Forum Topics

real wood fires allowed in ealing?

I have just read that Ealing is a "smoke controlled borough" and that one can;t burn wood or coal in a home fireplace. Is this really true? I have seen plenty of chimneys in action in the area - are they all burning the vetted manufactured briquettes I wonder .. ?

Lucy Collins ● 5774d13 Comments ● 5765d

How some can bend the system and others cannot

Interesting to see a builder fined for his unauthorised dumping and scaffolding in South Ealing. Intersting too the quotes from Cllr Mahfouz.Maybe he should have taken a walk around a few other streets in South ealing and ask a few questions of the lack of joined up enforcement in the monitoring of building and planning in this town.How about this for blatant abuse of the system: 1. Erect a new fence and wall around your property, but quietly move the boundary 4 inches or so out into the pavement by claiming the cemented area between the pavement and the property.2. Hope no-one will notice or have photographs of said pavement.3. Wait a short while and put in a planning application for works.4. Somehow, find a way that leaves residents affected uninformed over alterations 5. Build right out to the new line demolishing part of 'new fence and wall.6. Fit gas heating vents and condensor outlets that overhang pavement and blow fumes and steam into faces of pedestrians at face height7. Get away with it.How? Well question 4 remains unexplained by LBE and the local residents associations.As for the encroaching of the pavement well it is for highways to notice and act, but as it was some months prior to the planning application, no-one checked or noticed...or did they? Some residents have keen eyes and did notice.Highways do not have to inform building control or planning of any discrepancy or where the correct boundary should be. No-one at planning noticed or checked until it was too late.  Only a few inches, but principals should exist here surely? Or we would all be doing it.As for heating equipment, Building control apparently require nothing more than a safety certificate from the gas fitter.Yet other heating vents are refused on grounds of being to near to other properties of people. But it's ok to have it straight in ones face? On a footway that has a lot of users?So how come it appears to be one rule for some and a different one for others?Cosy relationships with officers and architects/builders?Resident with good contacts?Who knows, but clearly some scheming has been going on somewhere.

Oliver Gregan ● 5770d5 Comments ● 5765d

Ealing Council on-line petition scheme

Ealing Council has set up an on-line petition scheme. It went live today. This should make it much easier for us to set up and take part in local petitions. The link for the scheme is http://ealing-consult.limehouse.co.uk/portal

John Popham ● 5765d0 Comments ● 5765d

Dog Found - Boston Manor Road

Hounslow Council's Animal Warden Service has received a stray dog found by Brentford Train Station this morning. The dog is a Staffordshire Bull Terrier. All enquiries to animalwarden@hounslow.gov.uk or 020 87583 5555. Many thanks.

Tony Bull ● 5765d0 Comments ● 5765d

Lost yorkshire terrier - Western Avenue W5 3BQ pub MAGNAT

Hi,We've lost our dog,Malinka. She is black tan yorkshire terrier. She went out last night Monday 13.12.2010 and hasn't come back yet. She is chipped and we have posters up in the area WESTERN AVENUE W5 3BQ near to the pub MAGNATPlease call me or live message in the pub Magnat if you have seen her and if you live close to Western Avenue pub MAGNAT please check whether she has got into your shed or garage, garden - thanks very muchDOROTHY 07875952540

Kate Koban ● 5766d3 Comments ● 5765d

Parking Tickets - Ealing Broadway Tube

I recently got a parking ticket for parking in the private parking bays in front of Ealing Broadway Tube. I mean, I was picking up a mother with a small toddler and baby on a Sunday afternoon.  I had literally stopped there for a matter of two minutes.  I wrote to Steven Pound MP and about it and appealed to the parking ticket people but to no avail. Mr Pound knows about the problem but can do nothing about it.  Has anyone simply refused to pay the fine?  OK, I now know there are signs prohibiting parking there but, really, when you're trying to park safely with people crossing the road in front of the car - you just don't notice them!  Its just a trap!. I feel some clever bugger has bought this land for the sole purpose of issuing parking tickets.  What do you think? Should I pay the £60.00 fine?  Has anyone refused? Is there a petition I could join? I find it rediculous that a major station in a one way system has absolutely no provision for pick ups/drop offs.

Olivera Babic ● 6791d21 Comments ● 5766d

Where is Martin Smith?

About a year ago Martin Smith was appointed Chief Executive of Ealing Council. Maybe it's just me but I haven't seeen his name mentioned anywhere for months. Has anyone else? Boy I thought his predecessor Darra Singh was low profile but Martin Smith is pretty much invisible.Maybe he'll emerge after the 30 November Cabinet meeting which will cut 300 public sector jobs and explain it all to us.

Eric Alan Leach ● 5784d10 Comments ● 5767d

Council Budget Cuts

http://www.chiswickw4.com/default.asp?section=info&link=http://nnet-server.com/server/common/hounspol102.htmHounslow are inviting residents to express their preferences for Council cuts up to 20% - lower than in Ealing.Gimmick or Democracy?

George Knox ● 5772d4 Comments ● 5767d

A4 chaos

Traffic was a nightmare this evening. I had to do thai take-away deliveries and the first to Chiswick took over an hour there and back. Then I read that a man had died in a taxi on the A4 after being hit by a truck.Makes you suddenly take stock. A few weeks until xmas and things will never be the same for this man's family.

David Archer ● 5773d2 Comments ● 5767d

Disruption to Greenford/Paddington services over Christmas/New Year period

Due to improvement works in the Reading area, disruption is expected from 27 December to 4th January. It looks as though a normal service is expected to run on Christmas Eve, although some services may finish earlier than normal. As usual, there will be no service on Christmas Day or December 26th. A full set of timetable alterations can be found here: http://www.firstgreatwestern.co.uk/Content.aspx?id=4888

James Vertigan ● 5785d3 Comments ● 5767d

Meanest traffic warden in Ealing??!!

Last night (Friday 10th December) at around 6 pm I went to buy a Christmas tree from 'The Christmas Forest' outlet opposite the Ramada Hotel with my 10 year old daughter to buy a Christmas tree.I parked immediately outside of the fence to the outlet where there was a notice which said clearly that the area was 'designated parking for customers of the Christmas Forest'.Within less than 10 minutes we had purchased a tree but when we returned to the car to load up, an Ealing traffic warden was in the process of giving me a parking ticket.He refused to withdraw the ticket as apparently no-one from the company had had the area de-designated from a single yellow line which was in force until 6:30 pm, even though I said I was loading up. He said that there had been a couple of incidents before where he had pointed this out to staff working at the facility so effectively I am the sacrificial lamb(!). We tried to make him see reason and to take it up with the company but as the law stands I am unlikely to win an appeal, given that the notice was on private land, and that the company had apparently been warned that parking was not permitted on that road at that time. It also is an utter waste of my time in this busy festive season and caused my daughter considerable distress in what should have been a pleasant family experience.In future I will buy my Christmas tree from an outlet where a £100 parking fine does not come as part of the package....Have any other readers had a similar experience or know of other examples of council wardens showing a complete lack of flexibility or common sense?

Andy Holt ● 5769d6 Comments ● 5767d

Argyle Road - The House with the Lights

Not as many houses decorated outside this year. Guess the recession has hit home.Except the house on Argyle Road. Worth a driveby(see photo on next posting)

David Archer ● 5770d3 Comments ● 5767d

Well done Ealing Today

What a result (see front page story about the parking ticket at the Christmas Forest). Well done!

David Archer ● 5768d0 Comments ● 5768d

Time to reconsider the west london tram scheme

With the increasing number of flats being built along the Uxbridge Road, a new hotel, parking spaces lost in Dickens yard and  petrol prices going through the roof isn't it time the West London Tram plan was looked at again. Since it's postponement nothing whatsover has been done to provide an alternative and buses crawl along stuck in jams a tram would sail past. All the alternative schemes proposed by the noisy anti tram brigade have been forgotten it seems.Cross Rail is a good scheme but does not replace the need for fast, clean local transport as found in almost every modern European city.Yes I'm a fan. In my seventies I was a child in a Midlands city which once had a wonderful network of trams. A recent visit showed what poor servce a privatised replacement bus services offered.

keith mason ● 5896d146 Comments ● 5768d

Freecycle vs Streetbank

Hi there,As Christmas fast approaches and the prospect of unwanted presents looms, I'm wondering if anyone has any strong feelings about the benefits/pitfalls of sites like Freecycle or Streetbank? I'm thinking we might need a bit of a clean out after Christmas but don't want to be bombarded with spam. Thanks, Charlie

Charlie Banister ● 5771d2 Comments ● 5769d

Anyone know what has happened to Monty's?

Monty's has operated a successful tandori business in the South Ealing Road since 1979.We popped around for a meal last week and it was closed 'due to an electrical fault'. It's still in darkness.

Rob Russell ● 5771d3 Comments ● 5769d

Skip Hire

I need to hire a skip for my Scout Group as we are having a massive clearoutdoes anyone know any companies that do 1hr hire? as we need to keep costs down as we are a charity.

Mark Yates ● 5774d6 Comments ● 5771d

Cleaner required South Ealing

Can anybody please recommend a cleaner who could do a couple of hours a week for us in South Ealing?  Thank you.

Gillian Healey ● 5772d0 Comments ● 5772d

Cats

I was looking at some site about a bloke who has attached a camera to his cat.  Basically the cat goes around its business and when it gets back, the owner downloads the photos.What surprised me was the amount of other cats in the photos so am wondering if cats have friends that they hang out with.Any cat owners confirm or deny this?

G Lord ● 5774d2 Comments ● 5773d

Rainbows places available

Acton District Rainbows (part of Girl Guides) has places available for girls aged 5 and 6 years. Weekly sessions take place on Wednesdays from 5-6pm in the hall behind Acton Hill Church. Girls take part in games and crafts, learning and discovery. Contact Jennifer Dudley for more information: 07710 774620

Kim Bobsin ● 5773d0 Comments ● 5773d