AVOIDING FLOODING – CLEANING THE RAINWATER GULLEYS

drains

Work will be carried out between 24 October to 11 November to clean the gulleys in roads in our Ward. This is essential work to avoid flooding.

The work will require temporary  waiting restrictions – ‘no waiting’ – and loading restrictions – ‘no loading / unloading’ – in those roads or lengths of roads where cleaning is taking place on the day of the cleaning.  Advance notice will be given to residents three days before the restrictions are due to apply.  The restrictions will be removed as soon as the works are completed.  The works will take place between 7am and 2pm on Mondays to Fridays.

The work will require the temporary  suspension of any disabled persons parking places,  permit parking place,  shared use permit/pay and display parking place,  loading place or any other free parking place in those roads or lengths of roads that are adjacent to a drainage gulley, on the days cleaning is taking place.

The days the work will take place are:

24/10/2014 Abbottsleigh Close, Audely Place, Carmborne Road and Stanley Road (between Worcester Roadand Ventnor Road).

27/10/2014 Blackbush Close, Effingham Close, Grange Road (Overton Road to Worcester Road), Grange Vale, Tapestry Close. Upton Dene, Ventnor Road and Westmorland Drive.

28/10/2014 Bonchurch Close, Brighton Road, ( Devonshire Avenue to Mulgrave Road), Devonshire Avenue, Devonshire Road Sutton (Langley Park Road to Devonshire Avenue).

29/10/2014 Christchurch Park, Milestone Close, Walnut Mews and White Lodge Close

30/10/2014 Albion Road, Downside Road. Farm Close Sutton, Farm Road, and The Ridgeway.

31/10/2014 Ambleside Gardens, Cavendish Road, Prior Avenue and Upland Road

10/11/2014 Cedar Road, Chalgrove Road, Eaton Road, Langley Park Road, (Chalgrove Road to Railway Bridge), Mitre Close.

11/11/2014 Cedar Gardens, Cumnor Road, Hillcroome Road, Mayfield Road, Rutherford Close and Wellesley Road.

12/11/2014 Coniston Gardens, Copse Hill, Eastleigh Close, Ferndown Close, Kayemoor Road, Leslie Gardens, Summers Close, Willis Avenue and Worcester Road (Overton Road to Mulgrave Road).

RICHARD SETS OUT HIS VISION AS CHAIR OF THE PLANNING COMMITTEE

richard-councillor-002

On 11 July Richard took the helm as chair of the Council’s Planning Committee (formerly the Development Control Committee) by chairing the first meeting of the Committee following the election and his appointment as chair.

A lively meeting dealt with some important planning applications, including one for the re-development of Times Square in the Sutton shopping centre.

Richard commenced by thanking his predecessor, former Councillor John Leach.

Richard introduced his first meeting by setting out his view of the vision and mission of the committee, saying that the work of our committee is massively important and our mission is:

– to achieve the vision for Sutton in our plans and ensure that acceptable standards are observed in all developments within the Borough.

He said “The business of the committee is to consider certain categories of planning applications, particularly those that are significant to the development of Sutton and those that are disputed.

The way the planning system works is that Sutton Council adopts and publicises planning policies, setting out its overall plans for the Borough and standards on such matters as design, environmental impact and the impact on local amenities.

These policies are discussed and adopted by the Housing, Economy and Business Committee (HEB).

Our committee is concerned with the implementation of those policies – in the actuality of the proposals for new developments in Sutton, in the planning applications that come before us and thus what is actually built.

In considering planning applications we will not grant them where there is clearly a conflict with our planning policies. A decision not to grant an application is of course subject to appeal to the Planning Inspectorate.

But the work of our committee is massively important – to achieving the vision for Sutton in our plans and in ensuring that acceptable standards are observed in all developments within the Borough.”

 

RICHARD AND TRISH TAKE ON NEW RESPONSIBILITIES

TWO 1 ROTATED

Trish and Richard are taking on a range of new responsibilities, following their election.

Trish will be a member of the Council’s important Housing, Economy and Business Committee. She will be a member of the Licensing Committee, having had experience in matters relating to licensing. She will also be a member of the Appeals Committee and of the Merton and Sutton Joint Cemetery Board.

Richard will be chair of the Council’s Planning Committee (formerly Development Control Committee) and continue as chair of the Health and Safety Committee. As a former chair of the Board of the European Agency for Safety and Health at Work he cannot escape that task. He will also sit on the Strategy and Resources Committee and the Standards Committee. He will also sit on the Council’s joint committee with recognised trade unions and have other responsibilities on joint committees of London Councils. His wife Gloria sometimes reminds him that he is supposed to be retired.

RICHARD AND TRISH ELECTED TO SUTTON COUNCIL

 

We have won. On 22 May Trish and Richard were elected Councillors for Sutton South Ward. Sadly,  John was not successful. The voting figures are below.

TWO 2 ROTATED

SUTTON SOUTH WARD
Electorate 7,640 % Poll 39.10%
Name of Candidates Votes %
Steve Appleton Trade Unionist and Socialist Coalition 108
Kathryn Theresa Anne Brennan Labour Party Candidate 371
Richard Francis Clifton Liberal Democrats 1380 15.40%
Trish Fivey Liberal Democrats 1296 14.46%
Heather Rita Howell Conservative Party Candidate 1075
Jason Robert Hughes Conservative Party Candidate 1089
Tiz North Keep our St Helier Hospital Party 372
John Phillips Liberal Democrats 1040
Ronald James Phillips Labour Party Candidate 307
Tony Alfred Shields Conservative Party Candidate 1197 13.36%
Patricia Anne Simons Labour Party Candidate 302
Jerry Wraith UK Independence Party (UKIP) 418

NEW STREET TREES PROGRAMME ANNOUNCED

Richard plus tree in Farm Road 

Richard planting a tree in Farm Road.

Richard, Nali, Heather and Sue with trees

Richard, Nali, Heather and Sue with trees

There is a new programme of tree planting in our Ward, over the winter. Exciting news. Some of these are already planted. Here is a listing of sites. Contact us if you have other nominations to make.

There will be a number of different types of tree including laburnum, malus trilobata, corylus colurna, prunus sargentii rancho, crataegus laevigata “Paul’s Scarlet” and acer campestre “Streetwise”.

SUTTON SOUTH WARD

ALBION ROAD, SUTTON Outside number 20      

 

ALBION ROAD, SUTTON 10 (FLATS 1-8) near FERNDOWN CL      

 

CHRISTCHURCH PARK, SUTTON AMBERLEY COURT(FLATS)      

 

DEVONSHIRE AVENUE, SUTTON

PENARTH COURT      
 

DEVONSHIRE ROAD, SUTTON

10      
  DEVONSHIRE ROAD, SUTTON  near junction Egmont Road      
 

DEVONSHIRE ROAD, SUTTON

 near junction Egmont Road      

 

EFFINGHAM CLOSE, SUTTON

57      

 

FARM ROAD

7, and opposite Kayemoor Road      

 

KAYEMOOR ROAD, SUTTON

Outside 24/26, outside 10, outside 32/34      

 

PRIOR AVENUE, SUTTON

Outside 41

     

 

STANLEY ROAD, SUTTON 3-15 ESPRIT COURT (entrance)      
 

UPLAND ROAD, SUTTON

Close to number 90      

 

UPLAND ROAD, SUTTON

Outside 45, 53/55, 76

     

 

UPLAND ROAD, SUTTON

Outside 9, 62, 4

     

 

MAYFIELD ROAD, SUTTON

Outside 15

     

 

WILLIS AVENUE

Outside 15/17

     

 

 EFFINGHAM CLOSE

 Outside 5, and outside 6      

 

 CAMBORNE ROAD

 4b

     

 

An additional tree has been planted outside 3 Chalgrove Road at the suggestion of a resident.

Residents have the opportunity to foster these new trees and help leave a green legacy. Under the Council’s Tree Fostering Scheme they can help look after trees that are planted near their homes for up to three years. Maintenance duties include watering the trees with three buckets of water a week in the dry months and, if they want to, loosen tree ties and trim off broken twigs. By signing up, residents will receive a tree care guide with information on how to look after their tree.

NEW BENCHES AND REPAIRED BENCHES

bech in brighton rd straightened

Residents have suggested places in the Ward where an additional street bench would be useful, particularly for people struggling home with heavy shopping.

We have agreed a number of locations in the Ward for additional benches, including in Cavendish Road, Cedar Road, Worcester Road and Grange Vale. In addition a number of the existing benches that are now in a somewhat dilapidated state will be repaired and cleaned. This includes the bench pictured here in Brighton Road, which has slats missing.

FEWER EMPTY HOMES IN SUTTON

end of devonshire

With continuing pressure on housing in the Borough, it is a matter of concern if houses are left empty for long period.

Last year Sutton Council introduced a number of technical changes to Council tax collection arrangements that changed financial incentives to keep properties empty. Richard, in his role as vice-chair of the Housing, Economy and Business Commmittee, was closely involved in the design of these changes, which involved the removal of discounts on Council tax previously enjoyed by owners of second homes and owners of empty properties.

At the meeting of the Housing, Economy and Business Committee on 8 October Richard commented on figures the Committee discussed that showed a fall in the number of empty properties. However, while the figures are moving in the right direction there is clearly some way to go. They show that there are still 200 properties in Sutton empty for over two years (excluding those in probate), down from 210, and over 450 properties unoccupied and unfurnished (470 down from 573). 

Richard said “at a time of housing pressure these empty properties are a cause for concern. The policy the Council introduced last year to remove financial incentives to keep properties empty has been a success, in that the numbers have fallen, but there is still a way to go.”

OPENING THE SIDE ENTRANCE TO SUTTON STATION

side entrance

Ever since we were elected in2010 we have been pursuing an objective to get the side entrance to Sutton station opened as a second entrance.

There are several reasons for this, and it is a particular passion for Richard who for over 20 years of his life commuted from his home in The Ridgway to central London for work, running (as he was usually late for his train) past the shuttered and barricaded side entrance to the station to enter by the front, then in the evening shuffling (as the station is officially classified as overcrowded) to get out the front, when he could have left by the side. There are many residents of our Ward who commute to central London for work and approach the station from the Wellesley Road direction, so have the same experience every working day as Richard had. But opening the side entrance will also make The Quadrant and the bike rack more accessible.

Today, 25 July, is likely to be seen as the day we were able to be sure the side entrance will open next year.

Today there was the first meeting of the Sutton Gateway project board, of which Richard is a member. There were discussions involving the Council, Network Rail and Transport for London. It was confirmed that the firm intention, now, is to open the side entrance. The project is more complex than simply putting a row of entrance gates where the shutter closing the side entrance is currently situated. There will be some re-building of the side entrance, a canopy, gates and the very steep flight of stairs (too steep to comply with the Disability Discrimination Act) will be replaced by a flight at right angles to the current flight of stairs, at a more gradual gradient.

Richard said “This is exciting news for Sutton South residents. The campaign we started in 2010 has succeeded.”

R and H at side entrance

CANNABIS, DOGS, SPEEDING, DRINKING, ATTEMPTED BURGLARIES – BUT SUTTON SOUTH REMAINS A LOW CRIME AREA

police station

Heather and Richard attended the Sutton South Ward police panel on 12 June. There was discussion of current crime trends, including recent burglaries and attempted burglaries in Mayfield Road.

While the police were unable to give a reason for these incidents they commented that sometimes there is a “clustering” of crime in an area for a short period for no obvious reason, but it would be unusual for it to persist as a problem. They have moved quickly to re-assure residents and have knocked on doors in Mayfield Road, and left a feedback form where there was no-one in. If you have any observations you want to make to the local police you can contact them on ztsnt-suttonsouth@met.police.uk

Also, nine local residents attended their recent street briefing.

While no-one can ever be complacent and we must all maintain our vigilance, it remains the case that this Ward is a low crime area, indeed one of the safest areas in south London. Burglary, along with theft from motor vehicles, remains a police priority for the area, but the most common form of burglary in our area is theft from garages, and residential (house) burglaries are mercifully rare.

The meeting also discussed future action on speeding, a dog seizure in Cumnor Road, a cannabis factory in Westmoreland Drive and the success of the extension of the “No Drinking Zone” to our Ward.

We also discussed the introduction of the “London Policing Model” on 24 June. While the implications are not all positive, these changes are not going to damage the excellent service we generally get from our local police.

 Next street briefing: 12 July outside Lavender Court in Cavendish Road.

A MAJOR BOOST TO OUR LOCAL ECONOMY

 

subsea reduced

On 8 April Sutton Council’s Strategy and Resources Committee gave the major international engineering firm Subsea7 the go ahead to build their new international headquarters in Brighton Road, but subject to making a successful planning application, in which they will need to satisfy concerns about parking.

This is good news for Sutton and good news for local residents. There is immense competition between local authorities for job-creating inward investment. Jobs are gold dust.

As your local ward Councillors we are aware of residents’ concerns about the possible negative impact on parking in nearby streets. We explained these concerns very clearly at the Council meeting and the importance of encouraging car users to use the other public car parks nearby. We will continue to work to ensure that a proper solution is found.

Both of us spoke at the Committee meeting, welcoming the new jobs that will be created and calling for mitigation measures to deal with any impact on local parking. The Committee responded to this by agreeing that officers would look at mitigation measures including offering a substantial financial incentive to users of the Brighton Road car park to move to Gibson Road.

Richard said “I am pleased the Committee responded to my concerns about the possible impact on parking by agreeing to examine mitigation measures including incentives to users to move to Gibson Road.”

The full text of Richard’s speech to the Committee is on his blog, for 8 April.

Jobs

  • Subsea 7 is a hi tech engineering company already based in Sutton.  Any sensible local authority would welcome their expansion with open arms.  Their further investment in Sutton safeguards the 350 jobs they already have here. Without this development they would move elsewhere because  their current office space is no longer suitable.
  • Neither Sutherland House nor Sutton Point meet the needs of their business plans.
  • Their investment will bring around 400 new jobs to Sutton, some highly technical engineering jobs others support staff
  • The impact of the extra spending power in the local economy of these office workers and the company’s visiting clients will further stimulate and bring jobs to Sutton, jobs for a wide range of people, not just engineers.

Opportunities for Sutton’s children

  • Subsea 7 is already  works with local schools to stress the importance of studying maths and physics and explain how boys and girls can become engineers.  They plan to do more and we have asked them to work with Overton Grange and Devonshire Primary School in our ward.  They are keen to do so.

Improvements to the Area

  • The building will be designed by  top class architects.  It will be more attractive than the existing building and greatly improve the appearance of that part of the Brighton Road.
  • The area from the new Subsea 7 building up to Sutton Station will be upgraded as part of the Sutton Gateway plan. 
  • This will include opening the side of the station, regenerating the immediate area, as well as improvements to the public areas of Brighton Road itself and the flow of traffic.
  • Talks are underway with Network Rail about adding another deck to the Station Car Park which will provide more car parking spaces for commuters and people working locally

Car Parking

  • When it makes its planning application, Subsea 7 will provide  a detailed report about the car parking issues which might arise from the redevelopment of the Brighton Road car Park and how to rectify them.
  • Council officers have planned that the 380 or so vehicles currently parking on weekdays in the Brighton Road Car Park should transfer to the nearby Gibson Road Car Park
  • We have asked the Council  to provide financial incentives to make sure this happens.  This will be discussed as part of the planning application
  • We have raised with Subsea 7 and the Council  the concerns of the residents of Sutton Court, directly opposite the proposed new building, about  non-resident car parking.  We have asked Subsea 7 to assist with a residents’ car parking scheme.  They are willing to meet residents and discuss this.

A Can Do Attitude

We understand that residents have concerns and we are treating them very seriously.  But we also recognise that we need  new business, we need jobs and we need new skills for the children of Sutton.  We want to welcome Subsea7, a top flight engineering company, to our area and work with Subsea 7, a company which wants to be involved in our community, and strike a blow against recession.