PUTNEY VALE RESIDENTS’ ASSOCIATION

Annual report for April 2015 - March 2016

1. Our Mission

We are a residents association, working for the benefit of residents who live on the Vale estate. We liaise on behalf of residents with Borough Council and other service providers.

2. About our community

We currently have 9 volunteers on our committee, with one of our committee members chairing the community garden committee. There are 370 dwellings on Putney Vale estate with about 1200 residents. The dwellings on the estate are made up of predominantly blocks of maisonettes, as well as flats and houses. They are occupied by a mixture of freeholders, leaseholders, sublets and council tenants.

3. Areas of involvement

PVRA works closely with the local area housing office raising concerns from residents regarding repairs, antisocial behaviour, fly tipping etc. We have worked hard to build a relationship with a number of local service providers with a view to providing activities on the estate for residents e.g. working with Eastwood Children’s Centre to provide a ‘Stay and Play’ session’. We now have a regular session available to suit the needs of the many families with children under 5 years of age on the estate.

Representation at external meetings. PVRA has representation on the Western Area Housing Panel, Forum, The Safer Neighbourhood Panel, Wandsworth Older People’s Forum, Roehampton Partnership, and the Borough Resident’s Forum.

4. Our work with the council

Estate improvement – planters. During the year we welcomed representatives from the council both officers and local ward councillors to the estate for an inspection in April 2015 which led to the introduction of new planters to an area of concern (near 34-84 Stroud Crescent).

Playground upgrade to Astroturf. PVRA also responded in detail to issues raised as part of a Youth Participation visit/estate inspection which led to the refurbishment of the playground with Astroturf and the launch of the Putney Vale Panthers youth group.

Grant for football sessions. A new activity for children on the estate, the youth applied for a grant to help with the funding to set up the group. The group has been running since January 2016 thanks to a grant from the council’s Youth Opportunities Fund and the support of Josh from The Chelsea Kicks Football Project. The project is progressing very well. As attendance has exceeded Chelsea Kicks target they

1 have matched Putney Vale RA funding for an extra 12 weeks, these sessions will be run on a Tuesday evening throughout the summer. Details of the exact dates have yet to be announced.

The children have taken part in two tournaments; one in the Westway W12 and the other in Academy, they thoroughly enjoyed taking part in them. The children have voiced that they would like this project to be a permanent fixture as they are making the best use of the Astro pitch and they have made a lot of new friends. Members of the group are aged between 8-16 years with regular attendee numbers of 25-30 per week and around 10 of those are girls. Most of the children are from the estate with 5-7 coming from off the estate. The challenge now is to find additional funding to match any contribution the PVRA is able to give.

5. Estate issues

Anti-social behaviour

PVRA submitted a response to the Designated Public Place Order questionnaire, (with reference to street drinking) saying that the DPPO was helpful and we (PVRA) would be upset if it were withdrawn. We welcome the support of the local police and to Dave Peel in attending PVRA meetings and representatives from PVRA attend the Safer Neighbourhood Panel meetings.

Fly tipping and cleaning

Still an area of ongoing concern, it is difficult for cleaners to keep on top of the cleaning on the estate when so much of the cleaner’s time is wasted on sorting out the mess left by fly-tippers. It would be helpful if more residents reported to the council those who live on the estate and/or seen fly tipping (WBC will give £1,000 reward if information results in a successful prosecution contact wandsworth.gov.uk/flytipping).

6. Estate improvements

Speed limit. We now have a 20 mph speed limit on the estate, thanks to the support of local ward councillors.

Renewal of estate map to include Newlands Hall. Following concerns from hirers of Newlands hall that they couldn’t find the hall on the estate, the map at the entrance to the estate has been renewed.

Phase 2 works. From 2014-2015 outstanding snagging has been chased up, including new signage to some blocks. We are still awaiting a low level wall to be replaced, sadly due to costs it was not possible to increase the number of parking bays in the area near 49-55 Stroud Crescent

Stag House development. This went to the Housing and Regeneration Overview and Scrutiny Committee in November 2015. Stag House Proposal: 10x1 bedroom flats plus staff flat for persons with disability, plus 6x1 bedroom and 6x2 bedroom

2 flats these homes to be prioritised for letting to under occupiers mainly elderly on the estate. Indicative timetable for the development of site: planning applications for site June 2016, tender for works contract, commencement of works March 2017, practical completion March – September 2018. The first of the consultations with residents takes place at PVRA AGM in June 2016.

Pavements and potholes. Our grant application to the Community Infrastructure Levy was discussed at the Finance and Corporate Resources Overview and Scrutiny Committee of the council in November and the section concerning Putney includes the resurfacing of Putney Vale main roadways and re-paving the footway to the adopted public highway in high quality paving slabs at Frensham Drive and Stroud Crescent at a cost of £460,000 which are approved works for 2016-2017. These works are due to start in July 2016.

Waste Land behind block 178-204 Stroud Crescent. PVRA were advised by the area housing manager at the Area housing panel meeting in December that the council were still surveying the area and discussing possible areas of development, although there is a current issue with regards to Japanese knotweed!

Ground maintenance and trees. PVRA were advised of the removal of 6 trees on the estate due to disease, replacing/ replanting to take place in due course. Thanks to council and contractors that the hedges were cut back providing more light to a number of properties. Committee members had a meeting with the Horticultural officer and inspected the estate. Most time was spent looking at the trees, including the car parking area where a very large poplar tree fell down smashing a car, and other areas including the community garden. The Putney Vale cemetery is funded by the 33 London boroughs. The Council have surveyed poplar trees surrounding the cemetery and 29 high risk trees have already been removed. 135 poplars are to be retained to height of 8 metres followed by their removal over a 9 year period. Wild flowers are to be introduced around the edges of some of the communal garden areas.

Putney Vale Communal Vegetable Garden The garden is going very well already this year, even in the face of the ever advancing, voracious hordes of slugs and snails. If anyone has access to an allotment and needs help with that allotment or would like to look into a veggie swap, please do also get in touch as we would be keen to help. Planted already with crops due through the summer: corn; squash; cucumber; courgettes; 4 different varieties of tomatoes; two varieties of runner beans; peas; potatoes; Swiss chard; rocket; spinach; lettuce; beetroot; chillies. If you’d like to be involved with the community vegetable garden going forward, please send an email to [email protected] including your contact details.

Going forward to 2016-2017 Major works on all maisonette blocks re brick removal and replacement. PVRA had recently attended a meeting of the borough resident’s forum and found in WBC 5 year business plan for housing estates an item which showed that in 3-4 years’ time major brickworks will be carried out on blocks on Putney Vale. Further to our request to WBC for information, WBC confirmed it will write to all lease holders

3 later in year 2016-2017. Workman has been seen measuring up various blocks for works.

7. Off-estate matters – immediate surrounding areas

Advertising sign on A3. The Friars Ave RA have a petition for this to be removed PVRA noted area outside of PVRA (starts at the shops on Frensham Drive) however residents on email were notified if they wished to join the petition.

ASDA roundabout pedestrian access to bus stops. Progress has been made towards improvements to the ASDA roundabout/pedestrian crossing following our petition in 2012. In May 2016 we had the opportunity to comment on the TFL proposals to improve pedestrian access to the bus stops. Our thanks to the Roehampton Partnership, the Area Housing office and the Highways department at WBC for their support; we are now awaiting a date for the commencement of works.

8. Newlands Hall

Management update Although we have been using and managing Newlands hall since April 2012, we have now formally received our tenancy agreement for the use and upkeep of the building.

There has been a Health and Safety inspection at Newlands Hall following which there are some issues to be actioned, including probable changes to booking forms (2 types regular and ad hoc hirers).

The flood at the end of last meeting of PVRA in March has resulted to heating pipes in the ceiling being repaired and we look forward to a more efficient heating system next winter.

Regular activities

Putney Vale Older Peoples Group. (Once a month on Mondays 1.30-3.30pm) Offered a Falls Clinic for resident’s during November, and a Christmas party was held in December, numbers attending are now very small. The group are currently taking a break.

Zumba class (Monday evenings 8.00-9.00pm) This is offered by Wandsworth Active Lifestyles. The time has recently changed and the session has already attracted new members, still space for more!

Line Dancing (Tuesdays 10.45- 12.45 am) A great opportunity to have fun, exercise and make new friends always looking for new members to come along, first session is free.

Stay and Play (Wednesdays 10-12 am) Play and Learn at Newlands Hall - is a weekly session with fun and educational activities for parents and their children under 5 (with a particular focus on children under the age of 2 years). Each week staff provide a focus activity - for example cooking, making play dough, planting

4 seeds/bulbs, art projects, family learning, Forest School as well as chopping and tasting fruit and vegetables, sand and water play, painting, building and imaginative play both indoors and outdoors in the spacious garden. Each session ends with a singing and signing session. There is also a clinic with a Health Visitor each week and regular visits from speech and language therapists, dental health support and others.

Roehampton Community Choir (Wednesdays 7-8.30pm) This activity came to Newlands Hall in January 2016. This activity was open to all Putney Vale residents and members living in the area. We are currently waiting to find out if this programme will continue in the Autumn of 2016.

South West London Polio Fellowship (Saturdays 3-5pm every 6-7 weeks). From March 2015 the SW London Post-Polio Support group have hired the Hall for a regular support meeting, the ease of Building Access for wheelchairs and disabled car parking an attraction.

Resident and non-resident hirers We had a total of 172 bookings for the period April 2015 – March 2016. During the year 20 residents hired the hall. There was one problem hirer which resulted in £30 being withheld from their deposit.

Thanks to Ella our cleaner who with new equipment not only helps out with general cleaning once a week, but also now does the window cleaning, and to members of the committee who help with the arrangements for opening and closing the building.

9. Bike lockers

These are now located in an area identified as being suitable during the phase 2 improvement works. The lockers are suitable to store 1 large or 2 small bikes. The administration for the bike lockers is undertaken by PVRA. There are still some available for hire at £1.50p a week.

10. PVRA membership

Although the number of residents signing up as members to PVRA from a couple of blocks was low, overall sign up for 2015-2016 membership exceeded 60% of the estate. New email addresses were collected as part of the sign up (90 live email addresses). Our recent application to WBC for formal accreditation included: the membership forms, email sign ups which were added to the formal sheets, as well as people who attended meetings and people who booked the hall if they had not already signed up. This represented the largest sign up since PVRA petitioned to re-open Newlands Hall in 2011. Total grant received from WBC £734.

Support to residents. Whilst the PVRA cannot get involved with individual concerns that residents have, we are very happy to point them in the direction of those who can assist and where possible the department within the council that can help.

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11. Publicity/communications

Newsletter. During this year new committee member Ania Faluta-Bagzanda has taken on the role of writer for our newsletter, and we also appreciate the volunteers who help to deliver it.

PVRA website. PVRA has a website which is maintained with the help of resident Oliver Bishop. On the website you can find out what is going on in Newlands Hall, old newsletters, minutes of committee and general meetings, constitutional documents, details of ongoing projects and an archive of work and reports carried out by PVRA. www.putneyvalera.co.uk

12. Accounts

Thanks to Tina Jones our treasurer for her work in issuing invoices and ensuring our bills are paid on time and for her overall management of our accounts, and to Angela Ireland chair of Edgecombe Hill Estate Residents’ Association for auditing our accounts. A detailed summary is included at the end of this report.

13. Recognition of support

There are several organisations and individuals that PVRA wishes to thank for their support throughout the year. These include:

 ASDA and Gary Clarke the manger for his support and interest in our work and the grant we received through ‘Chosen By You, Given By Us’, this was used to set up a new restricted account for the Putney Vale Panthers

 Wandsworth Council Western Area Housing team: Bernie Brennan Resident Participation Officer, Kindle-Simone Wheeler Estate Manager, welcome back to Abigail Sexton as Estate Manager; Danny Edwards and Anne Brown at the Housing office. Staff in the Highways, Horticultural, and Estate Services Departments, Justine Greening MP and Cllr Jane Cooper and our local ward councillors Peter Carpenter, Sue McKinney and Jeremy Ambache for their interest and support during the year.

 The PVRA committee: Shirley Price Tina Jones Wendy Saunders Jackie Ellison Alison Ringer Oliver Bishop Louise Hill Ania Faluta-Bagzanda Paula Sterling- Lawless

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PUTNEY VALE RESIDENTS' ASSOCIATION

Putney Vale Residents' Association Financial Accounts April 2015 -March 2016 Bank reconciliation 2014-15 2015-16 Monetary assets The co operative bank £23,777.88 £29,494.13 less unpaid cheques £1,330.61 £28,163.52 Receipts and Payments

Opening Balance from previous accounts dated 31/03/2015 £23,777.88

Opening Closing Balance Receipts Payments Balance Putney Vale Resident's Association 2272.96 928.62 472.64 2728.94

Putney Vale Newlands Hall 2306.78 7372.50 4637.45 5041.83

Putney Vale Older Peoples Group 930.05 0.00 279.32 650.73

Putney Vale Community Garden 268.09 0.00 89.97 178.12

Putney Vale Panthers 0.00 2867.90 1304.00 1563.90

Total £5,777.88 £11,169.02 £6,783.38 £10,163.52

Newlands Hall long term maintenance reserve 18000.00 0.00 0.00 18000.00

Total £23,777.88 £11,169.02 £6,783.38 £28,163.52

Closing balance £28,163.52

June 2016/SJP

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