DOCTORS’ SURGERIES

Cradle to grave care – what we expect from the NHS

Many local residents use the medical centre in Grove Road in Sutton. Several years ago Richard was involved, with former Councillor Heather Honour, in a campaign to prevent this practice closing and moving to the Henderson hospital site in Belmont, as there were few transport links to the site and it would not have been easily accessible to those without a car.

We are pleased that this proposal is not being proceeded with. NHS Sutton Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) now propose to move the surgery to a health centre in Robin Hood Lane in central Sutton, closer to the current practice. This is a proposal currently being worked up. It is also proposed to move the Mulgrave Road surgery, which many local residents use, to this site. The full list of surgeries that might move to the site is:

  • Grove Road practice
  • Mulgrave road surgery
  • Benhill surgery (part of Benhill and Belmont GP centre)

In addition, Dr Grice and partners branch surgery is already at the site (though not their main surgery at the Old Court House) and Dr Seyan and partners are already at the site. If you are registered with any of these practices you should have received a letter from the CCG inviting views on the proposal.

The Grove Road practice does need to move. It is currently in a converted house so some surgery rooms are upstairs, with no lift, and it is not possible to have a private conversation with reception staff as the reception is in the hallway of the house. It does not meet modern standards and NHS England will require it to move. But there are few sites available in Sutton. There are some similar problems with the Mulgrave Road surgery.

You can comment on this proposal, which is at an early stage of development, at

sutccg.feedback@nhs.net

For our part, we will be seeking to ensure that transport and accessibility issues are fully taken into consideration when working up the proposal.

A GREEN AND PLEASANT SUTTON SOUTH

One of our concerns as Councillors is to maintain the pleasant, green, suburban feel of our area. Recently there have been a number of planning applications for sites in our Ward, including in Cavendish Road, Langley Park Road and Downside Road, that the Council’s planning officers have, rightly, turned down.

These have included proposals for house extensions that would close the visual gap between houses, causing harm to the spacious and open character of most of the roads in our Ward, and proposals for blocks of flats whose height, bulk, mass and design would constitute an unsympathetic form of development and have a detrimental impact on the character and appearance of the area. Applications have also been turned down where at least some affordable housing ought to be provided, to promote mixed and balanced communities.

We are concerned that developments should relate sympathetically to the street scene and the local area. We have also objected to the way the Planning Inspectorate in Bristol sometimes over-rules democratic local decisions, leading to inappropriate development.

A post below describes the concerns in Cavendish Road. In Langley Park Road a proposal for a block of flats was turned down because the proposed development would result in an incongruous layout and unduly prominent development, excessive in scale, bulk and width, with an overly dominant parking area to the front out of keeping with the existing development pattern in the locality, thus detrimental to the character and appearance of the area and the street scene. It would by virtue of its siting and height result in an unacceptable impact on the outlook of the neighbouring occupiers, and would be detrimental to the health of significant trees affected by the development.

In Downside Road a proposal for erection of a two storey side/rear extension was turned down by the Council. The grounds were:

  • The proposal would uncharacteristically close the visual gap between the application site and the adjoining neighbour causing significant and unacceptable harm to the spacious and open character of Downside Road and resulting in a visual terracing impact on the street scene contrary to planning policies.
  • The proposal, by reason of its lack of a setback from the shared side boundary and excessively narrow garage, would result in a contrived appearance that would fail to relate sympathetically and subordinately to the original dwelling and cause harm to the street scene and the local area contrary to planning policies.

SLOWING TRAFFIC IN FARM ROAD AND GRANGE VALE

At the South Sutton, Cheam and Belmont Local Committee meeting on 7 September our main decision was to install a vehicle operated sign in Farm Road to reduce speeding. Richard lives round the corner from Farm Road and vehicles certainly speed down it. This complements other measures in the Ward to reduce speeding, in particular in Cavendish Road and Cedar Road.

We also agreed to install a width restriction at the point in Grange Vale where the road passes under the bridge. The speed of vehicles has a safety implication for pedestrians walking west to east on the narrow pathway, particularly if pushing a buggy. We also agreed to plant a replacement for the vandalised tree in Willis Avenue. The committee also agreed Richard’s proposal to purchase from the Royal British Legion a “Silent Soldier” and install it in the flower beds in front of Northumberland House. These are large silhouettes of soldiers, designed to be installed through 2018 in prominent places to remind us that this is the centenary of the conclusion of the Great War.

We hope the parking consultation will now take place much earlier than anticipated.

PROTECTING OUR ENVIRONMENT

 

 

The concern of Sutton Council to protect the green and pleasant environment in our Ward has again been demonstrated in Cavendish Road, though the threat to sensible and informed local decision taking from the remote Planning Inspectorate, based in Bristol, remains.

A planning application was submitted for the buildings at 7-9 Cavendish Road, previously a care home, for demolition of the buildings and erection of a three storey block of flats, with roof accommodation, comprising 16 flats (three 1-bedroomed, seven 2-bedroomed and six 3-bedroomed), 9 car parking spaces, secure cycle parking, provision of a refuse store, with access to the rear.

The Council has turned the application down. The Council considered that the proposed development, by reason of its height, bulk, mass and detailed design, would constitute an unsympathetic form of development that would have a negative visual impact on the Cavendish Road street scene. The proposed development would therefore have a detrimental impact on the character and appearance of the area.

The Council also turned the application down because it considered that at least some affordable housing ought to be provided as part of an acceptable development on this site and, as such, the proposal would cause significant harm to the promotion of mixed and balanced communities.

An earlier application was also turned down but is now the subject of an appeal to the Planning Inspectorate. This is a threat we cannot control. We will let residents know the outcome and if further applications are made.

A proposal for a house extension in Downside Road was also rejected as it would close the visual gap between houses, causing harm to the spacious and open character of the road and result in a visual terracing impact on the street scene.

REDUCING VEHICLE CO2 EMISSIONS IN SUTTON SOUTH

A significant part of the northernmost section of Sutton South Ward is in the central Sutton Controlled Parking Zone. Sutton Council is consulting on a scheme to alter charges for parking permits in the Controlled Parking Zone so that charges relate to the CO2 emissions of vehicles. It is also introducing special provisions to help carers and those undertaking childcare who are regular visitors.

The general nature of the Order is, to support the Council’s Parking Strategy and policy to cut carbon emissions in the Borough, to link the charges for parking permits in the controlled parking zones to the CO2 emissions of the vehicle for which the permit is issued; and also to introduce the facility to purchase carer and childcare permits for use in the zones. The impact will be to reduce charges for the least polluting vehicles and increase them for some others, and facilitate carers and those with regular childcare responsibilities to park in the zone.

You can find the proposals at

www.sutton.gov.uk/trafficpublicnotices

clicking on “view our Permanent Traffic Order Consultations” and “Notices of Proposals”

Reference PP1035 – CPZ permit charge changes linked to CO2 emissions and carer permits

Comments are invited by 31 August.

Richard has commented on the proposals that he would like to see a differential scheme imposed for diesel vehicles as they do not emit excessive CO2 compared to other vehicles but do emit other harmful particulates.

 

CONSULTATION ON CHANGES TO TRAIN SERVICES FROM SUTTON

Many of those who live in Sutton South Ward travel up to London by train, those who travel for work doing so most days.
So we all may be interested in a consultation exercise being conducted by Govia Thameslink Railway, incorporating Southern and Thameslink, on changes to the rail timetable from Sutton from May 2018. Most organisations publicise consultation exercises but this seems to be almost like a secret exercise that you only find out about by accident.
The changes are considerable and helpful – a new all day service between Sutton and London Bridge via Norwood Junction (currently it is peak hours only) and a doubling of the frequency of the service from Sutton to Epsom Downs.

To find the consultation, and make comments, you need to click on this link, then go to “Be Part of It” and click on “Read More”, then click on information sheet 4 to discover what is proposed for our area.

[NOTE: The information above was correct when this post was posted. As of 30 July, they seem to have removed information sheet 4 and are promising it will be restored, with an invitation to comment, in the autumn. We are trying to find out what is happening. It is still worthwhile visiting the site. ]

CHANGES TO OUR POLICE TEAM

Our police station in Carshalton Road

At the Sutton South Ward consultative meeting with the local police on 11 June we learned that our long serving PC, Mark Towler, is moving to other duties. There is a new policing model being adopted and our Ward will be under Sergeant Anna Smith – who also covers Cheam, Belmont and Sutton West – but with two dedicated Ward officers – Kelly Heath and Andy Peak – plus a PCSO (Laura Jagoe, who has been with us a long time but is currently on maternity leave).

We recorded our grateful thanks to Mark, who will be missed.

The meeting heard that Sutton South remains a low crime area with just two house burglaries, though four garage burglaries, in the previous twelve weeks. The sector priorities remain tackling burglary, anti-social behaviour and speeding, while for our area we asked the police to continue to keep an eye on drug use at certain addresses, speeding and action to deal with all-day drinking.

PC Towler with Richard, the Mayor, at the 2017 police awards ceremony

COMPLETION OF THE GATEWAY PROJECT

Outside Northumberland House

 

Following the re-vamping of the area around the station, with the opening of the side entrance, new paving and the new clock, the area in front of Northumberland House (previously Sutherland House) has been given a piazza-style treatment, to make it more spacious and to enable the restaurants to have tables outside. We welcome views on further improvements to the area.

REFLECTING A SOMBRE MOOD

There is a sombre mood in society at the moment, with terrorist acts and a mood of Islamophobia in some quarters that threatens to divide our society. For this reason Richard took great pleasure in accepting an invitation from the Ahmadiyya Muslim Association to attend their mosque in Willow Lane in Sutton on the evening of 15 June to break fast with them at sundown, during the holy month of Ramadan. In this photo he is inside the mosque with Nasser Butt, former Liberal Democrat Councillor for this Ward, on the left as you look at the picture, and, to the right, Naseer Dean, President of the London region of the Association.

Trish has also accepted several invitations to attend the Central Mosque in Carshalton Road and took part in the Sutton Peace March on 1 July. She was invited to attend Friday prayers at the mosque the previous day to pass on information about the Peace March.

Trish with the Leader of the Council, the Mayor, Tom Brake MP and others, at the Peace March

NEW WASTE COLLECTION ARRANGEMENTS

 

We are well aware that the new arrangements have not worked as well as they should in some parts of the Ward. We have been working with Veolia to iron out some problems, particularly with bin stores at certain blocks of flats, and pressing them to improve the regularity of the service where it has fallen short.