It’s not quite the end of the year but talking to friends and about West Ealing made me realise what has been achieved this year. Yes, there is still much to do but it seemed right just to stand back and celebrate what I believe has achieved in 2016.
West Ealing Neighbours’ was set up 10 years ago with the aim of ‘making West Ealing a better place for residents, businesses and visitors’. Over these 10 years we have had some successes worth celebrating and some frustrating failures. But this year that I’ve felt we are really beginning to make long-term and sustainable progress towards our aim. Here’s a couple of reasons why:
Dean Gardens and anti-social behaviour
We know Dean Gardens has a poor reputation, is a gathering place for street drinkers and, once night comes, can be used for drug dealing. Now though, through the work of WEN, other residents’ groups, faith groups, housing associations, Ealing Council, the police and West Ealing Business Improvement District, we found the money to commission some radical and exciting designs to transform Dean Gardens in to a desitination park to be proud of. Our next challenge is to raise the money to put these great ideas in to action. It’s quite a challenge but I think we can do it with the support of the Council and local partners. Redesigning Dean Gardens can go a long way to reducing the anti-social behavior associated with it and make a huge contribution to the improving the reputation of West Ealing and most definitely making it a better place for everyone.
To see the ideas for Dean Gardens and be kept in touch with progress just visit the specially set up website.
On the theme of anti-social behaviour it’s worth saying that thanks to the support of the borough commander we have had additional police resources alocated to West Ealing for the past few months. I’m told over 40 arrests have been made in this time, mostly for drug dealing. In addition, as many of you will know, there is a proposal to introduce a Public Space Protection Order which will give the police more powerto tackle anti-social behaviour and drug dealing in and around the shopping centre. More details in an earlier post on this blog . Taken together it does feel that serious efforts are being made to tackle the blight of anti-social behaviour in and around Dean Gardens and the high street.
The West Ealing Workspace hub
The idea of a co-working hub in West Ealing has been around for a few years but it’s now just a few months away from opening. I think this is another development that has the potential to bring significant change and benefits to West Ealing. If we get it right it will attract a wide range of freelancers, artists, musicians, small and start-up businesses and many more in to St James Avenue in the heart of West Ealing. This injection of enterprise and energy could bring all manner of benefits to West Ealing – its reputation , its shops and its community. All reasons for making West Ealing a better place.