FORUM OFFICERS’ ACTION NOTES

Finchley Area Forum

Held at Bishop Douglass School, Hamilton Road, East Finchley, N2

At 6.30pm on Wednesday, 13 April 2005

Chairman: Councillor Leslie Sussman MBE

Vice Chairman: Councillor Jazmin Naghar

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Subject

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Action

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Action Taken: :

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1 / Petitions received
No petitions had been received.
2 /

Nether Street

Commuter parking on both sides of curve at junction of Nether Street/Dollis Road causing traffic jams and backlogs.
Jams caused by overdevelopment of Mill Hill East and new bus route.
Implications of closure of Partingdale Lane had not been taken into account. /
Waiting restrictions are currently being formulated.
Any proposed waiting restrictions will be reported to ward members, The Chairman of the Finchley and Golders Green Area Environment Sub-Committee and the Cabinet Member for Environment and Transport.
Volume of parking attendants will be increased to prevent parking on pavements.
The Chairman advised the Forum that a Joint Meeting of the Area Environment Sub-Committees on 15 March 2005 gave their views to Cabinet with respect to Partingdale Lane. If the Lane was reopened major safety measures would have to be adopted. The suggestion of the possibility of an alternative road through the Mill Hill barracks development site funded by S106 monies was made. The matter is being revisited.
3 /

Sternberg Centre

Residents in favour of the new planning application addressed the Forum explaining that they had 500 letters of support. They asked councillors to think about the benefits to the local community:
£5m govt grant to build school which wants to be part of the state system.
Grade 2 listed building The Manor House - repair would take place and house made available to the local community.
synagogue, currently an old building, would be turned to a new facility. / The Finchley & Golders Green Area Planning Team Leader advised that he could not comment on the current application which was out for consultation. Letters were currently being received both for and against the application. All letters would be included in the report to Planning and Environment Committee.
Residents were advised of the speaking arrangements should they wish to speak at the Committee meeting.
4 / Support for the East Finchley Development Trust proposal to refurbish and renew the Stanley Road Playing Field / The Deputy Chief Executive will arrange for an officer to contact the WALKS Residents’ Association, Governors of Holy Trinity School and the Chair of East Finchley Development Trust to discuss the matter in more detail. / Dave Stephens and Jill Rennie attended a meeting on (31/05/05) with the local residents and interested parties where the proposals for the refurbishment and renewal of the Stanley Road Playing Fields were presented. Representatives included; East Finchley Community Development Trust, Holy Trinity School, Football Association, WALKS Residents Association and Councillors.
Currently reviewing the issue.
5 / Ballards Lane -
Rumour that Transport for London are taking this road away from the Borough. / The Local Authority would not support the taking over of any Borough Roads by Transport for London.
6 / Non-usage of bus station at Tally Ho Corner, North Finchley / The bus depot should come into use in May. There have been a number of ‘fit out’ issues between Taylor Woodrow and London Buses that have recently been resolved and work is underway to prepare the bus area for use. / Mid-August is now the estimated start date for the bus facility. Items outstanding need to be addressed between London Buses and the site contractor ranging from snagging and Health, Safety and Welfare issues to the provision of essential mess facilities.
7 /

What plans does Barnet have to deal with a possible terrorist attack?What role does the Arts Depot at Tally Ho play in this?

/ Barnet has a generic plan to deal with emergencies, whether terrorist based or not. This planning is constantly being revised/updated in conjunction with pan-London planning for a “catastrophic” type of event.
A number of venues in Barnet have been included in the planning as emergency evacuation centres, should the need arise. At the present time the Tally Ho Arts Depot is not one of those venues.
8 / Demolition of Fernbank (Planning application)
Resident spoke of residents’ objections to planning application to turn the nursing home into a block of flats. / Resident was advised to start a petition, speak to her ward councillors and send objections to the Finchley and Golders Green Area Planning Team Leader. She was advised of arrangements to speak at Committee.
9 / Grange Community Centre – Oak Lane
Why is this building still empty, boarded up and not been put to community use? Resident had tried to apply to rent the building for Barnet Senior Citizens Forum and was told by Eastern Region Housing Service in Ballards Lane it was due for demolition and unfit for human habitation.
/ Head of Housing to respond in the next action sheet. / Grange Community Centre is not in use and has not been for at least 4 years. It’s in significant need of repair (as a minimum, it needs a complete new roof, £50/60k was last estimate).
The repair/demolition of the centre will be considered as part of the estate refurbishment which is currently in hand. We have recently opened a Community flat at 1 Oak House for the residents’ use.
If residents wish to make their views known on the future of the old Community Centre they can do so by attending the monthly Residents’ Association meetings, details of which can be had from the community flat.
10 / Policy of refuse Segregation in flats - particularly
Sheltered Housing.
No reply to enquiries as to how very old people with impaired mobility would sort rubbish. / Deputy Chief Executive will ask Head of Housing to respond. / Recycling bins are available to flats and sheltered housing for the collection of cans, paper and glass for recycling. Wheeled bins are provided for these materials to be collected separately. The wheeled bins have an opening at the top, so it is not necessary for residents to bend down to insert the materials.
Barnet would like all residents to take part in the recycling services, however we realise that it is difficult for some residents to take part. Barnet has recently introduced a compulsory recycling scheme for cans, paper and glass. However this scheme does not apply to those people who have shared refuse bins such as flats and sheltered accommodation.
11. / Hamilton Road, N2
Emptied recycling bins get kicked into road. / This will be looked into. / The Contract Monitoring Officer has been asked to monitor the situation in Hamilton Road, N2.
The collection day for Hamilton Road changed in May to a Friday collection. The Contract Monitoring Officer has requested the ECT crew place the boxes back on residents properties so they can not be kicked into the road by children. Normally the crew would return the boxes to the place where they are presented for collection, which in Hamilton Road is on the footway.
12. / Open Spaces
Request for Council to look at whole question of flat development and sustainability. / The Chairman informed the Forum that there would be a large increase in housing in Barnet in the next 10 years. This caused major transport concerns. The regeneration of Cricklewood and other estates included plans for extra schools.
13. / Blocked Drains at 31 Brent Way, N3
and 11 Victoria Road, N12
/ Street Enforcement Officer will ask for them to be inspected. / The drains were inspected and found to be blocked with leaves and detritus.
The drains were cleared and are now running.
14. / Grass cutting behind Brent Way.
Just been cut – will it be cut again before the end of the year? / This will depend on what is in the contract.
Street Enforcement Officer will ask Greenspaces Officer to contact resident with reply. / Resident was contacted and it was explained that the grass area at the rear of her property that borders the Dollis Brook is cut on only a few occasions. This is to support Council policy for the enhancement of wildlife. The grass area is part of the Dollis Brook linear corridor that allows the movement of flora and fauna from one habitat to another. There are a number of satellite sites along the length of the Dollis Brook that support the linear corridor. These are Totteridge Fields, Barnet p.f. Brook Farm, Whetstone Strays, Brent Way and adjacent areas that join up with the other water courses within the Borough.
Barnet's greenspaces/wildlife corridors are among the most diverse in Greater London.
15. / Offstreet Parking and Dropped Kerbs
What is the policy? / Planning:
If it is a single dwellinghouse on a non-classified road it does not require planning permission.
Highways:
The number of applications to drop kerbs are increasing. They are not always approved. The size of the garden, pedestrian safety, protection of trees and other issues are taken into account.
16. / Parking permit for visitors
Resident with disability did not know how to get permit / Resident was advised to contact the Highways office.
17. / Young tree outside 22 Hamilton Road, N2.
Hardly any branches and only 1ft -2ft away from overhead phone line. / Street Enforcement Officer will ask officer from Tree Service to contact resident. / Tree was inspected on 19 April and resident advised that it was alright and should continue to develop.
18. / London Local Authorities Act - Parking Controls in front gardens? / Deputy Chief Executive will investigate and write to resident. / A reply was sent to resident on 27 April 2005 .
19. / Parking Meters
Resident complained of faulty meters and wrongly signed pay and display machines in Stanhope Road Car Park. / Resident was advised that there is a telephone number on all parking meters for reporting of faulty meters.
Parking Operations Manager will look into the signage on Pay and Display machines in Stanhope Road Car Park. / A line on a tariff plate was incorrect at the time the resident had seen it. This was noted and corrected when the site was inspected on 18 April with the use of an over-sticker with the correct information.
20. / Resident asked where he could see a statement of the car parking account. / A copy of the relevant sheet in the budget will be sent to resident. / A copy of the account was sent to an e-mail address provided on 18 April
21. / Pedestrian crossings for the blind.
Bleepers not working / This will be looked into. / There is an ongoing programme in Barnet and other authorities of replacing “bleepers” at signal controlled crossings with a tactile device installed on the push-button unit. This provides an indication to people with hearing as well as vision impairments

Issues arising from

19 January 2005 Action Sheet
1. / Item 10
What is happening to those organisations displaced by the closure of the Herbert Wilmot Centre.
Resident advised the Forum that the update was inaccurate. Oasis was not a youth club. / Head of Education will be informed. / Oasis is a youth service provision for pupils aged 14-16 who are at risk from disengaging from school. It was housed at the Herbert Wilmott Centre. It has been relocated in purpose built accommodation at Barnet Burnt Oak Leisure Centre along with a youth centre.

Any other business:

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Hertford LodgeHas anyone applied for planning permission?

/ There are no current planning applications.

Date of next meeting:

The Forum will next meet at 6.30pm on Wednesday, 6 July 2005. / Venue:
Northside Primary School, Albert Street, N12.

The Forum which had commenced at 6.30pm ended at 8.15pm

Council Officers present:

Brian Reynolds, Deputy Chief Executive

Chris Harry, Highways and Design

Martin Findlay, Street Enforcement

Dave Prince, Planning
Stephanie Chaikin, Democratic Services

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