Merton Council Was Keen for the Community to Have a Role in Decisions About How S106 Contributions Should Be Spent

Colliers Wood and North East Mitcham Community Forum Item 6(a) 7 September 2010 Chair’s Report

The meeting was chaired by Councillor Gregory Udeh

3 residents attended, as well as five other councillors and officers from the council and its partners.

Welcome and introductions The Chair apologised for the late start to the meeting, welcomed everyone, and asked them to introduce themselves.

Action points from the previous meeting Inspector Phillips had been asked to ensure that, when he was unable to attend the forum, his deputy covered all three Safer Neighbourhood Teams (SNTs), not just their own. He confirmed that this would be the case.

Police update Inspector Jon Phillips summarised recent crime figures for the area. He was pleased to report that the Mitcham Fayre had been crime free again, thanks to heavy security and all comers being checked for weapons. Abbey, Colliers Wood, Figges Marsh, Lavender, and Cricket Green wards formed the focus for Operation Lockdown. This was aimed at burglary, and numbers had reduced from 68 to 47 in the first 50 days of the operation as against the previous 50 days. There had been an overall fall in crime, although burglary and motor vehicle crime were both up borough wide. Gun crime had fallen by 18%, although knife-enabled crime had climbed by nearly 10%. Operation Themis was tackling robbery in hot spots across six south west London boroughs. The ‘House of God’ in Figges Marsh ward, which had been the base for a number of criminal activities, had been closed down. An application by the SNT Sergeant to make Figges Marsh a no-drinking zone had not been approved by the Joint Tasking Group. There were, however, other powers available to the police to deal with drinking likely to lead to criminal or anti-social behaviour in public places. Inspector Phillips drew people’s attention to a public meeting being called by the police at St Mark’s Church on 25 September.

Neil Malcolm asked whether, if the reduction in crime in recent years was due to increased police numbers, a reduction in policing because of cutbacks, would lead to an increase in crime. Inspector Phillips said that common sense would suggest that, but that at present nobody knew what action would be taken. Andrew Wakefield, in his role as Chair of the Merton Community Policing Partnership, said that cuts of up to 36% in the Metropolitan Police were

65 expected over the next four years. Could these be achieved purely through efficiency savings, such as bringing administrative teams together?

Councillor John Dehaney mentioned incidents late at night in the St Barnabas alleyway. Inspector Phillips agreed to take the details from him.

Andrew Wakefield said that their next meeting was on 21 September, in Merton Civic Centre. Anyone could attend, and there was an opportunity to question the Borough Commander.

Cleaner Town Centres Councillor Henry Nelless, Chair of a Scrutiny Task Group looking at ways to make Town Centres cleaner, had come to seek the experience and suggestions of the forum. A summary of the points made is: o Proliferation of advertising boards on Colliers Wood High Street a hazard for buggies and wheelchairs particularly o Problems of access to Town Centres for older and disabled people. They should always be involved and consulted when streetscape is being designed or altered o Cigarette ends at bus stops o People should be encouraged to report the names of people allowing their dogs to mess, and picking up. Published convictions would have an effect o Could local authorities raise a levy on takeaway firms to compensate for having to clear up litter generated by them? An example is the Kebab house opposite Marks and Spencer in Colliers Wood o People are constantly reported for flytipping, and the council collects the rubbish. This may even encourage flytippers as they know this as well. Enforcement necessary, but a lot of flytipping takes place at night. o At bus stops there is a stand off between the shops and road sweepers about who is responsible for clearing litter o Public education can work, for example in the reduction in problems with dog mess, but it doesn’t seem to have helped with littering. o Bins need to be fixed, or else they tend to be moved and concentrated in one small area. o There have been more bins in Mitcham recently, which is welcome.

Section 106 update Bartle Sawbridge explained for newcomers to the forum, that section 106 of the Town And Country Planning Act 1990 allowed local councils to require developers to make contributions to ‘mitigate the effect of their development’ on the local community. Merton Council was keen for the community to have a role in decisions about how s106 contributions should be spent.

Bartle said that a recent boroughwide meeting of community forum representatives had asked for a meeting with Tim Catley, the Section 106 Officer, and Neil Milligan, Development Control Manager, to discuss how information about the process could be made more accessible for residents.

66 The officers had replied that they thought that a meeting would be better deferred until after announcements by the Government about its intentions regarding the Community Infrastructure Levy, or any successor to it that they might propose.

Both Councillor Mark Betteridge and Councillor Henry Nelless thought that little was to be gained from delay, and suggested that the meeting go ahead. Councillor Betteridge also asked for a proposal on how the community could be involved in the s106 process to be brought to the next meeting of the forum in November. Action: Bartle Sawbridge to develop a clear proposal for the meeting on 17 November.

The meeting also asked for the planning officers’ contact information: Tim Catley: [email protected] Tel: 020 8545 3449 Neil Milligan: [email protected] Tel: 020 8545 3009

Transport for London issues Bartle Sawbridge told the meeting that this item was on the agenda because residents frequently raise issues about Transport for London’s (TfL) services. TfL have said that they are not resourced to send officers to local meetings across London. For that reason Bartle wanted to draw residents’ attention to the fact that Merton’s Public Transport Liaison Committee had been revived, and would be meeting on 26 October in the Merton Civic Centre. Very senior managers from public transport providers attend the meeting, and it would be an excellent opportunity for people to raise their issues.

Traffic and Transport issues Pete Thomas, Traffic Engineer, said that the consultation on the Graveney Controlled Parking Zone was complete. There had been some objections. A report would be considered by the Street Management Advisory Committee on 5 October, who would send recommendations to the Cabinet Member. A decision would be made two to three weeks later, and will be found on the council’s website: http://www.merton.gov.uk/council/committee.htm?view=committee&com_id=2 21

Councillor John Dehaney added that there was a public meeting on the CPZ the following evening, 8 September.

Pete Thomas then asked for suggestions to be sent to him ([email protected] , tel: 020 8545 3635) or to the Chair or Bartle Sawbridge, for new sites for cycle parking. TfL have offered Merton money as part of the Cycle Superhighway programme, to provide extra spaces. Some of the money will be used to provide 36 more spaces outside Colliers Wood tube station. In answer to a question from Neil Malcolm he said that a cycle path for Christchurch Road could not be paid for from this pot.

67 Sustainable Transport Strategy: Pip Howson, Principal Transport Planner, said that the council was developing a strategy for the next 15 years, which would form part of its Core Strategy. It was also being produced to meet requirements of the Mayor of London, although Merton’s needs would be considered first. The slides from her presentation can be seen at: http://www.merton.gov.uk/community/communityforums/collierswoodcommuni tyforum.htm She asked for any feedback to be sent to herself ([email protected] tel: 020 8545 3452) or Bartle Sawbridge. She would also welcome comments about public transport services, which she can discuss with TfL.

John Barrett asked for better illumination of the best used footpaths. He also asked whether pedestrianisation of shopping centres could be improved. Pip said they might, and mentioned the Oxford Circus-style ‘scrambled crossing’ that was proposed for Wimbeldon Town Centre.

Andrew Wakefield pointed out that there could be problems as well as benefits associated with pedestrianisation; for example, the emergency services have their own priorities for access.

Pip Howson said that a flashing crossing was coming for St Mark’s School. Neil Malcolm spoke about congestion in London Road by Figges Marsh. He suggested that, since there were parallel footpaths on Figges Marsh, one of them could be converted to a cycle track . Pip commented that this proposal has never attracted majority support when it has been put forward before. Neil thought that the North Mitcham Parks Group would not object.

John Barrett was concerned that the metal barrier at the southern end of Leyton Road was blocked by continuous parking there in front of the ‘No Parking’ sign. Action: Pip Howson to raise with Paul Walshe, Parking Services Manager.

Soapbox John Barret asked whether anyone in the borough had been caught and penalised for using a mobile phone while driving. Action: Bartle Sawbridge to ask the Police for figures.

Next meeting: 7.15 pm, Wednesday 17 November. Venue to be confirmed

68 Morden Community Forum Item 6(b) 8 September 2010 Chair’s Report

20 residents attended, as well as 7 other councillors and officers of the council and its partners.

Councillor Maurice Groves welcomed everyone to the meeting.

Police update Sergeant Stuart Wiltshire gave the meeting some recent crime figures, including 21 robberies, which represented little change from the previous period. There had been 117 burglaries, and Sgt Wiltshire reminded residents that of these could be prevented by taking sensible security measures. Details are available from the local Safer Neighbourhood Teams (SNTs).

On the Morden Town Centre Dispersal Zone, he said that Sgt Bourne had taken this to the Police/Local Authority Joint Tasking Group, and the zone had been extended on 2 September for six months. There had been a positive response from the shops, which had suffered most from anti-social behaviour previously.

There were no plans for staff changes at present – the Lower Morden SNT had just had a vacancy filled. At present all that people were saying about possible cuts in police numbers were rumours.

Elspeth Clarke had recently seen an adult cycling on the pavement in full view of two uniformed officers, who walked by without saying anything to the cyclist. Sgt Wiltshire said that this was an offence punishable with a fine. Action: He would mention it to the St Helier SNT Sergeant. Councillor Maxi Martin said that she would also raise it at the St Helier JAG on 15 September. Councillor Philip Jones commented that Sgt Bourne had enforced no cycling on pavements in Ravensbury ward. Another resident said that she regularly witnesses someone cycling on the pavement with a dog on a lead running beside. Action: Sgt Wiltshire to pass the message on.

A resident asked whether there was an age limit for riding on the pavement, and whether cyclists or pedestrians had priority on a cycle lane. Pip Howson, Transport Planning Manager, said that children under 16 could cycle on the pavement with an accompanying adult on foot, but in no other circumstances. Where there was a solid line marking the cycle track the cyclist has priority. With a broken line the ‘weakest’ road user has priority (almost always the pedestrian). Action: Pip Howson to consult a Traffic Engineer.

69 Asked about the new Police Office in Aberconway Road, Sgt Wiltshire said that Inspector Boyd was keen for its front office to open to the public as soon as possible, but had no further details.

Shopping Needs of Elderly and Disabled people Councillor Maurice Groves introduced Cynthia Gowie, who was representing the Morden Sainsbury’s store, and had come to listen to residents’ views. Invitations had also been sent to Iceland and Lidl, but neither had sent anyone to the meeting. The aim of this discussion was to find out how shopping in Morden could be made more pleasant.

Cynthia Gowie said that Sainsbury’s locally were trying to do their best.

Alan Ellis asked whether the disabled bays in the Sainsbury’s car park were monitored for misuse by able-bodied drivers. Cynthia said that the car park was owned by the council. She would speak to her manager about the blue badge issue. Pip Howson said that council officers monitor highways and car parks, but there are a limited number of officers, and their priority is parking on the highways. She would mention this issue to Sainsbury’s in Colliers Wood as well.

Elspeth Clarke spoke about the difficulty that short people had reaching items on higher shelves. Might grabbers, chained to the shelves to prevent theft, be provided? Cynthia replied that staff are trained to help. Shelf height has been brought down over the years, but she would highlight the concern. It would need a decision at head office level.

Councillor John Sargeant asked whether there were designated staff to take disabled shoppers around. Some people resented this, but others might appreciate some help. He added that staff in Sainsbury’s were extremely courteous, especially compared with a few years ago. Cynthia said that a disabled person could ask at Customer Service, and a member of staff would come down from upstairs to help them.

Councillor Debbie Shears said that buggies and wheelchairs were difficult to manoeuvre around displays and other obstacles near the checkout points. She added that there were only a couple of disabled parking bays. Could the council provide a few more? Sainsbury’s was now part of the Morden community.

Councillor Dennis Pearce said that the problem was not in the store. His organisation takes people shopping every fortnight, but they cannot go into Morden Town Centre because there is nowhere to get 16 people off and back onto the minibus. Action: Raise with Paul McGarry in the context of the More Morden project.

Councillor Maurice Groves asked whether there were Mother and Baby bays?

70 Pip Howson said there were not on the road, but she did not know about the car park. Action: Pip Howson to check with the Parking Service Manager, Paul Walshe.

A resident asked about the all day parking on the top deck of the car park. This is Transport for London’s, but Merton council staff ticket the cars there.

A resident asked Sainsbury’s to put labels on a board at the entrance to the store, to show where all the products were. This would save a lot of time searching for items.

Councillor Philip Jones said that pre-packaging made older people buy more than they want. He added that he was moved from a basket only queue to a self service checkout recently, unwillingly. Action: Cynthia Gowie to ensure that customers are not made to use self- service checkout against their will. They were not there to replace members of staff, but customers are encouraged to use them to speed up the process.

Gillian Clarke added that even customers with trolleys were encouraged to use the self-service checkouts, which slowed them down.

In reply to Kenneth Kendall’s question, Pip Howson said that the road inside the gates leading to the car park was a private one, and that the council had no powers to improve the layout for pedestrians; but she was unable to answer why council staff were enforcing with tickets on the road, if it was private. Action: Pip Howson to check status of road, and council’s powers.

Councillor Peter Southgate wanted better pedestrian access to Sainsbury’s from Kenley Road. People will not walk round by the marked route. Action: Bartle Sawbridge to raise with Andrew Edser, Network Maintenance Manager.

Pip Howson said that the police could enforce the No Entry sign at a junction with a public road. It would depend what Traffic Management order were in place and the precise location of the sign. A resident added that making that stretch of road two way would ease congestion. Action: Bartle Sawbridge to establish location of the sign, and raise with Traffic Management.

A resident said that it was difficult for disabled people to manoeuvre between the three supermarkets, especially with scooters and wheelchairs.

Helen Catlin, the council’s Transport Manager, suggested seeking sponsorship of the council’s transport fleet to enable it to provide shopping trips for elderly and disabled people – along the lines of Shopmobility.

71 Sustainable Transport Strategy Pip Howson told the meeting that the council was developing the strategy as part of the Core Strategy, and also to inform the Mayor of London’s strategy. Town centres were the key to it, particularly in trying to break down ‘community severance’, the effect of roads and traffic keeping areas divided form each other. She asked people to let her know their six top priorities for a strategy, and also about specific locations where problems exist and could be eased. She is also happy to receive suggestions about public transport, which she can use in negotiations with Transport for London. Pip’s presentation slides can be seen on the council’s website at: http://www.merton.gov.uk/community/communityforums/mordencommunityfor um.htm

More Morden Bartle Sawbridge read out Paul McGarry’s update: Transport Plan: 22nd September - concept designs for the removal of the gyratory and rationalisation of the bus stands in Morden are being presented to TfL for consideration of our approach at Design for London and Urban Design London's, design review panels.

Once we have a steer from TfL / Design for London on a preferred approach, we will include this in our Masterplan. (Public Consultation is on hold for the summer and likely to be by the end of the year (Impact of Comprehensive Spending Review is unknown with regard to TFL / LBM funding)

Since the meeting, this update has been received from Paul McGarry: We understand there are no further changes to London Road envisaged by TFL. We have to assume the cycle/bus lane changes are now dead as part of TFLs review of programmes and financial impacts. Any future changes to the roads in Morden will be part of the longer term moreMorden regeneration project.

Abbotsbury Road: Highways team have secured some money from TfL to improve the shopping parade in Abbotsbury Road. The design is being worked up and costed at the moment but will include new paving, lighting, trees and benches to improve the setting of the shops in Abbotsbury. (Similar in style to Grand Drive and Wimbledon Chase Shopping parades) This is the first stage of moreMorden to revitalise local shopping and to support existing businesses through the regeneration process.

Kenneth Kendall asked why the council kept wasting money in attempts to regenerate shopping centres. He said that the work that has been done in

72 Wimbledon Chase had made no difference, but had cost money. How had Merton improved as a result of this expenditure? It would be better spent, for example, in repairing all of the broken pavement between St Helier Avenue and Morden. Action: Ask Traffic & Highways service to inspect this area of paving

Councillor Maurice Groves said that paving in Lower Morden had been resurfaced. Referring to the expenditure on Wimbledon Chase and other shopping areas, he said that what the council did was a catalyst for the private sector.

Mr Kendall responded that there was no point investing in things that were not then maintained.

Another resident said that the tarmac pavement was uneven along the length of Morden Road. Action: Ask Traffic & Highways to inspect.

Gillian Clarke was very concerned about the lack of maintenance of flower tubs and baskets in public streets. Could the council not encourage volunteers to look after them? Sgt Wiltshire suggested Community Payback or offenders on Community Service Orders. Action: Ask Streetscene to look into the possibility of using volunteers.

Making Town Centres cleaner Councillor John Sargeant introduced this item as a member of a Scrutiny Task Group which is investigating the issue. He asked residents to consider the following questions: o What enforcement powers should there around littering? Does education work or not? o Does the current street-cleaning regime offer value for money? o Was there a role for local businesses to be made responsible for amenities outside their premises? o Could the council build a relationship with incoming businesses so that they expect to take responsibility ? o How could empty premises be dealt with more successfully? He would welcome any suggestions or innovative ideas, eg art displays. o Could the pavements be swept every day?

Responses from residents and councillors included: o One problem in Morden Town Centre is tracking down absent landlords o Some street-cleaning machines have vaccuum tubes on their roof, but in Morden these seem never to be taken down and used – possibly because it would require two workers. Wouldn’t their use save time in the long run? o Morden Town Centre is reasonably clean given the volume of people and traffic through it. The dual waste bins are working very well. o Should the bins be in brighter colours, to encourage more young people to use them?

73 o Linkages between High Streets and car parks are often bad for litter, especially if they have corners where litter accumulates o Rubbish collection and street cleaning need to be better coordinated o People should be made responsible for clearing snow from the pavement outside their home o Could their be a ‘postbox’ system for bins, with a slit in the top, to prevent foxes getting in? o Morden Town Centre needs to be brightened up to encourage shops to improve and bring in new ones o Think about the need for public toilets. The Community Toilet scheme needs to be very visible, and they are only open when the shops are. o One of the reasons that public toilets were closed was that they were used for cottageing, particularly at the end of a tube line. Automatic toilets are expensive. o The alleyway from the station is used as a toilet

‘Developing the big picture: Wandle Valley Regional Park’ Here is a summary of Councillor Richard Chellew’s talk:

Regional parks have an impact on our society today, whether they serve to protect some of the more remote parts of the country, or an oasis of green in the centre of the concrete jungle. Wandle Valley Regional park is no exception. Its heritage makes it special, and is the key to developing its potential and overcoming its problems. Saxons, Romans, Normans and the Industrial Revolution all left their mark on the Wandle Valley. Merton Priory was a hugely important centre of learning.

The problems facing the development of Wandle Valley Regional Park are financial and geographical. South West Londoners contribute to the Lea Valley Regional Park through a levy, but receive no benefit from it. Their contribution should be redirected to Wandle Valley Regional Park.

Although Wandle Valley Regional Park is 13 miles long, it only covers 500 hectares of land, and is extremely narrow in places – a patchwork of open spaces joined by slithers or ribbons of land. What is more two thirds of the Wandle Valley is covered by the National Grid’s pylons, which disfigure it. A way must be found to remove them.

The rewards of overcoming these problems will be tremendous. Features of the park include: Watermills, of which 49 have been identified, and the industries that used them: snuff and tobacco, gunpowder, parchment, paper, textiles and dyeing among them. The names of William Morris, Libert and De Morgan are synonymous with the Wandle.

74 January 1236, when Henry III met the Archbishop of Canterbury, other bishops and the greater part of his nobles and others, to discuss the common good of the realm. The meeting led to the first Statute of Law in England, and now 3 billion people worldwide live within democratic systems that owe their origin to a meeting in Merton Priory.

Merton Priory has now been accepted as one of only 38 applicant sites in the UK to be credible enough to be included as one of the UK’s possible contenders for the status of World Heritage Site. Its selection by the Secretary of State for Culture would mark a turning point in developing the bigger picture of the Wandle Valley Regional Park, and highlight the need to remove the pylons from the park, and direct to the park its fair share of funding, thus protecting and preserving our green spaces and our heritage.

Action in Merton feedback Councillor Maxi Martin described the walkabout that councillors, officers and the police had taken on 3 June, to find out what issues residents wanted dealing with. On the two days of action hidden garages had been found behind a hedge, a Community Payback team had helped out, abandoned cars had been dealt with. Dog tagging had taken place in Green Lane, and the Fire Brigade were present. It had been a very very useful exercise.

Soapbox Elspeth Clarke was concerned about the paving over of front gardens and the implications for flooding. She described a scheme in Islington where house owners were offered grants by the council to turn their front gardens into porous surfaces again.

A resident said that her next door neighbour’s front and back gardens were totally neglected and in a very bad state. What could be done?

Neil Milligan, forum Lead Officer and Development Control Manager, said that in some circumstances the council could take enforcement action against the occupant. If there were foxes or rats, Environmental Health could be involved. The council is trying to coordinate its approach to this kind of situation.

Gillian Clarke asked if the police could position themselves in London Road sometimes, to monitor the speeding traffic. Sgt Wiltshire replied that the St Helier SNT Sergeant does. Councillor Maxi Martin said she would raise the issue at the JAG as well.

The signs at Morden Park car park do not state whether parking charges are payable on Bank Holidays. Action: Ask Parking Services change the information on the signs to make the position clear.

75 A resident suffers nuisance from people flying model aeroplanes at the back of Morden Park playing fields. Could the police do something about this? A councillor thought that the Tolworth and Epsom model plane clubs both used the fields there, and it might be worth contacting them first. Action: Bartle Sawbridge to contact Leisure Services about the problem.

A resident asked whether Fun Fair companies have to pay the council for use of the fairground, and whether some Fairs have special rights. Action: Ask Leisure Services.

Ward Councillors’ updates Councillor Maxi Martin reported that the Morden Tavern had closed and been sold, despite the campaign to keep it open. A number of people had objected to the plans, and the developer is reviewing them.

Councillor Dennis Pearce said that Summer Fair in Morden Park had come together and been a great success. He thanked the committee who had done a great job.

Councillor Peter Southgate reminded the forum that the ‘Open House’ weekend was on 18/19 September. You can see the buildings in Merton taking part going to: http://www.merton.gov.uk/londonopenhouse where there is a link to information for the whole of London.

Councillor Philip Jones was still awaiting the opening of the new surgery.

Councillor Debbie Shears said that residents of ‘The Oaks’ had been moved temporarily while the home was refurbished.

Councillor Dennis Pearce asked that the Civic Centre car park should be opened so that residents could attend the forum.

Next meeting: 7 pm, Wednesday 1 December, Council Chamber, Merton Civic Centre

76 Wimbledon Community Forum Item 6(c) 21 September 2010 Chair’s Report

The meeting was held in the Mansel Road Centre and was chaired by Councillor Simon Withey. 22 residents attended, as well as 9 other Merton Councillors, and officers from the council and its partners.

Apologies were received from Councillors Samantha George, David Dean and Krystal Miller.

Action points from the previous meeting A bin has been provided at the corner of Hartfield Road and Hartfield Crescent, and the smokers who were littering the area appear to have moved elsewhere. Enforcement action is continuing on the use of 65 Compton Road as a language school without planning permission. The owner/occupant has been given a deadline of 4th October to submit an application for planning permission to regularise the use of the premises. If this is not submitted further action will be considered. Many loft conversions do not require planning permission. In those cases the Council has no planning or building control powers at its disposal to address such issues. However, depending on the time of day that the noise nuisance occurs, the Council’s environmental health team do have powers to control noise disturbance. The police have served spot penalties on cyclists cycling too fast or going through a red light on Wimbledon Hill. The traffic unit is also looking at a wider area including Ridgeway with a view to putting appropriate measures in place.

Police update PC Jon Bickley, form Hillside Safer Neighbourhood Team, spoke about the smoking and cycling actions mentioned in the Action Points above. In reply to a question he said that police cyclists were used as appropriate to pursue cyclists who seemed to be breaking the law. He did not think that police cycles with blue lights and sirens would add to police effectiveness. Cameras were not very useful in catching cyclists, as they do not have number plates, and it would be extremely difficult to make a convincing case in court. A better approach was to have a plain clothes officer noting speeding cyclists and reporting them to a uniformed officer further along the road, who could stop them.

Destination Wimbledon Ashley Heller, Senior Transport Planner, presented the proposals for the Station Forecourt and the surrounding area which had been refined following extensive consultation over the summer. His slides can be seen at

Several residents were concerned about the proposed flight of steps at the edge of the forecourt, and the lack of cover for people waiting for taxis. Ashley said that there would also be a gentle slope for people to use on the other

1 77 side of the forecourt, so that people with reduced mobility, wheelchairs and buggies would not be inconvenienced. The road plans would be subject to current modelling of traffic flows showing that congestion would not be increased if they were implemented. Formal consultation would take place in the new year over any Traffic Orders that were necessary.

‘Developing the big picture: Wandle Valley Regional Park

Here is a summary of Councillor Richard Chellew’s talk: (You can find links to the full talk and accompanying slides at www.merton.gov.uk/community/communityforums Regional parks have an impact on our society today, whether they serve to protect some of the more remote parts of the country, or an oasis of green in the centre of the concrete jungle. Wandle Valley Regional park is no exception. Its heritage makes it special, and is the key to developing its potential and overcoming its problems. Saxons, Romans, Normans and the Industrial Revolution all left their mark on the Wandle Valley. Merton Priory was a hugely important centre of learning.

Either side of the Wandle are Mitcham Cricket Green, home to probably the oldest cricket club in the world, surrounded by Regency houses and cottages and galleried pubs; and Merton Priory, the birthplace of English democracy in January 1236, when Henry III met the Archbishop of Canterbury, other bishops and the greater part of his nobles and others, to discuss the common good of the realm. The meeting led to the first Statute of Law in England, and now 3 billion people worldwide live within democratic systems that owe their origin to a meeting in Merton Priory.

2 78 of State for Culture would mark a turning point in developing the bigger picture of the Wandle Valley Regional Park, and highlight the need to remove the pylons from the park, and direct to the park its fair share of funding, thus protecting and preserving our green spaces and our heritage.

Councillor Withey thanked Councillor Chellew for his almost single-handed campaign, which he had pursued with dogged determination.

Making Town Centres cleaner Councillor Henry Nelless introduced himself as the Chair of a task group of councillors from a Scrutiny panel which was seeking residents’ views on how to make Merton’s town centres cleaner. Points made by residents at the meeting included: o Don’t remove planters and trees. Greenery is important in Wimbledon Town Centre. o Recruit informal tree wardens to keep the trees and planters healthy. o Tress must be the right height – cutting the crowns of trees kills them. o Choose evergreens so that there is green in winter. o There are still problems with litter left behind after refuse collections. o Could large, lockable, food waste bins be provided in the Town Centre for people to put chicken bones, etc, in? o The bins for unwanted newspapers are either too small or not emptied frequently enough. o Shops and other businesses should be encouraged to keep the area to the front of their businesses clean and tidy. o People needed to be educated about chewing gum, and/or have places where they can stick it so that the pavements are not covered with it. o Good quality paving stones would increase the attractiveness of the town centre. o There are too many fast food shops creating litter. o The Wimbledon Station lifts are filthy. o Paladin bins in Spain are sunk into the ground. They are not cheap, but very effective.

Sustainable Transport Strategy Pip Howson, Principal Transport Planner, told the meeting that she was seeking residents’ views on priorities for a sustainable transport strategy (Local Implementation Plan or LIP2) for Merton for the next 15 years. The LIP2 vision is “to work towards improving the public realm so that people would choose to walk, cycle and use public transport rather than use their private car.” Pip’s presentation can be seen at:

Suggestions and questions raised by residents included: - Could Merton introduce its own congestion charge? - Cycling in Wimbledon Town Centre needs to be made safer, and/or another route over the railway created. - Speed humps should be removed; stop/starting is bad for emissions. Humps should be replaced by speed cameras.

3 79 Pip asked for any other suggestions for people’s 6 top priorities to be sent to her: [email protected] or Bartle Sawbridge at [email protected]

Planning update John Hill said that the original scheme for 77/91 Hartfield Road had been withdrawn after officers had expressed serious concerns about some elements of it. A new pre-application has now been received, and officers have concerns about proposals for ground floor level car parking. There was no change on the P3 site. The first stage of the s106 arrangements for the B&Q site has been agreed. £300,000 will be made available for improvements to the streetscape at Leopold Road, and these are being discussed with the shopkeepers in the road. A resident was unhappy that relatively modern houses near Trinity Road were being knocked down. John Hill replied that planning permission to demolish houses outside a Conservation Area is not required. In response to two comments, John said that councils had limited powers to prevent multiple planning applications relating to single sites. In respect of twin tracking, this can increase workload but is not a significant problem at present. He asked a resident to send him details of a property where planning notices had not been displayed.

Soapbox It was agreed to have an item on tree planting and maintenance on the next agenda, and invite the council’s arborocultural officers to the meeting.

There is always a gateway leading up to a 20 mph zone, so that drivers are aware of the change to the speed limit.

Bartle Sawbridge drew attention to a questionnaire about Safer Merton’s priorities for the next few years. Residents could complete it online by going to www.merton.gov.uk and finding it under ‘Hot Topics’ on the front page.

The Public Transport Liaison Committee is meeting on Tuesday 26 October, in Merton Civic Centre at 7.15pm, and all are welcome. Senior representatives of transport providers in Merton will be there to speak and answer questions.

The meeting agreed to invite members of a Scrutiny task group to come and discuss ‘Balancing the Night time Economy’ at the next meeting. In particular, they are interested in whether residents think there is a problem with night time drinking in Wimbledon Town Centre.

Next meeting: 7.15pm, Thursday 2 December, at Mansel Road Centre

4 80 Raynes Park Community Forum Agenda Item 6(d) 30 September 2010 Chair’s Report

The meeting was held in Raynes Park Methodist Church Hall, and chaired by Councillor Margaret Brierly. 39 residents attended, as well as 5 other Merton Councillors, and officers from the council and its partners.

The Chair welcomed everyone to the meeting.

Police update Inspector Matt Boyd, the Sector Inspector for Morden, introduced Inspector Chris Verney, the new Inspector for Raynes Park. Local crime was down over the past 6 months – 6.6% in West Barnes, and 15.2% in Raynes Park. This compared well with a boroughwide increase of 13.7% over the same period. Inspector Boyd said that huge cuts to police budgets were coming, although some form of neighbourhood policing seemed to be assured. Asked whether there had been any reaction or witnesses to the recent burglaries in the area very close to tonight’s meeting place, Inspector Verney said that there had not been yet. Residents were advised to keep keys well away from letterboxes. Many recent burglaries had involved thieves removing keys by hand or another implement or a magnet. Residents suggested putting baffles on all letterboxes or in a key box out of sight. Councillor Ian Dysart asked that local Safer Neighbourhood Team numbers should be kept up. Inspector Boyd said that cycle thefts had decreased a little.

Making Town Centres cleaner Councillor Henry Nelless introduced himself as the Chair of an inter-party task group considering how town centres might be made cleaner. He welcomed suggestions relating to people’s experience in Merton or town centres elsewhere. Points made included:

o Air cleanliness o Major clean-up of Roehampton Estate, including shopping parades, (LBWandsworth) about 6 years ago, was a great success, and the area has remained immaculate o Chewing gum in town centres – ‘horrible little boards’ to stick it on are no solution o John Lewis, Kingston, entrance (and parts of Wimbledon Town Centre now) are gum-free because of coating applied to the pavement which enables gum to be removed easily o LBHammersmith & Fulham have an improvement on boards (details not provided) o Spit the gum into the foil wrapper inside the packet and that solves the problem

1 81 o Entrance to Raynes Park and Motspur Park centres are badly littered. How can Network Rail/SouthWest Trains be made to do something about it? Pip Howson is meeting with Stephen Hammond MP and rail representatives on 1 October, and will raise this issue o Business Improvement Districts have been introduced elsewhere, with payments from local businesses to fund these sorts of improvements. LBM isn’t actively pursuing these, but would be happy to listen to proposals from businesses o The standard of public behaviour in many foreign countries is far better. This is fundamental and cultural, and needs to be tackled as such. o Dog mess. Make stickers bigger o More coordination needed between public utilities and LBM about road works o Could more work be done in primary schools, so that young children get used to good public behaviour from the start? o Some pavements, including in Raynes Park, are really dangerous o Raynes Park Town Centre may get a Christmas Tree as part of the enhancement plan

Raynes Park Enhancement Plan Paul McGarry told the meeting that there was a £370,000 budget for improving the streetscape of the area roughly bounded by the Bellmouth, Coombe Lane, the Skew Arch and the Waitrose site. Phase 1, detailed design work based on the PLACE concept would be completed by March 2011. It included some pavements of the same type as are outside Waitrose, and general decluttering. Coombe Lane is to be paved. Parking is a problem often dealt with by telling motorists where they cannot park. The council is producing a leaflet giving positive guidance about where you can park in Raynes Park. The information will also be posted on the council’s website. A small part of the cycle path at the Waitrose piazza is being taken out and the surface will be shared between cyclists and pedestrians. There was considerable discussion about difficulties caused by shared pedestrian and cyclist space. Some comments were about the behaviour of cyclists, good or bad; others included the need for better and larger signage for cyclists in central Raynes Park, and the difficulty of cycling on the cycle path between West Barnes Lane and Coombe lane because of large lorries parking on it. There have been abandoned cycles in the Bellmouth for two months. Paul McGarry said that Thames Water had been given permission to build a wall to protect its water box. Paul would be coordinating ideas for artwork to decorate it. Local artists and colleges would be invited to bid.

Planning update Neil Milligan had been unable to attend the meeting for family reasons, but had provided Paul McGarry with the following information: Thames Water Site Coombe Lane:

2 82 Applications submitted for the following: - A minor amendment to move the Waitrose entrance to the Coombe Lane end of the site. - Variation of condition in relation to the glazing fronting the car park. -Planning application for the enclosure of the Thames Water compound building Approved at September Committee subject to agreement on the Materials to enclose the compound

579-583 Kingston Road (former Manuplastics Site).:

Revised application received July 2010 Similar scheme refused at appeal but height reduced. Likely to be October 14 Committee

Enforcement

Prince Georges playing fields. So far do not appear to breaching their permitted development rights

Raynes Park Hoardings. Another successful discontinuance notice appeal appeal result regarding one more hoarding. (Not sure if removed yet) 14 out of 17 removed 14 - 16 Coombe Lane: S.215 Untidy land Notice issued 22/02/10 to require the removal of all bagged rubble, rubbish and uncollected letters left behind the front door of the vacant shop and to repair the broken shop front and any broken doors and/or windows, clean, tidy and repaint the front of the property. The property has now been boarded up with for sale signs on the front. Need to review if prosecution is still warranted .

On 14 –16 Coombe Lane, Councillor Brierly suggested that the council must surely prosecute now as this is such an eyesore in a very prominent position.

Councillor Dysart said that notices in Prince George’s Playing Fields advertised weekly boot sales. These may not be taking place, but how was the situation monitored. Paul McGarry said that he would mention this to the Enforcement Team. Action: Check monitoring arrangements for Prince George’s Playing Fields.

In response to a question, Paul McGarry said that the council was working with the Homes and Communities Agency and the landowners on the future of the triangular site by the electricity sub-station. He said that he was not aware of any further planning discussions on the Rainbow Industrial Site, but agreed to check. Action: Paul McGarry to check position on Rainbow Industrial Site

3 83 Sustainable Transport Strategy Pip Howson asked residents to send her their top six priorities for achieving the strategy summarised in handouts that she distributed (these can be downloaded from www.merton.gov.uk/community/raynesparkcommunityforum The strategy’s vision is to ‘work towards improving the public realm so that people would choose to walk, cycle and use public transport rather than use their private car.’ One of the chief problems was ‘dysfunctional gyratories’ (one way systems). One resident commented that it was important to distinguish between local cars and those that were commuting, and related this to the situation near the West Barnes level crossing. The management of freight was also a major problem. Comments can be sent to her at [email protected] or by phone to 020 8545 3452

Southern Gas works Tony Staples, form Southern Gas Networks, spoke to the meeting about a forthcoming scheme to replace the gas main in Kingston Road because of a leakage record in that part of the main. It was hoped to start work in November 2010, or as soon as the work on Wimbledon Hill was complete. The work will take 32 weeks and will be completed in four phases; the first three mainly along the footway, and the fourth in the carriageway. There will be a minimum 5 days notice to agree access with residents. Parking bays will only be suspended in the area being worked on. A leaflet is being produced to include the diversion route, and will be distributed to all residents within a one mile square area. The information can also be found at www.sgn.co.uk and follow the link to Major Works. Westbound bus routes will be affected. Councillor Chris Edge wanted roadworks by utilities to be better coordinated: that part of Kingston Road had only recently been resurfaced and a cycle lane added. In response to Councillor Dysart Tony Staples said that advance warning signs would be put up in the next two weeks, local newspapers and radio would carry the information, as well the leaflet. Jan Bailey asked for warning signs to be put on the A3 and M25 so that lorries did not attempt to come through Kingston Road. Pedestrian crossing points will be provided, at least at every 100 feet.

Public Spending David Freeman asked for an item on the next agenda to hear the council’s plans in the light of the comprehensive spending review and its own budget discussions. Action: Leader of the Council to be invited to attend or ask another Cabinet member to do so.

Soapbox Pat Erricker had asked for three issues to be raised in his absence: Hockey balls flying into the road from the Raynes Park High School all- weather sports ground.

4 84 Action: Raise with Raynes Park High School Provide hatching on either side of the pedestrian crossing at the West Barnes level crossing to prevent congestion. Action: refer to Traffic & Highways for consideration Provide clearer markings or signage on the south side of Raynes Park Bridge for traffic going towards Merton Park/Wimbledon Action: Ask Traffic & Highways to investigate

Jan Bailey said that there is no ‘No Right Turn’ sign coming from West Barnes to the level crossing, only ‘Left Turn Only’, which is not as strong. Some drivers from Coombe Lane are not giving way. Councillor Dysart said that there was meant to be extra signage on order. Action: refer to Traffic & Highways

Next meeting: 7.15pm, Tuesday 23 November 2010 at Raynes Park Library Hall

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86 Mitcham Community Forum Agenda Item 6(e) 6 October 2010 Chair’s Report

The meeting was held at Acacia Intergenerational Centre, and chaired by Councillor Ian Munn. 12 residents attended, as well as 5 other Councillors, and officers of the council and its partners. Apologies had been received from John Strover and Councillor Brenda Fraser.

The Chair welcomed everyone to the meeting.

Schools’ presentations Bartle Sawbridge, Neighbourhood Governance Officer, explained that local primary schools had been invited to submit ideas for modest improvements to local open spaces, to be funded by locally generated section 106 contributions. Unfortunately, none of them had been able to send any children to the meeting. However, he was delighted to welcome Vanessa Stephens, Headteacher at Lonesome Primary School, who spoke about the work her pupils had done. Vanessa said that there had been a great deal of interest from the children, and that the project also fitted very well with work that the school was doing around involvement in the local area, and the democratic process. Despite teachers’ efforts, it had been very hard to persuade the children to concentrate on the small amount of money available (£500) when framing their ideas. The three big ideas that they had proposed would all be far more expensive than that. They were: A trampoline A tyre swing Lighting for all activities in the recreation ground, to enable children to play there in the evening. These were all things that they had seen at the Acacia Adventure Playground or Long Bolstead Rec, and they wanted nothing less for Rowan Road. In discussion residents were supportive of the ideas, while recognising that they were unrealistic in terms of the amount of money available. Vanessa welcomed the comments, and said that they would be very useful to feed back to the children. It would help them to recognise that their ideas would be listened to by adults, even if they did not command total agreement. This was a good lesson about negotiation and the democratic process. Bartle Sawbridge said that one other school, Benedict Primary, had e-mailed him their preferred project for London Road Playing Fields, as the children who had worked up the idea were all sick at the moment. They would like to see a small wildlife area created, with a small pond in it to attract species not present in the playing fields at the moment. Again, this idea met with a lot of interest from the forum, although the money presently available, would not be enough to make it reality. The proposal was thought to be innovative and not impossible, particularly with the move to create Community Trusts to manage open spaces, and the need for local

87 people to become involved in their maintenance. The Chair added that, should the SITA planning application be agreed on 7 October, there was a substantial section 106 contribution attached to it for improvements to London Road Playing Fields, and it was possible that Benedict School’s proposal might be incorporated into it.

Action in Merton (AIM) Rana Bhutta, Consultation & Community Engagement Officer, described the actions that had taken place as part of the Mitcham AIM event on 17 and 18 September.

Those in attendance included: Met Police SNT Figges/Cricket Green Ward and PCSO Steve Met Police Safer Transport Team who gave advice on cycling Fire Brigade - four officers gave advice on fire issues and offered free Smoke Alarms fittings The Hope bus for young people, where face painting, tea and coffee, four computers, a Wii-Fit, and advice on the use of drugs were all available. Magistrates Court giving out advice, and promoting their services. Safer Merton ASB offering their services. LBM, Recycling team, providing advice on kitchen waste, recycling, graffiti, fly tipping, and street cleansing. Also: Leaflets were distributed on "Not feeding the Pigeons". Street cleansing attended the area identified for the AIM events and undertook street clean

Action required following Action taken walkabout Flytipping in the This has been an on going issue because the alleyway/footpath on Love Council did not have permission from a Lane by house 49 (leads to majority of residents to introduce a lockable Miles Rd Recreation Ground) gate to the alley. It has now been decided to run with the scheme and make sure that all residents receive keys. The Council will be clearing the rubbish that is currently dumped in the alleyway as a one-off clean with a view to the gates being installed in within the next four to six weeks (as of 22 Sept). A meeting with the main resident coordinator is scheduled for next week to supply the manufacturer’s details re the gates. Flytipping a 117 Love Lane Housing Officer at Merton Priory Homes is investigating Dog fouling A dog roadshow took place at Rock Terrace on 29 Sept, between 11am to 1pm, where the Council carried out micro chipping, advice on

88 being a responsible dog owners and information regarding fixed penalty notices. Wire fence destroyed by Reported to caretaker of MPH who will follow- Baron’s Court Basketball up on the matter. Court Pay back to assist with painting over graffiti around the court once the area has been made secure, ie repairing of perimeter fence and wall. Graffiti on substation on Repainted by Payback team on 16 Sept Belgrave Walk Allotments on Phipps Bridge Allotments tidied and new space created for Road in need of work further allotments for local residents by Payback team on 16 Sept Grass set on fire and ASB Unit Safer Merton reported that weekday equipment moved at Canon’s groundstaff have erected a fence around the Recreation Ground dovecote.

Cricket Green SNT patrol the area on a regular basis.

John Smith (CCTV manager) and Greg Hunt (Crime Prevention Officer, MPS) are to visit the site to give recommendations and view the CCTV facilities. Antisocial behaviour Cricket Green/Figges Marsh SNT arranged a screening arch, which was sited by Phipps Bridge tram stop. The aim was to identify anyone carrying weapons and to deter this from happening. 60 people were searched having been through the arch, no weapons were found.

There is a multi agency meeting being held 7th October 2010 to discuss ASB.

Two youths have been identified and action is to be taken.

In discussion Councillor Martin Whelton said that currently the council contributes 40% of the cost of installation of Alleygates. The percentage varies from time to time depending on the availability of finance. Martin Carney asked for a large anti-flytipping sign for an isolated site in Longthornton which is subject to constant flytipping. Councillor Whelton said that moveable CCTV cameras were used for flytipping hotspots.

89 Sustainable Transport Strategy Pip Howson, Principal Transport Planner, gave out notes about the aim of the strategy. These can be seen at www.merton.gov.uk/community/mitchamcommunityforum She asked for people to let her have their top six priorities for a sustainable transport strategy, by e-mail to [email protected] or by phone to 020 8545 3452, or by letter to her at Merton Civic Centre, London Road, SM4 5DX In discussion Pip said that a project aimed at tidying up Mitcham Town Centre was about to start. Councillor Jeff Hanna was very concerned about traffic light phasing. It needs to be reviewed to ensure better traffic flow. Councillor Peter Walker said that the Mayor of London was so obsessed with reducing congestion that traffic lights were phased to allow too little time for pedestrians to cross on a green light. Pip told the meeting that all traffic signals are controlled by Transport for London. Other points included a request for more parking facilities for cyclists, traffic humps that do not extend to the kerbside and allow cycles to avoid them, and the need for data on car use in Longthornton to be updated: it is consistently underestimated when planning applications are being considered.

Cleaner Town Centres Councillor Jeff Hanna is on a task group of councillors looking at how Merton’s town centres and other shopping areas could be made cleaner. He would be interested to hear any suggestions from the meeting. These included: o Art in empty shops o Town Centre managers in each town centre o A more sensitive approach to town centre management and development o Northborough Road is a deterrent to shoppers, with a double yellow line and too large a pavement and a pillar box. It also has the only post office for a long way, and a pharmacy. o There is inadequate free or low cost short term parking o The Mitcham police front (public) office should be moved from the old police station to the new police office in the old Job Centre building o Conduct a large advertising campaign against littering

On a related matter the Chair said that plans for the future regeneration of Mitcham Town Centre would be put up outside Tesco within the next week. He would ask Tony Robinson to post an electronic version on the council’s website. He asked that My Merton carry a story on how the council sees the regeneration of the Fair Green area. Action: Neighbourhood Governance Officer to speak to Communications Team

A resident complained about the increase in people parking in their paved front gardens without a crossover or dropped kerb, sometimes

90 with their vehicles protruding onto the pavement and forcing pedestrians into the road. Some drivers even drive across pedestrian crossings to reach their front gardens. Action: Contact Traffic Enforcement and Police

Soapbox Trudy Baillie said that there were a number of unresolved enforcement issues that she had first raised at the February meeting of the forum. Action: Neighbourhood Governance Officer to pursue with Planning Enforcement

Next meeting: 7.15pm, Tuesday 30 November, St Olaves Church Hall, Longthornton