News & Upcoming Events

UPDATES - March 2010:

*59 Maygrove Road - the planning application for a large development on the site of Maygrove Motors has been approved by Camden Council - despite objections from the FRA and local residents. The plans are for a 5 storey building, with 15 x 1 bedroom supported housing units & 14 self-contained flats.

*1 Mill Lane - the abandoned building has been demolished; there is still no indication from the developer when work on the development will start.

*Pavements/Road - work has taken place to renew the pavements and road on Fordwych Road north of Minster Road. Work on the pavements & road south of Minster Road is due to take place in 2010/11.

*Jubilee Line - the engineering work which was due to end in December is running badly behind schedule. The estimated date for the completion of the upgrade is now October. The FRA has joined other local groups in complaining about the extent of the closures - Kilburn tube station is particularly badly affected.

*North London Line - there are also ongoing engineering works on the North London Line. The line will be closed between Gospel Oak and Stratford between 20th February and 31st May. There will be no Sunday service on the line until May 2011. There's more information about the work here: http://www.networkrail.co.uk/aspx/6392.aspx

*Recycling - further changes to the service are due to be made this summer, including the separate collection of paper/card waste in blue bags. The FRA has been feeding back residents comments on the new food/garden waste collections.

*There's a Give & Take Event on Saturday 20th March at Emmanuel School on Mill Lane. Items can be donated between 1030-1130; items can be taken away for free between 1200-1400.

*The new Community Association for West Hampstead is now up and running, and operating at the premises of the old association at 60-62 Mill Lane. Their AGM is on Tuesday 9th March at 8pm at West Hampstead library.

*West Hampstead Library will be closed for improvement works between 10-23 May.

*Our neighbouring residents' association in Brent, the North West Two Residents' Association has a new website. We've been working them recently on Cricklewood issues. You can see their site here: http://www.northwesttwo.co.uk/

*The FRA has joined a coalition of local groups opposing plans for a large development at Brent Cross/Cricklewood. Barnet council approved the plans, despite much local opposition. There is now a campaign to get the Secretary of State and the Mayor of London to overturn the decision. For more information: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coalition_for_a_Sustainable_Brent_Cross_Cricklewood

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1 Mill Lane

A new development has been proposed on Mill Lane next to the railway line (1 Mill Lane). The plan is for around 40 flats and a basement car park with spaces for around 20 cars. There is also a plan for a 'green space'.

Public meetings to discuss the plans were held on 29th April & 8th July 2008. On each occasion the artchitect/developer gave an update on the plans and took questions. More details about the plans can be found on the architect's website: www.1mill-lane.org

The FRA objected to the plans.

The appliation was considered by the Development Control Committee of Camden Council on 11th December. The FRA & a representative of the Mill Lane Action Group of affected residents spoke against the development at the meeting. The application was recommended for refusal due to the low proportion of affordable housing (32%, against the Camden target of 50%). Councillors on the committee supported this and the application was refused. The councillors also objected to the size of the proposed development; and raised concerns that it wasn't a car free development.

The architect has appealed against the decision. The FRA has again objected to the plans.

Meanwhile, the architect has submitted revised plans for the site. These consist of a four-storey block with 28 units, but the same footprint at the original plans. The application is on the Camden planning website and the reference number is: 2009/0177/P

http://planningrecords.camden.gov.uk/Northgate/PlanningExplorer/GeneralSearch.aspx 

The revised application (28 flats, four storeys) was approved by Camden Council on 14 May. The FRA argued for binding agreements regarding a construction management plan, the security of the site, subsidence concerns, and local input into the design of the green space.

Meanwhile, the appeal against the refusal of the first application (39 flats, 5 storeys) was heard on 21/22 May.  The FRA again argued against these plans as too big, too bulky & out of proportion to the area.

**LATEST NEWS:

The Planning Inspector has granted the appeal. This means that the original proposal (39 flats; 5 storeys) can go ahead.

Obviously, the FRA is disappointed at this ruling, having argued against this proposal from the start. Local residents have put a lot of time and effort into opposing these plans. The FRA will seek to work with the architect ahead of work starting on the development and the green space. There will be updates at our meetings in the coming months.

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Local Police

The local police group for our area is the Fortune Green Safer Neighbourhoods Team. They patrol the ward and tackle crime in the area. Our Vice-Chair, James, is our representative on the panel which oversees their work and sets their priorities.

Crime

Recent police figures show on ongoing problem with crime in the Fordwych Road area. Most of this is burglary and car crime, including theft from inside vehicles and theft of motorbikes. Residents are advised to be on the look out. Most crime occurs Monday-Friday, between 9am and 5pm.

If you see a crime in progress call 999.  For non-emergencies call: 0300 123 1212.

If you want to report a crime that has happened or contact our local police, call:

020 8721 2698 - or you can email: fortunegreen.SNT@met.police.uk

Crimes can also be reported on the Metropolitan Police website: www.met.police.uk

Maygrove Road

There are plans to build a 5 storey building containing 29 flats at 59 Maygrove Road, on the site of Maygrove Motors. It is proposed that 15 of the flats will be for people with mental health problems. A planning application is expected to be submitted in the next few months.

Pavements

The FRA recently asked about when the pavements are due to be replaced on Fordwych Road. Work is due to start in September on the pavements between Richborough Road & Minister Road. Work to resurface the road on this section is due to take place in November. Work between Minster Road & Maygrove Road is due to take place in next financial year (2010/11).

Area Forums

Area Forums have been set up by the Council so that they can hear from local people about their concerns. You can find out more about Area Forums at: www.camden.gov.uk/areaforums

WHAT

Both the Chair & Vice-Chair of the FRA are on committee of WHAT - the West Hampstead Amenity & Transport group. It campaigns on services and transport issues in our area. You can find out more on its new website: www.whatnw6.org.uk

Recyling & Waste

At a recent meeting, we were joined by a recycling adviser from Camden Council, who answered residents questions. You can find out more about recycling at the website: www.camden.gov.uk/recycling

Graffiti & Rubbish

Camden Council operate a free graffiti removal service. To have graffiti removed from your property call: 020 7974 6914.

A number of members have complained about rubbish left on the pavements in the area. To complain about this (or to arrange for free removal of white goods & green waste) - call the same number.

Private Tenants

The Fordwych area has a large number of private tenants. The Camden Federation of Private Tenants represents their interests. You can find out more at their website: http://www.cfpt.org.uk/

Community Centre

As you may know, the West Hampstead Community Association which ran the community centre on Mill Lane, went into administration last year. A new organisation has been set up to replace it.

Local Directory

You can find out names and contact details of local services and businesses by going to the Local Directories website for West Hampstead & Fortune Green:

http://www.local-directory.net/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=23&Itemid=42

Cricklewood Development

A large development is planned for the Cricklewood/Brent Cross area. Although not in our area, the develpment is likely to have an impact on neighbouring areas such as ours. You can find out more about the plans at: http://www.brentcrosscricklewood.com/

Railway Land

A Fordwych Road resident has been in touch to pass on this advice for properties with gardens backing onto land owned by Network Rail:

After Network Rail cleared the vegetation at the back of our property and installed a new fence several months ago, they left behind the evidence of many years of dumped rubbish no longer concealed by the vegetation. We contacted Network Rail to see if they intend to clear the area of rubbish - they said they will on the request of each property. They say it's too large a job to do the whole stret, but will do certain areas on request. If you need to make such a request, call Network Rail on 08457-114141 and speak to the Environmental Department.

Constitution

The 2008 AGM voted to approve a new constitution for the FRA, which has now come into force. The old constitution had become outdated, and the new document was worked on and discussed at meetings by members. If you would like to see a copy of the new constitution, please get in touch.

Membership Fees

The Association's membership fees are £3/year. Life Membership is also available - for a one off payment of £20.