Thamesfield Ward E-Bulletin January 2010

---

Dates for your diary, Local Issues, Events & more

Planning application for Post Office on Upper Richmond Road 2009/2149
A planning application has been received for the redevelopment of the Costcutters Store and Post Office at 214 Upper Richmond Road. The proposals are for a three / five storey block with a shop unit and post office at ground floor with fourteen flats above, all with front or rear balconies.

The important thing about this application is the provision of post office services during the period of reconstruction which will last more than a year. Local councillors and council officers are in contact with the Post Office to ensure that local services do not suffer, and that there is a guarantee that the post office will return to Putney.

Further information can be obtained from the planning officer, Richard Evans 8871 6644. Any comments on the application should be sent to planningapplications@wandsworth.gov.uk. The consultation period ends on 27 January.

Hotel proposed for former VSO building 2009/4005
A planning application has been received from a German company, Lindner Immo GBR, which has applied for additional use as a hotel at the former VSO building at 317-325 Putney Bridge Road. From Monday to Friday the bedrooms will be used by the employees of Lindner for accommodation and during the weekends and holidays it will serve as a hotel for the general public. Alterations include a part two, part four storey rear extension. The basement, ground, first and second flours will be used as offices with the remainder of the second and third floors as a 22 bedroom hotel. Associated car and cycle parking will be provided in the basement. We understand that the hotel will be managed by the Schloss Park Hotel, an established 4 star hotel company in Germany.

Further details available from the planning officer, Mr Neil Shaw on 8871 6632. The VSO staff previously based at these premises have relocated to the VSO offices on Upper Richmond Road.

Christmas tree composting service
Christmas trees can be recycled by leaving it out at the front of your property on Saturday, 16th January or Saturday, 23rd January. The trees will be shredded and used for composting. Alternatively, you can take your tree to the recycling centre at Smugglers Way. http://www.wandsworth.gov.uk/info/10070/recycling_at_home/315/christmas_tree_recycling

Freedom Pass renewal
The Freedom Pass is provided by the Council and gives older and disabled residents free travel on almost all public transport in London. These would cost recipients £2,720 a year to buy direct from TfL . All Freedom Pass users need to renew their passes in the New Year between January and February. On 31 March all current Freedom Passes will cease to work. The new passes will be valid for five years instead of two. For full details of how to apply and the paperwork needed please go to www.freedompass.org. Information hotlines: 0845 275 7054 or 020 7934 9633 (9am-5pm). The form can be downloaded from www.wandsworth.gov.uk/freedompass.
For holders of the older persons pass you can fill out the form and take it to any London Post Office branch or pick up a printed version from your local post office. For Thamesfield residents this is the post office at 214 Upper Richmond Road. The following dates have been allocated alphabetically by surname,
A-E (inc): 4-16 January F-J (inc): 18-23 January K-O (inc): 25-30 January P-Z (inc): 1-6 February If you miss your week, please apply 8-13 February.
A touring information exhibition will be visiting Southside Centre in Wandsworth Town Centre on Tuesday, 19 January.

Half Moon
The Half Moon in Putney, which was due to close its doors on the 31st January has been saved. The historic venue which has seen performances over the years by The Rolling Stones, U2 and Kasabian was due to become a gastro-pub. But after an extensive campaign and massive public uproar plus huge support from the press as well as the venue's local MP and councillors, landlords Young's reconsidered their plans and have now announced that they intend to keep the premises open as a live music venue. The Half Moon, which has been hosting live music nearly every night since 1963 got into difficulty

over the last year as the recession coupled with rising rates and alcohol duty took their toll. In November the tenants received notice of the closure and a new business model was to be introduced. Unable to ignore the strength of public feeling towards the closure of The Half Moon and the determination of its staff to keep it open, Young's offered a last minute reprieve - including a package to help the tenants get through these unprecedented economic times. In return The Half Moon has agreed to introduce food, and has employed a new promotions team who plan to revitalise the venue and its booking policy.

Carrie Davies, bookings manager at The Half Moon from 1998 – 2006 has returned and is now a partner in the business. The venue's former marketing and technical guru Stevie Wyatt is also back after 3 years freelancing as a consultant, and promoter of the reputable weekly Halfmoon Unplugged, Redvers Bailey will also be taking a more permanent role. Together the team aim to expand on the Half Moon's programme of up & coming newly signed and unsigned acts, reducing the amount of cover bands. “Incredibly relieved” was the reaction of The Half Moon's tenant, James Harris who went on to say “The support from the public and the industry has been overwhelming. This was never just about jobs, but about a part of our music heritage. We still face tough times ahead, but at least we can move forward now, and my staff and myself are thrilled and excited”. For January programme see www.halfmoon.co.uk

Resurfacing of Upper Richmond Road
TfL has postponed the resurfacing work on Upper Richmond Road due to the bad weather. The work is now planned to start on 25 January. The work will take place overnight and is estimated to take around 10 days depending on the weather. During the first week the section of Upper Richmond Road from Putney High Street to Ravenna Road will be resurfaced between 8pm and 5am. During the second week the section of the same road between the High Street and Carlton Drive will be resurfaced between the same hours.

TfL have said that while the works are taking place, Putney High Street will be controlled by temporary traffic lights, and fully signed diversions will also be in place with access/exit to all properties maintained at all times. They plan to inform local residents and businesses via letter drops to properties.

Outstanding results for Brandlehow and Our Lady of Victories
The Department for Children, Schools and Families has published primary school league tables reflecting the results form key stage 2 tests taken by year six children in May 2009. In Thamesfield the tables show outstanding results from both Brandlehow and Our Lady of Victories (OLofV) with 100% of pupils achieving Level 4 and above in both Maths and Science. Brandlehow, Hotham and OLofV came top of the league in English and both Brandelhow and OLofV came equal top in Maths and in Science. The top performing schools were Brandlehow, OLofV and All Saints’ CofE. Of particular note are the “contextual value added” (CVA) scores showing how much a school has improved its pupils’ achievements since they took their first set of assessments in 2005.
Brandlehow scored a higher than average “value added” score. This score takes into account children’s level of achievement when they start school and then chart their progress. This is important for schools that have a large number of children with special needs or from a deprived background who nevertheless go on to do well. This puts the two schools in the top ten schools nationwide. The credit goes to all the staff, parents and students who have put in so much hard work to achieve these results.

Putney Bridge road surface
It is acknowledged that the road surface on Putney Bridge leaves a lot to be desired. For many years since the mid 1990’s there have been problems, which coincide with some work that was undertaken by Thames Water. A major programme is being undertaken to identify the exact problem and rectify it. This will take some time, but it is essential that the issues are resolved once and for all.

Local Development Framework
There is an ongoing consultation until February conducted by the Council on Site Specific Allocations in Putney and the Development Management Policies. Specific sites have been identified with potential for improvement in the long term with the opportunity to shape and improve the townscape of Putney. The policy will establish guidelines for future developments of significant sites in Putney and throughout the borough. In Putney sites include Jubilee House and the cinema, the corner site currently occupied by TKMaxx and Halfords, the corner site currently occupied by Real Greek round to Gourmet Burger Kitchen, Putney Hospital, Putney Place, Tileman House, 113 Upper Richmond Road, Tote House, Carlton Tower and 85-99 Upper Richmond Road, Sainsbury’s Supermarket, former South Thames College on Putney Hill.

Matters covered include matters such as urban design principles, public space, new routes, new shops, cafes, bars and restaurants, residential use, landscaping, height, relationship to existing buildings, views, etc.
www.wandsworth.gov.uk/info/855/planning_consultations/524/planning_policy

The Putney Society is holding a public meeting to discuss the LDF on 28 January at 7.30pm in the Brewer Building next to St Mary’s Church on the High Street. Martin Howell, the Council’s Group Planner will be giving an illustrated presentation and will answer questions.

Wandsworth Park playground

Following the consultation in July 2009 and our ebulletin in August we are pleased to report that work started on 4 th January on the playground in Wandsworth Park . The works are likely to take around eight weeks to complete phase 2 of the improvements. These include relocating the fencing to enlarge the play space by 160 sq metres, refurbishment of the multi-unit, installation of a new see saw suitable for 3 years olds upwards, a wooden climbing wall for older children, a basket swing, a new adventure trail within the new grassed area together with installation of a new gate to open in line with café entrance and swing barriers behind the junior swings. These works will result in an investment of £39,000 in the playground.

The report on play facilities (No 09/500) and including the plan of the extended playground was discussed at the June meeting of the Environment and Leisure Committee and can be downloaded from the Council's website.

The Culture Café in Wandsworth Park has recently won a Heartbeat Award for healthier food choices and a good standard of hygiene. The award is issued jointly by the Council and NHS Wandsworth. The café's business is seasonal so they welcome support out of season so that they can continue in business all year round.

Online prescriptions and home-delivered shopping for the housebound
During the recent cold weather it was not safe for many people to go out to collect prescriptions or to shop. Boots in the High Street offers a delivery service for both NHS and private prescriptions


Local supermarkets all offer an online shopping service and home delivery.
Waitrose – www.ocado.com
Sainsburys – www.sainsburys.co.uk/groceries/index.jsp
Tesco – www.tesco.com
Alternatively, shoppers can chose their own items at Waitrose and M&S and then book a slot for home delivery leaving them free to go home without needing to carry heavy shopping.

Cardinal Place
A recent breach of planning law has been reported to local councillors by nearby residents and remedial action taken by council officers. This has led to two substantial brick gate posts which had encroached onto the public footway being demolished. If you have any concerns about building works in your neighbourhood, please contact your ward councillors.

Parking charges and where Blue Badge holders can park
As a result of a campaign by shopkeepers in Tooting, Wandsworth Council has decided to freeze all parking charges for the whole of 2010.

Blue badge holders are reminded that they can park for free in a parking bay for a period of three hours. They may also park on a single yellow line, provided that no obstruction is caused. If you have a blue badge it must be remembered that that it is solely for the permit holder’s use and not for the vehicle which the permit holder uses. All London councils are very strict about usage and any misuse will be dealt with severely. Magistrates are equally severe if a case of misuse comes before them.

Street trees and signs
Cllr Torrington has taken up a recent enquiry by residents in Sefton Street and established that there may be potential for new street trees in Sefton Street. The street will be included in this year’s programme of investigations for new street trees.

In response to a further enquiry we have established that the street trees in Charlwood Terrace are due to be pruned in September 2010.

Following concerns about cycling over the pedestrian section of the Woodlands Way bridge, “No Cycling” signs will be installed on the accesses from both sides of the bridge.

New double yellow lines are being installed around the junction of Putney Bridge Road and Putney High Street. This work is intended to reduce delays to traffic at this busy junction and comes in response to concerns about delays raised by bus services due to obstructive parking near the junction. Existing loading restrictions will not change so vehicles will still be able to load and unload on the double yellow lines during the same hours as at present.

Police meetings and Seasonal Crime tips
A Safer Neighbourhood Team public meeting is scheduled for Monday 18th January from 1900 to 2100 at St Mary’s Church on the High Street. Further information – www.met.police.uk/teams/wandsworth (Thamesfield). Their current priorities reflect our high street surroundings – anti-social behavior related to alcohol, shoplifting and theft of pedal cycles.

The police and SNT will be holding drop-in surgeries at the Culture Café in Wandsworth Park from noon to 2pm on 20 January, at Putney Library on Friday, 29th January from 1800 to 1900 and at Sally’s@St Mary’s from 1100 to 1300 on 5 February.

This is a time of year when we need to be alert to the problems of our elderly and vulnerable neighbours. One particular crime which upsets the police is the bogus tradesman who call on unsuspecting residents and claim grossly inflated sums for very minor repairs. In a recent case an elderly resident of Roehampton was asked for £12,000. Fortunately, the potential victim’s family had been granted a Power of Attorney and she had no access to this sort of money. The council’s community safety division and the police were notified. When the ‘builders’ came back for their money, they were arrested. They were two Polish builders from Milton Keynes.

If you know of anybody, anybody at all, who would benefit from a visit by the councils community safety officers, who can give one-to-one advice on all aspects of keeping safe and warm, please contact Sue Yoxall on 020.8871.6603 or communitysafety@wandsworth.gov.uk

Events and activities for January
There are many of our neighbours who are not on the Adult Social Services radar and would benefit from some help.
Courses started on 4 January at the newly refurbished Putney School of Art and Design. A range of courses covers fine arts, pottery, web design, etching, book illustration and screen printing. www.wandsworth.gov.uk/psad for further details.

On Sunday, 17 January at 7pm the young, international award-winning pianist Giorgos Konstantinou will be giving a concert at All Saints Church on Putney Common. No entry charge, retiring collection in aid of “Ugive2Uganda”, a charity supporting musical opportunities for children in Africa. The programme includes works by Liszt, Chopin and Rachmaninov.

A knitting concert takes places on the evening of Sunday, 24 January at All Saints’ Church, Putney Common. The performance is of Messiaen’s Quartet for the end of time

On Sunday 31 January the 1885 Singers and local soloists are organising a scratch performance of HMS Pinafore. Arrive by 6.30pm to collect your vocal score and “warm up” for a 7.30pm performance.

The Putney Senior Social Group meets every Monday at All Saints’ Church, Putney Common between 10 and 11.30am. They offer tea and coffee and homemade cakes for the over 60s. The group started with four members a year ago and now regularly has up to 16 people in attendance. To join the group call Carolyn Biddick on 07964 593879 on any weekday mornings for more details.

The Duke’s Head on Lower Richmond Road is offering standup comedy on Wednesdays. Doors open at 8pm, tickets £7 or £5 for concessions. Reservations 07966176049 or dukesheadlines@gmail.com.

The Putney Theatre Company’s programme can be downloaded via www.putneyartstheatre.org.uk. From 19 to 23 January the Putney Theatre Company will be putting on studio production show-casing new writing. The box office can be reached on 020 8286 0229.

Putney Music has organised a meeting on 18 January in The Dryburgh Hall, Putney Leisure Centre starting at 8pm at which David McVicar, the opera producer will be in conversation with Piers Burton-Page. On 1st February David Mellor will discuss the music of Chopin.

There is a permanent exhibition about The Putney Debates 1647 in St Mary’s Church by Putney Bridge open Monday to Saturday from 10am to 4pm www.putneydebates.com.

Details about the Putney Sculpture Trail located along the river from Leaders Gardens to Wandsworth Riverside Quarter can be found at www.alanthornhill.co.uk/Putney

Putney Town Centre

ROCKET A new lease has been granted to Weatherspoons, who are planning a new style of business, which is totally different to their existing business format.

THE BOATHOUSE is offering special meal deals throughout January http://www.boathouseputney.co.uk. In addition to this, they are continuing their wine and dine offer for £20 Sunday 5pm through to Thursday. Bookings can be made on 020 8789 0476 or boathouse@youngs.co.uk

SAINSBURY’S on Werter Road has introduced parking charges. Anyone spending £15 or over can park free of charge for the first 90 minutes.

IDLE HOUR The application for a variation to the existing licence is due to be heard on 26th
January 2010 at 7pm at the Town Hall.

JO BOWEN has opened a new artist’s studio at 133 Lower Richmond Road.

PUTNEYPRINT.COM has opened a new printing shop at 44 Lower Richmond Road.

SEAN HANNA which has opened a hairdresser’s salon, in Putney High Street in place of the Natural Café won the Best Salon Group of the Year Award 2009. www.seanhanna.co.uk

RUSH which also runs a hairdressing salon on the High Street was awarded the Schwarzkopf Professional British Colour Technician prize.

Greg Wallace (Master Chef) and Justin Carter (Elbow Room) are opening a grocers with a café in the former Reds restaurant premises on Upper Richmond Road.

PUTNEY CYCLES has taken premises on the High Street and will be moving from Putney Bridge Road in early 2010. www.putneycycles.com

MOUNTAIN WAREHOUSE will be carrying out a refurbishment in January, www.mountainwarehouse.com/customer_services/stores/putney.aspx
Former PARCHMENT (near the station) is to open as a grocers/coffee shop in the near future.

Markets:
There are weekly Friday (11am – 8pm) and Saturday (9am-4pm) market stalls in Church Square hosted by Portland Scallops selling fresh wet fish and shell fish now joined by a specialist cheese stall and a stall selling fresh flowers.


Useful Numbers
Details of the Minor Injuries Unit at Queen Mary’s Hospital can be found online
www.wandsworth.nhs.uk/pdf/MIU/minor%20injuries%20leaflet%2010-06.pdf
or call 020 8487 6499/6999

Do help us keep Thamesfield ward in good shape by reporting instances of fly tipping and graffiti as well as broken pavements and pot holes. Waste services – including fly tipping, street cleansing, missed collections, recycling.
Tel 020 8871 8558 Email wasteservices@wandsworth.gov.uk
Tel 020 8871 7479 for recycling hotline.
Graffiti removal
Tel 020 8871 7049 Email graffiti@wandsworth.gov.uk
Broken pavements, potholes etc
Tel 020 8871 6708 Email highways@wandsworth.gov.uk
Noise hotline Email esd@wandsworth.gov.uk
Tel 020 8871 6170 (during office hours)
Tel 020 8871 7869 (outside office hours)

Future Thamesfield E-bulletins
As your local councillors we send out regular e-bulletins to update you on local news, information on our work and things of interest in our local community. To join, simply email rtorrington@wandsworth.gov.uk and type SUBSCRIBE in the subject line. It’s free and you can unsubscribe at any time by emailing the address below with ‘unsubscribe’ in the subject line.

3 Summerstown, London, SW17 0BQ Tel. 020 8944 0378 heretohelp@wandsworthconservatives.com, www.wandsworthconservatives.com
Promoted by Robert Morritt on behalf of Putney Conservatives, both of 3 Summerstown, London, SW17 0BQ