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Lothian estate coffee morning – come along and meet your local councillors!
Local Myatt’s Fields councillors Paul Gadsby and Annie Gallop are hosting a coffee morning for local residents on the Lothian estate this coming Saturday.
This drop-in event is open to all residents to pop along and discuss any local issues with Annie and Paul, whether it’s ideas for improving our community, or a personal matter that may require a helping hand from councillors.
The coffee morning will be held at St John the Divine Community Centre, 21 Frederick Crescent (SW9 6XN), on Saturday 28 October, 11am-1.30pm.
Many residents have been concerned about the proposed take over of council homes on the Lothian estate by a private company. This has now been dragging on for almost a year, with Lambeth Council saying it is “baffling” that the for-profit outfit behind the proposed privatisation of local homes has failed to provide basic financial information on how they would run essential services, including repairs, for residents.
If you are concerned about these proposals, please contact councillors here.
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Seven new Electrical Vehicle Charging Points unveiled for Myatt’s Fields
Lambeth Council have begun installing seven new electrical vehicle charging points (EVCPs) across Myatt’s Fields as part of a programme that will see 116 installed throughout the borough.
The new charging points will come with a dedicated parking space. Five EVCPs were installed in our community last year. This new programme will result in more than 300 EVCPs being operational throughout Lambeth.
Cllr Paul Gadsby and Cllr Annie Gallop, local Myatt’s Fields Councillors, said:
“We are delighted that more EVCPs are being installed in Myatt’s Fields, and more widely in the borough, as there is clearly rising demand for these charging points as more residents switch to electric vehicles. This also forms part of a growing, greener form of transport infrastructure in our area; following our lobbying, increasing numbers of cycle storage units are being installed.
“While these new installations are good news, we will continue to push for even more in the years ahead.”
The new points are being installed at these locations:
Vassall Road, outside number 102
Paulet Road, outside number 210
Akerman Road, outside number 48
Mostyn Road, outside number 7
Upstall Street, outside number 16
Burton Road, outside number 15
Normandy Road, near the blue plaque to Cherry Groce
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Pop up Book Garden in Myatt’s Fields North Community Centre until 20 October
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New move to ensure childrens’ road safety close to a Myatt’s Fields school
Local children will be protected from speeding vehicles near a local school under plans tabled by Lambeth Council.
The “school street” initiative for Christ Church school is part of a borough wide programme that has been in operation for a number of years. Your local Labour team has been pressing for the inclusion of the school following representations from parents and residents.
Under the scheme, some nearby streets are temporarily closed at times when pupils are arriving or leaving schools — the beginning and the end of the academic day. The details are to be confirmed, but the council has set a likely starting date for Christ Church of May next year, probably briefly shutting Cancell Road between Elliot Road and Eythorne Road.
Myatt’s Fields councillors Paul Gadsby and Annie Gallop said:
“This is a good step by Lambeth Council which we do welcome: residents have been pressing for sometime for the area around Christ Church to be made safer for children during peak times for the school. We would like to thank everyone who has been in touch with us about this issue.”
Councillor Rezina Choudhary, Cabinet Member for a Sustainable Lambeth and Clean Air, commented:
“Cllr Paul Gadsby and Cllr Annie Gallop have made it very clear to the council that more needs to be done to tackle the traffic problems around Christ Church School which have been a cause of real concern for local parents.
“We have listened to their lobbying, and believe a school street will be a significant step towards protecting local children and reducing traffic around the school at peak times. We do realise there is a lot still to be done across Myatt’s Fields, including addressing the congestion issues on Loughborough Road and dangerous driving around Myatt’s Park, the Myatts North and South estates. We’ll continue to work with councillors and residents on all of these challenges, especially as the borough has announced a substantial package of funding for the area.”
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More delays hit private company’s attempted take over of council homes on the Lothian Estate
Lambeth Council have confirmed that there is still no end in sight to the year long saga of an attempt by a private, for-profit company to take over council homes on the Lothian estate in Myatt’s Fields.
In April, Lambeth wrote to residents telling them that Vision Homes (Lambeth) LTD and PACCA TMO LTD, had not produced key details of their plans that would allow a consultation and then ballot to take place on their proposals to grab the ownership of more than 200 council tenant properties on the Lothian estate.
In November last year, Cllr Maria Kay (Cabinet member for Better Homes and Reducing Homelessness in Lambeth) wrote a similarly strongly worded letter to tenants warning these plans could leave them worse off financially. Local councillors Paul Gadsby and Annie Gallop also have raised concerns that leaseholders, owing to national legislation, will be excluded from the ballot, but will have their leases transferred to this private company should tenants vote “yes” to the proposals in a ballot.
Lambeth Council say that, as the summer draws to a close, key details have still not been provided that would allow a ballot to take place. Cllr Kay said:
“It is incredibly disappointing that residents around the Lothian estate have now been waiting for almost a year for this situation to be clarified. I am baffled as to why it has taken the private company so long to clarify basic information about how their financial plans stack up. We will continue as a council to raise our concerns about these dangerous and potentially disasterous plans.”
Below: a copy of the letter written to tenants in April.
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Local councillors and MP call for crackdown on anti-social behaviour around Myatt’s Fields Park
Local Myatt’s Fields councillors and Vauxhall’s MP Flo Eshalomi have called for a crackdown on a recent spate of anti-social behaviour around Myatt’s Fields Park.
Residents have been in contact with their local representatives following disturbances during the summer in which a small group of people harassing passers-by, allegedly causing criminal damage and intimidating residents. Local businesses have also complained that their livelihoods were being put at risk.
Cllr Paul Gadsby, Cllr Annie Gallop and local Vauxhall MP Flo Eshalomi, said in a joint statement:
“The recent reports from the streets around Myatt’s Fields Park are completely unacceptable Everyone has a right to feel safe and secure on our streets.
“In response to these reports, we have:
- Received a commitment from local police that they will be stepping up patrols and carrying out other activity in the area aimed at protecting the community. The local police team say they have spoken to those involved and are using local CCTV to identify any unacceptable behaviour.
- Raised our concerns with Lambeth’s top police officer – the Borough Commander – and pressed for this issue to be a priority.
- Attended meetings with residents and the police to listen first-hand to the concerns of local people.
“We find it encouraging that this action appears to have resulted in a decline in anti-social behaviour during the latter part of August, but we will continue to press for local residents to be protected from any criminal activity.”
The local representatives urged residents to report any criminal behaviour to the police via 999 or 101: the neighbourhood police team can also be contacted here.
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New council rent homes near the old Patmos Lodge site “to be completed in less than a year”
Nineteen new council rent homes on the site of a former care home in Myatt’s Fields will be completed in the Spring, according to Lambeth Council.
The development on Cancell Road will include two four-storey buildings and five terraced two-storey houses, together with associated cycle parking and green landscaping. Besides the 19 new council homes for families on the borough’s housing waiting list, 12 homes are being built for private sale.
The Council will consult with the community about the names for the new blocks, which take the place of the vacant Patmos Lodge care home, shortly.
In addition, the contractor building the homes for Lambeth, Stack London, has teamed up with a training provider which offers employment courses, employment opportunities and careers advice to unemployed 16 to 24-year-olds. This is aimed at anyone who wants a career in the construction industry. If any resident would like any more information regarding this, please email rlo@stacklondon.co.uk
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New rain garden plans for the the Myatt’s South estate – drop in to give your views!
Lambeth Council will be hosting a drop in event on the Myatt’s South estate where residents can give their views about proposals for a new rain garden near St Lawrence Way and Lord Holland Lane.
The proposals are part of a sustainable drainage programme being rolled out across the borough, in partnership with Thames Water. This aims to relieve pressure on ageing sewage system locally by mimicking natural drainage features including trees and wetland areas. Proposals for Myatt’s South include new rain gardens, with a pop up event being held to let resident’s give their feedback about the plans. Details of the drop in are:
When: Tuesday 25 July 2023
Where: St Lawrence Way
(near the ping pong court)
What time: 11am to 7pm
If you are unable to make this date, but would like to know more about these works or the larger programme, please contact:
sustainability@lambeth.gov.uk or visit www.lambeth.gov.uk/soakuplambeth
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Work begins on new “healthy route” on Loughborough Road
Lambeth Council has started work on a series of major upgrades to sections of Loughborough Road as part of a new £1.4 million “Healthy Route” programme.
Improvements are being carried out on an area which stretches from Loughborough Road South, between Ridgway Road and the Fiveways junction, and leads directly into key roads into Myatt’s Fields, including Lilford Road, Akerman Road and Loughborough Road North. .
Lambeth Council says The Healthy Routes project aims to “create a safe, accessible and pleasant route for people who are walking, cycling and using the bus”. This is the first phase of improvements as part of the Loughborough Road route. It involves the creation of:
- Improved, new cycle lanes
- Raised bus stops
- Traffic calming measures
- New pedestrian crossings
- New planted areas to reduce the risk of local flooding
This part of Loughborough Road is receiving the improvements following a consultation with local residents, and because the wider Loughborough Junction neighbourhood suffers from particularly poor local air quality; the surrounding streets are in the top 20 per cent for N02 and particulate matter pollution across London.
Talking about the investment, Cllr Rezina Choudhary, Deputy Leader of Lambeth Council, said:
“We want to bring fairness to our neighbourhoods, reducing high air pollution which impacts most of those with least, help people embrace the opportunity to be healthier by walking or cycling and ensure they can make the trips they need to by better supporting local bus services.
“Lambeth Council is a leading local authority when it comes doing it all it can to make its neighbourhoods fairer and fit for the future, with a big transformation programme underway. Projects such as this support that aim and contribute to our Net Zero by 2030 ambitions.”
Myatt’s Fields councillors are lobbying for further traffic-related funding to be directed at Loughborough Road North which is beset by high levels of congestion and problems caused by traffic. Recently, Lambeth Council announced a substantial funding package for the ward after a campaign by Cllr Paul Gadsby and Cllr Annie Gallop to reduce speeding and make local streets safer for pedestrians and cyclists, as well as cut levels of pollution.
Works on the road, which began in June, are expected to continue until 30 November, with the P5 bus diverted until the end of August. Please see the below letter from Lambeth with details of these diversions.
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Do you have a question for our local police team?
Local residents in Myatt’s Fields will have their opportunity to quiz their area’s local police team at this month’s Safer Neighbourhood Panel meeting.
The gathering is held regularly by local police officers to update the community on the most recent community safety issues in the area: it also provides a platform for residents to be able to put their questions and views to the frontline police team. The meeting is open to all local residents.
Details of the meeting for this month are:
Location: CHURCH MANOR ESTATE OFFICE, (Training Room) VASSALL ROAD, SW9
Date: 20th July 2023
Time: 18:30Hrs to 19:30Hrs
Myatt's Fields Labour
Fighting to improve the lives of our Lambeth communities
Myatt's Fields Labour 