SEBRA NEWS W2 BOOMERANGING BACK? ISSUE No 94 AUTUMN 2018 32 YEARS AFTER A BATTLE WAS WON IT MAY HAVE TO BE FOUGHT AGAIN READ ABOUT WHY ROYAL OAK MIGHT BE THE DESTINATION FOR A NEW COACH TERMINAL INTRODUCTION INTRODUCTION In this Issue From the 4 GRAFITTI AND EVEN 16 THE BUSINESS INTRODUCTION MORE GRAFITTI OF BUSES FROM THE CHAIRMAN 3 Chairman SAFETY VALVE Chairman: John Zamit Don't forget: PORCHESTER BATH WOES 8 Email: [email protected] This year’s BOOMERANGING BACK? 9 Phone: 020 7727 6104 SEBRA AGM RESIGNATION OF ROBERT DAVIS 10 Mobile: 074 3825 8201 Mon 26 Nov PADDINGTON DESERVES A BREAK 12 Address: 2 Claremont Court Porchester Hall PRAISE FOR PLANNING 14 Queensway, London W2 5HX 6:15pm for 7pm AROUND BAYSWATER PARTNERSHIP FOR WESTMINSTER 19 elcome to yet another we know to be organised begging on and also collectively makes delegated TALL TALES FROM NOTTING HILL 21 bumper edition of our our streets. Groups of (primarily) Eastern decisions on less important applications, WAS IT WORTH THE UPHEAVAL? 28 magazine! They all seem Europeans asking all and sundry for that nevertheless directly affect the HITTING THE RIGHT NOTE 34 to be bumper editions money is not something we should have lives of our residents. I believe that the SAVE BRITAINS HERITAGE 36 Wthese days, but we're keen to promote to tolerate day upon day. current system functions pretty well and SUNDAY ART IN BAYSWATER 46 local associations and to report on needs little change. OXFORD STREET UPDATE 49 improving our neighbourhood and However, I welcome the proposal to let NO ONE SHOULD HAVE NO ONE 50 there's a lot to cover right now. affected residents and amenity societies ST STEPHEN'S IS OUTRAGE AT MEDICAL SEBRA SUMMER PARTY 2018 58 speak to the Councillors on the Planning 26 BACK HOME 42 CENTRE CLOSURE So it's a big "thank you" to all of our PORCHESTER CENTRE NEWS 62 contributors and also to our advertisers, Committee when a large or contentious application is being considered. Care is COMMUNITY FAYRE REPORT 66 there would be no SEBRA NEWS W2 needed though in determining exactly without them. Thanks to Steve Olive as THE ROYAL PARKS how the system will work. well for putting the magazine together. HYDE PARK AFTER HEATWAVE 81 He has a new job at a golf club so there I will be pushing for more time to SUSTAINABILITY ON THE AGENDA 83 have been many late nights during be built into the process of change, allowing for explanatory discussions to FRIENDS OF HP&KG NEWS 84 October to reach our print deadline. SERPENTINE GALLERIES 88 take place. MATILDA THE SEBRA MASCOT POLITICAL COMMENTARY THE 2018 SEBRA AGM There's a new photo of me at the top Our AGM takes place on Monday 26 KAREN BUCK MP 90 of the page with Matilda. She's getting November at the Porchester Hall. POLICE BECOMING 'IRRELEVANT' 92 on in years now but she's a faithful and Begging gangs continue to operate on We're looking forward to another loving friend. Turn to page 124 you will Queensway and beyond. evening of lively debate and our "top CITY HALL NEWS see she has the last word in this issue. It sounds harsh but there's little point table" panel will certainly be expecting a MAYOR SADIQ AND WATCHDOGS 94 in spending upwards of £10 million whole host of questions on a wide range WCC NEWS 98 I HAD A DREAM! improving Queensway if the scourge of subjects from our members. 10 YEARS REPRESENTING WARD 102 Well it began as a dream and turned of "professional" begging is allowed to Following the meeting you can expect SILVER SUNDAY AND MORE 107 into a nightmare! The dream was our usual prize raffle after which we will THE FLAVOURS FESTIVE FUN AT continue. 43 80 PREPARING FOR TOMORROW 108 the Public Realm improvements on be serving drinks and canapés to SEBRA OF CYPRUS KENSINGTON PALACE Queensway finally commencing. At PLANNING CHANGES WITH members and our guests. PLANNING, LEGAL & LICENSING last year's AGM, Council Leader Nickie UNDUE HASTE The AGM is our second biggest event Aiken announced with a fanfare that PROPERTY MARKET UPDATE 110 On page 98 you'll find an article by the of the year and represents a great work would start in January 2018. Well PLANNING BAYSWATER 112 Leader of Westminster City Council opportunity for our members to engage it didn't. There's still no cabinet report GDPR AND YOU 114 Nickie Aiken in which she explains with elected representatives and other published and although we've been LICENSING BAYSWATER 118 changes to the planning system now officials. Please attend if you can. promised that work will start in January being propsed. HIGHWAYS & TRAFFIC 2019, I'll believe it when I see it! Best wishes and happy reading. To my mind these changes are being HIGHWAYS REPORT 120 BEGGING IN BAYSWATER rushed through with undue haste. TRAFFIC BAYSWATER 121 I certainly don't agree with the decision I have every sympathy for those who are to delete the Director of Planning role, LETTERS & ABOUT SEBRA genuinely down on their luck. Having a decision made with no consultation no income and no roof over your head YOUR LETTERS 122 with residents' associations or local is something I wish nobody ever had Councillors. The planning department JOIN SEBRA 123 to experience. However, those kind of at Westminster City Council advises ABOUT SEBRA 125 problems are a world away from what Councillors on the Planning Committee SEBRALAND 126 2 www.sebra.org.uk SEBRA NEWS W2 - AUTUMN 2018 3 SAFETY VALVE SAFETY VALVE LNER Class A3 Locomotive No. 60103 “Flying Scotsman”. Pictured 10 September 2017 after leaving Crowcombe Heathfield. Safety Valve There's a lot about buses in this edition's Safety Valve section and as is all too common there are street-level A photograph from early September. A patchwork of grey complaints about rubbish and begging. We also feature a couple of pieces offering food for thought, the paint currently now covers some of the graffiti. (See below). first relating to the condition of Porchester Turkish Baths and the second expanding on our cover story, with SEBRA President John Walton putting pen to paper. As you might expect there is also an article discussing the resignation of Councillor Robert Davis. We begin though with four pages outlining the shocking extent In August 2017 SEBRA NEWS W2 of graffiti in Bayswater, with articles from Nicky Hessenberg and firstly, Richard Perkins. covered this and the other awful bridges in the City of Westminster. THE APPALLING STATE OF LORD HILL'S BRIDGE Richard Perkins ... gaps in the Northumberland Place, W2 bridge filled with hat is wrong with this country that totally discarded, stinking obvious things wrong in the public space cannot be properly attended to, supposedly litter. because responsibility is divided between Wdifferent bodies with no overall authority to force action? This bridge, like the others covered in the article, is in Westminster and the Council should shoulder its responsibilities. As an immediate measure it must deal ... an atrocious and It beggars belief that this issue has been For if Network Rail pays so little promptly with the removal of the litter depressing introduction allowed to fester month after month, attention to the looks of its bridges it and systematically and persistently year after year. It speaks volumes of the brings into question their whole attitude remove the artless graffiti. to Bayswater... ineffectiveness of our council and casts to maintenance and repair and the Furthermore, Westminster must either a shadow of ineptitude, if not downright ultimate safety of their bridges. serve effective legal notice on Network callous disregard of safety issues on the Bridges are painted not just for aesthetic Rail to fulfil its responsibilities and part of Network Rail. reasons but to preserve iron structures properly maintain and repaint every Oh for a local mayor who in France in every small village and from rust. few years or assume responsibility suburb walks around talking to neighbours and sorts those Sprawling graffiti and widespread rust adorn the length for painting the parts visible from the things out in a trice. and breadth of Lord Hill's Bridge. public space itself and bill Network rail Is there anything more depressing in any journey in the entire ... something you appropriately. world than walking out of Royal Oak Underground on to Lord This is something you might expect in the poorest part of some Hill's Bridge? Third World City, but not in one of the richest boroughs in one might expect in Editor's Note: of the richest cities in the world. But that is what you see and Our thanks must go to SEBRA What an atrocious and depressing introduction to Bayswater the poorest parts member Ian Hessenberg for his expert and possibly Westminster! To be confronted with a filthy, paint smell; a disgusting, stinking vile looking mess. of a third world photography in this article, and also flaking, rotten looking structure covered with graffiti, with the How can our councillors and officers hold up their heads when that on pages 6 & 7. gaps in the bridge filled with discarded, stinking litter. such an appalling state of affairs persists year after year? city. 4 www.sebra.org.uk SEBRA NEWS W2 - AUTUMN 2018 5 SAFETY VALVE SAFETY VALVE Thanks also to the THE GRAFFITI GOES ON... Westminster Graffiti team: the morning after Nicky Hessenberg - SEBRA member the Carnival I noticed and resident of Westbourne Park Villas W2 with sinking heart some scribbles on our much There have also been (and presumably protected red brick wall: still are) images which have made as we all know, once the artists famous and of course rich graffiti starts appearing through their artistic efforts – Banksy it reproduces at an and Basquiat to name two of the most well known.