Sutton Ecology Centre, Carshalton

A new wildlife project at the Ecology Centre, Festival Walk, off Honeywood Walk, Carshalton is springing into action and asking for residents’ help to support Sutton’s wildlife.

The Ecology Centre’s Biodiversity Gardens project helps people learn how to make their back gardens and open spaces more wildlife-friendly. As spring approaches, the project is shining a light on what lives in Sutton and how traditional gardening skills can be used to help local wildlife.

The start of spring means that frogs, newts and toads will soon be emerging from hibernation, and getting involved can be as simple as sending sightings and photographs of frog or toad spawn in to be recorded. By building up a picture of what lives where, the Biodiversity team can help to work out what residents can do to help the creatures in their local area.

If you have a bit more time, the team runs half-day workshops for schools and community groups on how to develop their land to support more wildlife. The time is free and you may be able to get free materials. You can also volunteer long-term, as the group are looking for people who want to find out more about social media, events, biodiversity surveying and more.

Cllr. Colin Hall, Executive Member for Environment and Climate Change on Sutton Council, said: “We’re lucky to have a wealth of different plants and animals living in our back gardens here in Sutton, but small changes and developments in gardens can have a big impact on the creatures that live there.

“One of the best ways to support wildlife is by working with what you already have. Small changes, such as leaving some long grass around lawn edges can make a big difference, as can enhancements like building a log pile, creating a pond or leaving small holes at the bottom of walls and fences, which will allow animals to travel around freely, often what they need to flourish in our urban environment.”

Most of the council’s biodiversity records focus on what lives in public spaces like parks or nature conservation areas, with little information existing about what lives in the borough’s gardens, school grounds, allotments and churchyards. The Heritage Lottery Funded Biodiversity Project was launched last year to find out more about what lives in these areas, and what could be done to support it.

To find out more about traditional wildlife gardening, or any of the Get Involved activities, visits us at http://projectdirt.com/group/biodiversitygardens. Alternatively, you can contact the project officer on 020 8770 5818 or anna.parry@sutton.gov.uk.

Hamish reports: “As Deputy Mayor, I was most honoured and privileged to be invited to attend three church services on Friday, 2nd March in support of the Women’s World Day of Prayer. The services were being held all over the borough. I attended those in South Beddington, Wrythe Green and finally at All Saints’ Church, Carshalton. 

Women's World Day of Prayer

A most memorable day for me, and it made me think very hard about the injustices in the World, particularly amongst women, that still take place.”

Details can be found on: http://www.wwdp-natcomm.org/WWDP_welcome.asp

In tough times, the Liberal Democrats believe you should keep more of the money that you earn.

That’s why the Liberal Democrats have long called for the tax-free threshold raised to £10,000 – giving you a tax cut when you need it most. Liberal Democrat plans would save working people £700 a year –that’s an extra £60 in your wages every month. And more than 3.5million older and low-paid people will be freed from paying any income tax altogether.  This is a plan we put on the front page of our General Election manifesto and it went into the Coalition Agreement.
    

We have already started putting this in to practice.  In April last year, millions of ordinary working people were given a £200 annual tax cut and since last April 800,000 low paid people no longer pay any income tax at all.  But we believe our tax cuts need to happen faster and go further.  And we want your help in making it happen. Ahead of the Budget next month, Nick Clegg and Liberal Democrats in the government will be pushing to speed up our tax plans.  Please join this campaign and sign the petition which is on the Number 10 website here.
Liberal Democrats want tax cuts for working people, not the rich.  Please help us to make that happen.

Digital TV

The London area is undergoing the digital TV switchover on April 4th and 18th 2012, unfortunately there may be an increase in people presenting themselves as TV technicians, and gaining entry to vulnerable persons homes under false pretences. Proper technicians will have ID that can be checked. Please be very careful who you let into your home and if you are in doubt you can call or visit the website. More info about technicians and re-tuning at http://www.digitaluk.co.uk/

Tel: 08456 505050

Dogs and Police in St. Philomena's Alley between Shorts Road and West Street

Following requests by the local Focus team, local police officers made a return visit to the alleyway between Shorts Road and West Street, Carshalton, yesterday (Tuesday 28th February) to tackle dog owners who fail to pick up the mess left by their pets.

Although the officers didn’t see any offenders to issue £50 fines, they talked to lots of dog owners and handed out leaflets about responsible dog ownership. The police action by Carshalton Central Safer Neighbourhood Team follows concerns raised by members of the public and councillors about dog fouling.

Over the last two weeks officers have carried out patrols in Carshalton Park, The Grove Park, Carshalton, and the Shorts Road alleyway.

Sgt John Bouchard, of Carshalton Central Safer Neighbourhoods Team, said the alleyway was used by lots of junior and secondary children to and from school. “We want to send out a strong message that failing to pick up after your dog will not be tolerated,” he said.

Police are urging members of the public to report any dog related issues in their neighbourhood, such as owners who fail to pick up after their pets, where dogs are being bred, welfare or mistreatment issues and about dangerous dogs and illegal breeds.

Safer Neighbourhoods officers will then make contact with owners to offer support or advice to help them look after their dog with information from organisations like the RSPCA, Kennel Club and Battersea Dogs Home.

The aim is to make owners aware of their responsibilities to their pet and the wider community. Police are working closely with Registered Social Landlords who have signed up to share information with police about dog related anti-social behaviour.

Details of your Safer Neighbourhoods Team can be found at:

www.met.police.uk/sutton (click on Safer Neighbourhoods).

Local residents have asked Jill, Alan and Hamish about the current planning application no. C2011/64918 at 107 Westmead Road (the former  tram/trolleybus depot/Carshalton bus garage site). The following is the description of the current application:-“Demolition of existing buildings and erection of three two storey buildings with roof accommodation comprising block A:- ground floor for three retail or financial and professional service units (use Class A1/A2) and six 2-bedroomed self contained flats over, block B:- six 2-bedroomed and two 1-bedroomed self contained flats, block C:- five 3-bedroomed houses for social housing, a terrace of eleven two storey 2-bedroomed houses together with cycle and motor cycle facilities, refuse/recycling storage, new pedestrian and vehicle access, parking for 42 cars and resisting of substation”.

Westmead Road

     This time last year, the Council repaired and resurfaced Westmead Road from Benhill Avenue to Ringstead Road. They promised that they would complete the works in 2012 by repairing and resurfacing Westmead Road from Ringstead Road to Westmead Corner, subject to funds being available. Your councillors Jill, Hamish and Alan have been chasing the Borough’s road engineers to check that this work can be carried out as requested, despite funds being tight.

Carshalton War Memorial by the Ponds

Cllr. Hamish Pollock reports: “The Carshalton & Clockhouse Local Committee which I chair held its 2^nd working party meeting in as many months to discuss the WW2 memorial(s) recently. It became clear to all those present that the WW2 memorial is becoming virtually impossible to achieve in the original format that was envisaged by the local committee of early 2010, namely the fallen of WW2 inscribed individually in a manner to match/resemble that of the existing WW1 memorial.

The working party as recently constituted includes 2 representatives from the local branch of the Royal British Legion, officers from the Sutton Council’s archives (Kath Shawcross who has special responsibility for war memorials), planning consultants (Eimear Murphy/Paul Barker) and construction & property (Paul Algeo and colleagues), and interested persons including ex-Councillor John Dodwell and Andrew Arnold, historian as well as Sam Barker, local committee co-ordinator and chair and vice chair of the committee.  The Carshalton Society’s representative was instrumental in the restoration of the Hermitage at Carshalton House (St. Philomena’s School) opened last year by myself as Deputy Mayor.

Anticipated total costs of the project to have inscribed names now in stone (to match the rededicated WW1 memorial) have increased from the original budget figure of £35K to around £80K including fees for consultants and officer time.

This increase in costs is partly owing to the need for Portland stone to be used as a material, with stone inscriptions rather than bronze plaques, and to follow a design that is required in keeping with the Carshalton Conservation Area and Listed Building status of the existing memorial.  The extent of the memorial(s) would have to increase if we are to accommodate a significant increase in the number of names of the fallen that have been uncovered recently (see below).

The local committee will have to decide over coming weeks to:-

a)     Carry on with the project as originally envisaged. Possibly with external funding. This would mean possibly raising funds and also voting additional funds of the order to a combined figure of £45K out of Carshalton & Clockhouse local committee’s limited public realm funds –possibly taking up part of the 2012-13 allocation and a part even of 2013-14’s!  (The significance of 2014 being a centenary of the outbreak WW1 is of course looming up on us all!)

Or (if permitted by the Council’s current rules of its public realm spending) some or all of the following options:-

b)     Provide an embellishment to the existing WW1 stone memorial to further commemorate the fallen of WW2 – say by additional inscriptions. The Royal British Legion have been asked to come up with suggestions as to how this might be done. We think that a public subscription may be the answer to the massive shortfall of funds.

c)      A new Book of Remembrance in bound leather binding/vellum etc. in a new glass case to be housed in the new Westcroft Centre/Carshalton Library to include all the 450 or so names of the fallen (which has risen from 270 in the current book of remembrance, to about 450 names if one includes all the names of the fallen that have discovered by the local historian Andrew Arnold).

d)     An interactive web page on the council’s web site (that is currently being revamped) for all WW1 and WW2 fallen from Carshalton.  This could show photographs and military backgrounds to the fallen men and women for instance, far more than could ever be covered by a stone inscription.

We would be very interested to hear from local residents and relatives of the fallen of the parish of Carshalton.

The Council granted planning permission on Wednesday, 22nd February 2012 to refurbish and convert the old Carshalton War Memorial Hospital building off The Park into a number of new homes/houses. 

Jill and Hamish as local councillors attended the meeting of the Council’s Development Control Committee at which the decision was made unanimously.  The planning permission allows for the demolition of post-war flat roofed extensions that are out of keeping with the original design and a number of landscaping improvements and of course a number of on-site car parking spaces. 

The site is located between the newly developed sites of Corbould Close and Ashcombe Court.