Agenda item

Greenfield Gardens,

NW2 1HT resurfacing

 

 

The lead petitioner Ms Wright presented her petition to the Committee. She presented pictures of the pavements taken this week indicating that the pavements were still in a bad condition. She also stated that there have been several accidents as a result of the condition of pavements.

 

Councillor Zinkin explained that there is a prioritisation tool used by officers to assess which works are carried out. There have been discussions with officers to change the prioritisation conditions for future years and to examine roads more carefully. He therefore hoped to improve the chances of these pavements being included in next year’s Recovery programme.

 

Councillor Or-bach questioned what repairs have so far been carried out in Greenfield Gardens and Mr Woolery-Allen responded that there have only been emergency repairs.

 

Councillor Houston mentioned that a report is going to the Environment Committee that will outline the prioritisation conditions.

 

Following discussion of the petition, the Committee unanimously RESOLVED:

 

That the Committee agrees the repairs of pavements would be prioritised according to the prioritisation tool currently in place.

 

Title of petition	Lead petitioner	Detail/text of petition	No. of signatures
Greenfield Gardens, NW2 1HT Resurfacing	Adele Wright	To request urgent consideration to resurface both the pavements and the road.	100

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Summers Lane

N12, crossing

 

Councillor Cooke submitted this petition on behalf of a resident. He stated that Summers Lane is a busy road.

 

Mr Woolery-Allen stated that it would cost approximately £25,000 to install a Zebra crossing.

 

The Chairman suggested that a feasibility study could be authorised by the Committee that would look into the best option and subsequently a report would come back to this Committee or as a Member’s Item to the Environment Committee.

 

Councillor Cooke suggested that officers and the Chairman should inform him of the results of the feasibility study and whether it will need to go to the next Environment Committee.

 

Mr Woolery-Allen said that the cost of a feasibility study would be £5,000.

 

The Committee unanimously agreed and it was therefore RESOLVED:

 

That the Committee approves the expenditure of £5,000 from the Area Committee budget for a feasibility study that would look into the best option for a Summers Lane crossing. The results of the feasibility study would be reported to the next Finchley and Golders Area Committee or Environment Committee depending on timescales and costs in consultation with the Chairman and Councillor Cooke.

 

Title of petition	Lead petitioner	Detail/text of petition	No. of signatures
Summers Lane, N12, crossing	Vivienne Smith	To request a crossing of Summers Lane N12 near the sheltered housing at Chistchurch Close.	72

 

 

 

Width Restriction

The Vale, NW11

 

The Chairman welcomed Ms Maureen Byrne who made a representation to the Committee as the lead petitioner.

 

Ms Byrne outlined that the traffic has increased significantly and there had been no consultation before the width restriction was removed. She also mentioned that the waste carried on the lorries is not properly covered and she expressed her concerns about the waste potentially being toxic. There is a new housing development underway nearby and that will put more pressure on the Vale

 

The Committee discussed the dust and air quality issues as a result of heavy vehicle traffic movement on The Vale. Councillor Zinkin therefore suggested that due to the potential impact on health and safety, that this matter be referred and discussed at the next Environment Committee meeting, subject to the Chairman’s agreement as an urgent item.  

 

Furthermore, it was recommended that due to the safety and nuisance concerns to pedestrians, other road users and residents, officers be requested to consider the options and feasibility for relocation of Donoghue’s to a more suitable site. It was suggested that this issue be considered at the next Assets, Regeneration and Growth Committee meeting subject to the agreement of the Chairman as an urgent item of business.

 

The Committee unanimously agreed and it was therefore RESOLVED:

 

That the Committee requests that the options relating to Donoghue’s relocation be considered at the next Assets, Regeneration and Growth Committee; and that the dust and air quality issues on The Vale be considered at the next Environment Committee meeting, subject to the agreement of both Chairmen.

 

 

Title of petition	Lead petitioner	Detail/text of petition	No. of signatures
Width Restriction The Vale, NW11	Maureen Byrne	Petition against the removal and for the re-instatement of the Width Restriction on The Vale.	120

 

 

 

 

Put a zebra crossing at the top of Alexandra Grove N12 and near its junction with Ballards lane

 

 

The Chairman welcomed the lead petitioner Ms Mendelssohn who presented the petition to the Committee. She stated that Alexandra Grove is a busy road, which is difficult to cross and she had often seen children crossing the road by themselves.

 

Councillor Houston confirmed that it is a busy junction and a bus route. However, he noted the difficulty of placing a crossing in Alexandra Grove near its junction with Ballards Lane because of the proximity of Moss Hall Crescent.

 

Mr Woolery-Allen stated that a feasibility study would cost approximately £5,000 which would outline possible options regarding Alexandra Grove. 

 

 

The Committee unanimously agreed and it was therefore RESOLVED:

 

That the Committee agrees the expenditure of £5,000 from the Area Committee budget for a feasibility study to be carried out for a pedestrian crossing on Alexandra Grove N12 near its junction with Ballards Lane. A report would come back to the Committee with the available options for Alexandra Grove.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Title of petition	Lead petitioner	Detail/text of petition	No. of signatures
Put a zebra crossing at the top of Alexandra Grove N12 and corner of Ballards Lane	Noa Mendelssohn	Put a zebra crossing at the top of Alexandra Grove N12 and corner of Ballards Lane.	43

 

 

 

Make the Pavilion Building in Cherry Tree Wood safe

 

The lead petitioner Ms Linton approached the committee and introduced her petition.

 

She stated that the Pavilion has long been disused and is now falling apart. It had been leased to a developer to convert into a café but works have never been completed. She also added that 600 people have signed the petition in a week. The state of the Pavilion has made the area unsafe, has attracted anti-social behaviour, and serious crimes.   There isn’t proper fencing and the building has graffiti all over it. The petitioner asked the Committee what is the future plan for the Pavilion.

 

Oluyinka Awofisayo an officer from the Estates department explained that the Council had advertised in the market for future proposals for the Pavilion. The person that was then successful in the bid was given eight months to renovate the Pavilion but progress had been very slow until in June 2016 a serious structural problem had come to light.

 

Councillor Or-Bach stated that following a visit from himself, Councillor Mittra and Councillor Moore the immediate safety problem had been addressed by boarding the building up.

 

Ms Awofisayo added that the tenant had not carried out due diligence when taking out the lease on the property. The Council has now commissioned a report that will look into the problems and what the costs are. The report will be complete around September/October. 

 

Councillor Moore asked whether the council was aware of the structural problem at the time when the asset was put on the market. Ms Awofisayo replied that the report will consider this. She added that the report will come back to the Finchley and Golders Green Area Committee in October and will include details of the lease, whether the Council would be in breach of the lease if they try to evict the tenant and whether demolition is a possible solution.

 

Councillor Grover asked whether there was any obligation for the lessee to undertake any due diligence and whether enforcement could be taken against them. 

 

Councillor Moore also mentioned that there is a real danger when people climb on top of the roof due to the state of the structure of the pavilion. The Chairman said he would hope that if there are serious health and safety issues they will be addressed within the report.

 

Councillor Cooke also asked whether the tenant is paying anything to the council while the building is unused. 

 

The Chairman moved a motion which was unanimously approved:

 

1.    That the Committee delegates authority to the Commissioning Director for Environment to consider the health and safety issues regarding the Pavilion in Cherry Tree Wood.

 

2.    That the Committee requests that the report looking at the issues and possible options for the Pavilion in Cherry Tree Wood is brought back to the October Finchley and Golders Green Area Committee. 

 

The motion was unanimously CARRIED and therefore became the substantive motion.

It was therefore RESOLVED:

 

1.     That the Committee delegates authority to the Commissioning Director for Environment to consider the health and safety issues regarding the Pavilion in Cherry Tree Wood.

 

2.     That the Committee requests that the report looking at the issues and possible options for the Pavilion in Cherry Tree Wood is brought back to the October Finchley and Golders Green Area Committee. 

 

 

Title of petition	Lead petitioner	Detail/text of petition	No. of signatures
Make the Pavilion Building in Cherry Tree Wood safe	Debbie Linton (secretary The Friends of Cherry Tree Wood)	Request for the Council to liaise with the leaseholder of the Pavilion building in Cherry Tree Wood (East Finchley) and make the site safe.	308