Draft response from West Ealing Neighbours to Live West Ealing proposals.
The deadline for comments is 31st March 2024 and the survey can be found here
General points:
There are no reasons given in the proposals as to why £8.6 million is to be spent on these ‘designs’. There are no explicit references to problems which need to be solved. What is more, no evidence is presented to support these changes to be made to deal with ‘unknown’ problems’. Finally, there is no evidence presented as to how these design changes will perform both quantitatively and qualitatively.
These plans will potentially create new areas for anti- social behaviour as detailed below. How do the police fit in with this plan in terms of dealing with anti-social behaviour?
With the creation of new seating, green spaces and play spaces, what are the long-term maintenance plans for the upkeep of these? How will the immediately local community be encouraged to get involved to ‘oversee/supervise’ these new spaces?
Singapore Road and Witham Road are basically service roads and they, and the nearby areas, are frequently very badly littered despite the efforts of the volunteer litter picking group LAGER Can. If this littering isn’t tackled these areas will stay deeply unattractive and no amount of attempts to enliven them with seats and greenery will encourage anyone to stop and enjoy the new spaces. How can the buildings along these roads have more active frontages to deter flytipping, littering and anti-social behaviour?
What analysis has been undertaken to assess the impact of the loss of car parking spaces, e.g. Leeland Road and Witham Road car park, on local shops and businesses?
1.Broadway
It makes sense to align road crossings with main north-south streets to improve and speed up access for pedestrians
WEN supports plan to stop parking and loading on Broadway as long as this can be enforced and there really is access for deliveries on parallel roads such as Leeland Terrace, Singapore and Witham Road.
2. Lido Junction
Will pedestrians still be able to cross in all directions on the red-light phase?
3. Dean Gardens
The widened shared cycle and pedestrian paths should be segregated with markings to keep the two groups separate and avoid possible collisions. Some cyclists travel fast, too fast, along the existing route.
With the proposed one way traffic on Leeland Terrace – with eastbound vehicles and westbound cycles – will cyclists from the west use the eastbound vehicle route to enter Dean Gardens and on across to Mattock Lane? If so, is this desirable? Westbound cyclists can simply ride through Dean Gardens and continue westbound along the cycle route.
Good that area taken by new and/or wider cycle paths to be compensated for by path removed from south-west corner.
No commitment to major improvements to the lighting in the park.
4. Green Man Passage
Will the proposed new planting and greenery need maintenance? If so, who will do this as it’s unlikely the Council will do much maintenance. What efforts will be made to encourage nearby business and residents to ‘look after’ the area? Green Man Passage can get very badly littered. What plans are there to keep the area clean and tidy?
Improved lighting is essential along the full length of Green Man Passage.
What is happening to the seemingly derelict piece of land next to the Serbian Church? This has been empty for a good few years since the church’s plans for it were rejected.
5. Witham Road Car Park
As above, what plans are there to maintain the public seating area so it does not attract anti-social behaviour? Again, this area can get very badly littered, so how will this be tackled?
This is a well-used car park. A loss of five spaces for yet more cycle stands is not ideal. Nor is the loss of some parking on Witham Road. These spaces are vital for the survival of local businesses.
6. Jacob’s Ladder
Again, how will the play features/area be maintained? This area has great potential for anti-social behaviour. How will this be managed?
What has happened to the original plans for a pedestrian route from Jacob’s Ladder, through the Green Man Lane Estate, to Singapore Road? This should be a key pedestrian route but it is currently blocked and no sign of it being opened up.
Funds would be better spent improving the fabric of Jacob’s Ladder and the route to the north where there is poor visibility between the bridge and the road.
7. Manor Road
Plans seem sensible
8. Leeland Road
Priority here must be ensuring pitches for the weekly market. Allied to this, what are the plans to ensure the market traders will have access to enough parking spaces on Saturday mornings? They have lost parking in Maitland Yard and no immediate prospect of that returning. Will they be able to continue parking in the library car park? Will adequate power supply points be made available for stall holders?
Yet more parking spaces lost to the detriment of local businesses and local residents.
9. Green Man passage (south of Witham Road)
This alleyway can get badly littered, not least by charity shop donations being there for the Cancer research shop. Improved lighting is essential.
10. Singapore Road
Is this cycle route one that cycling organisations have called for? Is there any evidence Singapore Road is used as a ‘rat-run’ – it seems unlikely? It’s not a very convenient short cut to avoid the Broadway. The loss of 24 parking spaces looks likely to be a major problem, not least for the West London Islamic Centre for Friday lunchtime prayers.
11. Leeland Terrace
Makes more sense as a safer cycle rote than Singapore Road as it links to route through Deans Gardens and on to Mattock Lane. Even so, what evidence is there that it is used as a short cut to avoid the Broadway.
Funnelling all Sainsbury’s traffic along Leeland Terrace from the junction with Coldershaw Road is a questionable move as it is likely to cause jams at the junction of Leeland Terrace and the Broadway with traffic wanting to turn right in to he Broadway. Much local traffic from the streets to the south wanting to go west will also end up in this queue or start using alternative routes via side streets to reach Coldershaw Road or Boston Road to avoid likely queue on Leeland Terrace.
12. St James Avenue
Again, how will the proposed seating and play area be maintained? This plan could be widened if an agreement is reached with the church authorities to use its green spaces in front of and to the side of the church.
13. Melbourne Avenue
One major problem for Melbourne Avenue is the poor drainage. The narrow gulley is never cleaned so quickly blocks up and the area is easily flooded when it rains.
Better lighting is essential as the area is dark late night.
This is an area plagued by anti-social behaviour almost all day long. It attracts street drinkers and drug dealing. The police know this but little ever happens to tackle this problem.
Once again, who will maintain the planters and seating? The planters are largely full of rubbish and do not often get cleaned by the street cleaners.
There is already public art in the form of a mural on Sainsbury’s front wall. I suspect most people aren’t aware of it. Any new public art should be managed by OPEN Ealing – soon to be running the library. It would be more of an attraction for the area for the public art to change of a regular basis – could tie up with SET in St James Ave?
14. Walsingham Road, Bedford Road and Brownlow Road
Again, seating in Bedford Road will need maintaining.
David Highton
March 25th 2024