Forum Topics

Access & Procedure re. Statutory Planning Documents not observed by Ealing Council

Ealing Council planners are not observing planning law re. availability of and access to information relating to planning applications.Not long ago, Cllr. Peter Mason the Leader of the Council and holder of a Masters Degree in Planning, I believe, pledged that he would demonstrate to the residents of our borough that Labour is on our side and that his administration would engage with us and be open, inclusive and transparent. Cllr. John Cudmore, Labour Leader in May 1994 and resident of Acton, made similar admirable promises which were observed for many years. Before that, the former Mayor of Ealing, Cllr. Norman Pointing, when Chairman of the Town Planning Committee in 1990 pledged that the administration would pay particular attention to consultation with residents, amenity groups and bodies such as the Ealing Civic Society on planning matters and that there would be open access for planning papers (as per the statement and report of the Town Planning Committee on 23rd May 1990).Over the passage of time and with remote computer planning procedures and with Perceval House Planning Reception shut for several years, some of these admirable pledges seem to have been forgotten in a number of issues. I have written to the Council on 7th August 2023 following the Council refusing to make a few planning papers available in accordance with either established practice or by law.In my letter which can be seen via this link below:https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/ctytvphsc0iazof9cu8gp/Access-to-Information_Letter-to-Ealing-Council.pdf?rlkey=h6ilw7v2tysvxtlld6lj1celd&dl=0I have referred to Statutory Public Register planning law in particular: Extracts: section 69 TCPA 1990, article 40 SI 2015/595DPA 2018 (Sch.11) also referred toFor the full details of the extracts quoted, I can send these to anyone interested by e-mail.  My e-mail is vmfree@madasafish.comVictor Mishiku  9/8/2023

Victor Mishiku ● 1131d10 Comments ● 1081d

Community Day - Acton Market  - 7th October

Acton West London are co hosting a community event on 7th October.We are going to be teaming up with local community safety advocate Vanessa Hyman and our neighbours 0n the Mount St. Marys Church.  Vanessa who sadly lost her son on mothers day 2004,  to gun and knife crime, has been passionate about keeping people safe and creating safe communities for almost 20 years.  You can find out more about her organisation ‘ A mothers tear drop’  here https://www.facebook.com/groups/311609278864874We’re All In This Together, is outdoor community event…that celebrates community and raises the profile of safer communities.On the day, there will be speaches about prevention and how to be safe…and we will also be celebrating the 1 year birthday of the Reduce and Recycle hub!You will be entertained by Special Guest Studio, Fatman Sound and Charisma Sound..We will have a Bouncy Castle, Face Painting and Sand Art for the young ones plus Stalls and Food Vendors and the Reduce and Recycle Hub.  The Lottery Fund are bringing their mood gazer and an Astronomer. Elevate Arts will be performing in the afternoon and we hope to have our friends from Acton Fire Station on site in the afternoon for children to explore the fire engine and meet the officers.More people are hoping to join us on the day, we will keep you posted on our social media platforms in regards to what else will be on site on the Mount that day!   So come, bring your children, be entertained and have some  food and fun….Date… 7th October 2023 ..Time… 11am till 6pmAddress …The Mount,Acton High Street W3 9NW (opposite Morrisons)..Lets bring the Community Back Together

Zahra Shah ● 1083d0 Comments ● 1083d

Perivale Park Golf Course fights on

PERIVALE PARK GOLF COURSE  HOST PRACTICE SESSION  FOR TOP UK AMATURE GOLFERSDespite the on going threat from Ealing Council to close their public golf course completely. Perivale Municipal Golf Course players handed over  their practice facilities to top amateur golfers from across the UK competing in the British Amateur Open held this weekend at Ealing Golf Club. Ealing Golf Club volunteers Tayan Wagjiani and Joe Pearson arrived just after dawn to convert what is basically a field into a highly sophisticated professional practice area.Regular golfers on the course were amazed at the distance and accuracy being achieved by those practising.Joe Jadavjee who has been playing on the Perivale course for 47 years said. This is a great honour for us. It's not often we see players of this calibre on our little municipal course. When I first started I arrived with six clubs. I got chatting with two regular players and have been hooked on this course ever since. I would like to wish them all the best of luck.Jack Eatherley a regular course user, involved in developing and designing sports social impact initiatives for over 20 years commented on the proposed closure of the course by Ealing Council said:I’m very sad to hear about the decision to close the Perivale Golf course. I know golf clubs sometimes have a reputation for snobbishness and elitism but this particular course is the polar opposite of this. It’s a tremendous social asset; encouraging all parts of the community from all backgrounds a safe place to learn to play golf from dawn to dusk. Instead of closing this facility I would encourage England Golf and the Council to really study participation here and replicate it.  It’s a shining example of how to break down barriers and promote the very first steps into a sport for both young and old.

David Chapman ● 1085d1 Comments ● 1084d

Street trees cut down!

The Ealing Council newsletter popped up on my computer a few minutes ago, one of the articles was how well the council was doing planting trees. Are these new trees I wonder or are they merely replacements for those cut down ?During the last week I've noticed one in Vallis Way, three or four demolished in Argyle Road and a couple cut down in Pitshanger Lane. These are mature trees and I suspect they have been around for eighty years or more.

Peter Tolhurst ● 1129d22 Comments ● 1086d

cleaning and repairing guttering

I need some repairs and cleaning done to my guttering. Any recommendations would be most welcome. Thank you.

bela cunha ● 1087d0 Comments ● 1087d

Is this the end for Ealing Town Hall?

Is it just me or does the sudden closure of Ealing Town Hall have a slight whiff about it? 'External inspectors' have suddenly discovered fire safety issues with buildings that have been there for over 100 years.The suspicion has to be that the council has had advance warning that they are going to win the legal case brought against them and they want vacant possession to enable the development to proceed as quickly as possible. Hope I am wrong.

Tricia Arbuthnot ● 1103d15 Comments ● 1088d

Shoplifting all getting a bit out of hand innit?

I wonder what could possibly have emboldened these people, besides "The Tory Cuts!"?      😊

Rosco White ● 1094d10 Comments ● 1091d

Birmingham City Council - Go Woke, Go Broke!

And another one bites the dust - there's yer proof folks!ALL Councils should just stick to the knitting, but no, they HAVE to of course get involved in all manner of Virtue Signalling and Vanity Projects.What odds LBE follows suit?Utter cesspits most of them, of ALL hues, they need to be abolished.I recall Maggie had Councils in her crosshairs before she was ousted?

Rosco White ● 1102d30 Comments ● 1093d

OVO Energy nightmare..

HAS ANYONE HAD A BAD EXPERIENCE WITH OVO ENERGY?                                                                                         One of dozens of messages that I have sent to OVO since January 2023. This one was sent on 13-8-23."I have had an 8 month nightmare with OVO. The Ombudsman upheld my complaint against them in May and I still haven't had an apology, compensation or a final bill."The reply I received on 17-8-23 was: "I have requested for these to be sent out via post, please allow 5-10 working days to receive the documents.Thanks,Nikkita."22 days gone by and still no sign of the promised postal delivery. In the meantime OVO has authorised a debt collector to harass me for an alleged debt of £146 +£20 costs. I emailed the debt company with proof of the now 9 months of OVO incompetence and they put the matter on hold until they contacted OVO. Unbelievably I today had an email from the debt company who have been instructed by OVO: "Please continue to chase the debt."OVO is driving me crazy. Next Wednesday I am seeking legal advise with a view to taken legal action against OVO for the now 9 month nightmare and the stress caused by OVO's incompetence.

Neil Milkins ● 1100d9 Comments ● 1093d

'Travellers' in Elthorne Park

The feral scum have broken through the security gates and are currently occupying Elthorne Park in Hanwell. Around 35 vehicles and caravans and rubbish already being dumped! So far, eight, make that ten, police vehicles in attendance.

N V Brooks ● 1094d3 Comments ● 1093d

E1 bus route extended to Osterley Tesco

Yesterday I wrote on Pitshanger Area Friends' Facebook Page that some bus routes which terminate outside Ealing Broadway Station were inevitably going to have to be shortened or lengthened, just to reduce the number of buses using the station as a terminus. Currently, buses that terminate outside the station are the 65, 112, 226, 297, E1, E7, E8, E9 and E10 (have I missed any?!). We surely all agree that there is nowhere near enough road space to handle this number.  It was pure coincidence, then, that two E1 drivers told me yesterday that TfL is currently running a risk assessment for the E1 to run from Greenford to Osterley via Ealing Broadway. From Greenford, it will follow its current route to Ealing Broadway Station. It will then turn right onto Uxbridge Road, left into St. Mary's Road and continue along South Ealing Road before turning right onto the Great West Road and terminating at Tesco Osterley. None of this has been publicised as yet; you heard it from me first!      The change is anticipated to take place "in a couple of months, maybe more." It is more than probable that the lengthening of the route, which will bring with it more traffic and the likelihood of more roadworks, will mean that the E1's high frequency will be considerably reduced and therefore become less reliable. On the positive side, it will alleviate the overcrowding outside the station. My guess is that the E9 will be the next route to be amended; if it does it will probably terminate at Greenford Broadway. We shall see. Why do I think this? First, the E9 frequently runs late and often gets turned round at Scotch Common; second, because not only are Pitshanger Lane and Woodfield Road bottlenecks when two buses try to pass each other, but also because I don't think that Eaton Rise, Woodfield Road and Pitshanger Lane require two routes - I base this observation on traffic hold-ups and the small boarding numbers at the 10 or so intermittent stops from Scotch Common to Castlebar Road (I hope that is not a controversial opinion because I do not want to have a debate about it!).

Ben Owen ● 1123d17 Comments ● 1100d

New Lido or news management?

It really would be great to have a new lido in the area and I really hope the council are sincere in the announcement that one is being planned.  However, it is difficult to resist the temptation to be cynical that the announcement has come just after the Town Hall debacle possibly in an attempt to distract. What tends to give credence to this view is that no mention of possible sites has been made. An area near Wormwood Scrubs (outside the borough) was identified several years ago for a community-led lido project but that seems to be making slow progress. This shows that finding a location is just base camp when it comes to getting one of these built so to say that a lido will be built in the 'next few years' seems overly optimistic or downright misleading. I could be wrong. It could be that the council is well advanced with a scheme but can't tell us for commercial reasons. After all, if they have got funding for the project as they claim, it is very unlikely that this was given without some indication of where it might be spent. However, if there is no further information on this in the next six months, it has to be concluded that this is a case of 'look at this shiny thing and not the horrible mess over there'.

Gordon Southwell ● 1102d1 Comments ● 1101d

Reduce and Reuse Event - 2nd September 2023

Reduce and Reuse Event - 2nd September 2023The Acton Market Reduce and Recycle Hub is back on 2nd September!!We will be joined byEaling Repair Cafe Traid Act for Ealing Renewsharpening Churchfield Community AssociationIf  you have clothes, small electricals or books for recycling  - start gathering them together.If you have questions about household recycling our expert from Act for Ealing will be on hand to help you out.Need to fix your clothes? Ealing Repair Cafe volunteers will be on hand to help you learn the best stictches that fix!!!We look forward to seeing you on Saturday 2nd September  between 10am and 3pm.

Zahra Shah ● 1122d3 Comments ● 1102d

Gordon Ramsay Quits Ealing

I was disappointed to see the Bread Street Cafe had closed. The Full Englishs were very good and not that much more expensive than you pay else where.The closure seems very sudden and mysterious. It's been a while since I was there but it seemed to be doing reasonable business.When I told a friend about it I reassured her that it looked like a new place called Meyar was opening there but she pointed out this was just the partly revealed sign for the Limeyard restaurant that was there before. Duh!

Tricia Arbuthnot ● 1111d6 Comments ● 1102d

Ealing Art Trail 2023

https://ealingbeat.org.uk/Could be fun.

Susan Kelly ● 1103d1 Comments ● 1103d

EASEMENT (long use since 1988) upheld by the UTLC Appeal Judge on 27/7/2023

Dr Gillian Reed longtime resident of 42 Wimborne Gardens won her legal Appeal case on all 3 grounds of appeal yesterday at the Upper Tribunal (Lands Chamber) Hearing in Court No.21 at the Royal Courts of Justice in The Strand. Dr Reed's usage of land immediately adjacent to her house for inspection, maintenance and repairs of her north-facing house wall, plinth, drains and gutters, etc since 1988 created an easement recognised in law as against the neighbouring landowner.Please see part of Andrew Skelly's (Dr Reed's barrister) summary note of the proceedings on 27th July 2023 below. The full Judgment in favour of Dr Reed is to follow in September 2023."1. The hearing was before Judge Elizabeth Cooke, sitting in Court 21 of the Royal Courts of Justice.2. There were three grounds of appeal. By an order dated 21st October 2022 the FtT granted permission to appeal on Ground 3.   The Appellant applied for permission to appeal on Grounds 1 and 2.  By an order dated 7th November 2022 the Deputy Chamber President directed that the appeal and the application for permission to appeal on the additional grounds will be determined by the Tribunal at a single hearing.3. The hearing today was thus the combined hearing of the appeal / permission to appealthe order of the FtT dated 15th July 2022.  As a matter of practicality, therefore, theTribunal heard all arguments on all grounds.4. The Grounds were such that if the Appellant succeeded on Ground 1, that would be conclusive and it would not be necessary to consider Grounds 2 or 3.  Likewise, if unsuccessful on Ground 1, but successful on Ground 2, that would be conclusive and it would not be necessary to consider Ground 3.5. The Grounds were as follows:i) Long UserThe FtT erred in law and/or procedure in concluding that the Appellant relied only on the Prescription Act 1832 to put her case, and that the claim was therefore governed only by section 2 of the 1832 Act.  The FtT should have dealt with the claim also on the basis of the doctrine of lost modern grant.  Had the Judge properly done so, he would have held that the right had been established by 2008.  Noting that happened after that – by way of permission or interruption – would have any relevanceii) PermissionThe FtT erred in law and/or in fact in finding that the Appellant had sought and obtained permissioniii) Effect of PermissionThe FtT erred in law and/or in fact in finding that as a result of permission held to have been given in 2010 for a specific purpose, the Applicant’s user for every purpose thereafter remained permissiveRESULT6. The Judge heard argument from Counsel on behalf of the Appellant, and from Mr Outten in person.  At the conclusion of the hearing she explained that it is usual for the Tribunal to reserve judgment.  However, she decided to take the less usual approach of telling the parties her decision immediately, and following up with the written decision in due course.7. The appeal succeeded on Ground 1, and the Judge said that it also succeeds on Grounds 2 and 3 if it was necessary to go that far....."Ealing Planning Department had granted a planning permission to the adjacent landowner that would have obstructed this easement - now this cannot go ahead unchallenged!

Victor Mishiku ● 1143d1 Comments ● 1103d

When is fibre broadband coming to South Ealing?

Men in hi-vis have been pulling fibre from manhole to manhole down South Ealing Road for the last month or more.But when I go to the BT Openreach site and enguire when FTTP will be available, the answer is: not planned any time before end-2025.Anyone know better/different?

Mark Vale ● 1125d12 Comments ● 1106d

Pine stripping

More like an old door than a pine one! Can anyone recommend a good local service that they have used? Thanks

Peter King ● 1106d0 Comments ● 1106d

Won’t say I told you so ….

But, tfl Santander bikes at their lowest level of hire for over a decade.Why? Because of the weather (& tfl/khan greed ££££)Cyclings fine for some occasions, but when it’s rammed  down your throat.No one drives for fun

Peter Yale ● 1118d18 Comments ● 1107d

Brentford Festival - Sunday 3rd September

I thought that this would be a good place to extend my apologies to all those that joined the festival newsletter system but heard nothing back.  Also to all those that read the Diary of an Event Manager who have not seen any updates.I have had a fantastically busy year of planning (not just this event) and of course the event is about to happen. We have an astounding 75 stalls in addition to 10 catering units, the petting farm and of course the popular dog show.   CAMRA beer arrives Friday so should be nicely chilled by Sunday - we have moved the position this year to the mirror room (more space).  Come and spend the day, particularly come and see our youngest act (The Champs) performing on the stage.  They are a primary school band and are soooooooo excited.  This will be followed by a flamenco demonstration and later on Morris dancing - it is all going to be happening at The Brentford Festival noon to 6pm

Linda Massey ● 1108d0 Comments ● 1108d