SUTTON ENDS THE SCOURGE OF GARDEN GRABBING

Sutton Council’s planning policies mean gardens are safer in green and leafy Sutton.

 

Gardens are safer in Sutton as the Borough’s green policies have blocked “garden grabbing” for development to a greater extent  than anywhere else in London.

In 2006, 91 planning applications to build new residential units on back gardens got through in the Borough, but in 2010/11 only 23 were allowed.

The fall of 68 is by far the biggest across the capital and is the result of the authority’s policy of restricting back garden development, which was toughened up even more in the Borough’s recently-approved Site Development Policies document.

Richard says “As I have said in a number of speeches seeting out my views on planning at meetings of the Council, we are succeeding in maintaining the green, suburban feel of Sutton, and protecting our precious green spaces.”

The recent tightening of policy will make it even more difficult for would-be developers to build on back gardens in Sutton.

The Council toughened its opposition to back garden development in 2009 when its Core Planning Strategy insisted that any development must respect local context and distinctive local character.

And in March this year the Site Development Policies document made permission even more difficult to obtain with a series of rules to resist garden builders.

The policy insisted that ‘The council will not grant planning permission for the development of new housing units on back garden land, where the site either individually or as part of a larger street block:

·         Makes an important contribution to the character and appearance of the surrounding area; or

•         Is considered to be of ecological value; or

•         Is likely to make a contribution to mitigating the impacts of climate change; or

·         The proposal adversely affects the amenities of future occupiers or those currently occupying adjoining or nearby properties.

ENDING THE SCOURGE OF EMPTY HOMES

Sutton Council has launched a consultation on proposals to change Council tax payment requirements and entitlement to Council tax benefit. This results from changes proposed by the Government to “localise” Council tax benefit payments.

The Government’s proposals provide opportunities but present major problems. They enable Sutton to adopt its own scheme of entitlement to Council tax benefit (paid to those in hardship to help them make Council tax payments) but since the funding provided by the Government has been cut to 90% of the previous level the scheme Sutton will be required to adopt is bound to be less generous than the current scheme.

You can see the full proposals by clicking on this link.

The one positive aspect is that it will enable Sutton, subject to consultation, to remove incentives for people to keep properties empty, by removing discounts that enable people with empty homes and second homes to pay less council tax. 

While the new scheme for paying Council tax benefit is less generous, the Council has sought to protect the elderly, the disabled and those with small children. This is in accordance with our principled belief, as Liberal Democrats, in fairness and helping the disadvantaged.

Richard, as vice-chair of the Housing, Economy and Business Committee, is closely involved in this work. He says “no-one wants to introduce a less generous scheme for payment of Council tax benefit, but Government decisions force us to do this. The one ray of light in these proposals is that we can put pressure on people who are keeping properties they own empty to get them back into the housing market. When properties are in short supply we cannot afford to have homes remaining empty.”

THREAT TO SUTTON’S COMMUTER SERVICES: RICHARD AND HEATHER SUPPORT ACTION

MANY RESIDENTS OF SUTTON SOUTH WARD COMMUTE INTO CENTRAL LONDON EVERY DAY TO WORK.

SERVICES WILL BE CUT AND JOURNEYS ON OTHER ROUTES MORE CROWDED UNLESS WE CAN STOP THE PROPOSALS TO AXE SERVICES TO FARRINGDON, St PANCRAS AND BEYOND.

After Richard made a stirring speech to Sutton Council about transport services on 16 July, Richard and Heather joined rail campaigners in Sutton for a day of action on 18 July in a bid to save our vital link to The City, St. Pancras, North London and stations to Luton.

Under current plans Thameslink Loop Line trains which link Sutton to St. Albans and Luton through central and north London will terminate at Blackfriars station from 2018.

But Richard, Heather and other campaigners – including our two LibDem MPs and the Leader of the Council Ruth Dombey – boarded trains on the morning of 18 July to travel to Blackfriars as part of our day of action.

Richard – who was interviewed on BBC Radio London that morning as part of the campaign – summarised our case in a speech he made to Sutton Council on 16 July. He said:

“We all know the importance to Sutton of maintaining a through rail service to north London.

I want to stress the importance of links to St Pancras International as St Pancras develops further as an international rail hub.

Over the next few years there will be a positive mushrooming of international rail travel from London. If the current plans of Deutschbahn and Eurostar come to fruition, by 2014 it will be possible, on arriving at St Pancras, to have a choice of services to travel from London to Amsterdam.

In addition to the current services to Brussels and Paris there will also be services from London to North Germany. This is a big market in terms of business travel. At present, each day, about 30 planes fly from London’s airports to destinations in north Germany, carrying about the same number of people as could be carried by just a few trains, using the Velaro D trains that are being built to provide rolling stock for these new services from London, by the train manufacturer Siemens at its Dusseldorf factory, which in fact I visited recently.

Aside from the potential importance of these international links to the residents of Sutton, there are international companies that have significant centres of their enterprises in Sutton – Sutton, a thriving London suburb, offering office space much cheaper than that found in the centre of London, less than half an hour by train from the centre, with a pleasant ambience and environment, and a location from which – importantly – you can reach the centre of Brussels in just two train journeys, one taking about 40 minutes and one about 2 hours. And the centre of Paris in just 15 minutes more. And soon – Amsterdam, north Germany.

Now, these are transport links that it is vital for Sutton to maintain, for the sake of our residents but also to maintain our attractiveness as a centre for business development. When I look at the data on economic activity that comes regularly to the new Housing, Economy and Business committee, some clear conclusions stand out. It is clear that Sutton is doing relatively well in terms of surviving the recession and maintaining one of the highest rates of economic activity on the part of its residents of any part of London. But we need to continue to attract new businesses.

The Tramlink extension is perhaps equally important, particularly in relation to the north Sutton site, which is an attractive site, and on which the Housing, Economy and Business committee now has a task group working on the planning brief. Our current plans include scope for a Tramlink stop at the site, something that will greatly enhance its appeal, and we see this development as an important part of our future growth strategy. 

So we must keep pressure on TfL to continue work on the feasibility of the Sutton Tramlink proposal, and make clear to the Department for Transport that changes that remove our linoks to north London and in particular to St Pancras, are not acceptable.

The Thameslink service is absolutely vital. Losing it would sever our only direct link to North London and would mean Sutton residents would need to take at least two trains to get to St Pancras. It is quite scandalous that, at a time when we should be improving public transport, there is a serious proposal to cut the link between North and South London.”

We need to act now as the Department for Transport is currently consulting on the new seven-year Thameslink franchise which will run from September next year and incorporate the Southern franchise from 2015.

Ironically, the cross-London Loop Line service which runs through Sutton, Carshalton and Hackbridge stations, was recently reopened at nights and weekends after being split for three and a half years by engineering work. It is all very well reopening it now, but Sutton’s residents need the line to stay open for good.

The new franchise will set service patterns for 2018 and beyond, so it is vital that we act now and do not become a Cinderella area for rail transport.

To view the DfT consultation document visit www.dft.gov.uk/consultations

To give your input into Sutton’s response, email alex.forrest@sutton.gov.uk

Richard and Heather will be submitting their own response.

More detail about the attitude the Council is taking, opposing this threat, is in a further post on this site “Train Links To North London Must Remain” (see archive July 2011).

Heather and Richard outside Sutton station

SUTTON LIBRARIES SAFE WITH LIB DEMS

Speaking at the Council debate on 5th March on the budget, Heather chose a subject close to her heart, the Borough’s libraries.

Heather explained that she is a regular user of Sutton library and indeed  felt she contributed to its income through the fines for late library books that she makes!

The  budget papers indicated that total target savings for Libraries and Heritage amount to £913,000.  And yet, not a single library had been closed in the borough.  In fact, listening to what residents want has meant that Sutton was actually investing in new library services rather than closing them down to great uproar,  as was the case with many other councils.

Heather commented on a visit to the library in the Life Centre, which was exciting, well used and, with moving stacks for the books, very flexible.  The computers there had been fully used and families were gathered  around the computers, using them together ,

The relocation of the Carshalton Library to the soon to be refurbished Westcroft Centre was another imaginative development and residents would be able to choose books and other library services after having a swim or using the gym.

At the main Sutton Library Heather had found that there was an innovative investment in e books, plus advice for beginners as to how to use the,  She had read that there were something like 16,000 books in e form.

Finally she pointed out that in spite of all the scaremongering the mobile library still served those who found it heard to leave their home.  She concluded with,

“ I am pleased that we have been able to use the Smarter Sutton Services Review to look at how we can improve our services whilst still saving money.  I am so glad that we have not had to close any libraries.

NEW PLAN TO OPEN UP THE SIDE ENTRANCE TO SUTTON STATION

The side entrance at Sutton station

As local Councillors, we have been enthusiastically promoting and supporting a campaign to ease the congestion at peak times at Sutton station and create an easier route into and out of the station for Sutton South residents by opening up the side entrance. We will continue to promote this campaign.

Our latest proposal is that we will be preparing a bid under  TfL’s “Major Schemes Funding”, for this scheme. The bids are required to be submitted to TfL in September, so we have started work on it and Council Leader Ruth Dombey wrote to Boris Johnson on 29 May to seek his support. We will consult with stakeholders as appropriate. The bid will be for a wider scheme to improve the area around the station, a “Major Scheme” bid. Opening up and staffing the station side entrance is a matter for Southern Rail so the Council will need to enter into an agreement with them to open it up. They agreed to this ‘in principle’ during the Outer London Fund bid preparation, when the Council submitted a well-researched bid for funding under the Mayor’s Outer London Fund to facilitate the opening of the side entrance at the station.

Opening the side entrance would be of benefit to the many commuters and other travellers who live in South Sutton Ward, who could enter and leave the station by this entrance, leading directly into The Quadrant. A page on this site (“Ward Map”) leads you to a map of the Ward, which shows the importance of opening this entrance. As rail travellers pass through the side entrance they would cross the boundary into Sutton South Ward.

As Sutton South Ward Councillors we strongly support this bid, as the outcome would be of benefit to our residents.

The Council wants to improve the “Gateway” into Sutton and the experience of those arriving in Sutton. Hence it wishes to improve Sutton station. The station is an important focal point for the town centre and the first impression that many visitors have of Sutton. It has been identified byTransport for London as a station that suffers from congestion problems due to its limited capacity in terms of the front entrance hall and ticket barriers. The Council continues to hope, in partnership with Southern Rail, to open the side entrance to the station for passenger use. In the longer term a more comprehensive re-development of the station is hoped for to expand and modernise passenger facilities and and enhance this important gateway and transport interchange.

The side entrance at Sutton station would cater for the considerable demand for direct access to the station from the Quadrant House office block, which houses Reed Business Information (which has approximately 2 000 employess, many of whom travel to work by train) and a number of other companies. This office block and those who work there are an important contributor to the economic vitality of Sutton. Reed Business Information fully supported the bid. The new side entrance would also serve the station car park, motor cycle and cycle parking areas, which generate considerable demand for access from that side of the station. It would also serve all the residents of Sutton South Ward who approach the station via Wellesley Road from the Langley Park Road direction.

Opening up the side entrance, which physically is already there, requires the installation of automatic ticket barriers with Oyster readers, a new ticket machine,  associated lighting, signing, communication improvements and CCTV improvements. Staffing costs would be met by Southern Rail. It is accepted that the side entrance would probably not be open all day, but using the entrance could ease the congestion at the station if open during peak hours in the morning and evening.

Despite this strong case, the Mayor refused to support the earlier Outer London Fund bid, although accepting other aspects of the Council’s bid for funding under that scheme. We are not giving up and are taking forward this further “Major Schemes Funding” option. Let us hope for eventual success, as this development will be of value to the residents of Sutton South Ward.

MAINTAINING AND IMPROVING PLANNING CONTROLS IN SUTTON

Sutherland House

Both Richard and Heather made important contributions to debates at the Sutton Council meeting on 30 April.
 
Supporting Local Businesses

Richard seconded a motion on supporting local businesses, noting the conclusions of the Portas review on support for town shopping centres. He pointed out out that we have strong planning controls in Sutton designed to maintain the pleasant, green, suburban character of the Borough, but that the Portas review and the proposals of the Local Government Association in response to it highlighted additional controls that would be useful. He noted that, on many of the specific proposals in the Portas review to re-vitalise shopping centres, Sutton was well placed – having strong links with local businesses, a mix of retail shops, banks, restaurants, leisure facilities, markets and events, good transport links and parking facilities.

Brighton Road High Street

Heather drew attention to the difficulties in Sutton South Ward relating to the continuing failure to re-develop Sutherland House (see the photo above) and hoped that the new powers we were seeking would improve our ability to influence situations like Sutherland House.
 
Parking
In another debate, we welcomed a review that is to be undertaken of parking controls in Sutton. A subject  that is of great interest to residents.
We noted that Sutton has low charges for parking, relative to most London Boroughs, issues fewer penalty notices than any other Borough, and that the accounts for parking charges roughly break even, so these charges do not subsidise other Council services  We both drew attention to our wish to introduce specific parking schemes in Suton Court and Eastleigh Close.
 
The text of the motion on planning was:
Supporting local businesses
Proposer:  Jayne McCoy
Seconder:  Richard Clifton
This Council notes the findings of the Portas Review and supports the Local Government Association’s response proposing a five point plan for our high streets.
This Council has produced its own response to the Portas review with specific recommendations it intends to implement locally in particular:
  • That the Council support the Business Improvement District (BID) Steering Group in its application to become a Portas pilot.
  • That we build up a package of tailored support for District centres.
This Council welcomes the devolution of powers in the Localism Act to improve our local area and supports the Local Government Association’s call on the Government to now go further by giving Councils the power to protect our high streets and district centres, specifically:
  • To introduce new powers to enable councils to tackle the clustering of premises such as betting shops, fast food takeaway and late night off-licenses, and limiting the power of the planning inspectorate to overturn local community decisions.
  • To improve existing planning powers, including Article 4 and to introduce a new umbrella use class, in to which local authorities can add types of premises they consider to be problematic in their area.
Thereby allowing us to defend the diversity of our high streets and district centres and ensure they are thriving and sustainable for years to come.
Council calls upon the Leader to write to the Secretary of State for Communities to press for these important new controls.

LOCAL COMMITTEE

On Thursday 19 April we attended the Sutton South, Cheam and Belmont Local Committee, at Overton Grange school. Amongst other things we:

– sought re-assurance from the police about police resources in Sutton, given the evidence that police resources are stretched that Richard heard at the Licensing Committee hearing he attended on 28 March (see post below “Late Night Noise Danger Averted”)

– obtained agreement to litter bins being provided at locations suggested to us by residents, including Grange Road and Upland Road

– established the way forward on the Eastleigh Close parking scheme, and the Bonchurch Close yellow lining (removal thereof) scheme

– heard a presentation on the new bin collection scheme. We noted that local authorities have suffered 26% cuts in Government funding of running costs, in real terms, and 29% of capital programmes since 2010, and Sutton Council has done well to keep the Council tax frozen for three years while avoiding draconian cuts like closing libraries. The new bin collection scheme will save £500 000. There may be a few rough edges, to be ironed out in the next few weeks, but it is a worthwhile scheme

– noted further proposals for the expansion of primary schools, including The Avenue, which some of our residents send their children to. We noted that the expansion of Devonshire Avenue school had been successfully completed with no adverse consequences, and the school did well in its OFTED inspection. We noted that the percentage of children born in the Borough entering State primary schools had risen from below 84% in 2007/8 to almost 94% in  2010/11, due to the recession coupled with the high quality of Sutton’s State primary schools leading to parents turning their back on private education. This is what has caused the need to expand primary schools.

COUNCIL TAX FROZEN AGAIN

At the Council meeting on Monday 5 March, Sutton’s Liberal Democrat Council passed a budget that, for the thrid year in a row, froze Council tax at its current level.

This has been achieved despite major cuts in Government support, designed to achieve the objective of reducing the public spending deficit.

Unlike many other Councils, including some close nearby, Sutton has achieved this without closing libraries or leisure centres, and while protecting essential public services such as street cleaning and adult social services. As Liberal Democrats, we have a particular concern to protect the disadvantaged, and take particular pleasure in having protected the most vulnerable groups.

A WORD OF THANKS TO THE NATIONAL TRUST

We have written to the National Trust to thank them for the unwitting help they gave us when we pursued our objective of installing a small piece of children’s play equipment in the Devonshire Avenue Nature Area (DANA), so the area is better used. The inspiration for the wooden play equipment came from the NT installation at Box Hill. Our letter explains all and reads as follows: 

“Dear National Trust.
In a world of grant applications and “evidencing” everything, we thought you would find the following useful.
 
The children’s natural play area in Box Hill has been imitated.
 
We now have similar play equipment in the Devonshire Avenue Nature Area (DANA) in the London Borough of Sutton.
 
This tiny, one acre reserve is surrounded by blocks of flats.  The nearest playground for children is over a mile away.  But the nature area is home to the very rare small blue butterfly.  There was an inevitable conflict between the conservationists, who wanted no “nasty modern looking stuff that looks like it has come from Disney land” and local families desperate for somewhere to take their children.
 
We were able to show that the National Trust have achieved that balance at Box Hill.  Using your play area as inspiration we were able to work with the locals and the conservationists to achieve a happy compromise.
 
The result, we hope is a much improved Nature Area, where more children come to play and the precious small blue butterfly is still protected.  But most important of all, we now have a chance to educate the visitors about the importance of nature conservation and what to look for in their area.
Thank you for your inspiration.
Cllr Mary Burstow       (Sutton Play Champion)
Cllr Heather Honour  
Cllr Richard Clifton   (Sutton South Ward Councillors)”

LIBERAL DEMOCRAT COUNCILLORS ACHIEVE ACTION ON PLAY AREA

Sutton Council has now completed the first stage of the programme we have been spearheading for improvements to the Devonshire Avenue Nature Area.

We have taken forward this programme with Council officers, closely involving the South Sutton Neighbourhood Association. We have promoted the case for the installation of a small piece of play equipment, shown above, suitable for children aged up to 7, to enable better use to be made of the area while not removing its central purpose as a nature area, home to the rare small blue butterfly. A further programme is underway to tidy the area and lay out paths. The nature area is the only open space in our Ward. It is in a part of our Ward where many children live in small flats without access to a garden, as a study conducted by Devonshire Avenue school has shown. We are pleased with the progress of this project and see it as a significant achievement.

Trees were planted on 26th March at 10 am with children from Devonshire School (plus Heather and Richard) taking part.

Further steps include the following:

* the back wall was removed at the beginning of January and the area levelled. The contractor has put a

formal path through the woodland.

• The area will be reseeded. This needs temporary fencing.

• A nature nature trail will be installed.

• Mary from the Council’s biodiversity team is working on the signs, to guide the nature trail.

• There will be a number of carefully positioned benches installed

• There will be another nature trail for children when the weather is warmer. The last was hugely

popular and we have found that children who took part in last June’s Nature Trail are still fascinated

by butterflies.