A tree which has died after being deliberately damaged is to be felled by the Borough council.
The Ailanthus tree, between Russell Grove and Vassall Road, was confirmed to be lifeless earlier this year. Experts say the cause of death isn’t known but there as been “determined vandalism” to the stem – shown in the picture below.
The bark has been deliberately cut through right around the tree stem, up to a height of a metre from the ground.
The tree is located on ground to the rear of houses on Russell Grove – shown in the red square below. Lambeth council says a felling notice will be placed on the tree to inform residents before it is felled this Winter. It will be replaced next Winter.
Ward Labour councillors Annie Gallop and Paul Gadsby said: “it really is pathetic that vandalism has played a part in the destruction of this tree and we would urge anyone with information to contact the Council. It is however important the Council seeks to replace the tree and that this is has already been committed to.”
Plans are afoot for a big increase in the number of roadside spaces for rental e-bikes and scooters in the borough — including some in Myatt’s Fields. The council wants to hear from residents before approving the plan which, they say, would put hire vehicles within a three-minute walk for most residents.
If the program is approved, the number of locations would rise from around 200 to 350, with four of the new sites in our ward – in Foxley Rd, Welby St, Mostyn Rd and Patmos Rd. These and others can be viewed on this map.
Some local residents have recently complained about e-bikes and scooters left strewn across pavements and public open spaces. Local Labour councillors Paul Gadsby and Annie Gallop have written to the Government minister responsible asking for councils to be given more powers to deal with the ‘blight’.
Deputy council leader Cllr Rezina Chowdhury, Cabinet Member for Sustainable Lambeth and Clean Air, said: “Lambeth Council supports the further expansion of sustainable forms of travel such as rental dockless bikes and scooters, but we also recognise the accessibility issues that parking on pavements and in high demand locations can cause.
“It’s vital that when people are finished using rental scooters and bikes, they are stored safely in one of the new dockless bays rather than abandoned on the street for the next person to use.”
Many of the new sites chosen are proposed to be installed in some of Lambeth’s busiest areas and frequent destinations to ensure that e-scooter and e-bike users can properly park their rental vehicles when they finish their journey.
The council has launched a consultation on the proposals and is asking residents to respond by visiting this portal. The consultation finishes on Friday December 6.
The Myatt’s North Community Centre is hosting a “free food” tasting event this Saturday (23 November) between 12pm and 2pm.
Home Grown Brixton, currently based in the cafe, are throwing open their doors – and their excellent menu – to the community.
They describe their approach to cooking local cuisine below:
Our food is uncomplicated but tasty and made using as many locally sourced ingredients as possible to ensure we give back to the community that we love. Whether it be for you, a family member or someone you care for, we want to make sure that not only do we deliver food, but that food hug satisfaction too!
More information about Home Grown Brixton, including their delivery service, can be found here.
Councillors have promised to monitor closely a new pilot scheme which will see Myatt’s Fields Park open to the public 24/7.
Paul Gadsby and Annie Gallop say they have heard from residents and park users worried about a possible overnight upsurge in anti-social behaviour. Others have welcomed the move because, they say, it will make the park more convenient and accessible.
For many years, the gates have been locked between dusk and 7.30am. Now the local authority has decided to — possibly temporarily — leave them open all the time.
The pilot began earlier this month and is scheduled to continue until next Summer (July 2025). The council points out that Myatt’s Fields is one of the very few open spaces in the borough to have been regularly locked overnight and that no uptick in anti-social behaviour has been experienced when other areas have been left open: recent pilots elsewhere in the borough had been “successful”, Lambeth claimed.
The council insists that cost-saving is not the main reason for the decision. In a statement — the text of which may be read here – Cllr Fred Cowell, Lambeth’s Co-Cabinet Member for Equalities, Governance and Change said three other parks in the borough had been allowed to remain open all the time in the first phase of the trial.
He said: “no increases in crime or ASB were recorded during the first phase. Following relatively positive reports from stakeholders and the police during the first phase I took the decision to move onto the second phase which involved Myatt’s Field as one of the parks in the scope of this trial.”
Cllr Cowell said that £140,000 was being spent each year locking parks but this was unlikely to represent a good use of public cash because it didn’t necessarily deter crime or vandalism.
He went on: “Crime and anti-social behaviour in parks [is] not deterred by the locking measure in isolation. It also can be counterproductive for access for policing or emergency vehicles which can actively be counterproductive to prevent crime and disorder. Furthermore, there are large parts of the year where the locking policy closed access to parks for many park users, [whose] only option for going for a run or walking their dog during the winter months is when the park has closed.”
An earlier study carried out alongside the Myatt’s Fields Park Project, which runs the open space on behalf of Lambeth, had agreed to leaving the facility permanently unlocked, he said.
“A few area-specific factors were looked [at] in relation to proceed[ing] with the unlocking of the park. These included the ongoing authorised evening use from the floodlit 3G pitch […]. This will act to some extent as a deterrent to anti-social behaviour specifically in the park.
“Current health and safety protocols require park workers to leave at least one set of gates unlocked if people refuse to leave the park at locking-up time, so there always has been access to the park through one entrance after dark. Before taking this decision, we had heard from park officers and the staff that help run Myatts Field that during the summer months it is common to leave the park unlocked.”
Cllr Cowell said the pilot is due for review in late July next year although he urged interested parties — including ward councillors and the park project — to report any concerns in the meantime.
Councillors Gallop and Gadsby said:
“We recognise that this change has worried a lot of people — not just in our ward, but also in the wider community of users. We will insist that the council closely monitor the pilot and, listening to residents and users, respond swiftly to any problems, bearing in mind that the park must be kept accessible for as many people as possible. We would encourage all residents to send any feedback on this issue, or raise any specific problems they see during the pilot’s operation, to parks@lambeth.gov.uk.”
Pedestrians in the Holland Grove, on the edge of the Holland Town estate, are set to walk a little easier thanks to Lambeth Council’s newly-announced highways improvement plans.
The neighbourhood features in a list of projects, which are yet to be prioritised but are likely to go ahead in the near future.
Part of the pavement in Holland Grove shares in the plan, which also covers many areas across the borough. Papers released by the council reveals that the pavement on the west side of the road, from Chryssell Road to Vassall Road will be renewed (shown in green below). Flexible paving will be used to protect tree roots.
The council says it wants to start the work ‘at pace’ to avoid the worst of the Winter weather, although it admits some parts of the long list of sites may have to be delayed. All businesses and residents effected will be notified individually, by letter.
Local Labour councillors Annie Gallop and Paul Gadsby said:
“We are pleased that a particularly delipidated part of Holland Grove has made the cut for the borough’s roadway improvements: we have been lobbying for the past 12 months for these pavements to be refurbished following feedback from local residents. If residents do have other roads they feel need some attention, please get in touch with us!”
Local Labour councillors have written to the Government asking for urgent action to curb the ‘mess’ of e-bikes which are increasingly left strewn across roads, pavements and other public spaces.
Councillors Annie Gallop and Paul Gadsby have contacted Simon Lightfoot MP, Parliamentary under-secretary in the Department of Transport, to tighten regulatory powers in the face of a growing problem from “dockless” e-bikes and scooters.
Local residents have complained about public spaces in the ward being used to abandon the vehicles, creating an eyesore and blocking pavements – a particular nuisance for our neighbours with mobility issues.
In the letter – which can be read in full here – the councillors point out that thousands of people in Lambeth rely on the hire bikes and remind the Minister of the “clean and green” pro-cycling policies of Lambeth Labour’s environmental agenda.
However, they write: “…too many of these dockless cycles are left scattered across pavements and streets, often on their sides, blocking walkways for pedestrians and leaving our street space in a messy and unsightly condition.
“In our experience the companies behind these schemes are often unresponsive and too slow to move these cycles, especially if they are damaged. And the parking areas where these cycles are usually stored can be particularly chaotic.”
The letter points out that London councillors lack the powers to crack down on abuse of the bikes and scooters, and that the previous government ignored the issue. The councillors write:
“We are asking that you look, with fresh eyes, into urgently granting strategic transport authorities the levers and authority to improve the use and operation of dockless bikes.”
Lambeth Council has already installed 240 designated parking bays in the borough, with another 100 planned. Even though the authority negotiated a “memorandum of understanding” with the hire companies – who rent the spaces – the council says enforcement is too difficult. Officers are working with Transport for London, London Councils, and other boroughs to create a consistent, citywide approach and legal agreement with e-bike operators.
However, long term regulatory changes are necessary to deal with the problem, they say.
Myatt's Fields Labour 