan and Hamish have received this message regarding the situation at Wentworth Hall, 80 Ruskin Road (at the corner of Woodstock Road) from the council’s planning enforcement officers which we have been able to publish:-

Wentworth Hall under redevelopment a few weeks ago

Dear Councillor,

I am writing to provide you with an update on this current enforcement investigation. A revised planning application has been submitted under reference C2012/65722 with Fiona Lander as the case officer. It seeks consent for :

“Erection of new roof to front entrance incorporating dormer extensions to provide storage accommodation, re-positioning external staircase to provide access to first floor flat and removal of front landscape area to provide three car parking spaces.”

Noel, the enforcement case officer and I visited the site a few weeks ago and in addition to the alterations to the approved scheme contained in the above application eg re-positioned staircase, revised fenestration arrangements at rear etc. , we also noted a number changes to No.82 such as a new front parking area, new garden boundaries and shed storage all of which are likely to require further planning permission. We have passed this onto Mr Hussain who we are liaising with on this project and are waiting to hear whether he is to submit a further planning application to deal with these breaches.

Noel is back in the office next week and I’m sure will keep you further updated as matters progress.

Regards,

Michael Lowe

Principal Planning Enforcement Officer, London Borough of Sutton, Environment and Leisure, 24 Denmark Road, Carshalton, Surrey SM5 2JG; Tel: 0208 770 6242

Update: According to the Council’s planning notification we saw on a lamppost in Woodstock Road, local residents and other interested parties may wish to comment, object or indeed tell the council that they have no adverse comments on the application until Monday, 25th May 2012.

The Public Notice on a Lamppost in Woodstock Road

 

Wentworth Hall Update on Planning Enforcement Matters

Jill, Alan and Hamish have received this message regarding the situation at Wentworth Hall, 80 Ruskin Road (at the corner of Woodstock Road) from the council’s planning enforcement officers which we have been able to publish:-

Wentworth Hall under redevelopment

Dear Councillor,

I am writing to provide you with an update on this current enforcement investigation. A revised planning application has been submitted under reference C2012/65722 with Fiona Lander as the case officer. It seeks consent for :

“Erection of new roof to front entrance incorporating dormer extensions to provide storage accommodation, re-positioning external staircase to provide access to first floor flat and removal of front landscape area to provide three car parking spaces.”

Noel, the enforcement case officer and I visited the site a few weeks ago and in addition to the alterations to the approved scheme contained in the above application eg re-positioned staircase, revised fenestration arrangements at rear etc. , we also noted a number changes to No.82 such as a new front parking area, new garden boundaries and shed storage all of which are likely to require further planning permission. We have passed this onto Mr Hussain who we are liaising with on this project and are waiting to hear whether he is to submit a further planning application to deal with these breaches.

Noel is back in the office next week and I’m sure will keep you further updated as matters progress.

Regards,

Michael Lowe

Principal Planning Enforcement Officer, London Borough of Sutton, Environment and Leisure, 24 Denmark Road, Carshalton, Surrey SM5 2JG; Tel: 0208 770 6242

Update to the New Bin Collections Service

Refuse Collection Map

Our bin collection changes are on track and going well. As always with a big change…

             …a few mistakes are being made and we’d really like to thank those residents who have experienced a missed bin collection for bearing with us whilst we implement the changes and get used to the new rounds.

As the crews get to know the new rounds and issues are ironed out we are experiencing a significant reduction in the number of roads where collections were not made, i.e. from 4% of all properties in the first week to just 1.5% of properties in the second week. We are endeavouring to ensure that this trend continues.

We apologise for any bin collections that may be missed, and ask you to please report them to us using one of the methods below.

Report a missed bin

If you have not had your waste collected on the new day you have been advised then please report it as a missed bin on our ‘report it’ system. Just log in to www.sutton.gov.uk and click on ‘Report it’ at the top of the front page.

Alternatively you can notify us through our designated email address: bincollections@sutton.gov.uk or phone customer services on 020 8770 5070.

Check your waste and recycling dates

If you are unsure of the new day of your collection please check our online postcode checker at www.sutton.gov.uk and put your postcode into ‘My Local Services’ it will give you your next dates for waste, recycling and garden waste collections.

Changes to the recycling week

Please note that some residents may have experienced a three week gap in their recycling collection, whilst others may have had their recycling collected a week earlier. This is because it was necessary to adjust the recycling collections to match the new waste bin collection days and rounds. This adjustment is a one off and your collections will revert to a fortnightly collection thereafter.

The calendars that we posted through letter boxes, and the postcode checker ‘my local services’ are both useful sources to identify your new recycling dates.

If you should experience a build up of recycling because of the delay we will be happy to collect additional recycling if you leave it out next to your recycling bin. Please put it in clear sacks so that we can identify it, and not mistake it for general waste.

Please bear with us

Our crews are all learning new routes, and they will shortly identify the best and most efficient ways to collect the waste and recycling on their rounds. We hope you can bear with us whilst we iron out any teething problems and the crews settle down into their new rounds.

In addition, we are experiencing some delays as a result of the roadworks at Beddington Lane. These are causing delays of between 20 – 40 minutes per crew per day and may result in some roads being missed at the end of the shift as the crews need to get back to the landfill site on time. These roadworks are scheduled to continue until the end of June.

Any roads missed at the end of the rounds will be collected the following morning by two ‘mop up crews’. As a result, our advice would be to leave your bin out if it has been missed so that we can collect it the next morning.

Larger green bins

If any residents continue to experience that they have more recycling than their green bin can hold, please let us know because it may be possible to provide you with a larger green wheeled bin.