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Open meeting to discuss a local online network for West Ealing Weds 9 March

Open meeting to discuss a local online network for central West Ealing – Wednesday 9th March 6-8pm at The Welshore Community Hub

This is a project funded by the Council’s Riot Recovery/High Street Fund. If there is sufficient interest then the aim is to set up an open and inclusive resource that’s easy to use and for local residents to :

– share views and information about their area
– find ways to influence decisions and bring about improvements
– get connected with more people in the area, both online and face to face
-discuss issues that interest them

The team involved have researched what already exists online so know about the various blogs, website and FB pages for the area.

The meeting will explore the options for developing and/or integrating these sites to establish a widely-used independent resource.

Anyone interested in helping improve communication in West Ealing is welcome to come along.

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New business co-working hub coming to West Ealing

The Council has been successful in securing the funding to open a full-scale business hub in West Ealing.  It’s taken a while to get here.  I had some small involvement in the original feasibility study for a business co-working hub in West Ealing which was written and researched in 2013 by a group of people who, at the time, all worked/volunteered at OPEN Ealing. I think this is great news for West Ealing so congratulations to everyone involved in securing the money and good luck with getting the hub up and running by the autumn.  Here’s an extract from the latest newsletter from the Walpole Ward councillors:

‘The council has secured funding from the Mayor of London’s Regeneration Fund for a new business co-working hub that will open in the autumn and will offer a home for new and small businesses in St James Avenue, West Ealing. Businesses, social enterprises, homeworkers and self-employed will be able to rent desks and meeting rooms and network with each other. There may also be space for a crèche.

This follows a successful trial last year when the council set up a co-working space in a former insurance shop in West Ealing. This was known as Ealing Blueprint and was used by a wide variety of businesses and individuals during the 6 months of the trial.’

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Final plans submitted for BHS site in West Ealing – 10 storeys, 136 flats and ground floor retail space

The planning application for the BHS site (104-110 Broadway) has been submitted.  As you’d expect it’s a long and detailed document with a lot of technical information which needs careful study.

At first glance the essential details seem to be:

  • About 1200 sq metres of retail space on the ground floor which could include a cafe
  • 136 flats with 50 x 1-bed; 75 x 2-bed; 11 x 3-bed
  • Of the 136 flats 72% will be for private sale; 28% (38 units) will be affordable with 22 for rent and 16 for shared ownership
  • The height will vary.  From the drawings it looks to be retail plus 6 floors at The Broadway end and retail plus 10 floors at the Singapore Road end.
  • The building will get its heating from the Green Man Lane district heating system
  • It is a car free development
  • The developers are actively looking to acquire a nearby site to create a comprehensive plan for the area
  • 226 cycle spaces
  • The Section 106 contribution to the Council has yet to be decided – this is money to be used to compensate for the additional pressure on schools, doctors’ surgeries, public transport etc
  • The development will be called The Appleton to reflect the area’s history with fruit orchards in Victorian times

You can find the full details on the Council’s website and comments need to be in by 1st January 2016.

 

 

 

 

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West Ealing Christmas Fair on Saturday 12th December 12noon-4pm

West Ealing Christmas Fair 2015
West Ealing Christmas Fair, Melbourne Avenue on Saturday 12th December 12noon – 4pm

Christmas comes to the heart of West Ealing on Saturday 12th December when the annual Christmas Fair takes place in Melbourne Avenue, right in the centre of West Ealing between the library and Sainsbury’s.
Highlights
The spirit of Christmas is captured with the return of the much-loved Charlie the donkey who will be touring the streets from 11am before leading the nativity players in the Fair’s finale. Especially for children there will be face painting, funfair rides and, of course, Father Christmas handing out gifts.
Musicians
We have a wide range of musicians and singers performing including the Ealing Rock Choir, Capital Chorus along with a choir from St Johns and St James churches plus The Mermaids and local favourite Robert Hokum.
Craft Market
The Christmas Fair also offers everyone the chance to buy locally made Christmas gifts ranging from cakes, confectionery, apple juice & chutneys to jewellery, skincare & fragrances, cards and many other gifts.
For more information: www.w13-christmasfair.co.uk

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Tfl proposal to extend E8 bus route to West Middlesex Hospital

Tfl has a consulation running for some much-needed changes to the E8 bus route.  The E8 currently runs from Ealing Broadway to Brentford bus depot.  For a variety of reasons, such as increased demand for public transport to West Middlesex Hospital, the proposed new route is from Ealing Broadway to Hounslow taking in the hospital.  All the buses would become double-deckers if this change goes through.

Changes to local bus routes was proposed by WEN some back in 2009 and the need for a direct route to the West Middlesex Hospital was a key factor.  We would still like to see a bus route that crosses north-south over the Lido Junction to link the new Crossrail station at West Ealing with Northfields station and beyond.  Nevertheless, we welcome this proposal and if anyone wants to read more about the E8 and other proposed bus route changes or comment on them the link is here.

 

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Solace mental health drop-in centre’s future secured

 

saveoursolaceA

Well done to everyone involved in helping secure the future of West Ealing’s Solace mental health drop-in centre.  At one point the centre was under threat of being closed altogether as part of the Council’s budget cuts (story here). However, last week’s decision by the Council to keep the centre running at its current level is to be applauded and well done to everyone involved  – users, staff, carers, councillors, council officials, and the local community.  The Council’s plan is to redevelop the site tucked away at the end of Bowman’s Close. The Solace Centre will be rebuilt to a design the users are happy with and then add three new flats for Marron House which is a mental health residential unit.  Work will start next summer at a cost of £640,000.

This is a great news for all the centre’s users and it recognises that mental health services are an essential part of a caring society.

 

 

 

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Leave some apples for us please – parakeets colonising West Ealing

Indian parakeets

Maybe it’s my imagination but I’m sure that in the last few weeks I’ve seen and heard more parakeets about than ever.  It feels like West Ealing used to be at the edges of their empire and now we’re well and truly being colonised.  I’ve seen and heard them for some years but never have I seen them in our pear tree on Northfields allotments. Now I have and you can bet that they will have chomped their way through the pears at the top of the tree.  Also, in the last couple of weeks, the WEN Abundance volunteers have been picking apples off local trees and, again, the half eaten fruit off the high branches is a sure sign of parakeets.  I don’t think there’s anything we can do to deter them from eating the fruit.  I’ll just have to hope they leave enough for us earth-bound humans.

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West Ealing SoundBite Festival Sat 12th Sept

SoundBite 2015 001

Saturday 12th September sees the third West Ealing SoundBite Festival take place in Dean Gardens from 1-9pm.

There will be a music stage, children’s activities, craft fair, community stalls, cookery zone and food stalls from local restaurants.
The day opens with the hugely popular Ealing Rock Choir on stage and in the park at 1pm. In the evening we welcome back Azadeh, the singer songwriter based in Ealing who worked recently with Jools Holland and will support Deacon Blue on their forthcoming tour.
We have even more activities for children this year including:
• donkey rides
• fun family cooking
• craft workshops
• Sumo wrestling
• fun fair rides
• and face-painting.
Other activities include:
Cookery demonstrations, pedal-powered smoothie maker,a range of locally-made craft goods, apple juice, ctutneys, honey amd much more.
2015 is the third year that SoundBite Festival has been run and it gets bigger and better each year – we hope to see you there!

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Building collapse in West Ealing

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The roof on part of a house on the corner of Hatfield Road and Grosvenor Road collapsed this afternoon.  I believe three people were hurt, with at least one being rescued by the Fire Brigade.  Some residents on the ground floor have had to be moved out and Hatfield Road is curently shut to traffic.

This corner building, which I think used to be a dairy many years ago, has had a chequered history over the last year or two.  West Ealing Neighbours had discussions with the Council some months ago as to exactly what was happening with this building and the building work that had taken place to extend it.

 

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Dangerous driving in the Draytons

We received and email recently detailing some serious concerns about people’s driving in the Draytons.  The main concern was about drivers going too fast along Drayton Grove right next to Drayton Green Primary School. In one witnessed incident a young boy on his bike was forced to duck behind a parked car to avoid a speeding driver:

‘I don’t want to sound dramatic, but just a few minutes ago at 8.55am I watched a parent drive down the Grove from the school (a purple Ford Fiesta) at a speed that if I had to guess exceeded 30mph, forcing a boy on a bicycle (helmetless) to duck behind a car. Leaving aside the Highway Code, what staggers me is the poor actions demonstrated. As she passed the boy, not one but two black cars waiting to drive down the street didn’t even consider the child, literally pushed past and accelerated down towards the school.

Even after this the child abandoned trying to cycle down the street altogether – a light blue Fiat 500 made no attempt at reducing its speed or even allowing him to pass, so he was forced to duck behind my car, and then cycle down the pavement.

This is discouraging. This was a lone child on a bicycle.

As I type I have seen several other cars arriving at a minute to 9 or shortly after 9, all driving much too quickly.’

There do not appear to be school warning signs in the surrounding streets and any speede limits indicated in contrast with others schools in the area which are now in 20mph zones.

The Council has asked officers to respond to these concerns. Nevertheless, given that Crossrail is likely to make the roads in the Draytone even busier, it seems that now is a good time for a review of traffic in this area.